This was a crazy week. Just crazy. Lots of interesting stories to tell.
Ponderize scripture of the week: Alma 57:21
So Monday we didn't really do anything other than go to Lac Sacre. We did get our haircuts and the guy was not good at all. Elder Stringfellow and I have no hair. Like at all. Malagasies don't know how to cut hair. But we had our FHE with Fr Abel's family and it was awesome! They still have some work to do but it is getting better. And then after we left we went to Sandratra's house and I lost the phone in a Bajaj. So that was awesome. That was only beginning of the week.
Tuesday morning we went to get a phone. We went in the morning so we could still catch our times. Well it was the easiest phone to buy ever. The asked for ID and so I gave my student ID card from my senior year and they took it! Like it totally worked. They would as about my ID number and stuff and I had no idea what it was and so the lady just said ok whatever, doesn't matter anyway. But then we went to get our old number back and that was a hassle. They wouldn't accept Elder Stringfellow's drivers license so we had to back to the house so I could get a copy of my passport. But we got it all figured out in the end. And then our work day wasn't super great. No one that we went to teach was home. We did a lot of tracting but it didn't really get us any lessons but we did have some interesting experiences. First off, we went and tracted in an area that we haven't really been to yet. We started tracting and ended up knocking on a French guy's house. Well the thing is, that is usually a no go but to our surprise he let us in! I recognized him as a guy that usually goes to the ice cream place that we go to. He told us that he used to own a restaurant in Tomatave (A city on the east coast of Mada, there are missionaries there) and that missionaries would go there all the time, every Thursday. He actually had received a French Book of Mormon in the past and had read it. I don't think he was too impressed with it though. It was also super hard to communicate with him but we managed. He gave us some cold water too so that was way nice. Then we went to his neighbor and got let in and the guy there expressed that recently he had just had an epiphany that the church he was praying at wasn't right, there were lots of things going on that weren't according to the Bible, and that he was currently searching for the right church he should join. Well obviously that's great! He didn't have time then to learn but we set a return appointment. He wasn't there for the return appointment because he got called in to work but we will go back this week and teach him. We went and taught a family that learned from missionaries before but stopped investigating the church for some reason. They still wanted to accept the missionaries and so we taught them. The problem is that he works on a boat and is gone most of the time so it makes church attendance kind of hard. But we went to Victor after that and taught his family. They are going great and are going to catch their baptismal date on the 28.
Wednesday we got quite a few people . We found a few new investigators that day and were able to teach some less actives as well. We taught Jackie and he is getting excited about the gospel. we just need to get him come to church. We contacted a lady last week that teaches English at a school here and she is very good. We went to teach her but she wasn't home. We were able to contact close to her house. We were let in by a couple boys and so we taught them. We went back by the English teachers house but she still hadn't come so we just left. But on our way back, we saw a old lady just standing in the middle of the path with the back of her skirt up scratching her butt. Yeah it's more a common sight then you think but it was just very unexpected there and just added onto our crazy week. We went and taught Ulrich after that and we are really trying to get him to come to church. I think I know what is going on but he needs to just trust God and go. Then we taught Arlette and she expressed that one her biggest goals right now is to be baptized but she is not really following through on trying to complete that.
Thursday We had a lot of things fall through. Our very first time fell through so we decided to stop by some other investigators that we didn't catch last week. It was good that we stopped by because the husband was home and we were able to teach them. They are awesome too! We taught Jackie again this day at his request because he is getting excited as I said. and then we went to another time that fell through and just contacted around his house and found some new investigators. They have a Bible that is in Malagasy and English. It's pretty cool except the English translation is super bad. It was changed a lot and you just need to look at it. It's the "Good News Bible". It's actually kinda funny to read. We had a meeting with our branch presidency after that and then did a fireside with the members on the beach. Well we were supposed to but no one showed. SO that was way lame.
Friday morning we got a call from a DHL guy that a package came for the church. We were also dealing with this all week. They are the installation discs for the computer in the church. When the computer first got here it didn't work and so we've been waiting on these discs from South Africa for like 2 months. Well the finally came Friday morning. We got a lot done on Friday too. We taught a lot of people. We went out to Victor again and took President Paul with us and Stephano. The lesson went great and they are already great friends. We were teaching about the fast I think and President Paul stopped us and asked if he could say something. And then he said very matter-of-factly, "Don't commit Adultery" had nothing to do with the lesson haha. He's crazy.
Saturday morning was spent trying to get the computer to work. The discs didn't work and I tried everything I knew how to try and find a problem but couldn't find anything. SO now we have to wait. I took pictures of the error screens and sent them to South Africa and so hopefully they will know what to do. Then we noticed that Elder Stringfellow's tire was way messed up so we had to go clear across town and gt a new one. That took awhile and we missed a time because of it. Then a bunch of our times after that fell through but we found a new less active member that we will be teaching and can hopefully reactivate. We taught Arlette as well and are trying to get her more motivated to come to church and reach her goal. Then we taught Lalao and Kristian and had an interesting lesson with them. We taught them about the Book of Mormon and the importance of it and discovered that they haven't been praying about it at all. We both just kept bearing our testimonies about how we know the Book of Mormon is true and it finally got across to them that they need to read and pray about it.
Sunday was interesting. Not organized at all. We had Cece come to church though! We didn't catch him this week but he came even though we hadn't seen him at all this week! This branch is struggling though. It's almost better to not bring investigators to church I feel sometimes. But we had a good day teaching and got some new families and investigators. Marcelline is progressing very well towards baptism right now and she will be getting baptized on the 28 as well. We have some pretty solid investigators right now that I am very excited for. Hopefully I don't leave this transfer.
Well that was the week. Crazing but things are going great here! Elder Lehr is at the airport at the very moment that I am writing this letter. He is bringing a couple things home for you guys that I had made in Antsirabe.
Have a great week everyone!
Elder Coleman
Time in Antananarivo
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