My week was pretty uneventful too, everyone was getting ready for the independance day celebration, so we had nothing to do most of the week. I did find a really really really awesome family when I was tracting though! It was a really cool experience!
So I was on splits with Elder McIntire, my zone leader and we had nothing to do for 2 hours thanks to dropping people. I really had no idea where to tract since I've been in the area so long I have tracted pretty much the entire area, so I just started walking around not knowing where to go, and I don't really see anyone who is even going to let us in. One person told me that there weren't any people that could learn, and I asked her if she was a person, and they only laughed, no one wanted to learn... just because of the 26th and such. So we took a little break after our first hour of contacting and tracting and just talked about what was going on, how everything is and what not, then I said we were going to go because I didn't like the thought of wasting so much time sitting down and not doing anything. We took off and tried a different area we don't go to too often and well, there wasn't anyone even home! So we took off to the other side of my area, a 15 to 20 minute walk and we end up passing a store and elder McIntire gets some real american syrup that was on sale, but then we continue on. I didn't see any openings to go into places, so we walked another 5 minutes and I get a strange feeling to go into an alley way, and so we did, we jumped around a water pump on the side of the road and went down the little shady alley way, walk around a barrier and get to a huge complex of 5 houses. There were little kids trying to talk in french to us and I told them we speak malagasy and asked if their parents were home, to which they laughed and ran upstairs, got a different kid, and I repeated the same question, to which the kids just ran upstairs... So I followed them. We walk into a house and there is a couple families sitting around talking, and one man just laying under his covers. They invite us in and we just talked for a while. They were so excited just to talk to us and to know that there are white people that care and speak their language. I found out the guy laying under his covers fell off his balcony 6 years ago and couldn't walk anymore, but his wife was still with him and they were extremely happy. We taught them a bit of the first lesson, some scattered parts since they were so excited and asked so many questions. They were just so happy, and they guy wants to come to church, he just can't unless someone drives him. They were one of the most happy families, but they are in some of the worst conditions. It really inspired me to know that God prepares people like this, and the best part was at the end when i scheduled our next appointment for the following week, they were sad that we couldn't come sooner! They were that interested in our message! Madagascar is awesome!
I did get the pictures you emailed last week and all the music, thanks for that. I really don't have much else to tell you today, sorry!
Oh yeah, next emails are coming on tuesday, I am going to ampify for the 4th of july! sorry!
Hope you enjoy the story!
Elder Nash
Monday, June 27, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Hey mom!
Well first I can tell you about my birthday, then I will try to remember things from a rather less exciting week.
So yesterday, when I woke up I went to use the bathroom, and Elder Cryer went to take a shower... But there is a window you can open from the shower into the room with just a toilet... so while I was sitting on the toilet Elder Cryer sang to me whilst in the shower naked... kinda funny, but not something you want to put on the blog!
After that we went home and I made lunch, and washed all the dishes so we could eat :) isn't that a great present? The food I made was malagasy, and it tastes really really really good, I became a master malagasy chef in 2 meals, so then I made sunday's, which was potatoes. I had to peel the potatoes with just a knife... so I know your pain when you have to! and being here made me less lazy when it comes to cooking and cleaning (at least dishes) and I try to clean my room at least once a week. That is nice! So after I spent about an hour making food, I got to lay down then we continued our normal schedule after that.
So this past week, the most notable things are just teaching english and really other than that zone conference and I had an interview with president Donnelly and we got to talking about some things I feel that need to happen for my growth as a person and as a missionary.
So first, english class is always fun. I teach it with Elder McIntire, our zone leader who is really cool. I really like talking to him and teaching with him. We go a little wild and just have fun doing what we are doing. We always try to make sure that people understand, but sometimes we have fun and litterally translate things for people and it gets a bit confusing for them and then we tell them what it really means xD It is really fun to do it, and I was happy that I got to teach... In some classes I teach it is boring because we only talk in english and that bores me to death! I really don't like to just talk and help people when they already speak english... But I would rather take the challenge of helping people that aren't as good and make them better. That is what I like the most so I am probably going to continue doing that, then this next transfer I will probably go somewhere (President Donnelly said I wasn't going to be here for much longer, but that can always mean 2 months...)
At Zone conference we learned better ways to teach and contact people, which I have been trying to do the best I could! I really hope it has been making a difference. I feel like people are more receptive when we talk to them and ask questions before telling them that we can just teach them exactly how the gospel is, but we actually talk to them about their lives and also testify about the importance of it then asking if they would be interested. I had a lot more people intersted in what I was saying and listen to me rather than blow me off because I am white. It really helped. I actually used this when I went on splits with Elder Collins (Elder McIntire's companion) this last friday. Here we go!
So first our first appointment during the day was cancelled because he was off somewhere working till later that day, and our program gets really squished at night and we can't really teach much more than we already do when it comes to night time. So because of that I called our 5 o'clock appointment to see where we could meet since we didn't know the location of the house yet. When she didn't answer, I asked Elder Collins if we should tract now, or we ould get a soda or water since his stomach wasn't being nice to him. He just said now so we could do that in a little bit, so we walked into the path we had just emereged from and started the walk. After walking past a coupled of locked openings, after I passed one I had the impression to go back. I stepped back and walked through the enterance and looked for a door to tract. All of them were locked, so I just looked harder. There was one door open with two people playing cards. I then tracted that door since it was the only one open. We ended up getting in after applying what I had learned just the day before and we taught the first lesson. After I recited the story of Joseph Smith to them, the wife told me that she knew it was true, and she wanted us to come back as soon as we could to teach her more! It was a really cool experience, and I got to practice the new words I had been learning to make my teaching more understandable and less of using everything I have, but giving myself more of an aresenal or words in a saying. It was really cool, and I told them they needed to pray about what they had learned because right then the Holy Ghost was really strong, but it was likely after we leave that it would go away, I then commited them to pray about the prophet Joseph Smith and see how they felt, and I promised that they would receive an answer. It was a really really cool experience! We are going to check up on them this thursday or friday depending on our schedule.
That is my update for the week, I will send a lot more next week, but that will probably be this next tuesday, but send emails sunday night just in case, it's independance day next sunday, so monday will be a holiday. Lots of Drunk people in the future!
Love,
Elder Nash
Well first I can tell you about my birthday, then I will try to remember things from a rather less exciting week.
So yesterday, when I woke up I went to use the bathroom, and Elder Cryer went to take a shower... But there is a window you can open from the shower into the room with just a toilet... so while I was sitting on the toilet Elder Cryer sang to me whilst in the shower naked... kinda funny, but not something you want to put on the blog!
After that we went home and I made lunch, and washed all the dishes so we could eat :) isn't that a great present? The food I made was malagasy, and it tastes really really really good, I became a master malagasy chef in 2 meals, so then I made sunday's, which was potatoes. I had to peel the potatoes with just a knife... so I know your pain when you have to! and being here made me less lazy when it comes to cooking and cleaning (at least dishes) and I try to clean my room at least once a week. That is nice! So after I spent about an hour making food, I got to lay down then we continued our normal schedule after that.
So this past week, the most notable things are just teaching english and really other than that zone conference and I had an interview with president Donnelly and we got to talking about some things I feel that need to happen for my growth as a person and as a missionary.
So first, english class is always fun. I teach it with Elder McIntire, our zone leader who is really cool. I really like talking to him and teaching with him. We go a little wild and just have fun doing what we are doing. We always try to make sure that people understand, but sometimes we have fun and litterally translate things for people and it gets a bit confusing for them and then we tell them what it really means xD It is really fun to do it, and I was happy that I got to teach... In some classes I teach it is boring because we only talk in english and that bores me to death! I really don't like to just talk and help people when they already speak english... But I would rather take the challenge of helping people that aren't as good and make them better. That is what I like the most so I am probably going to continue doing that, then this next transfer I will probably go somewhere (President Donnelly said I wasn't going to be here for much longer, but that can always mean 2 months...)
At Zone conference we learned better ways to teach and contact people, which I have been trying to do the best I could! I really hope it has been making a difference. I feel like people are more receptive when we talk to them and ask questions before telling them that we can just teach them exactly how the gospel is, but we actually talk to them about their lives and also testify about the importance of it then asking if they would be interested. I had a lot more people intersted in what I was saying and listen to me rather than blow me off because I am white. It really helped. I actually used this when I went on splits with Elder Collins (Elder McIntire's companion) this last friday. Here we go!
So first our first appointment during the day was cancelled because he was off somewhere working till later that day, and our program gets really squished at night and we can't really teach much more than we already do when it comes to night time. So because of that I called our 5 o'clock appointment to see where we could meet since we didn't know the location of the house yet. When she didn't answer, I asked Elder Collins if we should tract now, or we ould get a soda or water since his stomach wasn't being nice to him. He just said now so we could do that in a little bit, so we walked into the path we had just emereged from and started the walk. After walking past a coupled of locked openings, after I passed one I had the impression to go back. I stepped back and walked through the enterance and looked for a door to tract. All of them were locked, so I just looked harder. There was one door open with two people playing cards. I then tracted that door since it was the only one open. We ended up getting in after applying what I had learned just the day before and we taught the first lesson. After I recited the story of Joseph Smith to them, the wife told me that she knew it was true, and she wanted us to come back as soon as we could to teach her more! It was a really cool experience, and I got to practice the new words I had been learning to make my teaching more understandable and less of using everything I have, but giving myself more of an aresenal or words in a saying. It was really cool, and I told them they needed to pray about what they had learned because right then the Holy Ghost was really strong, but it was likely after we leave that it would go away, I then commited them to pray about the prophet Joseph Smith and see how they felt, and I promised that they would receive an answer. It was a really really cool experience! We are going to check up on them this thursday or friday depending on our schedule.
That is my update for the week, I will send a lot more next week, but that will probably be this next tuesday, but send emails sunday night just in case, it's independance day next sunday, so monday will be a holiday. Lots of Drunk people in the future!
Love,
Elder Nash
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