Transfer Week!

Letter from Nov 17

So this was a successful transfer week. Not too stressful, and we didnt forget anyone at any bus stops or airports or anything. 

So lets take a trip through the week. 

Monday - P-day - had a good p-day. Taught one really great time to an Investigator named Nadia. So Nadia's husband is frequently drunk, which causes some problems. He likes the missionaries and there was a time before that he was diligent learning from the missionaries. However, they have been investigators for 9 years now, because of marriage issues. And Nadia has been really diligent the whole time, but recently has gotten a little depressed because of always being an investigator and not a member. So we had a really good lesson with her and she came to church again!!

And then we went back to the office and did our weekly stats.

Tuesday - The fun began. We had office meeting from 8:30 - 10:20. Talking about the week and all the issues and problems in the mission. Then afterwards we made a bunch of phone calls for transfers and then we met with President Adams about the Zone Conferences coming up. We planned all of the things that we want to discuss and teach about. So a little about my schedule coming up. This transfer is only 5 weeks thus to not interfere with Christmas. And then the next one will be 7. So in this transfer we have 6 zone conferences scheduled, MLC, OLC, transfer meetings, and more. So this is going to be a crazy really fast transfer with a lot of travelling. By the time this transfer ends, I am going to be just exhausted. After the meeting, we got some office work done, taught some of English Class and then went to Departure Dinner. Two missionaries left. Sister Johnson from my group, and Elder Rakotoniaina. It was a good dinner, probably the funniest to date, and then from there we had the testimony meeting. Now because it was transfers here is a story for ya.

We had planned to go and pick people up from their houses to stay with us Tuesday night, due to needing to leave early in the morning on Wednesday. So we take Hank the Tank, one of our big vans, to go pick people up. As we get close to this one house, we have to go up this really long narrow road, that when it rains floods pretty bad. So its not raining, but it had rained the day before. So as we get close to the house, the van starts fishtailing, and then eventually he gets stuck. It was a cobblestone road, with just enough mud to not let the tires get any traction. And the van doesnt have 4 wheel drive. So we spent almost an hour trying to get this van turned around. So we could get the van to move some, the problem was we had to turn around to go back the way we came, and we couldnt get the van to go up any of the hills to turn around, due to the traction. So after a bunch of failed attempts, we just back the van out, fish-tailing it, to another location where we were able to flip around and get out. Lots of work, but we did it!

Wednesday - We went on a split first thing in the morning. I took a few missionaries in the Duster to the Tamatave bus stop to get them on their way. Elder Fox took Hank and took them to the Antsirabe bus stop. Then we met back at the office and took Hank out to the airport. We stopped for lunch on the way. Upon getting to the airport, we had to get Sister Johnson checked in. Let me just put it this way. The Ivato airport is quite a headache everytime we go. We can never seem to get it to go smoothly, EVER. There will be plently of stories to tell when I get home.

So we get her finally checked in, and then we wait for the new missionaries. We welcomed them and picked up Elder Roush who flew in from Fort D. and then we were off back to the office. Back at the office, doing paperwork, and then we got to dinner! Dinner was great, as always, and then we did something new. We took the three new missionaries up to the top of one of the hills here in Tana and looked out over the nice view. It was very nice to do and a good way to finish off the evening. Then we went back to our apartment and all of us .... crashed hard.

Thursday - So we wake up and get everyone to breakfast. After breakfast we had a trainer meeting and then we did something new again. We sent the 4 trainers and the 3 trainees off to do some contacting and teaching. The reason why is the fourth new trainee came in from the Ghana MTC on Thursday. So one of the office couples picked him up at the airport and brought him back. We had lunch together at 1 and then we launched into training for the new missionaries. That went until about 4:45. We got them assigned to their companions and then we shipped them off. Three companionships are here in Tana and so that is easy, The other one was going to Tamatave. So we had bought them bus tickets for the 5:30 bus, meaning they should be there by 5. We end up wondering if we were going to make it since the training had gone on a lot longer than we had expected. Luckily the Lord works miracles and we got to the busstop in record time and they made their bus. 

Then we went and met with our DMP and called it a night. 

Friday - Transfers were over!! So we did some catch up on some office work and then we got out and we taught some in the evening. Good day! 

Saturday - So we attended a ward baptism and that took up part of the day. And then we had some office work to get done. After all of that we did something incredible. We met with Jules, our deaf member here, and we skyped Sister Turley in Washington DC and we taught/learned ASL together. It was a great experience and Jules is really excited. We have it scheduled again for Tuesday. So that will be a great experience! 

Sunday - We had Ward Conference!! Of course I was asked rather last minute to play the piano for the choir, but it went well and the conference was a success. They called a new bishop for the ward which will be very exciting to see how the ward progresses. It should be progressing a lot more than it is, but that is life, and with a bishop hopefully things will start progressing a lot more. And then we went out and taught that evening. We learned how to make some malagasy foods with a less-active member.

And that brings us back to another Monday. We (my companion and other missionaries) played soccer today and then we took a nap, got some lunch, and wrote home to our families.

That was my crazy week. Until next time!

Elder Weber