that is something i have learned here on my mission and something i really clarified in that book by president hinckley callled standing for something. there is a chapter about gratiutude. showing gratitude shows maturity and is just plain good to do. i am sorry for all the time you spent rasing me without much if any gratitude on my part. and i want to tell you that you have dint not just anything right but many things right! you and mom are amazing parents and get better by the day. i thank god that i could be born into the family i was born into.
oh and my companion speaks little if any english to me. just teh few little funny words he knows like "i need to poop" and "lets bounce" hahaha but usually we just speak in malagasy. is pretty fun. really tiring mentaly haha but fun. it is not even febuary and we are already well on our way to our goal of 10 families. honore is amazing. they are extremely poor as i have said before but that doesnt stop him from doing whats right. this week he quite smoking. that was difficult but he did it! ina week! and then on top of that his land lord came around looking for the rent. and honore was the only one the land lord talked to even though there are many people who rent from him in the area. needless to say honore didnt have to amount wanted so the land lord said if it wasnt given the house would be take from them on sunday.(yesterday). though many people are late on ther rent it seems the devil is trying to do everythign to keep this family from the fold of god. but it didnt work. we went to honores house at 830 in the morning sunday to walk to church to them. honore locked his door and came with us. on the way to church he explained to us the problem. but he was seemingly unshaken. we promised him blessings if he follows god and he fully believes they will come. and so do i. he is an amzing example of faith and humility. we dont know what has happened with him and his land lord yet because he has no phone and lives far away. but i belieeve god with help him for doing whats right. being a missionary is amazing and i really dont want it to end. i understand why john and the 3 nephites chose what they chose. what an amazing thing it is to serve the lord and nothing else.
and thats great that you are feeding the missionaries. and i know that at first glance it is hard to find somebody to learn the gospel. especially in a culture such as america or canada. but it truely is as easy as inviting someone over. being friendly and inviting. if they do not except it or are insulted at the gesture then that is part of being a latter day saint. it is such a hard thing but we are to be different. there is loneliness in the gospel. in leadership. in rightousness. but i know and promise that if we just invite. make the initial effort. then we will be bless abundantly by the god on high. theres the witzels who you have had on your mind for a long time. dough sounds like a good guy. many many people. there is power in a testimony. even a simple one. showing that we have the holy ghost in our lives.
i am sure emily gavea great talk about standing in holy places! i wish i was there to here it but i trust it was amazing. and you have to remember dad that she got her sense of hummor from you! hahahaha and i dont know what jeff princes joke was but thats how you know people love you. when they talk about you in public!! so feel loved! hahaha
so dallin is all packed away huh? i bet that was pretty hard for mom to do. am i a tote owner as well??? are my mounts still up on the wall. they better be. or did you hide em all so people wouldent get to jealous? im sure colter tells everybody they are his... hahaha i think when i move back home i might take up that mustard room.... its a little bigger than the one i was in before. is clayton still living down south? i cant remlember where he lived last but i think it was in medicine hat. what was he doing in edmonton. i am srue he loved getting those sheds dallin had. there were some good ones.
haha i have had a few malagasy nicknames. when i first came into country it was elder bota... wich means elder tubby. but now people call me rabetsy. wich is a tribe of people down south. it sounds alot like bates and so thats what i was given. and i have not gotten the box of garments yet but i am waiting. im sure it will get here. my week has been great. full of so much goodness. missionary work is sure different but it is so rewarding. this morning we went out to help noro berts family fix there roof that leaked like a siv and it gave me a taste of working with my hands again. just a little taste. but it is truely a godly prinsiple. i love you so much and thank you for all that oyu do for me.
be fitiavana mandrakizay
elder bates
1. me and my companion at a dinner apointment with members
2. me and a recent convert. he is solid! is name is jean de dieu.
3.me and my comp!
4. me!
5. my area :)
6.this is honore and lida and there 3 children. they came to church this
sunday. they dont have money for a bus and the church is about 6 km away.
7. me and noro berts family. they are all recent converts and amazing!!!
8.great view huh?
9. this always reminds me of lyndi when i see it.
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