September 3, 2013 Moramonga

The APs are moving into a new apartment.  This is by the chapel doors.

So we are almost to week six and I am trying to write about week 5.  This is a tremendous experience that we are having.  Being able to associate with the missionaries is such an incredible blessing.  The 92 Elders and 12 Sisters plus 20 senior missionaries are pretty amazing.  The spirit that you feel when you are around this group is something that is very strong.  These are great young men and women.  The two Elders above are Elder Rasmussen and Elder Smith.  They look like they are going to clean something.  They are the AP’s and I have it on good authority that the cleaning supplys are for some other poor elders.  The Elders get surprise inspections of their apartments on Tuesdays so they have to be clean.   

Last Friday we went towards the east coast of the Island.  President Adams gave a great Fireside for this little group of Saints in a town called Moramonga.  There are 17 families that form a group.  They are not yet a branch.  The Group leader is standing next to Sister Cloward.  He is a pretty amazing man.  He used to live in another location on the island.   5 years ago he moved his family here.  There was no church here so, with the blessing of the mission president he started holding sacrament meeting in his home.  Soon more and more came and many people were baptized and enjoy the blessings of the Gospel.  Until he had the group formed, he drove his entire family to Antananarivo every Sunday, to Church.  He did this for three years before an official group was formed.  The drive takes three hours to get from Moramonga to Antananarivo.  The spirit in this little group, for the Friday night fireside, was incredible.  The Group leaders 13 year old daughter lead the music and did a great job.  The little branch sounded like our big ward.  They can really sing and everyone participates.   Jane and I are getting pretty good at Singing in Malagasy, from the Malagasy hymn book, even if we are not quite sure what we are singing.   This little group really knows what it means to be Latter day Saints.  I came out of the meeting feeling like one of the most important things that the administration of the Mission, here in Madagascar could do would be to find ways to support this group and others like them.  I hope that, soon, they will be a Branch.