8/1/16 - Last Days in Madagascar

I'm so so so excited to see you guys this Thursday!  My birthday was great!  I did get egged hard.... fun story.  I'll tell you when I get home!  Haha!  We left Mahajanga Saturday morning and got here at night!  This was the best two year!!!! :)  See you on Thursday!  Muah!

-Elder Mack

Goodbye dinner. President and Sister Foote with Elder Mack's group

At the mission home and ready to head to the airport to go home

At the airport in Madagascar

Jordan getting a hug from his mission mom Sister Foote. Thank you Sister Foote! Next hug is mine

Elder Mack going in for a hug with President Foote. Thank you President. We love you!

They just left Johannesburg. This is the long 16 hour flight.

7/25/16 - Happy Birthday, Baptism & the Spirit Teaches Truth

Hey y'all!

Ity ny semaine farany e!  Izaho dia hiasa mafy amin'ny fo'saina, sy tanjaka rehetra kara ny efa nataoko naharitran' ny mision!

How's it going guys!?  Elder Olsen and I had an awesome week!  Thanks for the birthday wishes first of all.  This Wednesday I am going to be in hiding.  The members are probably going to try to egg me so I better keep a low key.  Thank you Elder Olsen for telling people when my birthday was.  Pray for me.  Haha!  Elder Olsen got way lucky cause on his birthday I was sick and we didn't go out.  The members tried to get to him but couldn't.  Haha!

The baptism on Saturday was awesome!  All four of us elders got to be in white.  There were four people who got baptized - Eric, Fifa, Doe, and Jaque.  It was an awesome meeting.  Fifa is 10 and during the ordinance he started crying.  I asked him after the service why he was crying and he said because he was so happy to be baptized, and happy to see his dad make good decisions and be baptized as well. The area is literally going so good right now so I'm not ready to leave.  I've been here forever but I also feel as if I just got here.  All of our investigators who were baptized gave great testimonies at church.  Eric gave so much thanks to God and said that he KNOWS that this church is true and that The Book of Mormon IS the word of God.  We had such an awesome week and I'm grateful for the miracles we have seen.  Me and Elder Olsen have learned to really connect and let the spirit work because the spirit really is the teacher.  If companionships don't work together than the spirt can't work.  This week two people and one family that we've taught have asked to be baptized because of knowledge they have received through the spirit.  I want to tell you guys about an amazing family.  I've talked about Irina before.  She has a boy about our age come and learn from us.  His name is Jean Claude.  From the beginning he has been really diligent in learning and has come to church every week.  We asked him all the time though when we could teach his father.  He kept telling us that his dad is not ready.  We found out that his dad used to be a pastor and me and Olsen understood why he might not want to have the lessons.  Irina went to Tana for a little while because her husband was in an accident.  That's when Jean Claude decided that he wanted to be baptized.  That sparked his dad's interest a little and he sat in on one of the lessons.  Then he asked us to come back!  We taught him about the restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon and bore TESTIMONY on how much we know the truth of what we say.  The spirit was felt so strongly and I felt words come to my mind and come out of my mouth.  The next lesson we had was this past week.  Jean Claude's fathers tells us he feels what we say is true and he wants to be baptized too!  Yesterday, he brought his whole family to church and even brought a friend.  He had a wonderful time there.  This church is true.  I know it with all my heart that it is.  We may look at some people and feel that they will never accept the gospel but the spirit can soften any level of the heart. When they invite the spirit into their hearts, there is a change. 

I love you guys!  I'm not ready for this adventure to end but, "C'est la vie!"  It's my last week!  I'm not backing down!  Have an awesome week everyone!

Elder Mack

Mirindra and his family

Funny faces for days

Saholy feeding her kids

Me and Olsen trying out the latest fashion.  How do we look?

Bon appetite!

My new ride

Saying goodbye to Lunydah

I got a cute smile don't I?  :D

Olsen and I

Scary voodoo doll baby.  Ahhhhh!

I take care of Olsen

We're not trunky whatsoever

This is Jean Claude's parents and cousins.  Jean Claude was working so he's not in the pic. 

This is Fabrice's dad.  We call him pirate man because he used to work on a ship.

This is Feno and his family

This is my English class!

Baptism!!!

My fantastic four

The waves were a little rough on us but it still was a great baptism!

Dada and Doe

Dada

Jean Claude right next to me and Carlos on the end

This is Fabrice's mom!  She's my favorite

Lovely Hardie

This is Doe.  My bestie just got baptized!  I did his confirmation. 

This is one of Lunydah's friends Rahary.  She wants to be baptized.

This is Ralaibary.  He may look old but he'll take you down.

This is Branch President Paul.

These are Narina's kids.  We stopped by to take a pic. 

Clamentine and Jean

Back when I was with Elder Olsen in Anjanahary forever ago I made a deal with him that if I make a basketball shot from really far that he had to buy me a snickers and then I swished it! I forgot about it until today when we were at Shoprite and I was looking at the snickers and it clicked it my head "YOU OWE ME A SNICKERS!" and then I got it

7/18/16 - Choose to be like the Savior

Hey y'all!

 

17 days today.... That can't be real....!  I'm doing good but I am feeling ready to see you guys.  And then I'll want to come back here.  Haha!  Seriously - this place would be paradise if you guys were here with me.  I have so many mixed feelings right now.  It's driving me a little insane.  I am grateful for technology so I can still keep in touch with some people here. 

We have a baptism this coming Saturday!  Erik, his son Fifaliana and Doe!  I'm way stoked!

Our investigators are all good and happy.  We have built up a good pool of investigators and I feel good about leaving these good people for whatever new missionary comes up to Mahajanga with Elder Olsen.

One of my favorite talks is The Character of Christ by Elder Bednar!  Check it out.  It's life changing. Choose to be like the Savior.

Short but sweet.  Love you guys!

Elder Mack

 

My last companion - Elder Olsen

Let's go teach!!!

This is how Fabrice makes shelves.  He takes a box from the missionaries and nails it to the wall.

This is Clamantine's sister.  She came for vacation with her children and showed interest in the church so we got to teach her.  She thinks I'm funny.

Fish anyone?

Kiss da fish!!!  Everyday is fish eating day!

Dinner appointment at Jean Louis!  He served in New Zealand.  Way good at English.  I met him when he first got off his mission and he came home to Antsirabe. 

Playing monopoly with Fabrice and Fabien