Leading a Sistrict

Hello,

The transfer has come to a close and new big things are coming forth. I am staying in the Solemint ward with my current companion Elder Peters who is still waiting for a visa to go to India. However we are going to take over Mint Canyons area, the ward, and the missionary work. Now we have two areas and two wards to cover which should give us lots to do. I have also been called to be the new District Leader over a "Sistrict". (That is a district of all girls (sisters) except for us. )  That should be fun and only positive!!! ;)

I am excited for the opportunity to work harder. Hard Work is what makes the mission worth it. Keep me in your prayers though... so i don't screw things up.

Christmas is coming in hot, and now that we are a part of two wards we should be fed more than ever! The holidays are the best time of year, but the worst for missionary work. No one likes to meet with you or is even in town during the holidays. I am excited for January because nothing goes on in January.

Remember Jesus is your friend not just a trend.

Sincerely,
Elder Allen

Fires in Hollywood!

Elder Peter's Ugly Christmas Shirt!

Madagascar's Independence Day

Hello,

This last week was the end of the Transfer. Elder Olsen left to Tana last Saturday, so I was on splits going around with the other Elders in my house for the weekend. My new companion is Elder Beeson.  He was in my MTC group so it should be fun.  He is from Missouri.  I am still the district leader for this area.

It was Madagascar's Independence Day yesterday so for the past three days we have had a curfew to be home before 6 every night. The Malagasies go crazy on holidays. Yesterday there was not much we could do because every business was closed, so we just played soccer all morning on the beach,  and then played games at the other missionaries' house until 6. There have been big festivals, concerts, and fairs here so we walked through those and then ate at a good restaurant too. It was a fun/chill P-day.

There have been  a lot of holidays during this last transfer, so a lot of people did not come to church every week, especially investigators, which sucked. We plan on working pretty hard this transfer to turn things around. We are going to have to do a lot of finding at the moment.

I will hit my year mark this transfer.  August 3  is when I went into the MTC.  But Sept. 14th was when I first came to Madagascar.  But I will most likely be coming home next year in the middle of July.  So no matter how you look at it, I have one year left!

This mission is still going great!!

Next Week,
Elder Allen

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