I love my little sister Lucy!

Salama indray!

This week, without a doubt, has probably been THE craziest week in all of my time in Fort Dauphin. I went on an exchange with Elder Manning, one of the zone leaders. He told me about how his companion had to go see the doctor, and while he was there he got a lecture from the doctor to go and get worm pills. The pills kill worms going around inside your body, especially the digestive system. I took those pills and will be taking them again soon, but the doctor actually told us that you don't just get worms in Fort D, but you can get them anywhere around the world. I got to teach her a little bit of truth to her, since she skeptically questioned the church's position of missionary attire and shoewear, saying ''Your orginazation's policy is ridiculous with shoes. Jesus wore flip-flops! Why don't you? You 19 20 year old men can be changing entire organizations if you just say something!''. I told her that the prophet recieves revelation from god and that we cannot change what God wants for us, but we can change ourselves to his will so that he can bless us. Hehe...She was a little more convinced after that! I will always stand up for what I know to be true!!!

On several occasions this week, we've had some unwanted pests coming into our home and into our lives where we don't want them. One of those things was figuring out out this week that one of the toes in my right foot became the home of a flea nesting and laying eggs. From outside, it looked like a blister about the size of a jelly bean on the side. It hurt. After doing some further inspection, I saw the flea inside and told my companion, after which he (bless his soul) did a little operation on my foot with a sewing needle and removed the momma flea and it's many eggs along with it. It hurt a little bit XD but no baby fleas so far, so that's good. On another occasion, we caught a long worm in the act of traversing the bathroom floor heading for our water supply containers that we use to take showers (since about 99% of the time there is 0 water XD). We fed it to the ants. Lots of ants in the house; Why should I even mention flies?

Well, on that bright and happy note, We were pleased to baptise a Frere Richardin this past saturday. What a great experience it was! I enjoyed playing the piano as always and connecting with the people. We, as a companionship however, went through a lot of trouble to get the font filled. The water pipe that supplied our church building with water busted wide open, which was a sign that we needed to get another source of water. So, we took our water containers and spent the next 2 hours getting water from our houses to the font. Normally, when we get water for the font, we just tape a tube from the sacrament room faucet to the font, which is already bizzare to begin with. But since the water pipe blew, we couldn't get water that day. Please pray for us so that we can have water!!

Electricity was also a seldom-found privelege this week, but hey! I got to use it!

Now, I would like to discuss something that I hold dear to me. I would just like to take a moment and express my boundless love for my favorite little sister, Lucy. I remember about 5 years ago today, I couldn't concentrate at school all day long because my mom was giving birth to her. I was afraid that something would go wrong or that something would be wrong with Lucy. Thankfully, Lucy was born on September 30th, 2014 around 3:30 PM. She had to come home with an oxygen mask since her lungs were still kind of sick. I will never remember how I had come to Fort Collins to see my newborn sister, and the saddness that stabbed me like a sword in knowing I couldn't hold her yet (the doctor couldn't allow anyone sick in the intensive care unit; I was sick with a cold). I cried the whole way home, and about a week and a half or so later, I got to hold my precious sister for the first time. Now, she is a magnificent, beautiful, brilliant redhead 5 year old who is reading and learning and loving! As a brother, I feel blessed beyond words to have her as my sister. Happy birthday, Lucy. I love you so much. Thank you for being the amazing girl that I know you are, and that you will yet be!

Until next time my friends,

Elder Johnson

Every picture David takes of the children in Mada melts my heart! 

 David says that this was how they filled up the baptismal font. This is the faucet from the sacrament prep room.

 This happens everytime there is a baptism, a complete set up and take down of the baptismal font.  David had to carry the water to fill the font.  

 David loves his little sister! 

 Dinner?  Make me chicken nuggets David!

 This picture makes David look like a giant in comparison to the people behind him!

Blessing the sacrament in Malagasy for the first time!

Akory kahè!

We got almost no sunshine this week! It was very cloudy all week long, and I was wearing my raincoat a lot this past week. I miss the rain! It is so great to feel the drops fall on my face after 4+ months of NONE! 

This past week, I gave a lesson in district meeting about the gift of tongues and Chapter 7 in Preach my Gospel in the Malagasy language. Yes, I only spoke in Malagasy during those 2 hours with only added portions of english that substituted words I didn't know, which for me is a huge mile marker. The gift of tongues is not a foreign concept; it is a gift acquired from god when we diligently learn the language of a certain nation (i.e Russian, Cambodian, Chinese, ect). Getting that gift is like a workout. The muscles in your body are worked out and stressed and torn during the workout, and after a couple of days of rest, the muscles are restored with a little bit more strength added to it than before. Keep that process going, and you got one strong person in the long run. Speaking in the context of the gift of tongues, we must use what we know and stretch and sometimes (if not always) succumb to the fact that we don't know everything! But, as we go forth and keep growing in our language we are learning, we will become as what malagasies call "mahay" (Talented)! That rule can be applied for pretty much any concept (except maybe for eating; I've eaten ridiculous amounts of rice each day for almost a year now and I still have my "moments" XD)

Yesterday, I had a great experience and privilege to bless the sacrament bread in the malagasy language. I counted it a great privilege and it brought me back so many sweet memories of my blessing the sacrament in the english language back in america. It also reminded me of the importance of worthiness. Take your average priest that is still in highschool and picture him blessing the bread, saying "Andriamanitra, Ray Mandrakizay O, mangataka anao izahay, amin'ny anaran'i zanakao, Jesoa Kristy, hitahy sy hanamasina ity mofo ity..." He is blessing that bread with the same mouth that was talking to his mother last week with, the same mouth he was using on the soccer field, on the phone with his friends, and at school; How important is the sacrament? Crucial. How much more important is it for the priest blessing the sacrament to be worthy to bless it to help others receive this important ordinance? I would say it's even a little more important, if not really important. Would Jesus greet his disciples saying, "Yo, what's up, homey?" Would he use that same language blessing the bread and water? Absolutely not. If he didn't then, what would give any priest the temptation to even consider blessing the sacrament with a mouth he may have been using to impress his friends with in the locker room, behind the wheel, and watching television? None. I hope that this can properly illustrate how important I think this is to me personally. Blessing the sacrament in the beautiful african language I get to speak brought me a sense of respect to the lord deeper than before. I know that it is so important to be worthy for anything in the temple and the sacrament, but remember that "Even if you aren't worthy, it doesn't ever make you worthless" (Unknown). Remember, "Be ye therefore perfect - eventually." (Jeffery R; Holland)

I know that this church is true. I love it's teachings. I love Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father so much. And I love you all too. Have a great rest of this coming week!

Love,

Elder Johnson

Malachi 4

Soa avao iareo? 

Yep, I just started my email with an antandroy question: Are you all still good?

This week was good as always. I have come to realise that I have learned so much more on my mission than I thought. This past week, I made an interesting discovery. The word Famindram-po in malagasy means Mercy, and derives from the words Famindrana and fo. Famindrana is the noun form of the word mamindra, meaning to transplant or to move, and fo means heart. Put the two words together, and it makes mercy. As I was pondering on this, Malachi chapter 3 came into mind and I was reminded that god would plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to their fathers, and the hearts of the children would turn to their fathers. What an amazing promise! I remember the promise that god gave to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob that they would be fathers of numberless children, of which we are. i am eternally grateful for that promise.

Jesus is made of mercy. It is said in the scriptures that when he was contemplating the sudden and unfortunate execution of his cousin, John the Baptist, he saw a crowd of over 5,000 people following him hungry and weary, and it gives the wording that his heart was moved with compassion for them. Mercy me! I feel that same feeling when I see someone struggling in their lives, striving their best to please the lord. Often I have been constrained to act on these prompings. One example came a couple of weeks ago when I saw 2 children sound asleep with no blankets or pillows under the shadow of our church building on the pavement. It made my heartstrings play Lindsey Stirling. It was more than just a movement of compassion; I felt more of like a tsunami of love wash over me seeing those poor african kids. Have any of you felt this love for someone else in your lives? Can you relate? Think about it.

I am doing fantastic, the work is going great, things have been looking up for us in the tanambao branch. Yesterday we had around 60 people come to church. Incredible! At the lowest part of this branchs history, we had only around 20 or so come. A contrast indeed.

Brothers and Sisters, the truthfulness of this church rests deep in my heart like the remains of the titanic sits at the bottom of the atlantic ocean. Nothing will change it, save it be my own action. I know firmer than a diamond floor that the book of mormon is true and that the unlocking of this dispensation by the keys of Mercy has allowed us to remember the promises that were made to our fathers and in return open up the way for our fathers to turn with a desire hotter than the sun in their hearts to follow in our foot steps and go on to the way of salvation. This is the Church of Jesus Christ, and the gates of hell don't dare step foot on the welcome mat that sits up front.

I love you all. I hope that this past week was good for you and that this next week will give you better experiences for the trials coming in your life.

Love,

Elder Johnson

Yes, I was visiting a member in the hospital who had just gotten out of surgery. Poor thing. I wouldn't even want to sleep in that place for 2 minutes. Too sketchy!