Anyway, these last few weeks have been busy, good, and decently uneventful as far as big events go. But this P-Day has been much more relaxing. We cleaned the house, played basketball, went out to lunch with a bunch of missionaries, and now we are emailing. And that, usually, is the P-Day schedule, as far as most weeks go. Occasionally we do fun stuff like go to the croc farm or to the zoo and whatnot.
But that answers my mom's first question, so now for the next one: the weather here in Tana is pretty nice. About low eighties, slightly humid, and no rain. But that will change soon, with the rainy season coming in quick. I'm sure you all will get plenty of pictures of that.
Next off, my last interview with President Foote was actually last Saturday, and lasted about an hour. We just talked about the training program, my future in the mission, what I can do to be a better trainer/missionary, as well as ways to be a good parent (moa ve mampatahotra be? uh, scary, right?). But it was really good, and I enjoyed talking with him. We have interviews about every three months or so, and I always look forward to them. This last time, he shared some really great thoughts on both training and parenting, how each person is different and cannot be treated the same. Everyone has their own pace, their own rhythm, and their own willpower. And my job as a trainer is to find those things out about my trainee, in order to teach him according to what he needs. That was very helpful, as well as some scriptures that he pointed out to me that help guide me in the right direction.
Recently we've seen some good improvements in our investigators John and his wife Sela, as well as Hery and Isabell, especially since yesterday John and Hery both came. I was very excited when they came, and they said that their entire family will be coming to church. So that's awesome! We are praying for them to come and to begin being more diligent in keeping their commitments. But as of late, we have been working more with the ward to find less-actives. I'm not sure if I've given this statistic before, but we currently have 490 people listed in our MLS as members, a large amount of which are Melkizedek Priesthood holders. Now let's take a guess at how many people come each week to church. Yeah, 100 people come... That's about 20% activity. Can someone say "TERRIBLE!"? Yeah. So needless to say, we are doing that rather than searching for new investigators. But last week we taught fifteen separate less-actives, and we had a fair amount come to church yesterday, so I'm feeling that we can turn over a new leaf and work to get the ward back on track. If there are any prayers that could be sent our way with regard to that, then we would appreciate it.
The last question my mom asked was about time usage, and how we can spend time more wisely here on earth (or on the mission). As far as that goes, there are many many lessons I have learned about time usage here. Before the mission, I will admit that I was not the best at time usage. I would spend chunks of time just listening to music, watching tv, or playing video games or something. And honestly, I've just had a change of heart here on the mission. And that's the great thing about what God does when we're doing something right. The more you do something, the more you grow to love it. The more I do things that are beneficial and a good use of my time here on the mission, then the more I learn to love it and actually enjoy it. For instance, before the mission (my family can attest) I did enjoy studying. But now, here on the mission, I absolutely love our study times each morning. My mom would probably consider that a miracle, to be honest. :) And, actually, I'll say the same. It is a miracle. God is a god of miracles, and He works wonders in the lives of those who follow His counsel and teachings. Now, honestly, I do not really have the desire to come home and spend countless hours in front of the television. That doesn't bring happiness or anything positive. It only brings on laziness.
Also, just another thought, I had to teach the lesson to the investigator class yesterday in church, and it was on the section about work in Gospel Principles. God has commanded us to work. How could we ever progress to the point where we can become like Him if we never put in a little effort. But the thing about the section in Gospel Principles is that it doesn't just talk about gospel related work, but also just good, productive work. For instance, learning a new language, learning how to fix a car, or lawn mower, or anything. Those are all good, productive pursuits of time and effort. And that is God's desire for us here on earth. We need to work hard, learn hard, and progress. Then, if we do that, coupled with diligent repentance and humility, we will be exalted in the end. As Elder Holland has said, "Salvation is not a cheap experience!...How can we imagine, how can we even think, that it would be easy for us when it was never easy for Him?" Christ had to work, suffer, and die for salvation. And so, we must work as well. We must push ourselves, and not be a couch potato. And so this is one thing that I pray to God, that I might not come home from the mission and just crash, but instead use the mission as a launch pad, pushing me to greater heights. Anyone who is truly successful in life will tell you, that hard work and effort are what lead to success, not apathy and laziness. I know that if we endure, working hard the entire way, and follow God's desires and will for us, then we will obtain eternal life. It will be hard, of course. But since when were the best things in this life (or the next) easy? Uh, never. Let us be diligent in working for those things that are of most worth in life, and find great blessings and a love for that work and effort along the way.
I love you all and thank you all again for being so great in emailing me. Have a great week, and make your time worth it!
Am-pitiavana,
Elder Snell
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| Lunch on p-day |
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| Me with my neighbor, Elder Francom, who was called to serve in Madagascar, too! |
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| Croc Farm pictures |
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| The Malagasies in the pictures are some investigators of the Mahamasina missionaries (Elder Lehr and Elder Morse). They were way cool. |
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| This is the meatloaf I made for lunch yesterday (Sunday). It was very good, and I am quite proud of it. |
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| B-ball game on p-day |
