October 1, 2012 Letter

Hello Family and Friends!

 

We've had a great week! The weather is continuing to stay mild, usually in the low to mid-80s. I enjoy the work we are doing here so much! We have 2 new investigators now who we are really excited about. We taught them first lessons in the last week.

 

Greenville Branch, as we said before, is getting new missionaries next transfer. The exciting part is they are actually getting two sets of missionaries! They will have a set of elders and a senior couple. [The story of why they're getting two is quite miraculous, I'll tell y'all about it in a letter.] We expect, and are excited for, real growth in the area of Greenville in the coming months. For the first time in about a month, we were able to go out and spend Saturday and Sunday in Greenville, spending the night in the church building. The branch is small in numbers but definitely not small in spirit. We had a short but really powerful fast and testimony meeting yesterday.

 

This week I have been thinking about the importance of members with missionary work. I know y'all probably hear this a lot, but members are such a valuable part of the missionary process! This woman we've been teaching works with a member in the Highland Home Branch and that member was so helpful in our teaching of the first lesson with her. The best investigators come from member referrals and having members in lessons is so powerful. I would invite everyone who reads this letter to pray every day for more missionary opportunities. I know that as we do this, and as we become more willing to be instruments in the Lord's hands, that we can bring so many souls to Christ.

 

Cubert and Becky have been doing so well! As I have said, they've really adjusted to member life. When we were teaching them the word of wisdom, the lesson was long (probably 1 1/2 hrs) and the spirit was there. At the end, they committed to keep the Word of Wisdom, and they have held true to that since then, not slipping once! And (just as exciting) they paid their tithing for the first time yesterday!

 

Another plug-in for member missionary work - I firmly believe that the support Cubert and Becky received from branch members here in Highland was vital to them feeling comfortable with their decision to be baptized, and that that same support helped them so much after they were baptized as they familiarized (and are still familiarizing) themselves with the "Mormon Culture". We [members] are more different than we sometimes think we are, and new members need a friend to help them learn. Be that friend.

 

Just as important as that, I think its so important for active members of the church to reach out to those who are less active. Oftentimes (though not all the time) those who are coming less feel because they are afraid they aren't wanted. Let them know they are wanted, and be their friend regardless if they are coming to church are not.

 

Well, back to my life. Some of y'all have asked how often we eat with members. We eat with members really inconsistently. There have been weeks that we have eaten 5 or 6 times with members, and weeks where we haven't eaten at all. The mission has discouraged wards and branches to have "feed the missionary" signups, so we eat with members when they come up to us and ask to feed us. The food, all in all, is very similar to what we have back home, with the exception of the okra, collards, turnip greens and butterbeans. Okra is the best, I could eat some every day! Of course, I've only ever had it fried, and I hear boiled or pickled okra isn't as appetizing. I've not had chittlins yet, and I hope I'll never have to. I'm sort of indifferent with the hush puppies and fried cornbread.

 

Conference is coming!! We are excited! We are planning on watching the sessions of conference with different less-active members, and we are excited for the influence conference will have. President Holzapfel in a letter challenged us missionaries to have a question that we need answered going into conference. I invite everyone to do so - Conference has a unique power to speak to the soul.

 

Well, love you all. Thanks for your letters, love and prayers! God be with you!

 

Love

 

Elder Coleman Madsen