Vision Handover Ceremony

Our first official task after arriving was to attend the Vision Handover Ceremony and be introduced as the new LDS Humanitarian couple.  It was a wonderful project where the church sent a doctor from SLC (a specialist in the area of vision) who showed some procedures and did some training of eye doctors and university students in Antananarivo.  Then the church donated a lot of much needed equipment to the University Hospital to make the eye surgeries possible and also equipment for an out reach program.  (I say the church, but I really mean the members all over the world make these wonderful projects possible because of their donations to the Humanitarian Fund each month).  It is a tender mercy to my heart to see the gospel in action and know that these things are made possible by a simple act of donating funds.  I will be more diligent in filling in the humanitarian box on my form!  The partners for the project (the Ministry of Health and Lions Site First) were so grateful for the equipment and the training and mentioned many times the wonderful blessing it will be to the Malagasy people.  Many doctors and instructors and students were grateful to be trained and to use the much needed equipment!  It was a wonderful morning for us.

This is some of the equipment.  There was also a new examining table and a computer or two used in assessment.

Here is Elder Asay meeting some of the students in attendance before the program began.

All on the stand spoke.  On the left is the PA representative of the church, next to him is a member of the Ministry of Health.  The one with the microphone is President Olivier (President of the Lions Site First and one of the partners) and next to him is a government official.

This doctor explained the equipment to everyone and how it would be used.

President Olivier made a wonderful toast to all of the partners!
 

Elder and Sister Richards who did all the work getting this project up and running!  We miss them and their wonderful example, training, and guidance!  They have a son who was on a mission in London the same time they were here!  He got home yesterday and I'm sure their whole family is enjoying having all three of their missionaries home :)

Here we are just enjoying the morning and all the wonderful people we were meeting!

May this be the first of many Handover Ceremonies during our 18 months in Madagascar!  We have already done one for Wheelchairs in Toamasina.  We are also working on 5 projects that were opened by the Richards, so we will work to get them finished.  We are also in the process of adding two new ones and are constantly talking with people about other possible projects they would like to see happen here in Madagascar!  We LOVE our mission!  We LOVE serving!  I knew I would love being on a mission and I really do!  I am grateful every day for this wonderful opportunity!

Mazotoa!! 

First Experiences

It turns out we did not get our 2 days to rest and get over jet lag, to unpack, or to grocery shop!  Things have been very busy in Madagascar and we have been on the go!  We flew British airways 9 + hours to London, had a 10 hour layover, flew British airways 11 + hours to Johannesburg, had a three hour layover and flew 3 1/2 hours to Antananirivo!  We went from the airport to the mission office and met everyone.  We then went to our apartment to drop  off our bags and head to a meeting.  From there we went to the Mission Presidents home and had dinner with all the Senior couples.  The next morning we were up at 6 to head to downtown with a meeting with the Minister of Health and another one with the President of Lions Site First (they were doing a vision project with them and making arrangements for the Closing Ceremony - or Hand Over Ceremony).  Next we went to English class and met the students.  Back to the office for some training, over to the second English class we will teach to meet them, more training and then at 6 we headed home to pack and prepare to leave for Sarjua, Manandona, Besoa, and Antsirabe (sorry for all the villages that I might have spelling errors in).  We left at 6:30 the next morning.  It was a wonderful trip to check on some projects that had been done and a couple that we are inheriting.  The people were so kind and welcoming.  After 2 very full days we headed back to Tana (Antananirivo).  Once here, we checked on a fokatany project that was done in a poor area of Tana.

I'm afraid I have even more pictures than last time instead of less!  I am posting only a few of the hundreds I have taken!  So much has happened since our trip to Antsirabe area but I will save the pictures for another time.  We attended the closing ceremony for the Lions Site First.  They were so grateful to the Church for its donation of much needed eye exam equipment and surgical equipment and also equipment for an outreach program of vision care.  The media was there and many other important people in the community and from the hospital.  (We were told later by someone that they saw us on TV - YIKES!  I can only imagine what that was like).  Then back to the office for our last lessons from the couple we are replacing.  Next we headed to the Mission President's again for a farewell dinner for the Richards!  The next day we said good bye to them for the lat time and we were on our own!!  We taught English twice that day.  The next two days were spent getting ready for our solo trip to Toamasina for the wheelchair project.  (We were gone 6 days - what a wonderful experience - more about that later).  Cal drove for the first time on Friday and we left on a 7 hour trip early the next morning - man I love GPS!

Loved our two British Airways flights!

Lunch in the London airport at one of our favorite places to grab a sandwich when we were in London a couple of years ago! 

The flight to Tana was a smaller plane and more bumpy and crowded!

President and Sister Adams, us, Elder and Sister Rossiter, Elder and Sister Richards, and Elder Cloward (Sister Cloward took the picture :) 

The busy streets of Tana!  This is it - tons of cars, Taxis, Taxi be, motorcycles, people walking, narrow streets, and shops along the road selling fruits, vegetables, meat, bread, rice, etc. 

This view from our window is of the mission home (also where our ward meets). We love that we can walk there!

This view is also from our window!  There is a building on the top left that is the Queens Palace (form
the 1800s - no Queen anymore).

Headed out of town on our first trip.

WE turned off on this road (?)!  Talk about bumpy!

They make their own bricks for building their homes 

These two pictures are the outside and inside  of the church

We hiked up and up and up to the top of the village (Sarjua) to check on the water source to see if we can do a project to run water to the church and school.  This tiny little lady followed us everywhere and insisted on carrying my bag for me :) 

They are very hard workers!  They till all their land by hand with a shovel! 

Elder Asay gave it a try! 

Many people began to follow us and giggle and we thought it was really fun! 

Finally we reached the first water source!  we hiked high and a long time and crossed two streams without a bridge!  This is not the best picture - it did not look that muddy in person :)

The guys hiked up a little higher to check the depth of the water up high. 

Wonderful new friends! 

Tongasoa means Welcome! 

A food project in Manandona has helped the community  to grow food and know how to save some of the seed to continue the project and grow their crops without help.

These ar the Zebu.  Like cattle but a little different.  They are used to pull carts and for food. 

Fenced garden. 

A water project done several years ago.  It is wonderful to get clean water and not to have to walk a long time to get dirty water from the river.

This water project also included a washing station for the women to do laundry.  I am going to do a post about laundry! 

The children are happy and adorable and love to have their picture taken!   We also went to Besoa and checked out where the Besoa footbridge will be built.

Back in Tana we took a tour of some of the sights.   

A view of the Lake.  To the left you may be able to see the stadium.  

These people were watching a rugby match.

This is not our building but a different ward.  We attended here one Sunday and then walked to a sight where the was a neighborhood clean up. 

 That's it for now.  I hope to add pictures of the Vision project and of course the Wheelchair project.  We have a meeting tomorrow with the Ministry of Population to see about a wheelchair project for Tana and Antsirabe.  The Specialist couple that we worked with in Toamasina is here in Tana now to work with us some more.  They will leave on Wed. and on Thurs our trainers from Johannesburg will come and work with us for 4 days.  The work is busy and sometimes difficult, but so rewarding!  The people are so wonderful!  The church is growing here so fast!  We have seen so much here that we would never have imagined!  I LOVE this work!
Maztoa (be diligent)!