Mom!

      I opened my inbox and there were zero new messages!!! But, then you came through for me--you are the best!!!  Tomorrow is my 100th day left on the mission (who's counting though, right?)

      Speaking of the Book of Mormon, I am learning so many new things!! I have been using the Student Seminary Manual for the Book of Mormon and reading through it as I study.  I think this is the fourth or fifth time that I've read the Book of Mormon on my mission, but wow, reading it with the study guide is so much better!!  I can't wait to come home and have you be my companion for companion study every morning!  I am almost done with the New Testament.  I'm half way through the Book of Revelation, which can only mean one thing. . .I have to start the Old Testament. I feel like I am at my prime desire to really search and try to understand the scriptures, so I think I am prepared for it, haha!  That is sad about Kristen. I fasted for her yesterday; I hope that she can get clean. It really is amazing at the life some people choose to live.  To us it seems soooo simple, but I guess Satan is the master deceiver.

    This week was good. My companion is still in Singapore with health problems, so it's just us three out here--which means I am on their timetable--but we still get some time to work in my area. On Wednesday, we had a fireside and in Malaysia a fireside is exactly what is sounds like. They make a big fire and we all sit around it and have a lesson. It was very cool, one of those memories that I will never forget. We also have been working so hard with the less-active family that we found, but it is worrying me!! They are so great, but the wife is still scared to come back to church because she had some word of wisdom problems, even though we got the Branch President and his wife to go over there and talk to her!!  Yesterday, we went over and sat her down and shared Mosiah 23:21-22 with her.  We talked with her about how this life is a test and all we need to do is ENDURE.  If we can just endure, then we WILL be lifted up in the last day and that is such an amazing promise. We literally and figuratively will be lifted up in the last day if we are faithful; all we need to do is be patient through our trials and always repent.   One day we will all rest from all of our worries and live in a PERFECT life. We also talked about how Satan tells us that we are not worthy to read the scriptures, or pray, or go to church, BUT, we are always worthy no matter what!!  So, that seemed to help her. Hopefully, in two weeks she will come to church (next week we will be in KK for district conference.)

      We also went to go visit a member in the hospital who had brain surgery due to brain and lung cancer, and she was not doing well. It was heart breaking. . .I wanted to cry for this family (but, after two years of dealing with people dying, the tears don't come very often.) I also looked over and saw a little girl, holding a teddy bear, who had just gone through chemo and she was so skinny.   Her older brother was by her side holding her hand and talking and laughing with her.  It was a touching experience.  We gathered around our member and with her family said a group prayer (she had been blessed already.)  There was such a peaceful feeling in that room. Even in the midst of such sadness, the feeling of peace was so strong. The whole time we were there, she looked confused (she had trouble recognizing her family), but as we prayed, I looked up and she had her eyes closed for the prayer.  Plus as we left, she held her hand up for all the Elders to shake.  Tears ran down her face as we left.  It was way sad. We all just walked home in silence. I don't know how much longer she has, but how lucky we are to have the Atonement in our lives!!!

      Thanks mom for your AMAZING parenting in my life. I never realized how lucky I am to have two parents who are strong in their faith in Christ and strong members of the Church!! Love you tons!! 101 days!!! 

Elder Madsen

MOM!!

      Sorry, this week consisted of me lying on the couch with a 102 degree fever, so it was a rough week. I was on drugs and was in and out of a deep sleep, but on Sunday I actually started feeling a lot better.  I still was really weak and was wheezing when I breathed, so I decided not to push it and stayed in so that I could fully heal.  Fortunately, I feel ALOT better today. My nose is still stuffed up and my ears hurt, but I don't have a headache anymore!! It was just a really bad cold I think, because my stomach really didn't hurt at all!

     Yea, everyone here is freaking out about the lost Malaysia Airliner too. We usually fly Malaysia Air to the mission, but when we fly home, we fly Singapore Airline or Cathaway!  Everyone here thinks it's a terrorist, probably a Chinese terrorist. The Chinese political party ran against the government here and lost last year, so the Chinese party was ticked. This probably means trouble at the border for us missionaries, but--haha--it's okay if they send me to Singapore for the last three months of my mission, I would be okay with it!! Yep, 15 weeks left!! It is coming fast!

     Sorry, I didn't have a lot to talk about; I have been so sick lately, that not a lot has happened. We have been working with the less-active family that we found and are still trying to help the wife get passed some concerns and hopefully get them to come back to church.  Oh ya, one of the funniest experiences of my mission happened to me the other day!! So like I said before, every Tuesday we volunteer at a home where mentally disabled adults stay. It's the same adults every week, so they know us really well.  We do this game where they sit in a circle in chairs and we go around one by one and toss them a ball and they toss it back (once around the circle takes like five minutes a person.)  Then we roll them the ball and they are supposed to kick it to back to us.  All of these people are Chinese.  I have been learning Chinese from Elder Loke, so I rolled the ball to one of the people and when she went to pick it up, I said to her in Chinese, "Kick the ball!"  As soon as I spoke my terrible Chinese, they all stopped, looked up at me, and no joke, they all started cracking up and pointing at me. It's a pretty humbling experience to have ten mentally handicapped people laugh at how bad your Chinese is. I literally could not stop laughing!!!

     I love you so, so, so much mom and hope all is doing well. 

Elder Madsen

Mom!

     Ya I know, I got into BYU Hawaii, but I was secretly not wanting to get in so I didnt have to make this tough choice!!!  I was reading my scriptures and praying this morning, and I still feel like maybe Idaho is the place that I should be. But, then I think "It is kinda a miracle I got into Hawaii...is this the place I should go?"

So here is the deal this is why I want to go to Hawaii:

 

1. HAWAII 

2. Cody and some mission friends are there

3. Maybe try to walk onto the basketball team. 

4. HAWAII 

 

The cons are:

 

1. Do not have health science major 

2. FAR AWAY

3. Expensive to live 

4. Distractions 

Here are the pro's for Idaho:

 

1. Chase and other friends are there

2. Already been there, know the school 

3. Less distractions 

4. Have the major I want. 

5. Closer to home 

       So idk mom.....IDK!!! But I still have a little bit to think about it!! Either one will be way fun. 

         How is the family!?? That is crazy that Cousin Steve is getting married! I bet Chris is PUMPED for his new job!! Is life getting stressful?? When I was in Kuching, I remember a senior couple telling me that they worked at the temple and I said, "Wow did you get stressed all the time?" (That's because I told Mike that working at the temple was stressful at times - Martha) They looked at me like I was the Devil....and said, "No, working in the temple was actually some of the most spiritual moments of my life!"

     This week was good.  We are still working with the less active family that used to be very strong, but they have been lost for three years until we finally found them. Half of the family came to church this week!! The wife is struggling the some personal issues, so we brought the Branch President and his wife over to meet the family, and it went AMAZING. At the end, she looked over at us and said that she was no longer scared to come back to church!!  I think this is why I was sent here to Sandakan! I hope I can stay here though!! 

     The weirdest thing in the world happened to me. My companion and I were walking back home at night and we saw this kid running for his life.  All of the sudden a rock flew by his head and then, no joke mom, an old lady that had such a bad hunch back that she could almost kiss the ground, was yelling like a raptor and running after him. We didn't even laugh; we just stood there in dead silence, in awe for like three minutes, and just watched.  Then the next day, we all had to walk the same ladies home t0 the same pitch-black place in the jungle. IT'S SO SCARY!! All four of us 20-year-old men held hands and ran through the jungle.

     The work here is doing better. My companion has eye problems, so he has been in Singapore.  I am either with the other two elders here OR with some members. Yesterday, I was so tired that I thought I was gonna pass out. I really needed some new investigators in the area so an RM and I knocked on doors forever and walked so far......all for nothing. It was depressing, but I gottta keep pushing through. Don't worry about me momma, I love life here. Even though there are hard times, there is NO greater feeling than serving the Lord. I love you much and miss you!!  

Elder Madsen

PS: Can I have some money :))

Hey Mom,

     Four months from today, I will be on American soil!!! Crazy to think about that; but, don't worry, I still LOVE the mission sooo much. I remember that Steve Hilton told me that it took him close to a year to love his mission and that is true--it's a love/hate relationship. Do I love teaching people about the Gospel and seeing the Atonement change their lives?? YES! There is no other feeling like it in the world. Do I love waking up at 7 am or knocking doors in the rain?? NO! There is also no other feeling like that in the world!!  As I get closer to the end, my mixed emotions get more and more intense. Sometimes, there is nothing that I want to do more than to finally relax; to sit in my cold basement and not have to worry 24/7 about what I am going to do now. But, at other times, I want nothing more than to just stay in Malaysia and to keep teaching the Gospel forever and ever and never come home. It is kind of hard to explain!

     This week was pretty good. We have been working very hard and found a wayyy good longtime less-active family that wants so badly to come back to church and also to baptize their 10 yr old son!!  We taught him about the Book of Mormon and watched the Restoration video with him and he wants to be baptized way bad!! So we are very pumped for that!

     Ha--funny story!  Yesterday, a member wanted to take us to a birthday party after church.  It was fast Sunday, so we were all starving.  We went to this house only to be told that we were a little late (try one day late!), but they still fed us.  They had this HUGE cake and, Mom, it looked just like a big chocolate molten cake; so, of course we all got a huge place of "chocolate cake."  We took one bite and we all instantly looked at each other...it was molasses cake. Molasses cake is the worst thing that I've eaten on my mission and I have eaten some pretty bad things!!  My companion almost threw up twice, but we sat there and tried our best to eat it.  It was so rough!!  

     Church, however, was really good.  Like I said last week, the attendance has been increasing and we have really been trying to get the members to stay for all three hours of church.  This week we had 41 people at the end of church!! Which is way good!! So, we are seeing progress in Sandakan!!

     I have been working out hard core and so I'm slimming down, Mom!!  Just wait till I come home with a 6 pack!! 

      I have loved my time here so far and I hope that I can finish my mission here!!! LOVE YOU, MOM! 

Elder Madsen