The Lord Knows What's Up - Sister Maren Madsen

Written by Sister Maren Madsen, serving in the Arkansas Little Rock Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaking Spanish.

I asked Maren if she has eaten roadkill or anything interesting:
I ate chicharòn! It would have tasted good if I didn't know what it was.... Pig fat.... Blech! I put it all in my napkin when she turned around... I couldn't get myself to finish it.

Also I have eaten fish twice.. Which is huge for me. Ma** sure knows how to make it. You have to have her cook it for you some time.

So this week was good. We had a zone meeting and I came out of it feeling spiritually energized, as usual! It's so cool how necessary this work is. We have been listening to a CD in the car from a devotional about the spirit world, and how the only reason righteous people die on this earth is because they are needed to preach in the spirit world....where there are a heck a lot more people to teach! So this is like prep time. It was cool all the things I was able to learn from that.

I have also this week seen the importance of exact obedience (once again!). I have seen how, because I hold myself to higher standard and live by that standard, the Lord is blessing us with people to teach. I can see how much richer my life is because I am living and seeing God's will unfold before my eyes. And I am growing and progressing! It makes me nervous that I only get such a short time to be out here.... I have already been out five months tomorrow.... What in the world?? On one hand that it so unfair because I am still pretty much the new kid, but on the other hand I feel like I have packed a couple years worth of stuff in five months. Que en el Mundo??

This week I decided I was done being frustrated with my companion. I decided that even though we are not super similar, I am never going to change her and why should I get impatient with that... She is her own person. I have been repeating the words of that talk in my mind that I sent a couple weeks back about the missionary who was frustrated with his companion and he discovered that even though it didn't seem fair to him, that Heavenly Father probably wants to get frustrated with us sometimes too. I am constantly asking for help, and I have been guilty of dragging my feet when I think that my idea is better than His, or even constantly praying for the answer when I have already gotten it. So why the heck should I feel like I don't need to experience that myself? We are all human... We all are still growing and progressing and changing (for good or bad). It was kind of an "aha" moment, and I decided that anytime I had something negative to think, I would think about one annoying thing I do to God and instantly I stopped being annoyed. It really worked. And I have seen so many blessings come from that.

We had two "ready to be taught" families fall into our laps because I wasn't being grumpy and we were working better together. The Lord knows what's up, and I just gotta be humble enough to do it. Man, how many times have a I said that since I've been out here? This mission truly is a once in a lifetime experience. It is seriously the best thing I have ever been apart of in my life. (Family is eternal, so that's different) :)

Les quiero mucho! Cuidense!

Hermana Madsen

Happy birthday to Josh this week! And Grandparents day on Sunday! 

The Blessings of Sweating Like a Horse (August 31, 2015)

I Put Jesus On The Couch Next To Me (September 14, 2015)