tia - to love !

Manahoana!

So everyday I love Madagascar a little bit more. I am convinced that it is a gift from God (like all good things or Christlike virtues) like how Elder Russel M. Nelson said our love of the prophet is a gift from God. Same thing for Madagascar. Because it is dirty, messy, soooo smelly, and generally filthy but also I seem to be loving it more each day. That doesn't mean there aren't ups and downs - lots - but at least I am starting to have a true love of the people.

So a bit of news this week. Antsirabe was great. The ride was crazy. There were 18 people PLUS a driver in our 15 passenger van. It was crowded. And a long drive - 4 hours +. But suprisingly not as bad as I thought it would be. The country was beautiful and life out there is so different. The people really get their livelihood straight from the land. And it seemed much poorer than in the city...which is sort of crazy because already the city life is so much lower than our US standards. In Antsirabe, people travel by "pouss-pouss", which is essentially a handcart pulled by a barefoot man. And that is a real mode of transport to get around town. There are also "sikoh-pouss" which is the same thing but pulled by a bike - like the ones in San Fran.

Other news. My health took a major downturn these past two weeks...The fleas have officially settled in and seem to have taken quite a taste for my blood. I counted 18 bites on ONE thigh....and they itch sooo bad. But if you scratch them, they can bleed and scar. At first I thought the bites were from mosquitos but I kept getting them on places that were thoroughly covered by my clothes and I couldn't figure out how the mosquitos were biting through so many layers. Then I showed them to Sr Johnson and she relayed the dreaded news. So I washed everything and that seems to have helped for the moment. The only problem is this country is flea infested so you can pick up one from anywhere. There are times when we go in for a lesson and I just know that whatever chair/bed I'm sitting in is crawling with all sorts of undersirable things.

Also this week...I got exceedingly exceedingly sick. On Friday I woke up and threw up and then had extreme stomach sickness ALL day. I emptied everything out of my body and still my stomach was churning. I didn't leave the bed all day - except to go to the restroom. And I didn't eat. The nurse just told me to keep drinking and there wasn't really much medicine she could give me. She said that some missionaries would get my symptoms but that in 24 hours it cleared up. And it did - the next day I was fine - very weak and shaky feeling but no longer sick. I did weigh myself and lose 4 kilos in that one day. 1 kilo = 2.2 pounds for you in the states. But I'm already gaining the weight back now that I can eat again - don't worry, I don't think I'll have any major weight loss before I come home.

Anyway, Sr Johnson leaves on Wednesday. My new companion will be Sr Amoussouga - she was on La Reunion with me before she got transferred here - right before I became companions with Sr Hurst! So she should be able to help me out and relate to this big transition. This week will definitely hold a lot of changes. I will keep you updated!

Love you all - Tena tiako ianao ireo!

Sr Stewart