WEEK 19 Jan 4, 2016 New Years, Transfer to Ankorandrano, Have Loved People of Ivandry!

    Great week! and Happy New Years to all! This week flew by! So for New Year's this year we... slept! Way fun! So we were out working and we went home a little early because the streets are flooded with drunk people and we had no one to visit as they were all partying. We tried to stay up but we fell asleep... luckily I woke up right before midnight! I woke up Elder Schroedter, we said Happy New year and we crawled into bed. haha!

    Lessons this week were great. Herimael and his wife are progressing and basically bore testimony to us that this is the true church the last time we were there. It has been great teaching his wife because it is a good review to him and he is great at Malagasy... but they are awesome. Sadly, Yohan will not be getting baptized soon because his dad said he wants him to wait for some reason. But, the great news is we had one baptism this week! Olga is her short name and she is 17 years old. So, her mom was baptized about 1 month before I came and they started teaching her because she wanted to learn. We finished the lessons, had to review some things, and she was good to go into the waters.

   The rain is really going to be coming down soon, in fact all week long!
 

    Transfer news is out! I am being transferred! Crazy! Typically, after training a missionary would stay in their area  and that's what I thought was going to happen!  But I am being moved to Ankorandrano with Elder Tiu who has been out about one year! They are splitting that area because it is doing so well with investigators. The new area isn't far from my old one and still in Tana.  I get to stay in my partment although we have two elder roommates leaving and two coming in.  My current companion, Elder Schroadter is going to Antsirobe.  Our new church time will be at 10 am.  Wednesday is the day that transfers occur so today we are preparing for the change by cleaning.  The Bishop in my new area and his councilor speak English and they are super cool.   So, this is going to be a big week of contacting! Super exited! It will be really sad to be leaving Ivandry. Strange to already be saying goodbye to people I have grown close to but it happens! Really love those people in Ivandry though. Great ward!
 

    Well, still doing great here in Madagascar! Loving it!
 

Elder Bowen