October 4, 2010

Hey everybody!

So this weekend, I've done something that I've never done before in my life... I watched ALL of the sessions of Conference. I know, I'm very proud of myself for finally repenting for not watching it all before but man was that an incredible weekend or what? Last week, I thought I had few weaknesses but boy was I wrong! After listening to the prophets and apostles, I have so many things I need to work on. I guess that's why we have the Prophet speak to us... so that we don't get prideful like me.

So as for the week, it was awesome aGAIN (emphasis on the gain, that's what Canadians do). Kathryn and Jaycel went to the temple and did baptisms! I'm telling you, they're having an awesome month: baptism, confirmation, missionaries, temple... all we gotta do is throw a celestial marriage in there and we'll call it good eh? Those girls are awesome and they're progressing very nicely from the looks of things. Carrie had surgery on Monday. I don't know if I told you this last time or not but she asked me to give her a blessing. It was way sweet but we got a call from her on Tuesday saying that she talked to her doctor and he said she couldn't get into a tub for at least six weeks! Oh well, I guess it doesn't make too much of a difference to the Lord whether she gets baptized on the 23rd or next month. She's still reading the Book of Mormon daily and is praying every night. They also watched Conference! She is a very strong woman so hopefully she continues to press on in her quest for more knowledge and for the truthfulness of the gospel.

We talked to Amber and she asked if her uncle could baptize her on the 16th. I said absolutely not... KIDDING!!! Take a breather everybody. She also wants it to happen at 4 so hopefully all goes according as planned. The main concern we have with her though is that she's 13 and she doesn't attend church very frequently but goes to young women's every Wednesday so we're hoping this baptism isn't just for a social reason. It should be done for the right reasons and Elder Flygare and I have been kind of questioning how things are going along with her. We've been following up with her on her commitments and she's been reading and praying but going to church is SO crucial. Good thing the lesson tonight is on the plan of salvation and keeping the sabbath day holy.

As for Courtney, her parents are divorced and her dad wasn't too thrilled about her getting baptized which I completely anticipated would happen. I also was pretty understanding of it because I figured if I was being taught by people from another religion for only two weeks and I wanted to join it, you probably would have me wait wouldn't you mom and dad? Plus, this could be an excellent opportunity to invite her parents in on the lessons so that he could see what we teach and how this is simply a way of life where we strive to follow our Savior Jesus Christ. It'd be ideal if we could teach them, but even if they were just sitting in on the lessons, it'd still be an awesome experience for everyone.

Wow, when I got into Lethbridge, nothing was going on. We had no investigators or anything and now look at what is going on. It's not me... Trust me, it is not me. It is the Lord placing His hand in this area and using 19 and 20 year old men as His instruments to bring His sheep in. My prayers have been answered day after day and time after time. Heavenly Father is there and I honestly believe I have received more than what I have put in. That is what life is all about. We have to act in faith when it comes to everything we do. We have to trust the Lord that His ways are better than ours. Joseph Smith learned this valuable lesson and lost the 116 pages in the process of it. So many times I ask myself, "How many more experiences do I have to hear from others and myself until I learn this valuable lesson that Joseph learned?... When the Lord commands, do it." I know the Lord is there. He is real and He does want us to be happy, but we have to be willing to submit ourselves to Him to let Him guide us.

I love you all and hope that everything is going well. Life is challenging but like we learned in Conference, the grass is not greener on the other side. We all have struggles and the best way to cope with them is to allow the Lord to help us through them.

Love,
Elder Madsen

September 27, 2010

Hey everybody

Well, this week was pretty sweet! Kathryn and Jaycel were confirmed yesterday in sacrament meeting. It was so awesome! Elder Flygare and I can breathe now knowing that they're finally members now (even though this is just the beginning for them when you think about it). I had the opportunity to confirm Jaycel. Man was I nervous! My leg was shaking and everything and I don't even know why. Oh well, it was a way cool experience and the spirit was so strong. Definitely wrote that one in the journal.

So on Tuesday, we were able to meet up with Carrie again. She's been reading the Book of Mormon and praying and going to church every couple of weeks. It was awesome being able to answer her questions about the Book of Mormon. Of course she had to ask me a question about the scriptures in 2 Nephi when he's quoting Isaiah. I think there's only one chapter I understand in that whole selection because I remember Sister Harrell teaching us about it in seminary (I know, seminary did actually pay off for me) and sure enough, it was the one Carrie asked us about. We were able to explain it to her and it made a lot of sense to her now. The Spirit's real just to let you know. Anyways, we taught her the first lesson again and this time it made so much sense to her. She said she has a tough time recognizing the Spirit (I wanted to say it's because she smokes and drinks coffee but felt prompted to keep that to myself for now) but realizes that our church is the only one with the priesthood. I showed her my priesthood lineage card and asked her what she thought about it. She said "It's probably important because you wouldn't carry it around in your pocket if it wasn't." We invited her to be baptized and she said yes for October 23rd if she's all healed up from her surgery today. I was able to give her a blessing with Elder Flygare and it was an awesome experience to be able to give a blessing that was literally coming from on High. The Spirit was amazing and there were some blessings promised that I'd prefer to keep to myself for now because it was a pretty sacred revelation. She is in my prayers always.

Wednesday was almost if not better. We taught Amber who has a date for the 16th and wasn't too sure about it the last time we met but this time her friend Courtney sat in on the lesson. We taught both of them Lesson 1 and the Spirit was incredible. Their answers to our questions were solid and truly came from their heart. We asked them what were some ways they could follow Jesus Christ. amber said go to church, read and pray. Then we asked Courtney and she goes, "Baptism." I think both of our jaws dropped and I literally looked around at everybody else's faces. I thought to myself, "If she's not prepared, then I don't know who is!" We got the biggest smile on our faces. Elder Flygare invited Courtney to be baptized and she said she wasn't too sure. Then Amber said "Hey, I'm getting baptized on the 16th!" Then Courtney said, "Hmm, maybe I'll ask my mom and see!" Courtney then asked her mom and Sister Scout, the young women's leader said that she had talked to the mom and she was very approving of it!

My prayers are being answered. It's so awesome to be able to see the fruits of our labors and I'm so blessed that Heavenly Father would allow me to be able to stay and see these wonderful miracles that are taking place. I'm so blessed and fortunate to be able to have this opportunity to share the gosel with others everyday of my mission. These blessings however do not require a nametag. They require a sincere desire to follow our Savior Jesus Christ. As we do this, our lives will be open to the blessings He is so willing to grant us. I love you all and hope that you are striving to find ways to come closer to Him.

Love,

Elder Madsen

September 20, 2010

Hello family!

Welp, chalk up several miracles this week for Elder Flygare and Elder Madsen. Get ready for this!

So I don't know if I told you but we had a baptismal date for Kathryn and Jaycel last Saturday but their mom called us and said the day was too soon. So we came by on Tuesday and talked about what it takes to be baptized. We showed the Mormon Message, "You Know Enough" by Elder Neil A. Anderson. If you haven't seen it yet, you need to. The mom was there and the Spirit was so strong. We testified that it's not what we know that makes the difference. It's what's in our hearts and it what we do that makes what we are. We turned to Mosiah 18:8-9 and asked them the questions Alma asked at the waters of Mormon. After they answered the questions, we read verse 10. I'm not telling you what it says because I want you to read it but basically the Spirit sealed it for them on what they needed to do. We asked them when they wanted to be baptized and they said Sunday. Their mom said that Kathryn and Jaycel were big enough girls to make their own decisions. The baptism was amazing! the Spirit was so strong. I baptized Kathryn and Elder Flygare baptized Jaycel. The confirmation was scheduled for right after the baptism but the bishop came up to us 2 minutes before the program and said that they needed to be confirmed in sacrament meeting a.k.a. next week. Elder Flygare and I are not too happy about that and I'm pretty sure President isn't either but we'll keep visiting and making sure they're ready for their confirmation.

It was an incredible experience to be able to watch those 2 children of our Heavenly Father walk in the footsteps of our Savior Jesus Christ. The Spirit was amazing and the young women welcomed both Kat and Jay into the ward as if they were a part of their family. The ward is amazing. The young women sang "A child's Prayer". How powerful that was! One of the girls who sang wasn't a member and came up to me after the baptism and said she wanted to take the discussions. Miracles are happening in this area... miracles.

Oh by the way, I forgot to mention I got interviewed by a member of the Seventy. Yep, the assistants called me last night and said Elder Claudio D. Zivic of the Seventy wanted to interview me. He asked me my background and then how obeident I was (yikes!). jk, I told him there's always things I can improve on but I told him I was a 9/10. He had me bear my testimony and committed me to be exactly obedient. He asked me what my greatest weakness was and I said my mind. Being focused all the time is difficult. So guess what? He committed me to be totally focused as on top of being obedient. It was an incredible mission tour and I learned so much from Elder Zivic and his wife as well. K,time's running short on me. Enjoy the pictures! I love you!

Elder Madsen

P.s. Kathryn is the younger one and Jaycel is the older looking one :)

September 13, 2010

Hey everybody,

Wow was this an interesting week! Elder Flygare and I are settling in pretty nicely! He is an awesome missionary. We tried running this morning. I made it about 30 minutes. haha big difference from what I used to do. He is just one of those guys that always stays optimistic no matter what. I have no idea how he does it but I guess I'm going to learn eh? Nice to hear that Kevin is home.

The adversary came in on Saturday. These 2 Filipino girls, Kathryn and Jaycel, had baptismal dates for the 18th but their mom called us on Saturday and told us things were moving too fast and she wanted to push the date back. It's kind of odd hearing that from a mom who is a member but whatevs... I've learned not to mess with the mom so we're just going to keep visiting and seeing when they're ready. We'll hopefully be able to set up a new date tomorrow when we meet with them so that'll be cool. Saturday was such a frustrating day though. So many times I thought, "What am I even doing out here? Satan has always won with the people we've been teaching. What's the point anymore?" Elder Flygare was probably able to notice but he kept cheering me up and kept motivating me. I'm telling you, this missionary is awesome! Nothing ever seems to get to him at least I think.

We finally met with the Black Canadians! Ericah brought her friend from Kenya and we did a first lesson in the church. It was kind of like a church tour but with the first lesson mixed in. It was awesome and the Spirit was so strong especially in the Christ room where we had pictures of the Savior all over and had "I know that my Redeemer lives" playing in the background. It's amazing how strong the Spirit is when you testify of Christ. We're meeting with them again on Friday. get this, they actually believed the Joesph Smith story! I don't mean that in a bad way. Even Joesph Smith himself said he would not blame anyone for not believing in it for he wouldn't even had believed it if he had not seen it happen himself. But I know why they believed it. The Spirit manifested to them the truth of what happened in the Spring of 1820. His prayer was answered that day. I know he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and I know that he was called to be the next prophet to restore the same gospel Jesus Christ taught while He was on the earth. If Joseph Smith really did see God, then everything we stand for is correct. Good thing he did see Jesus Christ or else I would be wasting a lot of time in Canada.

Well, I love you and as always have a little spiritual message that will help boost you up. The doctrine of repentance is real. God really will remember our sins no more as we confess and forsake them. Often times, we think the confessing is all we need to do. We feel the punishment and the guilt of doing something wrong is satisfactory for the repentance process. Well, that's the first step but the second step is forsaking it. Literally giving up the natural man and leaving behind our weaknesses and trespasses are what makes the repentance process beneficial to us. It's not easy but it is worth it. It's worth having our Savior Jesus Christ remembering those sins no more so that He can once again lead us back onto the path we need to go. I know He is there and that He loves us all so dearly. Never does He want us alone because He knows what that's like. He had no one around Him in the garden, not even His Father's presence. He does not want us to suffer so please, as a representative of Him, take His hand. He will grab us out of that pit we are in and will show us the joys and the blessings that come from this gospel.

I love you all and as always, I am keeping you in my prayers.

Love,
Elder Madsen

September 7, 2010

Hey everybody,

We got our transfer notices today. I'm once again staying in Lethbridge but with a new companion, Elder Flygare. I guess missionaries can't stand me seeing that I haven't served with anybody for more than a transfer. Anyways, I'm really glad I get to stay here because I love this area and want to see the fruits of our labors. I prayed and fasted that I could stay here and sure enough, the Lord answered my prayer.

So from September to May, we have to wear suits... everywhere unless it is consistently 21 degrees C or higher... Even though it's fairly warm, I am not asking for winter to come yet.

So on Thursday, we met with the 2 Filipino girls, Kathryn and Jaycel. They're teenagers and came to Canada about 2 months ago (kinda like me eh) and are going to school here. Their mom is a less active member but the dad is Catholic. We taught them half of the first lesson and really stressed the importance of the Atonement. Kathryn said she felt bad for all the wrong things she had done. We taught how there was a way they could have a complete remission of their sins through baptsim. After the Spirit was really strong, Elder Stevens gave them a firm invitation to be baptized on the 18th. They both said yes with smiles! Here's the best part... a general authority is coming to the mission to do a tour and will be in lethbridge on the 18th... oh and he'll be going to convert baptisms... minor detail i guess, thought id throw it in there just to let you know. We taught about Joseph Smith and showed them the Restoration DVD in Tagolog but with English subtitles... if that's not cool then i dont know what is. It's way sweet to see them excited to learn more about Christ and how he can help us. Hopefully the dad is okay with the baptsim though... pray that his heart will be softened.

We were very busy this week working with the members on helping them to do missionary work. It's amazing to see the incredible faith people have of going out of their comfort zones and sharing the gospel with others. The Lord said that he would provide a way for us if we keep the commandments (1 Nephi 3:7). Sharing the gospel with others is a commandment from Him and as a representative of the Lord, I can testify to you that He will provide an opportunity for you and a way for you to share your love for Him as you diligently seeketh to find ways to increase your faith in Him. I know we can read our scriptures and pray and go to church and do all of those important things, but go out of the box for a minute. Find a unique way you can show the Lord you trust Him. Maybe there's a habit you're trying to get rid of or there's something holding you back from always remembering Him. I've probably already said this to you but when the Savior was walking along the sea of Galilee, He looked at the fisherman and told them to follow Him. Did the Disciples try carrying their nets loaded with their fish inside? Could you imagine how difficult it must have been to have carried those nets with their daily catches while walking with the Savior? Well what nets do we have that we're trying to carry when we're trying to follow the Savior? I know that even I as representative and follower of Him have nets to drop and I do my best to leave them behind. I'd invite you to identify those nets and drop them... not tomorrow, not next week because then it'll never happen. Right now is the time He wants you to follow Him. It's not too late. He loves you and wants you to be able to partake of the blessings that He has suffered for so that we can all be able to enjoy our Heavenly Father's presence.

I love you and bear witness that He is there and loves us all.

Love,

Elder Madsen

August 30, 2010

Hey everybody,

So I'm pretty sure yesterday was one of my favorite days on my mission so far! Thank you for the packages and I got the mail yesterday (First time in 5 weeks!)!!! Thank you so much! But that was more of the icing on the cake.

So we had an appointment with Ericah (the black canadian from kenya) but she cancelled on us. So Elder Stevens and I stopped by her place and just talked a little bit on the doorstep and chatted. She said she wants a church that is more than a "Sunday" religion and that she wants to the "know the truth". Did Heavenly Father lead her into our church or what? We talked about how our church is not just a "Sunday" church as we talked about home and visiting teachers and relief society and activities that go on. Of course those aren't the only reasons but we'll get into that when we actually teach her. Her friend Thandi is from Zimbabwe and has a girl who loved primary. Thandi wants to be taught as well so we'll see how this lesson goes this week.

Now it gets even better. So at church, Elder Stevens and I are sitting on a pew and a returned missionary comes up to us and says she brought 2 investigators for us. Sure enough, these 2 filipino teenagers sit with us. Their mom is a less active member but the dad is not. But anyways, the rm served in the Phillipines so they were speaking Tagolog with each other. We were talking and stuff and all of a sudden, the power goes out in the church. The girls laughed and said "This happens all the time in the Phillipines,". Haha i was laughing. Anyways, the power went back on and we got their info and we'll be meeting with them on Thursday (Keep me in your prayers... and them as well).

So many good things are happening in this area but I'm really nervous. Transfers are next week and I do not want to leave. But I know I'll go where the Lord wants me to go which is something I'm totally fine with. It's just hard to leave this area where I've put so much work into and I want to see the fruits but it's the Lord's work, not mine.

All right, now I want to let you know why your testimonies are so important. The ward had a BBQ and Carrie, our investigator, was there. She was talking with members and having a great time. We saw empty seats next to her and she saw us and wanted us to sit next to her. We were eating and for whatever reason, I started up a converstation with one of the members sitting across from me. We were talking and for some reason, I asked her how long she had been a member. It turns out she said she was a convert when she was in her twenties (Keep in mind, Carrie is right next to us and listening). So Elder Stevens and I asked her about her past and she bore testimony about how she was trying all sorts of different churches because she was looking for the truth. She said she found it in our church and said, "and now, I'm home." Twenty minutes after the bbq was over, we got a call from Bob, her fellowshipper who is working his way back into the church, and he said that it was great seeing us at the picnic and that Carrie is really interested now. She's reading everyday and praying about the Book of Mormon. It's so awesome!!! The first thing Elder Stevens and I said after we got the phone call was, "Who was that person who bore her testimony again? We got to get her in the lesson!" And we will.

You never know what a smiple testimony can do for someone. You don't have to preach or give a sermon, you just have to be yourselves. I noticed that as Elder Stevens and I gave talks in the Forestry ward yesterday. We were both ourselves. We weren't trying to be general authorities, we were being 19 and 20 year old boys, simply sharing with the ward experiences we have had on the mission, being led by the Spirit, and bearing His sacred name. Be yourself. There's a reason why everyone is not like President Monson. It's because we are all different people and we've all had different experiences which have brought us to where we are. Don't be something you're not. You don't have to wear the nametag to share the gospel. The Lord has shaped you to become what you need to be to so that you can be of great service to Him. This is His work, not ours. We are the tools and we are all different instruments. Find out your strengths and make them of use. Find your weaknesses and come unto Him so that they may be strengthened. Don't use excuses. "A strong missionary finds a way... a weak one- an excuse."

I love you all and hope that you are able to find the strengths the Lord has blessed you with. I hope that you use those strengths so that you can be of great service in His kingdom.

Love,
Elder Madsen

August 23, 2010

Hey everybody,

Thanks for all your e-mails and letters. Sounds like you're having a good time... too bad you're not having an awesome time like me!

This week was pretty slow. All of our appointments with our investigators canceled ( We had about 4 of them) so this week's letter to President was pretty bland. So what we've been doing a lot lately is helping show the members that missionary work is not as scary as they think it is but also that it can be very rewarding as well. I've told you about the 7 day challenge before where we go to members and challenge them to invite a non member friend to have the missionary lessons in their home within a week. Do you think this sounds like something impossible or something that's pretty scary? Before you answer this question, ask yourself, "Have I ever done that before?" If you haven't done this challenge before, then how do you know you can do it or not? I can testify to you that this is something that is possible. Moroni 7:33 teaches us that if we exercise our faith in Christ, we can do anything that is expedient in Him. Inviting people to come closer to Him is expedient in Him. So with that being said, this challenge is not something that is impossible, it might be scary, but the blessings that come from inviting others to come closer to Christ overwhelm those feelings of fear that we have. In 3 Nephi 27, the Savior is talking to the 3 Nephites. These men wanted to tarry on the earth so that they could share the gospel with others. The Lord promises them blessings in verse 10. Read that verse and see how those blessings could help you in your life. How could those blessings help you individually? How about your family? How about those around you? I testify that those blessings are not only for you but are there for others as well as you show your Heavenly Father you have that desire to bring souls unto him. Well, are you up for it? Do you think you can do it? I could go on and on about how this challenge could benefit you and those you're around but don't take my word for it... take the Lord's word for it. You can read in the scriptures all about the promised blessings He has in store for those who bear their testimony of His name.

So for those of you who decide to take this challenge, remember who this is between. This is an experience where you will be able to strengthen your relationship with your Heavenly Father. Tell Him about how scary it is and how hard you think it is and the people you're thinking about to invite. Ask Him for help and for strength to be able to overcome your fears and to be guided as you bear your testimony of your Savior Jesus Christ. He does listen to your prayers and He will answer them. He does not want you to feel like you're alone in this. In D&C 84, The Savior promise He will be on your right and on your left as you bear testimony of Him... If that doesn't motivate you, I'm not sure what will... I know that He will guide you to those lost sheep who he desires so much to bring back into His fold. He loves them and loves you as well. He will be there for you.

I know that after you take this challenge, you will come to a greater understanding of your relationship with Heavenly father and Jesus Christ. Your faith in them will increase as you put yourselves in the shoes of the Savior for these 7 days. I am excited to hear your experiences and your testimonies.

Love,
Elder Madsen