tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33114497406513117802024-02-18T18:44:08.062-08:00Adams Madagascar MissionDavid and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-39249898496494071372014-08-17T11:58:00.003-07:002014-08-17T11:58:51.572-07:00Here are some of the critters of Madagascar<br />
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David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-55562694360770418262014-08-17T10:52:00.000-07:002014-08-17T10:52:39.636-07:00Wow, it can't be August already. Where did 2013 go? We continue to make our rounds of the mission which consist of zone conferences given in each of 10 areas every three months and interviews with each missionary in between the zone conferences. That makes for a lot of traveling. We are on the road or in the air most weeks ( over 150 flights so far ). The hour and a half or two hour trips to the airport (only 23 kms from home), usually in heavy traffic, and the frequent multi-hour flight delays or cancellations on Air Madagascar are our big frustrations. When we fly out of the country we avoid Air Madagascar. This week we begin a very intense and hectic two weeks. In two days I will interview the 8 departing missionaries and we send them off the next day. A few minutes later we welcome 14 new missionaries, 13 from the US and one from Madagascar. We have a welcoming dinner for them and the next morning we have an orientation. That afternoon we are back to the airport to pick up Elder Kevin Hamilton, a general authority 70 and member of the Area Presidency, with his wife. We leave from the airport to drive 3 hours south to Antsirabe for a zone conference the next morning. We drive back to Antananarivo after the zone conference. The next morning, Saturday August 23, we have zone conference with the two Antananarivo zones and a special adult member fireside in the evening for one of the stakes . On Sunday after Sacrament meeting we will drive 6 1/2 hours to the city of Tomatave on the east coast for a zone conference there. The next morning we fly to Reunion for a zone conference for all of the island missionaries.<br />
We love being with the missionaries. We have an exceptional group. As the average age of the missionaries is now lower than in the past, we have not noticed a significant change in spirit, motivation, work ethic or abilities in these younger missionaries in comparison to the ones who started on the average a year older. This is good news.<br />
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I will include a copy of part of a letter from one of our sister missionaries, Sister Paterson who works in Antsirabe, about the conversion of an amazing couple. Their story helps put things into perspective.<br />
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<span class="s1">We have been teaching a new family- Frem and Paulette-and they have two young sons. One is under one, and the other just 8. The 8 year old is so brilliant; he loves to bare his testimony, and is such a gentleman. He always walks us to the bus after we teach, and I confess I brake the rules sometimes and buy him some bananas or vegetables on the way. He always gets so happy and skips all the way home. Well they are absolutely amazing. Frem is very handsome, and brilliant, but his legs are severely crippled. When he walks, he walks on his hands. When he was young, his mom and dad died. His grandma took him over. Then his grandma died, and he ended up on the streets. I don't know whether he even had a wheelchair at that point. He told me it was the worst time of his life and he wanted to just die. He had no friends- he said "No one wanted to be a friend of someone who walks with their hands, and looks different from everyone else". He said one day there was a beautiful, young girl who passed by- she smiled, and it filled him with a new hope and happiness. She started passing by more often. She is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, and that is the truth- spiritually and physically. They became the best of friends. She cared for him. Before he was close to death. No money for food, no one would give him a job, living off the streets, being tortured and treated badly. She would bring him food, and talk with him for hours about his potential and how amazing he was. One day he got really sick- she got desperate. She begged her parents to get him medicine. They said "You stay away from that boy- he is no good for you!" She told them she loved him. Her parents were very upset by her, and wanted her to leave their presence. She said she prayed God would give her a way to save him- she stole medicine her mom had, and prayed the medicine- even though it wasn't for his sickness- would heal him. It did, and they ran away to the country. When they got here, they didn't have a home, or money, but said they prayed every day that God would help them. Paulette saw the missionaries, and knew that they had the full message of God. They taught them and Paulette quickly felt it was true and wanted to be baptized, but couldn't because they weren't legally married yet- traditionally only. It is expensive to be legally married here, and their paper work is far away, which would require a lot of money too. They only have money for one meal a day- sometimes two, but rarely. They pray just to have a few beans and rice every night for them, and their tiny sons to eat and survive. There house is a little shack that gets cold at night, especially when the winter comes. Their home is made from a small amount of wood, and card board; however they respect it and keep it so clean on the inside. There is a picture of Joseph Smith, and the Plan of Salvation, and all the books that we have taught them with are used for decoration. The sight of it is enough to bring someone to tears, because it is powerful. Frem kept saying- "I am Catholic- I can't convert". While telling their story to me, she said "I knew the church was the only true church, so I prayed to know what to do- and God told me to read the Book of Mormon out loud." At first Frem would play his guitar- but he slowly started playing quietly and listening. One day he said, "I know that book is true" They kept praying and seeing huge miracles. Frem said "We would literally be suffering from not eating for days, and I would pray or read the BOM or go to church, and random people would show up and give us food for the night- we have this little place to live because a random man gave it to us." They saw us on the path, and yelled our names. Well they have baptism dates, and I have been working my hardest to get them married legally- I have a couple routes through the mayor of the city or through the elders in a city far away from here. She pushes his wheelchair two hours to church, and he carries the baby on his lap. Sometimes their 8 year old son will ride on the back of the wheelchair or run next to his mom. They asked if they could pay tithing even though they aren't members because they have so much faith in it. I told them to save it in a bottle for temple money- They are so excited- they are already preparing to head to the temple- they want to be together for eternity- they are in love. Elder Todd saw him at church and was so impressed by him and his character. He was visiting with a bunch of mission leaders, heard his baby boy crying, and hopped from his wheelchair and went and got his baby and came back. He thought it was amazing how even though he was talking to other men, his baby came first. Elder Todd said he was so moved by him, and the way he loved and cared for his baby. They are the most diligent, faith filled people I have ever met. They have faithfully kept every commitment we have invited them to keep. Even when they had no food- we promised if they came to church instead of washing the neighbors cloths for money that they would be blessed with a miracle, and God would put money in their hands. The next Tuesday we taught they were so excited to tell us that the promise we made was fulfilled. A lady at church gave them enough money for the week. She said she felt like it was theirs from God. Miracles have happened, and their paper work is on its way in order for them to become legally married. We were teaching President Noel's mom, Marceline, the other night and she was extremely upset, and crying about some hard things in her life. During our lesson Frem called- He was laughing and cheering because he got a call that the paper work was on its way and they were going to finally be baptized and become an eternal family after learning from the missionaries for 7 years. We rejoiced together, and I can honestly say, I have never felt such incredible happiness in my heart. It healed everything wrong that I have ever been through. They have changed my life forever. After I went back to teaching Sr. Marceline- President Noel's mom (who we were preparing for her baptism on this Saturday). I told her a little about Frem and Paulette, because I noticed she had made good friends with them at church. I told her about the miracles they had seen- she then let me know that there was one Sunday she felt overwhelming strong feelings to give them money, and followed the promptings. I about died when I found out it was her who fulfilled our promise to them. She said she felt a special connection with them, and wasn't sad anymore but had strength to do what God had told her to do, and her biggest wish was to be baptized on the same day as them, which is her birthday. We never thought it would be possible. Frem thought he wouldn't be baptized until December at the soonest. Elder Todd called me last night, and said the elders would have his paper work here by Thursday. I called Frem, and he said he has already finished all the other steps, but the money they saved wasn't enough. I told him of Marceline's wish and said it was possible this weekend if it were his and his families desire, because God is able to do miracles for his faithful children. He cried out, "This Saturday!, We could be baptized into the true church, and prepare to be an eternal family this Saturday!?" He was shocked, and so happy- laughing, and crying. He said "Of course, This is the desire of our hearts- thank you!". The Todd's came with us last week and we all had a party hanging up card board, and trying to fix their house up a little. It was so much better after- what an incredible opportunity to watch Elder Todd and Frem work together on the house. I even helped the best I could by stapling and hanging card board. They were very grateful. Now we are all just crossing our fingers that they can be baptized this Saturday with Marceline. Keep us in your prayers. This is God's great work. We are literally bringing people heaven here in Madagascar. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I will include a photo which shows Frem and his family with the very small wooden shack that is their home.</span></div>
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David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-7896939461799640092013-12-15T03:34:00.000-08:002013-12-15T06:32:45.623-08:00Random stories and photos<br />
It has been quite a while since our last post. We have been on the road or in the air for the past 8 or 9 weeks. We have been to most of the cities and islands 2 or 3 times in that time. During the past 4 weeks we have had 2 mission tours with General Authorities (one with 4 zone conferences in 5 days), two district conferences each with an Area Authority 70, a week in Johannesburg for a Mission President Seminar, and a coordinating council with all the stake and district presidents and another Area Authority 70. We were able to be with each of our missionaries. In each of those conferences (except the one in Johannesburg) we did several presentations and talks. We are both pretty tired and are taking advantage of a few days back "home" in Antananarivo to regroup and recuperate before starting the cycle all over again. These were all great events and went well. In two weeks we will be at the half way mark in our mission. The time is racing by. The weeks are a blur. We have now exceeded 100 flights.<br />
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Our missionaries are doing well. There is a real spirit of devotion and dedication among the younger and senior couple missionaries. They are a remarkable group. We now have missionaries from Madagascar, the US, Canada, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Fiji, Tahiti, France, and Italy. More and more elders are coming at age 18. Over all they are doing just fine.<br />
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Madagascar continues to be in severe economic distress with a poverty rate above 95%. Next week there are elections for a new legislature and president. The current president is in a transitional government as a result of a coup in 2009 and has not been recognized by the international community.<br />
There are hopes that new a government will at least have some recognition with a freeing-up of international aid. The country is so bankrupt now it will take a long time to see some progress. In spite of all of this, life and commerce continue in its own rhythm. Most of the people just make do. Our big challenge is to help the upcoming generation of church young adults, especially the returned missionaries, to find ways to further their education and to get ahead and get out of poverty. I have had conversations with several recent returned missionaries who are very bright, articulate and strong in the church, but are struggling to find meaningful work and education. Several are fluent in English and French. We have one, and we hope soon another, senior missionary couple coming soon who's assignment it will be specifically to help this group. In many respects for the church in many parts of Madagascar, this is "Nauvoo in the 1840s".<br />
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The following photos are of the Branch of Andranomanelatra 15 kms north of Antsirabe. They meet in a rented house. The first photo is of the "main room" which has space for a maximum of 50-60 for meetings. Sacrament meeting attendance is ranging between 160 and 180 with people jammed into the hallways (second photo) and other rooms and standing outside. The full-time missionaries working this area do no contacting. They teach all day long the investigators referred by members. We are hurrying as much as possible to acquire land and build a simple and much larger church.<br />
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The next photo is of our recent district conference in Antsirabe. The Sunday attendance was 863. The district has 8 branches and soon will have 11. It will become a stake in the next year or two.<br />
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Here is a photo of one of the many random road side vendors we see on the side of the highway. This one is selling rabbits which she holds up by the ears.</div>
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Springtime in Antananarivo with the blooming of the Jackaranda trees</div>
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This is a typical village home in the mountains next to the Saradroa branch building. This one belongs to the family of one of our full-time missionaries, Elder Rakotomalala.</div>
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Chickens going to the market tied into baskets on the top of a taxi bus.</div>
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Other random photos<br />
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We are starting summer and rainy season with some violent evening thunderstorms almost a daily happening. Antananarivo is a very hilly city which means there are low lying areas which frequently experience flash flooding. We have only one set of missionaries (the assistants) who have a car here. One evening they were teaching a lesson. The streets were dry when they started the lesson and looked like this at the end of the lesson. Yes that is their car. It actually started the next day.<br />
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The inside needed a little cleaning.<br />
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Sewing in Antsirabe</div>
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David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-29617355455736210672013-10-02T12:22:00.000-07:002013-10-02T12:22:07.042-07:00<h1 style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
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Gathering of the Madagascar Saints</h1>
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By Elder Kevin Ray Moore (used by permission from author)</div>
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<img height="299" src="https://www.lds.org/bc/content/areas/africa-southeast/Church%20Art/walking%20Mdgscr%20large.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(222, 216, 202); max-width: 580px; padding: 1px;" width="652" /><div class="caption" style="color: #767676; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 6px 0px 10px;">
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<span style="font-size: 12px;">Members and missionaries walking an hour and a half to church in Manandona </span><credit></credit></div>
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Many changes for the better began to happen in Madagascar as the members caught the vision of striving for temple blessings. The nearest temple to them was in Johannesburg, South Africa, 2200km across the Mozambique Channel. Securing such blessings required many of the Saints to make significant personal sacrifices and exercise great faith.</div>
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As a missionary in Madagascar until June 2013, I had the privilege of helping and witnessing this great work. One afternoon during a meeting with the local church leaders, our mission president called and informed us that he felt the Besoa group of 35 members should be rejoined with the original Manandona Branch, 6.5km to the south. He asked us to begin preparing the people for the sacrifice they would be asked to make. This change would require the Besoa members to hike three hours round trip to the Manandona Branch for all of their church meetings. We were somewhat surprised, but began to make the special effort of strengthening the faith of the members of that area. We wanted to help them have a sure knowledge and testimony of fundamental Church doctrines such as faith in the Lord and in His leaders, the keys of the priesthood, and the blessings that come from obedience. After two months of regularly visiting and giving specially prepared lessons to all the families, we felt that the members were ready. All but a few had made attending the temple a priority and were preparing to make the sacrifice to travel to South Africa. We felt that the gathering of this group of Saints could occur soon.</div>
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Our mission president came on April 14, 2013, to meet with the members in Besoa. There was a special feeling as we walked through the rice fields to the wooden chapel for the last Sunday service that would be held there. Everyone came and greeted us on the path with beaming faces. The meeting commenced, and when the time came, our mission president announced the gathering of the Besoa Saints back to Manandona. Many members were unsure, as the three-hour hike seemed like too much of a weekly sacrifice. Yet, when we returned later that week, we found greater optimism and increased faith. Many were cheerful as they said they would make the hike. Brother Rakotonirina Richard, recently released group president, confidently stated to us that he <em>was</em> going to take his family to the temple and would not let such an obstacle stop them. We decided to accompany the members on their first Sunday on the rugged road that wove 6.5km through the mountains and fields to the Manandona Branch building. </div>
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Twenty of the 36 members made the transition that day, including many who struggled in their faith before<em>.</em> There were children as young as two years old with their parents and grandparents, the oldest of which was 75. In the following months, more members started coming. Manandona’s branch leaders were still visiting and praying for the last few stragglers.</div>
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Not two weeks after the change was made, swarms of locust began to plague the surrounding areas, but not in this valley. As is sung in the hymn <em>Praise to the Man,</em> “sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven.” That was only one of several swarms of locust in the coming weeks that spared this valley but destroyed the crops of valleys nearby. I witnessed one swarm begin to settle in the fields, but as they began to consume the crops, a strong east wind picked up and drove them out of the valley. After the locust swarms were past, 40 armed robbers from the south began to steal cattle, slowly moving northward. Many people made plans to leave if necessary, but the Saints expressed their faith to us that the Lord would protect them. He did, through a sudden and unexpected cold spell which drove the robbers back to the more temperate desert in the south.</div>
<img alt="" class="" src="https://www.lds.org/bc/content/areas/africa-southeast/Church%20Art/swarms%20of%20locust%20Mdgscr%20large.jpg" style="background-color: white; border: 0px !important; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12px;">Swarms of locust destroyed crops of surrounding valleys but spared the Saints' crops</span></div>
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The Saints were blessed yet again when a rare hard frost came one night and lasted well into the day. Many people’s potatoes withered away, but not those of the Saints. The branch president of Manandona was accused by his neighbors of using magic, but he responded simply that he kept the commandments of God. </div>
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It was a great witness to me to see the increase in faith and commitment of those Saints in Besoa. It was not a simple sacrifice for them, but it brought forth great blessings. I pray that it will eventually help bring forth one of the greatest blessings of all: having the blessings of the temple in their lives.</div>
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David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-87089156758658163382013-07-15T11:01:00.001-07:002013-07-15T11:01:34.466-07:00Saradroa, a remarkable place<br />
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This weekend we traveled south three hours to Antsiribe for a Saturday missionary zone conference and a Sunday visit to the branch of Saradroa. It was great to be with the missionaries in that area who are doing a great job. We were able to hold the conference in the home of Elder and Sister Todd, our senior couple in the area, who are wonderful tutors to the leaders of the member district and of the branches. This district is actively preparing to become a stake.<br />
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On Sunday we traveled with the Todds, the District President Pierre and the zone leaders an hour north of Antsirabe on the main "highway" (actually a fairly narrow, but paved windy two lane road) to an obscure unmarked trail heading up the mountain. In our four wheel drive trucks we followed this very challenging, deeply rutted and steep trail for several kilometers until we could go no further with the pickups. We then walked a footpath for another kilometer into the mountains to the "chapel".<br />
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This metal roofed building shown below is located next to two brick thatched-roofed homes typical to this part of the country. There is no village to be found anywhere close. The 100+ members walk from humble houses located all over these mountains. Many walk long distances to church faithfully every week. This building was built by the members and has a dirt floor and no glass windows. The nearest electricity is 40 or 50 kilometers away. The running water is from the river at the bottom of this valley where several people were baptized two weeks ago. </div>
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In this photo you can see the little generator that provides what little power they use to power the CD player that provides the music for their meetings. </div>
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As this is the only power source for any of the members, they take advantage during the meetings to charge their cell phones. Cell phones are the one connection with the modern world that they have, even way out here.</div>
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We were warmly greeted by the members on our arrival. These people are very poor materially. Many were bare footed is spite of somewhat chilly temperatures. We have never been among a group of people with a greater spirit and anxiousness to learn the gospel and serve in the church. The missionaries have never done "tracting" or contacting in this area. They travel up here an hour and a half, one day a week, and teach people who are invited by the members or who just show up. It is the stuff of missionary legends.</div>
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We had 105 at sacrament meeting which is a little over 100% attendance. The average attendance for this branch is 96%. What is more remarkable is that this is also the percentage of tithing faithfulness. </div>
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There are currently four full-time missionaries serving from this small branch out in the middle of nowhere, two serving in Madagascar and two serving in Africa. We met with the young women and young men, about twenty, and asked how many were planning on serving missions. All raised their hands. Below are the two homes adjacent to the chapel. Two of our full-time missionaries come from these homes. </div>
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Because this is a one room church, most of the classes are held outside. There is a plan to build a larger brick church adjacent very soon.</div>
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Below is the branch council which meets each week with the presidents of each auxiliary and quorum. This was run with a written agenda, just like in the handbooks. These wonderful, humble leaders often make the hours-long journey to Antsirabe for leadership training. They frequently return walking up the mountain in the pitch dark. There are no lights out here. </div>
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As we observe in many places here, it is the children that often touch our hearts.</div>
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David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-27671348359569085642013-07-11T10:11:00.000-07:002013-07-11T10:11:44.571-07:00A few classic Madagascar Photos<br />
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Pig on a bike</div>
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Ocean Baptism</div>
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House built on a rock</div>
David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-15667340294833531742013-07-10T12:21:00.001-07:002013-07-10T12:21:40.301-07:00Madagascar: LDS Church (playlist)<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLo6WmFbBTUezm3obe-vJlZGeEVEitS3Sd" width="425"></iframe>David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-20098303304553421302013-07-10T12:08:00.001-07:002013-07-10T12:08:42.278-07:00Madagaskar Tour 2012<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/vQv46I1zLPc" width="480"></iframe>David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-64164334635965711832013-06-15T12:01:00.001-07:002013-06-15T12:01:51.737-07:00<b>Amazing sights in Reunion</b><br />
Last month Anna and I with Elder and Sister Heap took a six hour hike to the Grand Benare, the second highest mountain on Reunion at over 9500 feet. From there we could see most of the island and look into two of the three "cirques" or incredibly deep canyons formed by the volcanoes. At the top we were literally on a cliff with a sheer drop off of thousands of feet. In the first cirque we saw way below us a small village that is only accessible by a steep hiking trail or by helicopter. We hope to hike there one day. In the other cirque is the beautiful city of Cilaos which we visited this week by car.<br />
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The following photos are taken from Cilaos</div>
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The top of the mountain in the distance is the Grand Benare</div>
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David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-31030662345277316562013-06-14T21:08:00.000-07:002013-06-14T21:08:25.370-07:00<b>Many member district and missionary zone conferences.</b><br />
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It has been two months since the last post. We have been traveling every week. We returned today from Reunion where we greeted two new sisters and two new elders and sent one elder off for home.</div>
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In the past two months we have had three member district conferences. In May the Reunion District conference was presided over by Elder Collin Bricknell of the Area Presidency. These conferences are just like stake conferences. On two of the district conference weekends we also had a day of zone conference with the missionaries on the Friday before. Last week in Tomatave with the two conferences I ended up speaking and teaching about twelve hours over the three days, mostly in French. With additional interviews it makes for a pretty exhausting schedule. We flew home for a day and back on the plane for the islands. Over three months we end up presenting zone conference about ten times in the different areas. Just as we finish the last one the new round of zone conferences begins.</div>
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In nine days we say good bye to ten missionaries in Madagascar and welcome fifteen new ones. This is a hectic and bitter sweet experience. We will miss the missionaries that we have come to love and respect over the past year. Yes, in a few days it is our anniversary. This last year has gone by very quickly, yet it seems as if we have been here a long time. </div>
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The photos are of the Antsirabe District Conference where we had over 650 in attendance at the Sunday session. This district is working diligently to become our next stake. </div>
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Here is the children's choir.</div>
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The next photo is from our young men/ young women/ YSA fireside we recently held in Tomatave. We asked them who was preparing to serve a mission and almost all of them raised their hands. Currently we have over 100 full time missionaries serving from Madagascar in various places in the world. There are many more who are planning on going. This represents the real future of the church here. </div>
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The following photos are of the countryside outside of Antananarivo taken during an inspection visit of one of the clean water projects overseen by our humanitarian senior couple missionaries.</div>
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Even though the temperatures were chilly, most of these school children were without shoes.</div>
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David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-87855805630787060092013-04-14T11:49:00.000-07:002013-04-14T11:49:22.803-07:00Last week we flew to the hottest area of the mission, Mahajanga which is a city of a few hundred thousand on the northwest coast. We have two missionaries and a branch there. During our weekend stay we visited a few families with the missionaries. Here is a photo of one of the new strong convert families in their small humble but quite clean home. The only furniture other than the bed they were sitting on was a small table and chairs.<br />
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This week we drove three hours to Antsiribe for a zone conference, leadership training and many interviews. Among these I interviewed three young women and two young men who had completed their applications for their missions. I was very impressed with these young people. Their greatest desire is to serve a mission. Each serves as a branch missionary and teaches with the full time missionaries three or more days a week. I have rarely seen young adults more ready to serve. We are seeing increasing numbers preparing from all over the mission, especially Madagascar. Most come from very humble homes. Some are fairly well educated and speak French as well as Malagasy, a few speak some English. Some have quite limited formal education. All have taken the study of the gospel very seriously.<br />
Today we visited a branch 25 kms south of Antsiribe located in the village of Manadona. This is a growing branch with some members walking long distances to attend church. There is no electricity in this area and very little clean water. The branch president is a 26 year old convert of 2 years. As most of the people in the area, he is a farmer. With the help of some great missionaries, he is doing a remarkable job in leading this branch. They are meeting in a brick chapel without glass windows and a wooden classroom building. The Church has just installed solar power to run the LED lights and the computer which actually has 3G wireless internet. Here is a photo of the branch just before the start of the meeting this morning.<br />
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About 8 kms away on a walking path is the village of Besoa in which is located a small group under the direction of the Manadona Branch. This group is quite remote and difficult to support, so after much consultation with the branch and district leadership, it was decided to merge the two units and have everyone meet in Manadona. Though a difficult decision, this will help prepare the branch to further strengthen and eventually become a ward. After the branch sacrament meeting, we along with our senior missionary couple ( Elder and Sister Todd), the younger missionaries assigned to this area (Elders Moore and Baker) and the District President (Pres Pierre) and his wife loaded into our three mission four wheel drive trucks and headed to Besoa. Driving there is much longer than walking overland. The "road" is deeply rutted, definitely a four wheel drive trail and not for the faint hearted. We also had to cross a challenging log bridge that had just recently been laid down. The logs were not nailed into place.<br />
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We could only drive so far and had to walk the rest of the way on a trail. Below is a photo of part of the village and of some of the group greeting us on the trail.<br />
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The members have built there own wooden, dirt floor chapel. Here is pictured the group at the beginning of the sacrament meeting.<br />
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Here is the group leader conducting. Notice he has no shoes which is common in these villages.<br />
On the right side of this photo is a young elder who this week will be leaving for his mission to<br />
New Zealand. He does not yet speak much English and will be first traveling to Provo for an extended MTC training. His world is about to completely change.<br />
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It was very humbling for me to tell them of the changes and to ask these devoted members to start attending church an hour and a half walk from their village. Most of them sustained the proposed changes, many of them did so resolutely. It is a big sacrifice which they are willing to make in order to have the blessings of a much larger branch and to help build the church. They are willing to do this because they have strong testimonies and a lot of faith.<br />
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Here is a photo of some of the village children with Elder Moore.<br />
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<br />David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-14282056073552991682013-04-06T08:41:00.001-07:002013-04-06T08:41:12.175-07:00Our first senior missionary couple outing occurred at the end of March when we traveled with most of the couples to Andasibe to the Lemur park and a stay in the rain forest at the Vakona Lodge. It was the first visit there for most. We traveled on the 1930s vintage Michelin Train. It is like a large bus which rides on the tracks, but which also rides on special Michelin rubber tires. The seating is individual padded wicker chairs which were quite comfortable. We even experienced two flat tires which were repaired by the crew of four repairmen.<br />
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David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-60978664580933281802013-04-06T08:17:00.000-07:002013-04-06T08:17:31.684-07:00The middle of March we were back in the islands with missionary and member interviews and leadership training. Pictured below are the four missionaries on Mauritius, Elders Millar, Lambson, Cusick, and LeBlanc. It is very difficult for us to get visas for our missionaries there. We are expecting our first senior missionary couple to arrive in May which will use our quota of six visas. We will have to wait until two missionaries leave the island at the end of this month for us to be able to apply for the visas for their replacements, a process that will take usually at least three months. So we will have fairly long periods of time when we will only have two younger missionaries serving there.<br />
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With a few exceptions our work here in Madagascar is pretty much seven days a week. I am often making phone calls very late into the evening. We occasionally have done some walking near the mission home and do some marketing together. When we go to the islands we try and take a "preparation day", usually hiking or walking by the beach. As you have seen in previous blogs the sights are often spectacular. We will try to include more of the regular things so it doesn't look as if we are always on vacation. In Reunion we welcomed two new missionaries and said good bye to two.</div>
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During our interviews Anna found a new friend, an orange-tiger-stripped lizard. On one of our days there we had a great zone activity climbing one of the mountains overlooking St Denis.</div>
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David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-62198446884310511222013-03-11T11:00:00.001-07:002013-03-11T11:00:30.333-07:00<div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Other experiences. Just so that everyone doesn't think that our mission is just full of traveling to beautiful places, we do have some real challenges here. The third weekend of February we traveled to Tulear to formally establish the branch there. We have a great group of saints in that city of about 400,000. The new branch president has a PhD from England and oversees the agriculture for this whole part of the country. The first counselor is an engineer and the elders quorum president runs the port. This educated group is unusual in the church outside of Antananarivo.</span></div>
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While were in Tulear there was a large storm brewing in the Straits of Mozambique between Africa and Madagascar.<br />
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A week after our visit the area was hit hard by a strong hurricane (cyclone in this part of the world) In addition to the city, many of the smaller villages were significantly damaged or mostly destroyed. Many of these villages remain without aid weeks later.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9WS-vYG83Efr4HUvaVjTVKHCMQ8zWgObwpyXk7L1zm8PMek8XBk_qfNfd7lk9HIhhuoYoVyY0YliGqXJVd-hjeTm0eGWSzqfa2yiS8PGsYa4L54Q4oskqHa9_6YJq6MAYPCyrdClJ-z_J/s1600/IMG_0370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9WS-vYG83Efr4HUvaVjTVKHCMQ8zWgObwpyXk7L1zm8PMek8XBk_qfNfd7lk9HIhhuoYoVyY0YliGqXJVd-hjeTm0eGWSzqfa2yiS8PGsYa4L54Q4oskqHa9_6YJq6MAYPCyrdClJ-z_J/s320/IMG_0370.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our humanitarian couple, Elder and Sister Richards, drove two long days to coordinate the Church's relief efforts in Tulear. Working with this new branch, many families were helped. The members actually did most of the work identifying the needy, packaging and distributing the supplies. In all 445 non member families were directly aided by this effort.<br />
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This was an earthen dam</div>
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The above photo was of part of the group waiting on the church grounds for the relief supplies consisting of rice, beans, sugar, candles and soap. Many others were aided in outlying areas.<br />
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During the rainy season of summer, downpours are common. At times, our missionaries get caught in flash floods like this one right here in Antananarivo. Elder Moulton did get a little wet.<br />
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We just completed a stake conference with Elder Carl Cook of the Area Presidency. It was great to have him and Sister Cook back in Madagascar. Six months ago we spent 11 days with them on our first mission tour. We had over 800 in attendance on three floors, including the parking garage, of this church building. As of next week Antananarivo will actually have 2 new full-sized stake centers under construction. This last photo is of a group of young single adults who were part of this conference.<br />
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<br />David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-7147775536629560252013-02-14T08:55:00.000-08:002013-02-14T08:55:01.173-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> Here is a brief video of a native Madagascar instrument, the Valiha.</span></div>
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David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-36137591928319266612013-02-14T08:25:00.000-08:002013-02-14T08:25:31.150-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">The third weekend of January we flew to Fort Dauphin at the southern tip of Madagascar. We had great church meetings and training. We met with the missionaries, Elders Rasmussen and Morgan.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">These poor elders have to look at this view from their front window every day. </span></div>
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The next weekend we made the eight hour drive to Ambositra and Fianarantsoa over very curvy mountainous roads with "car eating" pot holes. The ride was beautiful, but taxing. We had great experiences with our members and missionaries when we arrived.<br />
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At the beginning of February we flew back to Reunion. Our trip was delayed a few days because of a class 4 cyclone that passed between Reunion and Madagascar. These are not uncommon in this neighborhood this time of year. I had to interview all of the branch presidents, choose a new district president (like choosing a stake president), call counselors and have a full day zone conference with the missionaries. All of this in about a day and a half. We had a few hours to see some beautiful sights. The photos below are from the Salazie Valley in the center of the island. It is one of the most spectacular places on earth.<br />
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Anna at the beach with Sister Heap</div>
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The day after our return from Reunion we were visited by our dear friends, Randy and Jann Paul from Highland, Utah. Randy served in the Franco-Belgium Mission with us and then was my college roommate. Their son Jeron was one of the first four missionaries to serve in Madagascar, before it was a mission. He taught and baptized Roger Rakotomamonjy who is in the photo with his wife Prisca. Roger is now the stake president of the Manakambahiny Stake, one of the two stakes here in Madagascar. The next day Randy, Jann, Anna and I traveled to Andasibe to the lemur reserve in the mountain rainforest to have an experience with those little animals. </div>
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The last photo is of a cute little girl we saw at one of the wards we visited.</div>
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<br />David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-23273254783416401602013-01-13T08:38:00.000-08:002013-01-13T08:38:19.091-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">We returned today from a trip to Antsirabe, 3 hours south, for Zone Conference, District branch presidents training, a branch conference and to look at property to construct a new and larger church for the Andranomaneletra Branch that we just formed a few weeks ago. The countryside this time of year is very green and beautiful. We are becoming quite familiar with the route. Below is a photo of what I call the valley of the carrots. That is not its real name, but it is the only place where one sees large roadside stands with carrots.</span></div>
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Back in Antananarivo, looking across the valley from our church/ mission office and home complex (in the foreground in the photo) on the top of the hill in the distance one can see the Rova, or the Queens Palace.</div>
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Recently we drove up there for a tour of the palace grounds and a wonderful view of the whole Antananarivo area.</div>
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<br />David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-63201673607633380932012-12-30T07:03:00.000-08:002012-12-30T07:13:11.406-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We just received the photo of our mission president group from the seminar in Johannesburg in November.<br />
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front row Left to Right: Pres. and Sister Kretley, Mozanbique Maputo Mission ; Area Presidency: Elder and Sister Soares; Elder and Sister Renlund (Area President); Elder and Sister Cook; Pres. and Sister Reber, Johannesburg MTC;<br />
back row Left to Right: Pres. and Sister Broadbent, Kenya Nairobi Mission; Pres. and Sister Jameson, Congo Kinshasa Mission; President and Sister Wood, South Africa Cape Town Mission; Pres. and Sister Padovich, Zambia Lusaka Mission; Pres. and Sister Adams, Madagascar Antananarivo Mission; Pres. and Sister Cook, Zimbabwe Harare Mission; Pres. and Sister Jackson, Uganda Kampala Mission; Pres. and Sister von Stetten, South Africa Durban Mission; Pres. and Sister Omer, South Africa Johannesburg Mission; Pres. and Sister McMullin, Congo Lubumbashi MissionDavid and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-75617196805333434972012-12-30T02:41:00.000-08:002012-12-30T02:41:42.243-08:00<div>
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Two weeks ago we traveled by car to Antsirabe (three hours south) to reorganize the branch of Ambohimena and to create the branch of Andranomoneletra. I, with one of my counselors, spent most of the day interviewing for new branch leaders, and 18 priesthood advancements. The next morning in the Ambohimena branch we had 259 at sacrament meeting for the reorganization at 8am. </div>
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We then had to drive about 12 miles north to the Andranomaneletra group (which was started less than 2 years ago) for the branch creation. They are meeting in a rented house with a capacity of about 60 in the main room. The children were packed into a room across the hall. At this sacrament meeting we had 134 in attendance with many sitting outside the open windows. I have sent an urgent request to the Area Presidency in Johannesburg for the construction of a new building.<br />
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We spent Christmas with the senior missionaries and couples. Earlier we attended a Christmas party for the employees that work with and for the Mission. We also enjoyed video conference calls with of our children and grandchildren.<br />
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Yesterday Anna and I spent a few hours with Elders Ewell and Smith teaching lessons in the inner city of Antananarivo. We had a lot of fun. We were quickly surrounded by happy children where ever we went. This area is very humble and the people are really very nice. The homes we visited were each about 8x10 feet inside. The ally ways were no more than a couple of feet wide. I don't know how the missionaries find their way in these literal mazes.<br />
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<br />David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-51925299372342104852012-12-15T04:42:00.001-08:002012-12-15T04:42:59.431-08:00This week we said goodbye to Elder and Sister Gray who returned to England after serving as Humanitarian Service Missionaries. This humble couple, working through translators, over the past eighteen months have accomplished amazing projects which have significantly affected the lives of almost sixty thousand people living in many villages and towns. They were honored last week in a ceremony personally hosted by the Minister of Health for their contribution to the country of Madagascar. Many of their projects involved the installation of clean running water in areas where people would often have to walk long distances daily to obtain and carry back drinking water. Other work included hygiene training, neonatal resuscitation, wheel chairs, vision and dental services. This work has had a real impact on the perception of the Church in this country. Sister Gray also served as our nurse and handled the medical problems for the missionaries in this challenging medical environment. They worked literally up until the last minute, even meeting with people in the airport. In my final interview with them they expressed how, in their wildest dreams, they never could have imagined the things they accomplished, the adventures they had, and the impact the people they met had on their lives. They are "poster seniors" for a senior couple mission.<br />
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Last weekend we flew to Mahajanga on the northwest coast to meet with our two missionaries there and to be with the members for Sunday meetings and training. This is midsummer and it was pretty hot. We have reduced the missionary force from four to two so that the branch can better assimilate and take care of the new converts. It has actually been growing too fast. Sunday afternoon we spent seven and a half hours (again) waiting for the delayed airplane to arrive. There was only one other person in the airport for most of that time. Just another day in Madagascar.<br />
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The rainy season has arrived, so far with mild temperatures here in Antananarivo, much cleaner air and big evening thunder storms every couple of days. The country side is very green. We have been appreciating more the beauty and charm of parts of this city.<br />
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Two weeks ago we were in Mauritius for interviews with the four missionaries, branch meetings and training with the missionaries and members. We had a great time. We had an enjoyable preparation day hiking with the elders in the mountains overlooking Tamarin Bay. At the request of the elders, we also stopped by McDonalds (not found in Madagascar). This one is owned by a Hindu so it has a chicken- only menu.<br />
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On our last night we took a long walk on the beach and were blessed to sit for a few minutes on a bench and watch a beautiful sunset over the Indian Ocean. We don't get times like these very often. Typical days start early in the morning and last late into the night, often seven days a week. Occasionally, especially when we are in the islands, we plan in some relaxation time.<br />
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<br />David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-13809903513810676592012-11-24T22:31:00.000-08:002012-11-24T22:31:53.682-08:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Helvetica;"></span><br />
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I had a remarkable experience this morning. One of the top candidates for the presidency of Madagascar, who is also the president of the Green Party for all of Africa, and her husband showed up, unannounced, at my office to talk to me. They spoke of their respect for the church and what it was doing in this country. We talked of the humanitarian work and especially water projects. They wanted our "blessing" for the honorable things they were trying to do for their country. They were looking for a platform to present their ideas to church members. I told them that, as a church, we could not endorse a political candidate but we do endorse honesty and a real concern for the country and the people. They were very respectful and said it was an honor to talk to me. I was very impressed.</div>
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What happened this morning may be known by only a few people, but the fact that it happened at all is really significant for the perception of the church in Madagascar. Doors are opening to many levels of this society. I feel we are being very blessed. </div>
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We had an enjoyable day with the missionaries in Tomatave on the northeast coast for interviews and member leadership training. I have included photos of the pouspous local transportation in Tamatave plus some other random photos.</div>
David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-38695553240580977072012-11-17T22:44:00.002-08:002012-11-17T22:44:14.885-08:00Spectacular Reunion.<br />
We returned from almost a week in Reunion. I had interviews with each of the missionaries which take place every three months. What a great group of faithful, accomplished young men and women. Elder and Sister Heap serve as a senior couple. Elder Heap serves as one of my presidency counselors. They are a real blessing to both the missionaries and the members and they always spoil us when we go there. On Thursday after some of the interviews we held a very enjoyable zone training meeting. Anna and I spent some time going out with the missionaries making visits and then held training meetings Wednesday evening for the leaders of the Reunion member district.<br />
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We reserved Friday for an adventure hike in one of perhaps the two or three most beautiful places in the world that we have seen. This valley, which is only about 40 minutes from St Denis, is so spectacular that is is difficult to describe. It is a cross between Switzerland, Kauai with a little Lord of the Rings and Avatar thrown in. The photos don't do it justice. With Elder and Sister Heap we hiked from the canyon rim to a village named Hell Bourg on the canyon floor. After lunch we climbed back up in a rain storm. Over an hour and a half non-stop vertical climbing and rock steps. We were all soaked but had a great time.</div>
We are back in Tana for two days and then we fly to the northeast coast of Madagascar to the city of Tamatave for more interviews and meetings.David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-6651304250132546742012-11-11T09:19:00.000-08:002012-11-11T09:19:20.493-08:00Johannesburg, South Africa<br />
We just returned from a week in Johannesburg attending a Mission President Seminar for the eleven missions in our area which includes about thirty countries. We had great sessions conducted by our Area Presidency consisting of Elders Renlund, Soares, and Cook. The sessions took three and a half days. The rest of the time we enjoyed the wonderful company of the mission presidents, area presidency and their wives. We laughed a lot and traded stories that only African mission president couples would fully appreciate. There were some remarkable stories, many humorous, and some that made us think we are happy to be serving in the Madagascar Mission. The church is growing very quickly in many parts of this area and the challenge is to slow the growth down to allow the church units to mature some and assimilate the increase. Many of the missions sometimes face security environments that are not exactly as depicted in the "missions for couples" brochure. The areas of Johannesburg we visited were delightful, upscale and interesting. We spent some time in the largest and nicest shopping mall we have ever seen with every store one can imagine. Coming "out of the bush", the seminar time is a welcome visit to civilization for many of the mission presidents. We are fortunate to have the islands that we visit on a regular basis so the need for civilization, for us, is not as great. Still, we stocked up on items not available elsewhere in the extra suitcase that we brought and we are set for a while.<br />
We have received news of four and possibly five new couples coming to our mission. This is a big deal for us. We are thrilled to have the additional help. Even with the new changes in the missionary age qualifications, we will not be increasing very much our compliment of younger missionaries for now. <br />
After a day at home to do laundry, tomorrow we are off to Reunion Island for a week.<br />
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Here are some photos of Johannesburg, including one of us standing in front of a larger-than-life statue of Nelson Mandela.<br />
<br />David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-41668093051472162902012-10-21T09:23:00.001-07:002012-10-21T09:24:10.350-07:00I have begun missionary interviews which occur about every 3 months and it takes about that long to get around to all of the missionaries. I usually spend about a half hour with each one. It has been interesting and I have heard a lot of insightful observations and suggestions for the mission. We have really great missionaries. There are problems with some, but it has been rewarding working on these issues with them. I have seen some remarkable transformations. We were in Antsirabe this week, three hours south of here. We had a zone meeting for an hour and a half then interviews. These were followed by about two hours of unanticipated interviews with members, most of which involved helping the district president resolve various problems. We were pretty much successful in doing that. This week we will receive four new missionaries from the US. This is a fun and exciting time. Next weekend we fly to Fort Dauphin at the southern tip of the country for interviews, leadership training, dividing the branch and calling a new branch presidency.<br />
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zebu in the road</div>
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rice planting</div>
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a common street scene</div>
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David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311449740651311780.post-3209184506107109772012-10-03T20:53:00.000-07:002012-10-03T20:56:51.829-07:00Ambositra, Fianarantsoa, Tulear<br />
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Wednesday, October 3<br />
Two days ago we returned from a long road trip to the last of the mission cities that we had not yet visited. It has taken us three months to see them all. Last Thursday we loaded up the car and Anna and I with our driver and the two assistants headed about 5 hours south to the city of Ambositra. We drove through the typical mid-Madagascar countryside of hills with many small villages and terraced valleys of mostly rice fields. Along the side of the roads through many of these villages are stands of vendors selling the speciality of the village. Each village seems to have its own unique product. One village specializes in handmade toy trucks, another in musical string instruments, another rabbits which the vendors hold up by the ears as we pass. Ambositra is a quaint city built in a hilly area. It is almost like a city one would see in parts of Italy. This city is the center of the woodcarving and inlayed wood pictures and furniture. The quality is really good and the prices are incredibly low. We watched a craftsman working on an inlayed project using a homemade foot powered skill saw. He even made his own saw blades fashioned from wire salvaged from an old tire. The resulting works of art are remarkable as you can see from the photos. He made Anna a small sample inlayed heart while we watched. They will do custom requests of inlayed works from photos. We have one in the mission home of Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove. That evening we attended and spoke at a fireside for more than 100 young single adults form the Antsiribe district. I asked how many had been on missions and three raised their hands. When I asked how many were going on a mission more than half raised their hands. Several of them come from small villages. My counselor in the mission presidency, President Jacquot, and I conducted training for all the branch presidents of the district and the district presidency. The next morning I interviewed the two missionaries and then we left on a 3 hour drive to Fianarantsoa on a very curvy road into more mountainous terrain.<br />
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Fianarantsoa is a much larger city. The people are very welcoming to the missionaries here.<br />
We spoke at a fireside and leader training that evening. The next morning we attended an open house for the branch and I held interviews for the four missionaries.<br />
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After the interviews we left for an 8 hour drive to the coastal city of Tulear on the southwest corner of Madagascar. The drive took us out of the mountains down into high planes that looked like what I remember driving through Nevada was like in the late 1950's except that the villages were like driving into the 1850's. We drove on long stretches of straight roads, the first we have seen here, We passed through mountain ranges which were like being in southern Utah. In those areas we passed several four star resorts that we never imagined existed in this country. This area is so different from what we have seen in the rest of the country. We saw some of the famous baobab trees.<br />
Tulear is another large city. The church has had missionaries for just about a year. There is a large group here. An interesting fact is that the group leader has a PhD from England and heads up the agriculture for this whole part of the country. His first counselor runs a large shipping company. We attended church there and spent the rest of the day with the missionaries. These missionaries are a 12 hour taxi-bus drive from the next closest missionaries. They love working here even though it is quite hot.<br />
The next day we waited all day for our flight home which was delayed 6 hours, as usual. So late was the flight that our car and driver and the two assistants who left early that morning and drove 14 hours actually beat us home.<br />
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<br />David and Anna Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327034230969792014noreply@blogger.com4