Week 63

This week has been pretty good. The work is really starting to pick up here in Duisburg. Sister Bray and I have seen a lot progress just in a short 7 days. We were able to meet with some investigators and to continue to get to know the ward better.

My favorite store!! Primark!! woohoo!

There have just been many moments this week where I really felt that God was looking out for us. We have had a lot of teaching opportunities and I am so grateful that the Lord is helping us move the work forward here.

Split pic with Sister Bunderson!

We had another split this week. I was with Sister Bunderson. She is brand new on her mission. But she is so legit. Her German is so good! Holy cow! She is totally rockin' it here in Germany. We had a really good split and it was good to get to know her a little better!

At the street display in Kleve!

We also went to a steet display in Kleve on Saturday. Some elders from our district had one and we went to help out. Kleve is really close to the Netherlands so there were a lot of people speaking Dutch. I would contact someone and then they would start talking and it kind of sounded German but definitely wasn't. It is kind of funny sounding too. Like durpdedoodledurpdeeda.....haha

The Duisburg missionaries!

I am so grateful to be serving here in Duisburg. I have never felt more that this is WHERE I am supposed to be WHEN I am supposed to be here. It is a really good feeling and makes me want to work even harder!

I love you all! I hope you have a great week!

Love,
Sister Madsen

Week 62

Another week in Duisburg! aka....the Dirty D. Ok I am not going to lie this city is not the prettiest thing I have ever seen. But I really do love it here!

We love Duisburg!!!

We spent most of the week visiting members. A few families invited us over for dinner. It was really nice to get to know them better. Transportation here is so special at night so if we don't plan our trips home than we get home kind of late. Example: We met with a member from the ward with the elders. Elder Meinhardt said that they normally drive us to the bahnhof afterwards. Well it was about 20 min to 9 and the members were like.....you need to hurry and catch the bus. We were like...what the?? So we hurried to the bus stop and saw that no buses come this late. So we wondered through the city trying to find a bus stop. We found one and waited for 30 min. Then we went to bahnof and waited another 30 min for a train. Then we got back to Duisburg and had to wait another 20 min for our 20 min bus ride home. We got home kind of late......oops.....we all learned our lesson. 

Waiting for our train at like 10:30pm.......ugh.....

I also went on a split with Sister Funk this week. She is so awesome!! She has only been on her mission for like 8 weeks but I kept thinking that she had been out for like 8 months! Holy cow! We had fun getting lost in Duisburg. Oh the joys of opening an area......

 

On my split with Sister Funk with the Dirty Bird in the background....

We also had our very first appointment with an inveastigator here in Duisburg. We literally just went through our area book and called every former investigator. And we met with someone!! woohoo!

Sister Bray and I feel like we finally have our heads on straight. This first week was kind of crazy but we set some really good goals and we have a lot to work to do.

 

I made a Dirty D dance at Duisburg Hauptbahnhof...
...Sister Bray thinks I'm weird.

I still cannot believe I am here in Duisburg. I am definitely being stretched and learning a lot about what I can do on my own. It has slash is continuing to be a learning experience! FOR SURE!! Well.....Sister Bray and I are going to hit up the exciting city of Düsseldorf for pday today! Hope you all have a fantastic week!

Love you!
Sister Madsen

Week 61

What a week it has been!! AHHHHHHHHHHH! Absolutely nuts!

 

On the bus ride to Frankfurt!

I had a couple days to say goodbyes in Nürnberg. Then on wednesday Sister Wahlquist, Elder Smith, and I made our way to Frankfurt. We had a dinner with all the new missionaries and the trainers and then the trainers had a meeting. Then we got to stay in the hotel that night. 

 

At the pairing meeting....soooo scary!!!

 The next morning we had our pairing meeting. I was paired with Sister Bray. She has been living in Singapore for the last 4 years. She is an opera singer and has the most beautiful soprano voice. We have a lot in common....such as a love for cheetah print. It's great! After we got paired we went to Frankfurt hauptbahnhof and just kind of waited around until everyone left. 

 

Sister Bray and I at Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof.

Then a group of us sisters, who had to stay in Frankfurt because we had MLC the next day, took all of our luggage to the stake center. Of course after the 30 min journey.....I realized that I left one of my suitcases at bahnhof....oops. So two sisters came with me and the zone leaders drove us back to get my suitcase. But we ended up just running errands with the frankfurt zone leaders all day. 

 

Driving around with the Frankfurt zone leaders all day

 Haha.....then we came back and went to the testimony meeting of the leaving missionaries. It was super weird! It is sad when all your mission friends start going home. That night we had 9 sisters sleeping at the Frankfurt sisters apartment. The next day...the Sister Training Leaders went to MLC. That left 5 goldens left alone in Frankfurt. Oh boy....bless their hearts. 

 

All the sisters that stayed in the Frankfurt sisters apartment

MLC was really good. It was great to be taught from President. I feel a little inadequate to be a STL but I am excited for the adventure. 

 

MLC pic...sorry kind of blurry

 We then took a bus from Frankfurt to Düsseldorf. The zone leaders took all of our luggaage to Duisburg in their car and Sister Bray and I went by train to meet the Duisburg elders. They showed us how to get to our apartment. We didn't get home until about midnight. We were just a little tired......ok...exhausted. But we finally made it Duisburg.

 

Finally in Duisburg!!

 I really do love it here!!! Maybe it's true that it is butt ugly but the ward is awesome!!! I am so excited to get to know all the members! Sister Bray and I are still just trying to learn our way around the city. Elder Meinhardt has been awesome and been showing us around. We have a lot of appointments with members this week! Should be good. This ward loves sisters! Thank goodness!!!

Elder Meinhardt and Elder Ward...the Duisburg Elders!!!

Surprisingly.....I have been really at peace since I got here in Duisburg. I know this is where I am supposed to be. I feel really in control emotionally which is surprising me (considering that maybe I had an emotional breakdown in Frankfurt). It reminds me of when I was in the MTC and I just felt really good which didn't make sense to me. I know that the Lord is sustaining me. Even though I have recently a lot of new responsibilities I know that the Lord will help me. I am excited to get work done here! We are going to see miracles in Duisburg!

Outside the church in Duisburg!!

I love you all! Have a great week!

Love,
Sister Madsen

Week 60

Well we had transfer calls on Saturday and I bet you are all dying to know what's happening!!!

Some goodbye pics from my last Sunday in Nürnberg!

 So, Sister Wahlquist is training here in Nürnberg.
I will be training in Duisburg and opening the area again for sisters. Oh and I was called as sister training leader. Talk about stress!!! I have never been so physically ill because of stress before haha

Elder Ward was also transferred to Duisburg and he will be my district leader haha! We have been serving together in Nürnberg for the last 4 months.  Elder Nelson from feucht is the ZL in Düsseldorf so I will be working with him!  Sister Fowlke and Sister Hamner are training as well!!

We have 13 new sister coming into the mission.

I am really excited to finally know where I will be serving and it will probably be my last area on my mission! Weird! But I am so nervous to open an area. I have know idea what I am doing and on top of it I have to train a golden. I'm excited for the adventure! I'm kind of stressed but I am really looking forward to serving in Dusiburg. Maybe Duisburg has the nickname of the Dirty D because it is the ugliest city in the mission. haha
but I don't care!

I saw this really weird bike seat cover on the walk to church

 This last week I went on a split in coburg with sister goodrich. It's weird because my very first split in Coburg was in January! And that was my last split there. It was fun to be with Sister Goodrich and she made me try a famous "Coburger" for the first time! Delicious!

Coburgers with Sister Goodrich.

 Sister Wahlquist and I found out that we would be training on Friday. We had to wait until Saturday to see who was staying in Nürnberg and who was going. Man....Friday was a really long day!!! But we made it to transfer calls. Then we made our way to Schwabach to help the Feucht missionaries with a street display.

Freezing at our street display in Fürth!

 Then we had a street display in Fürth. It was freezing and raining that day so we didn't see too much success. But we got to chill with Elder Lidgren for the afternoon. He always gives us some good marriage advice haha!

I got to see Nani at the street display in Schwabach!!!!

 I am really looking forward to the changes this week. Even though they may be really big changes. I feel a little inadequate for what is ahead of me but I know that I have felt this way in the past and the Lord has always carried me and I always have made it out ok. I may not feel too confident in my abilities right now but I am confident in the Lord and that He will help me.

We went to Rothenburg for pday again! Good times

 Well I hope you all have a woderful week! I love you!

Love,
Sister Madsen