Training

Bonjour and salut to all!

Things have been rather interesting/crazy/different/mind blowing these last few days to say the least! After last pday [preparation day...the day to get laundry, grocery shopping, etc. done] Elder Jensen and I were still together until Thursday, so alot of the appointments were his saying good bye to investigators and recent converts that he taught and such like that, which was pretty hard for him because he had been working with these awesome people for over 6 months. But such is the life! It is just plain awesome how welcoming and great the people here are. They basically become our family, so it's good I don't have to part with them for at least another 11 weeks! Then, on Thursday morning, Elders Jensen and Mitchell took off to go to their new areas; Jensen on a long bus ride north and then Mitchell on a short plane flight south. The house suddenly seemed so empty it was strange (even though there were 4 other elders who were staying with us for that night because they were coming up to pick up trainees). And then that is when the fun began!

 

     All the new trainers met at the office for a meeting with President Adams, in which he just said everything about as mivantana (directly) and bluntly and powerfully as possible to all of us-- it is probably fair to say that no one in that room was thinking training was a joke when he was done teaching us! It was great of course. Something we all definitely needed to hear. He got us even more pumped about missionary work. And then came in all the trainees and we had an orientation meeting with all of them, the APs [Assistants to the President], and the President. They talked about each of the areas, stats, Mada as a whole, the mission goals, etc etc. Good stuff to know. At that point we still didn't know who our trainees were (we did it the same way when I arrived, too). Then of course we were forced to go eat  amazingly delicious food that Sister Adams cooked for all of us for lunch-- sloppy joes and cake and salad and stuff-- before finding our who are new comps were. What a bummer right?

 

     Then came the moment of all truth! We all met together in the chapel of the church building where each new missionary received an envelope that contained their new area and trainer. And I betcha won't guess the envelope that had my name! cause I sure didn't. Elder Thia! should have seen that one coming...that I would get the Asian elder who was born in La Reunion and then lived in France and who speaks French and somewhat decent English and whose mom was actually born in Madagascar... but yup, that is my new trainee! He speaks English well enough for us to communicate most things across, which is good because my French skills are now zero because literally everything in my brain has been replaced with Malagasy. Even when I try to speak French Malagasy just comes out, so I have stopped trying (for now). 

So yeah, that's my new life! Obviously I do basically all the teaching and communicating, with investigators and the ward and the members, while trying to help him integrate as much as possible and speak as much as possible with the very little language knowledge that missionaries come out of the MTC with. I have finally decided that I was called as a trainer because I didn't do well enough with my first round of training, so they want to basically retrain me again so I can actually get it right this time! But no problem, I need that training for sure. These last few days have gone very well though, we are truly beyond bless. Ever since getting called as a trainer my comprehension has suddenly like tripled, so clearly there is stuff going on in this area that I'm not supposed to mess up! The teaching is still going amazing, we have a full program of awesome investigators we are working with. There are two I am especially excited for-- . They are all young, one is my age and the others in their 20s. They are already super interested in the Book of Mormon, completely destroy at asking questions, and are extremely willing and ready. Plus they are just awesome people! And have the gnarliest accents known to man. Most of the time when I teach them I am just going off of  a single word I hear strangely pronounced in what he says, haha, but hey, seems to be working!

Now, with Elder Jensen gone, I get to do the translating in church for the couple missionaries that work in the office. Sheeshhh, as if just sitting there and listening isn't hard enough! I understand well enough, but its hard talking in English while listening to Malagasy that I am simultaneous translating into English in my head. No big deal though, I can make up some pretty good talks on the fly! haha

Two other cool things to add about this week. First, my Comorian has actually come in handy a few times! I have started conversations with people and been able to connect a little bit better with some Comorian people because of it. Pretty cool! And second, yesterday I had the opportunity to give a blessing in Malagasy, for the parents of a member. It was a very different, and fantastic, experience.

Mom:

I hope I answered your questions about how the training and all is going (even though it has barely begun so I can't really say yet) but yeah, so far so good! Very difficult, in ways I never thought it would be, but taking it one day at a time and making sure that that day is a little bit better than the last is about all! Langauge is still hard and I am still bad at it, but this forced immersion into it will definitely be a good thing! I just can't escape it, even my dreams tend to be in it now.

 

Dad:

Speaking of BYU (sad they lost to Utah, but I heard they beat Texas...?) remember Leva(spelling?) the Malagasy you hooked me up with through the business school so I could talk to him? Apparently, according to what a few members have told me, I am working in the ward he used to attend! What a small world, I thought that was awesome. Just a little thing.

 

And since I forgot to put a word of the week, here it is: fandehana, which is how you say whats up. (fawn-day-in)

Alma 31:35 is a great scripture for y'alls, a great missionary verse. Gotta keep bringing in those precious souls! And remember that the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. That is about the only thing that gets us through some of those days where it is hot and your sweaty and dead tired of walking up this Mt Everest every day and bugs are annoying you and you got chewed to nothingness by fleas the night before and people keep yelling things at you in a language that sounds vaguely like what they speak in Africa. But if we just remember that verse than it is all good! 

Well that's all for the week, thank you all for being the best! 

Love

Elder Fox