kissing lemurs all day, every day! - 8/24/15

NOICE!!

Today we had a zone activity and kissed lemurs. WAY FUN!  You just put honey on your lips and then they go ham! haha Way fun activity, and then we took some zone pics and it was fun.

ROGER IS GETTING BAPTIZED!! WHOAWHOA!!! Its going to be SO SWAG!! It will be on Saturday morning and then we shall have stake conference from 2:00-6:00 and then we shall teach our awesome family and then it will be Sunday. WHAT WHAT!!?

Yesterday we taught Raza, and his wife Gisel. They are SUCH A COOL family. I have never had a family take a shower and dress up just so to prepare to get taught. THEY SMELLED SO NICE! Haha (Give me a break...Anything that has 2 legs and smells nice seems close to godliness) They are also very receptive of this message. So ready to get in the grind and just hit it hard so that they can know if this is true. I love people from Mahajanga!! :)

O! So we have this guy named Joclyn who is a recent convert. He is literally on fire!! I have never seen someone literally just believe with every fiber of his being that this church is true. He went out teaching with us and just bore the most powerful testimonies I have ever witnessed in my life. He is absolutely incredible. We saw him at a soccer game and he just started to tell everyone that we teach the gospel and was using his amazing influence to give us referrals. He reminds me of Lehi who has eaten of the fruit and then wants to share it with his family. SO INCREDIBLE!

I love this work so much. Hiking these hills is making my legs look like gold; and it just cant be described in words the joy that you can feel doing this wonderful work.

Anyway I love you all and hope you have a great week.

Love Elder Lehr

P.S

Next week is zone conference....(and it's in the morning so I don't know if i will have time to email...We shall see)

Meo Koza aho Koalahy! - 8/17/15

I love teny manakara! It sounds so dope! Just those southern dialects baby!

Roger, our wonderful man that Elder Obioma taught in Ampifiloha is getting baptized!! He is a stud. Been waiting forever but NOW IT'S HERE!! :)

Paul and Susan and their family are doing really well. It's just trying to have them get their answer to prayer. So critical. It will come though.

Holy Benwa and his family are DOPE! After teaching them, and them asking if they can come to church on Sunday, they taught me some teny manakara which is SO AWESOME! Literally sounds like garglemesh when they speak....but hey! I feel that is how my English sounds anyway so it shouldn't be too hard now!

Also we did some way awesome Fifanakalozanas this week which was super fun and we got permission from the APs to do it with Ambohimanarina this Wednesday! WHAT!!? SO SWAG! I am super stoked.

I have always been tired on the mission...but I never realized how your body just...shuts down near the end of it.....just almost nothing left.....But that is life!

I have loved Mahamasina SO MUCH! I literally feel like I have had my own "A Christmas Carol" and have been visited by the ghost of Christmas past, present and future. And in all honesty, like Scrooge, and I can say that "I am not like the man I was." I am not the same as I was in the beginning of my mission, nor when I was in Fianarantsoa, nor in Manandona, but literally here in Mahamasina I feel like I have become a new creature. A new man, and have received a second chance. To give all and more. Even though there are failures that have happened in my mission, even though I have done things that I am not proud of....I can look at anyone in the eye, and with complete confidence say that "I have changed. I am new, and I will continue to change." And according to what President Adams had taught..."If you are more converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ by the end of your mission, then you are a successful missionary. Even if you did not baptize a single person." I honestly believe that is true. With all my heart. The mission has changed me, and I am so thankful for it.

I love you all and hope you have a great week.

am-pitiavana

Elder Lehr

P.S.

They came out with the 1st bowling alley in Madagascar 2weeks ago.....Special P-day activity???? YESS!!!!

The greatest food ever to have been tasted by me - 8/10/15

What a Swag week!

On Sunday I literally had one of the most incredible meals ever. We are teaching this sakalava family from anosy be and mahajanga, and as we were about to leave they invited us to lunch. And they had prepared a banquet of incredible fish and pasta and this sauce that just made me feel like I was in heaven, and then we had beans and coco. (Tsaramaso coco) The most incredible thing I have tasted in my life!!! WOW!!! It was even better than corn and coco, and...I cant even describe it! SO MUCH GOODNESS!!! :)

On a spiritual note.....This family that we taught on Sunday was only our 2nd time teaching, and the 1st time the father was drunk and smoking, and yesterday he was in a nice shirt and was sober and ready to learn. He even told us that he was excited to learn because he already has felt a change with us being here and trying to help him and his family know the truth. SO COOL!

It's also been a great experience to go from one area in my mission where my calling was to take part in the district and to take a role in running things and knowing how the church runs....To going to another area where I am expected to be directed and I am there for guidance, but still under the direction and flow of priesthood authority. My mission has been one growth from one end of the spectrum to the other. Chiseling at my pride in all directions, and I am so grateful for that. As I invite others to come unto Christ it helps me to do so as well. To not just say what I know is true...but to actually have it be apart of my heart and soul and to KNOW that it is true, and because of it have a desire to continue to improve and change. So subtle and gentle that I don't even know when or how I came to the point of where I am right now. But it's true, and swag :)

I love you all and hope and pray for you all.

Am-Pitiavana

Elder Lehr

TO many families! - 8/3/15

In Mahamasima

Leaving the Dona

Elder Delbar

How is everyone!!? 

DE!!!! Why le aza!! Sorry it just sent on its own accord.

Fa! Things are going great in the holy land right now. I love Mahamasina SO MUCH, and Elder Delbar keeps me going. We are teaching about 15-20 families right now and are doing a lot of stuff with the less active melk. Priesthood holders. So when all is said and done... After Climbing up mount Doom 2-3 times a day....It is nice to come back home and cuddle with my pillow. :)

We have some baptismal interviews that need to be done in our area this thursday, so I get to go with Rlder Ralaivao, who is a STUD!!! And he will be doing the interview for this guy named roges who lives in a place called Paraky (Tobacco). And boy o boy! Paraky is a perfect name for it because we have a lake of just pure poop in our area. BUT!! We took one of those gondolas (The boats that are in Italy where you have the guy that sings and its way romantic) across the lake and it was so romantic on a beautiful Sunday morning with my companion and the smell of poop everywhere, MMMhmm! Just like the smell of roses in the morning :)

Seriously though I love this area so much. I love the people that I get to work with. OH!!! I saw my trainer yesterday at church!!! It was SUPER SWAG! It was so good to see him. :)

One thing that was super baller that happened this week is this guy named Hiaja. He and his wife were learning from Elder Roushe and Cartmill, but because of our program we just haven't been able to fit him in, BUT! We were like "We have a couple minutes, let's visit him" So we did. And this is what he told us. "I am SO HAPPY to See you missionaries! I have been keeping the commitments of reading the Book of Mormon and I know it's true, and I was super sad when you guys didn't come for about a month because I have felt lost. Though when you were seen by me just barely (You like that passive voice, Elder Christiansen?) I felt hope again that I can change. I want to change my life right now and come to church and to have my family apart of this.) It was a missionaries dream come true. I LOVE THIS MESSAGE! WHAAAGH! SO SWAG! :)

Well I love you all. Hope you have a great week, and aza maditra laotra :)

Am-pitiavana

Elder Lehr