How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard

Welp. I can´t believe it. Time has flown so fast. I never thought I´d ever come to my last week on the mission field. But here it is! 

There aren´t words sufficient to describe the feelings I have. I´m sad/happy. Sad to leave behind all of these wonderful people, all of the relationships and the spiritually uplifting lifestyle of a missionary, but so happy because I can see all of you again, start my life at home. I´m SO eternally grateful for my mission. Not a day will pass by that I won´t think about it. I have learned so much, have changed so much, and I have come to know my Lord and Savior. I have never felt more sure in all of my life of the truth of this Gospel. It is SO true! How could I possibly deny something so pure and so beautiful!!! Our Heavenly Father loves us SO much. He has given us so much. Every day of my life I want to give back even just a little bit to Him, for all He´s done for us. I´m so grateful for my wonderful family, and the knowledge I have that I can be with them forever! I´m so grateful that I was able to help other families come to this knowledge, to take the steps and enter the gate into eternal life. It will forever be a blessing to me. The Lord has helped me so much along the way, and I know that he´ll continue helping and loving us forever. We are His children. That will never change. No matter what changes in the world, no matter how much our lives have changed, God will always be God, and He will always love us. I know that this is true. And I am so grateful for these truths. And I will never cease to proclaim them.

I love you all so much!!! I´ll see you so so soon!!!:)

Con amor,

Hermana Edwards

 Baptism of S____ and E______!!!

 Packing up!

Cyber cat hahaha!

Doubts, Peace and the Gospel…..

Short little story for the week:

This week was wonderful, we found some great new investigators who have great potential!!! One we found has a lot of doubts, but we committed him to read a pamphlet, and he said, "I`ll read this. And who knows, out of all the religions I`ve talked to, none of them have given me such a feeling of peace as yours has. You`re so happy. I want what you have. Maybe this will be the answer that I`ve been looking for for so long." It was so wonderful to know that we were able to help this man feel even a small amount of the influence the gospel can have on his life! I love this work so much!!! 

Only two weeks left, I`m so excited to see you all so soon!!!

Con amor,

Hermana Edwards

 Zone meeting!!

 I made my dress into a skirt. Skills.

 District Meeting!

Sub sandwiches yay!

Testimonies, lessons and strength

This week was remarkable!!!

We´ve been working a lot with our investigator O___. She was a miracle to find! We received her and her family as a reference from the Offices a couple weeks ago. We went, and made a return appointment with her daughter. We came back a few days later, and we soon found out that her two twin daughters have been members for about 5 years, and that her former husband was a member as well. A few years ago, they were all very active, including O___, even though she wasn´t a member. During this time, she even paid her tithing!! The only reason she couldn´t be baptized was because she wasn´t married. The whole family became inactive when her husband fell ill with cancer and passed away, about two years ago. We´ve found them again, thanks to this miraculous reference, and have begun teaching again. She came to church these past three Sundays without fail, and we finally had our second lesson with her and her daughters on Friday (we couldn´t before because O___ was very sick) Hermana Wiborny and I testified of the truth of the Restoration, of Joseph Smith, and of the Book of Mormon, in one of the most powerful, spiritual lessons I have ever participated in in all my 17 months. As we invited her to be baptized, I felt the Spirit testifying, not only to her, but to me that these things are true. The words I spoke weren´t mine, but they were the words of the Spirit. I knew, and know, what I spoke is true. It was such a remarkable feeling, one that I can´t possibly forget. We left the lesson on a spiritual high, and Hermana Wiborny gave me a big hug out of excitement for what had just happened, the sweetheart!! It was amazing, the power of the Spirit. We were so aided by the powers of heaven in that lesson. My testimony has been so altered during the length of my mission, but never lessoned. Always strenghtened. I know that it´s true!!! I can never deny it. And we´re so excited to see the progress of O___ and many more to come. 

Yesterday was my last fast Sunday on the field. A member of the Seventy came, we´re not sure why, but it was really cool!!! I bore my testimony for what will be probably one of the last times as a missionary in public. It´s so strange to think that this month I´ll be back in Kaysville! Such a strange feeling. I´m so grateful to know that I have a wonderful family that loves me, there in the United States, and one here in Argentina. I love the mission!!! I know that I have to enjoy every single minute, because before I know it, it´ll be done. But I´m very excited to see every one of you so soon!!! I know that Heavenly Father loves us all so much!!! I´ve felt that love, and I know it.

I love you all so much!!! See you soon!!!

Con amor,

Hermana Edwards

Paperwork, diligence and doing what's right…..

This week was great!!! We went to Buenos Aires for paperwork (so I can leave the country without a problem) and it was beautiful! The last time I went was about a year ago, and even so, so many things have changed!

Our investigators, S____ and O___, both went to church yesterday and they loved it!! They both should be (hopefully) baptized this month, based off of their progress. O___ is a miracle actually!!! Her twin daughters are both members, and she used to go to church with them a few years ago. She wasn`t even baptized, but she STILL paid her tithing!! What an example! But about a year ago, her husband passed away, and the whole family became inactive. But we`ve established contact again, and we have so much faith that things will work out for the better for this sweet mother and her daughters!! 

Lately, we`ve been seeing the fruits of working diligently, and it`s something that I really want to strive to use after my mission too. To work hard even though I don`t think I can anymore, and especially when I don`t want to. Because it`s right, even if it`s hard. The Gospel, to some, appears hard to live. It is. We are required to do much, because we have been given much. But once we start truly living the Gospel and loving it, that is when the windows of heaven open up and allows us to see the blessings that come from it. That`s when we begin to see the fruits of our labors. Sometimes as I`m walking through the streets, I become discouraged by the lack of success or by how tired I am. But then I think of the reason why I`m here and why I`m doing this, and it guides me along the way. But that doesn`t mean it becomes perfectly easy. It just gives me that additional faith and courage to keep going. Life is the same. We live the Gospel, not just because we understand everything, not just for all of the blessings we`ll recieve, but because it is the right thing to do. Even if we doubt. Heavenly Father promises us great blessings when we act without necesity of perfect understanding.  "Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves 

without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in 

otherwords, blessed is he that believeth in the word of Godand is baptized without stubbornness of heart, yea, 

without being brought to know the word, or even 

compelled to know, before they will believe." Alma 32:16

I know that this is true. With all my heart. This is why I`m here. To serve God. And because I know that it`s right. 

I love you all so much!!! See you in a few weeks!!

Con amor,

Hermana Edwards

Busy, emotional week and new pics!!!

It`s so soon!!!! It`s actually only 34 days after today!!!!! I got to help in the office all day on tuesday and we slept over with all the new sisters!!! I led them  to do contacts in the streets with the assistants, and I got to bear my testimony at the end, probably for one of the last times!!! We have a baptism coming up, maybe this or the next week, of the little girl S____!!!! Maybe my last:( But I hope not!!! I bawled all day at the transfer meeting, and I had to direct the music in front of the whole mission, and we sang our mission hymn (I`ll Find You there My Friend) and then we sang Called to Serve and I was BAWLING oh my gosh it`s already hard and I still have a month left. A lot of goodbyes. A lot of people I won`t see again. It`s so hard!!!

Next week we hit the 20 days mark!!!!! WHAT.- Well 28, but still!!!! So soon!!!! I love you so so much!!! Tell everyone I love them too!!! I`ll see you soon:)<3

 All of my hijas together for the last time!!!!

Me and Hermana Wiborney 

Reunion de Zona!!!!!

-Madelyn

Nostalgia, transfers and learning….

This week has brought me a feeling of such nostalgia. 

I´m officially in the last transfer of my mission. Only six weeks left!!! What!!! Who knew that time would go so fast!! This time last year, I was in Chivilcoy. I had just recently been flashed away from Libertad, my first area (which we pass every week to go to District Meeting). That was such a difficult time for me!! I thought I would never overcome it. But now I can see how much I´ve grown from such a difficult change. Just about a week or two ago, my companion, Hermana Dayes, was flashed transfered in a very similar way like I was. It was such a hard goodbye!!! But something I could relate to. Now a year later, and I only have 40 plus days left!!! Where did the time go?? I still feel like I have so much more to learn, so much more to do!!! 

My new companion is Hermana Wiborny, from Frankfurt, Germany!!!! She´s so awesome!! She just came about 2 weeks ago!!! We´ve seen so many miracles already!!! Our recent convert, F_______, recieved the priesthood yesterday and was ordained a Priest!!! He´s preparing to enter the temple and do baptisms in about a month:) We have another possible baptism planned for the end of this month, a little girl named S______!!! We´re so excited and I´ll be sure to keep you updated!!! 

Love you all so much!!! See you in 43 days!!!

Con amor,

Hermana Edwards

New Companion and pics!

The oldest sisters in the mish!!! Next week I'll be the oldest!

 How we spent 4th of july, in the dark cuz there was no electricity, also, argentina lost the american cup to chile:( COME ON ARGENTINA GET YOURSELF TOGETHER

 

My new companion Hermana Wiborny from Germany!!

President and Hermana Robertson!

Saying goodbye To Hermana Dayes!