Miracles, drain problems and bronchitis

Momma!

I really can't believe that kate get's home in 9 days. I feel kind of sad. Not sad...just.. I want to be there. I miss her a lot.
Please please send so many pictures!

Miracles: We went to visit a member (A) last night who hasn't be active for probably a year. We sat down and started talking and got on the topic of why she doesn't come to church. She said she had been offended and that it was better that she didn't go to church at all than to go and be offended again. Obviously our next step was to explain to her the purpose of church and the reason why we go to church. As we started to talk the door opened and another lady (S) walked in that I had never met before but knew she wasn't a member. We introduced ourselves and she sat down as we went on with our lesson. As A went on about how she was offended S looked at her like she was being a silly child and said, "I'm not a member of your church, but being offended shouldn't keep you from going to church!" They both listened intently as Sister F bore a powerful testimony in her broken Armenian. And then we both talked about the importance of church and the sacrament. I thought the answer would be no but I decided to give it a shot anyway and asked A if she would commit to coming to just Sacrament meeting each week to take the sacrament. SHe looked at us and quietly said,"Yes, I know that's what I need to do." My heart melted. THe spirit was so strong Sister F and both agreed that we could almost physically feel it. We then asked if we could pray before we left and S asked us if we would pray for her relative. She had tears in her eyes as she asked. I closed the meeting with prayer asking God to bless her sick relative. We said amen and S was still crying. We asked if she would like us to visit her some time. I've never heard a quicker 'yes' during my whole mission. We gave her a second pamphlet to read before our next visit. She took it and pressed it to her heart. Sister F and I left feeling like we weighed nothing at all.

Drain problems and best elders: So starting last Sunday anytime we ran our kitchen sink all of this stuff in our pipes (food, mystery things) would come up our shower drain. It was super gross. We have absolutely the best elders ever and so they came over and tried to fix it (they didn't, to much of both our frustrations). But the best part of it was that they were singing the entire time. We stood outside our appartment the entire time (missionary rules) while they tried to fix our drain. I wish we could send videos home because we have the most darling video of them singing wilst plumbing.

Bronchitis: Ain't nobody got time for that!- So starting last Monday I was really not feeling well. Tuesday I was coughing like no one's business. Wednesday I had no voice and I had gotten no sleep. I kept feeling and sounding worse and worse so like a good missionary I called the Mission President's wife and soon found out that I have bronchitis. They gave me antibiotics. I didn't even think bronchitis was a thing. But turns out it is a very real thing. Unpleasant thing too. I feel mostly bad for sister F that she gets to listen to me hack up my lungs evey 5 minutes all day long.

I love you!!
-mads

After we cleaned it!

Back in Charentsavan!

Transfers:
So we had real life transfers on Friday. And drum roll.....I'm back in Charentsavan!!! I'm so happy! It's a little bit like we're white washing it though because I was in Ajabnyak for 2 and a half weeks and there were no sisters at all in Char for that time. So now we're back here with a clean board doing lots of finding and visiting members. I can't wait till we're able to get things picked up here. It's slow work right now but I know we have so many miracles waiting for us in the upcoming 3 months.

Adorable Companion:
I have a brand new companion from Hawaii. She is absolutely the cutest thing I've ever seen. She is so brave and really puts herself outside of her comfort zone. She is already such a great missionary. Because of that I've spent a lot of time on my knees lately. It's hard not to feel really inadequate when you feel so much love for someone. I know that with the Lord's help I'll be able to be what He needs me to be. I love her so much and I know this transfer is about to be awsome!

Same Page:
Sister F and I are pretty much always on the same wave-length. It's great. We were going to one last appointment before we had to be in for the night when we came accross A. We chatted with her while we walked for a minute until we had to split ways. Sister F and I didn't communicate this until after but we both had such heavy hearts as we watched her walk away and thought if we see her again that it would be meant to be. Our next appointment wasn't home so we started to make our way home when we saw A again. We both got really excited and kind of jogged to catch up to her. She told us she would love it if we came over sometime! We' haven't made it over there yet but we're both so excited that the spirit worked with us both.

Testimony:
I love this gospel with all my heart. I know it is true. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't positive about that. Call me crazy, but there is no other thing that I would rather be doing right now than walking down these freezing, slippery streets here in Armenia trying to share the most important message there is.
I love my family and I love the indescribable joy that I get from this gospel. I've never been happier. The church is true. I promise.

Love,
Sister Mads

Happy New Year from Armenia!

Momma,
Sister T and I have really had a blast together these past 2 weeks. It's been a busy and crazy 2 weeks but it was awesome. We did a lot of New Years partying :) The city is still really intimidating but it's not as bad as I thought. But transfers are in a few days and from the sounds of it I'll be heading back to Charentsavan! I'm trying to not to get my hopes up...but we'll find out Tuesday night. It's a little bittersweet because in the 2 weeks that I've been here I've really fallen in love with the members and our investigators! There's no winning with transfers. It's always hard. But if I do get to go back to Char I'll be so happy.
New Years Parties and Pounds: Armenians love to party!! They party harder than anyone I've ever met. And they know how to too! New Years in Armenia is the biggest holiday of the year. It is CRAZY here. Everything shuts down. Everything. They all buy tons and tons of food and just eat and dance and party until January 13th. And they wont let you sit it out. I've never danced so hard or ate so much in my entire life. Let's just say I gained a few....:)
I'm also the lamest companion ever. I'm the only missionary who didn't stay up for midnight fireworks (which was apparently so insane) so Sister T had to celebrate alone. :( I fell asleep at 10:00.

I don't really have a whole lot else to talk about. Everyday I wake up and do the same thing so sometimes it's hard to think of things to email home. But just know that I'm loving every minute of everyday and that there's nowhere else in the world that I'd rather be. I'm in an awesome country doing the Lord's work. What else is there? This is great!

I hope you all make and reach some awesome goals this year. Remember: Moroni 10:23 Everything is possible through the Lord.
Go get 'em!
Mads

Happy New Year!

Dearest momma,
Skyping on Christmas was so fun. So short. So crazy. But now it just kind of feels like a dream. You all look so beautiful!
Somehow Christmas has come and gone. It was definitely a different Christmas than normal. But it was a good one.
Goals and miracles: So our entire mission had goals for the week of christmas. From the way Charentsavan was looking at the beginning of the week, I knew Mini and I were going to need some miracles. The work was really slow because of the new year and NO ONE wanted to meet. I was praying a lot at the beginning of the week just pleading for some miracles. I'll admit my faith was running out and I was feeling exhausted. So on Wednesday I got an unexpected call from President Carlson asking me if I would be willing to let the Elders take over Char for a bit so that I could come down south to help Sister T in Ajabnyak. Of course I said yes. I can't exactly say no…So for the past week and for the rest of the transfer I'll be in Ajabnyak with Sister T. Mini is in Arabkir with Sister L. Sister T and I have been working really hard this week and WELL exceeded all of our goals (except for our investigator at sacrament meeting goal. We had to come to terms with the fact that our investigators have agency).
God answered my prayers. Not in the way that I thought He would. At all. But He answered my prayers. And the best part of it is, we worked for it. And it feels so good.

Testimony:
It's been a while since I've written out my testimony but I hope you all know that I have one.
I have a testimony that this is right where I am supposed to be. I have a testimony that there is no other work in the world that is more important than sharing this gospel. I know with all of my heart that this is the true church. I know that God is a God of mercy, a God of miracles and a God of love. This gospel has brought me more happiness than I can say and I want nothing more than for everyone else in the world to feel this same happiness. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that through our Savior we can be saved. We can be clean. Through Him we can do anything. Nothing is EVER too late. It is never too late to turn your life around. There is no limit on the atonement. And I hope that we all use the enabling and cleasing power of it everyday of our lives. And if we don't, I hope that we will start today.
I love you,
Madie

Family history

Momma,
This week was great! L got baptized on Saturday. It was one of the more spiritual baptisms that I've been to. She came out of the water crying. She bore the sweetest, most sincere testimony afterward. She really is so incredible. I am so blessed to be a part of this work.
We have A and S who will be getting baptized before the year ends. They are also just as incredible. They LOVE reading from the BOM and take notes! They have not once missed a commitment and always go the extra mile. They blow me away.
We just had a group come back from their temple trip and they all bore their testimonies on Sunday. The spirit was unreal. They all kept saying that they didn't know how to find the words but all they could say is that they desired for everyone to go to the temple. I know exactly how they were all feeling. There is no other place in the world like the temple. You cannot get the spirit and the peace that you do in the temple anywhere else. I crave that often and dream of the day when I get to go back. For those of you close to a temple, please take EVERY opportunity you can to go. These people here maybe only get to go once in their entire life.
Sister M and I have had a lot of Family History success here. People eat it up. I suggest you all get addicted to it. It's by far the healthiest addiction there is. And your ancestors will thank you for it. Go do their work! Missionary work on this side of the veil is no different from the other side of the veil.
“I hope to see us dissolve
the artificial boundary line
we so often place between
missionary work and
temple and genealogical
work, because it is the same
great redemptive work!”
– PRESIDENT SPENCER W. KIMBALL

Let's get to work!
LOve you!
Love, SIster Kuykendall

"There's a dog in every village"

գյուղ չկա որ շուն չլինի:

This is a saying that means: There's a dog in every village. People ask us a lot if America or Armenia is better. We usually respond with this saying. It pretty much just means that every place has their problems/they're both good, that kind of thing.
This week was very uneventful. But it was good. Transfers are next week and I'm actually feeling really sick about it. I'm not ready to leave Char and it's guaranteed that I will. I don't really know how to cope right now.
love, mads

Little handout spot in Char where all the papik's go to play hardy (backgammon).

Super cool stadium in Yerevan

Miracles!

Happy Thanksgiving Momma!

Miracles!
This week has been full of miracles. I feel like I say that almost every week but this week especially. Sister and I have been trying really hard to visit every single one of our members once a month. Most the time they're not home or the don't answer but it has resulted in a lot of other miracles. One of the people we were looking for wasn't home but her daughter was and invited us in and was just so happy to see us. She sat us down and fed us and then insisted on taking pictures with us. Well, by us I mean sister M. She didn't want any pictures with me but kept having me take lots of pictures of the two of them as if they had been friends for years. But I'm not offended....:( Anyway, she said she really wants to be baptized but her husband won't let her. It's a really sad situation because she is super great. But I know one day she will get the chance.
Sister and I were searching for a contact who gave us a very vague address. She told us she lived on the second floor of a certain building. Which would be fine if the building didn't have 6 different entrances. We knocked on doors hoping to find her.(Our district leader accused us of tracting. But we really weren't! I hope President Carlson doesn't read this!) But one of the doors we knocked on belonged to a woman named K. She said she was sorry she couldn't help us find the person we were looking for and that she would invite us in if her mother wasn't sleeping. She asked us what we were doing and asked for our number. We then went on our way wishing tracting was allowed in Armenia. We knocked on a few more doors but never did find the woman we were looking for. As we started walking back, K leaned out of her window and ushered us to come in! We went and talked to her for about an hour. We're still not sure if she was real. She fed us chocolate cake and told us we were pretty and that we spoke great armenian. We talked about why we were here and left her with a pamphlet.
That day we went looking for a contact but the Lord had other things in mind. He really does lead the way.

I love you!!!
Love, Sister K

Winter is here!

Drowned rat after rain

View from an investigator's house