We recently bought a big tablecloth

We recently bought a ‘huge’ table cloth and napkins, big enough for our dining room table at home! 

There is a guy in one of the Wards here in Tana who embroiders table cloths and sells them.  One day he and his two sons came by the Mission Office to see if they could sell something.  He had several things that he had made with him, and he does was really nice work, so we ordered a Big table cloth with 18 napkins from him.  We paid him half so that he could go and buy the supplies, and he said that he would bring it back, all done, in two weeks.  It has lots of little Malagasy people on it, it turned out really nice.  He does all of the work, himself, and it is all “hand” embroidery.  

This guy's legs don’t work at all and he gets around in a wheelchair.  He has rigged him up a wheelchair like some of the para-olympians use.  He ‘peddles’ with his arms.   

 

We have since found out that he lives a long ways from the Mission Office, about five miles,  but his two sons came with him to help push up the hills,  as they help him get around.  Tana is built on lots of hills, so everything is either up or down, with very little flat ground.  I can’t even imagine what it took for him to get to the office.  When he got to the office he would get out of his chair, sit on the ground and drag his bottom and legs into the office by pulling and walking with his hands.

A month or two later we saw him and his family at Stake Conference.  He certainly doesn’t let his handicap slow him down.  And he always has a big smile on his face.  This is a man that is not going to let his handicap keep him from feeding and taking care of his family.  Another pretty outstanding person here in Madagascar.