E-mail dated 1/12/10

Sorry about the shortness of the email yesterday. My companion was not feeling very well yesterday and he needed some rest so our emialing time got cut short. He is feeling much better this morning and with permission from the Mission President and orders from Sister Squires to take it easy today, we are now at the cafe.

This week was yet another normal week in the missionary work. Our apartment is going through a rough time as we still don't have running water or power (except the generator, which only runs for 3 hours in the evening). But we are all used to living like this so no problems. We ran into a couple of interesting less actives this week. One of them is named Elizabeth Allieu. She was the second counselor in the Relief Society Presidency and preparing to go to the temple when she fell less active. During her temple recommend interview with the mission president she got offended when she learned that she couldn't go unless she divorced her husband (because her husband has two wives). She has since fallen less active. When we went to visit her this week she got a little emotional with us. We could tell that she had a testimony but she was fighting it back.

We also ran into a return missionary who has since fallen less active. He was expecting the church to help him when he returned home to get his life in order. Of course thats not how the church works and he got offended when help didn't happen. He has since gotten another job with the help of another church and he is now attending that church. He to got a little emotional with us and we could tell that he to had a strong testimony and yet he was fighting it back.

The moral of the story is to LIVE YOUR TESTIMONY. When God, through the Holy Ghost, tells you something is true you had better live by it. Have faith that your decision will bless the rest of your life. We will still continue to work with these individuals and one day they will come back.

We had a neat lesson with the Kinawa family this week. We read with them the story of The Tree of Life from the Book of Mormon stories book. For the next lesson we blindfolded all the children (all 7 of them) and had them get from the stump to the papaya tree, with a small red "rod of iron" string. They all got excited and it was fun to watch them learn. We are still working with them and hopefully we can get the whole family on board before baptism. All the children came to chruch while the mother chose not to. The father was traveling in the village for work.

Everything else here is going good. I love you all and yes I can read emails from friends but don't expect a response. I can email extended family so keep em comin yance!!

Elder Degen

Rice is Life