days of our lives December 20, 2016

Lets just go for it and I'll tell you what happened this week

Tuesday: we ate at Asia cafe for MCM. Taught the Word of Wisdom to
Megan and Steve. Megan told us she would do it and Steve said he
definitely would not. and the lit a cigarette in the middle of the
lesson to prove his point. Then we diligently tracted in the freezing
cold. We had determined to find time each day to tract because last
week we had no time at all to and we missed it. So we were out and
about and realized we both forgot gloves and only had on like, one
pair of tights but we stayed out because we wanted to be diligent.
nothing happened. but we were diligent. and God rewarded us by letting
us tract into a couple of gang houses which was super cool and crazy
and he blessed us even more because we lived to tell the tale

Wednesday: we got a text about not going outside when it is below
zero.. would have been good to know the day before but oh well. We
were diligent. Last District meeting of the transfer. We went to
district lunch afterwards at this diner and it was super good. A man
paid for our entire districts meals. It was insane and so so kind. He
then told us he was a Pentecostal and tried to bible bash with Sister
Corbett the entire time we were there. good times.

Thursday: Sister Corbett and I finally dropped everyone we have been
thinking about dropping which was 8 people. and then, exchanges!!!!!
Sister Smith my trainer and I were reunited at last. I love her

Friday: More exchange. and then a perilous 2 hour drive back to
Freeport in a huge snow storm.

Saturday: We stopped by all our oldies and wished them a Merry
Christmas. We weren't allowed to be outside for long.

Sunday: we received a text saying all missionaries were FORBIDDEN to
go outside because of the temperature. So we were only allowed to go
to church and any appointments that we had. And sister Corbett and I
had zero. The week before we had planned to do a lot of tracting this
week because we really wanted to find some solid people so most of the
week we had just planned time to tract and then that fell apart with
the text. So we stayed inside all day and made phone calls and cleaned
up areabooks as well as made treats for the members. A lot of treats..

Monday: this day was awesome. but crazy. I woke up feeling very sick
which I'm thinking was from all the treats that we made the day before
that I may have snacked on. But anyways we had our zone Christmas
party up in Rockford. I threw up on the side of the road on the way
over there. Lovely. But it was a super fun and spiritual party
complete with messages from President and Sister Griffin as well as an
insane talent show full of singing and acting and impersonations but
the best had to be an Elder in our zone who took normal songs on the
radio and rewrote the lyrics to help them apply to missionary work.
specifically using subjects such as, reactivating less active members,
getting bit by a pit bull, tracting, and being dear john'ed. amazing.
Then we received our Christmas packages and letters from everybody (i
love you all) then we headed back home to go to family home evening.
Brother Glass shared the spiritual thought and he is a convert who is
a hard core Bible lover. Which is fine. But a lot of missionaries have
been trying to get him to read the Book of Mormon. He knows it's true.
He just wont read it. WELL. He gave his spiritual thought on 2 Nephi 2
and Sister Corbett and I felt like proud parents

Tuesday: pday. Sister Corbett woke up sick as well so we aren't really
sure what happened. But there are a lot of things in Freeport that are
closed Mondays for some reason so we are trying to cram them all in
today while we feel like dying. should be fun.

This was very not spiritual and I am sorry. But know that I am having
fun and I love Freeport.
Merry Christmas!
next week pday is on Tuesday as well so I will talk to you all then
unless I am skyping you Sunday, then I will SEE you then lol

sista madsen

This is real...
And our last district meeting! Also I'm not sure if I ever talked
about this but our district is all sisters besides our district
leader. Also sister Anderson my mtc comp is in my district!! 

Exchanges!!
Like mother like daughter, sister smith and I are still unified
Also s/o saint Sister Turner gave me a sick black beanie

she hath done what she could December 12, 2016

Mark 14:8
snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow
mucho snow
I LOVE IT.
and we only slightly crashed once so all is good in this hood. Sister
Corbett is a fantastico driver.
The highlight of this week was definitely the ward Christmas party.
The Duede's brought their neighbors who just moved in across the
street and they are so cute!! It is this mom and she has 6 kids which
would be so great for this ward. It was exciting to be able to talk
with them, we invited them to the Christmas service at church and
hopefully the Duede's invite them over soon and we can all sit down
and talk about the gospel.
This week for part of our additional study time Sister Corbett and I
watched part of the missionary broadcast that was given earlier this
year. Many different General Authorities spoke on different subjects
and Elder Bednar talked about our roles as missionaries and the role
of the Holy Ghost in our Heavenly Father's work, and I realized
something very comforting. Which is that I give myself way to much
credit. Most of our investigators aren't progressing anymore, and I
haven't been able to figure out why that is and what I am doing wrong
or saying or not saying that isn't making them progress. And the
message that I have gotten over and over this week is something that
is best summed up into what Judy said to me. You can lead a horse to
water but you can't force it to drink. which.. obviously.. But I have
been feeling like with enough faith or enough boldness I can get these
people to progress but I can't. bc agency. which.. I know this.. but
it didn't register in my brain. And it isn't my job to make them
progress or keep commitments or come to church, and this is what I am
getting at. As missionaries we aren't the ones that convert these
people, it's the spirit. The Holy Ghost is what motivates people to
change. I do pretty much nothing. I state the facts and I give my
testimony about the facts which brings the spirit into the lesson
which then testifies of my testimony of the facts and brings those
feelings to their hearts and then they feel them. and then we invite
them to do things with these facts. and then they choose what to do
with everything that has just happened.. and that's it. I'm not walking
around trying to find ways the holy ghost can help me. I need to
figure out how I should be helping the Holy Ghost. Because I know
nothing about anything about these people or what they go through or
where they have been. But God does. So if we don't have the spirit we
like.. can't teach. Which I feel like everyone says all the time, but
its for real people. You physically can, but like why.. Its just going
to be words that sound nice but don't mean anything if you don't have
the spirit with you. So why would you. All we can do is 1 be worthy of
the spirit and bring it everywhere with us. and then testify of the
truth and allow the spirit to testify of our testimony. Which will
bring the truth to the hearts of these people who then have to choose
to accept it and allow it into their hearts. So how do we open their
hearts? I have no idea that is for another email in another life time,
There is only so much time in a Monday people. In Jesus the Christ it
talks about this obscure parable that I have never heard of but is the
greatest of all time in Mark 4:26-29 and it talks about a Sower who
plants some seeds and goes on his way and then later they grow and he
harvests them and it doesn't really sound like much. But the way James
E Talmage describes it is awesome. The Sower is the preacher of the
word of God (for example, a missionary)  he plants the seed of the
gospel in the hearts of others, and doesn't know what will happen. He
can do many things to ensure a good growth, he can water the seed,
remove weeds, protect it. But only God is able to ensure it's growth.
We provide the best circumstance and then leave the rest to God. Which
is very liberating to me and stress relieving. That my part in this
work is oh so small and I am only asked to do what I can and leave the
rest to Someone who knows a lot better.

Sister Madsen

Freeport is a Ward full of families and relatives. Who are
distinguished by if they are apart of the older or younger generation.
These are some of our Ward missionaries who I love, the older
Jeffrey's.

For FHE we decorated a members tree!

And we are helping this Freeport Ward get up to speed with the
times. One selfie at a time

exceeding whiteness December 5, 2016

1 Nephi 11:8

It snowed

We taught Micheal this week which was awesome. He is what you would
call "elect" he just hasn't been baptized yet because he doesn't think
it is the right time so in our lesson we tried to show him how it
isn't really the wrong time either. The spirit was there very strongly
so we will see what happens! As we were leaving he checked his mail
and he quite literally pulled the December ensign out of his mail box.
He will be baptized.

Judy came to a lesson we had with Megan and Steve and it was awesome.
She is just so wise, she got baptized back in February but she seems
to have more answers to questions than I do. She is like a triple
threat. Street smart, book smart, and spirit smart. and she always has
all of these crazy things happen to her!!!!!!!!! I can't even begin to
explain.. someday I will list them all. This week alone however her
oven exploded, she just got over a fit of pneumonia, her car got a
flat tire and its head light went out, and then just hours after our
lesson with her she had to go to the hospital for something that was
happening to her kidneys. Sadly, this is the standard week for Judy.
She is the most patient person I have ever met. I just love her so
much. We are going over to her house for Christmas and I am so
excited.
We also went to the Christmas nativity up in Rockford which was
BEAUTIFUL. There were over 500 nativity sets in the stake center and
people from all over town came and performed and it was great. Amber
took us to steak n' shake before we went and it was Roschea's first
time and she loved it.
Freeport is great. The mission is great. Sister Corbett is great. I
have nothing more to say

☃️sister madsen☃️

*also I have been slacking and not posting any of this on Facebook but
if you haven't already you need to check out Mormon.org and get w/ the
program by doing the 25 days in 25 ways challenge. SPREAD THE SPIRIT
OF CHRIST BY BRINGING OTHERS CLOSER TO HIM!!! The challenges are so
great and being a missionary puts an extra lil challenge to it because
we can't really do some of them like calling up our parents or things
like that but it has been so fun!! Props to the ppl at HQ
The 411 for this next week
Jesus healed the sick and so can you
Jesus read the scriptures and so can you
Jesus fed the hungry and so can you
Jesus prayed for others and so can you
Jesus visited the lonely and so can you
Jesus helped people walk and so can you
Jesus ministered to children and so can you
BAM
U better be doing it!
I love you all good night

Illinois already looked like it went on forever, and snow just added a
new level to that

Roschea was both mystified by steak and shake and it also made her
feel like she was better than everyone else