I am Going to Learn A Lot

This has been a good week  for the area of Ambolomadinika. We have been finding alot of cool little families that seem pretty interested in our message.

I am going to learn alot this transfer because i am with a companion that is dying at the end of it. He is a very experienced missionary and really good at the language. I am also a District leader which requires me to conduct meetings, share a lesson, and take reports once a week. I also have to do Baptism Interviews for the missionarys in my district.

Funny Story: The other day my companion and i were talking to our Investigator outside of his house/hut when a chicken completely covered in poop came running out from underneath the house. It must have jumped into a poop bucket in the back. It was way funny to watch the Malagasies notice it, freak out, and then chase it. It smelled way bad.

Nothing much new has happened this week other than that.
Sincerely,
Elder Allen


 Jessica's wedding to come... Sam was there in spirit and in a cardboard cut out... :)

"Don't have a limited view of your potential."

Hi everyone,

The new transfer has begun in Madagascar. We got to see President Foote up here in Tamatave for a Zone Conference. It is always good to see him and feel his spirit. Also I am the new District Leader here in Tamatave for my house.  My new companion is Elder Olsen.  He is from Pleasant Grove.  I knew him from my last area and he is great.

I have been thinking a lot about our potentials as sons and daughters of God. I heard a quote from this last Zone Conference that said, "Don't have a limited view of your potential." I find this statement very applicable to everyone. I know that everyone has a potential bigger than they could even comprehend. This gospel is all centered on the purpose of helping us become like our Heavenly Father who is all knowing and perfect. It is very important to first understand our potential and then second strive to achieve it. The key to this is humility and diligence. If we are humble we can see that there is need for improvement and a possibility to be better. Then, we must work hard to reach that status. This can be applied to anything in our lives that we want to achieve. But the biggest and most important one to strive for is being a disciple of Christ. It is not easy sometimes to reach that potential but it surely is one of the things we can all see is need for improvement in our lives.  Christ surely was perfect. No one here on earth is perfect but everyone should realize that it is there potential and we can strive to become like Him.

Sincerely,
Elder Allen

I Can Feel His Love

Hello,
This week has been wonderful and hard at the same time. I got to speak to my family on Skype which was great.

Also the end of the transfer for us has come and my Companion Elder Wilson is heading to Tana. I am staying in Tamatave and Elder Todd Olsen is coming up to me. It is his last transfer so I am killing him here in Ambolomadinika.  I will probably need to stay for another transfer to show the next guy the area. I love this area though so it is all good. I also lived with Elder Olsen before in my last house so this transfer should be great.

My area is doing pretty good right now. We just had some baptisms so we are kind of in a phase of searching for and finding new investigators. Although, the branch here is really strong and full of really spiritual people.

I have a testimony that there is a God, and that he loves us very much. I know that because I can feel his love and know that every one else can as well when they follow his will. Faith is one of the most important aspects of the Gospel. It is actually the first Principle of it. If you do not have Faith then nothing else matters. There are many people that believe that Faith is believing in things that we cannot know are true. That is false. Faith is a hope for things that are not seen however are true. Also Faith is truly related to a seed. It becomes nothing and sometimes dies if you do not nurture it. If we do not give faith in God a chance and follow it, then we will surely lose it. I know that this is true, I have experienced it myself. It is not good enough to have a simple belief on its own. We must act upon it. I can surely testify that if anyone has a desire to know whether there is a loving Heavenly Father and that he continues to guide his children here on earth today, then you need to try and obey all of his commandments and apply all the principles of the Gospel in your life. Until we do so, we will continue to have doubt and be unsure. But as soon as we do so we will instantly feel the power of his holy spirit in our lives and will not be able to deny the answer that we receive.

Sincerely,
Elder Allen

Elder Wilson and I Baptized 4 Wonderful People

***Thanks to all who sent Sam a Happy Birthday message.  He said that made him so happy when he opened his emails this morning.  His birthday is Saturday so you can still send him a birthday message and he will get it on Sunday when he Skypes for Mother's Day!  

Hello,

This week has been great. Elder Wilson and I baptized 4 wonderful people this last Saturday. I am so grateful for the blessing it was to be a part of that. The baptismal font was full of brown water but what can you do in Madagascar.  We are hoping for a few more baptisms in the next two weeks, but are waiting for them to get legally married.

Last Monday was pretty crazy for Elder Wilson and I. The TukTuk (motorcycle taxi) we were taking home from the store was stopped by a police officer on the road. When he saw us in the back he asked for our passports because we are Vahaza (white). We told him that we did not have them and he made us get out of the Tuk Tuk. We spent the rest of the night trying to prove to the Police that we were not Illegal Aliens.  Someone from the office in Tana had to bring us our passports.  It is all good and cleared up now though.

I have the opportunity to spend my Birthday and Mother's Day Skyping home. I am way stoked to see my family for the second time since I have been out here in Mada. I am nearly coming up onto my year mark. The time has flown by.
Have a good week.
Sincerely,
Elder Allen

Showering  outside during Cyclone Enawo.

Big ugly spiders outside of their house!

Madagascar is Testing and Training Me

Hello,

This week we focused hard on getting our investigators ready for their baptism date. As of right now, we have Augustine and Gorgean ready for this Saturday. I am baptizing Gorgean while Elder Wilson is baptizing Augustine. We are way excited for them. The other three people should be baptized this Saturday as well, but we have not finished their interviews yet. We will wait and see.

This last Sunday was a crazy day. Elder Wilson and I showed up early, thankfully, because when the Bishop saw us he asked who was giving the talk today in Sacrament Meeting. Elder Wilson and I had no idea that one of us had to give a talk. But sure as he was, there on the paper by the Bishop's office the word Misionera for the third talk. I told Wilson that I would do it because he seemed a little bothered that no one had told us. I had to prepare a talk about The Gathering of Israel during the two talks just before me. That was a little stressful but went fine. Right after that, we were told that the Gospel Principles Teacher did not show up so I had to teach that class as well with no notice. My Malagasy is fine and understandable, but things like that keep you on your toes.

Madagascar is testing me and training me for something big, I just know it. Living here in Madagascar has been a crazy experience and one of the hardest things I have ever done. But I am still thankful for it.

Have a good week, and enjoy life.
Sincerely,
Elder Allen

Branch in Tamatava

Walking through "Poop" water