Akory aby!! Inona vao vao? Mbola tsy mahay mirehake ve ianareo? It was a great week here in paradise! Fort Dauphin just doesn't disappoint and when the missionary work is going well too it sure is hard to complain! This week was great! We found some great new families and people that are searching to find the truth of the Restoration. It is awesome when you find a new family that is just so prepared to hear the message when you are a missionary. I always wanna just chest bump someone coming out of those lessons man. They are the best. This week I was asked to give a talk about the Book of Mormon in Sacrament. I love teaching about The Book of Mormon especially to investigators. I have grown a love for the scriptures since I have been on my mission. I know they are the word of God and as we read the scriptures we will draw closer to Him and be able to better follow His son, Jesus Christ. As a missionary teaching about The Book of Mormon I have heard it all haha. Just about every reason why that book isn't true. But I have yet to find someone that has told me they have read the book prayed and asked God and then received an answer from Him that it is false. It makes me sad that so many people these days overlook their relationship with God. People are so quick to go to Google and so slow to just sincerely ask God about their questions. One thing that people always say about us when we teach them is that we aren't like other missionaries that come and teach them about their church and the Gospel. They always say "I like your message. You aren't trying to force me to believe this but you are wanting me to ask God." The Malagasy people have a strong faith in God and truly do believe He answers prayers and that is why there are so many baptisms that happen here. I have grown a love for the scriptures and the Gospel in my time here as a missionary. One thing that I have grown a love for too is my relationship with God, my Heavenly Father. You learn a lot of things on a mission that you didn't know before. And many people question you with things that you have never thought about or recognized. Many times I have not known an answer to a certain question or principle, but I always kneel and ask God to help me understand and then I read the scriptures and I have always received an answer. Sometimes those answers require faith and trusting God, but it is an answer. I know the Book of Mormon is true, without a shadow of a doubt. There are no facts or history or websites or groups of people that will change that, only God. I know this is true because I have knelt in prayer and asked my Heavenly Father and He has told me through the Spirit. I know that anyone who TRULY has a desire to follow God and prays to know the truth will find it. Trust God. I am so grateful for the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon and the Bible. The Book of Mormon has taught me more about the Savior and how I can follow Him and that is why it is true. No liar or evil man could have written that book. I know it is of God. I hope all of you will read it and pray to know of the truthfulness. You will find everlasting joy. It will fill your thoughts and mind with teachings of the Savior instead of teachings of why a certain person lied or is false. Focus on the Savior and on God and they will lead you. I hope you all have a great week!! Veloma!
Our group of members and investigators at soccer two Fridays ago.
How Malagasies travel to the capital and other places, they are squished on these huge buses, and sometimes tiny little vans. The people on this were going to be traveling for three days before they arrived.
Last week I thought I was being transferred so I took pics with a bunch of the members and investigators at church haha ended up showing up at church the following week so that was funny.
Pics from our sweet hike to Lokaro last P-day! It was cloudy and not hot, so it was pretty nice day for a hike.
Our guide/investigator, Ronaldin, showing us some carnivorous plants.
More pics from our hike last P-day!!
Me with some random guy from the nearby village. His name was Lambo, which is pig in the Antanosy dialect ha. He followed us until we stopped for lunch and he sold us some oysters which I will send a pic of too. Not the tastiest but thought we would buy from him since he walked so far with us haha.
Some more pics from the hike!
Ronaldin brought his guitar and was playing some Malagasy songs for us!
This has nothing to do with pics but I love Madagascar. Some guy with a bucket of bread with chocolate inside came in to this place we are emailing and I bought one for about a dimes worth in dollars haha. #livingthelife
I am still in Fort D but they added two more missionaries here in Fort D. So me and Elder Shelby moved houses. We now live really close to the church and about 200 or 300 yards from the ocean and can hear it constantly. We live with Elders Salmon and Allen. And they are good cooks so I am pretty happy about the move.
Some pics of the house and the Wall of Remembrance. Any missionary that comes to Fort D gets a nickname and a paper hung up in the house after they are transferred.
