Week 41 May 29, 2017

HI Everyone

I'm no longer in the YSA Ward or the Creekside Ward. I'm gone. The new Ward

I'm serving in is the Alhambra Ward.  It's a super cool old building

and there's like a hundred churches right next to it. It's really

interesting. It used to be a stake center and Howard. W. Hunter used

to be the Stake president here too!!

Last week though I had a pretty cool experience. My companion and I

just got done teaching a lesson with our Ward Mission Leader and we

went out to get some food with him. While we're at this restaurant

standing line I noticed this guy kinda staring us down. I didn't think

too much of it because we were already sticking out as missionaries

but this man came over to us and began to talk to us. He began to tell

us of his conversion story and how he was led to the missionaries. He

recently became a member and was preparing to go through the

temple. He told us how he had the time of his life watching General

Conference. I remember just feeling so happy for this guy that I've

never met before my in my life. He was on the right path, and he knew

it.

Other than that nothing much happened but a lot of goodbyes.

Week 40 May 22 2017

This was a pretty exciting week. Elder Cho almost lit a members house

on fire. We had a big fireside focused on missionary work and we were able

to find a lot of people so we'll be able to stop by to see them this week and

teach them. We had to drop a couple people earlier in the week and

find people later in the week. We got a referral this week for this

girl named Natalie. We stopped by and her sister answered the door and

told us that she lived some other place outside our area and was only

home on break. We started talking to this girl and contacting her and

before you know it we had a return appointment set up. At the

beginning she wasn't that interested and talked about how busy she

always was. As we had been stopping by and teaching her through out

the week the more and more you can see a change in her attitude in

religion and towards God. She wanted to know more and had a desire to

know more. She started setting time apart to meet with us. When we

last saw her on Friday she told us that she had a confession to make

and that she was in fact Natalie who we were looking for in the first

place.

This is also the last week in the transfers and after being in

Creekside for 6 months it's a good chance that I'll get transferred.

Next time I'm able to email I might be in a whole new place.

Week 39 May 15, 2017

I had a pretty eventful week. I was able to call home on Mother's Day,

and have interviews with President for the last time before he gets

released. It was a little bit of a struggle to call home on Sunday. My

companion and I went to our church building, where I was able to call

home for Christmas, but the wifi wasn't working so we had to run up to

another church building. The wifi wasn't all that much better and we

practically called our family's in the same room at the same time but

it all worked out in the end. It was so nice to see my family and hear

about how they're doing. It was really nice to be able to talk to home.

This week I had a very humbling experience. My companion and I were

teaching a lesson and the lesson was going a little longer than I

expected, so I quickly set up a return appointment and gave our

investigator a commitment for us to follow up on next time

we see him. When we got into the car to drive to our next appointment

my companion began to tell me what I should be doing in lessons

instead oh what I just did. I was kinda upset that he was telling me what

to do. I brushed what he told me aside and tried not to get upset at my companion.

We went to institute where there are a couple of nonmembers taking

classes there and they were learning about the New Testament. When we

got there they were reading Hebrews 12:5-11. It talked about how the Lord

chastens who he loves. He does so because he loves the people and

wants them to be become better. I realized that what my companion had

told me earlier was only to make me a better missionary and that I

shouldn't take correction badly but in fact to seek out correction so

that I may become better.

I went on exchanges this week with Elder Collings. The people we were

teaching were pretty cool. They did get a little distracted in the

middle of our lesson over snap chat and we talked to them about it. We

ended up getting put on their snap chat story because of it.

Elder Madsen

Week 38, May 1, 2017

Pictures with Elder Frandsen and our Ward Mission Leader Brother Larsen

Week 37 April 24, 2017

Hey guys I'm sorry I'm just catching up on the last couple weeks. Two

weeks ago was really good. We were able to take an investigator out to

the visitor center next to the temple. It's was a really cool and

spiritual experience for him and us as well.  He really liked the

feeling he got at the temple and wants to go again.

Justin got baptized! I'm sending pictures.

We've been working with him for about a month and

found him up at the colleges. He's come a long way and had to overcome

some obstacles so it was way cool to see him reach his goal. He shared

his testimony and it was really sweet and to the point. He talked

about the differences in his life from before and after

and talked about how he's been searching and that

he'd been going to different churches to find the right one and

that he finally found it. He's preparing to get the priesthood this

coming week.

This week was also my birthday and it was pretty rad. I taught some lessons

and contacted some people.  It didn't really feel like my birthday but it 

was a good day so that's good. 

I got a lot of letters and packages from you guys so thank you for that!