Elder Walker James Wolfgramm: November 2016

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Nov 27th - Mbola Mafana Be

This week was a great week, but still supper hot. I am not sure what the temperature is but it feels like it is 100 every day. The people just say that it is going to get really hot in January and then it gets cold in May. I cannot wait until it gets cold.

The language is still coming but it is a slow process. I am basically leading all of our discussions and I am trying to answer all the questions that I get asked. Sometimes I answer the questions right, and others they just agree with me and then ask Elder Lingani the same question and his answer is way different. (I don’t think Elder Lingani understands:):):)) It has been great to have him as a trainer; I have been able to learn so much from him about missionary work as well as life. This week will be the last week Elder Lingani and I are together, next week I will get a new companion and maybe a new area. I am really hoping that I can stay in Tamatave because the people here are great. But I will go where the Lord wants me to go.

This week we also had zone conference, which was great because I got to hear from President Foote, as well as Elder Mdletshe from the 70, he gave a great talk. I was able to learn so much from him about the importance of missionary work especially in a new place like Madagascar. This week we will have three investigators getting baptized, including Maramoza the guy who could not remember who Joseph Smith the prophet was. He now understands the teachings, haha.

A few weeks ago when Elder Lingani and I were tracking we came across a less-active member, named "Bonnie-face" the way it is spelled is not the way it is pronounced, it isn’t “Bony Face” but "Boanny faass". We found out he hasn’t been to church in like 3 years and I shared a scripture in Alma, where Alma is talking to his son and tells him to trust in the Lord, I told Bonnie-Face that he can always trust in the Lord and that he will always listen, no matter how far you think you have gone the Lord will always be there. The scripture is in Alma chapter 38 verse 5. Anyway, Bonnie-Face came to church on Sunday. It was great to see that he took what I shared to heart he thanked me so much for reminding him about the Savior and His love for him.

That is what I got for this week; all is still well in the greatest place on earth.

Keep me in your prayers. I love you guys,
Elder Wolfgramm

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Sunday, November 20, 2016

Nov 20th - The week is gone already?

Every week I am blown away with how fast they go by. This week for some reason felt a lot hotter than the rest, I hope it doesn't get hotter and hotter or else I will be in trouble haha.
But this week was another great week and the work went a lot better this week, as the litchis are slowing down. this past Sunday was amazing as we had 23 investigators come to church which is awesome. But it was the primary program so we had to explain to them that not every week is based around the singing of children.

Also this week one of my favorite investigators Julianot ran into some trouble. We went and visited him at the time we usually do every week and him mom was there this time, which was awesome we thought we could teach both of them. We started to teach them and the mom was asking all these good questions, but then we started talking about his baptism and she said no she doesn't want him to get baptized because she feels he has already been baptized once and we were able to teach our message about how we believe that the priesthood was lost and with it the authority to baptize was lost as well, and that it has been restored. We talked some more and she said that she wants her son to understand the doctrine completely before he is baptized and we agreed completely. We finished up our lesson and she seemed ok with us continuing to teach him. On Sunday we talked to Julianot about it and he said he still wants to get baptized and he still knows that it is right and that his mom is ok with it. I am just nervous that it might put a bump in there relationship, I am praying that his mother will truly be more open to the church. Please pray for Julianot and his mom that she will soften her heart and be truly ok with him choosing to be baptized.

We also found out one of the churches here teaches about Joseph Smith, but they say that he was fluent in every language and tries to deceive people into reading this translated book that is false. The people that we ran into thought it was the Bible. So they took my bible and compared it to their bible, and found it to be exactly the same. We taught them our message and they were way shocked that it was about Jesus Christ. It was funny to hear them say, "Wow you really do teach the gospel."

That was just a glimpse into another great week in Madagascar. Please pray for the people in Madagascar, I know that you are already praying for so much, but please just keep Madagascar in your prayers the people here need it.

love Elder Wolfgramm

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Sunday, November 13, 2016

Nov 13th - Madagaskara Dia Mafinaritra

Well this week was another fantastic week in the wonderful Madagaskara. (no I did not spell Madagascar wrong that is seriously how the Malagasy's spell it). Madagascar is still super-hot, and all the people here say it is going to get hotter. It is hard to believe that I could sweat more than I do it feels like I have finished up a wrestling practice at the end of each day.

This week was a harder week for the work in Madagascar because it is lechi season. Lechi’s are a fruit that is found here, they are little like the size of golf balls, but are so so so sweet. The Malagasy’s will take about three weeks off to collect this fruit, during lechi season. It is huge here peoples life’s are consumed by lechi season, especially in Tamatave because this is where most of the lechi’s are grown. So a lot of the people that we had plans to go teach this week were gone collecting lechi’s.

It was still a good week and we were able to teach a lot of investigators that are AWSOME, we have been teaching this kid name Julianot who is a 18 year old kid that we found at English class and he is way awesome. He has been coming to church every week and he is actually reading the Book of Mormon and is doing all the things that we have asked him to do. (Which is really rare for Malagasy’s to do ALL the things you ask them to do). This week I had a great experience with Julianot, as we visited him we asked him if he had been reading the Book of Mormon, and he said that yes he had and then I asked him if he had prayed to his loving heavenly father about the book. He said that he had prayed and he had received an answer that he felt that the Book of Mormon was true, and he knew that what we had been teaching him was true. I know that Heavenly Father loves Julianot and has an active part in his life, I know it because I can see it. I can see the change in him, when we first met him he was just a Bandy (PUNK) but now he really has the light of Christ in his eyes. Another investigator that has changed was Lucio who when we first met him was struggling with his job, money, he was hungry, depressed, and was smoking about 2 packs of cigarettes a day. He now has stopped smoking, he doesn’t really worry about money any more, and is genuinely happy.

Things like these are what make the mission the most enjoyable, yeah it is super fun to be living in Madagascar, and to be able to see leamers and chameleons, and to mess with drunk guys who want to take your money. But the most joy is seeing people change their lives. I will be honest sometimes a mission is hard, and I hate to admit it, but sometimes it’s hard. It is hard to be hot all the time, and sweaty, and see so much poverty and pain, and get laughed at all time and get called names and get cussed at by drunk people, and when people that you truly care about don’t want to follow Christ, and your teachings, and to struggle with the language, and then have the people you are trying to help laugh and tell you that you are struggling with the language and to not feel super healthy. It is hard. But when it gets hard, I think of experiences like these, and it makes it all worth it. I get true joy and I just can’t stop smiling and it gives me true happiness. I realize that it is all worth it, and how truly lucky I am. I love this mission and the opportunity to serve the lord.

I love all of you, and I hope that all is well at home and I know that if you let the Lord in your life, it gets easier.

Elder Wolfgramm

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Monday, November 7, 2016

Nov 7th - Amazing Week with First Baptisms in Madagascar

Walker decided to do his Letter in a Voice Recording again. So We have attached a two part audio recording of his letter. The Part 1 recording from last week is fixed and you should be able to listen to it now.

Enjoy

November 7th Audio Recording Part 1

November 7th Audio Recording Part 2

November 4th, 2016

October 29th, 2016

November 1st, 2016

November 3rd, 2016

November 5th, 2016

November 4th, 2016

November 5th, 2016

November 4th, 2016

November 5th, 2016