Training

Elder Yeagley is the lucky missionary. He is pretty cool. He is from Roy, Utah. Born in America, so there goes that streak. He is a convert actually, got baptized December 2011. He found out his parents are inactive members right after his baptism, pretty crazy right? So now he is here serving a mission in Madagascar. He said it really helped his parents get excited for him when he got called to a cool place because they were less than excited about his choice to serve a mission. So it kind of opened my eyes to how fortunate I am to have a family that supports me in what I am doing, I think if I hadn't had support in all this I wouldn't have done it at all. So thank you, I guess is what I am saying. I feel like I hit a major turning point in my life this winter and I could have gone either way, but with your help and the support from the rest of the family and Sister Jones and everyone else basically I did the right stuff and made it back. Not that I think the hard parts of life are over but I made it through a very sketchy portion of life. Anyway, more story on Elder Yeagley to come.
I am getting better rapidly, I can walk again now. Making improvement, got a new kind of cream that is making a big difference and got some powder to keep everything dry. I talked to the mission nurse and we keep in contact. I am anxiously awaiting the package though. Please send me some more pictures, I am trying to be good and send some to you so if you could give me like one a week I would be happy. It's summertime so I know things are happening.
The cybers here are pretty nice, this one is really nice. Sometimes we have to go somewhere else because it is closed and those are mediocre but this one is way nice.
Investigators are pretty solid, we made contact with a couple of investigators who had moved houses but are still in our area. Pretty cool. Our attendance at church was terrible though, we only had 3 people there. Most weeks we have 10+ so it is pretty bad.
So Sunday night transfers came in, Monday was P-day and Tuesday morning eight of the ten missionaries here in Tamatave left to go to Tana. We got on the bus at 7:30 in the morning. We rode all day to Tana and got there about 4:30. Made for a long day. Plus it was freezing in Tana. Significantly colder than here in Tamatave. Made me grateful I was only staying for a couple days. So we went on splits with various areas around the office. The worst part of it all was that I would see a missionary I didn't know and I would introduce myself and they would go "So you're Elder Galbreath". What is that supposed to mean? So apparently I am famous. Hopefully in a good way. The best is when I meet people that worked in Andranomanelatra. One guy just got transfered out of there when I met him and he goes "They talk about you all the time"So anyway then Thursday morning we had breakfast that Sister Adams had made. Holy cow, sometimes I forget how nice it is to not have to make your own breakfast. Then a training meeting for the trainers where they told us about how important our job is and that our main focus is helping our companions. Even the investigators take a back seat to that. Pretty intense stuff. So then the meeting comes and we get to find out who our trainees are. Of course it's long and dramatic and of course I am the sixth of seven to get my companion. Elder Yeagley. Pretty studly guy, looks like a bit of a dork but he played football all through high school. Cool guy. Did computer programming in college and wants to be a mechanical engineer. Well rounded right? He isn't much for pop culture updates but he went into the MTC two weeks after I left so there isn't much he knows that I don't. Then the ride home. We went by night on a huge tour type bus. So we stopped for dinner and had some mediocre rice and loaka for his first Malagasy meal. Not terrible. We pulled into Tamatave at 4:30 in the morning and it was pouring rain. Just buckets. Welcome to Madagascar kids. So we get a taxi and call it good. Off to sleep. We slept in that morning. Elder Yeagley is exactly the definition of bright eyed and bushy tailed. He always says how happy he is to be here serving and how cool he thinks everything is. It's nice to get that fresh perspective on a mission.

                                                            Mada jungle

Smiting story. Probably my favorite is when Elijah was up on the mountain, and the fifty army dudes went to get him and Elijah was just like "What did you say? I couldn't hear you over the sound of fire falling from heaven and killing you." then another fifty army dudes came and he was all "Wow this must be an epidemic." and they were all like "oh no, fire came down from heaven and destroyed us". Then another fifty dudes come and the captain is like "Please don't destroy us" and Elijah was all "That's cool" and goes with them. Pretty intense. Or there is the one in Acts where Peter is collecting the tithing and offerings and this couple decided to hold back some of what they should have payed and the husband brought the money they thought was enough and Peter was just like "You know this isn't right, why are you stealing from God?" and he died. Then the wife came later with her part of the money (still not all they should have paid, she didn't know her husband had died) and Peter was like "Seriously? Do you really think God doesn't know what you are doing?" and then she died. Pay your tithing is what I am getting at here.
Side note: The new AP is Elder Fox from Seattle. He is from one of the little towns that are basically Seattle but aren't, like Renton, but I can't remember which one. Pretty cool. He liked my Sounders jersey.

Well Mom, I love you. I can't wait to hear from you again next week! Don't go crazy grinding poop in the heat. Love you a ton.

Elder Galbreath