Elder Taylor Soper: Transferred to Antsirabe!

Salama va taingy!

Fetra Tahina and Mahery

Transferred to Antsirabe: President had promised Elder Hammer that him and I would be together 'til he died, kinda sweet sounding. However, we received a call two days ago that I would be moving to Antsirabe, a province in the south: cold (good), great food, beautiful Madagascar countryside (the opposite of where I am now) and weird, amazing people that speak Betsileo. Betsileo is a dialect that sounds a like Madagascar's version of a hick. My new companion is Elder Andriantinarisoa, a Malagasy. He and I did a split about 4 weeks ago, and he and I both wrote to president asking to be together sometime in our missions. President calls himself the big, round sugar plum fairy, so voila! I got my wish. Elder Andriantinarisoa is one of the funniest guys I've met, and he's willing to help me a lot with my Malagasy (he speaks English very well).
Saying Goodbye to Investigators: This was incredibly hard, oi. Yesterday, we visited our best investigators and recent converts. I cried a wee bit, but I just told them my eyes were sweaty. The hardest goodbyes were to Clarissy's family (the tailor), and a 11 year-old boy named Toky (Heritiana's family). When I told Toky I was leaving, he just looked down and wouldn't talk to me. Gah. I'm lucky to have a gotten some precious pictures with them. I'm going to miss this area so much.
Vagabond Snot Kid: Elder Hammer and I were walking across these rice paddies on a quiet Friday evening. As we were crossing an especially long, muddy path, a little Malagasy boy confidently strutted towards us. We met and stopped in front of each other in the middle, stood in silence and stared each other for a couple seconds. A little bit of snot peeked out of his nose, and Elder Hammer told him to wipe his nose. He yelled, "No!" He laughed super hard, and a ton of surplus snot launched out onto his face. He promptly ran away into the twilight, leaving us confused, but oddly inspired.
Skype for Mother's Day: It was a great to see all of you guys on Saturday. It literally feels like I'm living two satisfying lives through reading your emails and our conversations over Skype. I miss you all so much! Conveniently, it doesn't make me homesick, but it motivates me more to have a productive mission. Having limited connection with you guys has really made realize how lucky I am to be part of this amazing family. Love you all so much!

I'm sure this next week is going to be a whirlwind, moving to Antsirabe and all that. I can't wait to see what weird crud and spiritual experiences await me there!

Love,

Elder Soper