It wasn't pretty but I made it!

The last remarks of a dying missionary.

Here we are. Two years of missionary service. Who would have dreamed they would go by so fast? I only wish that I had more time. I feel the true weight of my calling as a missionary, and I realize that I didn't always appreciate how important the work I am doing is. 

It hasn't been easy. In fact this has been the most emotionally, physically, and mentally taxing thing I have ever done. Elder Fox and I were having a conversation the other night about how it just feels like a dream sometimes, that we are here in pretty much the farthest corner of the earth, speaking a language most people have never heard of, walking through hills and rice patties to interrupt people in their daily lives to tell them that in 1820 a 14 year old boy prayed in a grove of trees, saw God and Jesus Christ, and proceeded to restore the gospel to the earth. Worth it. I would do this again in a heartbeat. No question in my mind. No matter how depressed and blue I have been, no matter how frustrating it is to try to teach people that won't understand, I would do it again to experience those good moments. I feel, sometimes, like Nephi. 2 Nephi 32:7 "I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance. and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, now understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them i plainness, even as plain as word can be." Unfortunately, it is time to move on. 

I know I am still a long way from being perfect. In the words of Elder Fox, "If Joseph Smith was a rough stone rolling, I'm a brick sliding." However, I am determined. I have felt the comforting hand of the Lord in my life, and I will never go back. 

I know that my Redeemer lives. I have not seen Him, nor touched the nail prints in His hands, but were I to do so I don't know if I could know any more certainly that He lives. 

I love you, and I hope you know that I wouldn't have made it here without you. I am forever grateful for that, and I hope that some day I will be able to repay you but for now my gratitude will have to suffice.

And now I, Elder Galbreath, make an end to my speaking and bid thee farewell, until I shall be brought forth triumphantly, flying through the air in a 777 and am brought forth to meet you in an airport terminal.

Tsarovy

Elder Galbreath the fifth

This week happened

That's pretty much all I can say for it. 

Mom's questions first

Investigators are coming along. We taught this way awesome family last night named F and E, they have three kids. They are the sickest people in the world. We were teaching them about the restoration yesterday and gave them a Book of Mormon. They were legitimately flabergasted when we gave it to them. They were like "this book would cost like 50 thousand ariary probably, and you are just giving it to us for free. We are going to read this." I was like oh yeah, uh huh, go spirit, it's your birthday. So we are way pumped about them. Everyone else is kind of decent. We have a lot of people that could be incredible progressing investigators but we haven't been able to catch them in like two weeks and so it's hard to help them progress. But we are keeping our heads up and staying focussed. 

Yes I am sure I want grandpa scriptures, I like the margins to be big. I have developed a cross-reference writing habit that really helps me see connections and understand scriptures. I don't really care what color, I liked my maroon ones so I guess that's a good option. Not blue. I don't dig that. 

An iPhone is great. Something I can put the gospel library and conference talks and stuff on. 

Whichever week they want me to speak on works for me, and I don't really care where I do it. I really am pretty chill about all that. In case you didn't notice. 

Dad's questions

*means I am saying it in my "poor wyatt" voice

*I can't imagine only speaking your mission language all the time. That would just be so terrible.* At least he has an easy language. 

Well that's all for questions. 

So this week was pretty mediocre, as I am sure you could tell. We had a couple good lessons, but nothing special other than the time yesterday. Had interviews with President Adams on Saturday, he basically just told me to keep up the good work and he would talk to me about the future when I have my exit interview. Then we talked business. Not interesting to you guys. 

Purposely leaving out comments to keep you focused on my mission. 

A couple websites I have found that have good reading material on them. One is called fairmormon.org. Way good website, kind of like an anti-anti-mormon website. Another one is called mormonperspectives.com. Website where from what I can tell very intelligent mormon people write essays and commentary on life in general and subjects. Could be way off but I looked it up because an essay on it was referenced in the Liahona. By the way, have you guys read the March Ensign? Way good article by Elder Oaks. Check it out. Then read an article called "Religion is the foundation of democracy and prosperity" on that mormonperspectives site. Way good, written by Clayton Christensen. Just stay out of the comments on that site. 

We had a soiree with a member family on Saturday, and they gave us all the parts of the chicken that are not to be eaten. There was the liver, the heart, lungs, other organs, and there was also a boiled head, boiled feet, the intestines, and some stuff that was unidentifiable. So we had about a liter and a half of coke after that one. At least the broth was good. Pictures in the bucket.

The only other thing I am going to request and I am making it now because I thought of it. We need a temple session like within a week of me getting home. 

Got a package from Grandma this week. Some way nice ties, beautiful socks for the plane ride home, and a little Washington that they had to have received from a Washington wheat growers thing. 

I love you guys a ton. I am gracefully bull rushing the end of my mission head first eyes closed. 

Elder Galbreath

Last week:

I can't believe they threw into coverage with 1 yard seperating them from a second super bowl title in a row. Good call Carrol.

Alright now that that is out of the way.

Well in general this week was disappointing, I suppose it's only fitting that the Seahawks lost too. We just didn't have anything go right all day. Literally nothing happened that was a positive thing. Except maybe finding out that a bunch of members have drinking problems. So we have one entire day that we are going to be spending in one neighborhood visiting members.

Saturdays are gonna be awesome.

On the bright side we got transfer news last night and I will be staying right here to finish up my mission. I am going to spend my last six weeks with Elder Fox here in Antsirabe. I am very very happy to do that. So here

we go, last transfer. I don't think about it often. I am gonna be really really sad to leave this place.

I really don't know what else is going on this week. This coming week is gonna be sick. I can feel it.

I love you guys a ton, and I hope that you are all doing well.

Love

Elder Galbreath (is much too close to going home)

I do have a basic wish list for when I get home. I don't know if you want to get any of this now or I can just do it when I get home. 

I need a new set of scriptures. I want a separate set, not a quad, the 2013 edition in grandpa size. Along with that I would like whatever the smallest count of those twistable colored pencils is for marking them. 

I would like a smart phone (iPhone, windows phone, whatever) with the gospel library app on it. This is probably something I can do myself, but yeah. 

That's all I have got. Just trying to stay active haha 

Love 

Elder Galbreath

Avy, ry taranak'i Jakoba, ary aoka isika handeha amin'ny fazavany Jehovah.

There is one week left in my second to last transfer as a missionary. This is weird, and I don't like it one bit. 

Well it may help your tears to know that transfers don't work like that at all here. We get a phone call Sunday night and take a bus to our new area on tuesday usually, where we meet up with our new comp and get to work. Training assignments work like that though, so maybe that's what you saw. 

Furniture shopping sounds fun. 

This week was mediocre, but it was excessively mediocre so that is something. Tuesday I was very sick. Just one of those "can't even find the strength to get out of bed except when you have to go to the bathroom every half hour or so" type things. So not too exciting. Wednesday we taught a couple interesting people. 

Thursday was district meeting, good meeting. 

Friday, it existed. 

Saturday. We had 14 lessons planned starting at nine in the morning. So off we went after playing some football for exercise in the morning, showered and dressed to our first lesson at nine in the morning. They weren't there. Nor were the next six lessons. So that was fun, got a lot of good tracting done. Spent some quality time together walking around the area. Had a way good lesson with an investigator who is struggling to find work and told us that he might not be coming to church the next day because he found a temporary job that starts on Sunday. We told him he can only get blessings if he is obedient, and basically that if he has faith and comes to church he will be better off than if he goes to work. His name is S. 

Sunday. S came to church. I cannot express in any way how happy I am that he came to church. Absolutely incredible. He will be blessed for that. The rest of Sunday was way solid, went and taught this one family that we have only taught once before and they had a bunch of questions about the restoration and the book of mormon and they really understood the message and were really interested so hopefully they stay that way. 

That's all I have got for this week, not too much interesting. A very average week. I should have a group of pics next week for you guys, this computer is being handicapped so I couldn't send any this week. 

I love you guys a ton.

Elder Galbreath

For your eyes only!

This is your personal email. I hope you enjoy it. 

That's right, coming live to you and only you is the one and only Elder Galbreath in Madagascar. For half a second I forgot I wasn't the one and only Elder Galbreath. That kid is cramping my style. 

Well the Seahawks game sounds intense, but they won and that is all that matters. Here we go back to back champs! 

Well it sounds like work is keeping you busy. I may want to go there for work, do you know what I would make as far as hourly wages go? Unfortunately that does make a huge difference at this point in my life. 

As far as the house goes it sounds pleasant enough. I have to point out that thinking I won't be married in two years isn't expressing much faith in me but that's a whole 'nother topic. 

Your souvenir advice stinks.

I have been feeling a lot healthier the last few days, and you will be proud to know that I made a meal that wasn't instant noodles for myself last night for dinner. I had what was probably a pound of spaghetti. I know, still noodles but I made the sauce from tomato paste and various seasonings. It was pretty good if I do say so myself (and I do). 

Don't worry Mom, I am not getting trunky. With how our area and branch is progressing you will be lucky if I don't "accidentally" miss my bus out of here. Yes it hits me every now and then but that just drives me to work harder. I love it here mom. 

The temple trip sounds way nice, we are working in our branch to try and get a bunch of families to the temple this year, it's a little weird to think about the hour and a half drive to the temple near us. By us I mean you guys. 

Alright story time. So me and Elder Fox were walking out to a farther part of our area the other day. We hear this little girl yelling at us from like a hundred yards away "vazah! vazah!" and we are just like whatever she was a cute little girl so we didn't pay too much attention. Then we hear footsteps. We turn around and she is sprinting full steam ahead to catch up with us. So we stop and wait for a second so she can catch up, and she gets there and goes for a dona, like knuckles or a fist bump or whatever the kids are calling it these days. Then she left. A full hundred yard sprint just to dona the white guys. Most adorable thing I saw all week. 

We went on a lot of splits this week. Tuesday we went with Mahazoarivo, I went with Elder Kelsch, way cool guy. A wrestler from Utah somewhere. So we went around and visited the people they had planned and I showed them a few less active people I had been teaching. So they were happy to see me at least and the missionaries are going to start visiting them again. 

Then Wednesday we went on splits with Manandona due to some really odd circumstances ending in only Elder Fox can drive the car until further notice (that notice came two days later) so I was cruising with Elder Christianson, way cool and great at teaching/malagasy, from Vegas. Good split, great day. We visited this member and he was like "Yeah I have two brothers that want to learn from you guys, one just got out of jail six months early right after he finished the book of mormon that I gave him." So that's cool, a guy who saw a miracle after he read and gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon, and I will take a rap sheet in this country if it means a man to teach. So we set up times with both of those families and are going to them tomorrow. 

Saturday we went on splits with Ambohimena South, Elder Rice and I were companions. Pretty decent day, filled with the stereotypical malagasy drama and lack of interest in listening to anything that doesn't come from their pastor. 

Yay for exercise! Keep it up, when I get home I am going to start lifting and running and playing basketball. That way when Wyatt gets home and he is all sickly and skinny from his mission I can beat him at arm-wrestling. It won't last but I can give myself an edge. Gotta look good for the wife hunt. I am going to need some Supersonics short shorts though. Haha but seriously, I need to put on some muscle I am way too skinny. 

Did nobody see that google has malagasy in google translate now? Maybe it doesn't automatically give you the option in whatever browser you use. I promise I wasn't just being annoying with that all malagasy email. 

I love you guys a ton and am praying for you guys almost as much as I am for the Seahawks to keep winning and grab that second superbowl. 

I am just having a great time and not wanting to leave at all. For real.

Elder Galbreath in the best mission in the world. 

Ambany vohitra. My favorite place in the world.

Fantastic times with Fox

I guess that makes me the hound. 

First things first, nativity obtained and it is awesome. The little drummer boy is on order from the same guy and it should be here this week. That's that. Probably won't send a picture to keep the surprise for when you get it though. Sorry. 

Also the picture thing is hard. I have been in Madagascar for a very long time and so I feel like I have seen everything worth taking a picture of. I will try to do better to make this whole new camera thing worth it. Then I will probably just sell it back to someone before I come home because I will never use it again. I will try and be better though. Promise. 

So this week was, hard. It was just a hard week. We are still both trying to recover from the sickness that has plagued us since we were first together. Also it has rained every day. I started carrying my rain coat though so it hasn't been too annoying except my shoes have deteriorated to the point of no water protection at all. So wet feet every night but that's a small price to pay for the wonderful work of a missionary in Madagascar. We are trying to work with the members more and build a relationship with them, not only to help the missionary efforts in the branch but also to help the members. There is an uncomfortably small number of truly converted members here in Madagascar. Lots of people have testimonies but as many many apostles and prophets have taught, that is not enough to get us through. We have had a lot of people falling through from the contacts we made, and a lot of people not wanting to talk to us this week. Tracting did not go so well, but we got almost 30 hours of proselyting time this week which is incredible. Proselyting time is time spent doing active missionary work. That is teaching lessons or contacting people. Travel time doesn't count, and meals and talking to people before lessons doesn't count. So the mission goal is 28 hours a week, and without going on splits pretty much nobody catches that. Except for good old Fox and the Hound. It's just nice to have a companion who actually enjoys doing missionary work and knows how to do it. An experience I have had not nearly enough times in my mission. So Elder Fox is a great companion, even if he is from the west side. We spend a fair amount of time deciding how long the dynasty of the Seahawks is going to last. We haven't pinned it yet, but they are going to win at least the next two Super Bowls. Also the Sonics are coming back. 

We started playing basketball every morning, we go out and get nice and tired and refreshed in the morning and eat a good breakfast of yogurt and bread and go out to work. I feel pretty good lately except this stupid cold. It just won't go away. Trying to stay dry and warm and blowing my nose a lot. Not too much interesting going on lately out here other than that. 

My thoughts on the house situation are that if Mom is planning on moving down to Boardman in the relatively near future get something you can both live in. If that's not the plan, just get a little man cave house. No need to break the bank on a half a week house for one person. 

Dad-my thought on the sport coat thing is that I will probably just get like one or maybe two if they are significantly cheaper than a suit, or else I am just going to get the maroon suit and call it good. I already have the material so I am still not sure. If you could put a little money in my account I would sleep better at night, but I don't think I will need it. Just a suit left for me. That should only be like 40 or 45 bucks too. Then I am pretty sure I am done unless I can track down a rugby jersey for bubba. Oh and could you send me the names of the temples that John and Dan got married in? I know you are Seattle and Grandma and Grandpa are Cardston. Then I have all the souvenirs for everybody. 

And I think that rounds out my take on the week. I love you guys a ton.

Elder Galbreath

La de da

I did get the ensign and am thoroughly enjoying it. Thank you again from the bottom of my spirit. 

The bubonic plague is in Mada, but the meds we take for malaria prevent plague so no worries there. Doxy is a great invention. 

Concerning your talks. 

What is one or two things that you have learned that has changed you or your testimony.

I have learned a lot about the law of consecration, and really understanding what it means when it says in Luke that anyone who doesn't sacrifice all is not worthy to be called a disciple of christ. I feel like also the incredible poverty of the people here has changed me. I have been a fairly materialistic person most of my life, and I feel like since I have been here I have realized more fully that you really can lead a happy full life in a one bedroom mud hut eating rice and leaves every day, and pounding rocks together to tell stories for fun. I have also gained a huge appreciation for the scriptures, ancient and modern. I feel like I have studied more scripture in the time I have spent in Madagascar than my entire life before, and I truly can say that I love the scriptures. Even the Old Testament haha

One blessing that you feel you received either before you left or while you have been out.  

I feel that I have received the blessing of patience, and definitely have gotten more in touch with my ability to receive personal revelation for people in need. 

How is serving a blessing or how is it helping you?

I feel like serving is a blessing, but not for me. I am sacrificing so that I can receive blessings down the line. Yes it helps me grow as a person, and I feel closer to God than I ever have, but that is not why I am here. I am here to serve. I am here only because I want to serve. I don't really know a good way to express my reasons for serving a mission, the first time I didn't go for the right reasons, obviously. I came back on my mission because I love the people of Madagascar and I want every single one of them to go to the celestial kingdom. That's it. That didn't answer the question, but I feel like it is helping me in the long run because that isn't why I am here. Yep.

The christmas cookies look great. John is reverting I think to himself in college. Everyone is freaking out about how much he looks like me. I have to agree about his cookie though.

Alright so first things first Elder Arrieus is shipping out tomorrow morning. My new comp will be Elder Fox. He is from Bothell area, western Washington. Pretty cool guy. He is a way sick guy though so I am excited to finish my mission with him. Another fun transfer news is that Elder Yeagley, my only begotten son, is going to Fort Dauphin! Fort D is the sickest place in the mission, and legend for going really super well, getting ballin' missionaries, and they learn the Atandroy dialect, which is basically another language. So I am way excited for him. 

That's cool about the house thing, so you guys are 15 years out on having it payed off? That is a pretty cool deal. 

I miss guns mucho. Pat I think is a good guy to have around for that kind of stuff. 

So this week we didn't do a whole ton of stuff. Lots of goodbyes, lots of tracting (surprise surprise) and really not much interesting until Zone Conference on friday. That was incredible, I really learned a lot. We had a little slideshow on the history of the church in Madagascar. I will see if I can forward it to you. Then we talked about stats, boring stuff like that. Sister Adams gave a great lesson about gossip and judgement, had a bunch of really good insights and scriptures. Talked about judging before we know the whole story. I really liked it. President Adams talked about repentance and covenants. That man is too wise. It shouldn't be allowed. But he also talked about being converted unto the Lord. He talked about the difference between conversion and testimony, pulling heavily from Elder Bednar's talk on the same subject from fall 2012 conference. Pretty weird I saw that one here on my mission. But it was super good, I don't think I can even start to do it justice here but I took a lot of notes and I have to assume I will be giving a lot of talks when I get home so I will just use what President Adams teaches for those. I also was asked to sing at the zone conference, so me and Elder Rice and Elder Morse sang a men's choir song from the hymn book. It was cool. 

Elder Arrieus gave a way good talk on Sunday, took lots of pictures with members. We have a soiree for dinner tonight and then he is bouncing. Weird stuff. 

Alright now that the call is over, I will have stuff to talk about I promise haha but yeah I will talk to the guardian today and make positive I can get into the church, you just tell me what time I need to be on. 

Anywho. I think that is all I have got for today. I love you guys a ton. 

Elder Galbreath

The case of the missing thin mints

I need you to resolve a question for me. Did you send me one or two tubes of thin mints? I will give you the rest of the story when you answer that. Sorry, it's important.

As implied above, I got my christmas package. The tie is excellent. I am building up a decent collection of cool christmas ties. As for the rest of the package I don't know what any of it is. The candy bars are delicious, trying to make them last haha although peppermint bark would have been ideal (dad you thief). 

I do remember my skype login, and I have obtained usage of the church computer so I can actually skype whenever I want. You just tell me what the plan is and I will be there. The group thing would be sick if the time frame works out.

So this week we did a lot of tracting. One day we stopped for a coke break after three hours of tracting as is the norm, and a really cool techno song came on. Elder Arrieus says to me "This would be a great song for a raid." I thought about it and I was like????…….”I meant a rave" "Oh, yeah that too."

We were tracting and we got into this house of two old people that told us they were catholic but said we could share our message. So we get to the part about prophets. We said that since God doesn't change and he used to work through prophets that we need prophets in our day. They didn't accept that, so we showed them the scripture in Amos 3:7. They were like "I don't believe that." We asked why. This was the best part. "We don't believe that because it conflicts with what our church teaches." I think that maybe your church is the problem there. They were super sure that we were from the devil at that point. So that was that for the lesson. 

We did teach this one really cool family this week, and their house is way freaking nice. It kind of feels like an old ladies house in america. Like smaller, but way full of little porcelain figures and covered furniture.  

As for the christmas tree yes you did send it and I am trying to get it sent to me from Tana. Should be coming up this week. I also found the other one, it's in the old house I used to live in. All the decorations are gone though so I may or may not steal it back. 

The other city, Ambositra, is out of our area. It's about an hour drive from here. We used to be allowed to go there but I guess a few months ago a couple missionaries were stupid and just took a day off and went there for fun. So now we can't go there.

Anyway. I don't know what else is new. Zone conference this Friday so that should be sick. 

I love you guys a ton. 

Elder Captain America

Thanksgiving week

So first things first Thanksgiving day was excellent. Thursday mornings are usually our day for district meeting so we had a turkey bowl. Three games of six on six two hand touch football, play to 7. I was only on one winning team. But it was the last game, so I am calling it the championship. 

Then we went home and showered and got cleaned up for Thanksgiving lunch at the Tolman's house. They are the senior couple here in Antsirabe. They made pretty incredible stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and chicken cordon bleu. No turkey, but the chicken thing was super good. So we filled up on that and then went out to work. Elder Arrieus and I tracted for six hours. I am thankful I don't have to do that ever again after my mission. Then it was time for Sam's. A little background here, Sam's is a little bar and grill type place really close to our house. Sam is a french guy that lives here and runs the place, he married a malagasy. He is a way cool guy, not very good at english but he knows a little. So he tells us he is having a big Thanksgiving dinner and inviting all the Americans he knows. He says we should come, but no proselyting clothes. Well alrighty then so we go. We get there and there is old school american jazz music on the stereo, and a couple conversations in english going on. I almost passed out. There was one other American there, his name is Bob. Way cool guy. Everyone else was non-american but all but one spoke english really well. A couple south Africans, a british girl, a finnish lady, a german guy, and one french chump that didn't speak any english at all. The food was incredible. Turkey, mashed potatoes, mashed pumpkin, little baby potatoes, corn bread, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream for dessert. It was incredible. 

So a couple fun stories from our tracting time this week. 

French people here are usually very rude. The first one answered the door and then slammed it without a word. The second one I met came out and said some stuff in french and then "Get out" in very angry english. The third one said we were bothering him and told us not to come back. So whenever a white guy answers the door we just brace ourselves. Friday we were tracting and a french guy answers the door. He asks what we want, Elder Arrieus tells him we are missionaries and apologizes for interrupting him. He asks what church we are from, and says he is Atheist when Elder Arrieus tells him. Then he says he is Catholic Atheist. We were just like, what? He just laughs and says goodbye, shakes our hands and we go. Weird stuff. 

Then we are tracting our way down the path and we knock on a door. No sign, no writing, not even a doorbell. A guy answers and we see a way nice garden. We ask if he lives here and he says no, so we ask if it is a house, and he says no, it's a church. Oh, alright sorry to interrupt. So we keep going and we round the corner to see that the church we just tracted into was a Jehovah's Witness church. So that was interesting. Not many people can say they tracted a JW church. 

So I would appreciate it if you would take a peek at my bank account balance if you could. I only have a couple more souvenirs I need, but I want to make sure I am not draining my life money for when I get home. I am working on getting mom's nativity made. I want to have them add a little drummer boy in there to make it ideal, but the best wood people are in another city and we got shut down as far as permission to go there. So I might get it made here. I just have to find someone mahay enough to do it. Also a maroon suit might be in my future. 

Um yeah. I think that is all I have got, anxiously waiting on the pics of our Christmas cottage haha found a camo stocking in the house so that's all the decorations we have up right now. 

I love you guys so much, can't wait to skype on Christmas! Just let me know what time you guys want to do it and I will get available. 

Elder Galbreath 5.0

Captain America strikes again

I didn't know what else to title this email. 

                                  A guy painted this for me.

Elder Arrieus keeps singing Christmas songs and it's driving me crazy. I might kill him before he makes it home. 

Thanksgiving sounds way fun, we have some plans in place but I think I already told you about them and I will give you the story next week depending on what falls through and what doesn't. 

About the Christmas calls I am going to have the option hopefully of using the church computer, so any reasonable time should be ok. Outside of that the cyber here opens at 8:30 our time in the morning and is open relatively late. So if the church falls through that is when I am free. 

So last Monday we went out and played football. It felt so good to be American for a while. Even though I was playing defense and Elder Morley tripped as he was catching the ball and I fell over him and landed face first in the dirt. Madagascar fields are less than ideal. Pics on the bucket. Everything healed up by yesterday  though so it was good. 

This week was another exercise in persistence. It seemed like every door we had answered either wanted to bible bash or was Catholic and couldn't let us in. So that was fun. We did find one family that seems pretty cool. They have five month old twins that are super fat and adorable. Yep. 

Fun fact, I was asked to sing at the zone conference coming up by the mission president's wife. So I recruited two other elders to do it with me. We will see how it goes. 

Last night we had a huge almost sleepover BBQ thing. We went over to one of the houses here in Antsirabe and had a huge BBQ and stayed up way too late talking about anything and everything. For a while it felt like amateur sportscenter. I could be on that. So I was cooking my mediocre steaks and went to flip one of them and holy crap fire is hot and whoops down goes the steak into the fire. Well good meat is expensive here and I was hungry so down goes Elder Galbreath into the fire and pulls out a mildly ashy steak. It was basically done though. So that one tasted a little funny but the other two were way good. 

Hmm. We are going to this crazy nice field today and playing football/rugby/soccer. It is going to be way fun, I am excited. 

I love you guys a ton, hope your second thanksgiving is as good as your first haha 

Elder Galbreath

Sarodroa

Missions are hard

Well transfers were yesterday. Surprise surprise I am staying here. We got two new zones created and a few new areas. Pretty dull week. I can tell Mom has dull weeks when she only tells me about church. When I have a dull week, it means I tried really hard to get stuff done this week and nothing worked out. It means that even though we try really hard to find families and help them to learn the gospel, they don't listen. It means that we didn't have a single investigator at church, and the less active members we have been working with didn't come either. I stayed up until 11:30 last night calling people about transfers. Missions are hard. 

I attached pictures of my ear, before and after. 

I'm sorry this email is super lame, I just don't have anything new to talk about. Found a new favorite spiritual thought, 1 Nephi 13:22. 

Sorry, it's just really difficult to stay positive when you are doing everything you are supposed to and nothing is working out. So yeah. 

Missions are hard. 

I love you guys a ton. 

Elder Galbreath 

   Still having a little fun.  I think those pants are no good anymore.

March 19th!!

I am not sure if that is the day I leave Mada or the day I get there. 

The days are getting longer here and the rain is just beginning. Going to have to start carrying my rain jacket every day. 

I am pretty far from any lemur parks. I would love to go back but I don't think I will have the opportunity to. Life goes on. 

Well this week was exciting, we went and did our zone leader thing in Ambositra and Fianarantsoa. So Tuesday morning we left at 8 and drove all morning to Ambositra. Went on splits there, nothing too exciting. I almost have all the shopping for cousins done. Tea set in the bucket is for either Zoe or Saige, whichever you think would like it more. Hand carved, fully functioning, every cup and pot is one solid piece of wood. No glue or nails involved. Pretty legit. 

Wednesday morning we left about 7 and drove to Fianarantsoa. That road is terrible. So many potholes we seriously crawled most of the way. We got there about lunch time and ate and then went out with the missionaries there. I went with Elder Garcia and Elder Glazier. They are very new still and Elder Garcia is training Elder Glazier. I expected a pretty bad day to be honest but they surprised me. Those two elders know how to work hard. They were really clear when they taught, they were bold and loving and honestly they have the best stats in the zone right now. Two home runs right there. The next day I went with Elder Lehr and his kid, Elder Mack. Another awesome day. Elder Mack is from Hawaii, via Utah. Way cool guy, a little quiet but has picked up the language really well already. 

Friday we spent all day driving home. 

Saturday we finally got some missionary work done, including teaching a less active guy named Fafa. He plays rugby on the Antsirabe team. Hence his less activeness, he is always playing rugby on Sunday. But, spoiler alert, he came to church yesterday. Awesome! I was so happy to see him there. He is a super cool guy, and his family is way diligent.  

Sundays are always difficult  and yesterday all our lessons fell through, branch council ran long, and it rained way hard. And it was fast Sunday. So it was a rough day of contacting and nobody listening. In the rain. 

Today is p-day. I went to the doctor this morning to see about getting my huge nasty cyst removed from the back of my ear. I am going back at 2 to get that done. 

That's pretty much all I have got.

I knew the hawks could do it, even if it was just the Raiders. 

Love you a ton,

Elder Galbreath

Tavoangy

Conference was awesome first off. They do translate every session into Malagasy but the only one most people show up for is Sunday morning. Very few people understand that all of conference is important. But we watched the Saturday sessions in english and they were amazing. I loved Jorg what's his name's talk, he threw down. There was a 70 in that session too that gave an amazing talk but I can't remember his name without my notes. It was awesome. I also naturally loved Jeffrey R Holland's talk. That guy could read a medical prescription and make me feel it. Henry B Eyring gave a talk in priesthood session I think it was about preparing people and it was awesome. That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Bednar's talk on Sunday was great, it kind of loses something in translation though. I rewatched it last night and even though I already knew what he was talking about I still felt like I got more out of it. 

The costume looks great, holy cow is Skylar getting big. She is so tall. 

So this week started off pretty strong last P-day. We did our thing and then went to teach this kid who is living with some members. He has learned everything already but doesn't know the church is true. I asked if he had prayed, he said no. I asked if he had read the book of mormon. He said no. How are you supposed to know it's true if you don't read and you don't pray? Do you expect angels just to show up one day and be like "Hey, that church is true go get baptized." It doesn't work like that. Ever. Yes angels visit people but not without a fair amount of faith and a lot of prayer, either by them or someone else. So we committed him to read and pray. Fast forward a little bit to Saturday night. We go back to his house. How are you feeling about everything. I don't know. Have you read the book of mormon. No. Have you prayed. No. I told him that if the Book of Mormon is true then only our church is true and only through the doctrine of our church can you be saved. If it's not, then we are just wasting our time and we won't bug you anymore. I know it's true, and here's how you can. Read the Book of Mormon, like we have been telling you to every day since we started teaching you. Think about it. Then pray, earnestly, with a real desire to know the truth, pray to Heavenly Father and ask Him if it is true. Will you read the book of Mormon every night for the next week and pray before and after you read to know if it is true? He said he will. Hopefully he does. 

Tuesday we went tracting for a long time. We found a few people that seem pretty cool, we will see how diligent they are. Yep.

Wednesday we had zone meeting because on Tuesday morning we had a Mission Leadership Conference. All the zone leaders and President Adams do a big conference skype thing and talk about mission stuff. Very not exciting. Don't wear sandals on P-day. Make sure the members know that our priesthood and the member's priesthood is the same. Blessings from missionaries are not any more powerful than blessings from the melkizedek priesthood holders in the branch. It's a weird culture here because everyone is a convert of a number of years so most people still rely on the missionaries and think that we have to do everything. Luckily we have an awesome branch presidency here, all return missionaries, so they know what's up. Fun fact, ours is the first all RM branch presidency in Madagascar. 

Thursday was Elder Arrieus' birthday. We egged and floured him real good but he was sick so we didn't go out to work except for the very last lesson of the day because they are super cool and we didn't have a phone number to cancel on them. 

Friday we went out to Sarodroa. That is a branch about an hour outside of Antsirabe and then twenty minutes through the wilderness off the main road. They have 95 percent full tithe payers and 100 percent activity rate. We don't know why everyone is so diligent out there but we love it. So we went and payed a visit and talked to the branch president for a while about the branch and how everything was going. Everything is going great, if you were wondering. 

                                      Chapel in Sarodroa

Conference weekend so not a whole lot going on those last two days. 

Question time

So the question of the day.  You made an implicating statement in your last letter that you will be home for the next general conference.  Did you receive a return date?  

...

last question.  I am putting the christmas boxes together, if I can keep Dad from eating your treats. What would make you happy to receive? What would you like to get to share?  Is there something you would like to hand out.

Good chocolate, like peppermint bark. As much as I want to like chocolate oranges I don't, so don't bother there. Christmas PJ's are necessary, but you already knew that. A nice tie would be great, thinner is better. I don't need too much really. Something I will open and go "oh man!"

I love you a ton, hope you are having a great week and don't forget to read and pray. It's important. 

Love,

Elder Galbreath 5.0

We watch General Conference this week!

Hey Dad! You're up late tonight. I am glad the shoot went well. That 97 thing is a major bummer, hopefully you can get it ejecting right. Might be something to start working over really good before the next shoot. It seems like that is a recurring problem with those. So enlighten me, what kind of rifle do they use for wild bunch? I thought it was just a regular cowboy rifle. 

That's right, this Saturday and Sunday are general conference in Madagascar! I am pretty excited, and I have stayed away from spoilers. Except Taylor told me about one talk. It's all good though. Pretty weird that I will be home for the next one. 

Well we had interviews with President Adams on Wednesday. He is amazing. I am so lucky that they made him mission president here instead of an Apostle. We talked about how I was feeling kind of unmotivated, a little down as it were. I was just kind of having a hard time as I am sure you could tell. He expressed a lot of trust in me, and we talked for a while about the Law of Consecration and how the mission is the time to live it. You aren't required to live it in the fullest extent after the mission but living it on the mission helps you to be in the mindset of giving everything you have. That way when the call comes to serve in a calling your answer will be something along the lines of "I already said yes, and committed to yes, a long time ago." So I really liked that. He pointed out that I, maybe even more so than other missionaries, should be serving with an immense measure of gratitude. Given my unique situation, I am in an excellent position to serve with all my heart and do so in a way that expresses thanks for the opportunity to be here again. He told me again that he has a lot of trust in me and my judgement as a leader. It was very encouraging to hear all that. Then we got down to business. We talked about the zone and how it is going. We talked about a couple missionaries that got really really sick and had to leave suddenly. We talked a lot about different stats and their usefulness, just a bunch of leadership stuff that is super boring. So that was interesting, really starting to feel the weight of my zone leader-ness. Along those lines on Saturday we had a meeting with the district president and the senior couple here in Antsirabe about the district, which consists of most of the zone. They kept asking me how this branch and that branch are going and I am just like uhhhhh I dunno. So yesterday when I took stats I just talked to the missionaries and tried to get a feel for how their branches are going. Good note, in general all the branches are going smooth. Not perfect, but the leadership is working well and getting it all right. So that is a good thing. Trying to be a good zone leader out here, since this is probably my last area. It is not easy, missionary work is hard enough without also watching over 19 other missionaries. I am just glad I am not in Tana, my zone here is pretty small compared to those ones. 

So other than the leadership stuff I have been doing there hasn't been a whole lot of excitement. I did get to go out to Andranomanelatra on Tuesday and that was awesome. Saw a lot of members that weren't members when I was here, and they were all active! Well, one missed sometimes but even she goes to church most weeks. Saw my favorite people, and the best part is that every single person remembered me. All of them. There were people that I taught literally like three times and they still remembered my name. It was so awesome. I don't know why I didn't take more pictures. It was awesome. Fun story of the day was we were riding our bikes back from a members house that I baptized. Still active. So we were running a little late, and we decided to take the fast way down the mountain. As is normal, the fast way is not the safe way. So we are hauling down this hill, my planner flies out of my pocket and Elder Covey runs it over. We go a little further and my feet slip off the pedals. So I am bouncing on the seat trying to slow down and the front brakes are the only ones working so I about go over the handlebars, I manage to get my feet back on the pedals. We keep going and a little ways further I hit a soft patch of dirt and power slide like three feet until it is past and then keep going. Get to the bottom safe and sound, the member help had grabbed my planner, which is now a nice red tire design on the front. A little while later we are teaching a lesson, and I introduce myself, and the member help goes "He taught me before I got baptized." And I was like holy cow, I'm your missionary. Awesome! It is a super cool experience to be teaching investigators and you taught your companion all the lessons the first time he heard them. I felt like a little bit of a legend out there. 

There are no longer white sisters in Madagascar. The only one that was here has finished her mission just now. It wasn't pretty, but she made it. Lots of weirdos here. 

Seriously though, a little help on the kilt thing would be appreciated. Unless you are secretly making me one out of the Galbraith plaid in which case disregard. 

I love you a ton, hope you are doing awesome. If you haven't sent my christmas package yet some size 12 crocs would be super. If you have, I will try to find some. 

Yep. I think that is all I got this week. I love you a ton, and I hope you are finding a way to stay in touch with your spiritual self. I would send you the scriptures Wyatt is getting this week but they are less than uplifting. Let's see here, Isaiah 59:1-2. Very interesting. 

                                          Milk from a bag is better than in a box.

Love you a ton,

Elder Galbreath 5.0

It won't be pretty, but I'll make it.

I have decided that this phrase, and the past tense form of it, have become the motto for my life. High school? It wasn't pretty, but I made it. Mission? Same story. It works well for me. 

Missions are hard.

Zone leader duties involve mostly being the poop catchers coming down from the APs and up from the missionaries. We take the stats for the week from everyone in our zone and then call them in to the APs. We schedule the interviews for President Adams (this Wednesday) and all the zone stuff that goes on. We spend a lot of time in meetings with the district presidency and the senior couple here trying to get everything smoothed out and problems solved. Big problem right now is that welfare got cut for the district because they were giving out too much of it and church attendance dropped in half. Weird right? So we are trying to visit a lot of less active members and see what is up and why they stopped coming to church. We have a problem here in Mada with the level of people's conversions.  I wish that people had like stat bars, health stamina conversion and patience indicators for anyone to see. Unfortunately life is not a video game. 

Beast Mode (his bike) stayed in Tamatave, we are walking missionaries. 

I am eating very well, Antsirabe is very easy on the checkbook. Plates of rice are half what they were in Tamatave. 

 Rice fields as far as the eye can see

 Kids and rice fields as far as the eye can see ;)

Well spectrum taking over Ritzville is crazy. That is going to be a crazy busy time for them. Hopefully Brian's back doesn't get too bad. Wish I could be there to help out, but given the alternate choice of being here I don't feel bad. 

So this week was interesting. We had an emergency transfer because someone went home, so a bunch of stuff got switched around. Nothing in our zone though so that's good for me. 

Last Monday we played soccer. Super exciting. We won. 

Tuesday Elder Arrieus was sick so we didn't go out to work. 

Feel free to take a break if this is too much excitement for you. 

Wednesday we taught english class. Well, I taught english class. Elder Arrieus wandered between classes, helped out in French class a little. There were about 70 people there to learn english and french. So there was one french class and three english classes of varying skill levels. I taught the best people because it's the easiest to teach. 

Thursday we went less active hunting. 

Friday was not interesting. Except for the chicken we found in our garage.

Same with Saturday. 

Seeing a pattern here? Sunday was church. Yep. 

Then we are here. Today is p-day. Glorious p-day. Tomorrow I go on a split back out to Andranomanelatra so that will be sick. 

And that's all I got this week. 

If you could do me a huge favor and find and send me pictures of a kilt pattern, or something that I could give to the tailor guy here and he would make me a dope kilt I would appreciate it. I am not counting on finding any Galbraith clan plaid here but a generic plaid will get me through. 

Love you a ton mom. 

Elder Galbreath 5.0