Hey Mom,

Water Village, KK, Borneo

     I was in KK (Kota Kinabalu) last week so I couldn't write until Wednesday.  KK is in Sabah and is known for its amazing beaches!! We were in KK for a couple days and then last night we arrived back in Sandakan from Singapore!  Singapore is great, it's like you are almost in America, except everyone is Asian!  Transfers are on Monday, so I will get a companion again and then I have two more transfers and--BOOM--I'm home, weird huh?

     The seminary Book of Mormon guide is teaching me so much, it's great!!  I finished the book of Revelation. . .very interesting, I used D&C 77 for some help in understanding it. In the Seminary manual, there is a quote from McConkie that says that the prophets that lay dead in the streets of Jerusalem will in fact be from the twelve or the Presidency, interesting right? Really?? Revelation is the best book of the New Testament and we didn't learn it in seminary!?!?! 

     Yes, a mission is very exhausting, right?? Ha, but it's okay, I am still young, I can take it! I have this new program where I work out really hardcore in the morning so that by night I am already dead tired. As soon as we come home at night, I do all my planning and stuff and then by 10 pm, I am in bed.  Then when 7 a.m. roles around, I'm awake and ready to work out hardcore again!!

     Zone Conference was really good; the Spirit was so strong, and I learned a lot. We also had a really cool experience last week.  Remember that Chinese lady that I was telling you about that is a lot like Granny?? She has a big garden and is kind of rich and she always feeds us--her husband passed away a year and half ago??  Well, we have an elder in Sandakan that is a Chinese from KL and he helps a lot with the Chinese members.   A couple of weeks ago, when we were at the Chinese lady's house, she mentioned that she had to go early in the morning to clean her husband's grave and pay respect (it's a Chinese custom).  Elder Loke told her that we really, really wanted to help her and she agreed. So that morning, we woke up an hour early and drove forever to this cool graveyard that was up a mountain.  We cleaned her husband's grave and laid flowers on it; I could tell it meant A LOT to her.  When we were done, Elder Loke dedicated the grave--it was very cool.  As we were leaving, we wrapped a flower in newspaper, burnt it, and each walked over it, so that the bad spirits from the graveyard wouldn't follow us home (also Chinese custom). Afterwards, she took us to her husband's favorite restaurant!  Elder Loke said it is a really big honor in the Chinese culture to have people pay respect and clean another person's grave, so it was way cool.

     I still love the mission! I learn so many things every day. The past couple of months, I have really felt my testimony grow leaps and bounds.  I think it has all come from diligent scripture study and sincere prayer. I have felt a deep love for reading the scriptures that I have never before felt in my life. Every problem that I have encountered  has always been resolved through diligent study. I feel closer to the Spirit than I ever have. I have also become better at understanding and receiving promptings. Something cool I learned is that it's not always the exact verse that answers your questions, but it's the Spirit you feel. Like when I had to choose between BYU Idaho and BYU Hawaii, I prayed and read my scriptures for a couple weeks and then one morning, I was reading my scriptures and BOOM, it was sooo clear to me--BYU Idaho for the fall semester was where I need to be. I thought it was kind of a weird impression because I knew I couldn't go in the fall because it was off track; but, I still told myself that was what I was going to do.  Then a week later, Dad tells me that BYU Idaho has a new returned missionary program that will let me attend in the fall!! Amazing, right??

     It just has been fun for me, learning new things.  It all started when I decided to really hold myself accountable before the Lord.  Every night after planning, I write in my journal, read a chapter from the Book of Mormon, and then kneel in prayer and tell Heavenly Father everything that I did that day--the lessons I taught, the people I talked to, etc.  I then acknowledge my weakness and unworthiness before the Lord and asked him what I can do to improve on those weaknesses.  Then, as I look and ponder upon my personal picture of the Savior, I feel two things in my heart: 1) I feel the love the Savior has for me, and 2) Something comes to my mind that I need to improve on. This happens every single night!  It has been such an amazing experience!

      I love you so much mom!

Love, 

Elder Madsen