Blessed are we

Found our first road sign today.

I am still frustrated every time we try to drive to town or to church, They are both less then 10 miles and there are time its like 2 hours. Normal church trip is 30-40 minutes. Since there is no speed limit you would think it would be FAST FAST but with millions of cars and no street signs (stop, go, yield, lines on the road) traffic is always hectic.

6/10/2013 Last night we finally were able to sit in our bed and watch the First 2 Bible shows that came out before we left America. They were great! I can see why Bishop Cluff was talking so highly about them. Today Blue is off with Lala to try to get our visas renewed again. I am amazed how thing change from day to day. Several days last week they were in the office and on Friday morning when they went to place the bribe, there was a NEW note on the door. NO VISA APPLICATION will be taken on FRIDAY. SO.. Wasted trip

There are several round about turns and traffic from the left is supposed to have the right of way. YEAH RIGHT!

 Right of way seams to come to who ever has the biggest and brassiest pair at that moment. We missed the rainy season here so when we asked why the Taxi Bruise (Large vans outfitted with extra seats that act like a public bus) have snorkels for their intake manifolds, We were informed by a pair of Missionaries that in the rainy season it often gets three or four feet deep in the roads. Since it is all open sewers here its like having a whole avenue of sewage just hanging about and the Taxi Bruise with out snorkels flood out and get stuck. Antananarivo is documented as the third dirtiest city on earth and they didn't just fall into that title. Men urinate on the side of the road just when ever they get the urge. I have seen children defecate in the middle of parking lots. Trash is dropped where ever the product was finished. We often pick up trash from the hall ways at church. Even though there are several trash cans around. Bought 10 plastic hangers today.. 10990 Ariary. so.. $5.50 for 10 plastic hangers..

We have been struggling to find a Malagasy cheese that we like. I have only found a Swiss that is decent. There are lots of Gouda’s but I am not a Gouda girl. We did find a Cheddar but it is not like American Cheddar and it is very $$ for a very small amount.

6/12/2013 Well on an adventure to town I got to go on with Lala and Blue we needed to get some official documents stamped with the official stamps. So we went to the building, at 130pm and there was a long line both ahead and behind us. We waiting for the doors to open and all filed in almost single file. Once inside a lady ask a few questions and that determined the if you got a 1 by 1 piece of BLUE or RED card stock with a number on it. We needed a blue number and were given 24. Then we filed in to a large room with 4 or 5 rows of folding chairs with no back cushion only the metal bar and 2 benches. In front of the chairs were 2 long tables pushed together and and smaller table off to the side. There were 6 large chairs sat at the long tables and one at the smaller on. Behind these chairs was a row of 4 chairs with a LARGE picture of the current president above them. This room reminded me of a small town court room. After a while there were men and women who came and sat at the tables and they brought with them many stamps. YES stamps. There was a lady to collect the money, then a man to write your recite that you paid the money, then a man who wrote your name and address in a book and you had to sign it twice. Then a lady to call the Blue numbers who also stamped your paper (official stamps) 6 different stamps all in red. TALK ABOUT OVERKILL. There were two other people who sat there for helping the guy who called the red numbers and reviewing the stamps that the stamp lady made. At the smaller table was the most important man, he signed your paper. So after waiting 90 minutes our number was called. We had 2 papers to get seals on and Blue's passport. For my passport we had a copy of it with the 6 stamps on it (making it an official document. As we handed the first lady the papers and my passport paper she responded to Lala with “Where is your passport, (we left it at home) Would it have killed you to bring it? Was it so heavy that you would have died if you brought it?? Lala did not respond. He told us that he normal respond to comments like this with “do you miss love” This entire process was democracy at its best. 8 people to do the work of 2. I am told THIS IS THE MADAGASCAR WAY! (humm)

People here buy almost everything right off the street. Few examples

Here are some little FUN things we have found around the house!

 

Currently there are LARGE spiders living right outside the fence.. just out of reach..

There are several, bigger then my hand! People here eat them, you can pay a child 500 ariary $0.25 to catch and bring you a grocery sack half full of live ones!! They fry the spiders.

Dar thinks plunging the floor is WAY FUN

LOOK PLUMARIA TREES

This is our dining room, with (from LEFT) Lala's family

Feti,Rota, Dar,Kenna and Rova.

Allistir and Blue playing with an Empty Water bottle

This cool project done by one of the kids greets you as you enter

it is made from cardboard. Its been there for 5 yrs now!

Here is the fridge and the stove, Almost $500 right there!!

Here is the "clean water project" we filter our water and it is so yummy after!! Then we put it in 1.5 liter bottles and draw happy faces on them.. so we have Happy Water!!

look, water before it is filtered!

Now lets look at the how worried family's here are of getting broken into..


Welcome to our front gate.. yes Locked

 

These are the front doors. There are Two on each side.

2 metal door and 2 normal doors.

Here is the only entrance INTO the house from the outside. There are TWO locks on the outside.

This is the front door  to the Right of the house, (can not get in from outside. Then a board going across the door, then two big locks on the metal door also. The Normal doors has a sliding lock on the top and middle.

The left door looks the same with the exception of the inter locks. Look like this!

This is the Back door, again can not enter from outside.

Dar loves to play in the dirt!

Blue came home with a couch and love seat the other day.. They are HANDMADE!

This is the money, it is all different sizes pending the amount

6/17/2013 After lots of praying we finally meet the right LADY who was very nice and took our Visa applications, for just the cost from the government. NO BRIBE!! GO GOD! WE also got our checkbook from the bank, so we were able to pay tithing, with some help from Ravo (Lala’s oldest son) writing a check in French was a new experience, not to mention filling out a tithing slip in Malagasy. Today on our way home we went the southern way, and there was lots of rice fields and in the rice fields they make the bricks. The but the bricks in big squares and burn things in the middle to fire the bricks. The Zebu are aloud to roam the fields and along the sides of the road. I get the biggest kick out of this, because they just walk around..

6/21/2013 Andry has finished our bed frames! We are no longer sleeping on the floor. Our High density foam has worked wonderfully as beds. They are very strong and well made. The power went out for about 2 hours, and came back on in time to make pancakes for the missionaries. Thank you God!!

6/24/2013 They have started working on fixing the water pipes that run into the house. They have been in place for about 50 years! They must lay the line on top of the cement, brick and tile floor. The line is the size and color of a slandered garden hose, but it is stiffer. After working for several hours, the plumber called it quits for the day.. on his return he must brake up part of the kitchen floor to attach the new line to the T junction. And If it is Gods will we will have WATER in the kitchen, bathing room and the toilet room that is of GOOD pressure.

Into the house, under the stairs

Into the Kitchen

headed to the sink

wiggle and push...

DONE..well.. almost..BUT LOOK WATER!!

The Gasy people are very nice and happy all the time! They are simple people who have a positive view on all parts of life! When someone dies, everyone who knew that person goes to the diseased house and parties til weeee hours in the morning! This goes on for days! The family’s who struggle with enough money for food, have no shoes or a roof are smiling all the time and are so positive! I am finding it very humbling! The made next door to the Right of our house, is young, and is always laughing and smiling, always had a song on her lips being while she is outside hand washing cloths, or outside cooking, outside ironing, or playing with the 2 year old boy of the house.. ALWAYS HAPPY!! At every opportunity to speak to us, she does!