Catching up--August 9, 2014

 Couldn't resist this pic..."What else are you gonna do when your parents are selling sinks, bidets and toilets all day?!?"

 Common street food...

Steve, looking for bike parts in the "bike parts" section of a large market. Actually found some pretty nice (but old fashioned) bike pumps for the missionary houses!

 Some of our darling Institute students...We love them so!!

 Colorful juice making ingredients. Unfortunately it's not safe to drink these as one is never sure of the water source and it's purity...but, they look good!

This is called Kuba...we could not figure out what it was when we first saw it on the streets. It is a favorite Malagsy treat. I know it has peanuts in it and is cooked in banana leaves...I kept thinking it was tuna steaks! ha!

August 9, 2014  “Catching Up”

Dear Family and Friends,

It’s the end of P-day and I’m tucked in my bed, heater on, computer on my lap, and catching you all up on the last couple of weeks of our mission. We had an interesting P-day today exploring more of the downtown area of Tana and its associated markets. Analakely is known for it’s crowded streets and  endless merchants selling everything from socks to solar panels, with everything  you can imagine in between…stationary, videos, computer parts, electrical parts, toys, bike parts, blow dryers, curling irons, shoes galore, make-up, panty hose, clothes of all kinds, jewelry, pots and pans, food…you name it! Today we were on the hunt for a certain type of battery for our key fob (We did find it, by the way), but along the way we ran into all manner of the above mentioned items, and more! We wound our way into a larger food market and we are always amazed at what is sold there…everything from ducks, chickens and geese to papaya, tiny mangoes and a variety of little peppers—some are extremely HOT!! One must watch one’s footing in places like these as there are so many uneven surfaces and treacherous open manholes. We looked down in one and saw all kinds of garbage in it and rats running through…it gave me the willies! The missionaries told us that when it rains those open manholes fill up with water and you don’t even know it doesn’t have a cover on it. One must walk very gingerly to avoid falling in! UGH!! But, we are always enamored of the sites and sounds of these markets—not so much of the smells! We did buy some papaya, and will enjoy them for the next couple of days. We love the fresh fruit and vegetables that are found everywhere in Mada. The vendors always tell you the cost of things in French, so we’re working on at least honing our ability to understand numbers in French. For example, a kilo of bananas are one thousand, two hundred Ariary (the name of Malagasy money) per kilo. But instead of using Malagasy numbers, they use French—“ mille deux cent Ariary”. If the number is too large, we must revert to having them show us on a calculator! As I said, it’s always an adventure!!

One interesting thing we saw today in the market was small solar panels of varying sizes, being sold right next to small batteries which store the electricity generated from the solar panels. Right next to that are radios. Putting two and two together, we realized that people run their radios and other small electrical appliances from a battery charged by solar panels! They are resourceful, for sure!! Thank goodness Madagascar generally has lots of sunshine during the day!

The past couple of weeks have been filled with my daily “sick” missionary calls; everything from “my eyes hurt”, to “I think I passed a worm”, to ingrown toenails and headaches, sore throats, or diarrhea, and more. One elder had to have a minor surgery on his toe to remove the skin around the nail, not the nail, since this was his third very infected ingrown toenail—on the same toe! Ingrown toenails are pretty common due to the amount of walking the missionaries do, compounded by the “hilly” nature of Antananarivo..up and down hills with the toes hitting the end of the shoes. I’m working on getting the missionaries to  not wait until the infection is too bad and they have to have their nail removed…that’s miserable!! But in any case, I have been helping this elder soak and dress his toe daily this past week. It’s doing well, but will require some time to be 100% back on his feet—he can’t even get his shoes on quite yet! So, poor guy, has had a pretty boring week having to stay up at the mission office.

Steve has been working with the translation office trying to get the youth curriculum translated and distributed to the various Wards and Branches. Most of the printed materials are sent in French, and while many Malagasies understand French, many do not. So, we have been trying to get more things translated locally to be able to get them into Malagasy. Steve continues to oversee the missionary bike maintenance program as well as putting together another business seminar for the Malagasy returned missionaries. He got sidetracked from the seminar development temporarily while trying to find a source for carbon monoxide/smoke detectors to replace the broken ones we find when we do missionary apartment checks. While the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning is extremely low here considering almost every appliance  and heat source is electric (electric oven, washer/dryer and heaters), in order to be compliant with the church recommendations, we want to make sure everyone has them in their apartment and that they are in good working order. Steve also went on a splits this week (with the companion of the Elder who is recovering from the ingrown toenail ) to one of the back neighborhoods of an adjacent area. He had to bear his testimony in Malagasy and say the closing prayer. He said his language was pretty dismal, but he is determined to keep working on it!  He studies diligently every day. But he enjoyed a birds-eye view of how the local Malagasies live!

Speaking of that, as a reminder, many, many Malagasies do not have running water into their homes, or electricity. They often live in a one room home and share a common “out house” with the neighbors. They generally cook outside, or in a small lean-to type ‘kitchen’ attached to  house,  over a charcoal fire.They are a very humble, but generally happy society; although most are really feeling the stress of a poor economy, high unemployment, and the skyrocketing cost of food. The value of the Ariary is dropping and prices on everything, including food, is going up.  There are many beggars on the streets and in the tunnels, and that is sad since many of them are children. Since we have been counseled not to give money, Steve and I have taken to stocking the car with little packages of cookies and we give those to the kids. They are appreciative of that and always flash a smile and thank us with a quick, “Merci”—-they think all foreigners are French (and rightly so, since most are!!).  A common greeting  on the street is, “Bonjour Madame or Monsieur”.

We are still teaching a YSA institute class, and we enjoy doing that (although we always hope that not much is literally “lost in translation”!) While we can say some things in Malagasy, we are definitely far from able to teach solely in Malagasy. We love these sweet and most diligent youth! We enjoy attending church here and hope to have the language come to us in due time.

I put a power-point presentation together for the Zone Meeting this month on taking care of your feet. We had some fun with it and I introduced my new mission nurse “mantra”, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” (Thanks, mom, for raising me with wonderful and wise sayings that I can now share with these young missionaries!). So much of what they suffer with from time to time, can be avoided by being careful and following simple health rules; taking time to sanitize food, washing hands regularly, and not letting small infections become BIG ones! I enjoy my work with the young missionaries, and feel such a protective instinct for them. I remember once, many years ago, when having a particularly hard day with my VERY active and rambunctious boys, raising my hands to the heavens and crying out, “Why…why did You give me three boys in a row?!?” I now see the reason why…just so I can serve this mission and have a better understanding of boys! ha! I love them!! My favorite day of the week has become Monday, for that is the missionary’s P-Day. They come in and we get to see many of them regularly. The sisters come for a hug and the Elders come for the cookies! ha…not exactly, but P-Days are known as Cookie P-Days. I love it when they come in my office and just chat. Often they come looking for me with a  health concern or question, too. They are often  busy days for me.

We are currently gearing up, as a mission, for a large mission tour with Elder Hamilton who is coming from South Africa, and for the next missionary transfer  in about a week and a half which will add 14 new missionaries to our mission. We need them badly as we have had to close areas due to our declining numbers. Six weeks later we will receive another 15 missionaries. We welcome them with open arms. I know some parents are fearful to have their children come so far away to a 3rd world country, but I figure if they send us old folks here, it can’t be all that bad, right?!?  ha!  We look forward to seeing what wonderful things lie in the future of this mission as the work goes forward. We all do our part, and while we don’t always have a direct responsibility to work with the Malagasy people, we know that supporting the missionaries and helping them to stay healthy is important in furthering the work here.

We are sad to mention that our sweet friend, Brother Lala, (I spoke about him in a previous e-mail), has developed a brain tumor. It came on so suddenly, it’s rather shocking! They noticed it about a month ago, and since that time his ability to speak has all but stopped, he drags his right foot and he in unable to move his right arm. The doctors have removed as much of the tumor that is safe to do, but he is in dire need of radiation therapy. (this does not exist in this country). There is a “go fund me” effort to help him raise the money to get to France for radiation therapy. They decided on France as he has a sister there with whom he can stay during the therapy as it will be over a two month time frame. We definitely have had opportunity to “comfort those who stand in need of comfort” as we try and support Brother Lala and his family, as well as our dear friends, Lalary and Antsa, who lost their 6 week old baby to a respiratory illness last week. We have come to love these wonderful people so much,  and our heart breaks for them as they face such tremendous challenges. But, I have been so touched by their firm testimonies about God’s plan for each of us. Both families have shown amazing and unshaken faith in  Jesus Christ and are finding strength through His atonement. I am blessed by my association with them.

Some people have asked me about the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and whether that affects us in any way. We have not been affected directly. We have received some educational information from the church, but so far there are no known cases in Madagascar. I keep up on it as much as I can from the internet, but I pray we won’t have to face that particular challenge. What a horrible disease! Our concern is if it spreads to other countries near Sierra Leone, like Ghana, Cote d’Voire, or the Ivory Coast, where we currently have Malagasy missionaries serving. We would have some steps to take upon their return to Madagascar. We certainly pray for rapid containment and eventual eradication of this terrible disease!

We do hope this letter finds you all healthy and well. As always, we send our love to each of you. Thank you for your prayers and support. We are grateful for this opportunity to serve together in this area of God’s vineyard. We are blessed by our experiences and always pray for guidance and inspiration and that we can be profitable servants to our Heavenly Father. I read a quote this week that I really like, “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” —Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

Love to all—Remember…we love hearing from you as well! (OK…a shameless plea for e-mails; but admittedly, I have no pride! haha!)

’Til next time…
Michele and Steve

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….

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.