Dope week!

Salama O!

Dope week! I didn't have too many ridiculous experiences this week, so I was a bit disappointed, but it was actually one of my favorite weeks so far. 

(Taylor didn't send any pictures this week, but since he went to a lemur reserve, I included this random lemur picture...)

• Tracting: With his last four companions Elder Hammer didn’t do much tracting—mostly member contacts.  So I wanted to expand or improve our program, but it was a  tough adjustment.  Up until now, the only serious tracting that's been done in our area has been during splits.  Elder Hammer and I are getting the swing of it now, however, and it’s been great.  It honestly is some of the most fun I've had. I've met people with no arms, people with no legs, the grossest bebe's, midgets and wonderful people ready to hear the gospel. It's sometimes awkward and painful, but we gotsta do it.
• Gunmouth: I got a nickname from some of our members. They call me "Basivava" which means 'gunmouth,' not sure if it's a bad thing or not. They call me this because I talk a lot even if I don't know what I'm saying. It's definitely easier to be confident in a different language. The members seem to like it, so I'mma continue.
• Malagasies and Swear Words: This last English class, only guys showed up, so they took the opportunity to ask a lot of crude questions about English. I kept having to say, "We're not going to talk about that." One guy from Saudi Arabia liked my reaction when he said the 'B' word, so he started calling a me a 'B' a ton. It got to the point where I brought him to the front and made him explain why it's wrong to swear in English, way funny.
• Peaches are a Foretaste of Heaven: We were teaching one of our strong families (Gaston and Bakoliarisoa) about Lehi's Vision about the Tree of Life. We asked what the fruit of the Tree might be. The wife blurted out, "Paiso!" which means 'peach.' For some reason, the timing was so odd and caught me offguard, so I started crying laughing. She tried to rationalize her comment by saying, "I really like peaches; I wouldn't mind if that's all I got." 
• Lemur Park: We decided to go to this lemur park far out in ambanivohatra (middle of nowhere) in a place called Amboimanga. It took forever to get to, but it was ridiculously pretty. The people there talk like Malagasy hicks. Instead of saying, "Tsy misy vaovao," when when we ask "Inona no vaovao," they said, "Tsa mishy vfaovfao!" in a very high voice. It was way cute. The park was small, but better than we expected. I'll send some pictures, and hopefully they can accurately show how beautiful the area was.

I'm still loving it here in Madagascar!

Love you all!

Elder Soper