The Call...

UPDATE:

....At 2:53 a.m. on Monday July 20th we received the following letter from Elder Stringfellow...

Manahoana Daholo!

To start off, I want to talk a little bit about the transfer news we received last night! I received a call from President Foote yesterday around 7:00 pm and he personally gave me the information about what I am going to be doing this transfer! Well, it looks like I'll be TRAINING! Oh man, I'm so excited! I pick him up on Thursday morning and I can't wait to meet him! I'll give you all the details next week!

Since I'm picking up my "kid" at the office in Tana, Elder Mumford and I drove all the way up this morning! Our car is completely fixed now and we drove it up in hopes of getting it replaced! Hopefully with a truck, haha! Man it's good to be back in Tana! Tana is my birth place and I look to have some fun for the next few days!

Besides all the craziness that has been going on the past few days I had an awesome week! To start off my week I completely finished the New Testament! It was such a great experience to read about so many great testimonies of Christ and to learn more about his life! It has really opened my eyes to how influential he is in my life! Everything I do evolves around him in some way or another! If you haven't read the New Testament, START NOW! I promise everyone of you that if you read it you will find things that will change different aspects of your life!

This week was also Elder Mumford's last week....Oh man I love Elder Mumford so much and it was so great to have worked with him! He's done a lot of great things here in Madagascar and there are a lot of people that are going to miss him! He's taught me so much and I plan on implying his teachings into my work! Man, I'm going to miss him!

Well, that was my week! It was a crazy week but It was probably one of the most spiritual weeks of my mission thus far! Sorry this letter isn't as long as usual but I gotta go! I love you all so much!

Love
Elder Stringfellow

....................................................
At 8:48 a.m. I (Coach Boog) was able to briefly chat with him via email during football practice. Then I texted [and woke up Wendi] and Ryan was able to get back onto a computer and began a chat with his mom, sister and brother, as follows:


Ryan:  
I don't know if you're awake but I found a computer and I'm on right now!

Mom:  
Hey Ry!  Are you still there?

Ryan:

Yep I'm still here!

Mom:

Wow!! You have had such a great week!  Do you know the name of the elder you will be training?

Ryan:

I have no idea yet but I'll find out on Thursday when I meet him! Sorry I haven't sent any pics this week....just be expecting lots and lots next week!

Mom:

No worries on the pictures, I will have something to look forward to next week!!  Is everything good?  Health?  Any luck trading in the toaster?  Where are you staying in Tana?

Ryan:

Yep everything is good! My health is a lot better! I had a way nasty sinus infection this week but don't worry! I took my cold medicine and I'm all better! I've been talking to the mission office today and it looks like we'll be getting it replaced with another mission car! I'll find out which car probably as Thursday as well! I'll be staying with Elder Mumford until he goes home on Wednesday! The APs are letting me go around with him today and tomorrow to do whatever he wants before he goes home which is super fun!

Mom:

Boo on the sinus infection, but glad the cold medicine helped ( unlike the Immodium). Hooray for a new car to get you in those remote areas a little bit easier:-). Watch the bumps and save the oil pan!  Your tow truck was very sketchy...be careful and only use Essence:-). I am so glad you get to hang out with Elder Mumford for a few more days and that you are having some fun!  Have you happened to see Norbert?

Ryan:

 I haven't seen him yet and probably won't....Tana is so big and he lives all the way on the other side of town!

Mom:

I just wondered, I have no idea what the logistics of Tana are like. How was your phone call with President Foote?

Ryan:

It was awesome! I think it's really cool that he personally calls all the elders to tell them about the upcoming transfer!

Mom:

 I think that is neat too!! There is something special about a person who takes time to get to know the people they associate with. President Foote sounds like an incredible man!! Take note of all the things that you like about him so far, he is teaching you great things in small ways!! How are your clothes and shoes holding up?  Is it getting any warmer?

Ryan:

I love him already, haha! My clothes and shoes are still doing great
so don't worry about that! Weather is still pretty cold but I think
I've adjusted to it pretty well!

Sydnee (His Sister):

Hi Ryan its Syd! Today you have been out 11 months!! Wow that flew by fast. I love and miss you and I hope you got my email about girls camp! Anyways have fun being a trainer and picking up and new companion! Love you! :-)

Ryan:

Hey Syd! I know I can't believe that it's already been 11 months! Time is just flying by! I did get your email about girls camp and it sounds like you had a blast! I'll try and have as much fun as possible being a trainer, haha! Love you too!

Mom:

Your baby sister is grinning from ear to ear!! She is so excited that she got to talk to you!  She is headed to Lagoon with Jodi and her kids today, but talking to you "made her whole day!" Where are you? Isn't it getting late there?  Are you close to where you are staying?

Ryan:

I'm at the mission office right now! It's about 7:00 pm here so it's not to late! The house is really close!

Mom:

Will you be driving your new companion back by yourself? Are you seeing any of the guys from the MTC at the mission home?

Ryan:

Yep, I'll be driving him back along with another companionship! I did get to see Elder Glazier, Elder Mack, and Elder Cooley today!

Mom:

Oh man, Elder Glazier!! You guys got a good start together!  Elder Mack's mom is in our Mada Moms Dads group I will have to tell her you saw him, she will be excited!! Do you have any questions for me?

Ryan:

Umm...I don't think I have any

Sam (His Brother):

Hi Ryan it's Sam. I just got back from football.

Ryan:

Hey what's up! How was football!

Sam:

It was good, it's going good so far. Have you heard anything about the home run derby?

Ryan:

NO! Who won?

Sam:

Do you know who Todd Frazier is?  He plays for the Reds.

Ryan:

Of course I know who he is! The third basemen for the Reds! He was in the Home Run Derby last year! Did he win??

Sam:

Yes he won, and he did it in Cincinnati. People were going crazy. In the final round he hit 14 to win it. Mike Trout got the MVP again, he hit a lead off home run first inning. Three Rockies made it. 

Ryan:

Oh man, that's so sick! That's my boy Mike! Doing it right! Which Rockies Made it?

Sam:

Nolan, Tulo, and DJ. 

Ryan:

Oh man that's so sick!

Sam:

Ya it was pretty cool. Well, I gotta go I hope you have a good week. 

Ryan:

I gotta go to! I hope you have a good week too!

Mom:

This is mom again!  Have a great week kid!! I love you so much!! You will be an awesome trainer!! Remember all those things Elder Hein did to start you off right!  Lucky, lucky new missionary to get to serve with you! Make this week the best one yet!! I LOVE YOU!

Ryan:

Love you too! Have a great week!

No pictures today, but the conversation was worth every minute of it.

Week 5 in Andranomanelatra

Manahoana Daholo!

Another week has come and gone! What?! Time is just flying by and I  can't believe that I've been out on my mission for almost 11 months! This week was crazy and it tested my patience quite a bit!

To start off, I had the opportunity of going on a split with one of our Zone Leaders, Elder Obioma! It was a very productive split and we got to do it in Andranomanelatra which was nice! We worked way hard and got a lot done! At the end of the day we had the opportunity of giving one of our Member's daughters, Clara, a blessing! Clara is around 1 yr. old and she's been pretty sick lately....We visited the family on Wednesday and decided that she need the blessing! I did the anointing and Elder Obioma gave the blessing! It was one of the most spiritual experiences on  my mission so far and it's something that I will always remember!

Besides that really cool spiritual experience here's were my patience really kicked in this week! As you all know we have the opportunity of driving a car in  my area! Well, sometimes the car freaks out and decides that it's going to be broken for a few days...Needless to say, I sometimes don't like having the car and would rather work without it! It seems like we have a different problem with the car every week but here is what happened this week:

We were working way out in Andranomanelatra last Thursday when all of the sudden our oil light comes on and a few seconds after that the car completely dies....I started to freak out a little bit knowing how far away we were from the main road and I thought that we could be spending the night out in Ambanivohitra! Luckily, we had a member help with us, Sitrika, and he told us that there could be a way for us to get out of there! We gave him the phone and he started making some calls! We didn't really know what was going on or what was going to happen but about an hour later we saw a little, small, white pick-up truck (much smaller than our car) headed our way! When it arrived about 8 Malagasy men hopped out and started tying up our car to their car and before you know it we were being pulled through rice patties back to the main road! We eventually made it back to t he main road but our nightmare didn't end there...

As they were pulling as back to Antsirabe the the little white truck would completely die about every 5 minutes! Every time it died the 8 Malagasies would bail out and start pushing the truck and our car in hopes of dry starting the truck! We did this until we got about half-way home when the white truck died again but this time it was because it was completely out of gas.....At this point I was like, "Are you kidding me?" In hopes of getting gas I gave 20,000 AR to one of the Malagasies as he was flagging down a bus! He eventually got a bus and came back around 45 min later with gas! We filled the truck and continued on our way home! The truck still continued to die but we eventually made it home! We ended up paying them 55,000 AR to take us home but at the end of the whole thing we didn't care how much it was!

We spent all day Friday at the "garage" trying to get it fixed but we found out that there's a piece that needs to be replaced with the oil pan that can only be found in Tana....That means that it has to be shipped down here when it's found! We are still car-less but we have found a way to get to our area everyday! Imagine a car that can only holds 8 people with 13 people crammed inside! It's not very fun to ride in but it gets us to our area everyday!

Anyways, that was my crazy week! Sometimes I wounder why things happen but in the end you have to understand that everything happens for a reason! I just hope that the car gets fixed as soon as possible to help us with our work! I love everyone of you so much and I hope that everyone has a great week!

Love, 

Elder Stringfellow

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

 Ambanivohitra Sunset

 Being Pulled by the Little White Truck

 More Ambanivohitra

 Sitrika Killed A Bird With A Rock And Asked Me To Take A Pic

Week 4 in Andranomanelatra

Manahoana Daholo!

Ahhh Man this week was awesome! So many awesome things happened this week and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

First off, I just want to let everyone know that I know how to drive stick! Yep, you heard it! Elder Mumford usually let's me drive around everywhere we go now and I love it! Sometimes it's tricky to avoid all the people and dogs in the streets but it's still way fun to drive!

Second, President and Sister Foote have finally arrived in Madagascar and I've already met them! They decided to make a short trip down here to Antsirabe and I got to talk one on one with President Foote last Saturday night! He is so cool and brings so much energy! It's almost like a complete 180 from before and I already love it! He just cracks jokes left and right but more importantly he's here to serve the people! This next year is going to be so much fun being able to work with him!

Third, Vao tonga ny Filohan'ny Sampanay tamin'ny tempoly! Our Branch President just got back from the Temple this week and he loved it! He loved it so much that yesterday he said in sacrament meeting that anyone who was baptized during or before the year 2014 needs to set up an interview with him to start their sacrifices for the temple! Uhh....talk about baller! Hopefully we can get more people to the Temple here in the next few years!

Fourth, Elder Mumford and I visited a Fahoriana (funeral) yesterday and Elder Mumford had to pull out his Kabary! It was a little awkward because we didn't even know the guy who died....we kinda just showed up and payed our Kabary, haha! The fomba gasy with the Fahoriana was a little weird though! The man who had passed away had cotton balls shoved up his nose and a weird cloth rapped around his head from the bottom of the chin to the top of his head! The one thing that really creeped me out was I'm pretty sure the dead guy was laying on the kitchen table, haha! Anyways, it was a pretty cool experience!

Last but not least, I finally visited Lake Tritriva! This morning before we came to the cyber we headed up and saw the lake! It was so cool and so pretty! It actually reminded me a lot of home with all the pine trees and that smell you can only find in the mountains! Gall, I loved it so much!

Anyways, that was my week! Everything is going great down here in Madagascar and I love my mission more and more everyday! If there's one thing I learned for myself this week was to stop  worrying about myself and get to work! Sometimes I get in this "woe is me" mode and it never ever brings anything good! I am here to serve the Lord and the People of Madagascar! That needs to be my first priority and my only priority! Anyways, that's the little thing I learned this week! I love you all so much and I think about and pray for everyone of you! It's a great time to be hear on earth and I'm so thankful to be here! I love you all so much and I hope that everyone has a great week!

Love
Elder Stringfellow

(From his Dad, here is some more information about - Click Here - Lake Tritriva.)

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

Lake Tritriva

Lake Tritriva

Lake Tritriva

Lake Tritriva

Lake Tritriva

Their Car..."the Toaster"

Ryan at Lake Tritriva

Week 3 in Andranomanelatra

Manahoana Daholo!

This week was insane! So much crazy stuff happened and it was for sure a week to remember! I'll start off with what happened at the beginning of this week!

On Tuesday we had a pretty rough work day mainly because our car was broken! Apparently it accidently got filled with diseal instead of just regular gasoline.....The rest of the day was spent trying to get it fixed and luckily we did!

This week was also the Malagasy equivelant to the 4th of July! It's was flipping nuts! June 26th is the day that Madagascar became an independent nation and it's probably one of the craziest days of the year! Everyone is completely drunk! It's really sad to see but I actually have a really funny story about some drunk guy!

We had been working out in Sarodroa all day and had just come back to Andranomanelatra to teach our last time! We were sort of in a hurry because a 7:00 pm curfew had been set and we were trying to squeez this last time in! On our way to the time some cop starts yelling at us in French and you could clearly tell that he was drunk! Yes, a cop!  He was way out of it and started to follow us! He followed us all the way over to our time and at that point we started to pretend that we didn't know any Malagasy! It was way funny as our member help was pretending to translate for us! He eventually left and we haven't seen him since, haha!

On a more spiritual note, our branch president left for the Temple in South Africa today! He and his wife are the first members from the branch to visit the temple and we couldn't be more happy for them! At least the missionaries will have some help when members ask us about the temple, haha!

All of our investigators are doing great especially out in Sarodroa!  We got some good news about Rob and hopefully he can get baptized here in a little while! He's so ready but he still needs to fix some stuff!  All in all, he's doing great as well as everyone else!

That's about it for the week! It was a crazy week but I'm sure glad that I got to experience it! I hope everything is going great where ever you may be and just know that everything is going great down here! I love you all so much and I hope that everyone has a great week!

Love

Elder Stringfellow

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

Week 2 in Andranomanelatra

Hey Everyone,

Holy cow it's so cold down here! I honestly never thought that Madagascar could actually get cold but I wouldn't be surprised if the temperatures continue to drop! Besides the cold everything is going great down here in Andranomanelatra and we had a pretty good week! Right now we are currently working with two different branches and I believe that I didn't talk about the second branch in my last week's letter!

Ya'll already know that we work with the Andranomanelatra branch but we are also the missionaries for the branch in Saradroa! Saradroa is about a 45 min drive from our house and we only get to work out there on Fridays because of the distance! This week I got to visit the church in Saradroa and it's honestly a 45 min hike to get to! It is literally on top of a mountain and I believe that it is one of the coolest places on earth for any church to exist, haha! They have sacrament meeting in a tiny building and classes are in three separate smaller buildings! It just goes to show that this church can exist any where here on earth! We have a couple investigators in Saradroa who are so prepared for baptism but we just need to fix some things in there life before they can get baptized! Please pray for Rob, Raymond, and Terrez!

Work in Andranomanelatra this week went very well and it was as normal as ever! The only little problem we had this week was our car completely stopped working on Thursday and we didn't get out to work until around 5:00......I hate days like that but at least the Toleman's saved us, haha! The Toleman's are a mission couple down here in Antsirabe and they helped us get our car working again!

Anyways, that's about it for the week! We have set some pretty high goals this week and hopefully they push us to work a little harder this week! All in all, this week was a very good week and I hope we can continue to work hard next week! I love you all so much and I hope everyone has a great week!

Love, 
Elder Stringfellow

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

Week 1 in Andranomanelatra...learning to drive a stick shift, haha!

Manahoana Daholo!

It is so cold! I know it probably sounds weird that Madagascar can actually get cold but I am freezing! 6 months in Tamatave didn't really prepare for the weather here in Antsirabe but I'll take it any day over the heat! Andranomanelatra is such a cool place! I literally teach people in Ambanivohitra (the country side) and it's just incredible! Everyone farms out here and houses are so far apart! Because of that we have a car and we have to drive all over the dirt paths in our area to go teach people! This week I'm going to learn how to drive stick so that should be fun, haha!  Andranomanelatra is so pretty and sometimes I feel like I'm back in the countryside of Utah working out there! I love it so much!

My new companion Elder Mumford is so cool! He's from West Jordan, Utah and he works very hard! Elder Mumford has almost finished his mission and he goes home at the end of this transfer! We have worked very well together so far and I can't wait to continue working with him!

The Andranomanelatra Branch is so awesome! We usually have 80 people come to church every week which just blows my mind because I didn't even know that 80 people lived out here, haha! Every Sunday we have Sacrament meeting in a tent and yesterday I had to opportunity to bear my testimony to the branch!   One of my favorite experiences on the  mission so far! Our Branch President is so cool and in a couple of weeks he'll be going to the temple! The first member of the branch to go! We also receive member help everyday from someone named Sitraka! He is so funny and here in a couple of weeks he'll be receiving his mission call! Something to look forward to!

Anyways, that was my week! The drive from Tamatave was about 10 hours but at least I got to see Elder Hein before he went home! We spent the night together at the AP's house on Tuesday night and then went our separate ways....I'm going to miss him a lot but the legend of Elder Hein will live on, haha! I love you all so much and I hope that everyone has an awesome week!

Love,
Elder Stringfellow

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK 

Elder Mumford...New Companion

Saying Goodbye to Elder Razaka

Saying Goodbye to Elder Price

Saying Goodbye to Elder Hein...His Father (middle)

Sitraka's House

The Tent Chapel

Andranomanelatra Countryside

Rice Patties

Andranomanelatra Countryside