Week #5...Beautiful San Diego

 Hi everyone!

Aren't you jealous that you're not in San Diego like ME?? :) Everyone was right, it's GORGEOUS down here. Unfortunately, I thought I'd have more time to write out here than I did in the MTC. Turns out I have even less cause there's so much to do on Preparation Day! (I thought P-days were the days we could relax a little... boy was I wrong!) But that's okay.

My new companions (the ones in the Battalion Picture) are sister Burden and Sister Ortez. That's right, I'm in a trio. Heavenly Father gave me TWO great people to learn from instead of one. :) They are both amazing! They are very experienced (Burden goes home next month and Ortez has been out for a year!)
and are teaching me a lot about how to be an obedient, hard working missionary. And they both like to laugh!

The Battalion site is SO COOL!!! I love it! It is super interactive and fun. I wish I could describe every little detail to you! And I wish everyone I know could come down here and see how cool it is! And actually, turns out I like wearing my pioneer dresses a lot more than I thought I would. (Don't make fun, Cory Bylund. :P) All of the girls serving at the Battalion live in an apartment building right next to it, too! Including my roommates from the MTC, which I LOVE! I'm definitely going to have to get used to being around so many girls all of the time... ;) but there's plenty of love and support to go around. It's quite the party!

My mission is the coolest mission ever because, as Jeff Davis will tell you (wink, wink), we do absolutely no tracting. We do ALL of our work through the members! That means each of our "areas" is simply a
ward! And my ward is called the Black Mountain YSA Branch. :) Heavenly Father gave me the best of the best--I get to teach people my own age, people I can relate to! On Sunday I met so many of them and made so many new friends, and they are all mission oriented! California wards are so different than Utah wards because the members here are constantly placed in missionary opportunities, and it's wonderful. In addition to that, our YSA ward gets a lot of "stripling warriors" : marines! They are constantly flowing in and out because there's a base down here that our area covers, which means we teach them as they come... then when we've converted one troop, they leave and we get a whole new troop to convert! :) (Okay, so I'm not sure how often they come and go, but it's still sweet!)

So basically what I'm trying to say is that I've been sent to the best mission ever. :) Right now, though, we spend a lot of our time teaching less actives and recent converts--in a YSA ward, there's a lot of that to do, which is great because it's been helping me get to know the ward... but we also need new people to teach who have never heard the gospel before. Currently we only have one progressing investigator. Ah! So please pray that we will find new people to teach!

I have definitely felt overwhelmed with everything... but I've also begun to see why I'm going to love serving a mission! It's going to take some time to get used to, I'm doing my best to not get stressed
and just take it in a bit at a time... and I know that by just doing my best every day the Lord will be happy with me. I've got a long way to go before I'm the kind of missionary I want to be, but as Bob says
(Easton), "baby steps," right? :)

I really do love being a missionary! One night when I was slightly discouraged, Sister Burden drove us home and surprised us... all of a sudden out of the dark, there stood the one and only beautiful San
Diego temple. It was glorious. I couldn't believe I was seeing it in real life for the first time. :) I know that was a tender mercy from the Lord--He was aware that just the sight of the House of the Lord would remind me that He is THERE and He is REAL and that everything is going to be okay. Better than okay, it's going to be the best time of my life! And it's already started!

Do everything you can to show the Lord you love Him! I love all of you--thank you for the great letters/packages that I got in the MTC! I will eventually respond to you all, I promise! ;) The gospel's true!
Love,
Sister Madsen

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EASTON! I sent a package in the mail for you! I love you!