Monday, July 28, 2014

This weeks pics





Another week

Dear Family,

So yet another week has passed me by... where does the time go?  This week was a really good week.  I already got to tell you about my Monday, but Tuesday was way different than usual... At about 6:45 we got a call from the zone leaders saying that today we were doing a split... uhhh thanks for the heads up guys!  I had to pack my things because I would be staying the night at thier house that night and going on a split with Elder Fisher.  It takes 3 hours to get from our house to thier house as we are at the top of Tana and they are at the bottom.  We got there safely.  However, while I was on one of the four busses that we had to take, there was a lady who was sitting next to me.  She handed me a piece of paper with a picture of her and a bunch of stuff written in French.  She said to me in english... "do you understand?"  I said no I dont speak french.  My comp however does and he said she was asking for money because she was extremely sick and needed medical help... uhhhh I didnt really say anything else to her but when we got off the bus she said again in broken english... "pray for me!"  I said I would.  So, Elder Fisher, what an odd duck.  I got to do four hours of tracting, teach a couple lessons with him and just have a wierd day.  When we tracted we were always running into little children who would gather by the dozens just to get a look at the vahazas... I felt like a zoo animal that day.  They loved to listen to us speak thier language and joke around with them.  We also (as always) ran into some drunk guys who just wanted to talk... some guys who were mentally not all there, according to thier friends, and some women who wanted to talk to the white guys.  Our last app. started at like 8 and we taught it outside.  It was freezing cold, but we had 16 people come and listen to our message, I taught about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.  At the end of the lesson, they wanted us to sing a hymn, ya sorry thats gonna have to be a no go.  Maybe Jordan Williamson can come back on a mission and sing for you!  Hahaha.  Oh, ok so then we get home and I have to sleep in the zone leaders bed who is on splits with my comp in my area... GROSSSSSS, to say the least, I didnt really sleep that night because I was just grossed out.  The next day was zone meeting.  It was good, there is a new stat that we have to keep that tracks our time of actual teaching.  Like that lesson was 45 minutes, and we add all of the times up at the end of the week and report it.  I think they want to see how much time we are wasting... We got back home on Wednesday and our branch asked us to practice soccer with them because we have a game on Saturday against another branch.  Its all fun in games till someone takes out elder herrin...I should be carefull not to get too into it.  Thursday was a great day.  We taught a lot of lessons, got a new investigator and a new contact, and had a great suaree with a member family.  They made me eat three plates of rice and a boiling hot cup of milk... I couldnt move after that.  Friday was good as well, we got to tract... Our app. fell through so we had about 4 hours to tract in our area.  Of course, we tried the really big houses, couldnt get in, got rejected a bunch, but got 5 contacts!  Its the small blessings that we need to see right?  We then had our weekly suaree with this great family and great food.  Rice of course.  Saturday was both your high and your low.  The high was that we had this big activity where our branch played a soccer game against the branch closest to us.  Its the four sisters who are in my district, its their branch that we played.  I am now forever known as "defense" to everyone.  I was kind of a really big jerk and didnt let anyone by me even if it meant using a little bit of my body...hahahah, I had the people telling me they were scared to bring the ball near me!  We won 2-0!  We may or may not have gloated to the sisters who told us they were going to win...  The down was that we were supposed to have 2 baptisms after the game that didnt happen because of a couple reasons.  It was raining and cold all day, and Malagasys do not like rain or cold so they all stay in.  The water in the font was no where near where it needed to be to baptize someone, and things just didnt work out.  Sad day.  Later that day my comp had to do a bap interview so I had the VERY unique opportunity of going on splits with the sisters... I checked, its not against the rules!  Let me tell you how wierd it was to only be with them and no elder companion.  They were really good teachers though thats for sure.  Sunday was good, we had more people at church than I have seen in this branch since I have got here... 56! Hahahah.  We worked like a normal day and then returned home to call in our stats for the week, prepare dinner, and hit the pillow!  I am having a wonderful time here in Tana.  Although its so loud, dirty, and annoying, Tana is where I need to be right now.  I hope that things are going well at home and that all is well.  Know that I love you so much.

All my Love

Elder Herrin

Monday, July 21, 2014

More Experiences

Dear Family,

So this week has been another wonderful week here in Ambohimangakely!  So we worked and did normal stuff on Tuesday and Wednesday but on Thursday, we had interviews with President Adams... Not that that is a bad thing, but its just a little nerve wracking.  So he asked me how I was doing, and I said... "good"  No, I said I was doing great and he asked me what I had learned so far.  I went on to talk about the many things that I didnt think I could do before my mission, or even on my mission, but as a missionary, and with faith, we can do SO much more than we think.  Then he asked me a really scary question, he said... "Do you feel comfortable as a missionary, like with the language, and the way of the missionary?"  Oh boy, I just know that I am going to have to train next transfer... AHHHHHH  I cant do that, I am going to have to be district leader to because the only other missionaries in our district are sisters... Anyway, my interview was not that long (go figure) and after that I was really not feeling well, so we went home and I threw up so hard... I felt like little TY Herrin yackin up his food... After that I went to bed... woke up the next morning feeling fine! So... Friday and Saturday we worked.  I am teaching a lot more than I have been... A. Because my comp doesnt like to teach B.  Because he is about as good as me C.  Because I need to get better if I am going to train.  Saturday we teach english, well I do because my comp is french, so they wanted to talk about cars and stuff from america.  They also had an activity at the church on Saturday which consisted of the sisters talking and the kids playing fifa on a TV that the church bought... It was so funny.  Sunday we had a pathetic 43 people at church.  We really need to step our game up in Ambohimagakely.  So we went out to work and we had one app at the church with that woman I talked about either last week or the week before.  She is the one who lives in the area with a gang and they are always on the run.  So we met her at the church and she has decided to move to Toliare which is a long way away and right now they are living with family in a different part of Tana.  They want to be baptized and learn, but I dont know how that is going to work if they cant come to church, but its great that they want to be baptized.  When we finished work we headed for home.  Usually we have to take a taxi (and yes spend some money) to get to our house which is in Mahazo or about ten minutes away.  But my comp wanted to see if we could walk and take a short cut.  Yaa set up for a bad ending I know... So we walked across rice patties, through little villages and we were finally to an area where my comp recognized.  "Just up that hill he said, thats our house right there!"  So we started up this hill, which didnt have a path, we just were walking through brush and crap.  We saw snakes, which is a no bueno thing, so we steered clear of them.  We were almost there when my comp said  "hold on!" we paused and waited a second, and thats when we saw not one, not two, but three large security dogs running at us ferociously.... "RUN" my comp said.  Oh he didnt have to tell me that, I was gone in the blink of an eye! Jessy Owens style Bishop! hhahahaha! I dont know how we got away, but we did!  We had to walk the long way home and I was ok with that!  Today we got to play soccer against an actual team... the missionaries usually lose every week they play, but this week oh no!  5 to 3 we won!  I am not saying its me cause it really wasnt but we have some really good players or missionaries and we put on a show today! Oh how I missed soccer.  Today I also got a couple yellow ties!  Miracles for Makenzie!  If thats how I can show my love from Madagascar then thats what I will do!  I also got a yellow bracelet!  Its been a good week and next week should be fun as well!  Thanks for all of the love and support. I love you so much

All my Love

Elder Herrin

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Lots of pics



















Welcome To Tana!

Dear Family,

What a strange week I have had, as if this one is any stranger than any other... So Elder Rasoanaivo and I worked on Tuesday, I kind of said some goodbyes to people because I knew that I was leaving on Thursday and wouldnt be seeing them again.  However, on Tuesday night I got a phone call from the AP's telling me that I needed to be on the earliest bus Wednesday morning... Uhhh yaa of course I hadnt packed, wasnt ready, and didnt wanna leave Ambositra.  But I just said yaa no problem!  So that night I was up way late packing, singing, dancing all that jazz.  Wednesday was travel h e double hockey sticks.  I was on a taxi be to Antsirabe that went slower than I could run so we had the elders just drive and pick us up halfway, then I had to immediately get on another taxi be to Tana.  These little vans are not made for six feet tall vahazas... I finally made it to the office in Tana and saw all of the new missionaries who had  arrived just two hours earlier.  I remember how nervous I was when I got in country so I tried my best to talk to them and just make them feel like this was going to be the most dope two years of their life...in Madagascar.  So, I met my new comp, yet again another NON american. The only american companion I have had, well he passed away... So about my new comp.  He is from France and his name is Elder Leroux (dont pronounce the x) He is so cool, we get along great and there is some fun times ahead!  We work in an area called Ambohimangakely.  Its in Tana, but kind of on the outskirts so its almost like we arent in Tana.  Ok, a little about Tana, its the main city, like the closest thing I will get to America.  People actually have a purpose for getting up in the morning, the girls actually do their hair and smell... not like B.O. and there is traffic.  The closest thing I can describe it to is San Fransisco... So the work here is a little harder cause the people are busy and actually have lives so this week we only taught six lessons, pathetic I know, but its going to get better, dont worry.  The members are really cool, and the investigators are great as well.  I am just going to jump to Sunday because some crazy stuff went down... So of course, I had to bear my testimony in my new branch... so I got up there and said that my name was elder herrin and that I worked with elder rakoto-vahaza-leroux!  I am trying to have a personality and the people laughed at that!  Then we went out to work and I will tell you about one time.  So we went to visit an investigator and her family and we asked them why they havent been coming to church and this is the story they told us.  So there is basically a gang that lives in their "neighborhood" and they have been going around each night to random homes killing people and stealing their property... thats no joke.  So this mom, who cant be over 35, she is gathering some people to take them down.  They cant talk very loud in their house, they cant leave thier home, except to buy food, and they are always being watched.  The kids are scared and I was too when she was saying all of this.  Can you imagine? Yaa so as we were leaving she said that we just needed to walk quickly because she knew that we were going to be watched the whole way out... Tana is way scary, this is not an unusual thing here.  I am doing well though, the house I live in is crazy huge, three stories and a big kitchen and still only two people live there... My health is good (knock on wood) and I am loving being here!  Please send all my love to the Lewis family, I am praying day and night for better days!  Life is not easy, but through the gospel of Jesus Christ, all things are better.  I love you all so much.

All my Love

Elder Herrin

Monday, July 7, 2014

Training Program... OVER

Dear Family,

So I have officially finished my training program which means I have been here 12 weeks already! CRAZY! And as always, there has been some unusual happenings here this week! So, monday I was in Tana and I went on splits with some really cool elders named rigby and horspool!  I stayed with them that night.  We talked about a lot of things and stayed up probably too late just talking about life and girls and pre mission shenanigans... then tuesday was the memorial service for elder palmer... yes I cried like a little girl, BUT its only because sister adams (the presidents wife) started crying and she got me started.  I hope that the things I said will comfort his family. It was recorded so that his family could have it.  That day we drove back to Antsirabe and we stayed the night there.  We got up the next morning to find that the truck that we have got robbed!  All of one elders money was stolen, his camera, and the battery to the car was gone.  They also sifened some gas and took a license from one elders wallet as well. I felt so bad for that elder... its not like the car wasnt locked.  Anyway, we got back to ambositra way late on wednesday night so we couldnt work.  On Thursday, we GOT ELECTRICITY!!! It was so exciting to do laundry and turn on a light!  That day was also the fourth of July so I danced around the house singing American songs to my Malagasy comp!  We went out to work but didnt have much success as people were gone or "busy".  Friday was a little bit better, we got some times and worked hard.  Saturday we got up and got ready to go to Anjoma for the day.  We got to the bus area and the guy there wanted to charge us "special" because I was a vaza... ummm no sir you cannot be racist and charge me extra because I am white... so we had to wait for another bus to go... we got to Anjome later than we wanted so the President there had already started the 6 kilometer hike to the people we were going to teach... so we couldnt go with him. Instead we went to his house where his children fed us rice and we talked with them for like 2 hours thinking that Pres would be back by then but he didnt come back.  So we left and got back to Ambositra just in time for out next time.  Here is where things get crazy.  At our last time on Saturday night we showed up to the house and the lady who we were going to teach said that someone from this area had died... Which really means I cant learn right now.  So I just said ok, do you need any help or can we don anything... She then talked really fast in Malagasy and we followed her to another building... We walked into a room where a dead man lay and his family sat crying... then she turned to us and said can you give them a spiritual thought or give a talk to help them... Yaa right when she said that I sat down on a chair and looked down at the ground.  My comp though, he was a trooper and gave a great VP about the plan of salvation and it was really good and I just couldnt get over that there was a dead man laying like two feet from me... Pretty crazy experience if you ask me.  Sunday was good, still only 51 total at church.  There are a lot of problems in ths area with apostate people and just things not going right.  On Sunday night, I found out that I was being transferred to TANA, and I would be getting a new comp!  He is from France and his name is elder Leroux!  That is the happenings here.  One quick funny story from the week. Each morning we walk down to the little "store type thing" and buy food for breakfast.  Like a couple eggs, some bread, and maybe some snacks for our studies.  There was a little malagasy boy who was there and he, of course, said "VAZA"  and so I kinda talked to him, but every time I said something he responded with "his feet are so clean" hahahah, I ended up buying him some candy for the day!  Gotta love the people here!  I love you so much

All my Love

Elder Herrin