Marriage, 10 in. Worm, & Recognizing Truth

Hello,

This last Sunday we had some really good new investigators come to church for the first time. We are excited to see what these people start to do. The biggest concern is people not being legally married. Everyone that comes to church and wants to be baptized still has not been to the commune. It is very difficult to get married here in Mada.

Big event that has happened this week is one of the guys in my house just pooped out a ten and a half inch worm so I am a little bit discouraged at the moment. The other day I slept with duck tape on my butt... I think I am good.

My spiritual thought for the week is based on how we can recognize truth or whether something like a principle, theory, or belief is a good/true seed. Alma 32:27-28: This whole chapter is brilliant!  But I like to focus on these two verses. It starts off with the scientific method of discovery; A hypothesis. It states that you should experiment upon the word. A hypothesis is usually stated in positive terms which means you are trying to prove something but not disprove it. Aspect of a hypothesis: observations, experiments, collecting results, conclusions, and then taking those back to the hypothesis. This is when you present a truth such as, "the Book of Mormon is true" or "God is there and wants us to know it" then you test that truth.

Verse 28 describes reactions or results to experimenting upon truth. If something be a good/true seed then you will experience one of four things. First: Swelling in the breast. Which is a physical reaction to truth. You will feel something. which the scriptures state is the spirit. If you have a hard time with that then maybe the second one works better for you. Enlarging of one's soul. This is an effect on ones attributes. In other words it makes you a better person. You know whether something is a good seed because as you experiment on it and apply it in your life you become better. Third: enlightening of one's mind. This is an intellectual response to truth. It will make sense to you or answer some questions you may have. Fourth: It will be delicious to you. meaning you don't have to choke it down. It is appealing.

All of these are responses you may recognize as you experiment upon a truth.
This references to a study by Mark Wilcox.

Sincerely,
Elder Allen

cute puppies

public restroom in Mada 

Toilet: his shoulders were touching the walls walking in and he  had to back up to get out.

Elder Shelby, Elder Mpanao, Elder Allen

Elder Mpanao is a member named Dimby who goes around teaching with them and had his own missionary tag made. Cute. 

View from the hike: The reason it is called Ft. Dauphin; the dolphin tale.

 

Carrot: he took a picture of it because he thought it looked like Spike from the Gremlins.

It was Really Good Looking.

Hello,

We had another pretty good week here in Fort D. We have had a lot of full and busy days. This last week a new investigator named Desire came to church. He is such a good guy. He is funny, and married, with a little boy. Not married to a little boy... but married to a nice lady named Amon and they have a little boy named Ason. They are very smart and actually read the stuff we give them. And they understand the importance of it all.  Elder Shelby and I are working really hard and really well together and finding much success which is keeping us very busy.

The other day our water was cut,  so I showered out of a bucket. I filled a big bucket from our well outside and then crouched next to it with a cup to pour it over my head. I hope our water doesn't get cut again.  The living conditions are a lot harder here than in California.  Makes it interesting.

Also, the other night I went to pour myself some cereal when a lizard dropped out of my box landing into my bowl. I was pretty bummed at first but then just ate my cereal anyways.

This P-Day we hiked the mountain next to our house. It is the highest peak in Fort D. We went with some Malagasies because it is illegal for Vazahas to go alone. Apparently, some Vazahas were killed by bandits once while hiking the mountain. It was really good looking.  (I think Sam has forgotten how to speak English...the hike was "good looking"???  I think he means the view was awesome!)

Hike to Peak St. Louis

Sincerely,
Elder Allen

Housemates: Elder Shelby, Wolfgram, Hunter

Cooking their own food

Public restrooms

Typical Malagasy yard

Beautiful Ocean Pics

Streets of Ft. Dauphin

Playing on the beach

As if it had Nothing Else in the Universe to Do."

Hello,

I have been blessed with the opportunity to go to Fort D.  Last week while Elder Modisakeng and I were working, we get a call from the APs who said, "Elder Allen go home, pack your bags, and wait for president there. He will pick you up and take you to the airport tomorrow. You are going to Fort D."  I am way stoked. I just feel bad about leaving my area of Ambohibio.  This is the second time just bouncing  without telling them or saying goodbye.

I have been here for a couple of days now and it is a beautiful place. The people are super nice and cool. The beach and mountains are breath taking. However, the language they speak sounds foreign and the house we live in is the worst. I am starting to learn a little bit of their dialect. I can still talk to people just fine, but sometimes i just can't understand what they say. We are looking for a new house to move into because this one just sucks.

My new companion is Elder Shelby from American Fork Utah. He is a lovely companion, great guy. He used to work in this area we are in which is called Tanambao before the evacuation. We live in the house with 4 other missionaries.  More areas are opening up this week.  We have almost half of the missionaries back.  There are 36 in the country now and there should be 8-10 more arriving this week.

Here is a quote that I love from Galileo, "The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent upon it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do."
Why then should I doubt God's power? The universe with all that order is a testimony to me that it is governed by an all knowing and all loving Father in Heaven.

Sincerely,
Elder Allen

Elder Allen, Shelby, Jakins, Monson.

 

New Comp Elder Shelby

Ft. Dauphin House with US Ambassador Robert t. Yamate.  

Elders Allem, Wolfgram, Jackson, Monson, Hunter, Shelby.

With US ambassador Robert T. Yamate

Sam in beautiful Ft. Dauphin.  

He says the house is old and everything is broken, but he lives right on the beach so he is "stoked"!

It has been very rainy in Ft. Dauphin

Ft. Dauphin

Indian Ocean

Elder Lebresko

This Week has been Sweet

Hello,

This week has been sweet. We made it into our new/old area Ambohibao.  Elder Modisakeng and I are new companions. My new comp is from South Africa and he also used to work in Ambohibao. The first day we were back we visited a member named Fetra who used to go around and work with us. He actually was leaving on his mission that night to somewhere in Africa. We were excited to catch him before he left.

We have been trying to build up a schedule and decided to visit old investigators. I wanted to stop by Tsizanaka and Lalao who before I left were both on date to be baptized, and came to church every week, and had finished learning all of the lessons. When we visited them they were happy to see us and invited us into their home. I began to ask them what had been going on while I was gone and if they still went to church. They told us that their old pastor stopped by after we left and told them to go back to where they used to pray and then they told us that they could not go to our church anymore because their Pastor forbid it. What they told me broke my heart. For some reason at that moment I could not hold back tears. I started crying right in front of them and asked to see their Book of Mormon. I began to testify to them how important that Book is and how they were just deciding not to receive all the blessings that it offered. I was so disappointed in the lack of conversing with the Lord that they had done when making the decision to drop everything I had taught them. Before I left I committed them to read the Book of Mormon and to ask God sincerely the things he would have them do. We will be returning next week.

Speaking Malagasy has been great. At first I stumbled a little with it because of lack of practice but I am quickly remembering the things I used to say before I left. I have definitely been blessed with the gift of tongues this past week. I started to stop thinking about how to say things and just spoke. It always turned out perfectly clear. I am thankful to be back in Madagascar.

Sincerely,
Elder Allen

Sam got to help pick up 17 more missionaries last week from the airport.  There are now a total of 25 missionaries in Madagascar.  There will be more missionaries arriving this week.