Elder Hyrum Snell~ Called to Serve in Madagascar: 03/30/15- Happy Easter- "The Atonement...a Redeeming Sacrifice"

Manakory aby! Ary tratran'ny fetin'ny Paka! Enga anie ka hahatsiaro ny tena dikan'ny Paka mandritra ity fotoan'ny fankasitrahana ity isika rehetra. (Hello everyone! Happy Easter! Hopefully we will all remember the real meaning of Easter during this time of gratitude.)

But, I am glad to hear that you are all doing so well, and that this Easter season is treating you all well. Just remember, Easter isn't about eggs and candy, but about the fact that we all have the opportunity to live again--both physically and spiritually--through the sacrifice that Christ did for us.

Speaking of which, that is the Malagasy word of the day: Sorompanavotana. It is what we as missionaries use for the Atonement. But, it is actually a word combination, and the technical definition means "redeeming sacrifice." I really love that deeper meaning of the Atonement, and it has helped me gain a deeper appreciation for what Christ did for us. But anyway, we can talk more about that later. :)

First off, to start with questions: the first question asks if I ever play piano here in my area (for church and whatnot). And (sorry to let you down Mom) no I actually don't play the piano. Ever. :P But, still, I do hope I can get to an area where I will need to play, so I can get back into it and back into practice.

Second question: you are right Mom, I never did enjoy our planning sessions, but you can take some pride and happiness from this; I do now enjoy and appreciate the importance of planning (as much as I may hate to say it). Really, as missionaries, if we don't plan, then our day goes substantially worse. It's just the logical fact that, if you have something planned out--even if things don't go as planned--they will go better. They will go more smoothly, and we will be more effective as missionaries. But, if we don't plan, then we go into lessons unprepared, and we aren't truly magnifying our call as missionaries and reaching our full potential throughout the day. So, needless to say, planning is quite essential to missionary work.

Third and final question: things that I like about the Malagasy hymns. And oh, where to begin?! I'm starting to get to the point where I can understand all the meaning of the hymns (which is soooo nice) and so they have started to take on more meaning for me. One hymn that I (and most Malagasies) particularly love is "Fototra Mafy Orina" or How Firm a Foundation. The lyrics go like this: "Fototra mafy orina ny finoanao, raha tenin'ny Tompo no hijoroanao. Lazainy hatrany izay ho anao, amin'ny Mpamonjy, amin'ny Mpamonjy, amin'ny Mpamonjy ny fahofana.The meaning of that is as follows: "Your faith is founded firmly, if you stand on the word of the Lord. He says that for us now and on: in the Savior, in the Savior, in the Savior we are set free." I absolutely love that verse, because it's so simple and yet so true. Also, that relates in with the fact of it being the Easter season, because it is so true that we can be set free due to what the Savior has done. And that ties in exactly with the words at the beginning of my email. Ny Sorompanavotana (The Atonement) is truly a "redeeming sacrifice" performed by our loving Savior. In the dictionary, the definition of "redeeming" is as follows: "offsetting or counterbalancing some fault, defect, or the like" So, if we break this down, our Savior, Jesus Christ, suffered, died, and rose again (on that Easter morn) to offset or counterbalance our faults, defects, and most importantly, our sins and death. The charitable and WILLING sacrifice that Christ performed for each and every one of us offsets and counterbalances our sins and our trials, thus providing us with the opportunity to overcome our physical and spiritual deaths. "Toy ny ahfatesan'ny olombelona rehetra ao amin'i Adama, dia ny ahaveloman'ny olombelnoa rehetra kosa ao amin'i Kristy" 1 Corinthians 15:22. We will all live again due to the sacrifice that Christ performed, and that alone merits our undying devotion and love. But that isn't all: Christ also provided us the opportunity to overcome our spiritual deaths: that is to say, our separation from God. We can be redeemed through the Atonement; our sins can be offset and counterbalanced, and essentially overcome completely through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and our acceptance of it and our actions in relation to belief and desire.

So, in closing, that is my desire for all of us this Easter season: Let us remember the redeeming sacrifice that our loving Savior performed for EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. Not one person is left behind. Every person who has lived, is living, and will live is covered and redeemed. So let us remember that incomprehensible and loving gift that was completed just for us. Let us remember that this Eastern season, because that is the real and true reason for our celebration of Easter. Christ lived, suffered, died, and rose again for us. And THAT is Easter.

I love you all and hope that you all have a wonderful Easter this year!
Am-pitiavana tsisy fetra, (with unlimited love)
Elder Snell

Picture of an adorable little boy!

This is a giant fruit that Elder Delbar was trying to eat. They are called ampalibe, but are most commonly known as jackfruit.

This is an update on my tan line. Pretty impressive and attractive, am I right? ;)

This is Jean Paul.

This is Nahary and Mirina.

This is the family of Liva and Olga, including their adorable little girl and boy Diara and Diary. Sooooo cute! Especially the little girl. She is like a genius though. She is only four years old and is already writing and reading a little. Crazy!