Hey guys!
How is everyone doing? It was great to hear from Dad, and I got a box from you guys last week after I wrote!:D So that was great. However, I need to see pictures of Carrie as soon as possible!;) Thanks so much for writing me and supporting me.
So this week was good! To be honest, it´s been a little difficult in this ward, but nothing insurmountable. There´s just a lack of union between the members and the missionaries. Apparently things have happened in the past that have left awkwardness on both sides...I´m not sure what, this is just what I hear. So I think our work in this area has to start with that! Nothing can happen until we´re unified with the members. They´re the ones that know who´s prepared to receive the gospel, and without us working together, we can never help the ward grow. (I hope you guys are taking notes on this for your own wards! I never realized how crucial it is that the members work with the missionaries. I was terrible before the mission! But, absolutely nothing can happen in missionary work until the members are involved, looking around in their own lives for who´s prepared, and introducing them to the missionaries. There´s actually an amazing video called Small and Simple Things made by a mission in California that shows how amazing it can be. Go try to find it online, it must exist somewhere out there. Watch it, it´s amazing!) So we´re trying to make lunches with the members a great time, really get to know them, give great messages after, and show them we´re working hard so they´ll trust us.
So as far as the investigators....Tiago, our perfect investigator, had a little bit of difficulty this week. When we taught the Word of Wisdom and invited him to stop drinking coffee, he accepted immediately, saying he thought it was better to stop completely immediately rather than diminishing. But when we came back, he said he hadn´t made any progress at all, and he didn´t think he would be able to. He said he didn´t think something so small was important....it really shook his faith, somehow. He even said he couldn´t come to church, when on Wednesday he had been so excited. I´m not sure exactly what happened, but he´s experiencing a lot of opposition. He said he would pray and ask if he really needed to stop drinking coffee, but if he didn´t get an answer or felt like the answer was no, he would not only continue to drink it, but stop investigating the church:( I was so surprised to hear all this from him. So we´re fasting and praying that he can get a clear answer he´ll recognize, and know he needs to be baptized.
So what else interesting happened? Hmmm, a great experience with the Relief Society president! She´s a return missionary, so kind of judges us harshly, having been where we are, but we´ve been trying to gain her trust. So it seems like we did, as she shared with us an amazing experience she had. So she said she had been praying and praying for a referral to give us, but just couldn´t think of anyone. So then walking home from an activity in the chapel, she and her daughter took a road they didn´t usually take, and ended up almost running into an old investigator of the other sisters, Azarias. So apparently when he saw her he shook her hand, started to cry, and told her that his life was all wrong and he knew he needed to come back to church. (She was the teacher for the New Members class, so knew him really well.) So she said she´d send us there, challenged him to go to church on Sunday, and said it was an amazing experience. She said she felt a voice that said, "Azarias is the referral!" So that was an amazing experience hearing from her. He didn´t come on Sunday:(, and we´ve passed by his house 3 times without him being there, but we won´t give up!
So the work continues here! Sometimes difficult, always amazing, the greatest experience ever. Thank you all so much for your love, support and prayers while I´m here. I know this is exactly where I need to be, and I´m learning things here I could never learn in any other way. I love you all so much, and I know the Church is true. It´s not only good, amazing, and life changing, it´s the only church of Jesus Christ that was restored by him, not created by men. I know that, and I´m gaining more of a testimony of it every day. I love you all so much!!
Til next week,
Sister Madsen :D
Monday, May 24, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Family!
Hey everyone!
How are you all doing? I´m glad to hear camping was so great for Katie and Alex - it looks just like the pictures of when you used to take us camping when we were little, Mom and Dad! I think climbing red rock and getting dirty are must experiences for little kids.
But as for here, everything´s great! Some interesting ups and downs this week. Let me tell you about all of them -
The first "down" was that Dalva dumped us. She "asked for some time" without our visits. So that was really sad - she´s already had two dreams, been to church a bunch of times, when we took a member there to mark her baptism date she asked the member, "What is it I feel when I pray? I get goosebumps and feel like crying..." The member explained to her that it was the Spirit...so she´s obviously had numerous confirmations that it´s true, she´s just very timid and stuck in her ways, and won´t change her life. There´s not even really anything to change, no addictions to give up or anything...I´m not sure what she´s afraid of. BUt hopefully she´ll realize her mistake in giving up.
Another "down" was that Carolina also dumped us. We had only taught her once, but it was such an amazing lesson that I wrote about her last time, I think, and was so excited to go back this week. So we tried a few times and she wasn´t here, we called and she said she had to work, so we passed by another time and she was there, seemed surprised to see us, and when we said "Do you have time now?" she said "More or less......" So we said we could come back, but she said, "No, I´ll call you." I said, "Yeah, we have your number so we´ll give you a call!" And she said, "No no, just let me call you." So that was depressing - I KNOW she felt the Spirit during that one lesson, I have no idea why she didn´t want to pursue it.
Another interesting experience was a lesson with Fabricio and Jaqueline, a really nice Evangelical family S. Witmer had taught before I got here, and it was our first time going back. It was my first bible-bash! We tried not to bible-bash, but he kept showing us scriptures that "proved" the Book of Mormon wasn´t true, and we kept showing him scriptures that proved it was. So I tried to cut that off as soon as possible and just asked him if he´d prayed about it. He said yes, and that he didn´t feel any peace about it, and he felt the answer he´d gotten was "no". Actually, the answer he said he got was "There is none other above me" (he has the impression that we worship Joseph Smith or something) so the answer he got was actually in confirmation..........but he was too closed minded to understand.
Another fun dip on the roller-coaster of the mission was our experiences knocking doors this week. I´ve gotten more impoliteness here than anywhere else! I think it´s because it´s the most down-town/richest area I´ve been in. Yesterday a woman stuck her head out the window and when I said we were representatives of Jesus Christ, she said "No no, I have my religion." "But it´s independent of religions!" "NO, girl, didn´t you hear me? I wouldn´t waste my time! Let´s find something to do, eh?" So....we had to laugh that one off :P
But the good things about this week topped all those! :D They´re basically all centered around one investigator - Tiago. Tiago is 21, but had a friend named Moroni in high school who invited him to a few things, and he went to church a few times (he said, but then he was acting like it was all new this sunday, so I`m not sure if he just played soccer with them or actually went to church.) But anyway, S. dos Santos found him knocking doors and set up an appointment. So we went and taught him, and it was good, he had a lot of questions, but it wasn´t anything extraordinary. But then when we went back...
He went back and got his Book of Mormon before we had even sat down. He brought it out and said, "First, I have to thank you for this book." I closed my eyes and braced myself for another Fabricio-like reaction. Please don´t give it back, please don´t give it back! But then he said, "I read those parts you asked. And I prayed."
I opened my eyes again and was suddenly filled with excitement.
"And?? And??"
"And I felt so good. I know it´s true."
Sister Witmer and I burst out laughing with happiness!! It was the greatest thing. He smiled, ´probably surprised by us, doing our best not to jump up and down. So we preceded to have an AMAZING lesson. This is how it started:
Tiago: "So let me see if I understood what I read." (usualy WE ask that.) "So the Book of Mormon is the story of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas. There was Lehi, who came over from Jeruslem, and then his descendents split into two, the Nephites and the Lamanites. But then even before them there were the Jaredites, who were from...the Tower of Babel or something? I didn´t get that part exactly..."
So I realize writing this that it´s the story of the Book of MOrmon that it tells right in the introduction, so I don´t know if you guys know how amazing that is -- NO ONE I´ve ever taught understood the Book of Mormon so well. He had studied it intensely, gone on Wikipedia and the church website.....he´s the greatest, most interested investigator I´ve ever taught.
He went to church yesterday and loved it! He did teh same thing during church - "Wait, let me see if I understand" during all the classes, and wowed everyone. Everyone after was like, "Wow, Tiago is sharp! I´m excited to have him in the ward!" Everyone he talked to, he said something like, "Yeah, the Sisters are showing me the way. I didn´t know anything before, but they´re teaching me. It´s great..."
So.....that was worth all the hard parts of the week and then some:D I´m so glad to be in a position where I can help people like this, help them know the truth and become members of the true church. It´s the only church that can answer ALL of the questions, that has all the pieces of the puzzle. It´s so wonderful and so true, and I´m so happy to be a part of it. I would gladly do anything for Jesus Christ, and I know my mission is just a small way of serving Him.
I love you all so much! Thank you all for you love and support. I´ll write more next week, telling how we set a date for Tiago´s baptism! :D Have a great week!!!
Love always,
Heather
How are you all doing? I´m glad to hear camping was so great for Katie and Alex - it looks just like the pictures of when you used to take us camping when we were little, Mom and Dad! I think climbing red rock and getting dirty are must experiences for little kids.
But as for here, everything´s great! Some interesting ups and downs this week. Let me tell you about all of them -
The first "down" was that Dalva dumped us. She "asked for some time" without our visits. So that was really sad - she´s already had two dreams, been to church a bunch of times, when we took a member there to mark her baptism date she asked the member, "What is it I feel when I pray? I get goosebumps and feel like crying..." The member explained to her that it was the Spirit...so she´s obviously had numerous confirmations that it´s true, she´s just very timid and stuck in her ways, and won´t change her life. There´s not even really anything to change, no addictions to give up or anything...I´m not sure what she´s afraid of. BUt hopefully she´ll realize her mistake in giving up.
Another "down" was that Carolina also dumped us. We had only taught her once, but it was such an amazing lesson that I wrote about her last time, I think, and was so excited to go back this week. So we tried a few times and she wasn´t here, we called and she said she had to work, so we passed by another time and she was there, seemed surprised to see us, and when we said "Do you have time now?" she said "More or less......" So we said we could come back, but she said, "No, I´ll call you." I said, "Yeah, we have your number so we´ll give you a call!" And she said, "No no, just let me call you." So that was depressing - I KNOW she felt the Spirit during that one lesson, I have no idea why she didn´t want to pursue it.
Another interesting experience was a lesson with Fabricio and Jaqueline, a really nice Evangelical family S. Witmer had taught before I got here, and it was our first time going back. It was my first bible-bash! We tried not to bible-bash, but he kept showing us scriptures that "proved" the Book of Mormon wasn´t true, and we kept showing him scriptures that proved it was. So I tried to cut that off as soon as possible and just asked him if he´d prayed about it. He said yes, and that he didn´t feel any peace about it, and he felt the answer he´d gotten was "no". Actually, the answer he said he got was "There is none other above me" (he has the impression that we worship Joseph Smith or something) so the answer he got was actually in confirmation..........but he was too closed minded to understand.
Another fun dip on the roller-coaster of the mission was our experiences knocking doors this week. I´ve gotten more impoliteness here than anywhere else! I think it´s because it´s the most down-town/richest area I´ve been in. Yesterday a woman stuck her head out the window and when I said we were representatives of Jesus Christ, she said "No no, I have my religion." "But it´s independent of religions!" "NO, girl, didn´t you hear me? I wouldn´t waste my time! Let´s find something to do, eh?" So....we had to laugh that one off :P
But the good things about this week topped all those! :D They´re basically all centered around one investigator - Tiago. Tiago is 21, but had a friend named Moroni in high school who invited him to a few things, and he went to church a few times (he said, but then he was acting like it was all new this sunday, so I`m not sure if he just played soccer with them or actually went to church.) But anyway, S. dos Santos found him knocking doors and set up an appointment. So we went and taught him, and it was good, he had a lot of questions, but it wasn´t anything extraordinary. But then when we went back...
He went back and got his Book of Mormon before we had even sat down. He brought it out and said, "First, I have to thank you for this book." I closed my eyes and braced myself for another Fabricio-like reaction. Please don´t give it back, please don´t give it back! But then he said, "I read those parts you asked. And I prayed."
I opened my eyes again and was suddenly filled with excitement.
"And?? And??"
"And I felt so good. I know it´s true."
Sister Witmer and I burst out laughing with happiness!! It was the greatest thing. He smiled, ´probably surprised by us, doing our best not to jump up and down. So we preceded to have an AMAZING lesson. This is how it started:
Tiago: "So let me see if I understood what I read." (usualy WE ask that.) "So the Book of Mormon is the story of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas. There was Lehi, who came over from Jeruslem, and then his descendents split into two, the Nephites and the Lamanites. But then even before them there were the Jaredites, who were from...the Tower of Babel or something? I didn´t get that part exactly..."
So I realize writing this that it´s the story of the Book of MOrmon that it tells right in the introduction, so I don´t know if you guys know how amazing that is -- NO ONE I´ve ever taught understood the Book of Mormon so well. He had studied it intensely, gone on Wikipedia and the church website.....he´s the greatest, most interested investigator I´ve ever taught.
He went to church yesterday and loved it! He did teh same thing during church - "Wait, let me see if I understand" during all the classes, and wowed everyone. Everyone after was like, "Wow, Tiago is sharp! I´m excited to have him in the ward!" Everyone he talked to, he said something like, "Yeah, the Sisters are showing me the way. I didn´t know anything before, but they´re teaching me. It´s great..."
So.....that was worth all the hard parts of the week and then some:D I´m so glad to be in a position where I can help people like this, help them know the truth and become members of the true church. It´s the only church that can answer ALL of the questions, that has all the pieces of the puzzle. It´s so wonderful and so true, and I´m so happy to be a part of it. I would gladly do anything for Jesus Christ, and I know my mission is just a small way of serving Him.
I love you all so much! Thank you all for you love and support. I´ll write more next week, telling how we set a date for Tiago´s baptism! :D Have a great week!!!
Love always,
Heather
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
First week in Ipiranga!
Hey guys!!
It was so great to talk to everyone yesterday!!:) It was amazing to hear all of your voices. I especially loved hearing Carrie sing!! I got a little emotional knowing that she´s grown up so much, but I´m glad she still knows what I look like (even if she does like to stomp on my picture:P) But as soon as I got talking to you I just kind of started talking about whatever, so I don´t know if you guys really know a lot about what happened this week. It´s not very exciting and I think you already know most of it, but I`ll give you a rundown anyway.
So it was my first week in the new area! I´m mostly getting the hang of everything - the new neighborhood, living in an apartment with 4, etc. It´s different, but fun! Like we talked about, it´s not as crazy as I thought it would be living with 3 other girls. We´re all pretty calm, so it´s fun! A little more like having a family:P So like I said, I´m with Sister Witmer from Pennsylvania. She´s very cool - she was studying chemical engineering at BYU! So she´s really smart, and sometimes has ideas that are way beyond me. The other sisters are S. Pedrozo and S. da Silva, two Brasilians. S. Pedrozo speaks perfect English, but S. da Silva speaks zero, so she´s always funny about it - "It´s so funny when you guys speak English! Is it funny for you when we speak Portuguese?" Funny.
So this area is really good! It´s a little "nicer" than Camobi - well, there were mansion areas in Camobi too, but it also had really poor neighborhoods, which I haven´t seen any of here. It feels kind of like the Avenues. Just to get things straight, Ipiranga is another neighborhood in the city of Santa Maria, like Camobi was. Ipiranga is closer to downtown. So it looks like I´ll be spending the majority of the mission in this city, if I stay in Ipiranga as long as Camobi! So that will be cool, I really like it ehre (although I do want to pass through Livramento before I leave:D) SO we´re working with some cool people -
Dalva, who has already had two dreams since the sisters started teaching her that were confirmations that the gospel is true. We invited to be baptized next Saturday and she timidly said yes, but then when we passed her on the street later at night she said she had been worried all day and that she just couldn´t do it next saturday. So we´ll have to figure out what kind of doubts are holding her back.
I told you about Carolina, who we found knocking doors in an apartment building the other day. She was so great, understood the Restoration so well, and said she was excited to tell her whole family about it. We´re seeing her tomorrow, which I`m excited about.
And there are all kinds of great members and recent converts. The Relief Society president has been helping us a lot - she´s a return missionary, and helps us out with teaching.
So I can tell the time I spend here is going to be amazing! I´m so excited to really get the work rolling here and find more people who are prepared to hear the gospel. It´s such an amazing time in my life - the only time I´ll be an official representative of Jesus Christ. I find myself growing so much closer to Him through serving and representing Him. He really is our brother, and the Savior of the world. I know that without a doubt. Thank you all so much for your love and support. I´m so grateful to have such a loving, supportive family behind me. Know that you guys have all my love and prayers. Big hugs and kisses for everyone! I miss you all, but I know the time til I get home is going to fly, and I have to make the most of it while it lasts.
I love you!!
Sister Madsen
It was so great to talk to everyone yesterday!!:) It was amazing to hear all of your voices. I especially loved hearing Carrie sing!! I got a little emotional knowing that she´s grown up so much, but I´m glad she still knows what I look like (even if she does like to stomp on my picture:P) But as soon as I got talking to you I just kind of started talking about whatever, so I don´t know if you guys really know a lot about what happened this week. It´s not very exciting and I think you already know most of it, but I`ll give you a rundown anyway.
So it was my first week in the new area! I´m mostly getting the hang of everything - the new neighborhood, living in an apartment with 4, etc. It´s different, but fun! Like we talked about, it´s not as crazy as I thought it would be living with 3 other girls. We´re all pretty calm, so it´s fun! A little more like having a family:P So like I said, I´m with Sister Witmer from Pennsylvania. She´s very cool - she was studying chemical engineering at BYU! So she´s really smart, and sometimes has ideas that are way beyond me. The other sisters are S. Pedrozo and S. da Silva, two Brasilians. S. Pedrozo speaks perfect English, but S. da Silva speaks zero, so she´s always funny about it - "It´s so funny when you guys speak English! Is it funny for you when we speak Portuguese?" Funny.
So this area is really good! It´s a little "nicer" than Camobi - well, there were mansion areas in Camobi too, but it also had really poor neighborhoods, which I haven´t seen any of here. It feels kind of like the Avenues. Just to get things straight, Ipiranga is another neighborhood in the city of Santa Maria, like Camobi was. Ipiranga is closer to downtown. So it looks like I´ll be spending the majority of the mission in this city, if I stay in Ipiranga as long as Camobi! So that will be cool, I really like it ehre (although I do want to pass through Livramento before I leave:D) SO we´re working with some cool people -
Dalva, who has already had two dreams since the sisters started teaching her that were confirmations that the gospel is true. We invited to be baptized next Saturday and she timidly said yes, but then when we passed her on the street later at night she said she had been worried all day and that she just couldn´t do it next saturday. So we´ll have to figure out what kind of doubts are holding her back.
I told you about Carolina, who we found knocking doors in an apartment building the other day. She was so great, understood the Restoration so well, and said she was excited to tell her whole family about it. We´re seeing her tomorrow, which I`m excited about.
And there are all kinds of great members and recent converts. The Relief Society president has been helping us a lot - she´s a return missionary, and helps us out with teaching.
So I can tell the time I spend here is going to be amazing! I´m so excited to really get the work rolling here and find more people who are prepared to hear the gospel. It´s such an amazing time in my life - the only time I´ll be an official representative of Jesus Christ. I find myself growing so much closer to Him through serving and representing Him. He really is our brother, and the Savior of the world. I know that without a doubt. Thank you all so much for your love and support. I´m so grateful to have such a loving, supportive family behind me. Know that you guys have all my love and prayers. Big hugs and kisses for everyone! I miss you all, but I know the time til I get home is going to fly, and I have to make the most of it while it lasts.
I love you!!
Sister Madsen
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Another week in Camobi
Hey guys!
How is everyone? I loved the video of Caroline and her nonsense words! I can´t believe she´s already "talking" so much. And she has a little mohawk!:) She´s getting cuter and cuter every day. Thanks so much for sending pictures and video. How is everyone doing? Grandma and Grandpa? How are the cats? Is it getting to be spring there?
As for here, fall really got started this week! The temperature dropped way down after a crazy storm, one of the kind we just don´t have in Utah. It started last Monday night after we had gotten home for the night, thank goodness. We watched the lightnight light up the sky all green and the wind blowing the trees over horizontally. Storms here are a lot....stormier. So the next morning, we got up for Zone Conference! ....Still in the rain. We got there totally soaked, but it was a great day. I always love Zone Conference. Have I described it before? If not, it´s where the whole zone of about 20 missionaries gets together (or in Santa Maria, the two zones in the city) to have a conference with the president, his wife and the assistants. We get together in the chapel all day and have a bunch of different trainings, listen to talks, practice lessons (I was one of the lucky ones this time :/ ), etc. It was really awesome this time. We had an amazing training on the Atonement, and I had a good interview with Presidente Myrrha (probably our second to last! We get a new president July 1!) So it was great.
Unfortunately, with the rain and cold and everything, Sister Lopes got sick. She´s from Piaui, way up by the equator, and has never experienced anything colder than 60 degrees. So crazy to imagine. But she´s freaking out about the cold, and caught a cold this week, which is dangerous with her asthma. So we had to be really careful this week, and had to stay in a few days:( But while she was resting I made an awesome visual aid for teaching the Plan of Salvation.
The funniest thing happened on Thursday. I don´t know if I´ll be able to describe it to you, but...I got knocked down by a dog in the street! ....Just what it sounds like. It had been raining all week, and we were walking on this slick dirt road. So as we were turning a corner, S. Lopes started to slip, but caught herself with her hand. So as I was turning around to see if she was ok, this dog that had been walking behind us got scared by her fall, and started to run straight at me. He was really big, and ran straight into my legs....and knocked them right out from under me! Splat, I hit the ground in all the mud (wearing a white sweater, of course). I actually fell really hard on my arm and it kind of hurt, but after a two second pause S. Lopes and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. We couldn´t stop for a good half hour. "You got knocked over by a dog!!" she kept saying, and told everyone whose house we went to that day:) It was really, really funny, you should have seen it.
The work went well this week in the few days we were able to go out. Camila was able to come to church this week!:) So she´s all set for her baptism on May 1:D Have I talked about her? She´s 21, and has a daughter who´s almost 2. We´ve been teaching her for a few months now, so it´s exciting to see her finally get ready for her baptism. We found an amazing woman this week, Ana, who is married (legally - a big deal here) with 8 kids! Way more than normal here. But she said that she´s never felt satisfied with her religion - she was always Catholic but has been going to Baptist church for 2-3 months now, trying to find what she´s missing. She said she had a dream about being dressed in white and being baptised, but just hasn´t felt right about being baptised in the church she´s going to now. So she´s really been prepared by the Lord to receive the truth!
This week I´ve been focusing all my energy on being led by the Spirit. It´s really been amazing, and I´ve been seeing an amazing difference in the work! It´s so good to know that the Lord qualifies the people who he calls, and that by the weak things of the world amazing things can be brought to pass. I´m so grateful to be here! I´m learning so many amazing things that I would never have been able to learn otherwise. It´s truly shaping the rest of my life. Thank you all so much for supporting me on my mission. I know it´s exactly where I need to be.
I hope you all have an amazing week! When I know more details about when i can call you, I´ll let you know. As of right now, I don´t even know if I´ll be here on Mother´s Day! Presidente said it´s likely, but not for sure, that he´ll take me out of Camobi this transfer, only a week away! So we´ll have to see what happens. I love you all so much and can´t wait to talk to you! Have an amazing week, and I´ll be praying for you always! :D
Love from your daughter,
Heather
P.S. CONGRATULATIONS, LOLA!!! I got your letter today!!! I can´t believe it!! Take care of yourself, ok?
How is everyone? I loved the video of Caroline and her nonsense words! I can´t believe she´s already "talking" so much. And she has a little mohawk!:) She´s getting cuter and cuter every day. Thanks so much for sending pictures and video. How is everyone doing? Grandma and Grandpa? How are the cats? Is it getting to be spring there?
As for here, fall really got started this week! The temperature dropped way down after a crazy storm, one of the kind we just don´t have in Utah. It started last Monday night after we had gotten home for the night, thank goodness. We watched the lightnight light up the sky all green and the wind blowing the trees over horizontally. Storms here are a lot....stormier. So the next morning, we got up for Zone Conference! ....Still in the rain. We got there totally soaked, but it was a great day. I always love Zone Conference. Have I described it before? If not, it´s where the whole zone of about 20 missionaries gets together (or in Santa Maria, the two zones in the city) to have a conference with the president, his wife and the assistants. We get together in the chapel all day and have a bunch of different trainings, listen to talks, practice lessons (I was one of the lucky ones this time :/ ), etc. It was really awesome this time. We had an amazing training on the Atonement, and I had a good interview with Presidente Myrrha (probably our second to last! We get a new president July 1!) So it was great.
Unfortunately, with the rain and cold and everything, Sister Lopes got sick. She´s from Piaui, way up by the equator, and has never experienced anything colder than 60 degrees. So crazy to imagine. But she´s freaking out about the cold, and caught a cold this week, which is dangerous with her asthma. So we had to be really careful this week, and had to stay in a few days:( But while she was resting I made an awesome visual aid for teaching the Plan of Salvation.
The funniest thing happened on Thursday. I don´t know if I´ll be able to describe it to you, but...I got knocked down by a dog in the street! ....Just what it sounds like. It had been raining all week, and we were walking on this slick dirt road. So as we were turning a corner, S. Lopes started to slip, but caught herself with her hand. So as I was turning around to see if she was ok, this dog that had been walking behind us got scared by her fall, and started to run straight at me. He was really big, and ran straight into my legs....and knocked them right out from under me! Splat, I hit the ground in all the mud (wearing a white sweater, of course). I actually fell really hard on my arm and it kind of hurt, but after a two second pause S. Lopes and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. We couldn´t stop for a good half hour. "You got knocked over by a dog!!" she kept saying, and told everyone whose house we went to that day:) It was really, really funny, you should have seen it.
The work went well this week in the few days we were able to go out. Camila was able to come to church this week!:) So she´s all set for her baptism on May 1:D Have I talked about her? She´s 21, and has a daughter who´s almost 2. We´ve been teaching her for a few months now, so it´s exciting to see her finally get ready for her baptism. We found an amazing woman this week, Ana, who is married (legally - a big deal here) with 8 kids! Way more than normal here. But she said that she´s never felt satisfied with her religion - she was always Catholic but has been going to Baptist church for 2-3 months now, trying to find what she´s missing. She said she had a dream about being dressed in white and being baptised, but just hasn´t felt right about being baptised in the church she´s going to now. So she´s really been prepared by the Lord to receive the truth!
This week I´ve been focusing all my energy on being led by the Spirit. It´s really been amazing, and I´ve been seeing an amazing difference in the work! It´s so good to know that the Lord qualifies the people who he calls, and that by the weak things of the world amazing things can be brought to pass. I´m so grateful to be here! I´m learning so many amazing things that I would never have been able to learn otherwise. It´s truly shaping the rest of my life. Thank you all so much for supporting me on my mission. I know it´s exactly where I need to be.
I hope you all have an amazing week! When I know more details about when i can call you, I´ll let you know. As of right now, I don´t even know if I´ll be here on Mother´s Day! Presidente said it´s likely, but not for sure, that he´ll take me out of Camobi this transfer, only a week away! So we´ll have to see what happens. I love you all so much and can´t wait to talk to you! Have an amazing week, and I´ll be praying for you always! :D
Love from your daughter,
Heather
P.S. CONGRATULATIONS, LOLA!!! I got your letter today!!! I can´t believe it!! Take care of yourself, ok?
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Family!
Hey guys!!
How is everyone this week? I LOVED the pics of Caroline, I can´t believe how big she´s getting, and how adorable. You guys have to get her ready to talk to me on Mother´s Day!:)
As for here, it´s been an ok week. I can´t believe how quickly everything´s passing. The weeks and months are starting to fly by. It´s almost 6 months now that I´m here in Camobi! I can hardly believe it. I´m actually not getting tired of the area at all. The ward is amazing, and I love everyone here. It´s great working with Sister Lopes! She´s so fun and funny and outgoing. I learn so much from her all the time! We´ve been trying new, interesting ideas to get to talk to people and such. So she´s really great.
But I´m trying to think of what I can tell you about this week...it was pretty normal, without a lot of excitement or anything. The most exciting thing was last night, when we put on a fireside for our ward. Sister Lopes´ idea she brought from her other area is something called CTMM, Centro de Treinamento *Membro* Missionario. (Member Missionary Training Center?) So we put up a poster a bit ago that said "CTMM...Shall we not go on in so great a cause?" and tried to make everyone curious about what it was. So then last night we did a fireside to kick off the program. The idea behind it is that members want to help but a lot of times don´t know how. So the CTMM is trainings and such to help them know how to help the investigators when they come to church, how to bear their testimony in a lesson, how to start talking to their friends about the gospel, etc.
So the fireside turned out pretty cool! We wanted to get Presidente Myrrha to speak, but he was already booked. So we looked and looked for people to speak up til the last minute, when we decided we would just have to speak ourselves! But it was better that way, because we got to address what we wanted and introduce the program:) So for S. Lopes´ and my part, we copied S. Nogueira´s call letter, took out her name and addressed it to "Dear Member Missionary", changing the term of service from 18 months to "all your life" and such. We gave one to everyone and had them all open them at the same time, everyone got pretty excited. So our part was like "congratulations! You´ve received your mission call to work in the Santa Maria mission. But now how are you going to know what to do? You can´t all go to the CTM in São Paulo...so we brought the CTM to you!" etc etc. It actually turned out pretty cool! The members got really excited, and walking home one of the young women started talking about one of her friends who she´s always wanted to give a Book of Mormon, etc. So hopefully the members will get excited and start helping out!
It´s really the only way we can have success. Except for the rare times we meet really nice, receptive people, talking to people on our own doesn´t get us very far. People here are very closed, and most of what we hear all day is "I already have a religion." But when the members show a good example, get their friends asking questions, etc, it´s so much easier for us to approach them. So all of you at home, start thinking about your responsibility as member missionaries! Missionary work isn´t something to be done by people with nametags, but by every church member. It´s all of our responsibility! So start thinking about the people in your life who are looking for something, who don´t know the purpose of life, who need what the gospel offers. I know you´ll all do a great job:)
Thanks so much, everyone, for all your love and support. Thanks for being the greatest family I could ask for. I love you all so much - it´s hard to describe, but know that I do. I´m praying for you always. Keep praying for me, please!
Til next week!
Sister Madsen
How is everyone this week? I LOVED the pics of Caroline, I can´t believe how big she´s getting, and how adorable. You guys have to get her ready to talk to me on Mother´s Day!:)
As for here, it´s been an ok week. I can´t believe how quickly everything´s passing. The weeks and months are starting to fly by. It´s almost 6 months now that I´m here in Camobi! I can hardly believe it. I´m actually not getting tired of the area at all. The ward is amazing, and I love everyone here. It´s great working with Sister Lopes! She´s so fun and funny and outgoing. I learn so much from her all the time! We´ve been trying new, interesting ideas to get to talk to people and such. So she´s really great.
But I´m trying to think of what I can tell you about this week...it was pretty normal, without a lot of excitement or anything. The most exciting thing was last night, when we put on a fireside for our ward. Sister Lopes´ idea she brought from her other area is something called CTMM, Centro de Treinamento *Membro* Missionario. (Member Missionary Training Center?) So we put up a poster a bit ago that said "CTMM...Shall we not go on in so great a cause?" and tried to make everyone curious about what it was. So then last night we did a fireside to kick off the program. The idea behind it is that members want to help but a lot of times don´t know how. So the CTMM is trainings and such to help them know how to help the investigators when they come to church, how to bear their testimony in a lesson, how to start talking to their friends about the gospel, etc.
So the fireside turned out pretty cool! We wanted to get Presidente Myrrha to speak, but he was already booked. So we looked and looked for people to speak up til the last minute, when we decided we would just have to speak ourselves! But it was better that way, because we got to address what we wanted and introduce the program:) So for S. Lopes´ and my part, we copied S. Nogueira´s call letter, took out her name and addressed it to "Dear Member Missionary", changing the term of service from 18 months to "all your life" and such. We gave one to everyone and had them all open them at the same time, everyone got pretty excited. So our part was like "congratulations! You´ve received your mission call to work in the Santa Maria mission. But now how are you going to know what to do? You can´t all go to the CTM in São Paulo...so we brought the CTM to you!" etc etc. It actually turned out pretty cool! The members got really excited, and walking home one of the young women started talking about one of her friends who she´s always wanted to give a Book of Mormon, etc. So hopefully the members will get excited and start helping out!
It´s really the only way we can have success. Except for the rare times we meet really nice, receptive people, talking to people on our own doesn´t get us very far. People here are very closed, and most of what we hear all day is "I already have a religion." But when the members show a good example, get their friends asking questions, etc, it´s so much easier for us to approach them. So all of you at home, start thinking about your responsibility as member missionaries! Missionary work isn´t something to be done by people with nametags, but by every church member. It´s all of our responsibility! So start thinking about the people in your life who are looking for something, who don´t know the purpose of life, who need what the gospel offers. I know you´ll all do a great job:)
Thanks so much, everyone, for all your love and support. Thanks for being the greatest family I could ask for. I love you all so much - it´s hard to describe, but know that I do. I´m praying for you always. Keep praying for me, please!
Til next week!
Sister Madsen
Monday, April 12, 2010
Another week in Camobi!
Hey Family!!
How is everyone?? I loved all your pictures and videos, and especially everything in the packages you sent last week!! The sweaters will be amazing for winter, and the letters and picture from Carrie were the highlight. And....I´m pretty sure you´re trying to kill me with all the candy you sent!!:D I thought I wouldn´t be able to finish it in this whole transfer, but then between S. Lopes and I....we´re almost done with it already, in a week:/ So I´m pretty sure that´s not good for a person! But thank you so much, for the Oreos especially:D
So I guess I should tell you a little more about S. Lopes! So she´s on her third transfer, she arrived with S. Draut. She was trained by S. Pinkston, who is amazing, so she´s already a rock awesome missionary. She´s from Piaui, a state way in the northeast, and has a different accent and everything. She´s the only member in her family, and has only been a memer 2 years! After she met this missionaries for the first time, she was baptized 2 weeks later! And has been a firm member ever since. She´s super fun and laughs a lot, but is also really organized and likes to clean. We´re working really well together, I already love her! :)
But what can I tell you about this week? It was a little difficult in terms of work. I don´t know why, but we just haven´t been able to find many new people to teach. It´s been a huge challenge - we´re knocking a lot of doors and getting a lot of rejections. So I´m kind of going through a hard time on the mission, but that´s what it´s for, right? It´s not supposed to be easy. And it´s teaching me a ton. I just hope we can improve next week, and start finding people who want to listen to us.
But the highlight of the week was this Young Women´s activity on Saturday night. It was their New Beginnings (remember that when I did it?), and it was so touching in so many parts. It´s hard to describe exactly how, but...I just looked at all of them up on the stage doing their songs and presentations, and thought about how long each one of them had been a member. Of all the young women and their leaders, only one was born in the church. And it was just amazing to me how strong they all are, the leaders married in the temple and helping raise the next generation....the young women preparing to do the same thing, all despite having only known the church for a short while. The part that touched me the most came after, in the Talent Show that came after the spiritual part. Patricia, one of the leaders, and her husband Fabio did a presentation with their twins and baby daughter. At first, they spread out this mess all over the stage: toys, a laptop, clothes etc. and all walked around agitated and busy while this children´s song played on a CD about a "funny house" where everything was upside down or something. They had asked ahead of time for our help, to come out and pretend to clap at their door after the song ended. So we clapped, she said "Come in Sisters!" and the curtain closed. We ran around cleaning everything up, they had us whip out our scriptures, and we sat down like we were giving them a lesson. The curtain opened again, and they all began to sing "Families Can Be Together Forever". I got tears in my eyes looking at their 5 year old twins, who were singing it from memory.
Patricia and Fabio met the missionaries only two years ago, and are already sealed in the temple, and Fabio is a counselor in the bishopric. The missionaries clapped at their door literally right after Patricia said a prayer asking God to help her find the truth. So it was really really touching to see their presentation, of their life before and after the gospel. It made me remember why I´m here, and made it a little more difficult the fact that we couldn´t find many new people this week, but made me realize the importance of finding the people who the Lord has prepared. I know we will, and I know the gospel will change their lives just like Patricia and Fabio. I´m so glad to be here, being an instrument for the Lord to bring people that kind of happiness.
Thank you all so much for your support here in this experience. I´m growing and learning so much, and I hope that all of you are too. I look forward so much to hearing from you, and can´t wait to talk to you on Mother´s Day. Thank you for being the most amazing family anyone could ask for. You´re always in my prayers.
Til next week!
Sister Madsen:D
P.S. Thank you for the birthday box, Lola!!!:D I got it today, and it made my day! Thanks! :D
How is everyone?? I loved all your pictures and videos, and especially everything in the packages you sent last week!! The sweaters will be amazing for winter, and the letters and picture from Carrie were the highlight. And....I´m pretty sure you´re trying to kill me with all the candy you sent!!:D I thought I wouldn´t be able to finish it in this whole transfer, but then between S. Lopes and I....we´re almost done with it already, in a week:/ So I´m pretty sure that´s not good for a person! But thank you so much, for the Oreos especially:D
So I guess I should tell you a little more about S. Lopes! So she´s on her third transfer, she arrived with S. Draut. She was trained by S. Pinkston, who is amazing, so she´s already a rock awesome missionary. She´s from Piaui, a state way in the northeast, and has a different accent and everything. She´s the only member in her family, and has only been a memer 2 years! After she met this missionaries for the first time, she was baptized 2 weeks later! And has been a firm member ever since. She´s super fun and laughs a lot, but is also really organized and likes to clean. We´re working really well together, I already love her! :)
But what can I tell you about this week? It was a little difficult in terms of work. I don´t know why, but we just haven´t been able to find many new people to teach. It´s been a huge challenge - we´re knocking a lot of doors and getting a lot of rejections. So I´m kind of going through a hard time on the mission, but that´s what it´s for, right? It´s not supposed to be easy. And it´s teaching me a ton. I just hope we can improve next week, and start finding people who want to listen to us.
But the highlight of the week was this Young Women´s activity on Saturday night. It was their New Beginnings (remember that when I did it?), and it was so touching in so many parts. It´s hard to describe exactly how, but...I just looked at all of them up on the stage doing their songs and presentations, and thought about how long each one of them had been a member. Of all the young women and their leaders, only one was born in the church. And it was just amazing to me how strong they all are, the leaders married in the temple and helping raise the next generation....the young women preparing to do the same thing, all despite having only known the church for a short while. The part that touched me the most came after, in the Talent Show that came after the spiritual part. Patricia, one of the leaders, and her husband Fabio did a presentation with their twins and baby daughter. At first, they spread out this mess all over the stage: toys, a laptop, clothes etc. and all walked around agitated and busy while this children´s song played on a CD about a "funny house" where everything was upside down or something. They had asked ahead of time for our help, to come out and pretend to clap at their door after the song ended. So we clapped, she said "Come in Sisters!" and the curtain closed. We ran around cleaning everything up, they had us whip out our scriptures, and we sat down like we were giving them a lesson. The curtain opened again, and they all began to sing "Families Can Be Together Forever". I got tears in my eyes looking at their 5 year old twins, who were singing it from memory.
Patricia and Fabio met the missionaries only two years ago, and are already sealed in the temple, and Fabio is a counselor in the bishopric. The missionaries clapped at their door literally right after Patricia said a prayer asking God to help her find the truth. So it was really really touching to see their presentation, of their life before and after the gospel. It made me remember why I´m here, and made it a little more difficult the fact that we couldn´t find many new people this week, but made me realize the importance of finding the people who the Lord has prepared. I know we will, and I know the gospel will change their lives just like Patricia and Fabio. I´m so glad to be here, being an instrument for the Lord to bring people that kind of happiness.
Thank you all so much for your support here in this experience. I´m growing and learning so much, and I hope that all of you are too. I look forward so much to hearing from you, and can´t wait to talk to you on Mother´s Day. Thank you for being the most amazing family anyone could ask for. You´re always in my prayers.
Til next week!
Sister Madsen:D
P.S. Thank you for the birthday box, Lola!!!:D I got it today, and it made my day! Thanks! :D
Friday, April 9, 2010
First week of a new transfer!
Hey everyone!
First of all, happy birthday, Dad! I hope you´re enjoying it!:D I´ve been thinking about you today. Second of all, happy Easter, everyone! I hope you all had an awesome day - it looks like it was a blast! Caroline is sooo adorable in her outfit, and looks like she got a lot of fun stuff! Third, I got both of your birthday packages today! So thanks so much, I´m super excited to open them! :D
So this week was pretty exciting! The first of the new transfer, so there were transfers, along with Easter and Conference! Two of my favorite things that fell on the same weekend! So, let´s start from the beginning.
Monday after I wrote you, S. Draut and I ran around like crazy people getting everything ready for her to leave the next day. So we went home, she packed (insanely quickly, I was amazed), and we went out to say goodbye to everyone. We hit about four houses, then went back and had a little farewell for her, eating the rest of my birthday stuff:P So then Tuesday morning came....we went to the bus station, and I saw her off to Santo Angelo and met Sister Lopes coming from Livramento! We went back to the apartment, got her settled in, and then went out with the other Sisters, who live really far from everything in the apartment the elders used to live in. Since they´re both new to the area, they don´t know anything! That day we didn´t get any work done, just tried to help them get their bearings in the area. I feel really bad for them that they´re both so lost!
So the week went on, me and S. Lopes trying to get used to each other. It was a little different at first! It always is for me with a new companion. I had gotten so comfortable with someone from my culture, who has the exact same sense of humor, same habits and everything....not to mention same language! So that made it even more of an adjustment than usual. So the first few days were a little quiet. But we got talking about how neither of us are usually like that, we were just weirded out by the newness of the situation. So as the week went on we got to be better and better friends!
Ah, so to update you on what Easter is like in Brasil. It´s very big, and very catholic! The whole week is practically a holiday, especially Friday, Saturday and obviously Sunday. Evvverything was closed on those days. And they have some of the strangest traditions! Apparently on "Holy Friday" (makes more sense to me than "good"), you´re not supposed to do....anything. Bianca had invited us for lunch, which was good because no one in the ward had signed up, so we had Holy Friday lunch at the gypsies´! While we were eating, Bianca´s mom told us about the traditions. Apparently, you can´t eat meat, which I kind of knew. So we had only fish/sea-food stuff. But apparently, you also can´t do...anything else! Clean the house, take a bath (?!), cut your nails, wear makeup...it´s quite intimidating. And Bianca´s mom is intimidating too - she was kind of yelling at us about how you can´t do these things "because Jesus died today". (S. Lopes is scared of the gypsies! They are very different, but not scary. I think it´s a Brasilian prejudice or something).
So that was really interesting. Crazy traditions! But then Saturday and Sunday were the best parts of the week - CONFERENCE!!! I had been waiting and waiting - S. Draut was making fun of how excited I was about it. On February 1 I had said to her, "Conference is coming up!!" So....it was everything I had hoped for. Every one of the speakers was amazing, and some said exactly what I was needing to hear, as always. It was incredible. But I was sad when it was over! I hope you all watched it. It was sad for me to see that some of the people in the ward didn´t come:(
So...that was this week! It was not an awesome week for work - we didn´t work Tuesday, Saturday or Sunday. So that stunk. But we still did alright, for only working 3 days. And I´m so super excited to work with S. Lopes. The first day I was kind of sad because it was so quiet and I had been such good friends with S. Draut, but turns out she was feeling the exact same way! She´s really happy and fun and crazy, and a way hard worker. I know she´s going to have an amazing positive influence here in Camobi, and that we´re going to be great friends.
Guys, I just want to let you all know how happy I am to be here on the mission. It´s really the greatest place to be. Seeing the Conference Center and Temple Square did make me a little homesick yesterday, but I know this is where I´m supposed to be right now. It´s such an incredible opportunity to be sharing the truths that I know with the people here. It´s an opportunity that will never come back, so I´m going to make the most of it while it´s here! Thank you so much for your love and support. I love and support you all too, praying for you always! I want you all to know that I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know that this church is the same church that Christ established when He was on the earth. I have such a love for Him - for all that He did for us then and all He continues to do for us now. I love you all as well, and want you to feel His love in your lives. Always remember that He´s there for you no matter what happens! I love you all so much, and can´t wait to hear from you soon. Have a great week!! :D
Til next time,
Sister Madsen :D
First of all, happy birthday, Dad! I hope you´re enjoying it!:D I´ve been thinking about you today. Second of all, happy Easter, everyone! I hope you all had an awesome day - it looks like it was a blast! Caroline is sooo adorable in her outfit, and looks like she got a lot of fun stuff! Third, I got both of your birthday packages today! So thanks so much, I´m super excited to open them! :D
So this week was pretty exciting! The first of the new transfer, so there were transfers, along with Easter and Conference! Two of my favorite things that fell on the same weekend! So, let´s start from the beginning.
Monday after I wrote you, S. Draut and I ran around like crazy people getting everything ready for her to leave the next day. So we went home, she packed (insanely quickly, I was amazed), and we went out to say goodbye to everyone. We hit about four houses, then went back and had a little farewell for her, eating the rest of my birthday stuff:P So then Tuesday morning came....we went to the bus station, and I saw her off to Santo Angelo and met Sister Lopes coming from Livramento! We went back to the apartment, got her settled in, and then went out with the other Sisters, who live really far from everything in the apartment the elders used to live in. Since they´re both new to the area, they don´t know anything! That day we didn´t get any work done, just tried to help them get their bearings in the area. I feel really bad for them that they´re both so lost!
So the week went on, me and S. Lopes trying to get used to each other. It was a little different at first! It always is for me with a new companion. I had gotten so comfortable with someone from my culture, who has the exact same sense of humor, same habits and everything....not to mention same language! So that made it even more of an adjustment than usual. So the first few days were a little quiet. But we got talking about how neither of us are usually like that, we were just weirded out by the newness of the situation. So as the week went on we got to be better and better friends!
Ah, so to update you on what Easter is like in Brasil. It´s very big, and very catholic! The whole week is practically a holiday, especially Friday, Saturday and obviously Sunday. Evvverything was closed on those days. And they have some of the strangest traditions! Apparently on "Holy Friday" (makes more sense to me than "good"), you´re not supposed to do....anything. Bianca had invited us for lunch, which was good because no one in the ward had signed up, so we had Holy Friday lunch at the gypsies´! While we were eating, Bianca´s mom told us about the traditions. Apparently, you can´t eat meat, which I kind of knew. So we had only fish/sea-food stuff. But apparently, you also can´t do...anything else! Clean the house, take a bath (?!), cut your nails, wear makeup...it´s quite intimidating. And Bianca´s mom is intimidating too - she was kind of yelling at us about how you can´t do these things "because Jesus died today". (S. Lopes is scared of the gypsies! They are very different, but not scary. I think it´s a Brasilian prejudice or something).
So that was really interesting. Crazy traditions! But then Saturday and Sunday were the best parts of the week - CONFERENCE!!! I had been waiting and waiting - S. Draut was making fun of how excited I was about it. On February 1 I had said to her, "Conference is coming up!!" So....it was everything I had hoped for. Every one of the speakers was amazing, and some said exactly what I was needing to hear, as always. It was incredible. But I was sad when it was over! I hope you all watched it. It was sad for me to see that some of the people in the ward didn´t come:(
So...that was this week! It was not an awesome week for work - we didn´t work Tuesday, Saturday or Sunday. So that stunk. But we still did alright, for only working 3 days. And I´m so super excited to work with S. Lopes. The first day I was kind of sad because it was so quiet and I had been such good friends with S. Draut, but turns out she was feeling the exact same way! She´s really happy and fun and crazy, and a way hard worker. I know she´s going to have an amazing positive influence here in Camobi, and that we´re going to be great friends.
Guys, I just want to let you all know how happy I am to be here on the mission. It´s really the greatest place to be. Seeing the Conference Center and Temple Square did make me a little homesick yesterday, but I know this is where I´m supposed to be right now. It´s such an incredible opportunity to be sharing the truths that I know with the people here. It´s an opportunity that will never come back, so I´m going to make the most of it while it´s here! Thank you so much for your love and support. I love and support you all too, praying for you always! I want you all to know that I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know that this church is the same church that Christ established when He was on the earth. I have such a love for Him - for all that He did for us then and all He continues to do for us now. I love you all as well, and want you to feel His love in your lives. Always remember that He´s there for you no matter what happens! I love you all so much, and can´t wait to hear from you soon. Have a great week!! :D
Til next time,
Sister Madsen :D
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