Searching for mission companion.
 

I served my mission in Madagascar from 2002-2004 and i am looking for a couple of my companions, we had some wild times and i would love to relive those memories without our AP watching our every move, so if you know any of the following people let me know:

Elder Trent Erickson
Elder Todd Harris
Elder Van Valkenburg
Sister Tippetts
Elder Barrus
Elder Brett Milliken

Let me know i would love to reunite with these guys.

thanks in advance.

The only way you could have known all these missionaries is if you were in my MTC district.

Nice try, I guess.

Angamba raha tena gasy fotsy ianao dia tokony hiresaka amin'ny teny gasy bebe koaoa. Inona ny faratra no niasahanao? Iza ny jiolahimboto nahafantaranao tamin'ny ianao no tany? Hodria!

That's it? That's the best you guys can come up with?

I thought for sure you'd at least try to translate the Malagasy. This is a prime opportunity to make me look like a moron!

I'm disappointed you're giving up so easily.

What language(s) is this language related to?

Keep in mind I never made a formal study of my mission language. But I was told it is related to Tongan in a lot of ways. For example, the numbering system shares some similarities: fito is "seven" in both languages.

It looked like Filipino or Indonesian to me, but that seemed kind of odd, given the distance.

I think it is more accurately referred to as "Reformed Hagothian"

Madagascar is something of a melting pot. The Malagasy people themselves are the descendants of immigrants from mainland Africa, the Middle East, Polynesia, India and Southeast Asia.

Walking down the street you'll see people who look like they could be Iranian, Chinese, Tongan, Kenyan and more.

Wouldn't surprise me to learn there are Filipino ties to their language.

So how is the church doing there? How many members? How many baptisms per year? Any stakes yet?

First LDS missionaries were sent there when Mada was part of the Durban, South Africa mission in the 1990's. Rumor has it that the mission president there used the island as something of an Alcatraz for his less obedient elders. Apparently the missionaries spent a lot of time in the wealthier natives' pools, and two elder died racing a train to the crossing in their car. Other details I'm more sketchy on.

In 1998 the Antananarivo, Madagascar mission was created. In 2000 a stake was created. Early direction from the Area Presidency kept all the missionaries in the capital city of Antananarivo. The months leading up to the stake creation recorded around 1200 baptisms. Later research showed that of these 1200 members, only around 200 were still active.

When I first arrived, there were 70+ missionaries in the capital city which had around 1.5 million residents.

When I left, there were 6 wards and 4 branches in the stake. The work was going fairly well... the mission probably averaged 80 baptisms a month or so for 20 companionships.

About six months before I left they started sending missionaries to other cities on the island and as far as I know they have elders in Tamatave (on the eastern coast) and Antsirabe (90 miles south of Tana) now.