I'm very optimistic about the future for the Church in Madagascar and for the people of Madagascar.
As you go up and down the streets, you see the people, in the rice paddies, planting their rice underwater and washing their clothes at the side of the river, and yet, from that, came these people to church, all dressed in their white shirts, for the men, and lovely dress, for the ladies. So a people that can rise above their environmental challenges, whose faith is stronger than their physical limitations, those are just some things that make me feel so optimistic for them. We love you. And we trust you. And we have a desire to help you if we can. What's the purpose of the priesthood?
Why did the Lord choose to establish this Church and govern it by priesthood authority? The questions that we invited from the priesthood leaders were very inspiring questions. They want to know how they can improve their faith, how they could help the Church to grow. For now, it takes ordinary men, like us and you, to lead the Church. Elder Richard G. Scott dedicated the country about a decade ago. First missionaries came another decade before that. So we're young here. We would tell you first, teach your children to love God, our Eternal Father. Ask them to sing for you, "I Am a Child of God," and then you will have an opportunity to explain what that really means. I'm told that they have a recollection of only two Apostles being here in the last decade. So we had four General Authorities and one Area Authority here, all converging on one weekend. As I thought about it, I thought, these people should view that as a sign of the Lord's love for them. You truly are children of God, children of covenant Israel prepared to meet the Lord Jesus Christ and God, our Eternal Father, and dwell in Their presence, with our families, forever. [SOUND OF PLAYING CHILDREN]
