Hey
dad! Great to hear from you, glad work is going well for you. It's always good
not having the plant melt on your watch. You sometimes have to buy a new watch.
You have melted plant all over it, it's a mess.
Wyatt
didn't mention anything about birthday shopping though, he better tell me once
his birthday actually rolls around. He is totally a stud! He mentioned the
extemporwhatever speaking but he didn't mention the other two. He is a big boy
though haha he mentioned that. He called me Elder "got all the good
genes" because I am skinny and tan. But he is back home destroying
competitions like there is no tomorrow. There you go I guess, I look good and
he is talented. But he looks good too, so I guess I lose. Whatever, I speak
Malagasy haha
I
know what you mean about priesthood meetings and needing to work harder. I get
that every zone meeting and sometimes just during the week. I am working pretty
hard out here, and all the time we get told, "do this better, start doing
this, stop doing that" it's hard to keep up with everything really.
Especially since we are basically running branches too. Like the branch
president still does all the interviews and conducts and stuff but we have
weekly meetings with him, the ward mission leader, and some other auxiliary
leaders to help train them to do their jobs better, and we have to keep track
of attendance, tithing, marriage problems, inactives, and home and visiting
teaching. Oh yeah, then we teach 8 or 9 lessons every day and keep track of the
people and what they need to learn and do to be baptized and when that is and
deal with all the drama that working with people brings. Fun right? But we are
working towards a temple here in Madagascar, so no sacrifice too great. Not to
mention the whole law of consecration where I promised to give up literally
everything for two years (law of consecration shout out) and go to wherever the
prophet sends me and work my butt off. That rings pretty strong in my ears when
I feel overworked. So yeah, life is good. Work harder and get a better looking
wife right? Plus the whole eternal salvation thing. That's pretty cool too.
Thank you so much for your support. I really really appreciate it.
1) Happy or Joyful?
I
am gonna say joyful. Joyful seems like the more penetrating attribute to me.
2) Is everything going ok? Do you need anything?
Everything
is going ok, I don't need anything right now, I'm all good.
3) No good shooting stories this week, sorry.
That's
alright, I don't have any good proselyting stories.
4) Spring is here! Dead bugs on the window every day.
Are
you gonna ask me a question or what?
5) Are you moving into fall? Is there
a definite change of seasons? Can they grow food year around
there?
We
are definitely moving into fall over here. It is getting cold. I wore a sweater
and a sweater vest to work yesterday. Pretty chilly. And it's not even cold
here yet, according to the malagasy people. The worst is yet to come. There is
a definite change of seasons. It doesn't get cold enough that food doesn't grow
though, so they still go strong with all their crops. Sadly, the bugs also
never go away. That is why they are so plentiful.
Did you manage to finagle one of the new bikes?
The new bikes, according to the most reliable source I have
talked to, will be about two months. At which point there will be transfers
too, so we will see what goes down for that.
Tell us more about Elder Kumar.
Elder Kumar is from Fiji, his parents are Hindu, he is a
convert to the church in 2010. He is super cool, way diligent, a great
missionary. His native languages are fijian and hindi, he is learning english
french and malagasy, but he learned english in school so he is pretty good at
it. We mix a lot of malagasy and english when we talk. It's about as easy for
him to speak malagasy as it is english. So he is way cool. He is a little over
a year into his mission. He is hilarious too. Never a dull moment. He is
way cool and I am excited to work with him.
Did you get your new camera?
I did, and funny story about that actually. I bought a
nicer camera, not the nicest but pretty good. Then I bought another card
and a thumb drive so I wouldn't lose all my pictures anymore. That was last
monday. Then this monday we were rearranging the room because Elder Kumar
didn't like the way it was. I moved my bed and in the very back corner under my
bed was, you guessed it, my camera. Still in great shape. So glad he found it!! Hated to think he lost
everything from February on. I am gonna keep the one I bought in my
suitcase though, and keep backing up my pictures on my thumb drive. Little
lessons learned the hard way.
Did your Birthday package arrive? There is
a pen in it from Sydnee, I forgot to write that in the package. She said
she saw it and thought of you.
I did. Sadly, it got robbed. I made a detailed list of what
I got, as follows: the captain america, the pen from syd, pop rocks, mac and
cheese(that all had little cuts in them, so they must have been checking for
drugs or something, but everything was covered in cheese powder), candles,
icing, cupcake mix, and the birthday cards. I know they took the neck tie Dang it was an
awesome green one too on the packing slip and the daily notes in the
pill box, Well I
hope the thief enjoys my daily spiritual thoughts. That is irony at its best. what else is missing? In the future, please go
back to putting pictures of Jesus on the envelopes and boxes, and if you write
"misionera" on it then they know to watch out. Also malagasy people
are predominately catholic so Mary pictures would be good too. But yeah, thank
you so much for the stuff I got, it is great. You probably don't need to worry
about the pop rocks any more, and I think I am going to learn to get by without
mac and cheese once I'm out of this batch. Thank you so much though, your card
was really nice haha and Wyatt's, well it was a nice thought. That kid has the
worst handwriting ever. But yeah. Thank you.
How is Jeremy your investigator doing?
Jeremy is doing good, we just found out he has a problem
with tobacco and coffee so we are working on that with him. Other than that he
is still stellar and progressing right on.
What has been your favorite Pday activity?
We did aerobics this morning haha, like a zumba class but
with six missionaries and some old ladies haha but it was way fun and a good
workout. Other than that though we don't do much on p-days here. Just clean and
prepare, sometimes we have time for a short nap though haha so that is nice.
What is your favorite way to contact people?
I
like helping them with stuff. Like there was this guy I saw, he was shucking
corn off the cob. I sat and talked with him and helped him shuck corn and we
talked about the gospel and set up a return time. It was way cool, we will
teach him tomorrow. See how he is doing. Also I have shelled soy beans, husked
corn, put rice in bags, carried said rice bags on my head, crushed rice in a
giant pestle type thing, and swept the dirt. Pretty fun stuff. Crushing rice is
my favorite. Oh and we made Ravitoto also. You just crush leaves, basically the
same way you crush the rice.
Any new food?
Not lately, but I might have curry sometime soon, since my
comp is hindi.
Oh I felt really smart today thanks to your
answer to Dad's question on Moses or Noah. They asked how Moses inspired
us and I basically quoted what you had said so thanks for the help. Keep
up the words of wisdom for us.
No problem haha I am reading the old testament right now, pretty
dry stuff. Lots of interesting stories actually, but it's hard to juice the
spiritual stuff out of it. Pretty draining mentally. But it's good stuff.
Love you so much mom.
Got to watch conference this last weekend, in english even! It was
so good! Elder Bednar just killed it again, cannot possibly take enough notes
on that guy's talks. I loved all the talks about missionary work, and families.
Lots of talk about marriages and having a good foundation for your families.
Pretty cool stuff, I will have to read through it again when I am contacting
for a wife instead of baptisms. I loved the one two three at the end of
priesthood session of the first presidency, all three of them just drove home
some amazing points. I know it's not meant for you but when the Ensign comes
out you should read those ones at least. I really liked the conference this
year, can't wait to read through or watch it again. Just so much great
knowledge. Can't even begin to review it. Just so great.
Way to go MLHS Choir! Killing
it. I'm glad Holloway is still pushing hard and getting results. A new piano
guy? Did Conner graduate? In any case, I am sure they will do great. They
always do.
Thanks
for Sydnee's email, but she found me haha it looks like she sent a couple to
other missionaries on accident before though haha but yeah she sent me an
email. Super cool.
I
like the fireside thoughts, that sounds like a way good fireside. Yeah I am
definitely getting good at counting my blessings, especially the ones I had
back in America but don't have here haha like any place to buy breakfast.
Malagasies just do not do breakfast. So I always either make cereal or eggs or
whatever but if I am lazy I just have to suck it up, no diners or anything like
that with a hotcake breakfast.
Anyway,
nothing too great other than that. Elder Kumar and me are whipping this area
into shape! No one is holding us back.
Love
you mom! Can't wait until mothers day. 13 days!!!!!!
Elder
Galbreath
I
love you so much Dad, I hope my email wasn't too lame this week.
Elder Galbreath
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