Final Days

Mom! 

     It is way crazy to think I will be home so soon!! I am excited to see everyone,  I hope everyone is doing okay and that they are all happy. Haha, that is a good quote that you sent ("Leaving the church during times of adversity is like running out of your storm shelter during a tornado"--has real meaning for us Kansas folks)--all it takes is one time to start a bad habit. Elder Hamilton of the Seventy, two conferences ago, told the story about his dad who said, "I will never forget the day my parents went less active." His dad said that back in the day Priesthood/Sunday School meetings were first on Sunday and then you would go home and then come back for Sacrament meeting. One Sunday his mother asked before they went to Sacrament meeting, "Well should we go to sacrament or should we go on a family car ride this afternoon?"  Elder Hamilton said that he saw the look in his father's eyes and knew that it had never crossed his father's mind that they didn't have to go to Sacrament meeting; and, from that day on his family hovered between being active and less active. Whenever I am tired and the last thing I want to do is to go read my scriptures or pray, I always think of that story and it scares me right into reading my scriptures and saying my prayers!

     

     The mission is still going great. I find myself getting more and more sad at random times though, like when I was sitting in a small wooden shack in a water village; it hit me so hard that I have one week left of mission life and then it is all gone. I will leave these amazing people and go back to my nice life in America. Sometimes it doesn't seem fair--what did I do to be born into such good circumstances? I grew up with two parents who always had plenty of money and with everything I could ever ask for, while some kids here don't even get to go to school. My worries at age 16 or 17 were so different. While I was worried about winning a high school basketball game, these kids have to worry about finding a job to help their family survive!! It is just crazy; these two years have been the craziest of my whole entire life!  This time has been such a smack in the face that showed me what the world is really like!

    I am so thankful for all the amazing lessons I learned on my mission; they truly have changed my life forever. When I used to teach people and see how sad they were, I would always worry about them and think how we could make them happy. But, now I see it so simple. There is only one way to true happiness and it is through living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

     Haha, yes The Pig was wayyy good! It was a gory day though; I saw more pig blood in one day then I want to see in my whole life!! But I got everything signed up for school and everything is ready!!!  I give my last testimony in a couple days at zone conference and then I actually go back to Sandakan for three days, fly back to Singapore, get my departing interview on Wednesday afternoon, then Wednesday night get my departing dinner, and then Thursday at 6 a.m. start the 20 hour journey home!!

I love ya momma!! 

Elder Madsen

Count Down

     The branch was very thankful for your donation to the roasted pig; it was a big hit for my birthday! 

Birthday Boys and The Pig

I am doing good! I have been eating my 1/2 pound of liver EVERY morning and just like the nutrition book says--you do feel great, I can testify of what that old lady said.  I've felt great, outside of the fact that I was gagging the whole time!  This is my last week in Malaysia. Next week I'll be at our zone conference in Singapore and then the week after that, I am back in Singapore catching my flight home!  I also have all my classes ready for school!! I am way pumped--the mission has given me really good study habits!! For the first time since elementary school, I am predicting 3.5+!!!

     Mission life is still good! I love being with Elder Jahali, he is such a funny guy. We always play soccer against the youth in the branch and it's "America vs Malaysia".  America has yet to win, but next week is our last showdown--so we are training hard!! Elder Jahali and I found a good family yesterday.  They live in that Catholic Kampung, so they are strong Catholic. Her last words to me were "Lahir Katolik, Mati Katolik" which means, "Born a Catholic, die a Catholic."

     I love ya so much momma and I miss you!! I cannot wait to see you!! PLEASE, I beg you mom...no coming home party, that is my request from coming home from a mission. I gave Dad an ultimatum, California OR a party; he has to choose one.

Elder Madsen

Mom!! 

     Hahah, sorry mom, I told you Malaysia is heartless when it comes to animals/people getting beat up. I see little kids beat each other up all the time!!  (I told Mike about a Malaysian video that I saw where a 10-year-old boy was getting beat up by three teenagers.) 

     This week was good, everyone is back in Kampung for the holidays so we didn't have too many people at church, but it still was a good Sunday. I have been going hardcore on exercising to lose all the extra weight I gained and I think I am getting old!! Every night everyone laughs at me because I come home and instantly ice my back and ankles!! But, it is probably just because I haven't done anything too intense in a while. I also found an old nutrition book in my apartment and I am sold. The lady says I should eat a 1/2 lb of liver every morning and I will be ripped and full of energy!! I'm for sure going to try it!

     I am almost done with the Book of Mormon again. I never knew that we know the Brother of Jared's name!! I saw it in the Book of Mormon study guide--learn something new everyday! How is everyone at home? Meg never writes so that means she is probably doing pretty good!! Oh and guess what I built this week....a baby crib! I was pretty proud of my self!!

I love you momma and cannot wait to see ya soon!! 

Elder Madsen

Hey Mom,

     Let me update you real quick. Life here is still way good; however, this week was a little sad. A good member, Sister Jessica Lee, passed away this week.  It was very unexpected; she woke up with breathing problems and passed away that night in the hospital. The family was completely destroyed.  It was wayy hard to watch.  We put together a good memorial service where we had all the Elders give a talk.  Then we went on to the burial and I dedicated the grave--it was so sad. But, other than that, Elder Jahali and I are doing very well; we are still working hard.  Plus, we were able to find a cool new kid to teach this week and he came to church too!! So we are way pumped about that.

Elder Madsen

Random thoughts of a soon to be returned missionary

     With just a month to go, Elder Madsen's thoughts have turned to home and preparing for his life after his mission.  Lately, we have been receiving random quick emails or texts from Mike--separate from his weekly email home.  So, I thought that I would share some of the things that have been weighing on his mind. Each color is a separate email or text. They were received a few days to sometimes a week apart.

Hey, Mom, sorry real quick 3 things: 

1. Can you ask Dad if I am already in the RMP (Returned Missionary Program) and ready to go enroll at BYUI for the Fall?

2. Has Chase's mom called for housing yet? (Chase is going to be his roommate)

3. I need a TB test ASAP when I get home according to BYUI. They put a hold on my BYUI sign-in because I was supposed to have one by April 20th, so I emailed them and asked them to take me off the hold list so I can sign up for classes. 

Okay thanks Mom!!!

Oh ya, Mom, thinking about my major. I am thinking that I wanna be a sports physician and major in health science...what do u think? 

I heard you are debating buying Chase and I matching bed sheets....DO IT!

I am looking at a refurbished MacBook Air for $750 that is at the Apple Store in Leawood (Kansas).  May I remind you of scripture in 3 Nephi 14:11.

But wait Mom, I can't pick up your sarcasm from your last email....with the Mac computer thing...do you have one?? I don't need a 2k one, I can get a cheap used one!!! My smart companion thinks I should get a PC, something about Macs not having good programs or something like that, but I want a MAC!!! Tell Dad that it's my gift for bringing good luck to the family name for serving a mission!! 

My friend and I were just talking about Trader Joe's; I am way pumped for it when I get back. I found an old nutrition book in our apartment and I am sold. The author says I should eat a 1/2 lb of liver every morning and I will be ripped and full of energy!!

Another question, what is brewers yeast?? In my nutrition book, it said it is WAY good for you.

I cannot wait to come home Mom and eat MEXICAN FOOD!!

This last text is my personal favorite: