April 6, 2013

Dear Family & Friends,
 While all of you are enjoying Conference in your homes we have to wait for two weeks to watch it. Thank goodness for computers. We should be able to read and listen to some of the talks this next week. We are looking forward to hearing from our Prophet and the apostles. Conference is always a great time to be reminded of those things the Lord would have us do to improve our lives.
On Monday night we had a family home evening with all the couples and the lesson was on The Tender Mercies of the Lord a talk given by David A. Bednar in the Feb. 2012 Ensign. We talked about all the tender mercies we have felt on our mission and how the tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. If you stop and think about all of the events that happen in your life on a daily basis and looked at all that you were blessed with those are gifts from God. Elder Bednar said, "The Lord's tender mercies are the very personal and individual blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindness, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ." When you stop and think about each of these things you realize that you have been blessed in so many ways. Each day we feel that our life is being touched and directed by the Lord. We couldn't accomplish all that is required of us without his help. You will be trying to solve a problem and not sure how to do it when an idea pops into your head and you are then able to solve the problem. An example of this occurred yesterday. I was prompted to call and check on a flight that was to leave today. When the call was made the flight had been cancelled and no one had notified us. I had to rebook the flight. If I hadn't followed the prompting President and Sister Adams would have gone to the airport and not had a flight. The drive to the airport takes about an hour. Everyday we are blessed with help to accomplish our mission here and we are very grateful for that help.
We had a sister missionary come into the mission this week, she is from Madagascar and will be a great addition to our mission. This week and next the President is doing interviews so we have had the missionaries in the office which is always nice. We went to inspect apartments on Thursday and 4 out of 5 passed which is much better than our last visit. Word got out we were coming.
In closing we send our love to all of you and hope you are all doing well. We hope you will feel the Lord's tender mercies  in your lives and that you feel his love for you.
Elder & Sister Cornelius

March 22, 2013

We have had auditors here for a few weeks and one of the ladies that was here told Elder Cornelius that she liked being here because it felt good here. She isn't a member and had many questions about our church. She couldn't understand that we were paying to serve a mission and that the other couple were doing the same. She asked how we did that and Elder Cornelius told her we had saved money for several years so we could serve a mission. That is a very hard concept for a Malagasy. They don't have extra money to save because they aren't paid a lot,  She also had a hard time with believing that people would donate money to the church for Humanitarian and missionary work. These concept are very unfamiliar to them.
We also had President Donnelly here for a few days having Public Affairs meetings. He had two men from Salt Lake City who work for the church directing the Public Affairs all over the world. They ate dinner with us last night along with the Murdock's who are from Montecello, Utah. They live on the border of Blanding and Montecello. They are a Public Affairs couple who had visited here before.
The couples we work with here are wonderful people, we have a lot of fun having Family Home Evening together and playing games. someone made the comment that will stay in contact with the couple more that the missionaries when we leave because of the bond we make here. We will see if that happens. Our Humanitarian couple shared their experiences in Tulear helping the victims from the cyclone with us. One lady who isn't a member commented that our church was the first one to give out aide to the needy and how grateful they were for the help. I have included a picture sister Richards shared with us.

This is a group of people that were helped. They are going back to some remote village on Friday to give out food and other supplies.
We will end with this thought. Be grateful for what you have because you never know what tomorrow will bring. Tell those that you love just how much you love them and appreciate all they do for you. Moroni 7:47.
Have a great week. Love, Elder & Sister Cornelius

March 17, 2013

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of you. This week has been rather uneventful with not a lot of things going on, just the normal routine. The weather has been warm and pleasant, with a few evening rain showers.We had  a Zone conference for the other half of our Tana missionaries on Tuesday. There was a recent convert couple who shared with us their conversion story and told us what convinced them to join the church. They said it was the Book of Mormon and the way they felt when the missionaries were teaching them.The missionaries who were converted to the church shared their conversion stories and then they did a role play where they practiced contacting someone on the street. They then evaluated how they did and gave positive suggestion on ways to improve. It is always enjoyable to be with the missionaries and feel of their great spirits. We have been trying to create and update manuals for our replacement couple. The Finance office didn't have one so Elder Cornelius is working on creating one so that future Finance secretaries will have something to refer to when they have questions. Elder Cornelius didn't have that privileged when he got here, so he had to learn the hard way by trial and errors. Sister Cornelius had a manual is is just updating it. We hope to have these done before we leave. We'd like to end with a story we heard in Zone Conference about the importance of following the spirit. A missionary shared this story with us. He and his companion were walking down the street and they had three houses in front of them. They were going to go to the one on the left first, but the spirit told them to go to the one in the middle. There was a man standing by his house and when he saw the missionaries he greeted them warmly and told them that he had been taught by other missionaries years before but hadn't joined their church. He looked at the bigger missionary and said, "You remind me of the missionary who taught me. Please come in, I want to hear more about your church." Sometimes people aren't ready to hear the truths of the gospel until something changes in their lives, this opens their hearts and minds so that they are ready to learn more. They become teachable. We should never give up on our family, friends and neighbors but keep loving them and setting an example for them.
We are looking forward to a visit from our former mission president next week. He is here for meetings and is coming for dinner Wednesday night. We send our love to all of you. Continue to pray for the missionaries, they need your prayers.
Elder & Sister Cornelius

March 10

We have had a wonderful week. Elder & Sister Carl B. Cook who serves in the area Presidency spoke at our Stake Conference Saturday and Sunday. The theme Saturday night was on unity in the home, ward, and stake. When we are divided we don't accomplish many good things, but when we are united we can accomplish a lot of wonderful things. Sister Cook talked about being united in our marriage. She said that our marriage should be like a triangle, with the husband and wife at the bottom looking up to Christ on the top. If we always look to him for guidance and answers our marriage will be stronger. If we remember and keep those covenants that we have made at baptism and in the Temple we will also have stronger marriages. Elder Cook talked about the three T's that his wife had taught him. The three T's are Time, Talk, and Together. He said if we take the Time to Talk to one another we will be Together eternally. We need to communicate and have Companionship Inventories weekly just like the missionaries. In Preach My Gospel page 150 it tells us how to do this. A few ideas from this is share and make goals, discuss the strengths of your companion, (spouse). Discuss challenges that keeps you from having unity in your marriage. Start and conclude with prayer.
On Sunday they had recent converts come up and bear their testimonies about how the gospel had changed their lives. They also had a sister bear her testimony about her recent marriage in the Temple. The Malagasy Relief Society choir sang beautifully the song As Sisters in Zion. Elder Cook read the words to that song as part of his talk stressing the part that we all work together to build up the Kingdom. On Sunday evening all the couples had dinner with the Cooks at President & Sister Adams home. We had a delightful meal and shared some thoughts about serving missions and why we chose to serve. With over 50 new missions opening up all over the world the need for couples is greater than ever. We encourage those of you that can serve to consider putting in your papers. It has been a wonderful blessing in our lives and in the lives of our children. As we reflect on the things that we have learned on our mission we wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world.
We send all of you our love and hope that you know how much we appreciate the prayers that have been offered in behalf of the missionaries. We can feel them daily. 
love Elder & Sister Cornelius

This past week has flown by because of a lot of activities in our mission. On Tuesday we had a going away dinner for four missionaries going home. This is always a choice evening as the missionaries bear testimony of the work that they have preformed. One missionary who served in a Branch Presidency had 100 baptisms on his mission. He bore a spiritual testimony of the love God has for all his children and how much he will miss the people he has served. Another missionary told of the trials he had, his parents told him they were getting a divorce in the M.T.C, he just about went home after that. then when he got here he found out that his mom had cancer and later that his brother was having some difficulties. He really was tested and had a difficult time, but he said that he finally realized that he needed to be here doing what he was doing and that everything would work out. He couldn't change what  his parents had chosen to do and he could best help his mother by serving the Lord and praying for her. He has had great success on his mission and his family is doing better, his mom is doing well. President Adams bore testimony that each of these missionaries were going to be great assets to their wards and families. That they aren't the same now as they were when they entered the mission field. They need to stay strong and use the things they have learned here to strengthen their future wives and family. One of the apostles said that the most important convert that you will make on your mission is yourself.
On Wednesday we welcomed 6 new missionaries to our mission, we had a dinner that night and two stayed at our apartment. Thursday morning we fed all of them breakfast, We went through 34 eggs in two days, those growing missionaries can eat. Sister Cornelius made rolls for the luncheon we had after their training and finding out who their companion would be. It is fun to be apart of the excitement as they open their letter to tell them where they will serve and with whom. Sister Cornelius then sent an email to the parents to let them know of their sons arrival and assignment. We also had transfers on Thursday and there were missionaries coming and going all day, 805 of our missionaries were transferred, so it was very hectic. One missionary who has been serving in Tulear came in before we left our office and told us about the devastation from the Cyclone that hit there a week ago last Monday. A whole village was destroyed and thousands of people are either homeless or out of work because the boats are damaged. This is a seaport town that is just above sea level. Our church Humanitarian is working with the Catholic Relief Agency and the government to help in that area. 
In closing I would like to share one scripture found in 2 Nephi 2:8 "Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being first that should rise."
We hope each of you have a great week and we appreciate you support and love.
Love, Elder & Sister Cornelius

This is Elder Horman by a large tree that fell during the cyclone in Tulear.

 

 The next picture is of Tulear where the cyclone hit two weeks ago. A missionary who was serving there gave me some pictures. The pictures shows the flood water and broken trees.

February 17, 2013

We have had a wonderful week in Madagascar with rain every day and lots of things to keep us busy. We love it when the missionaries come into the office to visit and get supplies. They lift our spirits and we enjoy the time we can spend with them. Yesterday the A.P.'s were trying to connect one of the Zones for a Zone leaders Conference through Web X. They had on their head sets and were talking like they were airplane pilots. We had a good laugh. We love our wonderful A.P.'s, they are lots of fun.
 Everyday is a different adventure here. On Thursday, Valentine's Day we went with another couple to a restaurant called Carnivore. They had a huge flower heart in the entrance and the whole place was decorated with red, pink, and white, picture attached. We had a variety of meat, lamb, beef, chicken, pork, crocodile, and crab & shrimp appetizers. The dessert was a three chocolate mousse and caramelized pineapple with ice cream. It was a new experience, One we didn't think we would have here.

When it rains the ladies wear shower caps to keep their hair dry and they carry umbrellas with them to keep the sun off of them in the heat of the day. They are always prepared this time of year for what ever the weather might be.
In Sunday School today we talked about the Atonement and it's importance. This one point stood out to us. "How Jesus loves us to suffer such spiritual and physical agony for our sake! How great the love of Heavenly Father that He would send His Only Begotten Son to suffer and die for the rest of His children. "For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." When we truly think of what Christ had to suffer for us on the cross and in Gethsemane it should make us all try even harder to not sin and cause him even more suffering in our behave.
We send our love and gratitude to each of you for your support and look forward to being with each of you again soon. 

Love Elder & Sister Cornelius

Picture 1193 is the Senior Primary of our ward. They are cute children of God, with wonderful spirits.

February 9, 2013

Another week has passed and we are happy for the weekend to get caught up on shopping, laundry, and house cleaning. That's always something to look forward to right? We had another busy week at the office. There is always things to do to fill the day. After entering the 2012 baptism records we ended up with 1,019 baptisms for the year. We think that puts us over 10,000 members. One problem we have here is retention, many of the members don't accept new converts and aren't very friendly with them. We have an investigator in our ward that was offended by some sisters in Relief Society, so she won't attend. She leaves after Sunday School. It just reminds us that we need to be careful of what we say and try hard to fellowship investigators and make them feel welcome. In another Branch the Branch President's wife told a lady that she wasn't welcome in their church and not to come back. Needless to say her husband was released. Because most of these people are new in the gospel they have many things to learn. Elder Cornelius answers a lot of questions in Elders Quorum meetings each Sunday that the members have. He is teaching a lot of gospel principles that they don't quite understand.
We heard that you had 8 small earthquakes on Thursday. We hope there was no damage there.
We are having a lot of rain here in the evenings and the mornings are very pleasant. The clouds build up in the afternoon and dump on us in the evenings. We have had a lot of rain this month,over 7 inches so far.
In a talk given by Jeffrey R. Holland to the missionaries in the M.T.C. in January 2013 he gave this formula by which we can know if we are measuring up to the Lord's expectations: "Seek to be personally converted, obey the rules of the mission (or commandments), strive to have the Spirit of the Lord in your life, and work hard. These are things every (member) & missionary can do." I have added the words in parenthesis  to make it apply to us. "If you do those things, I promise you in the name of the Lord and with the authority of my office, you are a success in His eyes."
We send our love and testimony to each of you that the gospel of Jesus Christ will continue to go forth throughout the world, and that as more people embrace his gospel lives will be changed for the better and it will be a better world to live in. We do love and appreciate all of you for your support and prayers for us. May each of you feel of his love for you. Elder & Sister Cornelius

Picture 1137 is of our neighbors below the office drying their laundry on the lawn, they don't have electric dryers so they dry the laundry on rocks, lawns, or wherever they can. 

Picture 1170 is a unique contrast in worlds with oxen, or Zebu here, pulling a cart and a modern sign selling toothpaste. 

Picture 1175 is an open market meat stand. You can buy fresh meat here and enjoy it along with the flies and dirt. We don't buy it here, but the Malagasy people do. 

The last picture 1190 is of a turtle that our neighbors have in their yard. We see it when we walk around our apartment complex.