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.

Another week in Tana

May 17, 2014

Another week in Tana!

My what a week and a half this has been! We are beginning to get a sense of how to get places. We couldn’t do it without the GPS, since there are no street names, signage, or rhyme or reason to how it’s laid out! But we can get to a couple of places without the GPS. I cannot describe how crazy this very large city is. There are hills everywhere (San Francisco”esque”), with many of the roads being old and uneven brick roads. They are winding and narrow and it makes driving with a stick shift an act of courage and fortitude—always with a prayer on your lips! Steve is doing AWESOME. I would still be at the first intersection from two weeks ago trying to nose my way in! We are reminded daily that we are “not in Kansas  anymore”…or even Salt Lake City for that matter! It truly is a daily adventure!

Because many people in this city do not have running water or electricity, it gets pretty dark around here at about 5:00 pm. By eight, things are pretty quiet (except for the annoying barking dogs!—but that’s another story!) and the Malagasys are usually in bed by 9:00—so, “When in Madagascar”….we join them in hitting the hay at around 9:00 pm. We go to bed with the chickens and raise with the roosters! (Although it’s only 7:20 tonight and Steve is fast asleep!—long day!) Many people do not have water, so they go to the village water place and fill large 5 gallon water containers and lug them home. Women and children do this as well as the men. I don’t think I could even lift one! I don’t know what it costs, but I’m anxious to find out.

We are usually up by 5:00 and it’s light by 6:00. We get ready for the day; which usually includes a little language and scripture study. I usually eat oatmeal for breakfast, but Steve has tried all kinds of cereal including different types of “Muesli”-They look pretty enticing from the picture on the box, but never cease to disappoint! Ha! He was thrilled to find grapefruit here, so he’s a happy camper! Now all we need is for the kids to send his grapefruit spoon…can’t find one here! We either drive or walk up to the mission home by 8:00 am. It’s about a 10 minute walk—straight up a hill. Then we get on with our day.


We did hit the street vegetable markets this week, and love them! The produce is fresh from the fields and the tomatoes are to die for! We must soak everything in a bleach solutions before eating, but so far, so good! They have wonderful carrots, very small red onions, zucchini squash, green beans, small potatoes, cucumbers and small green peppers as the standard fare. Right now the fruits are not plentiful…there are small greenish oranges, persimmons, teeny apples and horrible pineapples (I had to throw mine away!) and lots and lots of bananas (year round). I can’t wait for a season with sweet, good fruit. The carrots and potatoes are about 55 cents per kilo (which is 2.2 lbs for those of you who have forgotten their metric conversion!) Tomatoes are a little more, but still pretty cheap. This week I made homemade vegetable zebu soup! (AKA veg. beef soup!). They don’t have celery here….I miss that! We have to make everything homemade, but we eat well. We have been healthy and hope to remain so!



This past week and a half, Steve has been trying to figure out the locations of the (better) clinics in relation to the missionary homes, in case we need to refer a sick missionary for care. I have gotten several diarrhea calls, a jammed finger (requiring an x-ray and doctor visit; complete with a home-made splint from a tongue depressor)! The doctor visit cost $3.50…such a deal!; a back strain; ringworm; and today, I found myself researching some sort of traveling parasite worm—I’m convinced the poor guy has something called zoonotic hookworm…it started in his pinky toe and has traveled up to his ankle! I’m waiting for confirmation of my diagnosis from the area medical advisor, but I think I’m right….we’ll see! I guess I will teach a class on tropical medicine when I return! We’ve also taken an elder from Tahiti who had an abscess and had to have a root canal! So happy we found a half way decent dentist. The first dentist wanted to pull the tooth and it was his FRONT tooth! (I guess it would make him fit in more with the Malagasies—they are missing teeth all over the place!—but I’m not sure his mother would have been too happy!) On a serious note, we do pray fervently for these missionaries. My heart goes out to them and I want them to be healthy, happy and safe! I remember when Steve was made Bishop. He said he had an overwhelming feeling of love for each member of the Ward over whom he had stewardship. I have to say I have felt the same thing…just an overwhelming feeling of love for each of these sweet missionaries who are out here serving in some pretty tough circumstances. While I often feel worried about whether I will know the right answers for their health challenges, I am willing to try. I do believe the Lord will bless me to know the answers, or know where to get the help they need.

President Adams is excited to have Steve here. He feels that Steve’s expertise on running a business can be helpful for the returned missionaries here. He wants him to mentor those who may be interested in starting some sort of small business. Unemployment is so high here, that it is difficult for them to get jobs, get married and start a family. We attended a young adult conference today and we had 15 people who want to come to classes on how to do this. Steve will be busy learning how business is done here, and how he might be able to  mentor them.

As for language, we have not gotten out of the mission home much last week to practice. But we are still trying. We learn a few new words each time we go to an event, but we need to get out more!

Last night we (the senior couples and President and Sister Adams) had dinner with Elder van Reenan, our area authority from South Africa. He is very nice, and we had such a lovely evening, sharing testimony and friendship. He read a scripture in Matthew 19:29 which touched our hearts: “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” I never thought our our mission in this way before, but it was a comforting thought.

We love the other senior couples with whom we are serving. They are so wonderful, capable and faithful; as are the Adams’. We feel blessed to serve with them.

Well tomorrow is the Sabbath. Our Ward meets at 8:00 am. We are getting to know a few people and have been well received. There is a wonderful sister (the Stake President’s wife) who interprets for me in RS. She also helps me with Malagasy. We love Sundays because we get to be with such wonderful Malagasy saints. They are diligent, sweet and humble. They love the Savior and are willing to do what He asks of each of us. It is a pleasure to meet with them and to share our mutual love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are uplifted and blessed by our association with them.

We wish for you a blessed Sabbath as well—Until next time….Michele

Our caretaker lives here, behind our house. The red bush is a poinsettia bush. Being winter here, they are in full bloom! There are also large Poinsettia trees with the traditional blooms that we see at Christmastime.

On our daily walk up the hill to the mission home. We have to maneuver our way through some rough side walks...if there are any sidewalks! No high heels for Elder Rossiter's wife!!

This is the first gate we enter to get to our house. Then I walk up and unlock/bolt the gate at the top(in three places) and E. Rossiter drives up and out. Then I walk back down and out this gate and lock it in two spots...then off we go...just to repeat the ritual when we return!

A daily site...gotta dodge the chicken with her baby chicks!!

A downtown street market--selling everything from nylons, to toys, to shoes, to peanuts..you name it!!

A more rural market. This lady is selling all kids of dried fish. Love the scale up front!

Another little fruit and vegetable stand...

One of millions of uphill little alleyways leading to peoples' homes, nestled inside walls like these all over Tana.

First Week in Mada

May 6, 2014—First Letter from Mada

I finally got access to the internet (at the mission home), just today. We don't have it at our house and was only able to use the air card for short our short call the other night. The couple we are replacing have just left for the airport, and I'm taking a minute to e-mail. The "keys" (I mean keys to the pharmacy cabinet--as well as the mission nurse duties)  have been officially turned over to me and I have the responsibility for the missionaries on my own now...I'm still a bit overwhelmed, but I'll just "dig" in and let the Lord guide me...probably something I need to learn better!!

There's so much to tell, and so little time!! I will send some pics as soon as I get time to take some!! ha!! We have been so busy getting trained, that I haven't had time to do anything!! We live in a pretty nice place down an alley. The dirt in Mada is red (like St. George), so the paths are either packed red dirt, or uneven brick roads; interspersed with packed red dirt!. Steve waits in the car while I unlock and open one gate/door, re-lock it,  then walk up the  drive way and open the 2-sided car gate for the car. This requires me to unbolt two bolts, top and bottom, and a big padlock in the center.  Once Steve is in, I close the two gates and lock them the same way. Then on to the front door. I unlock the outside door, then the inside door (each lock requires a "two" turn unlock), then when Steve finishes parking the car, he comes in and bolts the outside door in three places and then the inside door (we hope there is never an emergency requiring us to get out quick!!). This is our daily ritual (as many times as we go in and out--it's such a pain--I hope to only do it going and coming, as no matter how short we stay, we have to perform the  "lock and unlock" ritual  the same--it can never be left open or unlocked!) Obviously I hate this part, so just out of curiosity, I've decided to keep track of how many times I do this while we are in Mada--it will be over 1500 times in the two years!! I'm sure we will be so happy to see our remote garage door opener when we get home!!

Our house, in general, is pretty nice (for Malagasy standards). It's the first story in a two story home. There are poinsettia bushes outside in full bloom (beautiful!) and purple bougainvillea bushes (also beautiful). We have a small bathroom (but adequate--although no tub, so if dad get's sick I don't know what he will do without one!) The kitchen is small, with no drawers, so the silverware is sitting on top of the counters in a silverware divider. We have a pretty nice fridge, small stove, and a stackable washer and dryer.  We have filtered drinking water, but must soak all fruits and vegetables in bleach water before using them. We must also rinse all dishes in bleach water after washing since we don't use filtered water for washing. There is a rather large living room and dining area with a nice wood floor. Off of the main living area, there are two bedrooms. One is used as a storage room as there is no bed, and our room which is pretty roomy and has a lovely parquet wood floor in there. The bed is hard and the pillows flat--so glad we brought our down pillows!!

The weather has been amazing!! It's a little cloudy in the morning, but quickly clears up to beautiful blue skies and a balmy breeze--getting just a tad chilly, but otherwise PERFECT! Mada is a very "hilly" city so it can give you a work out; you’re either walking up or down something all the time.  But we have a little truck with a shell on the back that we get to drive. Steve  has been driving for two days now and is really getting good at it quickly...it's a real "nail biting" experience each time we go out--dodging people; people with baskets on their heads, people driving zebu carts loaded with "whatever", people on little winding streets selling their wares by the side of the roads, and people dodging cars while trying to cross the street everywhere...no rhyme or reason!--then we dodge cars who are dodging other cars, who are dodging people on two lane roads that they make at least 3 lane roads, or maybe four lanes--get the picture? There are no street lights, signs or anything. There are 2- way streets that turn into one- way streets half way through, with NO signage--It's definitely a wild ride! It is crazy!! Keep praying for us!!

We have visited a few clinics and a hospital, the large pharmacy downtown, and the Madagascar Ministry of Health. This is where we will be teaching English every Wednesday morning @ 7:00 am!! We will teach doctors and others who work there who want to learn English. It is a good relationship and it's always good to have friends in high places!! So dad and I have to come up with some English lessons--thought I would turn to you for your expertise and ideas!! There are several hospitals, but there is one that is very nice!

We have been to the grocery stores and the larger ones are so nice! They are expensive, but clean. A half a loaf of whole wheat bread is about $6.00--just to give an idea. (Guess I'll try my hand at bread making when I get a minute--but I'll miss my Bosch mixer!) There are also many street vendors who sell local produce in either make-shift stalls or on blankets on the side of the roads;  I will buy from them this week. Of course there are the meat stalls where all types of meat hang out all day with flies on them...appetizing! (needless to say, we buy our meat in the nice grocery stores!) We took a walk through our neighborhood last night and it's really hard to describe it in words. The winding, red bricked walled alleyways, are a maze with every manner of "houses" tucked in behind the alley walls. Many are skiwampus and are covered with corrugated tin roofs with tires on top (keeping the roof from blowing off!) --I'll try and get pics soon! We wake up at dawn to the roosters crowing and then we hear the children's voices and the clanging of pots and pans as the day begins and breakfast is being prepared. We say hello, well actually, "manahoana" to everyone we see. The kids are beautiful and fun to talk to as they laugh so readily and are so cute--of course they think we are hilarious when we attempt to speak Malagasy! They run and play on the dirt roads barefoot and are always filthy--but happy!  We gingerly cross over the  open sewers on broken pieces of wood planks or concrete slabs (and try not to think consider the sludgy water just a foot below us!). It's fascinating and we love that part of the exploration and adventure! The people are friendly and love it if you try and speak! Because they are so nice, it makes it easier to try and talk, even though we are not good at all! We see skinny chickens running around from time to time, roosters, too, just to keep life interesting! At night, the air fills with the smell of fires--these are cooking fires, as most Malagasy people cook outside in a lean-to kitchen off their homes. They cook their rice over a wood fire and the distinctive smell fills the air. Steve finds this charming in an unusual sort of way. At the corner where we turn to our house, there is a dumpster. Behind the dumpster lives a family--a young woman and her two children. She is often beat up, which is heart breaking...even more so is watching the baby girl (teeny--about 16 months old) play in the garbage and the 3 year old little boy also playing and starting to sort the garbage looking for food and anything that can be recycled. I'm starting to separate our kitchen stuff and saving some better food in a separate bag for them....keeping it cleaner. Our heart breaks for them, and I will do what I can, but unfortunately their plight is bigger and more prevalent than we can begin to fix.

We enjoyed our church meetings and Steve and I both bore our testimonies in simple Malagasy. I was nervous, but I think it went OK. The ward here at the mission home (which is just about a half mile up the hill from where we live), is a very mature ward with well established members. Our bishop is the one who was featured in the Ensign Magazine several months ago. The people were warm and welcoming, and yes, Melanie, I was singing hymns in Malagasy and in French!! ha!! don't know a lick of French!! We are going to have the bishop and his wife and daughter over for dessert soon. Their daughter is 20 and is learning English very well. President Adams has also told us we can attend church wherever we want to go and we may try a few outlying wards, too, to see if we can be of help. We attended a discussion with the missionaries after church and felt the spirit there, and bore our testimony in Malagasy. It was all good!

As far as the missionaries go, we have met a few. They are a good lot, friendly and sweet. I haven't had my first sick call yet (alone), but they do deal with lots of diarrhea (which I knew), colds and some things I know little about. But, as I said, I'll learn!! Steve has been given some responsibilities that the other couple has had, but he will get more assignments when the Mission President returns from South Africa.

The senior couples are GREAT, and we enjoy getting together with them. We have had several opportunities to get together since the Shupes were going home, and they had a welcome to Mada dinner for us, too. All are wonderful, warm and welcoming and we will enjoy working with them.

Please write to us, as we don't have much contact other than here at the mission home as we don't have internet at home yet. Remember, we are 9 hours ahead of you. We are hoping to get the internet into our home soon.