Prepare Ourselves for Eternal Joy

Hello,

The work here has been pretty good lately. We have been teaching a lot more lessons and visiting members. It has been great. We still do not get a lot of people at church except for Seta Pierre and his daughter Jiselle. They should be getting baptized in a couple of weeks.

This next week is probably my last week in Tamatave but I still do not know for sure. I should be leaving Ambolomadinika though. I also hit my year mark on August 3. It has not felt like I have been here for very long but also it does.

I am grateful for the chance I have had to be here and share a message about the Restoration of the Gospel. I am even more thankful for the opportunity I have had to study, ponder, and pray about this gospel myself, everyday for a year. I plan to do that for the rest of my life. Our lives are such a short piece in an eternity. I do not think we have been placed on this earth without a way to know what is required of us during our short time here. There is a purpose to this life and that purpose is to prepare ourselves for eternal joy. It all leans on the things we do whether we receive that joy or not. I do not think God grants it unto us, he only shows us the way to receive it. If we do not follow the way he has prepared for us than we will not get there. For those who feel they still do not know that way I urge you to start searching. God places things here for us to know his will. His tools are Prophets, Scripture, Prayer, the Holy Spirit, and greatest of all his son Jesus Christ. He is the key and center to everything. Through him, from him, because of him, and in the name of him we can come to know all things.
Sincerely,
Elder Allen

"Leave everything behind and follow me."

Hello,

Today we went to a city that was 2 hours north of Tamatave named Foul Pointe.  It was a way cool place.  The ocean water was clear, warm and calm.  Lunch there was  good.  We went to a wooden shack on the beach where a rasta guy and his wife made us rice and fish curry.

We had a good week even though it rained every day and we were walking through flooded water to our ankles.  Two of our investigators (Seta Pier and his wife) are working on getting legally married which is way awesome.  But they are having problems because this time of year everyone is on vacation.  It makes it hard for them to get their papers in order.  So, we have to wait 2 weeks longer than anticipated.  It is all good.  We are just excited and happy that they are working so hard to get it done.


Lately, we have started working in some new parts of our area clear out around the edges to find new people to share the gospel with.  We have been finding a ton of success and hoping for more.


As I have been studying about sacrifice lately, I have realized, God has placed something here for us that can give us the most joy we could ever imagine and that is the fruits of the Gospel. In order to grab a hold of the Gospel it requires us to let go of those other things.  It is like the story of the man who came up to Jesus and asked him, "Why am I not happy? I keep the commandments, I am a good person, and I have all of the things I could desire. Why am I still not happy?" Jesus says to him, "Leave everything behind and follow me." That was hard for the man to do.  That is what I think is required of us at some point. This is the kind of stuff I like to think about. God wants what is best for us. He hopes for us to become the best we can be.  We will have an eternity to progress and become better.  We will be so happy that it won't even feel like it is a sacrifice to us anymore.  That is what has been going on in my crazy brain lately.

Have a good week!
Elder Allen

"singing Let it Be by the Beatles while a drunk Malagasy plays guitar."