01/04/2016

 2015 is gone. Welcome 2016!

   I remember thinking before the mission how 2016 would be a great year, and now it is here! I know I still have some more time to serve the Lord as a missionary, but there is much to look forward to. I get to see my family this year and I will also be able to eat fast food again. This week was a challenge, just like last week. I am not sure what it is about holidays here. In the missionary handbook, there is a paragraph that says that holidays are great times for finding and teaching families because people because they are together and at home. But here holidays just cause people to be really busy and not be able to or not want to learn. It sometimes feels like the last person anyone wants to see here at Christmas time or for the New Year is a Mormon missionary. Hopefully, the missionary work can progress now that some of our investigators are back from out of town. We had several member families who gave us meals this week, which is always a delight. 

  So last week, I mentioned the fact that transfers were up and coming.  Well, I received transfer news and I am going to say here for another transfer. Sadly, my companion, Elder Heo, my trainee/son is going to Antsirabe. Elder Iata, from the South Pacific island of Vanuatu) is going to be my new companion. It is somewhat surprise that I am still here. ( I'm not complaining in the least) I was hoping to stay in the area. I will miss Elder Heo, but I think he is a little excited to move on to a new area. 

I have heard rumors that one of post offices where American mail arrives is on strike, I have not received any mail for quite some time. Only a few missionaries here have received mail.

   In Ambohipo (pronounced am-bwee-poo) church starts at 8 am. We usually wake up early enough to make it to church early, we woke up at 7:20 am.  (the alarm clock did not go off), but somehow we were still able to make it to church on time. Afterwards, we had a really good lesson with an investigator who said that he felt the Spirit and he felt that the message was exactly what he needed to hear. Today, we did not do much for Pday. I spent most of my time playing basketball at the mission office. There were not too many people there today, so we didn't stay there super late long.

  I know this post was a rant and very unorganized, I apologize. I will try to write a clearer email next week. There will also be a Malagasy Lesson next week. Have a great week, everyone!

 Elder Pinson