Helping Hands for the Cyclone Victims

Gaby, Elder Bird and a little buddy at the leper camp food line. Those glasses were very similar to the bottom of a pop bottle and when he smiled, you could only see one lonely tooth. He refused to smile for the camera, however.

Lunch time in the camp.

Sister Bird got to hold this little guy while his mother went through the food line. He looked so much like Mike Tyson that we nicknamed him Tuffy. He didn't look like he has missed too many meals, but had numerous mosquito bites on his head.

Elder and Sister Bird with Tuffy and some photogenic girls at the tent camp.

Morondava Relief Effort

This food relief effort was our first major project in Madagascar. The Church funded this large food relief program bringing much needed food and mosquito nets to 14,000 homeless cyclone victims. Elders Jack and Peterson worked in the sweltering heat and humidity distributing rice, beans, cooking oil and sugar to the victims of cyclone Fanele in Morondava, a coastal city in western Madagascar.

Elder Peterson and Red Cross volunteers work side by side in the food line of one of the tent camps where we distributed food.

Kids of a tent camp where the homeless victims of the cyclone were housed.

These are some of the poor people in one tent camp waiting their turn in the food line. We were told that most of these people hadn't eaten food in several days. We were almost reduced to tears as we realized the great blessing this food relief effort was to these poor people. This particular camp contained several lepers. The little lady in the center has no fingers on her hands. One lady behind the one with no fingers had a large growth on her neck the size of a softball. Several others were similarly afflicted. We are so blessed to be a part of this effort.

Unspoiled Beach

This was the view from our hotel window, looking out over the Indian Ocean. This is the kind of beach you only dream about. Beautiful white sand, virtually unspoiled by commercialism and tourism. We only saw natives here.

A Malagasy speedboat in the background and a Malagasy yacht in the foreground.

Gaby, Sister Bird and the hotel guard dog enjoy the warm water at the beach.

This fisherman and his wife had just came in from a day out at sea fishing. He was very proud of his day's catch, as you can see. He also made an unexpected income by allowing us to have our pictures taken in his boat. He went his way rejoicing and so did we.

Spactacular Sunsets

This is the sunset we was treated to as we ate dinner and looked out over the Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean.

Avenue Of The Baobabs

This is probably the most famous attraction in all of Madagascar. The extremely rare Grandidier's Baobab tree. It is sometimes called the upside down tree, because the limbs almost look like roots with leaves. There is nine different species of Baobab in the world. One in Africa, one in Australia and seven in Madagascar.

This is what we called the Siamese Baobab. It is sixteen feet across at the base.

The world famous Avenue of the Baobabs is the largest single concentration of this magnificent tree in Madagascar. It is a large tourist attraction.

The Avenue is lined with beautiful lavender flowers.