Sweet Home Ellabama : 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!!! :(