Madagascar is a wonderful place...

Salama daholo!

Tsisy vaovao ho ahy fa izaho kosa nanana tena mahafinaritra herinandro teo. Madagascar is a wonderful place, full of exotic wildlife, people, food and experiences. Each week, I experience things where I can't comprehend the spiritual uplift I feel during my interactions with investigators and members and the precious uniqueness of my surroundings: the dirty city streets, the oddly shaped houses, the precarious paths and jungles, the occasional baby holding a knife, and the outright weirdness of the occasional, inadvertent 'what-the-butt-is-that' reflex I have multiple times a day. I'm incredibly blessed to be serving in Madagascar. I hope I can continue to appreciate the fact that I'm in Madagascar during my whole mission. 

Stories I Missed Last Week

-Easter Fiasco: Elder Hammer was especially tired, fell asleep on a taxibe, didn't notice I got off, woke up in an unfamiliar place, flipped out, found out he had entered an area where no missionaries serve (not way too far from Ivandry though) and found a person that could guide him back to Ivandry. Meanwhile, I assumed Elder Hammer followed me off the taxibe, and I started walking towards our next appointment. I then realized, “Where the flip is Elder Hammer?!” Confused, I went to an investigator’s house that we always stop by to say hi, and luckily, they had Elder Hammer’s number. Eventually, he found his way back, and we reunited, phew.

-Dina: Lemme tell you about this baller. This guy takes care of his 92 year-old dadabe and his 83 year-old mamabe. He clothes them, feeds them and washes them. He ran away from home because his mom abused him, and she fed him poison in small amounts so he wouldn't progress, and thus be dependable on her his whole life. He found a job as a taxibe caller, but somehow, he worked days and nights 24/7. Once he got enough money, he bought a small episcerie shop where he would give food to the poor for free. Now, he still is a little slow, but he has a wife, raises chickens and kids, and he wants to be baptized. Rare guy who wants to help everyone he sees.

This Week

• Soccer: Today, we missionaries played a game against a bunch of Malagasy members. The game turned out to be way official. There was a paid referee, and the Malagasies had matching orange jerseys. The game started off with a goal from a Malagasy bishop. As he celebrated, he ran to the side of the field and basically ripped off his shirt. That was when I realized the importance of the game. We kicked it up a notch and finally scored an ugly, scrappy goal. Our passing was horrible, but our counterattack went great. At one point, I became really selfish, took the ball and dribbled the ball all the way up to the field. The elders on the sideline started screaming because I accidentally made a couple of flashy moves. I made it to the goal and tapped it into the right corner--way exhilirating. I then made a fool out of myself with a couple really dumb plays, but whatever. After about 2 hours, we lost about 5-3...
• Elder Hammer's sickness: Elder Hammer's sickness reached a point where he hasn't been able to get out bed, and he called President Foote because he wanted a blessing. President Foote, being the amazing guy he is, came over as quick as he could. It was a great experience, but please pray for Elder Hammer.
• General Conference: I said this to Haley, "This is the first conference that wasn't boring for me. I'm changing 🤔." General Conference was amazing. All the missionaries in Tana congregated to watch it at the mission office. My favorite talk was Elder Uchtdorf's during the Priesthood Session. He really knows how to relate to everyone, and somehow, his talks always feel revolutionary or feel like watching the world turn a little faster. I'll share some of my thoughts about General Conference next week because we still haven't seen the Sunday session.

I forgot my planner again, adoy, and I literally can't remember another great experience from this week, so next time, haha!

  

Mandra-pihaona! 

Love,

Elder Soper