“Twice the Blessings,” Friend, Oct. 2012, 18–19
Twice the Blessings
Meet Sophie and Elodie A. of Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Ten-year-old twin sisters Sophie and Elodie live in Madagascar. That’s a large island off the coast of Africa. Their family has a favorite true story. “The first time my father met with the missionaries, he knew the Church was true,” Elodie says. “He was an instant convert.” Their mother was baptized a few months later.
Before the girls were born, their parents fasted and prayed that they could have a girl. “And instead of one girl, Mama had two,” Sophie says.
It has been twice the blessings ever since!
Sophie and Elodie’s family saved money for three years to travel to the Johannesburg South Africa Temple to be sealed together. They had to travel more than 1,300 miles (2,100 km) and cross the Indian Ocean to get there.
The girls’ mother has a medical clinic next to their home. They help sweep and keep it clean.
In the Madagascar flag, white represents purity, red stands for independence, and green represents hope.
Sophie and Elodie have two cats, and they love to cuddle with them.
Lemurs and chameleons are two animals found in Madagascar.
The twins enjoy family home evening with their two brothers, their niece, and their father and mother.
Photographs of family by Richard M. Romney; other photographs by Craig Dimond © IRI; iStockphoto.com/GlobalP; iStockphoto.com/Lipowski