Week 35

First of all, this week was awesome! life is sooooooo good out here in Alabama! I never want to come home!!!! I love the people so much-they are so friendly and fun!! I love the weather even though its like doing a bikram yoga 24/7. I love the food because everyone has a fresh garden! I love the lake and the greenery! and most importantly, I love the message we bring to people!!!!!

on Wednesday we were baking cookies with a lady named amber who has been a Mormon since she was a little girl. in her teenage years she drifted away from her standards and stopped going to church. now at 35 she is trying to figure her life out again. as we baked cookies in her apartment we discussed how life is short, so the decisions we make are vital. we helped her understand that she will have eternity to look back on her earthly life.

she knows she needs to come back to church, but told us she never could because her double shift on Saturday would leave her exhausted. she also felt unprepared and nervous to go again. we knew she needed extra strength, so we called the boy missionaries to give her a blessing. just as Christ blessed and healed people by the power of god (called the priesthood), worthy men in our church do the same thing.

as these good missionary boys laid their hands on her head the spirit flooded into the room. the words elder hunt spoke came directly from god. He had never met/heard of her before, but the blessing addressed every concern and situation she has ever brought up! it was so crazy! amber shed tears of joy as she was overwhelmed with feelings of hope, love, peace, and comfort. these feelings inspired her to come to church on sunday. as she sat in that building once again she felt gods love and remembered what "home" felt like.

she realized the decisions we make in life are crucial, so she can't delay making the right ones. instead of being apathetic, she committed to acting on what she knows is right! What an incredible experience-people can change, god loves us, and his power is real. these things i know!

Have a great week y'all!

Sister Ella Rae Madsen

 painting nails and doing face paint at the park! this man got auburns logo painted on his toes with orange and blue polka dots! HAHA these southerns are hilarious! then we did tons of roll tide and Alabama As on little groms faces! so fun!

  brother burton! KATE HARGIE baptized him in mcminville, Tennessee and then he visited our ward!!!!!!! crazy connections!

 the Guntersville ward missionaries!

i brought this friendship bracelet from home...finished it....then attached my watch face bc my leather strap broke! got to keep the summer fever alive out here!