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