Island in the Sun - Mission in Madagascar

Monday, December 31, 2012

and I come to you with open arms... - Week 99

Thanks to everyone who wrote me, helped out financially,

kept me and my loved ones in their prayers these past

many many months, words cannot express how grateful I am

for you love and friendship,

Dec 28th 2012 Elder Prochnow and I touched down

in Salt Lake City after a 40 plus hour journey home

and called it a mission.

So many new friends and life changing experiences,

I will report in Sacrament meeting on the

13th of January 2013

10:45am-12:00pm

at the Winder West Stake Center

4551 South 1200 East

Salt Lake City, Utah

Love you all, thanks again,

Elder Scotty George

'and I come to you with open arms...'


This is the car crew, minus one brother in Guatemala for 6 more months,

with the brothers and sisters

We made it brother, thanks for the awesome adventure we'll do it again sometime

Reunited with my girlfriend that waited so patiently

Christmas in Ambositra, Elder Lee got the look down

Christmas night and dinner with my second family, so hard to say goodbye

Got to see Robinson one last time after our last goodbye in January

Lionce met up with us at the airport in Tana to see me off

The first of five airports we would visit on the way out.


Guess who met up with us in Texas and brought us Little Caesers and Mountain Dew...

Southwick.

There he is, Berlin, my brother in wrenches, thats the next mission


The badge might not go on every morning anymore, but we will never forget

Monday, December 24, 2012

I've said my goodbyes, this is my sundown... - Week 98

Guess who got a second chance at fixing the refrigerator after
butchering it hardcore the first time

I wonder what it will be like to walk down
streets again where I can't see over everyone
in front of me...

Onja traveled nearly 200km just to say Veloma,
Soava Dia to me...

Rivo and Rosa never made it to church while I was here, but
they are close to coming back, I know it.
Rosa is expecting to have their first child any day now...

President Lee and myself belting O Come All Ye Faithful
at the Christmas activity on Saturday, I didn't
pass the camera to anyone so there ya go.

Me with the majority of our Relief Society, Young Women and Primary

Then the Elder's Quorum and YM added in with whoever was still around

This man hasn't been here to pray since he was released and
Lee replaced him in Oct. Haha nice of you to show up to say goodbye

Solo has got to be the most diligent person in this branch...
She doesn't have much, but she has the gospel,
and she's happy because of it.

I will miss this when I go back to a world where
snow is what fills the streets and not rivers...

First Christmas activity here in Ambositra, complete with primary
acting out the story of Christ's birth. Epic.

Love you all, See you this weekend!

-Elder Scotty George

Monday, December 17, 2012

My heart is beating from me, I'm standing all alone... - Week 97

'My heart is beating from me,

I'm standing all alone,

Please call, me only, if you are coming home...'

- Green Day

Work Week.

Sunday.

Pday, Family calls for Christmas.

Christmas.

Bus to Tana.

4 Planes.

28 DEC 2012, Touchdown in the 801.

Last visit in Anjoma.

Sambosas, with pizza filler. Brilliant. Totinos has competition

I was pretty sure after floods at the tower,
Ft D and the Ivato house I wouldn't see another one...
Happy your mission is almost over

One reason not to get drunk... you pass out outside

a random church on the sidewalk...

This got me so excited to go see a junkyard again...

When I found out I was going to Mada on my mission.. myself and my buddies

all asked where such an american hot rod truck and car enthusiast

would find ways to use my hobbies during my mission and not go insane from

all the import cars surrounding me in what we assumed was an endless jungle...

23 ish months later...

This is where we find it all put to use... The hot wheels cars, the pinstriping, and lettering,

so on and so forth,

remember the brush I made from my own hair for starters back in May 2011?

From the 4 church signs made, to random tiles and panels found in various

homes and stores, to the sunglasses for my friends and the hot wheels that find their

way into lessons about drag racing or just general conversation...

The mission is what you make of it, and there is

a way to use your hobbies and talents to spread the good word, expand your

vocabulary in the new language, and and show your love for those around you...

at least I think so...

-Elder Scotty George

May 2011... Gave a whirl at making a brush... it worked.

So I kept using it...

Give it 2 years, he'll know just what to do with it.

Sunglasses for friend, pair numero uno

Same story only a few later...

We actually traded these ones...

2nd church sign,

3rd set of church signs, these for Ambositra

Hotel Angelino is no more.

Ice cream refrigerator...

A short english lesson in what to do at a stop light...

The two words fit in more than one way...

First church sign painted, Sept 2011 - Besoa

Somebody showed up to island conference with a bunch or random
pinstriped t shirts...

This stays on the wall of the Antsirabe Hotely, I know,
I left it there a year ago, and ate there a week ago...

This scooter somehow made it from Tana to Toliara
go look at the map... thats a long ride.

Rare muscle car sighting at a Mada service station...

First church sign, in place. Besoa.
Those boys are both going on missions now,
the farthest left comes here to Mada in Dec 2012,
the other goes to New Zealand next year...

Alright, enough pinstriping, you can follow the other blog for that in a couple of weeks...

These are some of the final photos you will find on this adventure.

Collins missed the memo that this was not a Malagasy smile photo...
The Three of us bounce on the 27th.
Some 23 ish months ago we had all just barely met and were
trying to survive the walls of the MTC in our suits and fat framed
glasses not really sure just how much we would miss that food in a few weeks...