06 September 11--Simple Life

Hello indray!

It's good to hear from all of you. Thanks for the letters, Mom, Dad and Mabel.

This week went by a little slower. I feel a connection with Dad, in that over half of our scheduled appointments ended up not going through. So we did a lot of street contacting. Sometimes, I feel very grown up, and in a position of authority to help these people because of the spirit and the experience I've had with the church. For the most part, the Malagasy live a very simple life, and are like children in some ways. (They take our advice willingly--it might be because they don't realize we're 19 and 20 years old.) I can see the difference the Gospel makes in their lives. We teach them practical religion, and it does wonders when they live it. I've seen it. However, sometimes I feel like saying, "Slow down--I'm only 19, I have no clue how to even begin to help you with that(those) problem(s)!" Since I've been here, I've found myself in several situations where someone much older than me is asking for my advice or help with something very difficult and/or personal. This morning at 5am, a less active member called us because he needs money for rent, even though we tell people all the time that we're not allowed to give them money. We've had questions like, "What's the church's position on divorce?" while both husband and wife were in the room. This week we had a long conversation about how, "You can't be baptized if you're a polygamist, so you have to leave your other wife and kids and sign a marriage contract with only the one if you want to be baptized. However you still have to support your other wife and 6 kids in a different house with the money that you don't have." So, yeah, sometimes it's a little difficult to know what to tell these people. When we have an investigator whose only problem is drug and/or alcohol addiction, there is sometimes a sigh of relief: "OK, here's what you need to do..." All the while, my Malagasy is improving.

I will say that many people here are a pleasure to teach. Many of them are ready for the Gospel. Many of them have strong testimonies, and have overcome some astronomically difficult problems through their faith. I know it's possible to overcome anything with true faith in Christ, which is what we're bringing to these people. The happiness that comes is indescribable.

My Guitar lessons on Friday are starting to pick up quite a few people. Some of the other missionaries wondered whether guitar lessons were "appropriate" for missionary work, so I went straight to the president, and asked. He said (in his cool raspy french accent,) "If you want to catch flies, do you use vinegar or jam?" Awesome. So the guitar lessons are not only OK, he really likes the idea.

Well I've gotta go. It's nice to hear from you. I remain in good spirits and good health.

Veloma!
Elder Draper