It's Official

          

Last Sunday I had my farewell talk in my home ward.  This Sunday I gave my farewell talk in my Single's Ward.  Both times were a great experience.  I am really glad I had the opportunity to bare my testimony of Jesus Christ and to share my excitement about leaving for my mission.  With it being Easter Sunday we were able to get together with my extended family here in the area and celebrate this gift from our Savior with a glorious meal and of course an egg hunt for the little ones and plenty of photos.  It was crazy actually saying goodbye to everyone when I left. I was set apart this evening and I will be heading out to Utah tomorrow as an official missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  That means no more phone, facebook, TV, and music.  It's going to be hard but so worth it.  I will enter the Missionary Training Center this Wednesday and again am so excited and ready.

Can't wait to see how these two change!

Nothing gets crazier than my family

Some of my cute cousins (the girls at least)

Sweet grandpa was there for my setting apart.

Tessa was a hoot during the egg hunt.

My friends that came to support me and hear me speak last week.

Easter Weekend

 
With it being the Easter weekend I just thought I'd post a poem that has really brought me peace and strength in life.
  

“After All We Can Do”
Robbie Pierce

I had been in that hole for a very long time--
In the dark and the damp, in the cold and the slime.
The shaft was above me; I saw it quite clear,
But there’s no way I ever could reach it from here.
I could not remember the world way up there,
So I lost every hope and gave in to despair.

I knew nothing but darkness, the floor, and the wall.
Then from off in the distance I heard someone call:
“Get up! Get ready! There’s nothing the matter!
Take rocks and take sticks and build up a fine ladder!”
This was a thought that had not crossed my mind,
But I started to stack all the stones I could find.

When I ran out of stones, then old sticks were my goal,
For some way or another I’d climb out of that hole.
I soon had a ladder that stood very tall,
And I thought, “I’ll soon leave this place once and for all!”
I climbed up my ladder, a difficult chore,
For from lifting those boulders, my shoulders were sore.

I climbed up the ladder, but soon had to stop,
For my ladder stopped short, some ten feet from the top.
I went back down my ladder and felt all around,
But there were no more boulders, nor sticks to be found.
I sat down in the darkness and started to cry.
I’d done all I could do and I gave my best try.

But in spite of my work, in this hold I must die.
And all I could do was sit and think, “Why?”
Was my ladder too short? Was my hold much too deep?
Then from way up on high came a voice: “Do not weep.”
And then faith, hope, and love entered my chest
As the voice calmly told me that I’d done my best.

He said, “You have worked hard, and your labor’s been rough,
But the ladder you’ve built is at last tall enough.
So do not despair; there is reason to hope,
Just climb up your ladder; I’ll throw down my rope.”
I climbed up my ladder, then climbed up the cord.
When I got to the top of it, there stood the Lord.
I’ve never been happier; my struggle was done.
I blinked in the brightness that came from the Son.
I fell to the ground as His feet I did kiss.
I cried, “Lord, can I every repay Thee for this?”
He looked all about. There were holes in the ground.
They had people inside, and were seen all around.

There were thousands of holes that were damp, dark and deep.
Then the Lord looked at me, and He said, “Feed my sheep.”
And he went on his way to save other lost souls,
So I got right to work, calling down to the holes,
“Get up! Get ready! There is nothing the matter!
Take rocks, and take sticks, and build up a fine ladder!”

It was now my calling to spread the good word,
The most glorious message that man ever heard:
That there’s one who is coming to save one and all,
And we need to be ready when he gives the call.
He’ll pull us out of the holes that we’re in
And save all our souls from cold death and from sin.

So do not lose faith; there is reason to hope:
Just climb up your ladder; he’ll throw down his rope.

 

 

          I know that Christ Lives. That he atoned for our sins, died for us, and then was resurrected so that we could overcome spiritual and physical death. I know that as we use the over encompassing power of the Atonement, we will be able to make it through the struggles, trials, and hard times in our life and also become clean again. I know that it is only through Christ and because of Christ that we will be able to live with our Father in Heaven once more. I am so grateful for His sacrifice and for the love of our Heavenly Father to send down his Son, so that we could return to Him.

 



"Just Scatter Sunshine"

The Gospel of Jesus Christ brings so much happiness to my life. The Gospel brings Light to my life. Christ is mentioned in the scriptures as the Light. We all have the Light of Christ manifested in us. Costa Rica is a bright sunny place. It has some of the best beaches in the world. It is one of the most beautiful places. And again let me say it is so WARM! As I go about this sunny and lovely country I'll be spreading the Light that comes from the Gospel of Christ! I cannot wait to Scatter Sunshine.

In 8 Days I'll enter the Provo Missionary Training Center and become a Full-Time Representative of the Savior and His Church. 

This blog will be kept by my mom, with all the letters and pictures I send home to her as I share the Gospel with the People of Costa Rica!! 

There Is a link to my Facebook, Mormon.org Profile, and ways to contact me as well! So check it all out! 

I've always wanted to go on a mission. I watched my brothers come home from their missions and I knew even though I had to wait until I was 21 that I wanted to go on a mission. This was a goal I set for myself as I was very young and there was a real desire I had to serve. But then I went to college and I wasn't so sure I could make it to 21 without being married. To kind of put things into perspective, this week on facebook I saw an article from Business Insider about the top 25 Colleges whose students were hot and smart and BYU was number one. So here I was boy crazy with tons of smart, attractive, mormon boys all around me. And even though I was only 18 and had a long way to go til mission age I really started thinking what was going to do with my life. Was I supposed to be throwing myself into my education, preparing to get married, or preparing for a mission. And I couldn't get my head wrapped around what I was going to do. So in September I started pondering what I was supposed to do with my life, what did God have planned for ME? I had been raised that when you have a question you pray about it and search out all the options having faith that your prayer would be answered. We've  all heard the scriptures ask and ye shall recieve knock and it shall be opened unto you. So here I was not sure why I wanted to know this now since 21 was years away but I knew I just had to pray in faith and I would have an answer from God. 

And a few weeks went by and I still didn't have a clear answer. So Then General Conference weekend was coming up and I remembered how my Uncle Joe taught me that if I go into conference with a question, truly desiring an answer, and having faith-that someone would say something that pertained to my question. So that's what I did. I Started that Saturday morning session wondering If I was supposed to go on a mission and if I needed to prepare for that. So there's a group of us in the Lobby of our building watching conference and President Monson starts talking about the Boys Mission age and I'm thinking that's great, like so awesome for them. And then our feed starts buffering and freezes and comes back when he's talking about senior couples going on their missions. Right then, my phone starts buzzing like crazy and a girl runs out of her dorm and says, "Did you hear that? Can you believe it?" and we're all sitting there like WHAT? and she said,  "Girls can go on missions at age 19 rather than at age 21. My roommate Hannah starts bounding down the stairs tears filling her eyes and she just looks at me and says, "Madison your going on a mission!" I immediately knew that was what I was going to do. The Holy Ghost testified to me the moment I heard of the age change that I would be going on a mission and that I would be going on a mission as soon as possible. I was so full of Joy and Peace. And as I read the texts I had received, it appeared that everyone else had the confirmation from the spirit telling them I was going on a mission as well, even though they were all in  different places. 

My dad in San Fran , My mom and younger siblings in GA, My siblings all spread about Provo, all sending texts like "so when are you papers going in?" "and guess you better start preparing for that mission".  I later found out that my Grandma in Idaho- knew as that announcement was made that it would be affecting me, that I was going to be leaving to go share the gospel of Christ. My grandpa in Provo later told me, that he Jumped up to check my birth date and see when I'd be able to put my papers in for my mission. My mom later told me that it reminded her of how Joseph Smith said, "I knew it and I knew God knew it and I could not Deny it." the Holy Ghost confirmed and spoke to everyone in my family telling them I was going on a mission. And this is so crazy. You know because I'm not the only one who had a profound experience with this announcement. Girls all over the world, had their prayers answered. And thats  what is so neat. This general announcement effected everyone so personally. And that's how the Gospel of Christ is, It's so general that it works for everyone yet its Tailored for each of us specifically. As soon as I could I texted my Bishop telling him I needed an interview for my mission papers to get started. I knew I needed to start as soon as possible and so I worked and finished all of my appointments and information on my papers so that by the time I had my stake president interview I was at exactly 120 days til my 19th birthday. And then two weeks later getting my call to the Costs Rica San Josè mission Reporting to the MTC on April 3rd. I could not be happier! I know I am called there for a reason and that God knows me personally.  I love this gospel and I can't wait to share it with the people of Costa Rica.