Hermana Marsh has her first assignment!

Dear Parents of Hermana Marsh,

We received your daughter into our mission Tuesday morning. We brought her to the Mission Home and fed her lunch. She was excited, and seemed ready to get to work. We enjoyed spending a good part of the day with her, to tell her about our Mission and to get to know her better. She is wonderful.

We met with her trainer to discuss the new 12 week training program. During this 12 week period, your daughter will have an extra hour of companion study each day, and will be given specific things that she must report to the Mission President. We know that this is an inspired program, and will help missionaries learn to be better teachers and better followers of Christ. Please encourage your daughter in this program. It will help her to develop tools that will help her to have a successful mission, and a more successful and fulfilling life after her mission.   

Hermana Marsh has been assigned to the area of Alcorcón, which is a suburb of Madrid. She will work with Hermana Costagliola, who is from Italy. She is a happy, obedient missionary and will be a good first companion for your daughter. 

Please send any letters or packages to the Mission Office for the duration of her mission. We have such a large mission area and mail times are very unpredictable, so that if she gets transferred while the mail is in transit it is very difficult to track her down. Don’t forget to put her first name on the package! 

Our mailing address:

Hermana Madison Marsh
Calle Fuerteventura, 4

2nda Planta, Oficina 8B

San Sebastian de los Reyes, 28703

Madrid, Spain

Our Preparation Day is on Monday. Hermana Marsh is instructed to email her immediate family every week. We look forward to getting to know her and working along side her in this great work here in the Spain, Madrid Mission. We already love her. Thank you for sharing her with us!

Sincerely,

President and Sister Jackson

 President Jackson, Madie, Hermana Jackson

New missionaries!

October 27, 2014

Hi family! I only have a few minutes this week, but I have finished my time at the MTC! I can´t believe time is already here it flew.  I am kind of sad to leave because it really has been so much fun here, but I´m ready to get to work! I had an interview with the jacksons yesterday though and they are absolutely incredible I don´t know how I got so lucky.  They kept asking me all these questions about my family and remembered the smallest details I really feel so blessed.  I will find out which area i am going to tomorrow and I am very excited! I´m definitely nervous, but i´m taking a leap of faith :) I love you guys so much and am so thankful for all of the love and support.  I´ll talk to you next week!

 

xoxo, hermana marsh

October 23, 2014

HI family! I´m so happy to hear from you all. You all sound like you are doing great! Thank you so much for the updates you have no idea how much it means to me.  I love to still be a part of your lives!

 

Ricky and Tisha: Yay finlay and emerson on the soccer I am so proud of them!! Send me pictures :) and yay for lydie lou!! Who said she could get so big.  Her and moo face crack me up that is so awesome.  I love you guys!

Doug and Kim: BYU just makes me frustrated.  bummer.  Glad I´m gone! Your pictures of your food from your birthday look amazing i´m so jealous!! Wedny might me the cutest thing I am dying over the videos and pictures!! so so darling.  Keep up the great work with christlike attributes that´s what i´m working on too! I´m on faith right now- we can do it together :)

Dantzel and Oliver-  i am so happy for you guys!! Your pictures look amazing i´m so jealous I want all of those pumpkins things.  Thanks for the update on my little nugget :) When I should mem studying spanish I think about the little peanut and I get so giddy.  You guys will be the greatest parents iim so excited!

Allie and Mike: I got your letter and I seriouslyy was laguhing hysterically outloud hahaha you guys are the worst!! So so funny.  Thank you for taking the time to send me one it means the wrold :) I was laughing so hard at the video of madden... glad to see we think the same things are funny :) I love you guys!! Go get some bj´s for me I´m craving it.

Wetty: Wow you never cease to amaze me.  One letter a week! You are the greatest sister those postcards make me so so happy.  Thank you so much! I am sorry to hear about the funerral of your investigator, but I also love to see how much you care.  You are a great example to me and I hope I can connect with my investigators like you do. 

 

So here´s a little bit about my FINAL week in the CCM! I have to start off with a HUGE thank you!!! I received two packages and multiple letters this week and I really am in awe at how amazing my family is.  The candy is already almost gone... my bad :)  I love you guys so so much!!

 

For P-day last week, my presidents wife took a few of us girls shopping and it was so so much fun.  I´m sorry to admit that I found some things... :) and after we went to vips! Do you remember that restaurant m and d? So great to have american food haha I had so much fun! I love my mission presidents I feel so blessed to have them

 

I have a funny and embarrassing story for you guys.  So I talk in my sleep as you all know, and the girls in my district have informed me that I not onlyy talk in my sleep, but talk in spanish in my sleep haha!! That means i´m fluent right?? Seriosly so funny I don´t know how my brain does what it does.  I am not fluent by any means, BUT I will say that I do think I have an okay foundation to be going out in the field.  It´s going to be hard, but I´m ready to work even harder!

 

This week for the park I was paired up with hermana baxter!!! Ah I love her.  It was so fun to be with someone I knew and I thought we worked pretty well together! This week I get to be with hermana toone and I am so excited.  She is seriously the greatest person and we work so well together I can´t wait to go teach real people with her! I was belssed with the best commpanion.  

 

We had a pretty great experience today at the temple today! I did the session in Spanish for the first time and I actually understood a lot of it! So that was a really great feeling.  They took us on a tour after our session and wow I love the Spain temple.  It is absolutely beautiful!! I cried lots and lots. shocker I know haha! I love the temple and am so happy i´m staying in Madrid so I hopefully can go again later in my mission. 

 

So here´s tthe run down for the rest of the week.  We are having our interviews with the Jacksons on Sunday, packing up and saying goodbye on Monday, and are going to the mission presidents home on Tuesday! I´m not sure when i´ll find out my first area, so until I find out if you have any letters our anything the best place to send them would probably be the mission home.  I get to email on monday before I leave so hopefully I can give you a little more information then!

 

I can´t believe my time at the CCM is gone.  It flew!! I really am so sad to leave I have loved every aspect of this place.  Wonderful memories here! I am really nervous for next week, but know that with the help of the Lord I can do anything.  I love you guys! Thank you for you love and support it really is the best thing for a missionnary.  I have the best family in the world! Keep sending pictures and videos.  I love you!

 

xoxo,

hermana marsh

halloween packages make me so happy!!!

 how cute is my desk?! Best mom in the world!

 thanks for the fangs :)

 I have the best companions in the world. I love hermana toone!

 Last temple pic for a while!

October 16, 2014

Hi cute family!! Okay I feel so blessed this week you guys are the greatest.  I got FIVE letters this week!!! It really makes me so happy and I am so thankful for the support you guys give me.  You sound like you are doing great!

Ricky and Tisha: Those pictures this week! I am dying right now those kids are so cute. I´m happy to hear they liked Blue man group.  I sure do miss you guys!

Doug and Kim: Wow worst football update.  WE are falling apart! Good time to be gone I guess.  I hope you had fun watching your brothers kids! And thank you so so much for the letter it made me so happy.  I love that little Wendy girl!! and happy birhtday Kim :)

Patty and Olivander: I CAN KEEP A SECRET!! Thank you so much for the announcement it was so cute! Keep me posted I want pictures!! so kim, tisha, and allie: if anything happens I can keep a secret :) :)

Mike and Allie: I love those videos and pics of geezy boy he makes me so happy!! That job interview better be for utah :) I love you guys thank you for all of the support I´ll be watching for your letterr!

Wetty: Wow 3 postcards.  you are seriously the best sister what did I ever do to deserve you! It was so great to hear your update you sound like you are rdoing so great.

This week was a really great one I can´t believe that it is already p day again! I want to start off with my park experience- it was unforgetable. They finally put me with a Spanish sister haha! And she just happened to be one of my best friends here and we were so excited to be together.  We had so much success!! We were able to give out 7 libros de mormon and got 4 referrals! It was so crazy because every person we talked to was interested and it felt liike they came to us.  There was never any doubt in my mind who we should be talking to.  I know it wasn´t us because I didn´t change anything, but the Lord prepared people for us and it was the best feeling in the world to be able to tell them about the church.  It made me so happy!!

I wanted to share a spiritual thought that has really been helping me this week.  We watched a devotional by Elder Bednar that was about turning outward as Christ has.  I had really tried to apply this and every time I feel like I am messing up or feeling down on myself, I try to handle the situation and Chrrist would and turn outward and it is amazing how much better I feel! It is going to be a lesson I keep with me my whole life. 

We have native Spaniards here and wow they are great.  I can´t understand them yet but it is way fun to be practicing with them!

I am doing really well!  Other than the fact that I locked us out of our room this week for an hour. AH! my bad.  Highlight of the week though: Digestives exist in Spain!!! My teacher gave us some and I was so happy.  All will be well! I love you guys so much and am so thankful for the support you give me.  I am the luckiest missionary here! Look for opportunites to serve this week :) I love you!!!

Hermana Marsh :)

Prado

 tetanus aint got nothing on me :) (Madie had to get a tetanus shot preventatively, nothing happened requiring the shot.)

 thank you so much for  tthhee  lleetttteerrss!!

I got a letter from Grandfather! Tell him I love him!

October 9, 2014

Hi cute family! I can´t believe it is already P-day again.  The time really does fly hear! It was so great to hear from all of you.  Thank you so much for taking the time to write me it makes me so happy :)

 

Ricky and Tisha: Wahoo on all the house renovations!! I loved the pictures of your kitchen it looks great.  Thank you thank you thank you for for the updates on your kiddos they make me laugh so hard! I sure love those guys.

Doug and Kim: NO!!!! worst news ever about taysom!!! That really puts a damper on the situation.  I am dying over the video of wendy singing let it go haha so cute!! Way to go kim on the running you are my idol.  And thank you for the spiritual thought I loved it :) also doug, my teachers wife served in the islands with you! fun connection.

Dantzel and Oliver: So fun to see all your pictures from conference!! I´m glad you guys were able to come home. Have so much fun in Maine and send me so many pictures!! They don´t make me homesick I love to see what you guys are up to.

Allie and Mike: Way to go geezer on those abc´s!!! Smartest little peanut.  And feel free to give Art City my address so they can send me some donuts :) I´m so sorry about liz that really breaks my heart.  Tell her that I love her and am praying for her!! and thanks for the funny pins those were real good ones.

Wetty: Happy hump day!!!!! You made it!!! You are the best ever I got another postcard from you!! Seriously those make me so happy thank you so much.   I sent you a letter but it was to the mission home so I don´t know if you will get it.   I´ll send another one to your area.  I love you and am happy to see that you are doing well in italia! I think about you all the time!!

 

This week was so great.  I´ll start with p-day last week.  We got to go shopping and we found some members that took our picture and sent it to our parents.  The nicest! I was able to find a straightener and a blow ddryer so i´m a happy missionary :) after we went and got churros at the same place we went to in june and don´t worry it was just as great!! So fun I really can´t believe I get to serve my mission here it´s incredible.  Today we are going to the prado so that will be really fun :)

 

This week at the park nothing new really happened, but it was still really fun! My spanish is lacking so much, but I am getting better so i´m hangin in there.  They put me with a russian again I don´t know why they keep doing that haha! Oh well :)

 

CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING! I have always loved it, but it is so different as a missionary! This conference was perect for me to learn more about the doctrine and teach it to my investigators.  I was on cloud nine! When you get the ensign, please send me a copy I am dying to read them again.  We got to watch all 5 sessions and I really loved it.  And shout out to Grandfather! In one of my lessons this week, my investigator asked if it was dangerous for one person to lead all 15 million of us and I was able to share points from grandfathers talk and it really brought the spirit.  So thank you :) Conference is so great! It made me miss home, but it´s so worth it!

 

This week I have been reading our search for happiness in the little down time that we have and it is so amazing.  If any of you haven´t read it please do it! I am learning so much from it. 

 

Funny note about this week- I officially have been added to the dumb things missionaries say during lessons.  This week I called president uchtdorf a red neck instead of a pilot hahahah! Whoops! It was pretty funny and I´m pretty sure that won´t be the last mistake I make haha!

 

I got the newsletter and yay tally and abby!!!! That is so so exciting! :)

 

That´s about it for this week! The days get kind of repetitive, but I am not ready to leave at all.  I love the MTC and I love the people here.  I have 2 weeks left and as merrick would say... I´m not ready I wasn´t ready! Time to put teh trust in to Lord though! I´m doing great :) Thank you so much for all of the love and support I receive you have no idea how much it means to me.  I love you so much!

 

xoxo,

hermana marsh

churros and chocolate :)

 and llao llao for dad :)

 Croissant restaurant for mom!

 My companion and I! She is from Sandy and goes to BYU :)

 My cute district!

An email from Sister Grieve

I (Madie's mom) just got an email from a sweet sister named Sister Grieve WITH pictures!  Bless her heart!  Enjoy....


We serve at the Madrid Temple and had the pleasure of serving your daughters this morning.  Then this afternoon, we headed downtown to visit another museum when we ran into them.  Hope you enjoy the pictures!  They are writing down your e-mail addresses for us.

October 2, 2014

Happy October family!! Can you belive it´s already October?! Ah time is flying.  Last week was a total train wreck so i´m going to do things a little differently this time. I´m sorry it isn´t as personal, but I talked to some missionaries and they said we get plenty of time in the field so it won´t last long!

Ricky and Tisha: so happy to see those cute pics of your family! I am excited to see pictures of Merricks rroom and your kitchen. Be sure to send them to me! Tell e and f great job on their soccer games :)

Doug and Kim: stop I am DYING over wendy´s 18 month pictures!! She couldn´t be cuter. Can´t belive my baby is all grown up! I talked to some of the teachers and I think the only person you would know is Hermana Suarez. Sound familiar? Thank you for the football update and the spiritual thought I love it!

Dantzel and Oliver: Thank you for the update :) I´m dying over the grand canyon pics that looks beautiful! Good job on your calling - those girls are so lucky to have you. 

Allie and Mike: Those videos of maddeen haha!! Seriosuly that kid kills me.  Happy to see you made it safe and sound to arizona! Take care of mom via facetime ;)

Steph: I GOT YOUR POSTCARD! Thank you so so much it came at the perfect time, I absolutely love it.  There is an Italian teacher here and I love talking to her about you.  You are the best example for me, thank you so much!

Okay now on to this week at the CCM. First off, I GOT THE PACKAGE!!! I can´t even describe how happy that made me you guys are the nicest!!! I was grinning from ear to ear all day you guys are so cute.  I´ve been eating the granola every day for breakfast :) thank you thank you thank you!!! It only took a little under two weeks too so that really was the greatest! I loved it!

After emailing we got to go into down town Madrid for P day and it was so so fun!! We got to see the palace, the supermarket where we got the yummy froyo, the golden buns statue, the crossiant place, and plaza del sol.  I was literally dying!! So fun to see all of that again.  That night we had a fireside by Elder Ballard and it was the best.  I was feeling a little homesick after emailing and that was just the motivation I needed to get going :) The best!

On friday a member of the 70 came and President Lovell called on me to say the prayer. AHH!! I was so so scared, but I did it! I said the prayer in Spanish!!! I felt real great once that was over haha! I also cracked out barb´s workouts because guys... the treats are getting to me haha!! Be sure to tell her thank you for me :)

On Saturday we went to the park and I was paired up with a girl whose Spanish isn´t as strong so I took the reins again and it went so much better than last week.  I even got a referral! They spoke English, but still I was feeling pretty great about it.  We play soccer almost every day and I´m getting better! This week I even scored twice! must be the jersey ;)

On sunday we had fast and testimony meeting and I had my first 24 hours fast! It wasn´t as hard as I thought it would be becasue when you are as desperate as I am, you are willing to make the sacrifice :) I even bore my testimony in Spanish! What was really amazing though was a lot of missionaries bore their testimonies about how their families back home aren´t active or supportive.  It made me so thankful for you guys! I know each of you has such a strong testimony and always put the Lord first.  Such an amazing example for me so thank you so so much.  I love you guys! That night we went to this fireside concert thing and I met the Jacksons!! They are absolutely incredible I´m the luckiest missionary! I love them already.

Spanish is coming! It´s frustrating, but I will get it.  Poco a poco! We are getting new investigators this week so it will be fun to be able to start over and apply what i´ve learned.  To answer some of your questions, the mission president and his wife life here in the ccm.  They are so great!! Really the greatest people.  The Spain CCM teaches Spanish, Russian, French, and Italian.  This week we got a new batch of missionaries which included Hermana Baxter and Daniel from semester abroad!! He´s going to Russia and is one of hte new 6 weekers.  My companion is the girl I knew through facebook before I left and she is absolutely amazing.  We get a long so so well she is the biggest blessing! I thank Heavenly Father every day for her to be my companion.  I am so excited for conference!! We get to watch 2 sessions live and one of them is Grandfathers yay!! Such a bblessing.  I really am so excited!!

I think that was all the questions, if not send them again :) I love you all so much! Thank you so much for tthe videos and the picutres. I love them! Until next week!

xo,

hermana marsh