Sweet Home Ellabama : Made it to Ellabama!

I am in Prattville, Alabama!!! What a dream! I am in a tripanionship so I have 2 lovely trainers-Sister Jensen from Nashville (who has been waiting for her Brazil visa for 6 months!) and Sister Haws from Washington state. We all get along great and I am so humbled and grateful for them!!

Note, new address for sending letters: (Don't use the old address!)

Sister Ella Rae Madsen 100 McQueen Smith Rd South Apt. A6 Prattville, AL 36066

A few funny things:

1. EVERYONE thinks I have an accent.

2. I've been fed: Kraft's mac n cheese, Papa John's pizza, hot dogs, chicken and dumplings, deer, biscuits, kool aid, candy, and chips.

3. Thus all I eat at the apartment is apples, raw cauliflower, and plain greek yogurt.

4. No one has teeth. The other day we were teaching this old couple on their porch and I was getting to know the lady. Talking about how I was from California and she muttered something. I said "Mud? Bird? Married?" Then her husband spat out "murdered!". Her daughter was murdered in California. "Oh..." Yikes!!! I was just all bubbly trying to understand what the poor lady was saying! I felt so bad.

The first week in the field has been crazy.I feel so exhausted at the end of each day it's insane. This is hard hard work, but it really is worth it. When I have felt the lowest, God has given me a miracle to bring it all back up! All the people here are GOOD people. Everyone believes in God and I love that. I LOVE personal study and companion study in the morning because the scriptures teach us so much! They are for us and we need to read them! Your questions can be answered and you can receive personal revelation! God teaches me through the scriptures everyday and it truly gives me the strength to keep going!

My mission president and his wife are the best. So loving and friendly and easy going. I am SO grateful. His favorite thing to say is "TURN OUTWARD". Instead of having all the arrows facing toward you, grab them and turn them around. If you ever think about yourself, stop. We focus on LOVE and SERVICE here and that is what brings success. When we focus our efforts on other people we really do find happiness. So when we go door to door we just ask for service opportunities! We painted a ladies wall, are raking this other ladies yard, clean, etc. The other day I held this ladies leg and helped her do exercises to recover from a hip replacement. But she only had on underwear! Love it!

I am not very good at turning outward but my goal for this week is to dedicate not just my strength, time and abilities to the Lord, but to give him my HEART and MIND. Whenever I start to think of myself or long to be somewhere else, I am going to say a prayer for someone else! I am taking President Hinckley's dads advice to "forget myself and get to work!". I love that! I get to decide how this next 18 months will go, so I must find the positive in every situation!

The members here are incredible!!!! We get someone to go out with us everyday! It helps so much because the investigators have someone to relate to, can make a new friend, and feel more comfortable when a member is with us! Just like I had to recruit people to donate blood for Red Cross Blood Drives, we get to help members understand why it is so important they come teach with us! And it is wonderful!

God knows us each perfectly. He is in every tiny detail of this work. It blows my mind. Everything I've done in life has prepared me for this experience. I am beginning to realize how large and perfect Heavenly Father's plan really is. It is beautiful! I love it here and am learning so much! I am grateful it is hard. I am grateful I am new and don't know anything. I am reaching outside of my comfort zone and growing.

Whoooo hooooo!!!! Have a lovely, cheerful, positive week my friends!!

With all my love,

Sister Ella Rae Madsen