Sweet Home Ellabama : April 2015

Monday, April 13, 2015

Week 76: The Last 18 Months

"The natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him." Mosiah 3:19

This Book of Mormon scripture sums up my mission! In the MTC I was so stubborn and prideful-I refused to get a flew shot, didn't want to obey some of the dress code, and even got in trouble for flirting. I quickly learned that being on a mission meant I was to follow God and the standards expected of me, not fight against it and do my own thing. That week and a half was a roller coaster....and needless to say, I became submissive. I realized God had to bring me down so He could build me back up the way He needed me to be. This has been the hardest 1 1/2 years of my life, but also the most beautiful, rewarding, and joyful.

My 1st area was Prattville, where I learned the lesson of humility. I had entered a whole new world-the culture, demanding schedule, and high expectations seemed almost unbearable. I quickly learned that my personality wasn't enough, in fact, it wasn't anything. I needed to rely on the Lord to do HIS work. I felt overwhelmed with my lack of knowledge; how could I help someone gain a testimony of The Book of Mormon if I didn't even know how to explain it? haha All I knew to do was hold on and be positive. I found Elder Richard G. Scott's counsel to be true, "When we obey the commandments of the Lord and serve His children unselfishly, our insights, our talents, our abilities are expanded because we receive strength and power from the Lord. Power to do more than we can do by ourselves."

My 2nd area was Corinth, Mississippi where I learned to love. Training a new missionary was like being a parent. As I sacrificed and served in her behalf, my love grew and grew. Those were difficult and richly rewarding months.

My 3rd area was Guntersville. Biking around the little island in the dead of summer sweating from every pore covered in bug bites and facing rejection day by day allowed me to learn the heavenly virtue of patience. I was then transferred to Leeds, where I learned to be willing to submit to God's will. As a sister training leader I was thrown into so many new situations-helping all the sisters on exchanges was a blessing that came with an added measure of stress. I was later transferred to Huntsville, where I was back with a previous companion and the area was challenging! Knocking on doors all day long in a 5x5 mile box filled with rocket scientists definitely helped me trust God's plan. I didn't have control over my situation, so I chose to make the most of it!!

And the last lesson of becoming meek is something I'm currently working on. Meek individuals are "calm, docile, tolerant...and avoid contention". Serving with my 2 awesome companions in the young single adult branch have helped me develop these attributes. Working in unity wasn't easy, but as we listened to each other and communicated, we were able to build unbreakable bonds!

At the end of this 18 months, I am still far from perfect. But "thanks to Christ's love, it is possible to change. It is possible to leave our weaknesses behind." This is my testimony-that we can change because Christ lives and loves us. Because of His sacrifice, we can all become better tomorrow than we are today. For this I AM SO THANKFUL! I echo Ammon's words in The Book of Mormon, "I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." (Alma 26:12) THIS IS TRUE!!!! I am literallyyyyyyyy nothingggggggg. I attribute everything back to my loving Heavenly Father, Savior Jesus Christ, and all of you wonderful friends and family for supporting me on this journey. I have seen countless miracles that have strengthened my testimony. I know this church is true without a doubt!! I couldn't be happier or more grateful. I LOVE MY MISSION!!!!

I love you all!!!! See you soon!

Sister Madsen

hahhahahha just trying to pack up my life in 3 suitcases!!!

sister bryant!!!!!! I am so proud of this sister!!! she is such an incredible missionary!

free pizza that was a straight MIRACLE from heavenly father!! we were starving!

gorgeous campus!!!!!!!! it is SO green!

we made a huge cake for elder van burens and elder veenkers birthdays!! so fun and yummy!

frisbee on the quad with 40+ college kids! I love warm summer nights!!!

zone training!! I love all of these incredible missionaries!!!!!!

good times in the Bessemer West zone.

pizza with whitney and jordan!

classic southern bbq ribs!! soooo delicious!

bbq ribs. too good to be true.

birthday surprise and meeting with the elders! the ysa elders are getting double transferred out so the sisters will be the only missionaries left here!!! :(

pokemon. yessssss! love stephanie sooooooo much!

the daily walk down the strip! loving it!

birthday party for elder veenker!

love me some Moana!!! best relief society president ever!

Rachel got baptized!!!

oh keith. got to love this branch!

going to miss my beautiful branch friends!!

this is my favorite view driving to church over tuscaloosa river!!! everything is SO green!

Monday, April 6, 2015

Week 75: Adam, Noah, Moses too....What about you??

A few weeks ago we were walking to campus when we dropped a mormon.org card. A kind 30 yo lady named Jessica with brown hair told us we had lost something! We picked up the card and asked if she had ever seen one. She hadn't, so we preceded to tell her what we are all about! She grew up Catholic but doesn't believe all their doctrine. She agreed to meet with us and learn more.

This week was our 4th meeting, and as we sat on the steps to the library where she works she told us about a recent realization she's had. With excitement in her eyes and confidence in her voice she said, "well, when I was a little girl I was always so sad and confused about why we didn't have a prophet on the earth. God had given previous generations Noah and Moses, so did He love us less??" She continued, "but as I learned that Mormons believe in a modern day prophet I found so much comfort and clarity."

We were in shock because no one ever says that, but she learned that Christs true church has been restored in its fulness. We learned that God prepares people who need His message, and He places them in our path through small and simple means-including dropping a pass-along card!!! And I know that we have a prophet and 12 apostles to lead and guide us today. Hearing them speak this weekend was beautiful, and y'all can check out what they're teaching us on lds.org!!!

I LOVE THE GOSPEL WITH ALL MY HEART! It is sooooo true!!!

Sister Madsen

beautiful nature we found!!

these sweet sisters left us an easter surprise!!! love them!

we made this easter cake for district meeting!!!

some good learning took place in the hood of ensley this week.

lunch at a classic southern bbq place in the ghetto!!! such a good time!

alabama scenery.

love my comp!!! and the HOT SPRING NIGHTS!!! it feels so great here!!!

some funny art piece structure thing on campus!

somehow we crashed a sorority initiation party thing.....had to take some pics!!! hahahha

easter with sister moore!!! HE IS RISEN!

bunny ears!!

he crazy event we happened across on campus! so funny!

our friends in ensley!

Week 74: Is It Worth It?

Luke 15:4 "What man of you, having an 100 sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the 99 and go into the wilderness after that which is lost until he find it?"

What can we learn from this simple scripture in the Bible?

The VALUE of souls and the POWER of 1 person !!!

Please envision yourself in this situation-you are the shepherd in the middle of a field with 100 sheep. One wimpy little sheep wanders off and gets lost..... so you truck through the wilderness to find it. Pushing down branches, going through trees, getting dirt in your socks, your exhausted yet determined. I ask myself, if it's just 1/100, is it really worth it?? Will that 1 sheep make that much of a difference??

Christ suggests it is. And we are all here to follow His example. Therefore, are we willing to leave the fun, popular crowd to talk to the one shy kid in the corner? Do we comfort people when then they're sad? Listen when they need help?

All these little acts of COMPASSION teach us how to value each person, no matter what they look like or act like. We must be willing to go get the one little lost sheep, no matter how tough the wilderness or path may be! And at the end of the day, we never know how much good we are doing!

So let's all do something kind this week! Love y'all!

Sister Ella Rae Madsen

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/you-never-know

birthday surprise for sister hansen and elder hix!!!!!!! we made a delicious chocolate cake with homemade chocolate ganache and whipping cream and strawberries! YUM.