A Glimpse into the Healthcare in Madagascar

Darling country children playing their homemade mud game!!

Getting Back to Normal

Getting back to normal

Life has certainly been crazy for the last few weeks. But we are resuming our regular schedule now, and that’s pretty busy, but a little more predictable.

We had the opportunity to go with President and Sister Adams down to Fianarantsoa  last weekend. It is south east of here and takes about 8 hours to get there by car. We stopped in one of my most favorite towns, Antsirabe, on the way down. I love Anstirabe for it’s country feel and fresher air…it’s more peaceful there than in Tana. There are less cars and way more “pousse pousse”es—‘rickshaw’ like carts that are pulled by lean, but very strong, barefoot Malagasies. They are probably the main source of transportation in this town. Sometimes you will see them laden with every sort of thing…furniture and even bed frames!! I also love seeing the zebu pulled carts everywhere. It’s so charming and reminds you that you are in a unique country that never disappoints to entertain!! hehe. Bicycles are also more prevalent here and you hear the clang of the bicycle bells often. I wish I could live here some time on my mission, but it will never be due to my calling; I must stay close to the center of things. But I do enjoy it when I get a chance to visit!

We are working to establish a medical network in all the towns where we have missionaries, so we were hoping to visit the best (albeit small) hospital there. It is owned and operated by the Lutheran church, and they are always the best resources if there is one in town. But even at that, they are fairly rudimentary. The main surgeon/head doctor was unable to meet with us this time, so I’ll try to visit next time I go down.

We met that evening with a couple that has completed their mission and had the blessing to be assigned to work in Antsirabe. The Todds loved it here and have done an amazing job working with the leadership here. The new District President is only 27 years old!

That reminds me…I think I better share with you my experience with the principles of self-reliance. President Adams has cautioned us over and over again about giving money or stepping in to “save” a struggling Malagasy. He has told us that when we do this, it has never turned out well—either the ‘gift’ is misunderstood, or others wonder why you are not helping them…anyway, rescuing folks is really not the Lord’s way. The Lord’s way is to teach and train them how to be self-reliant. You remember our friend, “Cheesecake Patrick”…well we were tempted to buy him a freezer, but low and behold, he came up with a better solution on his own. He is borrowing one from a  friend and is trying to save to get his own. The very large order that he was expecting did not come to fruition (was downsized greatly). If he was into a payment for the freezer, it would have been difficult right now. We were proud of him for finding a more reasonable solution as he grows at slower, but steady pace.

The other example happened in Antsirabe. There is a wonderful couple who live there. They have been coming to church for years, but had net been baptized. The father does not have the use of his legs. He has a broken down wheelchair that they use to get to church, but mostly he scoots along by lifting his legs with his arms, using nothing else. They have two children but they were not married. It is so difficult for couples to get married here in Madagascar. First, they have to have to go to the city of their birth to procure a birth certificate. For many people this requires many hours of travel, and more money than they have. Once they get the certificate, it’s expensive for them to pay the fees to be married civilly. With the help of the mission office however, this couple were able to get the necessary paperwork to be able to get married. They were baptized the same day. They are a sweet, faithful and wonderful couple and everyone loves them. In spite of his handicap, Frem is able to do many things, including some painting and “handyman” work. He works hard and does a good job. Anyway, a week after their baptism, they received notice that their landlord was going to tear down their house, and they had to move in two weeks. They don’t have much money and no steady job or income. Everyone was so worried they would be homeless. Two of the senior couples wanted to build them a new house…a very basic one at that, but the President said, ‘no”. He said, we must have the members pull together and figure out a resolution. He said, “If you do this, everyone else (who is poor—which is about 80% of the people), will want you to build them a house or will ask why you won't help them.” While everyone’s hearts were in the right place, it was not the right answer. Everyone was praying and hoping the branch could help them out in some way. One option was to take the left over wood from the house they live in and have everyone get together to donate labor to build something. But that was not going to happen in time. As the time grew closer for them to have to leave, a feeling of desperation ensued. Then, the miracle happened. One of the missionaries was talking with a local businessman. Somehow the subject of Frem’s situation came up. The man asked the missionary if Frem had any experience with taking care of chickens. Surprisingly, he did! They made arrangements for them to meet. The businessman took a liking to Frem and his wife and said he had a house on his property that Frem could move into (better than the one they were currently living in!), and he would hire him to take care of the chickens. Furthermore, the businessman’s wife needed a housekeeper and asked if Frem’s wife would be interested in the job. She could bring the baby with her. They also told them they could eat with them daily! So, in one fell swoop, they had a house, income, two jobs and food to eat! Seriously, this was a miracle! We were all convinced that our way was not the Lord’s way and He did take care of this sweet, faithful couple, in a way that far exceeded our plans! We heard recently that Frem and his family had moved in and things were going well!

Moving on…we accompanied the Adams’ down to Ambositra (where most of the amazing wood work is done), and then on down to Fianarantsoa. I cannot describe the road there. Just think of the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland and you can begin to get an idea of it…winding and potholed (I’m talking craters in the road) for about the last 4 hours! In spite of taking motion sickness pills, both Steve and I were carsick! We had such admiration for the President and his sweet wife who have to make this trek every three months! On the way back, Steve had to stop and throw up!! (Oh the joys!!). I’ve only known Steve to throw up twice while in a car, and both times were in Madagascar—this being the second time). The roads here are all very windy, but some are worse than others. The fact that the potholes were so prevalent made it so the carwas going side to side while at the same time going round and round! I was sick, too, but fortunately did not have to throw up. (Probably too much information!! haha!)

This city sits up in the mountains and is more wooded than most of the cities we have seen. We enjoyed meeting the members there who are always so happy to have visitors. President conducted interviews and meetings Saturday evening and Sunday until 2:00—then we began our momentous trip back to Antsirable—Ugh…not too anxious to do that again any time soon!!

June 26th was Independence Day, one of Madagascar’s biggest holidays. Street vendors fill the streets in the weeks ahead, selling all types of Malagasy flags, and colorful lanterns hang from all the small street shops. It’s a fun holiday with festivities for days!—including the sound of fire crackers all throughout the days…and nights!! The night before (June 25th), the children walk through the neighborhoods carrying lanterns lit with candles. It reminds me a lot of Halloween. The boys also carry lightsabers and the little girls have crowns that light up, and various other lit toys.

We watched as many people were walking down the hill near where we live. We decided to follow them. One little family took us in! ha! They explained they were going up to the Rova (the old Queen’s Palace) that sits high above the city atop a mountain of sorts just across from our “hill”. People go up there to see the fireworks. They let us follow them and I was determined to try and keep up with them. Well, let me tell you, getting up that thing was a feat…especially at night! Part of the path is made up of very deep and steep stairs that go straight up! Then the path is muddy and slippery in spots. The man called it a “lalana ratsy” or “bad path”. I gotta admit, I was a trooper, but definitely winded by the time we got to the  top. There was a kazillion people up there! There was a band playing and the cars that had driven up were unable to move due to the shear numbers of people and other cars. So they just stopped in the middle of the roads and the roads all became giant parking lots! The crowd was dense and we held on to each other so as not to get separated. We tried to see the fireworks and were able to see the high ones, but there were thousands of people cramming together on the side of the fireworks and we couldn't get close enough to see the lower ones. We tried, but I seriously felt I couldn’t breathe and had visions of being trampled!! (OK…I might be a little dramatic here,  but that’s how I felt!). I was horrified to see people standing on top of cars (not their own), to get a better view. I wondered what the owners would think if they saw them?!? Seriously, the crowd mentality was a little scary! The fireworks that we were able to see were good and lasted a long time. When they were over, we were lost. Picture Steve standing out with his I-phone held high trying to decipher the GPS  directions to find our way home in the dark! We ended up going down a different “lalana ratsy” with stairs that reminded me of old Roman ruins! I was ever so grateful to see our street. We made it home unscathed except for muddy shoes and tired knees; and don’t forget we did all of this in our missionary clothes…me in a skirt and Steve in slacks and a white shirt. We must have been a site! But…when in Madagascar….haha! We enjoyed our authentic Malagasy pilgrimage to the Rova for Independence day!

I keep pretty busy with daily calls from the missionaries (some days more than others), experiencing a variety of health challenges. Some are very minor, like headaches, or a ‘sty’ that someone thinks is deadly! ha! Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are common, but can be minimized by observing better sanitation rules, hand washing and not eating with the people. I know it’s hard to turn down an offering, but the water is not pure here and some don’t have running water. Therefore the chances of them washing their hands regularly is pretty low. So…thus the diarrhea. There have been other issues as well and I’m grateful for a wonderful doctor that we have found who makes my life so much easier! His name is Dr. Oswaldo Lara who is a US Board Certified surgeon from Argentina. He, like us, is a missionary for his church (Seventh Day Adventist). He has dedicated the last 12 years to missionary service as a doctor in Africa and in Madagascar. He speaks English, is very thorough, and is a blessing to us!! He  has had to do emergency appendectomies for the missionaries in the past, and we trust him 100%. He will take my calls 24/7…I feel like a lucky missionary nurse!! But of course, he can only treat the missionaries in Tana.

Steve continues to meet with returned missionaries to assist with business plans and to help as he can with ideas to help them be successful. With the unemployment rate begin what it is they need to be creative in finding a way to sustain themselves and a future family. We pray for their ability to follow through and grasp the concept of being self-reliant.

This past 2 weeks have not been easy ones!! In addition to losing our dear elder, I bit down on something and one of my back teeth broke entirely off. It gets worse. It was a tooth anchoring a 3 tooth bridge! I wanted to cry!! I was able to find a decent Malagasy Dentist at the 7th Day Adventist clinic who was able to fashion a ‘flipper’ to hold the two teeth. It looks surprisingly OK, but bugs the heck out of me! Suddenly our 2 year mission just seemed like an eternity—until I can get my teeth fixed properly! Ugh…

Then the next morning, I banged my head on the kitchen cabinet and ended up with a gigantic goose egg on my forehead. That wouldn’t have been so bad, but each day the bruising extended further down my face until I had two black eyes, bruising over my nose and down to my cheeks. I can assure you, I’ve been quite a colorful site for two weeks! One eyelid is STILL purple!! I’ve added new Malagasy words to my vocabulary as I try and assure folks that  I wasn’t beaten, and, “no, it was not my husband!!” JK

We continue to love the opportunity to serve together and are always enamored with the Malagasy culture and lifestyle. We are still trying to understand the streets and find better ways to get places. We don’t particularly love that part of Madagascar! We feel blessed and happy (despite some challenges) and welcome anyone who wants to join us—particularly the senior couple type!—always recruiting!! hehe

We pray for all at home and love hearing from each of you whenever you get time!

With love,
Steve and Michele

Good-bye Elder Palmer

July 3, 2014

Good-bye Elder Palmer…’Till we meet again…

We lost our Elder Palmer last week. It has been an emotional time for the mission and for us personally. Many of you have seen the news release in Salt Lake City about his death and the the generosity of his parents to donate his organs so that others might live. Steve and I will forever feel a connection with this wonderfully talented young elder and we continue to pray for his family.

We, as a mission, held a memorial service for him on Tuesday. It was beautifully done and so comforting. I had the privilege of speaking at that special service. I am enclosing a copy of my talk at the end of this post.

It’s true that words simply cannot convey the depth of our feeling  and love for for this young elder. We never saw each other “eye to eye”, and yet the feelings of compassion and love will be forever remembered and cherished.

Even after we were able to get Elder Palmer safely transported to top notch medical care in South Africa, his brain continued to bleed. At one point we thought he was through the worst of it, and had an excellent prognosis, and then we developed another bleed. It was so deep in his brain that they were not able to go in surgically to stop it. We knew his life was in the hands of a loving Heavenly Father who truly knows the end from the beginning. While we grieve for the loss of such a young and talented young man, we turn our faith to the giver of life and look forward to seeing him again someday…and I know I will. I will never forget him.

                                            Elder Palmer Memorial Service
                                                         July 1, 2014

I am humbled as I stand before you today to share a bit of my experience with Elder Palmer…Particularly the last 24 hours of his mission in Madagascar. While I am deeply saddened at his loss, the word that keeps coming to my mind is Love. Love was made manifest at every junction of a very challenging situation.

When it became evident that Elder Palmer’s illness required further attention, President Adams called Elder Rossiter and I back from a trip to Tamatave. We rushed back to be in Tana when Elder Palmer arrived from Antsirabe. I was so touched by the love that was shown by the elders who accompanied him, particularly his companion, Elder Herrin, with whom I had been in contact about every two hours in the two days preceding. He fixed him food and monitored his medications; he was loving and  so concerned.

On the way down from Tamatave I had called ahead to find the best neurologist in Tana and President Adams arranged for us to take Elder Palmer to him for a CT scan. We rushed over  to the the hospital with Elder Palmer and was quickly sent in for the scan. President Adams also rushed to the hospital and was there when the scan was read. When the results indicated that Elder Palmer had had and aneurism that had burst deep within his brain,  President immediately got the ball rolling for an air evacuation to South Africa to procure the expert care that was needed. He worked tirelessly to make this happen, including contacting people in high positions at the US Embassy to assist. I knew President Adams was filled with love and concern for his missionary who was in a very critical situation.

While all of this was happening, Elder Rossiter and I stayed by Elder Palmer’s side. At first, the doctors in the emergency room were not going to let us stay, but with the help of President Adams, they finally capitulated and let us stay. I desperately did not want him to be alone.  While I have a nursing degree, my “mother heart” also emerged and I knew I could not leave him. When I mentioned that I thought he would rather have me hold his hand than the assistants, he quickly gave a thumbs up. I would have moved heaven and earth within my power to make sure he was watched over and cared for as much as possible here in Madagascar.

During those long hours, I held Elder Palmer’s hand, and tried to offer comfort as best I could. I felt a great love for him. I cannot describe how deeply I felt for him in such a short period of time. I began to understand, in some small way, the reality of God’s love for His children.  As I wiped his brow, gave him water, helped to turn and position him for comfort, and wiped his parched lips, my heart overflowed with love and compassion for him. At times, when the pain was intense, he would reach for my hand, and I was grateful to be there for him and. He was so courageous and brave.  I felt at times I was able to glimpse a bit of his soul. He was a good and stalwart young man.  He shared some of his thoughts with me during the night. He told me about his family, and the love and concern he had for all of them—(he didn’t want them to worry about him). He told me that his favorite place in the world was Lake Powell, and in the difficult hours, we went there in our minds; he seemed comforted by the memories.  He shared with me some of the previous health challenges he had experienced while in the mission. At one point he dryly said, “Sister Rossiter, I’ve had quite the mission”, and went on to tell me the details.broken nose in the MTC, seriously sprained ankle requiring getting around on crutches here in Tana…we can all imagine what a challenge that was! Receiving Rabies shots for a lemur bite and battling a bout of ringworm… We couldn’t help but chuckle at the range of health challenges he had had. He also briefly shared his testimony and faith in Heavenly Father. He talked about Elder Herrin the missionary he was “training”; so dedicated he was to his calling as a “trainer” and his desire to do a good job there. I was touched.

I witnessed the love, concern and dedication of the Assistants who also stayed with us in the hospital. They thoughtfully brought mattresses for Elder Rossiter and I and blankets that we really appreciated as the night chill came on. While I didn’t sleep that night, I appreciated their thoughtfulness and the warmth of that blanket! They brought us food and expressed concern for Elder Palmer throughout the night; as they attempted to sleep on the chair pads in the hallway; sharing one pillow. They were ministering to us, as we ministered to Elder Palmer; love made manifest!

We were all disappointed when the evacuation had to be delayed several hours due to heavy fog, making it unsafe to fly into Mada until the next morning.

Elder Palmer was aware and cognizant the entire night. He was even able to help translate for me in Malagasy to the nurses once in awhile. It was difficult to see him in pain from time to time, and if my will could have healed him, he would have lived several lifetimes. I prayed and contemplated scriptures that came to my mind; I felt that i understood in greater measure our baptismal covenants to bear one another’s burdens and to comfort those who stand in need of comfort.; To put my trust in God, who knows the end from the beginning, and who  sent His only begotten son to die for us so that we might all have eternal life.

It was an amazing site to see the sleek medical evac jet on the tarmac at the airport. President and Sister Adams were there along with top embassy and other government officials helping to assure a smooth evacuation. It was comforting because there is often a lot of bureaucratic red tape to get though in this country and we knew we needed a miracle to get him out without someone stopping the process because a paper wasn’t procured or signed just right.

Finally, when Elder Palmer was safely strapped into the medevac jet, I was able to go aboard and say my good-byes. While I did not expect them to be my last, I simply said, “I love you, Elder Palmer.” A moment later he weakly replied, “I love you, too.”  While I would have hoped the outcome to be different, I will cherish those final words. They bring me comfort.

I had the opportunity this past weekend to go to Ambositra, where Elder Palmer was serving. We met with the leadership of the Branch there. The sweet Relief Society president began to cry when she heard of Elder Palmer’s passing. She wept as she expressed her love for him. She said he was like a son to her. It was so touching to look into her beautiful face, a different color than ours, with black hair and dark eyes, and to feel of her love for Elder Palmer.  Continents and cultural differences melt away when the universal language of love is spoken. Elder Palmer made a difference here. His love for the Malagasy people, and they for him, was evident.

Yesterday, in the early morning hours as Madagascar was just waking up, I was walking the streets of Antsirabe. It was quiet as I walked. But sometimes I heard an occasional rooster crow or the sound of a bicycle bell, and I thought of Elder Palmer. I thought about what he might say to us, those who are left behind. I think he would tell us that he is at peace; that he is filled with love and joy, light and peace. I think he would tell us not to grieve, but to get to work, because it’s all true and he is anxiously carrying on the work of salvation and we must also continue to share that knowledge  that we have with those who seek the truth. I think he would echo the words of Joseph Smith in D&C 128:22; “ Shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage brethren; and on, on to the victory. Let your hearts rejoice and be exceedingly glad!”

This is my testimony as well…I will be forever grateful for the brief 24 hours I spent with a faithful elder so far from home, whose courage and love and a weak, “I love you, too”, has left an eternal imprint on my heart. Till we meet again, Elder Palmer….