February 22, 2016

Wow, everything looks really nice with the new design in the TV room. It's also good to see that life is going well there. We''re working really hard here in Fort Dauphin, and lots of good stuff is happening. V is doing well. He decided that he was going to leave his job and look for new work so that he could come to church. We didn't even encourage him to do that, we just told him to pray about what he should do whatever it was, and that's what he felt was the answer. He has a lot of faith, be he also seemed much happier after making the decision. He is a very impressive young man.

I had a good week. The new elders just came in from Tana, that was exciting and they got here safely. It's funny because it's like an hour and a half flight but the drive would take days. Today we get to show them all the cool stuff here in Ft. Dauphin, and we're going to have a nice lunch. Life is soooo expensive here. It's crazy. It's just because we're very far away. The people here, however, are very nice. It's fun because we're teaching a lot of people with varying religious backgrounds. Most of them are very strong in their own faiths, so it's interesting to see the different perspectives they bring to things. We're teaching some people who are very Catholic, very Protestant, very Adventist, and it's interesting to see their concerns. It's also interesting to see the universal truths of the gospel. A lot of people have very direct specific concerns and they're all different. Some people easily accept one principle while another is really hard and visa versa. One thing that is always interesting though is the difference between those who ask and those who don't, ask God that is. That is the single greatest difference between those who learn if the message is true and those who never can accept it, they're unwilling to trust or to receive a hard answer. I think this is good for all of us, however, to consider that. Something being hard, or something being new is not a good enough reason to God for us refusing to accept him. In whatever facet of life or perspective, he has clearly set forth his plan. Adding to it or taking away from it with our own perspective will not bring us salvation. We must stay focused and centered on following his closely defined path. Ultimately, all teaching in the church serves the purpose of explaining the plan of redemption and then giving people the opportunity to follow it or not.

President Foote is coming down in March. I can't wait to see him; he's the best! We cleaned up our house after a very long time of neglect last week and now it's clean. I'm so happy; it was way nasty. This week we're going to our branch president's house for dinner. He lives in a rio tinto housing subdivision so we're essentially going to little America. It's very weird. It's very far from town and has a big gate around it. There are basketball courts and everyone speaks English (because you have to to be a high up in rio tinto). It's very funny, so that is something new.

So, in general a good week and next week will be a great week. I can't wait to hear from you all again, and please enjoy yourselves.