August 29

August 29, 2016

It has been a week full of ups and downs. We are still spending most of our time trying to find people to teach which is hard some days. Though I'm very optimistic right now. At the beginning of this week I had been feeling kind of down and discouraged. However, Friday morning during personal study I read some encouraging scriptures that had previously helped me back when I was having a hard time in the MTC, and they worked like magic it seemed. Almost immediately I felt comforted and encouraged. I know it was the Holy Ghost.
I can't express how much I've come to love the scriptures particularly the Book of Mormon. It is the foundation of my testimony and a friend when I need it.

On Wednesday there were three wild bulls running around Ambohipo. It was quite the commotion. Lots of people were chasing after them, specifically kids. But every time they stopped or changed directions everybody would scatter to try and get away. I assume some people finally caught them because they aren't running around anymore, and I also didn't hear of anyone getting hurt. I thought it was kind of funny though, because back in Sabotsy Namehana you see cows everyday walking in the street, and it's not a big deal. Apparently those are domestic and the ones on Wednesday are from somewhere on the western side of Madagascar.

Saturday we went out with a bunch of members from multiple wards to the countryside and  helped fix up a school. I spent the whole morning fixing part of the ceiling that had fallen down because I was the tallest person there and could reach the ceiling with just a stool and didn't need a ladder. It was a way neat experience. It was a very last minute organized activity, but it turned out great. I'm starting to realize that anytime there is an organized service project here they just call it Mormon helping hands.

Tahiana is one of our recent converts.

Tahiana came to church on and off for 11 years and had never learned from the missionaries until Deklerk and I started teaching him. He is practically the best recent convert ever. As our Bishop said "It was his time." It is amazing how the Lord prepares people to accept the gospel.

So today we played soccer and I scored two goals. We were playing against one of the wards here (but Malagasies are all pretty good at soccer)! I'm pretty proud of myself. I also bought a camera for 412,920 Ariary today. It took 42 bills!

Well, word of the week  is milaolao tanana which is how you say to fidget here. Literally milaolao means to play and tanana means hands,