Elder Hein's Madagascar Mission : Tricked but not Treated

Howdy!!

Have yall ever been typing up and translating area reports into Malagasy for 3.5 hours and then you finally finish and the guy comes over to print it and accidentally closes and doesnt save any of your just finished work?? Well, String and I have.

Just another SOLID week here in Amboohimanarina. I am loving this area. Our lesson total rose again this week and we are just finding more and more people to teach. It is honestly incredible seeing the hand of God working in this area way up North in Antananarivo, on an island halfway around the world. I hope God isnt forgeting yall wherever you are, because he sure is taking a lot of time to help us here.

Elder Stringfellow and I just went to WORK this week. Any possible moment, we tried to help the Branch here. Every single second. And when we dont have investigators to teach, we go build relationships with the members. I dont know why it took me so long in my mission to realize that relationships with members and Ward leaders is the KEY to missionary work. When the whole Branch or Ward is excited, nothing is stopping the progression. Its incredible. I think it just took me to go through a very tough Ward (Tanjombato...I still love you) who didnt help us at all, for me to see the fruits of working with the Ward. We are starting to have some success with reactivation, Branch Council, people being on time, etc. Its beautiful.

Elder Stringfellow is lighting it up just about as much as Jimmer Fredette did back in the day at the Y. Of course we are talking in terms of Malagasy skills and missionary skills, but I think I am pretty spot on with the simile.

Soooooo, to Halloween. I hope yall got some treats, because we didnt. So we typed up area reports for every area and Branch/Ward in Tana. The English copy only took an hour or so, but the hard part is the Malagasy. String dictated to me as I typed and translated and this took literally forever. About 2 and a half hours. We finished and asked the guy if we could print, he of course said yes, and came over to print it. Well he CLOSED THE PAGE AND NOTHING SAVED! He didnt even apologize....He just said, "Where is it?" I kindly replied that it was the one he just deleted...haha. I just sat there with my head in my hands. We then proceeded to search up every possible way to recover a file that didnt AutoSave. None of it worked so we just gave up. It was late and I was tired of sitting in that chair for 5 hours with nothing to show for it. Disappointing, but the Halloween got us this year!!

Kinda funny, because it reminded me of last year's Halloween experience of Elder Gaul and I getting down to Ambositra! HAHA

Well, I felt a little old this week as I went on a split with a younger missionary and he asked me for some advice. I told him to never look forward to his next area. Never look forward to his next comp. Never look forward to the next transfer. It is all to precious and goes by way too fast. I hit one year in country this past week and it really had me thinking a lot. This mission means so much to me. God called me HERE. To this crazy island in the middle of the Indian Ocean for some reason. I have no idea why, and I never may know why, but God has subbed me in for 2 years in the Eternal game of life and I want to be the super sub. I want to make a difference because I love my God. I love His Son, Jesus Christ. And I love the Malagasy people. I just hope that when the time comes to get on that plane to go home to sweet Texas, that through the tears I will get a peaceful pat on the back from my Father in Heaven saying, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Well done." And I am working as hard as I can to GET that pat on the back.

I love yall! God bless and have a great week!!

Elder Hein