Beautiful Madagascar!!!
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The Fam...
Brian's birthday
we took it by ourselves....no one is ever home!
"T"
happy at byu~idaho...Will be doing an internship this summer.
Brett & Afton
married August 9th now happy in Provo!
Elder Bonsey
Mada Chad...happy in Madagascar!
Jas
all conference...
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Letters from Elder Burton
Salama,
Jason got t'd up? I'm sorry, hmm, I've definetly said worse things to a ref (you're a cheater; I'm sorry, did I hurt your son; hmm, I wondered about that footlocker robbery; why don't you just throw on a highland jersey; etc..., and that was all one game), that's kind of funny. Sorry, but it is, I laughed when I read that. I'm sorry, though, that's a rough way to go out. Sorry, but hey, you got freaking amazing seats to the jazz game. And you got to stay at the little America. But good for Jason, it sounded like he played well. I’m sorry about shippen, but Skyline have always been a bunch of mouths… and not just to IF. The football coach is one especially, and every team says they play and talk dirty. It’s too bad. Larry Miller died? Crazy.
The situation is apparently the same in Tana, but it’s definitely different here in Antsiribe. We hardly know anything is going on. The only thing we know is that President Gaya still wants us to go in at 7, which is way too early. The APs told us that people in Tana had permission to stay out until 8:30, so we thought we just didn’t get the announcement and stayed out until 8:30 one night and it was no big deal at all. I wish we could work later, but what do you do? We don’t have as much quality food as missionaries, but the people aren’t suffering too badly. It’s really left a lot of people out of work, but for the most part it didn’t affect much of what they ate at all. No one’s doing too badly here, oil is the only thing no one can afford that they eat, we have to pay a lot for it. And a few other things we have to buy more expensive and crappier versions of (butter, oil, yogurt, meat, etc.). And now there’s no ice cream except for the expensive stuff. But we’re doing fine, no one is too bad yet. And it sounds like everyone will calm down soon. Really, I’m back in the swing of things again.
I can’t believe there’s snow there. That’s crazy, it is so hot here. I’m glad to be in Antsiribe because it’s much cooler here, even though it’s still boiling. I guess it’s only as hot as you get there, but it’s hot.
Obama, I still think he’s a good guy, but from what I hear it’s socialism. That bill is way too expensive, what is it going towards? I love that governors refused the money, it just seems, to me, like we’re going from an individual economy where the individual succeeds and creates competition and pushes forward the country and mankind, to a collective society where the few work to benefit everyone, but in so doing curbs growth and the economy can’t improve… any improvement is lost in money to those not working. And now it’s becoming easier to not work, not live within your means, not buy an affordable house… and taxes are taking away jobs. Less jobs with more of an incentive to live on welfare and not even look for a job, money to those who buy things they can’t afford (taken from responsible citizens), less money to defense and border control and more toward government controlling individuals, I don’t know… it’s a ticking time bomb, could you guys please sort it out before I get home? Ha, ha. Let’s just say I’m glad I’m in this country… even as crazy as it is.
Western Watts, Lyn’n and things, Circuit City, all gone? GM hanging on by the skin of their teeth, taken care of by those who haven’t made irresponsible business decisions? I’ll stay here for fourteen more months.
Good luck to Jason finding a college. I’m not actually sure about the packages, I can’t check until I go to the office in Tana… it might have. I could use some hand sanitizer and if it’s okay some green vitamins (I don’t know, it’s St. Patrick's day…). That’s all I can think of. Thank you so much for that! Question, last bit about anything related to this, but have your property values dropped a lot or are they just increasing more slowly?
Speaking of gospel questions, guess what movie they showed on TV here last week: Under the Banner of Heaven. You know, the one where Brigham Young ordered the Mountain Meadows Massacre, that false movie. Well, more than one member has asked about it, but they have testimonies so they’re fine, we’re just going to give them true information about it. It seems that, because the work was going so well here, Satan is doing just about everything he can to stop it.
Yesterday I had a cool day. Every once in a while elders here have to go on splits and work in Manadona, it’s a tiny little town about the size of what we call Mud lake, but it’s actually smaller. There are two missionaries that work down there because there are a couple of really diligent members down there, but they also work here in Antsiribe, so on Sundays they have to go on splits so they can count investigators in two places. Yesterday was my first time going down there. It’s about 15-20 kilometers south or west (I can’t remember) of Antsiribe, a difficult bike ride, but it’s so cool. They have no electricity. About half of them didn’t even know about anything going on in Tana until a week or two ago. It doesn’t matter to them, they grow their own rice and things and they have all the meat they need. It’s pretty cool. They pray (have church) in a tent. It was so cool, there were only about thirty people there, they are still too small to be a branch but they are growing (because of the missionaries). I really thought of like Jospeh Smith and him starting a church, it was so cool, they only have one Melchizedek Priesthood holder. Well, I had about three seconds notice that I had to teach a lesson on agency, but it went okay, I thought it was fine. After church we went and taught a few people. There was this one elderly couple that lived in this valley, small valley, that was surrounded by terraced rice patties. Wow, it was beautiful. We went into their house and they said I was the biggest person to ever go into their house, the biggest they had ever seen. (I thought I was going to break through the floor boards, they were kind of week). Well, we went into their house and all they had was a straw mat over their floor and a couple of coats and a couple of hats. They just harvest rice and eat that. They were so humble. A portion of the people down there can’t read, but they could (it’s a very low level of education, but it’s getting better). I thought how blessed they were, they live in this hidden valley in the middle of no where, they speak some weird jungle language (Malagasy), they just grow rice, yet they have already been baptized. They are very blessed. I can’t help but think about how many people like that live in Mada. There’s a lot of work to do. It was such a fun trip.
The branch president went down there this last week; he does so every so often. He gave a lesson to the members about why they should get the Melchizedek Priesthood and what it means. It was about the oath and covenant of the priesthood. This area is blessed because of that guy, he is so humble and so knowledgeable, he didn’t say one thing that was false that I heard. It was a great lesson, simple yet humble and very good. He is one of the only Malagasy leaders in the church here that still listens to President Gaya. That was the problem in my old branch, they wouldn’t listen. The stake president actually likes to fight with and do the opposite of what president Gaya says. It’s sad, but there are a few branches and stake leaders that are still humble, not power drunk yet. I think they’re about to split the stake and it might be better. It just reminds me of the scripture in D&C 121:39: “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.” It’s true, but this branch is not like that, neither are any of their leaders. It doesn’t help that leaders have to speak French (all of the church manuals here are in French) But anyway, this branch president is the man. And, as Elder Bauserman said about the Elder’s quorum president: “He sees the problems that the church has in Madagascar and doesn’t beat around the bush, he attacks them straight on.” It’s so wonderful and so good when people follow what their supposed to.
The work’s going good too. We have a lot of cool investigators. Did I tell you about, well, I can’t remember their names (I’ve only taught them once)? Anyway, she has been searching for the true church. She has attended many churches and hasn’t yet “felt” right about it. Well, she and her husband are now diligent and progressing, it’s cool. We also teach these two people named (not kidding) Joseph and Mary. They got married, and guess what their baby’s name is. Okay, it’s actually something normal, like Ridsa, but I thought it was funny. They come to church.
We teach these really cool investigators and I can’t come up with their names for the life of me. The daughter figured out immediately that it is true, and she’s asked to get baptized. She read, and asked sincerely, man, if people will just do that and be willing to accept the answer. Anyway, she asked to be baptized, and we accepted (ha, ha, obviously). She’s getting baptized in March. Her parents said they want to learn everything first, but they have felt the spirit, they’re going to get baptized, they just want to be sure, which is actually probably good because they will be much stronger members if they take the time to read and listen. But they said they want to get baptised, just not yet. They’re almost done with the lessons anyway, they know it’s true, they’re practically members, we’ve just got to finish and then make them pray hard about it.
That daughter who wants to get baptized grossed me out though. She was holding her little brother (still a baby) and the baby peed. There are not really good diapers here, or at least the people can’t afford them, so it went down her leg. She looked down and said: “oh, it’s just pee,” and then whipped it up with her hand. Then, I had no choice, she shook my hand. That is why I asked for hand sanitizer.
Dudy from my old area is progressing well. He has quit smoking and drinking (crazy I know, he used to smoke almost twenty cigarettes a day!), and now he wants to get vita soratra. This is hard, but I live in Antsiribe, where he has to get his papers from (it’s a weird system), so I’m going to get them for him. He should get baptized before my year mark.
Anyway, it’s good to be working again. The work is going so well. Elder Tolbert is a good companion to have, I just hope he doesn’t forget me when he goes AP (ha, ha, he doesn’t want to and denies it, but we all know he will). I’m trying to send pictures again this week, same instructions (dudy’s kids are holding the yo-yos and pez from Christmas, though) but I’m also trying to add pictures of Eva (who was baptized) and Naina (also baptized), and maybe a couple from Manadona. . I’m going all out, but the computers seem to be going well today. Cross your fingers and maybe they’ll work.
Okay, I’d better jet, I’ll talk to you later,
Elder The Chad
PS, Baldwin can’t have the cutout at least until I’m home, ha, ha. Wait, that is the Alex you were talking about, right?
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