Week 51: Something Different

Friday night we taught Bro. Jesse Mack, our 70 yo intellectual, curious, and fun black friend. There we sat in his humble home with an older couple-the Martins- from our church in Leeds. We taught about the temple. They totally clicked because the Martins have a son who passed away in his 30s in a car accident, Bro. Mack has a son who drowned in his 30s. Bro. Martin has a sister with special needs, Bro. Mack lives alone with his daughter who has special needs. The lesson was perfect for him because the temple is a place to feel the closeness of families and feel peace regarding those who have passed on.

 

The next day we stopped by Bro. Macks home to say hello and he wasn't there. A minute later he pulled in, got out of his car, and asked, "guess where I've been?" With the biggest smile I've seen this man make he exclaimed, "at the TEMPLE!!!"

 

We were so shocked. It hadn't even been 24 hours since we first taught him about the temple. He felt something good in the lesson that sparked his desire. Therfore, he woke up the very next day and drove himself to Birmingham. He walked around the grounds, took pictures, and talked to people in the waiting room. He tried to describe his experience and couldn't even put it into words.

 

He recounted, "the temple is a place of peace. that is a fact. I felt something different there that I've never experienced. It was like the world didn't even exist. My mind was clear and the haze was gone. I could actually think for once. Everyone needs to go there. I will definitely be going back."

 

Bro. Mack recognizes the peace and joy of God's goodness and is changing because of it. With a chuckle in his voice he said, "y'all are changing me, you don't even know!"

 

We are not changing him, God is! He is a happier than ever, and so are we!!!

 

Love y'all!

Sister Madsen

Week 50: Change Ain't Strange

In my day I've heard many people say, "you can't change. people are the way they are. there is nothing you can do about it." If there is anything I've learned on my mission, it's the falseness of those statements. I know for a fact that people CAN and DO change. This week I've seen many of those changes manifest in the people we are working with.

 

Nicole: went from a drug addiction to living the Mormon lifestyle. She has given up all her worldly ways for the gospel. At church someone asked her, "are you visiting?" and she replied, "no! I'm here to stay!" She expressed how she knows what she's been taught is true because of the way it makes her feel. She's never been happier.

 

Jesse Mack: He thanked us for our teaching because of the positive changes he has noticed in himself. He smiles more, is less defensive, and has more patience. He feels something different and loves it. 

 

Bro. Simmons: He hasn't been to church in years, and told us a month ago he wouldn't come until he 'found what he was looking for'. He realized he was looking beyond the mark, and remembered the joy he had years ago. On Sunday his ransmission went out, so he walked to church. It took an hour.

 

These changes are real and these changes are big. So what motivates someone to change?

 

The answer comes in Mosiah 5:2.

"We KNOW of their surety and TRUTH, because of the SPIRIT of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty CHANGE in us, or in our hearts."

 

The spirit is feelings of peace, joy and happiness that sink deep into our hearts. We feel it when we are doing good things-reading scriptures, going to church, praying, and serving others. It makes us happy, so we want to keep doing those things. As we do, our natures are changed. Change is the gospel I'm teaching.

 

And hey, change ain't strange! In fact, that's exactly why we are on earth! To learn, to grow, to develop. To stop making mistakes and to learn from the past. In essence, to become better each and everyday.

 

I know I've changed on my mission because I avoid speaking ill of others.I appreciate and embrace differences. I love a lot deeper and know everyone has a story to explain how they became the way they are. I want to serve others every chance I get. I think less about myself. I'm happier. I'm more confident. I'm feel more at peace. And that is why I loveeeeeeeee being out here!!!

 

Make it a great week and go improve!

Sister Madsen

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies on exchanges with sister shattuck!

found this car seat on someones front porch! hahha how I love the south!

sweet Sister Jackson who drove us far away for our appointment!

the first stages of doing family history....

the end result of family history!!! hahah it really does bring happiness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

old man who stopped to help Sister Stiles with her stuck skirt....hahah! souther hospitality at its finest!

Walmart. Jesus. what more could you ask for? i love the southern lifestyle!!!

 

Nicole looking beautiful at church!!!!!!!

Love these girls!!

Brother Simmons! He WALKED to church. Now that is some dedication!!!

Sister Reeves!! She has been in the Leeds Ward for years...back when it only had a few members and was a tiny branch! bless her heart! She is Charles Barkleys aunt. nbd.

real home cooked southern bbq. we made our own sweet potato fries!!!! YUM!

Week 49: Where are your Priorities?

As we were teaching our friend Nicole this week, we could see how stressed she was. Trying to look for a job, be a good girlfriend, care for her grandma, buy a car, and get back into church. Like most of us, she has a lot on her plate.

 

We opened up to 3 Nephi 13:33, where Jesus Christ is teaching the people in America. Christ understands that we have a lot to worry about, but He gives us the perfect answer for setting priorities. He teaches, "seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." In english, that means, "put God first in your life, and everything else will work out. Your boyfriends, job, schooling, family, etc." 

 

When we read this, it clicked for Nicole. She was filled with peace. She learned God knew exactly how she felt, because this scripture was precisely what she needed to hear.

 

Sister Platt and I learned that God converts people, not us. We didn't know what Nicole needed to hear, but as we followed our feelings we were led. We are merely instruments, and what good is a flute without someone to play it? Like any success in life, the credit all goes to Heavenly Father.

 

I know The Book of Mormon is God's word. I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. I know my Savior lives, loves, and knows each of us. I am happier than I've ever been and that is how I know these things. I am so thankful to be in Alabama!!

 

Love your little southern belle,

Sister Ella Rae Madsen

this week we received matching letters from our matching best friend! we love you drew toolson!! have fun in peru!!!

and we stopped by a carnival!  

exchange with Sister Bailey!! she is straight from the missionary training center! such a champion! so fun! love her!

Zone Training!!! These are all the sisters we get to work with!!! So much loveeeeeeeeee!!!

$1.99 BBQ Sandwiches!!!!!!!! Best day of my life!!!!!!! They were made in a totally random little truck/rv on the side of the road! so classic!

awkwardly modeling with our bikes.... hehehhe

team up with Sister April Cook!! love her!

our lovely friend Br. Mack we are teaching!!! and his sweet daughter. they came for general conference on sunday!

yes. my favorite picture. just a few of the members here in alabama!!!!

all of us watched conference at the church sunday morning. party. hahhahahhahahhah love alabama!!

silly faces with the Nicolas!! They are doing GREAT! So proud of them!!

normal. kind of.

lunch with Brother Gause! he is a pool champion and goes to vegas for tournaments! hahha

We love each other. Nuff' said.

 

Week 48: Southern Showers

Think of the best shower you've ever taken-when the pressure is so hard it hurts.....well that is exactly what a southern rainstorm feels like. And that is exactly how God wants to bless us-with showers not squirt guns. In a recent talk given by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a counselor to the prophet, he related obedience to rain and umbrellas. We receive blessings by obeying Gods commandments (D&C 130:21), and the windows of heaven are open. Yet we often hold up umbrellas and block them because of our own limited knowledge, pride, and lack of faith. 

  

Many of us don't want to obey God because it doesn't make sense. Clearly, it takes faith to believe in God and it takes faith to obey Him. In the Bible we learn a fabulous lesson of obedience from Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-14). He is a leper who wants to be cured. He goes to the prophet Elisha believing he can be healed, but instead of magically fixing him, the prophet tells him to go dip in the Jordan River 7 times. Naaman doesn't want to because it seems difficult and illogical. The Jordan River was far away and there were other rivers closer and cleaner. Yet he obeyed. After dipping for the 7th time his leprosy was gone.

 

Shouldn't we all follow the example of Naaman? Sometimes God asks us to do things we don't want to. Sometimes we don't see the logic. We think He is asking too much. It is just too hard. But when we humbly obey, we see miracles. Just as we don't know if an unfamiliar dish of food is good until we taste it, we will never know God's truth until we live it (John 7:17)!

 

Sister Platt and I have experienced this like no other this week! We decided to assess our missionary lives and step up our level of obedience. As we've eliminated small and simple things, we've seen great miracles come to pass (1 Nephi 16:29). We have closed our umbrellas and the showers are dumping. A week ago we had no one to teach. Now we have a wonderful family of 5, a classy 70 yo black man, an alternative 40 yo lady, a 39 yo dad with a recent divorce, and a cute young couple with a 3 yo old. All of these people have been looking for a church to go to, are going through a hard time, or simply need the love and peace we offer. As we've taught them the gospel, we have felt the love of God. This is His work and He is directing our paths, no question about it.

 

I've never been happier. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!!!

 

Love y'all. Be good.

Sister Ella Rae Madsen

 

2 of my favorite talks on obedience:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/if-ye-love-me-keep-my-commandments?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/obedience-through-our-faithfulness?lang=eng

getting rid of all our old clothes.....

our new friends the copelands. we helped them tie their washer to the back of their car. so classic.

HAHAHHAHAHAH trying to take an awkward typical missionary pic....we succeded.

 

Just our daily dose of Platt and Madsen loving

It was Sister Shattuck's 21st birthday so we made a cake!! Chocolate whipped cream, chocolate whipped cream with chocolate ganache on top!!!!!!!!! SO DELICIOUS!

We found a COTTON field!!!!!!!! We had to pull over and take pictures! It was the coolest thing ever! btw-this is on self timer balanced on a piece of cotton-miracle.

we love all the same foods!  this was lunch during our weekly planning session!!! so yummy!!!

Sister Johnson and I found this random lake while looking for a house.....so beautiful!!

Week 47: Go Big or Go Home!

Many of you probably have memories of seeing the big white Madsen suburban bounce around Santa Cruz, complete with the huge bumper sticker "GO BIG". My dad would always say to us, "go big or go home! dream big!" I like that. We are capable of anything we set our mind to, so why not dream big? Why not set goals and accomplish them? I think we often neglect doing big things because we are so caught up in the fast pace of life...we don't take time to evaluate, assess, ponder and plan. However, we are warned in Proverbs 29:18 that "where there is no vision, the people perish". The Bible speaks truth!!!

 

Gordon B. Hinckley, the former prophet, echoed this when he taught," Limitless is your potential. Magnificent is your future, IF you will take control of it. Do not let your lives drift in a fruitless and worthless manner."

 

I've just learned this lesson, thank goodness!!! Transfers just happened, meaning I got a new companion! After reflecting on the past 6 weeks I sadly realized that I had been surviving. I was floating through life. I was struggling to merely hold on, because life was new and stressful and hard. But now the 6 weeks if over and I am asking myself, "what did I just accomplish?" That is a horrible feeling. Similarly, if we don't stop and evaluate where we are going in life, we will come to the end and ask ourselves the same thing.

 

So what? What do we do?

 

We are here on earth to thrive, not survive. So I invite each of you to ask yourself a few questions...

 

1. Where do I see myself in 10 years?

2. What is something big I want to accomplish in life?

3. How do I want people to remember me?

 

Then ask yourself....

 

1. What decisions do I need to make TODAY to make my future come to pass?

2. How can I improve? Change?

 

Then.....make plans to do it!!

 

I know goal setting is key to going places in life. It helps us feel successful and accomplished. And when we leave mortality, we will know we did our best because we pushed ourselves further than we thought we could go!

 

This is my prayer. May we all fill the measure of our creation!

Sister Ella Rae Madsen

 

p.s. I am now companions with Sister Gracie Platt!!!!! I COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED!!!!!! She is from Carlsbad, California and is best friends with all my best friends! She went to La Costa Canyon High School, which 4 of my dearest friends from BYU went to! We even met before the mission!!! So we are here in Leeds starting fresh! We are taking control of the missionary work in Leeds and it feels so good! Evaluating, revising, cutting out worthless things, setting goals, making plans, and working hard to make it all happen! WAtch out!!

ye bye Sister Sheffer! Love you long time! She will be great wherever she goes!

first night together. we love each other. clearly. this transfer is going to be full of pictures of us so get ready!!!!!!!!! hahah

homemade pizza!!!!! homemade dough! i am living with the domestic queen! so lovely!!

just adventuring through the woods to find some members of our church!!

relief society activity making wreaths!! could not be more southern! everyone is obsessed! hahhahah

picnic on the side of the road!!!!!! nothing like a pb banana sandwich on a long hot day of hard work!!! i love it!

we biked 20+ miles in one day! whooo hooo!! i love green alabama!

we went to a festival in Leeds and asked a lady if we could help her pack up her stand...she was touched by our kindness so her husband gave us free pulled pork bbq sandwiches!!!!!!! SO YUMMY!

Sister Platt and I made a wall of pictures of our best friends!! It is soooooooooooooo fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cried when we were made companions! No joke. I freaked out in front of all 150 missionaries. hahhaha