Update from Madagascar

 Neighbor children in Madagascar. Love these scruffy, mischievous, creative, little guys!

Lala, his wife, and their youngest two children.

Steve has a 'thing' for bamboo! He loves the stuff!

Selling vegetables by the side of the road.

Can never get enough of these country scenes! Note the bricks in the cart. These are made by hand out in the rice fields during "off season", fired in the fields in a makeshift kilne, and carried in baskets on top of the head to the closest wagon.

"Just chillin'"... More Lemur shots from the local Lemur Park just outside of Antananarivo.

Steve,hanging some rugs to dry outside of our house...normally people dry their clothes right on the bushes...we are fortunate to have a clothesline! Steve's getting into some domestic roles!! Love it!!

Tell me these vegetables don't look scrumptious and so fresh? The cabbages were the size of large pumpkins!! Amazing, and soooo delicious! The hardest part is to decide who to buy from...you wish you could buy from all of them!

June 21, 2014

Our hearts have been saddened this past week and a half as we received news that our missionary who was taken to South Africa for care, has developed complications. We were all so elated last week to hear that the brain bleed had spontaneously stopped and he had a wonderful prognosis for recovery. Unfortunately, a week ago Thursday evening, we got word that the hemorrhage had started again and further damage had been done. We have definitely been on a roller coaster of emotions. He has been unconscious and on a ventilator, but has started to improve again. His parents are at his bedside, and he has been able come off the ventilator and is responding slightly to his parents at the present time. The mission held a special fast for him last Friday. We are so worried about him and are praying mightily that the Lord will still see fit to restore his health in His due time. We wait by the phone for word each day. The bleed is so deep in his brain, they feel they cannot do surgery. It appears that it may have stopped again and we remain cautiously optimistic, knowing with full faith that the Lord can yet perform miracles if it should be His will; we pray that it might be so! We feel such a connection with this young man and our thoughts and prayers are with him constantly. Please add Elder Palmer to your prayers.

On a brighter note, we spent a wonderful evening last week with a former Bishop Lala and his family. They are in our ward, and bishop Lala has taken us under his wing. He started meeting with us weekly to help us with our Malagasy. He speaks English quite well which helps with our communication since we are in our infancy with this difficult language. We had a delicious meal with them and spent a few hours visiting. Last week Lala told us that he had been offered a great job and he feels it is a direct blessing and result of his service to us. He is a very faithful man and we are happy for him and his family. He is 60 and can hardly believe he has been given such a great job at his age. He has a son and daughter in college, a boy that is twelve and a little (adorable 6 year old girl). He married later in life and after is first two children, he thought he was done. Several years ago, Elder Scott visited in his home and told him he would yet have more children. He was so shocked as they had not planned to have more children, but they did go on to have two more! His wife is the Primary President and they are wonderful! We had such fun with them even though we struggled with the language. They are so patient and encouraging of our attempts to speak Malagasy. Somehow, despite our ineptitude, they understand and we get our point across. We love these people.

Let me try and describe how we got to their house. We followed a fairly main road up behind our house, by the University of Tana, and then down the other side of the hill. We then drove down a side street that became increasingly more narrow as we went. Soon the paved road ended and we found ourselves on what we have come to affectionately call, “a donkey trail”, packed with people on both sides and little vegetable, meat, rice and drink stalls on both sides of the road. We really were glad we were in a 4 wheel drive truck! It was dark and we were concerned about all the people on the street…it was super crowded! Lala had to run a few blocks to find us because we had no idea how far down this road we needed to go! We followed him down the street and parked in front of some empty vegetable stands. Then we went on foot down a narrow, red dirt packed alley into the little neighborhoods nestled behind the busy roads. We have to use the light from our phones to lead the way! We commonly walk beside sewer ditches in these areas, so we always walk gingerly and watch where we are going!! The two Malagasy homes we have visited are humble, but adequate, actually probably quite nice for Malagasy standards. We have enjoyed meeting with them in their homes. We have eaten with them and enjoyed their food. Both families we have eaten with are members and we know they take care to prepare their food properly. We have not gotten sick yet!! yay!!

The associations we have been able to forge so far with Malagasy people have definitely enriched our lives and experiences living here. We love them, and are grateful for them!!

This past weekend we spent some time taking the West  Africa AMA (Area Medical Advisor), Elder Elmer, around Tana for two days. He had come to Madagascar to accompany a Malagasy missionary home from his mission in Ghana due to mental health issues. It was great to spend some time with him as he was very well versed in health issues in developing countries having served the past 16 months in Ghana and is over countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leon and Ethiopia. He gave me many tips on dealing with health issues he has encountered during his time here. I really appreciated his tutoring!! We took him to a Lemur park on our P-Day (Saturday). He enjoyed being able to get the “cook’s tour” of Madagascar, and we enjoyed getting to know him. We went around with other senior couples, it was great!

Steve had a great experience this week with a young Malagasy returned missionary, Patrick Rasamoela. He is a very motivated and wonderful young man who has started a company called, “Mada Cheese Cake Factory”. (Sound familiar?!?) While he was on a mission with American companions, he somehow got exposed to cheesecake and decided to bring it to Madagascar! He and his cute wife have perfected a wonderful recipe using local products. He is tireless in his efforts to be successful, which is a bit unusual for a rather laid back culture. President Adams has a great desire to assist our returned missionaries to find jobs or obtain skills to do so. Unemployment is rampant and, as future leaders of our church here, we want to help them succeed. Steve has been working with Patrick on such things as a business plan, calculating finances, realistic and manageable growth and the like. He accompanied Patrick to the US Embassy where Patrick had already made contact and received permission to sell his cheesecakes for the day. It was a ‘hit’ and  not only did he sell out, he also received orders for several more. Then, we found out that a few days later, he got himself a contract for a large, 3 day,  UN meeting here in Tana. He also makes fabulous brownies and banana bread. Each day of the contract he has to make 25 of one of the three items. He has proven himself to be very motivated and dedicated and willing to ‘do the deal’. Our problem now lies in some logistics. Not having a car means that products have to be delivered by hand on a crowded Taxi Be. He does not have refrigerator space for 25 cheesecakes; he also needs a freezer. A freezer costs about $300.00 US dollars, which is a fortune for most Malagasies who live on about $2.00/day. Surprisingly there are apparently enough wealthier Malagasies or foreigners who are willing to pay $3.00 for a slice of cheesecake! Anyway, we are trying to give him ideas for all of the logistical trials he is facing. What he could really use is a ‘micro-loan’, but they don’t have anything like that here in Mada. We need to get with Paul for some insights in this…As missionaries we are not supposed to give money directly, but believe me it's tempting! We know he needs to be responsible to work out the challenges, or he will not be able to learn the principles necessary to sustain a growing business.  But we have so much faith in this young, hard working young man. We are also excited to see what he (with a little guidance) can make of his dream. If he can be successful, he will be a great mentor and example to other young Malagasies who need direction to succeed.

Our Senior couples are dwindling! We have three couples going home, and only one new couple coming in. This means that the Tolmans, a couple who have been very involved in mentoring the Young Single Adults, have to move to Antsirabe (about 3 hours south of here), because that area needs the help with a growing District that is preparing to become a Stake. FYI, Sacrament meeting attendance and Tithing faithfulness in this rather poor area of Madagascar is a surprisingly 80-85%! We are so humbled by these good people, some who meet in a tent and walk great distances to attend, who are willing to offer their part, to receive the blessings of the Lord, and to become a Stake. Several couples there are preparing to receive the blessings of the Temple. This means they must provide a “sacrifice” of their means to get to South Africa, where the temple is. If they are consistent with their ‘offering’ to make this happen (it varies per person depending on their situation), the church provides the rest. Now let me tell you, there is NO WAY they could make this on their own. The cost for such a trip is in the thousands of dollars; Visas, Passports, Airline tickets (approx $2,000 USD), transportation, food and the like would be utterly impossible for them on their own. I am so grateful for the Temple Patron Fund whereby those throughout the world who can afford to donate more, can help these wonderful members, who faithfully serve, offer and donate what they can (rather like the widow’s mite), to reach their dreams of being sealed for eternity with their families. It brings tears to my eyes to see this happen and to know how much it means to these wonderful people! Anyway, I digress…because the Tolman’s are leaving our area, Steve and I will now step in to help mentor and support the YSA in Madagascar. Steve will continue to offer support to those interested in learning business principles and we will continue to stress the principles of self-reliance. It is a rewarding opportunity to support and serve here in Madagascar!

So..now for my public service announcement; If any of you my friends and family, know of couples who are ready, willing and able to serve (or even thinking about it!), have them contact me! We need them. There is so much that can be done here in Madagascar. There is no better place to serve if they are up for an adventure every day, they love people,  are somewhat flexible  (not necessarily physically, but that wouldn’t hurt! haha), have a desire to serve wonderful people who are always so humble and appreciative, would like spending lots of time with their spouse in a common cause, this is the place for you! We love it! We feel safe here. By far the biggest concern is theft due to the economic situation, but generally Malagasies are  not a violent people. We can get most things we need and want (besides brown sugar and taco seasoning, but hey…no big deal, right?!? haha)! We have a nice place to live in (no Taj Mahal, but who needs that?!?), we have the use of a car or truck depending on the need, and we get to work with fabulous missionaries, couples and mission President, as well as serve a marvelous, loving, happy people—it’s great! SKYPE really helps with keeping in touch with family members and SKYPE or Magic Jack phones make up the difference. While we miss our beloved family and friends, for a season, we feel we will be better for this time of service. OK..I’m done now!

We love you all dearly…we love hearing from you…send us a note on e-mail…PLEASE!!

I also post this note on our blog with Pics…if you want to see pics, go to :
www.2madamissionaries.blogspot.com.

Maztoa,

Mom and Dad; AKA: Michele and Steve, Elder and Sister Rossiter; Elder and Soeur Rositera; grandpa and grammie!

Miracle in Madagascar

We feel that we have experienced a miracle in the mission! Last week we had an elder experience a spontaneous brain hemorrhage. Through a series of miraculous events, we were able to get him up to Tana, have a brain scan (CT Scan) and discover the problem. As the doctors here are ill equipped to handle anything this serious, we had to arrange for an air evacuation out of the country to South Africa. There is top notch medical care there. It is a very long story, but suffice it to say, I was humbled to stay by his side for 24 hours in a 1940s hospital, and make sure he was OK--to reassure and comfort, while medical help was on the way. We were amazed to hear the next day when they did a brain scan in South Africa, that the bleed had spontaneously stopped and that he is expected to make a full recovery. While this will take some months, we feel that we experienced many miracles in this young man's life. He is improving and has a great prognosis for his future. I suppose this elder will always hold a special place in my heart; we had been through so much together in so short a time. But I knew the Lord’s hand was in the details of that night and for preparing a way for him to get evacuated without extensive bureaucratic red tape that is so prevalent in Mada. As the jet took off, we all breathed a sigh of relief and a prayer of thanks.

On a different note, Steve and I had a marvelous experience up in Tamatave. This is an area Brad served in for 6 months while he was here, and LOVED. We had the opportunity to visit this area when we picked him up and fell in love with several people. They were so good hearted and generous (despite their poverty!). We often had the desire to see them again. We were excited, but cautiously optimistic since we weren’t sure if they were still in the area, or even active in the church.  Much to our delight, they were! All of them!! Through the missionaries, we were able to find one special family. When we walked up to the house, out of the clear blue, the father of the family was outside. He got the biggest grin on his face and kept saying how happy he was. This time, we were able to say a few Malagasy words, which was so fun! Unfortunately his family was not at home, but he promised to come to church with them the next day. Another family was equally surprised to see us, and we had a delightful reunion with them.

The next day at church, many people came up to us and told us Brad had baptized them, and asked when was he coming back. The man who had taken us on a boat (hollowed out tree trunk) ride when we were here 4 years ago and who we affectionately named “the sand man”, is now serving as a counselor in the Branch Presidency. He and his wife have been sealed in the Johannesburg temple. What joy!! Another sister was quick to pull out pictures of her baptism to share with us—there was Brad!! It truly was a joyous reunion day and we couldn’t have been happier.

During our stay in Tamatave we visited some healthcare facilities to determine if there were any adequate for the missionaries. We also inspected the missionary apartments for cleanliness and functionality. We gave them fair warning, but one house was pretty bad. We are trying to encourage them to keep their apartments clean, both for physical as well as spiritual well-being. Some don’t get it!! UGH!!

Steve also inspected the bikes. There is a real problem with keeping the bikes in good working order there due to the sand, humidity and never-ending pot holes! He has been tasked with overseeing the maintenance  of the bikes in the areas that have them. This will be a challenge indeed!

We stopped on our way back to Tana to visit the Lemur Park in Andasibe, where we had visited before. The other couple with us had never been there before. We ended up rushing through due to the emergency in Tana, but it was fun to see these unique little animals. They are so funny and it’s fun to have them jump onto your shoulders on onto your head! These are tame lemurs, most lemurs will not come close to humans.

The way back to Tana is winding and narrow, but fascinating. There is a definite ‘island’ feel close to Tamatave as it’s by the ocean. So along the road, instead of brick  and  mud houses, the houses are made of wood sticks and poles with thatched roofs. The people sit along the roadside and sell bananas or other fruit. The women wear a “lava-lava” type wrap and it seems as if one is in a remote Polynesian island…fascinating!! Bananas are abundant here and they pick them green to send to Tana to sell. We saw a huge semi truck bed loaded with stalks of small green bananas to take to market. Also along the way, the people will pop out of the tall willows with a string of eels to sell, of a string of fish.  One young boy had a dead critter he was hoping to sell hanging from a stick (we thought it might be a prairie dog or something like it). Some of the young girls were pounding rice with tall sticks in a type of large ‘mortor and pestal’  contraption. Another elderly woman was winnowing the rice in a woven basket. There were mats covered with rice drying in the sun along the road. It seems as though these villages have remained untouched by the modern world for generations. It’s fascinating!

There are banana trees and a variety of palms that cover the rolling hill and valleys. Many of the vistas look like they were taken from a scene in  Jurassic Park. There are also abundant rice fields along this winding, pot-holed,  two-lane highway.

Back in Tana, we enjoy our weekly English teaching assignment out in a small village outside of town. It’s at a very old hospital in need of much attention, but it services the lower income people and outer areas of town. The administrator came to our English class at the ministry of health and asked us if we would be willing to teach there once a week,too. It’s a bit of a trek, but they are so appreciative. Our ‘students’ are doctors and other healthcare providers who have little opportunity to learn English. We have over twenty willing students there. We get up early, around 5:00, so that we can avoid the traffic. The trek that takes us 35-40 minutes at 6:30 am, could easily take us 2 hours+ in rush hour traffic. Besides, I love going out early in the morning. We see the people making bricks from the mud in the rice fields, and some plowing by hand with wooden plows pulled by zebu. We also pass brightly painted wooden carts (think gypsy style) pulled by zebu , and hear roosters crowing in the crisp morning air. It’s quiet and peaceful in this little hamlet town—it’s my slice of heaven outside the busy streets of Tana.

Steve is still working on a course for those interested in business. There’s much to be understood first, but we hope to help in this area. There’s a high unemployment rate here so it is our hope to help them with alternatives.

Malagasy’s are a friendly, gentle people who are not aggressive (although sometimes one may wonder when they see them drive!). We feel safe here, albeit there is a lot of thievery here, thus the need for lots of security. But we don’t fear for our safety (except when driving, ha ha). We have invited several people over for desert or dinner and it enriches our lives to make friends with these great Malagasy people, including our good bishop. OH…before I forget…look up an article in the Ensign Magazine from October 2013 called, “Becoming a man of Peace.” This article is about our Bishop! He’s a great man!!

We love our work in this country. We love serving together.  We love the easy smiles of the Malagasy people and the way their smiles light up their dark eyes. We are enamored with their lifestyle which never ceases to amaze us! We love knowing we are all brothers and sisters in God’s eyes. We feel gratified to help them in whatever way we can, and also to assist in helping the missionaries as they strive to spread the gospel here. We feel blessed to be here.

We love you all and pray for your well being. We also love hearing from you and what’s going on in your world. God bless you!!

Elder and Sister Rossiter

A Malagasy woman on the road to Tamatave. She was winnowing rice--separating the chaff from the grain. I suppose this has been done in her village for hundreds of years!

These girls were pounding the rice--I'm guessing to get the husk to separate from the grains.

A beautiful fruit stand not far from our home. I love how they stack the fruit to look so appealing!

So many of the children look just like these little kids...especially those children of the street vendors. They hang around the stand all day long.

A new member of the church in Tamatave. She is the mother of 6 children and her husband had just passed away...so sad.

I love the brooms here! This cute little girl wanted her pic taken..makes it so much better!

Ya gotta move it, move it! Fun with the Lemurs in Andasibe!

Rice fields on our way to Fenoarivo.

Loads of bananas being loaded from the village onto the semi-truck to take to Tana to sell. I've never seen so many bananas!! And they were right out of the fields!









View from the top looking down...typical scene!

Friends in Tamatave

You know you're in Madagascar when...

You have to wait for the neighbor to herd his 3 Zebu’s (horned cows with a hump on their back)  down the alley before you can drive in.

You find out that the reason the traffic is EXTRA bad (and believe me it’s bad enough in the first place) is because the Taxi-be (the 12 passenger vans (crammed with at least twice that many )used as local buses, has a flat tire and they stop to fix it in the middle of the road!

You have to remember to not run the hot water tap through the filtered water system.

You can buy the freshest fruit and vegetables on your way home from any one of a ‘kazillion’ little stalls or local blanket—whatever suits your fancy!

When it takes less than 15 seconds to be surrounded by a dozen mischievous, filthy (but happy!) barefooted, runny nosed little boys the minute you take a picture of one…they must have some sort of radar…then they all converge and clammer for their picture to be taken as well!

You have to keep an extra 300 Ariary (Madagascar money—equalling about 15 cents) to pay the guy to back you out of the parking space at the grocery store. If you don’t pony up, you could be in that spot until next Christmas!!

There is a holiday about every other week!

You have to pay cash for most things, and the biggest bill is only worth about $5.00! Translation; our rent and internet costs 1,500,000 Ariary and that means 150 bills—That’s some wad of cash!

Brown sugar is just that…brown colored granulated sugar, of course! (We miss the ‘real’ stuff!)
A good percentage of the people are missing teeth—a quick way to deal with dental issues!

The same 3 miles can take 15 minutes at certain times of the day, and over an hour at other times of the day—one must choose wisely!

When a stick with a flattened plastic liter bottle attached to the end becomes the handiest little hockey stick!

The minute the temperature goes below 65, the babies are bundled in snow suits! The rest of the population sport knit hats and winter coats!

The freshly hand laundered clothes (recently washed in the rivers), are all stretched out on the rocks and bushes to dry.

The local meat stand is stacked with zebu livers, a zebu head or two, all manner of meat, and “sausages” which are intestines stuffed with who knows what? The meat vendor tries to keep the flies off with a little ‘switch’. We choose to buy our meat in the grocery store, thank you very much!

You haven’t a clue what the equivalent of Tylenol is here!

You see woven baskets filled with everything from fruit to chickens to cow heads carefully balanced on top of Malagasy heads, while being transported to their destination.

You have absolutely NO clue how to get anywhere—addresses and street signs don’t exist!

The people are absolutely gorgeous with smiles that light up their eyes and faces.

You are brought to an awareness off all your blessings (that you have taken for granted!).

You are humbled by people who have so little, yet who are so happy!

You have a knowledge that these beautiful people are God’s children and there’s so much you can learn from them!

You get up every day knowing you are up for an adventure and excited to see what the day will bring in this most fascinating of countries.