Mother's Day in Madagascar

9 May 2010
Hello everyone. The pictures are of our apartment and environs. We live on the third floor. The laundry is above us on the patio/deck, typical of many residents in this area. There are a few photos of a house under construction below us - all brick. Also, a photo of a "wash station" where the women of the community below us wash their clothes. Water faucets and wash tubs that are high enough so you do not have to lean over to the ground to wash. It is a great help to the women. The assistants to the mission president live on the second floor and the humanitarian couple, Elder and Sister Ridges from Bountiful, Utah, live on the first floor. We are gated and one photo is with one of our guards. They work 12 hour shifts. Our car and some photos of the valley below and a neighbor's back-yard. It is easy to see the relative economic status of the people who live side by side. Each family works hard to provide. It is interesting that where ever there is a gated house, shacks are put up against the walls to provide shelter for those who cannot afford better. Recycling is big here.





The valley below us

The Ridges

Self built small homes

Our apartment (3rd Floor)

Neighboring house

Master Bedroom

Local Wash Station

Local Dwelling

Living Room

Living Room

Kitchen

Dining Room

Detlef with one of our guards

Citron- Our Car

Brick going up in the valley

AP's Lumsden and Remi




At church today I played the piano (I am grateful for simplified hymns). It went well. Then I was the first speaker. I had my talk translated into Malagasy. I read the beginning and end and a sister read the bulk of it. I shared some of my growing up experiences in the very small branch in Syracuse, New York. I was two when we moved there. There were three active families that included about 12 children and youth. My dad was the branch president. He and his counselors visited every member they could find. Over time it grew. Everyone participated because everyone was needed. I learned to lead music, make quilts, teach classes and participate in the branch activities. It did not matter what organization provided the activity, we were so small that everyone was there. We were a family. I bore my testimony that the Lord keeps his promises to those who serve him. We were blessed to learn many things together because of our service to each other.

Detlef and I sang, "I Am A Child of God," a'capella. The members joined in the third verse. 1st in English, 2nd in Malagasy and 3rd all together. I sang alto with Detlef singing the melody. It went very well. Then Detlef spoke about his experience of being baptized and his growing knowledge that he must keep the commandments. As he grew older the number of commandments increased. Fighting was one to overcome. Not initiating the fight was not an excuse to fight. Later, becoming offended or angry was the next level to overcome. He compared this to taking in the sacrament or taking in the laws of Christ. As we live them, they become a part of us. In this way Christ teaches us to become like him. The purpose of the branch is to give the members a chance to grow in their understanding of the gospel and in their ability to live it. It was a wonderful day. There were nearly as many visiting as there were members. The spirit was very strong and there was a real feeling of harmony.

Detlef has been called to be the 2nd Counselor in the branch presidency. I have been assigned to teach the sisters about Relief Society and about serving in the church. The branch was organized five weeks ago. The branch president is 56, single and a member for only six years. He has never had a leadership calling before. Detlef feels that we were assigned here to help train the leaders and members while learning patience ourselves. We are very grateful that there are several members who can speak English and who translate for us. That is a great blessing. We can understand them and they can understand us.

The missionaries are working with three families that have committed to be baptized. It would be a total of about 16 new members - three sets of parents and ten children over 8 years old. The problem is in each case that the parents are not married. Getting a license to marry requires a fee which many couples cannot afford. So they simply live together as husband and wife and have children. The mission has a fund of donated money that helps these couples get their marriage licenses so they can be married and baptized. There are several places in the mission near organized branches where families come forward and ask to be baptized. In most of these cases there has been a person - sometimes a member - who has been teaching them the gospel - including providing Books of Mormon - and the people have become converted. Last weekend there were 40 baptisms in the mission. It looks like May will be another month in which several family groups will be baptized.

We have the feeling that the Lord is really pouring out His Spirit in this land and lifting up these down-trodden people. Perhaps the greatest challenge will be to help train leaders, teaching them the gospel in depth so they can help strengthen their fellow converts in learning how to live the gospel.

More next time.