Hello Mamako, How are all of the sunrises and sunsets up there in the northern hemsiphere? They are doing pretty well down here. We ate a ton of voanjobory last night, and now I can feel the affects taking over my stomach. It is all well though. All is quiet on the malagasy front. No, I guess not really, it actually quite a noisy place, but it is good. Just the way I like it. To answer your question about rainbows, yes. I have seen rainbows here. Surprisingly enough, no, they do not actually have lemurs jumping around on them like I once thought. Nor do they have leprechauns with gold pots waiting at the end. Instead, there are 4' 6" old malagasy grandma bebes with little scraggly beards waiting with a pot of fresh voamagna (sweet potatoes, for all you vazahas) just for the first lucky finder. It's quite delightful, actually. Okay, yeah, no, but seriously. Things are going well. We are planning for another baptism this weekend, and the lady who will be baptized actually quite fits my description I just gave in my 'rainbow segment.' She's awfully nice though. She's just a little old lady who just wants to pray and come to church. Her memory isn't the best, so you just kind of have to take it as it comes. She always points to her eyes and apologizes that she can't read as much as she'd like, for the letters are too small. She always points to me and says "You, hehehehe. You. You. You." she says, cackling all the while, "you're the one who will baptize me." So I am the one who will baptize her. It'll be fun! And we are actually moving church buildings, here in Sabotsy Namehana. We will be moving to an opener, larger building (hopefully, for I have not seen it yet). This'll be our first baptism here in the new building, so we'll tell you how it goes. The new building is so far tucked back either, so we probably won't have to leave our house at 7:30-45ish to get to church for sure by 9:00. Buses are mad crazy on sundays, so we must plan for these things. In order to do the baptismal interview, we have to go on splits with the zone leaders. Usually we'd just go to the district leader, but that's me, so we have to go higher up this time. The funny thing is that one of the zone leaders was my trainer, Elder Watts. So this thursday I will be working with Elder Watts again, haha. I am pretty excited about it actually. It'll take me back a good 7-8 months time. Woooo. So September is coming this week, eh? The only month I haven't served in yet. Bring it on. Oh yeah, and you can keep sending me pictures of funny things. I like funny things. So any other questions? Comments? Concerns? No? Okay, next week it is. There should actually be transfer news again on Sunday, so I'll let you know how that goes. It was a quick one, eh? haha, it's because we have some Malagasy elders coming in. Anyways, I'll catch ya'll on the flip side. Elmer Bergera

There were no swear words, trust me.
Thank you for all the addresses too! I'll be filling up that address book you sent me in the mtc. It's coming in handy.
Thank you sooooooo much for the birthday package! I love it! I have been doing perfect pushups all week, for sure. I am loving it all so much. And I figured out that I absolutely love Jelly Bellies. They are sooo good. What other candy can you get that you can try a rootbeer one minute, then have some carmel popcorn in there the next? Oh wait, there are no others! Jellybellies 4 lyfe! and those warheads and poprocks are way good too. We had a malagasy mini-missionary try some and his reaction to both were very amusing. 
Wait, so in that mission week thing, did you already count sunday or not? I assume so...
Your postcard is getting sent out today.
The baptisms went really well. We had three planned but only two worked out, but the two were Kong Yen and Etienne so absolutely no complaints there. I freaking love them so much, they are so cool. I baptized Kong Yen and Marsh baptized Etienne. The water was way cold, and actually the weather has been pretty cold lately, but we prayed a lot that we could have good weather in hopes that the Malgasys wouldn't die from the cold, and it worked pretty well! The water was way cold, yeah, but the sun was out and shining all right, contrary to the majority of the week. Blessings there for sure. As far as the confirming, Marsh and I both stood in the circle, but the Branch President and a member did the confirming. Hearing Kong Yen bear is testimony gave me one of the best feelings. He's so cool. They really want to go to the temple too, of course after their year is up.
So yeah.. I am not going to lie. My baptism pants are getting pretty tight, haha. It's good though, I guess. At least I am not starving. But it's like I said though, I am pushing those perfect pushups hard, and I am hoping my next area will be a beach side province where I can sweat my ''rice belly'' off, haha. It's all good though. I figure that as long as I can bust out loads of pushups I am probably doing all right. 
I attached a bunch of pictures, but now that I think about it I can't remember what they were. 
I know that one of them is of the baptism. You can see Kong Yen and Etienne in their white bap clothes, as well as me in my bursting bap pants and good ol' Elder Marsh too. Another one is of me posing. And one with Marsh and a cow in a soon-to-be ricefield.
I really can't remember what the others were though.
I am sure you'll be able to figure it out.
Oh yeah, no I am not getting transferred yet. Which is good, cause Bebe Jacquilene wants me to baptize her. You'll find out more about her later. More around September 1st-ish. 
I loved getting little emails from Johnny, Jason, and Kamry, ahahaha. They are so cool.

Anyway, I think that about does it for this week.
Maztoa Daholo!

Elder "Spunkin' Around the Dunk Bunk"

De Ahoana Izy Mtsam!!

I really don't know what to say this week!
Kong Yen and his wife Etienne will be getting baptized this weekend, which I am really stoked for. We aren't sure yet who will be doing their baptisms, but we will find out this wednesday. I am really excited for it, haha. Also, we had 12 investigators to church yesterday! I felt really good about that. Things in this area are surely picking up. I don't know how much longer I will be in this area, for I have been here for four months, and that's about getting to the point of packing up, but who knows! I'll tell you who knows. I will know on Sunday night, haha. 
Okay, so I literally got a call one minute ago from and Elder at the office who told me that I have a package! Yeah! It made it! So to answer your question about when you should send a christmas one.. haha I don't know. What ever you feel like would be a good time, is a good time, haha. I am not picky. If you happened to send it early, I would wait until christmas to open it. I can do that. 
Dang.. is Christmas really coming up already? I guess I am getting close to my 'second' stage of my mission. my second christmas... hm. I like the sound of that. 
I thank you before hand for the package.
Also, I have thinking that I would like to start sending out more postcards. Even if my postcard scam hasn't really showned much success yet.. haha. So, do you want to start sending me address? Just addresses of tons of people. In the ward, or in the family, or whatever. I realized yesterday when I started filling out postcards that I don't have that many address. Also, I found a place to buy postcards for 500Ar (roughly 25¢). So it's all pretty sweet. Anyway, addresses would be very appreciated. 
I sincerely honestly do not know what to say today. Life has been going well. This week passed by in a second, I swear. Somedays I feel like I wake up, walk out the door, and half a second I it is night and I am walking right back in. It's just way crazy.
We found a really cool guy named James this past week. We found him while we were eating a picnic lunch at our favorite Sunday picnic spot (our area is too far away from our house to go back and eat on sundays, so we just picnic). We scheduled a time with him, and then, following our weekly schedule, we taught him. He's from an area close to a place called 'Fianarantsoa' which actually has four missionaries. It's a good 10 hour drive south from Antananarivo. They speak a dialect called Betsileo, which is mostly the same as what we missionaries learn (Merina), but they sound all southerny, haha. I mean, not like georgia southern, but malagasy southern. They have different words they use too, but I think they can understand Merina for the most part. The people on the coast speak way cool dialects. They sound all crazy and coast-like. I haven't really had to learn a dialect yet, but perhaps one day. I love this language so much.
I think that'll about do it today though. 
I want to go get my package, haha.
Thank you for the letter and love and all the goodies.
I love you all!

Elder Faly

Thank you very much for eating those sugar cookies on my behalf. I feel like sugar cookies are being spiritually transformed to my virtual tastebuds. They taste great.
So yeah, I am a big 20 year old now. All the little kids on the missionary playground will have to look out for me now.
Okay, so here's the news:
I haven't gotten the birthday package yet. I'll be going to the office later today, and it may or may not be there. Usually they pick up packages once every two or so weeks, and the picked them up last week, so let's shoot for next time? Yeah, sounds good to me. I will just thank you in advance for it though. Thank you! I am really excited to do some perfect pushups, for that's the only thing I really know is in there, but I am excited to do all the other things in there too. 
I bought myself some new deodorant and shaving cream for my birthday. Happy birthday to me.
Okay, so here's the other news:
I have found Kong Yen! Apparently he had some difficulties last Sunday and was unable to come to church, BUT he came yesterday! It was a really good day yesterday too! We had 10 investigators at church, which was really good to see. I haven't seen that much in this area since I have been here, so that was good. Anyway, yeah, Kong Yen and his wife Etienne are doing really well. They are still shooting for baptism next saturday, which I am stoked for. We had one other girl, Ainà, going to be baptized on that date too, but I don't know if that one will workout or not. Well see. I'll let you know. She is the daughter of some pretty cool investagors. Her father is actually bedridden from a stroke or something, and I have been trying to work with the office to get him a wheelchair but haven't found much success yet. Her mother comes to church sometimes, but she is sometimes difficult too. Two times ago we came and she was drunk, and then the last time we came we asked if she had any Word of Wisdom problems and she replied she didn't.. so the going is a little tough for them. Another thing is that they aren't legally married yet, and in order to be married here they have to have a paper from their home towns, which in this case is quite far away and they haven't gotten it yet. I've got hopes for them all, but there certainly are some roadblocks for this family right now.
Anyways, yes, Kong Yen, cool as ever. I actually have a picture in my Malagasy Book of Mormon that I use to mark my personal reading (1 Nephi 18, I am just darting through it, I know haha. I've actually been focusing on it pretty good these last few days. I've read one chapter a night this past week, so I am really trying to get through it. I read it with my dictionary close at hand, and it's actually been going well! I can understand a lot of what is going on, but every so often a new word will come up and confuse me, haha.). Okay, back to the story. The picture is one that Brittany sent me of all you guys sitting on the front steps. Just a little family picture I carry around. Anyway, so I showed this to Kong Yen our last time, and he says I look a lot like Chelsie, haha. Etienne said "and this one (pointing to Chelsie) looks a lot like you, except a girl" haha! So there you go! He actually served us some tea after this too, but don't worry, it's this natural stuff actually made from Soybean, or 'Soja' as they call it here. I really did like it a lot. E. Marsh and I thing that we'll go buy some one of these days and make it at our house. It really was good. Oh yeah, and he does actually have some kids. He has one son who's about 30-ish and used to come to our English class a lot. He's way cool, but I haven't taught him anything about he gospel yet. I want to though. Apparently he has other kids too, but I haven't met any of the other ones yet.
Okay, here is the answers to your questions:
Analamahitsy is actually just an area in North Antananarivo. Sort of like a 'sub-town' within this large town. Analamahitsy actually has two missionaries of their own, and us workers in Sabotsy Namehana live with them, and we actually live in Analamahitsy too, so on p-days we usually don't even go into our area in the daytime because there really isn't any point to go. And no, I haven't changed areas or anything. Still just trucking along here in the Sab-Nam. 
Here are some answers/additions to your titles of my pictures: 1. Both. 2. No, yeah, this was definitely a picture of E. Marsh 'tossing his cookies.' 3. Yeah you basically got this one covered. 4. This is a big stack of bricks! They have a big brick making area in my area, and they love to make bricks. I'll try to catch another picture that shows truly how many bricks are in what we call 'Brick World.'  Foundation of the Madagascar Temple....haha I wish.
I am living with one elder who actually gets his family to tell him all about the olympics and stuff, so I am all covered in that sense. E. Marsh is all bummed cause he just realized that I will be home for the next olympics, and he won't.. haha. It's okay Marsh! Rah Rah Roo!
Okay, I think that will about do it for now. Thank you for all the birthday greeting and support!
I love you all!

Elder 'Only 141 More Days Until Christmas' Bergera

Salutations Daholo!

So here I sit, typing a letter in a cyber in downtown Analamahitsy as I slowly watch my few final hours of teenagerhood flee from before my eyes. I try to reach out. I try to call them back. Am I ready to be.. to be.. twenty? Unsurety fills me as I look to the faces of all those around me. All these.. adults. How did this happen? Could three years have already past since I prepared my young, innocent, long-haired self for my last year of high school? And seven since I entered into the 'crazy years' of life? Time is a beast. An unrelentless animal tearing away at my clock. So what now? I will blink and I'll be turning Twenty One. Okay, I can handle that. Then what? Doubled. Fourty. Time keeps going and flowing without a freckle of space showing. And yet, here I sit in this cyber. Downtown Analamahitsy. And it just keeps going.

Well I hope you all liked the intro to my upcoming book; 'Time Warriors II, Lazer Crusaders meet the Crunch Lady' coming to shelves October 2013. 
PRANKS
Okay, I'll quit being so weird. But seriously though, my birthday tomorrow! I've sort of been counting down the whole month. Maybe I should be like the other missionaries who forget about their birthdays and it goes by without them noticing. And maybe I could. But I could never forget about Harry Potter's birthday. Not in a thousand years, and the just happens to be the same day.. so therefore I didn't forget.
Anyway.. so how have things been this past week? 
Back on Saturday, while Marsh and I were waiting for a bus to take us back home, he said to me pointing to an area between two buildings, "I think I am going to go stand over here." "Okay" I replied, finding nothing immediately strange about that. As I watched him stand over there, I looked with amazement to see a quite spectacular fountain of vomit shoot out of his mouth. So yeah, he's been sick the last few days. He's better now though. We lead the culprit back to the pizza we ate for lunch on Saturday. I, too, at pizza, but did not get any similar affects from it. I guess that's just the luck of the draw.
Another point of interest of what happen this past week, one Elder who I have been living with these past three month, Elder Horsley, took of on a plane on thursday. He finished his mission! Anyway, there is one point in our area that is really good for watching planes take off from the airport. So we had just happened to be going there on Thursday at three, so we saw his plane take off from the airport. It was a pretty cool experience to see that happen. It was a neat experience. 
Anway though, I don't have too much to say this week. I added some pictures, so I hope you enjoy those. 
Hopefully that package will get here soon!
Try to think of some questions that I can answer next week, haha. I think I like replying to those more than trying to think of what to say. 
Oh yeah, I don't know where Kong Yen and his wife were yesterday, but they didn't come to church. I need to find them. They are still up for the 18th for their Baptism Date which I am still excited for. They are way cool. They got a new gate built by their house, so you know things are going well with them.
Anyway, I love you all long time!

Elder Bergera the Kong Yen finder.

What up in the hood?
Yeah, sorry about not writing to you last week Brittany, things just get mad busy sometimes and computer time disappears in seconds I swear. I will try to write you all now, even if it only a sentence or two, okay? haha and no, I haven't gotten the package yet, but It may or may not be at the office right now. I usually don't go until after I email. but I will thank you all before hand!
I really don't know what to tell you all this week though.. it's been a good week. 
Oh yeah, guess what? We got Kong Yen and his wife Etienne a baptism date for the 18th of August. That was the first date that sounded best for them, so it's good. I am really excited for it! We have about 10 people who have set a baptism date for that date, and I am praying that all of them will stay diligent for that date. That's just the problem here. I am sure there could be tons and tons of baptisms every week, but I just really want to make sure that the people I baptize are going to stay, you know? Just really finding and teaching diligent people. We've had kind of a miracle lately too. We teach this one family, and they have been fairly diligent. The mom comes to church pretty well, but the dad is sick ridden in bed (i wish the miracle was about him suddenly getting great health, but it's not.. yet), anyway, they have one daughter who was always kind of wishy-washy in lessons. Halfway there, halfway not. Aina is her name. Last sunday though, she came to church. She sure surprised me! And then yesterday she came again, and she's talked about how much she wants to be baptized now. I couldn't believe it! I love things like this, just seeing the change the gospel brings. Did I bring it to her? No way! There's no way I could change someone like this, only the holy ghost in someones life could bring that change; I just offer it to them. If they take it, sweet! And seeing people who accept it against your expectation is humbling. 
I would send pictures today, but everytime I plug a usb into this computer, it shuts down. Next week?
Next week.
An elder in our house goes home this week, so now his companion (Elder Morgan, from my mtc group) has a mini. That means he has a member who is preparing for his misson work with him for the time being. This mini missionary will be living in our house until at least August 22nd when the next transfers happen (transfer news last night, no changes here :D). It's way cool though, cause now he can help us make some way good malagasy food. Yesterday we had mankahazo and coco. Mankahazo is the roof of this tree, and when cooked with coconut, it is waaay good. I didn't really like it the first time, but I like it a lot now. And also, the other day he cooked tsaramaso (a type of bean) in a coconut sauce for the loaka of our rice, and had an excellent dinner. 
So I have been eating too well. 
:3
So yeah, you know how it is. I am just keeping it easy. I have a goal to read the entire entiriety of scriptures. So far I have finished the book of mormon and a good chunk of the new testatment. I should be finished by the middle of August with the new testament. Then I'll be in a one-way battle with the old testament. Oh boy.
Well, I will try to send you some pictures next week. 
Thank you for your email and love and all of the goods!
I love you all!
My postcard offer still stands! and I was thinking about that actually, you could probably just send those pouch right? I don't know that address.. I don't remember it, but if it works than that just got about 60 cents cheaper! all the better! Do it! haha i'm so lame.
Eny ary.
Elder Iceberg

Yay Johnny!

All right, so this week I had an idea. 
It's basically just a scam to get mail, but that's okay. Okay, I am doing an official postcard trade-off, which means for everyone that sends me a postcard from Utah/America, I will send you one from Madagascar! It's a deal! Yeah! Do it! Genuine Malagasy Pictures! haha, I just basically want postcards.. so.. yeah. That's the news for the week.

Elder Austin Bergera
Madagascar Antananarivo Mission
BP 5094
Antananarivo 101
Madagascar

^ I'll just put that there.^

Anyway, scam over. 
So how are you all doing? I'm doing good. This week has been a good one for sure. The pizza place buy our house moved locations... to be even closer to the house! haha, so it's pretty sweet. Also, Casa Pizza started making even more things than just pizza. They have one thing called.. well I don't remember.. it was french, but pretty much it is a ball of rice and loaka (the stuff they put on rice) and then deep fried into a ball of deep fried rice ball. It's sort of like America meets Madagascar in the culinary perspective. I'll try to take a picture of this little piece of wonder soon.
Other than that.. let's see.. Well I gave a talk in church yesterday! It was my first time giving a talk in Malagasy, so that sure was something. I really enjoyed it though, and it didn't seem too difficult. Like, it just felt like i was teaching a lesson at an investigators house, but just to a really big family, haha. Now, as far as how well I did? I'm not sure, but they seemed to understand it, haha. Fr. Fetra even quoted something I said in his priesthood quorum lesson, so I suppose that is a good sign. For some reason branch I am in now likes to have missionaries talk a lot more than my first branch did. It seems like about once a month now, but Marsh and I have already decided that next month will be Marsh's turn. It'll be good for him.
Sorry, no new pictures this week. I slacked pretty hard in picture taking this week, but don't worry. I am going into this week with a fresh new commitment to take as many pictures as I can. 
Kong Yen hasn't been baptized yet. He had to go out pretty far away recently to go do rice stuff, I am not exactly sure. Whether it was actually working the rice or what, I am not sure. But he should be back this week, and we'll give him baptism date for sure. I have also set up a time this week to go work with a lady to has been a member in our area for a really long time. Now really long here in Madagascar basically means 10 years or over. If you find people who were members back in the 90's... dang. That's pretty good. The church is still way new here. One thing our new President Adams said is that we are like the Pioneers of missionary work here in the country. It's just way new still, and one day he thinks it'll be as big as Brazil. But yeah, I am were with a member and I am going to start trying to visit a lot of less actives. Cause we have to support the members that we have before we try to get new ones! It's good though. It's way good. 
Today we are going to try and go to the 'Croc Guy.' The Croc guy is a guy who will actually bind books in crocodile skin. I ordered a mini book of mormon through the office, and once it gets here I will take it to this guy and get that baby croc skinned. It should be pretty cool. Other than that though, I don't expect this p-day too be super duper uper guper exciting. I need to buy new pants though, like jean pants, cause this one has a big rip down the crotch, haha. I have been wearing them for about a month like this, which sounds bad, but that really actually means like 4 days (mondays). So yeah, I'll go buy some more pants. 
Oh yeah, you asked what you will call us teenagers once we come back, for we will no longer be teenagers. We already had that covered. You can call us 'The Treefort Gang.'
So.. .other than all those things I don't really know what else to talk about. Things are still good. I still haven't lost a lot of weight like I thought I would. I am getting close to filling up my second journal (which leaves two to go, haha thanks Brittany), and my hair is still short!
Well I will catch you all next week! Transfers are next week, but I imagine I'll be staying here for a while longer.

I love y'all.
Elder 'Tapioca Puddin' Bergera

PS Marsh and I have been making some sweet tapioca pudding lately.