Last MTC Letter

Hello,
I am headed out to Madagascar on Monday. I have 53 hours of flying. I am pretty stoked to be out there. I can speak with and kind of understand my Malagasy Teachers, but the other day they showed us a recording of what native Malagasy's sound like and i could barely understand a single word. Hopefully it will come quickly when i get out there.

I am blessed to have this opportunity to go do service for two years. I have learned a lot about service over the last month and have come to realize that it is the purest form of love and compassion. It resembles Christ like character. I hope that I can be a source of light and understanding to the people in Madagascar. I hope they will feel the love and awareness that their Heavenly Father has for them as they pursue him themselves.

I have been thinking about the concept of Agency lately. This means we have the freedom to make our own choices. When we go through hardships or trials we cannot expect help without asking for it. God will stand back, obeying the Law of Agency until we ask for help, so we need to ask. As a missionary, I am not the source that converts a person to believe something. The information that I share is not the key to the heart, it is only the package. I have to leave this package on the doorsteps. For it is up to that person and their Free Agency to let it in. But the only way that is possible is with the key. That key is the Holy Ghost. No one can be convinced of such crazy sounding things that are so far from our understanding without God and the Spirit of truth confirming it to you. That is why one of the greatest commandments we have is to "Ask". The power of prayer is real. We must pray ever day, the more you humble yourself to him the more of a hand he can have in your life. We do not have to think we are on our own. God loves us and wants us to reach out to him. So why not take advantage of his help. If you do you will see a difference in your life.

Love,

Elder Allen