May 14, 2011- Mother's Day Telephone Convo

So for all LDS missionaries thier main method of communication with their families is through email or written letters. There are two dates that missionaries are permited to talk to their families, this can even include skype video calls for some. So as Mother's Day is one of those dates we were able to talk to Riley yesterday (not with skype) and it was great! I will try to write what we all talked about and hopefully I don't miss to many details.

He is sounding fantastic and he is getting the hang of the Malagasy language. There were a few times in the conversation where he would forget the english word for something and have to think about it for a second. He is getting along great with his new companion, Elder Prochnow, and they are working hard as the active Zone Leaders for now. Riley says they are living in what is considerd a very nice house for Madagascar, as rent is relatively cheap there and so it doesn't take much to be comfortable. A few of the siblings requested that he sing us a song, as his voice hasn't rung through the walls of the house for a while. So he picked "When the Stars go Blue" (not really sure if that is the actual title of the song) and belted it out over the phone lines for us, we all really appreciated it.

He had a lot of baptisms this past Saturday, nine of them I think. He said they have been busy teaching and tracking and it has truly blessed many people. Riley also reminded us of how studly he is looking these days, he has lost quite a bit of weight, and can now do two whole pull ups! Much of his weight loss was due to a parasite he was carrying, but he recently flushed it out and told me he figured that it would be about the length of his forearm all stretched out (ew), he also made it sound like there was more than one that came out of him (double ew). He assures us he is well and healthy now though, and even kind of missing is wormy friends as he says he feels "heavier" now, haha.

His mission will be getting a new mission president this summer, and I should have written down the name cause I already forget who it is. But I will try to remember to get the info from Ri in his next email. Riley is looking forward to meeting his new president but says he will miss the current one as he has grown to love and appreciate him.

*Mission Presidents for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints serve for three years. Riley has an Aunt and Uncle who were just called to serve in the Ukraine Dnepropretrovsk Mission, and will be serving there mission this July till July 2015.

Riley told us that it is currently winter in Madagascar and that the temperature stays around 15 degrees celcius. Riley says it doesn't bother him much, it's not that cold to him. But his companion thinks its pretty chilly as he comes from one of the warmer southern states.

At the moment their church meetings are being held in a barn.
He eats a lot of rice.
He still has a great sense of humour.
He is loving his mission,
and missses his family.

It was great to get to talk to him and we all miss him lots, but are very proud of him and his dedication and hard work. He sounds like he is a great missionary and blessing many lives in Madagascar. We are already looking forward to Christmas, when we will be able to talk to him on the phone again. But until then we will continue to write him and pray for him.

May 7, 2012

hi hoe hi hoe. its off to work we go.

so first off my health is good! well better than it was. i had a worm this past week.... it suckd! but thats ok. i took worm medicine and its gone. how do i know that its gone? i just do ;) hahaha but i got a bunch of malagasies laughing telling them about it so its worth it i guess. but dont worry i am healthy! doin 2 pull ups a day. at least haha. gettin all bokina! hahaha but its good. also we had 9 baptisms this past saturday! woo hoo! and i got 10 times that next sunday hahahha. i just like to work. sitting around sucks! hahahah but im doing good. i guess i should let you know about transfers as well. i am staying in manandona but my new companions name is elder prochnow. and all i know about him is he is a marine. very strict. but a great guy. hard worker. so we should get along great. i also got made a zone leader. so i get to pay the bills hahha. elder prochnow is a zoneleader with me though so it wont be such a work load. but thats about all thats new here with me in madagascar. plus if there is ill just tell you on sunday. sorry to all those who read my blog and cant talk to me on mothers day. 1 year and 3 months then you can see this beautiful face again. hahahhahahahaa

but it sounds like the family is all doing good! you alls had fun moving lyndi and playing rugby wich is good. sorry theres not much for me to really write. the package hasnt come yet. havent gotten a letter for a while hahahhaa. but other than that nothin new. i love you all and cant wait to talk to you in a week.

so heres how that will all go down. your going to call me around ? oclock in the morning there. or ?00 at night here. and then we will talk. you will call me on this number- xxxxxxxxx and it should go through. and we can have a gay old conversation

be fitiavana mandrakizay
elder bates


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Madagascar

April 30, 2012, with pictures!

hello yall! what bez happinen? 

so i guess i will start with the new with me. this past week has been good. we dont have to prepare for an open house or anything anymore so most of of our time is devoted to the work now wich i like better. thats one thing that i dont like here is that if there is any sort of activity the missionaries end up doing it all and being in charge.... the church still leans on us pretty hard for things sometilmes. i guess its cause it is still fairly new here. but we have 9 baptisms in manandona this saturday. it will be pretty cool. they are all river baptisms and stuff so thatll be fun. and then right after that my companion will head up to tana with his bags all packed for america... so i will get yet another new companion. hopefully i get along with him as much as me and smith got along. elder smith is a great missionary and i learned alot from all his expierience. i was lucky to be his last companion. other than that i have had fn trying to keep the work going strong. our area is so country side that it is difficult sometimes. its like tracting in the town of ardrossan but the church being at our house.... and nobody has cars. so its hard to get people to come. but 2 new investigators that i tracted into came yesterday so there is hope! hahaha

but it sounds like life at home is going miadana. or slowly but smoothly. wich is good. mom told me emily got yet another tri in her last rugby game! thats way freakin awesome! dont give your coach an excuse to pull you out emily! work hard! you make me proud! haha. i wish i could come cheer from the sidelines! oh well i will soon enough. also thanks for the scriptures mom and have fun with spring cleanups!! haha im sure dad will with his new trailer!! now why didnt we think to by that thing a couple years back huh? lucky butt. 

tell spencer i feel for him! i know he is going to be a great missionary and that the lord gives us trials to strengthen us. this will make his mission so much more worthwhile! and i know that kid will kill it in the field. 

i havent yet recieved the package you all sent but im sure its on its way. and no i dont do nearly as many km on the bike now that we have a car. but im still stayin fit! haha. and the open house went good! everybody who sang was very good and there were about 150 people show up. so it was well worth it! haha 

and the last thing new here that i really like is a challange given to us by my mission presidnt. its called celestial may. we want perfect obedience for the month of may. now you all may think that missionaries are perfect all the time but we are still human and there is always something we can improve on.  so that is our misison goal for the month of may. and i will like to extend that challange to all people who wish to accept. its celestial may. you dont have as many rules and ristrictions as a missionary but there is still always something to improve. so try to have a celestial month. do all in your power to do everything right. as our savior would do it. be the latter day saint you want to be deep in your heart. repent if needs be. if you have repented stay clean. hold your head high knowing you are following in your saviors footprints. and if you stive to do so i can promise so many blessings in your life. i know i will try. will you?  

so the number you all are going to call me at is xxxxxxxxxxx. it should work. i dont know a time yet but i will let you know! it will either be the night before mothers day or the morning of. but i will keep you updayed.

eniary! mazo miasa! i love you all tons and cant wait to talk to you all in a couple of weeks!

be fitiavana mandrakizay

elder bates

April 23, 2012

hello hello hello hello hello heeloo helooo hhheelloo elo..........

so im not really starving dad...... but not going to lie i said that so that it would be done as soon as possible! and i am getting skinnier but that doesnt mean im starving!! it just means im healthier. and that the worms in my tummy are always full.... hahahahhaa no but seriously im doing good. i can do a pull up!!!!! ya i know right. first time ever im my life. and im still a big boy.... so im gettin there! hahhaa but ya life here is good. 

sounds like life back at home is just roling along. wich is good to here. sweeping parking lots is always just a bundle of fun! hahaha but i do kinda miss work. but the work im doin now is way better. and i do still get to work with my hands a little. this morning me and elder smith got up at 5:30 and left the house for our area. we drove out there and joined one of our members named solo and from there we went to go plow the rice feilds to prepare them for pee season. now there were no machines in our hands. no big tractors, no rototillers. what was it you might as that we used to plow this field? well we used cow power and a hand plow. haha just like the old days. and these were some big old cows. but it was a great way to spend the morning. plowing and harrowing up the fields. i loved it. so did my companion elder smith. we are both big country boys. him more than me. he is from tremounten utah after all hahaha. its right accross te boarder from burly i think. so thats pretty cool. 

but i hope you find work dad. your getting a little to old to do it all your self. i know you dont like to think so but its true. hahhaa. im glad taylor has found some time to helf you though! he is pretty awesome! you always seem to pull through though so im not to worried. god must really like you or somethin ;) hahaha. but it was great to see those pictures of emilys rugby games!!! dont stop those from coming! sure im jealous but i love hearing all about it!  

oh no kidney stones are a bummer!!! from what ive heard anyways... no first hand experience yet (knock on wood) but there was a misisonary here who had to pass some kidney stones on his mission. he was not doing to good for a few weeks there until it passed hahah. male sure you send them my regards!! tell them all i say hey! and that i miss them! aha the kristensens are a cool family. and i hope loral meldrums surgery gos great. the wonders of technoligy. we can open up someones head and tickle there brain stem then close it back up again. i will pray for her. 

so life here is great. i am half way around the world doin the work of the lord and i love it. i cant picture comin home right now. this feels like home to me. i never thought that would happen but it did. i love yall to bunches and cant wait to talk to you on mothers day in 2 weeks!!

be fitiavana mandrakizay

elder bates

April 16, 2012

HELLLLLOOOOOO FAMILY!

how you all doin!? me i am doing good. just hangin out here in madagascar. where in madagascar do you ask? good question? hahaha i dont know!!??? just kidding. its in antsitabe ville akaikany antsenakely. dia miakatra kely ambohiny am'ny cybera. i love how none of you can understand any of that.... hahahhaha but seriously im good.

sounds like you all had a good time this weekend with the hoys!! i sure hope spencer gets his visa! that would suck not to get to go to bulgaria. i will deffinatly pray for him. make sure to tell him i say hey! and not to be a stranger in bulgaria! and tell his family i say hello as well! also i did not know kyle christianson even got his call!!!!!!! where the freak is he going??? thats pretty ecxciting. its cool seeing my friends go out on missions.

also who is dallas? hahaha whoever he is i hope he is a good worker. and good old gordan always comes to the rescue doiesnt he... hahhaa i like that wise indian man. ahha. thats cool that emily got an i phone. im sure she is moving it!!! bein all high technical and all that! and dad has an i 4!! haha that must just be heaven above compared to the i 3...... but i would supposed that mac has come out with at least 5 other versions of things since i have been out on my mission. but i really have no way of knowing hahaha.

so life here in madagascar is way good. me and my companion have been very busy doing baptism interviews and getting ready for the open house that is in antsirabe this saturday. its a musical/speaking program put on by the missionaries and district choral here in madagascar. its pretty cool. i start the thing off with that song i wrote with robyn and then i sing a solo of i know that my redeemer lives in malagasy. should be pretty cool. hopefully alot of people come to it. we have been working hard. also we had and afondasy this past week in manandona. its a big party with a bonfire. it was pretty unorganized and messy but it was fun none the less. i got nice and dirty taking would and such. playing in the sand and making fire!! my companion was trying to hand out the snack which we brought to the activity. they area called mofo balls. just little balls of bread and the kids circled around him like animals so he tried to get them to get in a line but none of them would listen and he got angry and just through the whole box of mofo balls on top of these kids likea piniada breaking and let them fight for themselfs hahahahhaa. it was hilarious. so pretty disorganized but thats the way life seems to be here in madagascar. we have a baptism of 9 people planed for december 5th. it should be pretty cool. they are all done in the river in manandona. so hopefully they all go through. but other than that life is pretty much the same. i tried to send some pictures to this week but the computer wont have any of it! hahah so sorry about that. i will try again next week! i love you all and cant wait to here from you again!

be fitiavana mandrakizay!

elder bates


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Madagascar

April 10,2012

(sorry I thought i posted it last week, turns out I forgot.)

hello family!

so i cant write a ton cause i dont have a lot of time to email! as you all know it was easter this past weekend and not one cyber was open. they were all out getting drunk... woo hoo celibrating the ressurection of man by killing yourself........ i smell irony.... hahahha but its ok i guess. i saw a lot of things i dont like about the natural man this week. but all it really did was strengthen my testamony. im glad you all had fun on your holiday! and i hope the easter bunny brought some good chocolate! hahaha. i dont think he stops by madagascar. but thats ok. by the way i bet wtching mom in that bouncie house was freakin priceless!!! hahaha the video looked fun! im sure those kids love it. i smell hot dogs right now but its probably just some street meat. and yes it is as delicious as it sounds hhaha. but thanks for the pictures and the letters. i really do apreciate it. i bet youall are anxcious to here about my life here in mada but nothing much has changed. we have an open house on april 21st here in antsirabe and i am singing 2 solos :S aha but luckely they are in english so no problem if i mess up cause nobody else but other missionaries can understand! hahaha. but itll be giid. elder smith and i are working hard. i am getting the hang of this missionary ork i think hahaha ;) i love it. i feel the spirit the strongest when i testify. which i do alot. but i can feel the truthfullness in my words. wich experience i have never had in my life befoore my mission. but it is amazing. i recently did a study of jacob chapter 5. about the olive tree. it is an amazing read. i love it. it makes the view of god and the savior so clear. so many times does the lord of the vineyard say it grieveth me that i should lose the tree or trees of my vineyard. but he wants nothing but good fruit. he desires to destroy it and start a new but his servant always asks him to preserve it a little longer. then the lord comants the servent to get other servants and work dillegently with all there might to bring forth good fruit unto the lord that he might keep it for himself. tfor the season soon cometh. and in the end because they did what the lord desired good fruit was brought forth. we are his servants who have been called to labour dillegently with all of our might for the work of the lord. i can testify of that. we are not many but few in the great skeam of ths earth. we lust labour with all our might that the roots and the top of the tree may be of equal strength. i know this to be true and that the lord wishes that he can take all children unto him again as good fruit. so please strive dillegently! i love you all and i love the lord my god!

be fitiavana mandrakizay

elder bates!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Madagascar

April 2, 2012

hey family!! how are ya doing!?

me im doing great. just mitsangatsangana her ein madagascar wich means hanging out. but be carful because if you miss and a and and n then it becomes adultry hahaha. but my life is good and full of work. lots of member work but we do have baptisms lined up for the 14th and some for may so its all pretty exciting. and transfers come out in a couple weeks so itll be fun to find out if i get moved or stay but the odds are i stay and kill my companion. wich would be fine with me! he is an awesome guy!. sorry no pictures yet! but its to difficult to get another camera unless i borrow from another missionary wich is just annoying for that missionary so i am just going to have to wait till the new one comes. buttoday was really good. we drove down to ambositra for p day wich is an hour and a half south and spent the day there with elder horsley and steel who are there all alone so we hiked a mountain and saw a bunch of cool waterfalls and then we got to the top and there was this absolutely beautiful veiw of the whole valley. it was pretty incredible. and hot. and tireing. but way worth it. and then we went and shoped a bit for surveniers for ambositra is the wood capital of the world. just a fun fact for you hahaha. they have alot of carving and stuff. its pretty cool. i didnt buy anything wooden but i did by some things for my lovely sisters. they will jsut haveto wait to get them... hahahah. other than that nothing really exciting happend. we go off roading in the berlingo alot.... its an impressive little thing i must say. and we can get alot more done wich is good. my companion stayed in ambositra to do baptism interviews and i am on splits with elder steele who is in my group so its way fun to hang out with him for a bit. 

     soundsls like yalls are having a good time in the united states of america! visiting family and stuff sounds way cool. im sure mom and dad are enjoying there little vaca with emily. make sure you tell everybody i say hello!!! tell them i miss em. and got lots of loven for them haha. and be safe. i hope you all enjoyd confference and by the sounds of it it was pretty good. but they always are! i get it in like 2 weeks. oh and i probably wont get to email next week cause easter here is nutts!! seriously everybody just parties and drinks and absolutely nothing is open!! so hopefully there is oportunity but if not i am terribly sorry and just sit tight and wait till the next week. what a great way to celabrate the reserection of christ. party and drink..... ugh. the guy beside me has really bad bo right now... but everybody in this country stinks. woo hoo!!! hahahha sorry if i stink when i get back but i become more and more like a malagasy every day... hahahha just kiding i still have my higeine. but i cant spell it.

thank you so much for looking into the school stuff and the master card stuff! i really appreciate all that you do for me!! i couldnt live with out you! so thank you! i love you all and pray for you always!

be fitiavana mandrakizay! e

elder bates