I love working with Elder Stromberg...

Dear Family,

Work is going great! I had the craziest experience of my mission recently. I helped deliver a Malagasy baby, but I'll explain that next week. I'm really excited about Devin and Rachel's upcoming marriage!! Send all the pics! I love hearing the news from you guys. It makes me feel like I'm living two satisfying lives here in Madagascar and in Orem. The work is also going great! Our Area Book is cleaned up finally; there should be a lot of baptisms coming; and, I love working with Elder Stromberg!

Elder Soper didn't send any pictures this week, so here's a lemur...

My Back

While on a split, this elder was explaining how those quadrocopters and why everyone wants to buy one to film an amazing film of the awesome Orem from a bird's eye view, or film the cool Boy Scout's super-activity, or a match of Ultimate Frisbee! As he was talking, I fell asleep in a weird position. Now, my back has a horrible kink, like it did in the MTC, and every time my back twinges, I have to make a weird, constipated grunt. Makes teaching a little awkward, haha!

Sifu Desire

Sad surprise last Tuesday. On our way to my favorite investigator, we received a text from him--in all caps--explaining that he had meditated, prayed, read and channeled in on his Chi (he's a karate master), and he decided he was done. He didn't want to baptized and even learn anymore. I didn't know I would be so shocked and sad about it. My sensei... I created a dramatic scene with Elder Stromberg of how we would knock on his door, take a deep breath and I would bear a staggeringly powerful testimony in one last effort to hook him. He would then fall back to the earth in awe. But instead, when we stopped by, his servant with a toothless smile came out with a brown bag, containing all the pamphlets and his marked up BoM. Darn. Loved that guy.

German Girl

Somehow, we're having just as much success with foreigners in our area as we are with those other people I'm supposed to teach? Uh.. I don't remember. Oh yeah, Malagasies. As of now, we are teaching a Congolese family, Jean Luc, a Nigerian-Malagasy family, Samson, and a German girl doing a Malagasy poetry PhD, Maike. I realize there truly is a different language needed when teaching the Gospel in English. I couldn't stop using mildly inappropriate vocabulary, i.e. calling the Apostles "these guys," or accidentally inserting "man" or even "dude." It's definitely correct revelation that I was called to the Madagascar mission. So far though, Maike came to church, and has a baptismal date!! She already lives with the 1st counselor of the Stake Presidency by the way.

Malagasy Morsel of the Week - Didim-potra

Circumcision is a big party here in Madagascar. Elder Stromberg and I received permission to wake up at 4 AM, run over to an investigator's house and witness the horrifying ceremony of the "didim-potra". Keep in mind, the kid is already 6 or 7 years old. Starting late evening, they blare music and get the kid dancing. Periodically, a piece of candy is throw to him to keep him on a sugar rush. Then, when his eyes start drooping. Boop! New toy car! "Keep dancing!" The night wears on. The kid continues to lifelessly kick and dance with what energy he as left. Finally, when 5 AM rolls around, they stuff money into the big middle pocket of his traditional Malagasy shirt, tell him to reach in and hold on to it. The parents then grab his hands inside the pocket as someone swoops in and starts cutting. In sluggish realization, the kid screams and kicks as I involuntarily kicked with him in some kind of male-to-male sympathy. It was intense...

Story for Next

-My First Delivery

Love you!

Elder Soper