Better than Disneyland.‏

We got this BEAUTIFUL picture from Marissa. She has been receiving everyone`s mail and loves it! She likes getting mail throughout the week, instead of emails on just Monday. So please feel free to write her at her new address:)      1680 North Forty Loop Apt. #3
                                                           Sherveport, LA. 71107

                XoXo,
                    Madi Adele!!!!

Well time is already flying by!!!

I am in my first area... Brownlee! In Shreveport, Louisiana. Our area is the west side of Louisiana and goes almost to the Texas and Arkansas borders. I am not currently on a bike, my companionship has a car because our area is pretty big! When we don't have to drive, we walk!

I had to say goodbye to my old district and companion which was hard!

I absolutely love my mission president and his wife. They are some of the sweetest people I have ever met in my life! They will look over all us missionaries down here and be my mission parents!

Well last Tuesday was transfer day, so a lot of us got put into new areas! It took about 4 hours to drive me from the mission home in Jackson Mississippi to my new area in Shreveport, Louisanna.

Everyone, meet my new companions (yes, i have 2!) Their names are Sister McGrath and Sister Dagupan!

They are literally heaven sent, and everyone was telling me how I was getting put with the best 2 missionaries in the whole mission before I even got to Shreveport!

YES!

Sister McGrath is the happiest person I have ever met - not to mention her knowledge of the gospel is astounding. She attends BYU and is from Alpine Utah. She has been out on her mission 6 months!

Sister Dagupan goes to BYU Hawaii and is from Arizona. She is so funny, and SOOO beautiful. She's half Philippeno and her hair goes to her butt and I secretly covet it! You can literally see her testimony through her smile.

Mission President said that as they were planning transfers - he was 100% sure to send me to the Brownlee area, that that's where I needed to be!

My first day was amazing. We had a district development meeting to start off the day!

My new district consists of the Brownlee area.

Me and my two companions, two elders named Elder Taylor and Elder Spence, and a senior couple: Elder and Sister Simpson. (they are like my mission parents for the area because President and Sister McDonough can't be everywhere at once!)

After the meeting, we had lunch at the Simpson's house where I helped make the food - biscuits and gravy, hashbrowns, and eggs. We then went tracting into a neighborhood that was a little sketchy to visit some investigators.

Elton is a very interesting man searching for truth, and I LOVE him. The other sisters had met with him a couple times and he is currently reading the book of mormon and he loves it. Elton has a hard life and his body is paying for all the abuse he's put it through with drugs and alcohol. He's an older gentleman and all he wants is to hold a grand-baby in his arms, but he's afraid he might not make it that long.

So far everyone that we've had prayers with here likes to hold hands and they do "prayer talk" as we pray. Saying things like "thank you Jesus, or "oh yes Lord"

The best part of my first day in the field was visiting George and Amanda. They are GOLDEN! And so prepared. They live in a small house within their means. Amanda loves to be prepared and has actually been called a food hoarder before because she does so much couponing and stocking up. But really - she is just doing food storage! She's been able to help out so many people that were in desperate need because she has been prepared. They have 4 kids, and the oldest is a non verbal Austically challenged 8 year old. I love his sweet spirit.

Get this - Amanda has been researching our church for years and has been reading the Book of Mormon! She bought one herself because she wanted to read it! Which is funny because we give SO MANY out for free ;)

They are looking for a family oriented church where their kids feel important and they can be together as a family!

There are a lot of crazy people down here! It really is like speaking a different language sometimes!

Many people love missionaries and the fact we are "spreading the word of God."

Serving in the south is so interesting.

Everyone loves God and Jesus and many believe that there are living prophets and apostles on the earth today.

But a lot of people don't care what church you go to, as long as you go to church.

Many people when we are out tracting will respond with: "I've already been saved" or "I've already accepted Jesus Christ into my heart" or "I've already been baptized" and don't want to listen to our message about the RESTORED GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.

I think it's cool that a couple times we have eaten out in public, I always see people blessing their food out loud, in public! People are committed to God!

There are so many religions out here. Lots of people are baptist, but there are different kinds of baptists too. Driving to an appointment the other night I counted 24 different churches/religious meeting houses. SO MANY RELIGIONS.

The good news is - we are SO busy. Our planners are filled with appointments every day and we are running out of gas miles because our area is pretty big and appointments are far away! Mission work is hard at times but I am loving it. I have a whole new appreciation for hard work.

You should be exhausted at the end of the day so you can eventually rest with the LORD!

I've already witnessed miracles. It blows my mind! We needed someone to come to an appointment with us the other day and we had been calling people all day. We finally just sat down and said a prayer, and little 2 seconds after we hung up the phone, someone called US!

Miracles. Errrrry Day!!!!

There is a place to eat much like the southern equivalent of Golden Corral called Ryans. The man who owns it is named E.T. and he's a member of the church, so he lets the Brownlee missionaries eat there quite often!

One of our investigators named Bill is a substitute school teacher who loves kids. He came to church with us on Sunday and it was the primary program where all of the children 12 and under participate in teaching us through talks, scriptures, and songs. I think he really loved it, and we can't wait to keep teaching Bill!

My first P-day was a lot of fun. We got all the shopping done that we needed to and then we went over to the stake center and played some sports with our ZONE! (All the elders and sisters serving in the Shreveport stake) We played a mean game of ultimate dogeball which was VERY fun actually.

I was a little scared, but I embraced it!

There is a CUTE little donut shop near to where we live called "Southern Maid" which is BETTER THAN KRISPY KREAM. You have to get them while they are hot though! MMMM

Even Elvis approves.

)

Well sorry for all the pictures, but I didn't get to send any last week! I hope you all are doing well, and feel free to send me a letter!

My new address is on the WRITE ME section of this blog - under current address. It will be good at least until the next transfer date which is December 6. But I probably won't be getting transferred!

Love and miss you all!

Peace and Blessins!

Awkward moment of the week:

We were tracting around and walked up to a house. I noticed they had a bull dog in the backyard and then we knocked on the house door. All the sudden we hear barking and look above us... the dog was on the roof. SCARY!