The "Shrek" franchise is translated into malagasy as JAZZ GISTA BOGOSY. Also there's five movies here

So I'm gonna try and do a very quick and sloppy blog post with a lot of pictures.

First of all, I'm got transferred! (you can take the Betongolo out of the boy...)

I'm went to an area called Ambohipo, it's essentially the college town area in Antananarivo. It's right next door to betongolo and Elder Horspool worked there for around 7 months, so i already know it pretty well and I'm super excited to work here. My new companion is named Elder Garcia, I also already know him pretty well and we get along great. All in all I'm pretty excited.

***BTW my address, as far as mail is concerned, will not change****

Luckily, i just happened to take a picture of Garcia a few weeks ago, he's modeling these amazing ladders that all malagasy corporations, no matter how high tech, use. they are lashed together out of driftwood and broken electrical cords. In the foreground is Elder Armando, from Mozambique, who i will be replacing in Ambohipo (its a shame he's not facing the camera, hes an extremely handsome man)

a longer shot of the church, ladders, Garcia. and Armando

actually Garcia just forwarded me these pics so you will get to see him and Armandos faces. i like how Garcia is exactly the same in both pics, his comp just suddenlybecomes a lot lighter and a lot less fluent at Portugese (and French and Malagasy for that matter)


And because I'm leaving the 'tongolo, i took a whole bunch of pictures with some of my favorite investigators and members. to quote Samuel L. Jackson in Jurassic Park, "Hold on to yo' butts"

DISCLAIMER: all malagasy houses have terrible lighting (i.e. none) so these pictures are all going to be marred by flash and red eye. I'll just write everyones names today, if i have time ill come back and tell stories. (all names are left to right)

Me, their mentally handicapped older brother who wont tell me his name, Bert, Frere Solo, Josoah, Ahlstrom. Frere Solo is already a member, the rest are his adopted sons. 

Also, because my new area is so close to Betongolo, i got to baptize them with Elder Ahlstrom just a few days ago! It was great, ive been teaching these guys since my first few weeks in country. theyve done so much work and shown so much faith.

*in the second picture* Frere David, Sonja, Soeur Evette and her two daughters, Moi, Lalantiana, Soa

their really cute little girl whose name escapes me, Soeur Tatiana, Soeur Sitraka, Frere Lanto, Ahy

Frere Christian, Za, Frere Andry

Frere Christian again, plus his family and turtle and cat and aho

Mir, Anges, Maryline, Frere Andry Indray

(i like to flip between these two pictures really fast)

Sr Amoussoga, Ahlstrom, Vahia, Helen, Setra, Sr Helens daughter and grandaughter, Kanto, Sr Helens other daughter, saya

Also very cool, while we were tracting we stumbled on some guys who cut up bananas on these big cheese grater things and then fry em up in a big cauldron, its essentially the malagasy version of a potato chip. got some pics of their operation, and some chips 

One thing I adore about Mada is getting to walk around and see all the chinese/malagasy translated english. A lot of gasy clothing is just chinese goodwill, and the sinaos just slap a lot of random english on things cause they think its looks cool (similar to the way a lot of Americans treat Chinese characters). Enjoy some examples

Also i saw a shirt yesterday where the whole shirt, sleeves and everything was printed with the poster for a movie called BOY A. please look it up

another shirt said:

SELF

Portrait

Natur

AddictivE

I wear my sunglasses

it was amazing.

last shirt to mention, the only words on it were: 
11 PM. Man sits next to woman.

Other news of this last week, we FINALLY got to watch conference. Have the most boring pics of the bunch, some Genny C-Frence ACTION shots, the only good part of which is the reappearance of Heiden and Cyusa's faces

Last thoughts about conference, i absolutely loved both of Henry B Eyerings talks, even though in the one about fasting he said Venuatu wrong every single time. Please donate a generous fast offering every month, ive seen church humanitarian efforts work miracles here. though the venuatu thing is unfortunate, cause we have three missionaries from there serving here, and it was cracking them up every time he said it. 

Funny story about one of them: His name is Elder Tavo and he was also trained by Elder Horspool, so that makes us brothers. Anyways, Tavo in the Teny Sakalava dialect means penis, so now he goes by his first name... which is Richard. I thought it was funny. Also hes the prince of his village, he has coral scars from when he went night fishing and had a run in with a shark, he speaks 5 Venuatuan dialects, and can kill a rat in the middle of the night from 4 meters aways with a rock. Go on a mission young uns, youll meet cool people.

Also, i saw a cool bug that had fantastic camoflague

In other animal news, chameleon

and spider

and gecko

ill finish with a bunch of pictures of betongolo and selfies (take the good with the bad people) before we move to Ampohipo

So Ampohipo and Elder Garcia are way cool, im loving it here and finally not having to work in the office is freeing. let me tell you whats gone on

we tracted into this ladies house and she had all the pictures from the first lesson pamphlet pasted on her wall, i thought it was hilarious. they had only leared with missionaries once before and didnt remeber much of it, but they sure loved the free pictures of Jesus. It was nice cause were out of 1st pamphlets right now so we just taught off their wall.

Funfact: the breast pocket of a Croft And Barrow boys white short sleeved dress shirt is just big enough for a pen, pencil, missionary nametag and planner, plus one malagasy sized banana #ThisIsMyGoToLook

We also met somone who had been inactive for 15 years, they had the most beat up yet unread Book of Mormon ever; i liked the look of it so we gave em a new one and i took the old.

I also finallygot a malagasy campaign shirt, which i wear at all times #EdgardRasafindravahyNy FidioTsaraIndrindra

Somebody wrote this on the inside of their apartment complex, translates to "Dont do anything dirty here, not even farting!!!" Dont do anything dirtyis written all over the city, but it doesnt work everyone still litters and pees everywhere; I have not seen a trash can in six months.

accurate representation of the malagasy military

the only good thing ive drawn since i got here

Garcia buys from an epicerie, little home owned street stands that act as grocery stores here. this is where most of our food and living supplies come from, in case yall were curious

and now for a whole bunch of Ampohipo pics, im telling you guys, this place is beautiful

i named this monolith surrounded by trash "The Folly Of Man"

the sun and that car messed with this panarama, but i like the weird confusion it makes

that feel when your happyto be living in a cool place doing cool work

that feel when you realize youve already been doing it for 6 months

P.S.

YA BOY CANT STOP MAKING SUITS