Maddi's New Companion

Hi family and friends! 

Another week has passed by in Mexico! And the absoulte craziest thing happened. I am training a New Missionary! Her name is Hermana Santacruz, and she is really great. She is from Ecuador and is the sweetest person.  She does not speak any english and grew up in a valley of two volcanos.  She wants to work hard and we laugh a lot!!

We spent a lot of time this week teaching one of our investigators named Naomi, and she is preparing to be baptized in the end of thei month! It has really been a week of small miricles, and we are so greatful with our Heavenly Father.

I just want to share real quick how greatful I am to be serving a mission for the Church. If any of you, or your friends, or your children, or whoever are debating whether or not to serve, the best advice to give is something that my mission president says all the time, and it is to just get on your knees and plead for help. We have the gift of the Holy Ghost, a member of the Godhead, with us when we live worthily of his companionship. I know that he can give you confirmations, guidence, and we can truly know the will of The Lord through him. I am so happy to be in the mission, and it really is invaluable.

I hope that your week is fantastic, and I love you all.

La Hermana Beardall

Madison and Sister Santacruz

Madison with her new companion....that is the Mission President's wife
in the background

Letter from Maddi's Mission President

11 January 2016

Dear Beardall Family,

This letter is to inform you that your daughter, Sister Madison Jae Beardall, has been called to fill the assignment of Trainer in the Mexico Mexico City North Mission. She will have the responsibility to train, lift, inspire and elevate her new companion, Sister Santacruz Guajan, to a level acceptable to the Lord.

“And if any [wo]man among you be strong…let [her] take with [her] [her] that is weak, that [she] may be edified in all meekness, that [she] may become strong also.” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:106 emphasis added)

I cannot over emphasize the impact a Trainer has on her companion. We congratulate you on having such a fine daughter and thank you for having helped prepare such an excellent missionary. Please continue to pray fervently for her so that she will continue to seek, find and follow the guiding influence of the Lord.

Sincerely,

President Todd Titensor

Mexico Mexico City North Mission

First Transfer!!

 TOMORROW WE HAVE TRANSFERS AND I AM GOING TO BE TRAINING A NEW MISSIONARY!!!

I am really happy that i am not transferring areas, but really nervous to train! I am sad to be losing Sister Chavez, but also really excited for the future. My Spanish is ready! I just need to listen and pray more in the lessons so that I can really understand the needs of my investagators. 

We have the familia rivas and thier baptism PRONTO!! We have been working with the mom who didnt want to be baptized and now she does and back and forth....yeah well now she wants to be baptized and we are really happy for that! (with her daughter.:) )  

Service Project on P-Day

We had a service project on Tuesday, and we went to literally the boonies of Mexico and cleaned a elderly ladies house. We went with our district, and it was seriously a blast! It was so much fun to clean up everything outside of her house!!

Post Christmas Pics

Christmas Dinner 2015 - Street corn

Mission Christmas Devotional

Investigator on the left, Sister Chavez on the right

Merry Christmas!! First Skype call!!

It's almost Christmas!!!

Hi guys!!! I am here. We had a good week, worked really hard, but we have been having some crazy trials here! I know that it is not because of my obedience or dilligence, but it has been really really difficult.

So we have a family of investigators that all want to be baptized, but have had a really hard time with just progressing. The daughter is 14 years old and wants to be baptized so badly, but we have been working with the mom for the entire time we have been here, and like three weeks ago she told us that she wanted to be baptized, but wanted it to be a surprise for her daughter, for her birthday which is in the second week of January. We were so excited!! I think i told you guys a little bit about this, and so we have been visiting her tons and trying just to prepare her for baptism, but she just hasn't been reading the BOM, and never really has had an interest in it. 

Soo on Friday night, we went to go visit her and we found her daughter was there, but her mom wastn. We had a member with us and so we started talking to her, and we decided to put a date for her baptism with her. This is like the first green light on baptism that she has ever heard, because before her mom was super against baptism and the whole shabang. Soooo, in order for us to teach her, she has to be progressing, and defined in Preach my gospel, a progressing investagator is one who has a baptismal date. So, of course we put a date with her!!

Like twenty minutes later, we get a call from the mom saying that she is livid because she wanted to tell her daughter, and not us. Let me be super clear, we did not tell the daughter, who still does not know that the mom wants to be baptized. All in all, the mom told us to stop seeing her and that she doesnt want to be baptized anymore. 

The most crazy hard week of my life. we have been trying to visit her, and talk and explain why we needed to establish a date for baptsm, and nothing more!! 

Hi Dad, 

It's alright that you can't write today. I really hope that your presentation is great today and I said a little prayer for you when I read your email. I am super excited to hear all about the christmas boxes this year, and I am definitley going to print off this weeks!! 
 
This week was really cool because we got to see two of the dedicatory sessions of the Temple in Tijuana! I really loved two talks. The temple president is the son of President Hinkley, and his wife gave a little talk in spanish, and it made me feel like I can speak spanish better. Even though her spanish words sounded a lot like english, It was so amazing to hear her bear her cute testimony, and have the true humility that comes with speaking a foreign language. 

Another talk that I loved was about inviting more holiness into our lives. I think I like a lot of frilly words, and this totally caught my attention. Referencs to holy things are mentioned 265 times (holy scriptures, holy prophets, holy temple, holy God...) and its amazing! The fact that is mentioned so many times and that the scriptures say that we need to 'practice' holiness is an indication that we dont have it right now, at least not in its fulness. And so, I want to set a little goal to try and have a more consecrated, holy week this week. We totally can, and we can 'be holy unto him, because he is holy?. Moses 6 (i think) 

One of my favorite scriptures that I have been studying this week is DyC 93. It is a prophecy of John.. about how even the Holy Son of God did not recieve the fullness... but grace for grace. I love that concept, and even though I am tyring my little heart out every day here in crazy Mexico, I know that its enough. I have such a confidence that it is simplly enough. Another homework for you and the fam: In this ensign of December there is an article by Todd D. Christofferson, that is called Peace, be still (or something like that) Its really short, but super powerful and i ripped it out and hung it above my bed with all my precious pics of you guys. :) 

I hope you have such a great week, and want to quickly bear my testimony. I really know that this church is the true church on the earth today. We have the same teachings and principles that Jesus taught, without blemish, and that is pretty amazing. I love the happiness that the church brings me and really know that Jesus Christ is the one person that will never leave our side. We share all of our joys as well as our sorrows with Him, and through that we are truly never alone in this journey. 

I love the doctirne of agency. I love that we need to work out our own salvation, and we have been given all of the opportunities to do just that in this life. I hope that we can continue to press forward and when we have done all we can do, to stand still with the upmost assurety to see the arm of God in our lives. (Dyc 123:17)

I love you so much dad!! 

Have a great week!!

Maddi Jae