We got a home cooked meal with South Africans!!!

Hey everyone!!! I had a great time reading your emails and you all seem to be doing way good which is just awesome. As you can see the highlight of the week was a visit with a family from South Africa and wow it was great but more of that later.

Roger continues to be amazing. We managed to visit him twice this week and he is just progressing so well. We came to his door one time and as he had windows in his door we saw him sitting at his table studying the pamphlets that we gave him, it was so cool to see. Probably that biggest/ most amazing thing that he did was that he finally agreed to pray during a lesson. At the end of every lesson we always invite him to pray but denies it, saying that he will do it next time. During one of our lessons we sit down and has this big grin on his face and straight away said that he would be giving the opening prayer. We bow our heads and he gives such a nice prayer, I was so proud of him at that point.

We had a very interesting experience this week while tracting. We find this young man as we are out and seems to be completely open and super friendly so he invites us into his house. Both Elder Bowen and I feel that we need to learn about Joseph Smith as soon as possible. We got to a point where we left the young man homework to read about Joseph Smith and we set up a return appointment for the next day.

We return and we are trying our hardest to follow the Spirit and I felt it so strongly in that lesson. There was a point where I was able to bear my testimony and I nearly cried because the Spirit was so strong and I knew that this young man felt it as well. Here is what made this interesting, as we tried to set a return time again the young man decided that he did not want us to return. We may ask "why didn't he want to learn again? The spirit was there". This reminded me of an important truth; the Spirit can take the message unto the heart but we cannot force it in. This story with the young man was a good reminder on that.

Lastly we had a dinner with a family from South Africa last Sunday night! Apparently they always have the missionaries over but lost contact until Elder Bowen and I ran into them at the store. We get to their house and it literally felt like another world, I was not in Madagascar anymore. Our meal was delicious (completely vegetarian) with dessert of home made ice cream and cake. I literally needed to take a small moment when I tasted the ice cream, it was that good.

We asked them why they always have the elders over for dinner, the mother says "I just know what it is like for your mothers, having you in a foreign land eating weird food and I know how nice it would be for me if I knew that someone was taking care of my son" (that ones for you mom). We had an amazing time at their house, they are probably some of the kindest people that I have ever met.

That's about it, great week but I hope everyone has a great one in coming!
Elder Nelson