Week 61 - Getting Colder

Well, there's trouble in paradise. It's getting cold.

But like really!!! I was freezing last night!!! I was all wrapped up in a giant blanket and I we checked the thermometer and it was 71.5 degrees!!! That's below room temperature!!! That was almost in the sixties!!!

Hahaha gosh dang it I'm going to die when I get back to Utah. I was so freezing. It was pathetic. Anyway, Elder Rasmussen likes the hot. Not the cold.

Other than that, it's still been pretty warm. I'm convinced my effectiveness as a missionary depends on the weather though... Wednesday was way hot and super clear and we taught 10 lessons. Thursday was a little cooler and slightly cloudly and we only taught 6 lessons. Then Saturday was drizzly and cold and we taught 1. We also had a baptism that started late and went kind of long, so yeah... There might be a different reason for that, but still... I feel like that's not a coincidence. But yeah... baptism!


We had a combined baptism with Tanambao and they had a couple who finally got married this last week so they got baptized. Then we had M. and we had a child of record who was baptized by his brother. That was way cool! We were supposed to have two other baptisms too, but they didn't show up to their baptismal interviews or church... awkward... so their date has been pushed back some. I won't say how long so you don't think I'm a crazy nazi about that, but let's just say it won't be this year... haha jkjkjkjk it will definitely be this year, but we are going over the Sabbath day a lot... They will be baptized before with our next batch though.

But yeah, the baptism was great! The water was cold! It rained on us! (Keep in mind the font is outside...) and it was fantastic! M. has actually been learning for like three years but never was really dilligent. He finally pulled himself around. He said he kept trying to fight against it, but he kept getting pulled back into the church and he had to accept it was true. His baptism resulted in him being disowned by his parents who will not pay for his school anymore. When he told us that, he told us he's got food and shelter figured out and he's been doing some odd jobs here and there so he'll be fine. He's a stud. I was very impressed.


This last week has had some more excercising. A couple of weeks ago on Pday we bought a bunch of wood and made parallel bars for doing dips. That was lots of fun because we just hauled the wood across town on our shoulders. We got lots of weird looks and some funny comments about how vazahas were working for Malagasies. (Elder Razakamandimby and Razafindretsetra were walking behind Elder Price and yours truly looking like they were our bosses.) It was way fun, but it's been fun to get a little more kotrana in here and there. I won't send a picture, but just imagine if Dwane "The Rock" Johnson had worked out a little harder and you'd be about right...

Malagasy word of the week is gidro. It means monkey. Down here in Fort Dauphin it is also slang for guitar. So... yeah. Cool right? So it brings more meaning to monkeying around...? haha

This last week was just way sweet and Elder Price and I have been having a blast. We've got some good work. Even with barely any lessons taught on Sunday and Saturday we still taught more than I usually did in my other areas. And we've been having fantastic branch councils too! The church runs so great down here! I love how commited all of the leaders are! We've been working with members to try to get to lots of the less actives. And since we have 33 recent converts who have been baptized in the last year, we've been teaching lots of members. We have also started to get some great referrals from all of that. I love it. The church is true. When people get other people going to that true church they get blessings.

Love y'all.
Mandra-pihaona!