Responses to questions:

How is your weight? I've actually gained weight since I've been in Tana. There are a lot of resources that I didn't have access to in Toamasina. My companion and I have found a secret in Madagascar. The way to stay healthy and yet not eat like a rich Frenchman all the time is to enjoy Malagasy food. But with just a little more respect for, you know, sanitation. We have found that our palates and allotment pretty much place us firmly in the Malagasy middle class. Now, the Malagasy middle class is obviously very small, but it does exist. Mostly it's comprised of wealthier Malagasies and foreigners not from Europe (specifically people from Comoros or West Africa.)We found this awesome little place where we've been eating (sort of restaurant,sort of hotely).They cook Malagasy food, but they wash the plates with soap and use filtered water. It's really good. We also found a little creamery in our area that sells milk, and it's pasteurized! It's not the French stuff that you can get from the way overpriced supermarket. But it's also not straight from the teat! Also, it's creamy, not nuclear waste infused like the other stuff. We've just been looking to see where foreigners, but not rich foreigners, eat. The milk is the thing I'm most excited about. I've been telling everyone.

What was something significant that happened this week? This isn't really spiritual, but it relates more to our human condition. This week I had two really unique opportunities to share learning with some people. There's a really nice family that lives very near to us. They live and work in a store in a bazaar. I've never seen them not there. They're really nice people and sometimes they offer us free food and other things. They don't have a lot, but they really try to help us. They're just good friends. Anyway, we talk to them every day as we walk home. Last week on p-day I bought a dictionary that is Malagasy to Malagasy. I'm really excited to use it and improve my language skills. It will allow me to read things that are harder for me without having to switch back to English to translate them. Anyway, we were walking home and the family saw the book. They were very interested when they saw it because first, it was in Malagasy and second, two vazha had it. One gentleman was eating at their stand. (He may have been a wee bit inebriated.) He could not wrap his head around the idea that a white person could speak Malagasy or read a book in Malagasy, even though we were having the whole conversation in Malagasy. He also didn't understand how you could have a book explaining words without it being a multilingual dictionary. (There are a lot of French to Malagasy dictionaries here.) The interesting thing was that he mostly wanted to argue about how the book that I was holding in my hand couldn't exist. He didn't think it made sense. How can you define the word fish because a fish is a fish, right? While the gentleman and I were talking about the book, the wife, with a baby on her back, kneading dough for the next day, opened the book and just started reading. I don't think she has ever learned something in a formal environment.She was fascinated by the book. I practically had to tear it away from her when it was finally time to go. It was interesting to see someone who had basically never learned anything in an organized setting become so fascinated by reading the dictionary. (An idea that in the U.S. is synonymous with boredom and weirdness.) She was absolutely fascinated that there was more to learn about the world, not in French or English, but in her own language that she uses every day. I loved it. I also have such a greater appreciation for learning. I don't think that woman was secretly Einstein, but I know that she is a daughter or God, which in the long run means far more. I also know that there are levels of humanity. Some people have more than others. This woman, who has never been to school, had "humanity" because she wanted to learn and grow and make herself better. She may not have known that but I saw it. People who focus their lives on wealth, fame, or anything other than personal and spiritual progression are just missing the mark. That's really all there is to it. This isn't just a message for religious people. and it's also not a message condemning those without faith. If God had wanted another rock on this earth, he would have made one. We don't need to fill that position. He didn't want another rock, he wanted us. So he created you, gave you power to reason and think. And most importantly, he instilled the greatest of all things, agency. So that we can grown for ourselves and become better through our own efforts and learning. Moral agency is by definition the test of mortality. Do we want to be better than we are or are we happy with settling for far less than our potential?

I don't have a lot more time so I'll forego the other questions. I hope you are all well. Also, congrats to Lucas! Lucas, you have made such an important step. You cannot even imagine. And you've made your Father in Heaven very happy. Loceys, you guys are awesome. Have a wonderful week. I'll talk to you all again very soon. Much love!

Elder Ahlstrom