Week 62 - Ratsy Be ny Pesta

Akory aby! Ino koa ty raha rehafe'areo? Salama soa iraho nefa mbola tsy mahay mirehake Atandroy. Fa miantse avao iraho. I hope you all had a great week! We had a great week. Man, its hard to have a bad week when you get to suit up and go play for God's team each day. The work is going great. We continue to find people who are ready to receive the Gospel. We have many investigators progressing well and exercising their faith to follow and live the Restored Gospel. Even though that may mean quitting smoking or drinking; or getting legally married before waiting to buy a cow and have a big celebration for the wedding (cultural thing here in Madagascar). It has been great to work with and get to know so many great people here in Fort Dauphin. A highlight from this past week was definitely General Conference. We were able to watch all the sessions yesterday and it was great! One of the biggest messages I got out of conference, is the lessons on what we need to do to keep our testimonies alive. Stephen W. Owen in the Saturday Afternoon session told a story of a missionary who bore testimony to his mission president and after he was done his president said this, " You can forget or deny all that you have testified of in a few months if you do not keep doing what you did to first gain your testimony." I loved that little quote. It is so true and at the same time a little scary. We must continually feed our testimony through church and temple attendance, scripture study, daily prayer, and repentance and faith in God. Russell M. Nelson said, "I love to hear when people say that they know the Book of Mormon is true. That's nice, but its not enough! We must feel deeply about The Book of Mormon, like we cant live a day without it." Elder Callister's talk on the Book of Mormon was a highlight for me also. He talked about how "the source of the Book of Mormon is revelation but not brilliance." Saying Joseph Smith could in no way write that book on his own knowledge and skills. I know that what these two leaders taught about the Book of Mormon is true and that it is the keystone of our testimony of Christ. I know that it is true. It has brought me closer to Christ and I have seen it do the same for others. There's no way possible that a lie could help so many people follow the Savior and change their lives for good. I know reading The Book of Mormon each day is vital to our staying on the pathway to God. That path leads toward being perfected in Christ...eventually, as Jeffrey R. Holland spoke about. I loved the story he shared about the Priest who was criticized by someone for not living as he should. The Priest replied, "If I know the way home but am walking along it drunkenly, is it any less the right way simply because I am staggering from side to side?" We all come short of the Glory of God and we all stagger from side to side on that way back to Him. But I know that through the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ we can one day be perfected in Him. As we strive our very best to live the teachings of prophets in the Book of Mormon and the Bible and as we follow our living prophets and apostles, no matter how much we may stagger from side to side, I know we will make it home. They teach of Christ and Heavenly Father and they lead us to Them. I hope you all have a great week! Veloma!

 Last P-day we went to a cool beach. Some kids followed us around, like always, so that was fun haha. 

 A pic of a returned Malagasy missionary's tag. Their names are so long hahaha.

 Nari is a returned missionary in our branch. He is Sunday School President but moved to Tana this week, so we said goodbye.

 Our conference set up yesterday. Borrowed one of the Branch President's laptops and watched it in our apartment. It was a great conference!

​A pic of 6 out of the 8 of our zone at dinner the other night. This place is owned by a French guy here and it is way good!

Week 61 - Ndao Handroso Hatrany Hanao Ny Asan'ny Tompo

Akory aby!! Hope all of you had a great week! I have heard General Conference was great and we are looking forward to watching it this week! This week was a great week for us. The work is going great here in Tanambao, Fort Dauphin. We teach tons of awesome families and people and it makes the weeks fly by, sometimes a little too fast. I love the branch and people here in Fort Dauphin! I have gotten to know all the members of our little branch here very well these last 7 months or so that I have been here. They are all amazing people. I want to share a little story and experience about one of my favorite members, Josette. Josette is a single mother of three kids. Her oldest son, Mirant, is our branch clerk and he is 18 years old. She has another son and daughter that are in the primary and they are just one of those families that you know already has a spot reserved for them in the Celestial Kingdom..at least in my eyes. They have had a great impact on me and have quite honestly changed my life. I will never forget them as I long as I live. They are poor. What else can you expect of a single mother in a third world country who also fulfills all her callings in the Relief Society Presidency by visiting members and less actives.  Most of the time she seems to do this all by herself. The oldest son, Mirant, was mugged, beaten, and robbed a few months ago on his way home from doing his branch calling, one night. They don't have it easy but they are at church every week. They visit people and help us every week and they are just the definition of putting the Lord first. I was talking to Josette not too long ago. She was telling me how she visited an investigator that hasn't been able to be baptized because they are saving money to be married legally. She told me they had some money and stuff saved and were so close but then they had to buy food for them and some other family. Josette then told me that she said to them, "You bought food? You are so close to getting married and then one day you can go to the temple! You can eat later! Just fast and save money and then eat later." I thought I was going to cry as I heard these words come out of Josette's mouth. I can't even believe the faith of Josette. I don't even want to know how many times her and her family have gone hungry because of her fulfilling her calling or visiting people and so she wasn't able to sell enough eggs that day. Man, you sometimes think you have it hard and then you hear a story like this. Josette has changed my life. This week I read the scriptures 3rd Nephi 13 verses 31 through 33. It says something along the lines of this: "Do not think but what will we eat? or What will we drink? or What will we wear? For your Father In Heaven knows you have needs of these things. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and these things shall be added unto you." Whenever I hear or read these verses I will always think of Josette. I can't wait to see the blessings and mansions prepared for her in heaven. Let us all seek first the Kingdom of God and put the Savior first. I hope you all have a great week! Veloma!

Pic of our area on a cloudy day. 

 These three little girls sell peanuts and bagedas (kind of like sweet potatoes) at the bus stop and we talk to them as we wait for the bus to go to Mbola's house on Saturdays. 

 Some kids of a family we teach! They are awesome!!

A pic of our church building from the path we walk on to get to church each Sunday! Hard to beat that 2 minute walk to church!!

Pic of our new house. We live on the top floor! It is a really nice place! 

Week 60 - Tsinai-pia

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.

Week 59 - Ataovy Dimy

Salama y'all. I hope you all had a great week. First off, I received news that I will not be leaving paradise!!! I am very happy to say the least! I will be here my 5th transfer and my 4th with Elder Shelby. It is great and we will hopefully be seeing some great families baptized this coming transfer! I could not be happier!! We had a sweet p-day activity today so I don't have much time, so this may be a short little email. I will let the pictures do the talking for the p-day activity. Basically, just gotta go on a nice hike in ParadisaGasy. This week we were able to have a great District Conference with President and Sister Foote also. It is always great having them in town! We had a cool experience this week that I would like to share. Monday nights, we usually have dinner and family home evening with one of the Branch Presidents. But our dinner was cancelled late notice, so it left us with a night we had no program or lessons set up. So Elder Shelby and I decided to go visit a less active family and we shared a lesson with them and it was great. As we were closing the lesson, I looked at my watch and realized it still wasn't too late. I didn't know who to visit though. There were no members or less actives that lived close by and it was late enough that most Malagasies would think you were crazy or trying to rob them if you knocked on their door. But I felt something tell me to go to this family we tracted into a while ago...but this family wasnt exactly the most warm-welcoming last time as they just said they didn't have time and we could come back another time. Most of the time that is the Malagasies way of saying I want nothing to do with you get out of my house haha. But I still felt that we should go there. I thought to myself that it was just me and that I was wanting to be a good missionary and not go home and that nothing would come of it. So I just kept thinking of others we could visit. We left the house of the less actives we had visited and we started walking. We walked one step past the house I was prompted to go back to and I just stopped and said let's try these guys. So we did. They were home. The husband didn't seem too happy to see us again but they let us in and we had a very great lesson and are visiting them again this week. When we got out Elder Shelby told me that if I didnt say something he was about to say we should visit that house again too. I knew then that it was the Spirit. I dont know if this family is going to be baptized or anything but I am so grateful to be able to have the guidance of the Spirit in our lives. I heard a quote and I don't know who said it but it was this, "Follow all the promptings you have until you can tell they are not from the Spirit." I always remember that when I have thoughts or feelings to do something that might be weird and I tell myself that it is just my own thoughts. I know the Spirit is real. How blessed we are as members of the church to be given such an amazing gift that can help us in all aspects of our lives. We must always strive to live worthy of this great gift so we may be blessed by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I hope you all have a great week!!! I will be enjoying my time in paradise. Sorry if the pics make you jealous :) Veloma!! 

 Pics from lemur park last pday! We were allowed to use bananas to lure the lemurs but not allowed to let them eat them haha so there is an awkward pic of me smiling while fighting the lemur for the banana. 

Emma's baptism pics! It was a great baptism!!! 

Week 58 - Ny Sorompanavotana' i Jesoa Kristy

Akory aby! Hope you all are doing well and it was a great week! This was a good week for us! A few sad moments this week as our investigators that were preparing for baptism this Saturday were not able to get vita soratra (legally married). That was sad but I know they will be baptized one day!! We do have a baptism coming up this week! Emma will be baptized! She is a twenty-year-old girl and the cousin of our Young Mens' President who is also the Institute teacher who is also a recent convert. He is a baller. But anyways Emma is a stud like him, so we are pumped to see her baptized! I know she will help this branch a lot!! This week I thought a lot about the Atonement of Christ. One thing that amazes me is how little other churches teach about the Atonement. We will teach members of other churches and lots of them know very little or nothing about the Atonement. They know Christ died for us but it seems as though that's all they believe or know. It makes us sad when people don't know what the Atonement means for us and how many blessings it allows us to receive. There are 3 scriptures that I read this week that really made me think about the Atonement. The first one is Alma 37 verse 46. (I don't have my scriptures and this computer is too slow for me to switch pages and copy and paste. I am sorry you will have to read them on your own haha). This scripture talks about how the way is prepared for us and if we will look we might live. Then in Omni 1 verse 26 there is a line that says "partake of His salvation." I love the Malagasy translation of this as it translates to "handraisanareo anjara aminy famonjeny." It literally translates to take responsibility in His salvation. These two scriptures stood out a lot to me. The Atonement is done. Vita. Check it off the list. It's finished. Eternal life, happiness, peace, living with God and our families for Eternity is all prepared for us. It is all there. Heavenly Father and Christ are now just telling us to go get it. The path is there and Christ has done everything for us so that we can receive all that God has prepared for us. But we need to partake of His salvation. We need to take responsibility and do what we need to, to receive it. Christ suffered, died, and rose again for us so that we, sinners, can receive such great blessings. But it doesn't just come to us. Christ didn't just suffer and die for us so that we could be lazy and not follow Him and still get all that. No, He did all that and prepared the path. And then He showed us that path and has given us all we need to go and stay on that path. But He cant drag us down that path. We need to do our very best and when our best comes short then He takes care of it. But it has to be our very best. I had a seminary teacher tell us that everyone in this life gets what they desire. That is so true. Hopefully our first and foremost desire is Eternal Life and following the Savior. If it is, then we know we will do anything to get and do that. If our desire is to go win a state championship, we are gonna work our tails off and practice more than everyone else. And if our desire is to follow the Savior, we are gonna work our tails off and follow Him. Then the last scripture is in Moroni 10 verses 32 and 33.

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

(Hey that copy and paste worked, #churchistrue.) Christ prepared the path and He calls for us to walk with Him and follow Him. As we give all we have to the Lord, He will perfect us. He doesn't ask for us to be perfect but He asks us to give our very best. There is a quote by Gordon B Hinckley if I am not wrong, sorry if its not his quote. He said, "All we have to do is try, but you REALLY have to try!!"  I know that is true. The Atonement is done. We just need to follow Christ and keep His commandments and do our part. I know that through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we can follow Him and do all that is required of us to receive the blessings of the Atonement. I hope you all have a great week!! A day without repentance is a day wasted :) Veloma! Mazotoa.

 Our dinner with President Danielson. He came to the other missionaries house this time haha we made sloppy joes. His daughter wasnt the biggest fan.

 A bunch of little kids ran up to me asking for help and led me to this poor kid whose older brother tied him to a fence. He was crying and I told him I would let him go but I had to take a picture first haha...older brothers are jerks. At least I never tied you to a fence Brax haha.

 Dorgivier's mom wanted a pic with me haha. She is awesome and will be baptized in a few weeks! Sadly I wont get to see it.

  Some nice Malagasy bathtubs.

 A selfie with all the kids in Mbola's house for our lesson with them! Thats only the kids that were in the lesson! haha.

 And a kid at Mbolas that wanted a pic!

 This fruit is the fruit from the baobab trees. The ones Madagascar is famous for!  Btw the fruit was nasty. It was way sour and just weird haha

Mbola's brother wanted a pic with us and it was way windy ha.