Monday, November 19, 2012

Letter #30! (Ashdown, AR)

Steven has been serving for 7 months this week! Each Monday I get a personal email or two from him. But last week was my birthday and he sent me a package! It was 2 bracelets that he had specially made for me way back in Shreveport, LA! I was so touched that he thought so far ahead! And the letter he sent with them was super sweet! This will be our first big holiday with out him but it sounds like he will have a great day...he has a lunch and a dinner scheduled and a game or two of football!
~Lisa



So this week was a great one just like all of the weeks have been. This email will be short because the library up here in Ashdown is closed for this whole week so i am using an ipad of one of the members here in Ashdown. The Bowman family is so nice too us! But this week we had interviews with the mission president and it was absolutely amazing!! That man is so intune with the Spirit. Oh and I heard that little cousin Caleb started with his papers! congratulations!! So weird thought of the week....Elder van dyke hash been serving now for over a year. That's nuts! Love you all!
~Elder Maddox

Monday, November 12, 2012

Letter #29 (Ashdown, AK)

Well,
What an interesting week, but I guess that's every week of this thing they call the mission! First things first! Little Mak! I heard about your amazing experience with Elder Nelson! That is so cool, way to use your talents! Keep using them! They will only grow! And second, I can't believe Obama won! Hey, every state in my mission voted for him! It was Jeff's and Sam's that Obama won! Get mad at them for not spreading Romney more like I did! Not my fault! This week has been a very good week. We have been finding a lot of success up in Ashdown. We have been really focusing on working with the members. So we have been focused on serving those around here. On Saturday we got to play around with taking down barbed wire, and today, at 7 got to go tear down all of the posts! It has been a lot of fun, but I think I need you to send out my boots mom! And a pair of my jeans! Please and thank you! It would be much appreciated, and they will be used! Plus this is a test to see how much you got rid of after I left. I know you didn't like those boots, so if I don't get them, we will be having a talkin about! So going back to what Elder Jasperson and I have been doing. Since he is so new, we have been going to the four or five active families in the Ward and teaching them the restoration. It has been very successful. The members are able to feel the spirit in a very real way, and Elder Jasperson and I become far more powerful teachers with the practice that we are receiving. We have a few people who we continue to work with, and even have someone who wishes to be baptized. Yesterday we invited her to be baptized on January 19th, 2013, of coarse thats all dependent that the world makes it through December 21st, 2012! Haha for anyone who knows the Maddox family, that is a very important date. I think three birthdays, and an anniversary This will only add to the festivities of the day! Everything just seems to be going well here. No complaints on this end. For those of you who possibly, somehow forgot, this is your heads up! This week is Lisa-gras! Don't you forget it!
~Elder Maddox!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Letter #28 (Ashdown, AR)

Hey world!
It continues to amaze me just how fast the weeks go in the field, but I am sure yall are sick of hearing about that so on to bigger and better things! Ashdown continues to be fun. It is a very tight community, so Elder Jasperson and I are doing our best to become part of the community. It has been a lot of fun to walk the streets of this small town, and watch all of the people point and stare at us! I love to stand out, and love being recognized as Mormon! It is great that people are starting to know more and more, and because of either what is going on in politics, or other reasons unknown to me, people are wanting to know more. I can only imagine what a Mormon president would do for missionary work. Many people ask questions, but it would only get better!
Anyway, this week was not so much focused on finding people, as it was working with Elder Jasperson. We would focus on different things like teaching the lessons to members and different things like that. And I have to say that he is an amazing missionary. He is much more prepared than I was, and his enthusiasm is contagious. It is exciting to have companions who are ready to work, and willing to learn, because that translates to having fun while doing all of those things. It makes training so much more fun, and opening up an area so much less stressful! Even if you don't feel like you know the scriptures that well, or you can't teach as well as someone else can, if you can get out and work, you will be a companion everyone wants to have. Hard work is truly the only way to have success in the mission, and I hope that if nothing else, those who are prepairing to serve will come out with some energy. Otherwise, don't bother coming, you will just slow us down!!
Elder Maddox