March 14, 2016

I hope that you are all doing very well. I am excited to be able to write and share a few things. I'll start off which what we did today. I'm very tired because we just got back from walking/hiking the coast. It was really amazing. We walked out to the end of a long peninsula that juts into the ocean. It was beautiful. Then we climbed up to the top of it and could see for miles. After that we walked through a tiny little village at the edge of the world. As we came around the peninsula we saw a little cove with tons of fisherman getting ready to launch their boats to go to work; it was very cool. It's also fun because when you go out into the country like that you're going to places that few people have ever been. Most Malagasies don't even go out to little places like that, so being able to go there is pretty special. It just has a very different vibe from the city. In the city things are fast, there are computers, people drive cars, but out in the country there's nothing. People live in the home they built for their family when they got married. They eat what they provide, whether through growing or fishing. It's very very simple. Almost no one knows how to read. Most people don't even own a book. They live a life apart, something we can't really comprehend. It's hard even to talk to them, though we speak the same language. TThey don't really have anything to talk about other than basic stuff, like what's your name, where are you from, but much after that and our life experiences are just too different. Also the dialect that they speak is crazy. Just all very interesting.

The work went well this week. I got really sick, but I am not sure what happened. It wasn't from anything I ate. I just couldn't keep food in me, and I totally lost my appetite for like 4 days. I got it back by sipping boxed juice, then moving to soup, then rice, but it was miserable. Thankfully we didn't miss a ton of time because of it. It was just strange because Saturday we ate dinner with the mission president, Sunday we fasted, and then I got sick.I have no clue what brought it on, but it feels good to mostly be over it now. It was just really tiring. All the people we are teaching are doing very well. As I have said in past emails, we are working slowly with everyone because we are really trying to develop those with a strong leadership focus to help strengthen the branch.  It has been fun, here in Ft. Dauphin, to really work finding people who could become future leaders. Often they come from some very unique religious backgrounds. It's interesting that their concerns are always so varied and different. To an Adventist getting baptized again isn't nearly so strange as not praying on Saturday, to a Lutheran, they might accept prophets, but still not see why the truth would be exclusive. I really like seeing everyone's different world perspectives.

I got the package with the Mt. Dew and stuff, I don't need anything so don't send a birthday package, just a card. I'll get home before the package gets here and then I expect to be spoiled (at least a little bit). Plus I'll need stuff for school that will more than make up for it, so it's no problem at all and actually preferred. I don't need Milky Ways sent in the mail because I'll have them in person in three months! My return ticket is being purchased this week. I already put in my return location. I'll be flying in to Houston International. you should get my flight itinerary in a week or two, maybe three. You get it first, so please email it to me when you get it. I hope you all have a wonderful week, and I'll talk to you next week!

Elder Ahlstrom