It's snowing!!! (Just a tiny bit) So weird! It's freezing today! And last Monday, after I emailed you guys, there was a huge storm and the tornado sirens went off. Huge hail came down and the sky was black all of a sudden. My companion was freaking out because she had never seen hail before. Hahaha. But no tornado, thank goodness.

 

So I'll tell you a little about some of the people we are teaching. We are teaching a guy from Africa, Karl, that wants to get baptized but his boss makes him work on Sundays so he's struggling because he obviously needs to make a living. But last time we met with him he said, "Money is not going to get me to Heaven." I love that. He believes in the Book of Mormon so now he just needs to act upon his faith!

 

Another person we starting teaching, Tiesha, has 6 kids and is looking for a church to go to and she wants to know what her purpose in life is. So we talked about the Plan of Salvation for our first lesson with her. She cried and said they would come to church but they didn't! Ugghh.

 

The other day we went and visited an older couple, the Radichels, that can't come to church because the wife has serious health problems. They ordered 3 pizzas for us and we got to take whatever we didn't eat home! Right from the beginning I loved them! But while eating lunch Sister Radichel told us like her life story and explained why she was hooked up to an oxygen tank. She said that her back is crooked and she had to wear a brace for most of her kid-teenage years. But she is still such a happy person and told us she is thankful that she is able to make people feel better about themselves. I definitely cried while she was telling us all this and then she said that she also served a mission. I was like wowww. Here I am serving a mission and missing home so much, while she served a mission with a back brace, having people judge her and make fun of her, with no problem. I was really grateful to have met her and she said we are welcome any time for anything, especially since she doesn't get to see anyone very often. Love her.

 

So we have a baptism this Saturday for Victoria. She is getting married to a less active member that has recently been coming back to church. I'm super excited for her! She is so sweet! And then the Elders in our ward also have a baptism that day and we have an Easter Ward Activity, so we'll pretty much be at the church all day this Saturday.

 

Through tracting this week we found a lot of people that seemed interested and so we have 8 new investigators! One of them was a black guy with 2 daughters and in our first meeting, I asked him to be baptized without even thinking about it. And he said yes! Woohoo! Can't wait to meet with them again.

 

So I've been helping my companion wither her English studying and it is sooo funny. I never thought I would have to explain the word "against". We spent like 30 mintues talking about it hahahaha. First of all, she kept on saying, "again" not "againST" and then she didn't understand how I described when you're against a person's beliefs and when you're against the wall. Hahaha. But I think she's got it now. Oh and then she was trying to say the word "appreciate". She was pronouncing it like this, "uhpruficude" or something. Hahaha I love her..even though she can be crazy sometimes but we learn from each other.

Ok LOVE YOU ALLLL!!!!! :)

Sister Anderson finally sent us some pictures!

Smyrna, Georgia

Heyy!

So glad you guys got the picture! I was hoping to receive an email from you because I haven't gotten any mail! I'm so used to getting a letter every day in the MTC. I was like, "Family! Why have you forsaken me!?" Haha. But yeah, today is P day and we are getting our nails done for free because my companion is from Vietnam so she is going to talk with the nail ladies. Yes, my companion is Vietnamese and her English so hard to understand, it's insane. Remember how I said I didn't want to have to go anywhere in Asia or learn an Asian lanugage? Well, doesn't matter, I got it anyways.  Seriously it is so hard with the lanugauge barrier because I am supposed to be learning from her...but she is a really good missonary. She talks to everyone and is not afraid to be bold. She has been in this same area for her entire mission which is like 8 or 9 months!

 

 

So we got to Georgia, the mission president picked us up and then we went to the church for like orientation stuff. That night we stayed in members' homes and then the next day was transfer meeting and I met my new companion. It was super sad to say goodbye to my district but I will probably see them at the next transfer meeting. Then we got to our apartment, I unpacked and then we went tracting! And the first house we went to, the guy yelled at us through his front screen door before we even got there. He was talking about how Jesus isn't real or something. Super crazy first experience.
 

We've been tracting every day this week and I have gotten to know some of the people that my companion was already teaching and meeting with, with her previous companion. Like one girl we are teaching, Victoria, is geting baptized in 2 weeks! Super cool!
 

Oh my goodness, the smells that I have smelled (so gross), and the poor, dirty houses, I have seen. Even some of the members' homes are just sooo cluttered and dirty. The members here are nothing like Californians. They don't really care how they dress. Which brings me to my ward. I am probably the skinniest one, besides my companion who is like 5 feet tall and probably weighs as much as one of my legs. But anyway...and I'm probably the trendiest one and I'm a missionary haha. But I like it. These people are so humble and are super nice; always willing to serve and they all made me feel very welcome. In our ward, we also have Elders so they go to dinner with us too at members' homes. They are super funny.
 

Ok so this first week has been very overwhelming (don't really know anyone and cannot understand my companion and I'm scared of talking to people) so I was getting really frusterated. But the other day we went tracting for like an hour and literally no one answered their door. I was getting so mad because I really wanted to talk to people and practice more because we didn't practice door to door stuff in the MTC. But then we go to this house, knock on the door, and this old, Austrailian guy walks out. He lets us in because "we represent Jesus Christ" and introduces us to his fiance. They tell us about themselves and how he is a doctor and speaks to the Holy Spirit so that he can help diagnose people. He told us some experiences and gave us the book he wrote about them. And before he hands me the book he says, "Let me ask you something. So this is your first week here and were you overwhlemed when you got here?" And I said yes. And he said, "And you prayed to God for strength and the ability to know what to say to people," And I said yes. And then he said, "I can tell you're an intelligent person and so you shouldn't doubt yourself. God will tell you what you need to say if you just believe. That is self-sabotage and you need to just say what He would say." So I started crying and couldn't believe that everything he was saying was exactly what I needed to hear. This man is so in tune with the Spirit it's incredible. He even said that he has a Book of Mormon and that it is the word of God. So we are going to meet with them again, hopefully this week and explain that all he needs is the priesthood to make covenants with God! They are renevating their house so we might even help them paint. But anyway, this week has been really hard and I am thankful for this experience.

 

 

I hope everything is going well there. Love you all! Have a great week!

 

 

~Madison :)
 

Oh yeah! I got to hold a snake! Hopefully I can send you the picture! Hahaha ok bye! I love you! :)



We love Sister Missionaries!

Brianne and I had to try and see Madison one last time before she headed off to Georgia.

We waited a long time in the winter cold, but it was definitely worth it.

We got to see Madison and her cute companion Sister Chidester.

 



 

Dear Brother and Sister Anderson,

We were so delighted to meet your daughter as she arrived in our mission Tuesday afternoon and be able to spend time orienting her to this new phase of her service. She has already traveled to the Smryna, Georgia area to her first assignment. She met her capable first companion yesterday.

I know she will prosper here in the days ahead and assure you that we will do everything in our power to help her find joy in her service and success in her labors. Your weekly emails will do much to support her as she labors in this wonderful work. Thank you so much for your support.

Sister Harding and I had a picture taken with her yesterday after transfer meeting and I wanted to share it with you. It is attached to this letter.

 
Warmest wishes,
John R. Harding
President
Georgia Atlanta Mission

Last P-day in the MTC

Thanks for all the letters! I love hearing about the day-to-day activities. You need to send me some pictures if you've taken any recent ones. Maybe send me some like twice a month? Please wish Dad happy birthday for me. I'm glad you guys had fun at Lone Star. Yes, Lindsay and Brianne told me about the Bachelor haha. And no, Allyson hasn't written me yet. Maybe tell her how to use DearElder? And tell her I want to read her blog and see all the pictures from my farewell! Did the kids get my letter in the mail? I just wrote them a quick note while I was doing my laundry. Oh and can you send me some addresses so I can write people? Like Sister Mason, Sister Cripe, and Allyson's address too, I forgot it...west temple something? Oh and tell Riley I loved reading her letter, haha yes I brought my blanky but it's still in my suitcase. I've been sleeping better but it's not long enough at all and no, I didn't get my big blanket out haha. Last night we got to eat Papa Johns which I don't even really like but it was so good to have some familiar food. The food is good but it is soooo processed and just fake that it's like eating McDonald's every day so I try to get salads, fruit, and wraps and I only drink water. All the Elders have gained weight because they grab a plate of everything..so gross. 

 

So this week, has gone by super fast. The last 7 days have gone by faster than my first 3 days here. I have learned a lot about how to answer questions from investigators and have been trying to teach by the spirit. My companion is so great. She has what I need and I have what she needs. She explains deep doctrine so well and then I bring it back to the investigator to ask them questions and relate whatever she said to their own personal lives. So we work really well together while teaching. My teachers are really good. They bring the spirit to each class and I learn so much. Class is very long (3 hours) so they give us breaks in between which is really nice. I have to give my class a lesson tomorrow on repentance. Our district leader said he prayed and felt the impression to ask me to do it. Luckily my companion, Sister Chidester, has to do it with me haha. I'm teaching about repentance. Hope it goes well!

 

This week we had TRC so we taught real investigators and less active people. Well they said  they were real but they could possibly be actors. But it felt real so it was cool. I was surprised how I was actually able to do it and I wasn't even nervous. But it does help to have a really great companion. One guy we taught was all about deep doctrine and asked so many questions about the history and theology of our church. He was a Methodist and also once a Protestant. We answered his questions the best we could and read from the scriptures. He said how this really made a lot of sense compared to the other churches he has checked out and when we said the closing prayer, he said he really felt something. So amazing! It was the Holy Ghost! The church is true! Hahahaha.

 

We leave on Tuesday morning! I am going to miss the MTC so much. The people that I have met are amazing. Luckily most of them will be coming to Georgia with me but some other people in our zone that are going to Baltimore, I am going to miss so much. Sister Fullmer, especially. She is sooo wonderful. She wants to room with me at either BYU Hawaii or Idaho. I would love that! Hopefully I can send some pictures to you guys but I don't really know how to do that. The other girls going to Baltimore are great too. They are all seriously obsessed with my hair, it's so funny. They always say how good it looks, how jealous they are, and how they want to chop it off and put it on their own heads. Hahahahaa. And then the Elders going to Baltimore are soooooo funny. We sit with them during meals sometimes and I just die laughing.

 

Ok so my flight leaves Tuesday morning, the 12th, at 8:30 am so expect a call around 6 am your time, I believe. We'll head to the airport around 5 am so yeah. I can't believe this is coming so soon. I hope me and my new companion work well together because without unity it is really hard to teach. Anyway I miss you guys a lot! It's a good thing they keep us so busy because there's not a lot of time to think about other things and that would make this really hard. Ok bye! Send me pictures, more letters, and addresses! I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

First P-day in the MTC

Hello Family!

 

So the MTC has been overwhelming but I think I've got the hang of things now. The days are so long but busy so it kinda goes by fast. I had dinner with Nathan on Wednesday and I've seen some other people I know, like Brent Meservey, Austin DeTavis, Suzanne Hunsaker, and Devin Coy. My first night here I didn't sleep at all. The blankets that they give you is hardly a blanket. It's the saddest thing I've ever seen or felt haha. But I was too lazy to get my blanket out and then shove it back in so I can't complain. Oh yeah, the black flats from Clarks I wore on the first day, they gave me a blister within like the first 30 minutes so I've been wearing my stinky Toms since they go with everything. The showers are surprisingly good, big, and always open when I go to take one. The food is ok.

 

Oh my gosh it is so hard not having a cell phone to text you guys when something funny happens. That's one thing I really miss. The Elders in our class/district are like afraid to interact with us. Well they've opened up recently but before they like couldn't talk to us or sit by us. It was pretty funny. Everyone in my class is going to Georgia except for our district leader, he's going to New Zealand.

 

My companion is very sweet and generous. She is always offering me things like medicine or candy. She is allergic to a lot of things like turkey, peanuts, chicken, and dairy products. So on our second night she went into anaphylactic shock and she had to inject herself with an epepin? Crazy! And at meal time we go talk to the chef about what she can eat and we get to go in the back of the kitchen. Super cool, bet Lindsay never go to do that haha.

 

My roommates are super nice. There are 6 girls in our one little room, with 3 bunk beds. They're all going to Baltimore, Maryland. And they were all super jealous of my package! Thank you so much! One of my roommates' companion is socially awkward..and special. She has been having a really hard time with her because they're always late and cannot teach their investigator because they can barely carry on a conversation. I'm so glad that I have my companion. Oh and you should seriously see the clothes that the sisters wear. Almost all of them are trendy, even cuter than my clothes, and some of them definitely need to reread the sister missionary dress code. One girl was wearing a skin tight pencil skirt that barely covered her knees when she stood. Just sayin.

 

Yesterday we got to teach our first investigator (one of our teachers acting). I think it went well for our first time. It didn't go how I thought it would, yet it wasn't very hard and I felt like I knew what to say. My companion on the other hand was just kind of awkward and laughed because it was a "fake investigator". So that's something we'll have to work on.

 

Also yesterday we got to go to the gym for the first time and it was soooo fun. I played volleyball (I was the best girl so the Elders loved me) and then I played basketball. I wish we had gym every day but P day we don't.

 

Today we get to go to the temple at 3 and I hope you got my other letter and told Lindsay to come! I also get to do my laundry and we're gonna go to the bookstore and buy some t-shirts and stuff.

 

So we found out that we may not have a trainor when we get to Georgia. There are only 8 sisters there now and there's 12 I think here that are leaving on the same day. I hope I get a trainor!

 

The spirit here is very strong and I know I'm not ready to go out into the field yet but I learn something new all the time that will help prepare myself for what is to come. My teachers are great. They are funny and spiritual and let us have breaks during our 3 hour class time.

 

Ok my time is up! I love you all! Send me pictures! And email me through DearElder.com so I can get your letter that day! :)

Georgia Atlanta Mission

Sister Madison Jeane Anderson has been called to serve in the Georgia, Atlanta Mission.

She entered the MTC on February 27th, 2013 and only spent a short two weeks there. On March 12th, 2013 she will be on her way to Georgia.

I will be posting her letters, pictures, and all other important information such as new areas or companions to keep you all updated on Madison's mission.

If you would like to send letters or packages to Madison you can find her mission addresses on this website:
http://www.missionsite.net/sistermadisonanderson/main

Her email address is madison.anderson@myldsmail.net