Adam is in Fianarantsoa!

Last P-day I was bored and with Elder Collins while we were waiting for a travel office to open, so we just walked around....and I decided to buy 7 beans.....yep seven. So after wandering around I find the right place, and I ask the price for seven beans, to which she says its seven hundred ariary, and I say no, I want 7. Then one guy turns to her and says "SEVEN!, Look (while counting on his fingers) "one, two, three, four, five, six, seven!" So I get it for 40 ariary. I just walk around handing them out to people if they talk to me or ask for something, and I had two left over....so guess what I decide to do....trade up until I got something useful.


So I go first and trade one bean for a small onion, the onion for two tomatoes, two tomatoes for two cucumbers, two cucumbers for three peppers, and three peppers for two bananas which I give to Elder Collins. Every time we had been on splits before we never got bananas, and this time we did, so that made us happy, and it was pretty entertaining for us arguing to trade up for something.


That's my fun thing for the week and I got two baptisms Yay!


Love, Elder Nash

Adam can cook now!

Conference with Elder Nelson

Adam has been sick so he hasn't been doing much teaching. He is finally better and hoping to do a lot more teaching. The pictures are of his new area, Sabotsy Namhana which is just outside of Antananarivo.

Hey Mom!

Here are somethings that happened this week:

One of my investigators sons was shot 4 time in the head, one time in the mouth which apparently made teeth fly out of his skull... right when he was starting to turn his life around too, and he was going to be forced by his dad to meet with us Thursday...

We had a baptism on saturday, but hey I don't have a USB port so I can't send pictures yet, so sorry. 
During the baptism, I had an investigator ask me when her baptism is! It was way awesome! It's one of the investigators that was way out of it at first, her and her sister, and they both want to be baptized, that made me way happy. One will be baptized then move out to a rural area a week later, so we are going to load her up with church material so she can be ready for everything that comes her way. I am so happy for them now!

I also got a few people closer to baptism in a way spiritual time, I finally got them to say the reason why they aren't baptized yet. So hopefully they decide to get baptized in a few weeks. Our next baptism will be in the ocean! Awesome!


Not much more to say, I will have more stuff next week hopefully!

Elder Nash

                                                        Ward Service Project!

                                                                Blisters!

Hey mom!

 Elder Riding and I got 51 appointments in, so that is really really good, and I am happy I can do that.

Okay so I wrote down somethings to tell you this week!

First there was a screaming pig during a lesson! We were in the middle of teaching some principles and here comes some screams, and a pig is being carried away to be slaughtered, and it is screaming for it's life! that is quite a distraction! That is really all I have to write about that one I just thought it would be more interesting than a chicken running through!

This one is probably the Funniest. For Elder Riding's birthday we decided to go to the beach and watch the sun rise! Nice present huh? So we got up at 3:45 in the morning and rode down to the beach on the bikes, and waited there joking around just waiting to watch the sun come up. After waiting for 20 minutes it started raining... and it came down hard and at a slant, which tore into our necks. We ran to find shelter under a tree but there were none that could cover us, so we braved the rain for a good 30 minutes, getting our backs soaked, but our fronts faced away and they stayed dry. The only thing... is I saw light through a break in the clouds, and that was it... it rose maybe 15 minutes before then we just didn't see it because of the clouds... fun!

The other thing, in an investigator time we had an investigator turn around 100 percent! first off she didn't want to learn but her husband made her because she wasn't a member and he was, but she testified of the book of mormon to her sister, and now both come to church every Sunday without fail! It was awesome! And to top it off, 25 investigators came to church yesterday! It was really the best week of stats I have had here in Madagascar!

Love,
Elder Nash

Hey mom!

I got a new companion, but it wasn't anyone younger than me, he goes home in March next year. It is really weird knowing that when he goes home I only have a few months left, and he doesn't go home in too long of a time, 7 months maybe? I don't know.

 His name is Elder Riding, and we work really well together because we ask a lot of questions and switch off a lot. That helps to keep the peoples attention.

Well, some cool things, we drank coconut milk out of a coconut that someone just took off the tree! How awesome is that? Not many people get a Malagasy to climb a tree and get a coconut for them, so that is really cool! I just don't know if this computer is going to be nice today and let me send pictures, but we will see.

I haven't had many crazy things happen, or stuff like that, I have been taking it easy, and I just got my stitches out today! haha So Elder Peatross, an Elder who has just moved in took out my stiches for me! Awesome huh? With dull scisors and some tweezers, the stiches came out nicely. So that is the good news, the only thing is there has been a little blood in my eye for the past week, so I have scared kids and been asked way too many times what happened.

Well sorry that is about it for the week, I don't have too much to say other than that... oh well...

Everything is fine here, and if I can I will send pictures.

Love,
Elder Nash

A ROUGH WEEK!!!

Hey mom!

I didn't get my goals for very depressing reasons, but everything is okay, so don't freak out when I tell you the following. First I had food poisoning for 3 days, and when I went out to work on friday (I had the food poisoning from wed to fri) I worked a part day because I didn't feel well, and on my way home I was hit by a motorcycle! I got 8 stitches, 6 in my cheeck and 2 in my chin. It's alright because I am going to be working again in a couple days, I just have to wait for the skin to heal over so sand doesn't get in and infect it. I think that is probably the only big story this week xD sorry for the bad news! It's just what happens. Here is the full story:

I just finished a not so fun day, so I was coming home from my last time at 7, because I still didn't feel 100 percent after having food poisoning for the last few days. So on my way back I tried calling the other Elders because they took my keys since there are only two full sets, and I finished trying to call them, so I put the phone back in my pocket and rode down the road towards the church, and I started turning because I didn't see anyone, there were no headlights since it was already dark by this time. So I start turning and I am going really slow, slow enough so that I have to keep the handlebars moving so I don't fall off, and I keep looking down the road and I can't see the car's headlights in the distance, or at least I can only see one. It was then that I noticed the motorcycle speeding down and I thought to myself quietly, "I'm going to be in an accident!" Not a very fun thought, it wasn't long after that a motorcycle slammed into my side, t-boning me as we slid a good 150 feet down the road. as soon as it happened a huge crowd congregated around the bike, and they started lifting the bike up while my shirt was still attached! I yelled for them to take it off, but everyone kept telling me to go to the hospital, whereas I just kept thinking to myself I just want to go home and lay down. I had no idea that I was bleeding so profusely or had such a big problem with the side of my face. So I had no idea what to do, I just told them I wanted to be in the shade or away from the rain, I don't know what the translation for the word is in english, and I sat down in a taxipouse (A bike driver who carries people in the back or his tricycle) as the crowd waved down cars to get someone to drive me to the hospital. So right after they waved someone down, I got in the car without thinking and we took off to the hospital, where I got 8 stitches without antestetics or anything, just like someone sewing my face up. It felt weird, but it's perfectly fine now. I spent the last few days laying down, so there isn't much more than that. Just weird getting stitched up without being numb. The right side of my nose is still a little numb, but the feeling has been coming back slowly so I am not too worried. That is my big  story for the week!

Oh yeah, I did go on splits with Elder Walker, we had a fun time, I liked the people, and I was his good luck charm, he got 2 dinner appointments, and extra bananas when he bought them.

Oh yeah, in the 2 days I did work I got half of my goals of 60 appointments! I was all the way up to 28! So I was fine with that. 



Love,

Elder Nash

                                                              Goat in front of the Church!

Working hard!

Hey mom!

So the first news is I am senior companion, the next news is my companion is in South Africa now, so I have to work with a branch missionary for a few weeks, till what will most likely be training a new kid! Oh well, malagasies always tell me I am really good, and ask how many years it has been, and if I am going home soon since I can speak pretty well, so that is a lot of encouragement, and it makes me want to get way better too! Why stop if I can get that much better?

So yeah, it has seemed like time has gone by fast, especially when I am working hard! This last week I got 30 appointments,  this week, my goal is 60! I will be doing my best, I don't teach for a really long time, I just get in, talk for a few minutes, teach for 10-20 minutes, then get out and go. It gives them more time to think about what I taught too, than if I were to teach a long lesson that lasts for 40 minutes, and it says in preach my gospel, never go over 45, and an average appointment should be 30, so that is what I am going for. I have had an amazing time and have enjoyed thoroughly the last two days because I have worked as hard as possible! Just as hard as I did back in Reseco because I was left to do what I felt was best, not take a whole bunch of breaks. So this week I am going to be busting my bum, and hopefully at the end of Wednesday I have around 30 appointments done so I can accomplish my goal!

So this last Sunday, yesterday I went tracting because the people weren't home, and I just started walking and the branch missionary asked where we were going, and I just said where ever God tells me to go, and we just walked down a path and I heard music, so I turned to him and said, "If there is music, there is people!" and we took off towards the house, and when I walked up to some people outside, they immediately gave us seats and wanted to learn! It was awesome! I just taught a first and I am going back there next Sunday, and hopefully I can go back twice a week now, so I can get them to church. Last week I had 20 people to church! It made me really happy! That is higher than my average in my old area! Hopefully I get a lot more this week, I have my eyes set on 40 people at church, but we will see what happens... I have really high goals, and even if I don't reach them, I may still set some records in the mission! Awesome! I am so ready to just get out and work as hard as possible to help these people here!


So that is my news for the week, I will have some spiritual things to say next week, but just stay tuned! I have lots of work ahead of me, so I will report next week!

Love
Elder Nash

Tamatave!

Not a lot happened this week Adam sent a really short email. The one exciting note is Adam will be giving a talk in Malagasy!

Transfer to Tamatave!!!

 Hey mom!

Sorry I haven't taken any pictures yet I just couldn't because of everything that has been happening, but I promise I will send you a bunch next p-day! It's not like I am being lazy about it, just the only times that I could take pictures, well I left my camera at home so it wouldn't get stolen and blah, because that is probably the best thing to leave it at home if I were going to leave it in my back pack unsupervised.

So this past week was awesome! Well since in my old area there is the Norwegian embassy I went there last week, and also the Thai embassy and there is a lot of cool things there. I also went to a place that is kinda like a Chinese version of an American fast food place and have been just doing whatever until I got here.

So yeah, I visited quite a few people before I left Ankorondrano, I love the people there. A lot of them were sad to see me go, but they wished me the best of luck here in Tamatave. It was sad to say good bye, but oh well, I may or may not see them again in the next year and a half, but it was fun, and I got a good bye book for them to write a little something and so I can keep in contact with them in the future, since Malagasies never ever change houses. So that was my good bye to them, and a few wanted to write me letters after I leave so that is what I am going to do.

So what else, well I got here on Thursday, after a long 350km bus ride... it seemed like it dragged on forever, which I guess it did because we left at 7:45 and finally got here to Tamatave at 3:45, only stopping about 30  minutes for lunch. So for a couple hundred miles, that was a long time! It is only like the distance between our house and San Francisco! Well the sad part is, I slept a lot of the ride because I had a head ache, but for the parts I was awake, I saw a lot of people living really simple lives, like in the pictures I sent you a week agoish, and a lot of other cool sites. Madagascar is a lot prettier than the valley of California for sure! There were so many things I was able to see and everything, so I was happy. I just didn't take any pictures because I had the dreaded aisle seat.

Okay, so my new companion is Elder Foster. I also live with a malagasy albaino, a scottish guy ( We both play the same guitar stuff ) Elder Wall, and Elder Galeai. That is my new house!

So yeah the place here is so much different than Tana, in Tana, everyone is poor, begs you for money, and is just disrespectful of anything that isn't themselves. Whereas here, it is awesome because everyone is so nice to everyone, and people are more open to talk to you, and actually pay attention to you when you speak Malagasy. I really love it here! I met someone named Bema, which sounds like their cheese named teama here, so I started calling him Fromage, and he started calling me Mananasy (pineapple) which comes from the French word ananas, which Bryan would know. The houses here are way different, everyone has a decent sized house, and isn't crammed into something the size of a closet, they live pretty comfortably.

So something cool, I met with the branch president here in Morarano (haha, both of my areas have been talking about water, first at the water front, Ankorondrano, then slow waters, Morarano) and guess what! HE IS THE BEST! I love it! Since people not getting married is a problem here, since it is so hard, the missionaries have a hard time baptizing couples, but he is getting the branch missionaries to help us with everything so we can get people baptized and good to go! It is awesome! And now we actually have people that help us teach, unlike in Ankorondrano where everyone saw it as a chore, people here want to help as much as possible!

Well, I think that is it for today, we well see what happens this week. I am going to go to a market today, and I will try to take pictures this week so you have something to see next time!

The weather here is pretty warm, I would say 75-85 degrees when it isn't raining... but it rains a lot.


I haven't gotten anything since the package with the Yoshi Shirt, and I won't get anything until people drive up here to drop off stuff, which will be a couple weeks. that is the only bad thing that sucks about being out here, is that I don't get anything till people come out, but I got the Journals Jamie sent so tell her thanks,and I guess that's it...

Love, Elder Nash

THE FOLLOWING IS A LETTER SENT TO ADAM'S SISTER....IT'S JUST ADAM BEING ADAM!

Whoa, there was a lot of things I had to read twice, but that is because I am just worse at english now, I really am warping into a malagasy minded person, I want to say things their way and have to focus just to say it the correct way! hahaha how funny!

Man it seems like it is changing a lot out there, I am probably going to be amazed about all the things out there! And if you take me to Denios I will try to argue in Malagasy with the people... but in America they would just punch you, where as here making fun of drunk people is the way to go. There was a drunk guy that was talking to me but all I would say to him is: I don't understand in Malagasy. So no matter what he said, I said that, he told me I was good, I don't understand, he told me I understood him, I don't understand, he told me that I needed to talk to him, the people next to me said he's gonna say it!!! Then I said I don't understand... everyone was laughing but him hahaha and then I turned to some people, started talking to them in Malagasy, he talked to me and I turned back to him and just said I don't understand :D He just started saying: Too much tsy azoko!!! too mucho tsy azoko!!!! and I would just say, I don't understand, or tsy azoko. Funny stuff huh?

                                                   JUST BEING BOYS!

                                      LIFE IN THE COUNTRY....NO ELECTRICITY!

                          PUBLIC RESTROOMS YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU DO!

                                                       FUN AT THE FALLS!

So sunday the deaf guy came again! So this time he taught me more signlanguage, AND I had to translate for him when he bore his testimony! I was so freaking scared! He kept telling me thank you so much, and that God helps me with it because I am a missionary. I really like him, and I wish I knew signlanguage, but really I am not that good, and malagasy signlanguage is nothing like any other kind, since malagasy isn't anything like english. It's a whole different way of thinking! crazy huh? Your son can communicate with deaf people in madagascar now, just not really really well.

At our ampefy trip (I saw a road sign and realized I spelt it wrong in the last email) we had a lot of fun. I saw that huge waterfall and some gysers. I really enjoyed it and I saw how people live without electricity! It was really cool!

The people were actually really surprised at the gysers! They had rarely if ever seen white people before, then when they saw some that spoke their language they were even more shocked! They gave me a piece of sugarcane which tastes really good by the way! It's called fary here (fah-ree but the r is flicked a little) which was really really cool!

Also, back at the water fall, I was attacked by souvenir sellers, so right before I got in the car to go to the gysers, a little girl asked me if I wanted to by one, so I started asking her prices, and this is how our conversation went:

Free!

No

10 ariary

no

20

no

30

no

50

no

100

no

200,000

no.... yes!

and I laughed because she told me that 200000 wasn't enough money for a souvenir, which was pretty funny! she was a little bitter about it, but thery sold a lot of souvenirs to other missionaries so I didn't feel too bad.

That's about all I have, there are a lot of pictures, but that's it. I will write more next week!

Elder Nash