Monday, January 5, 2015

Happy New Year

Dear Family,

I can only imagine the week that you all have had. I hope it was fun and full of laughter.  I know that laughter just makes everything a whole lot better!  I sure did miss family though.  With Christmas just passing and now New Years, the traditions of Martinellis at the Browns, card games, the ball drop, all run through your head as you are walking around in the dead beat of summer spreading the great word of God.  My week was just wonderful, let me tell you all about it!

So our week started off kind of lame.  Last week we were supposed to have this really cool P-day where we went and saw this huge waterful and maybe or maybe not walk through it... We got to the gate and they were trying to make us pay extra because they said we were touristst... Uhhh then he realized we spoke his language.  So he called his boss who is a white French man.  He spoke little english and actually quite rude stated: "If you dont have a residence card with you, you can either pay or leave"  He sped away on his motorcycle after that. I thanked the Malagasy man and we left.  Really disappointing, but we just dont have that much money to go and spend.  So we just walked home all sad.  The week of work was better than last week.  There was just as many drunks... but for some reason we were able to teach more times than we were last week!  Soo, we had some real funny happenings go on this week.  As we all know, it was New Years.  The fomba here in Madagascar is whenever there is a celebration Malagasies do this thing called bisous.  That is this little kissy thing from cheeck to cheeck.  You go one side to the other and back to the first side, each time your cheecks touch.  Yaa we had a couple of old men, and some women come up to us this new year and expect this little bisous.  Should I have done it, probably not, but did I want to ruin the fomba and be a disgrace, no.  So I did it, and boy it was awkward cause of the sweat beads that ran down my cheeck.  You know, I am positive that there were more funny things that happened this week, its just hard to remember.  But so there was this one thing that still hasnt happened yet.  So, last Tuesday, we got a call from the mission office that said they sent down the mail that we 4 elders have recieved on a bus.  That meant that like packages from family, letters from girlfriends, and hopefully lots of candy was headed our way! We got way excited and headed over to the bus stop where the bus was supposed to be.  Not here yet.  The next day we found out that the bus was in an accident.  Now, this probably doesnt make sense to you, but the bus was supposed to get here Tuesday, which meant that the bus left Sunday.  Its like a two day drive through the worst roads ever.  AND, 50% of the time, the bus's get hit up by a gang and people lose all they have.  But its the only way for us to get mail.  So we found out that there was an accident and we waited and waited... STILL has not shown up.  UGGGHHHH!  I guess there are more important things, but who knows what is in those packages?? Today we tried to get our mind off of that by cleaning.  We got up and did a deep cleaning of the house and I feel really relieved!  Anyway, cant complain that I am working here in paradise!  I love it here and the people I have come to know!  I continue to feel the spirit here and feel myself growing in the language, spiritually, and ... physically :(  I love you all so much!

All my Love

Elder Herrin

No comments:

Post a Comment