A Trip Worth Remembering

When you get a mission call to Ecuador expect a fun/ stressful surprise to come your way! Last week I was blessed to be able to go to Washington D.C for the day to receive my Visa.  Yes only a day.  Let me explain the horrific flight schedule.  I left Idaho Falls, around 6 got to Salt lake around 7 and had to wait until 1 in the morning to get on another flight.  Thankfully my sister lives near Salt Lake so she picked me up, being the most amazing sister that she is, from the airport and I got to take a 20 minute power nap after dinner before my next flight.  Then we board in Salt Lake to Atlanta and that flight was 31/2 hours, but the time changes so I was in Atlanta at 5 to 6 in the morning, speaking of which that airport is so cool their is a restaurant called bojangles, lastly I flew to D.C and arrived at around 9 in the morning.  So I basically received no sleep and then was expected to look my sunday best which was not really working all that well for the brain. Anyways the important thing was that I had a great experience.  Two other missionaries heading to Ecuador and I were picked up from the airport and driven directly to the Ecuadorian Consulates office.  All the people who worked there were so kind and generous they let us walk around so we decided to walk down this street and it turned out it would probably be a 45 minute walk to the National Mall and back so we decided not to risk being overly late so we, I, did a little bit of shopping and then went back to the office.  The coolest thing for me though was that I got to talk to a couple of people from Ecuador who were coming in to do certain things.  They wanted to know why I was going to Ecuador and I just told them the truth.  I was serving the Lord and going on a mission to Quito!! One woman was genuinely excited that I would be able to experience her country.  She became so happy when she knew I was going to Quito and gave me a hug as she left.  I immediately felt this love for her and I knew at that moment that I am meant to go to Ecuador because of how much my heart had swollen from talking to her.  This experience was truly something that I needed to write down and I was just so blessed to be able to learn from her.  If we think about it most of the time some of us are not so welcoming to immigrants coming into our country just to experience life here.  I was so shocked by her want for me to experience her way of living that I felt the need to share with her the way I live and let her know that she is welcome to experience the wonderful land of Southern California whenever she wants.  The influence she had on me to change my mind was truly powerful.  It just made me so excited to go to Quito!! I cannot wait to actually put my strength to the test and just to be around people like her all the time.  Thank you Lord for your blessings!
Mads

Things to do!

What is it like to finally know where you are going Madison? Well to be perfectly honest busy!! You have no idea how much you have to do until you get your call. Then you are receiving letters saying apply for a visa and read the Book of Mormon and study preach my gospel and do all these things before you get into the missionary training center! Daunting? Just a little bit. On top of that I am constantly plauged by the fact that I need to be getting clothes and other necessities that I need to take to a country that I really don't know all that much about. There are many suggestions out there for girls like me but it is hard to know which advice to take that will be best for me! Anyways although I am working on all of these things right now, I am greatful because I have never felt so ready to handle all of these tasks as I am now. So my advice to those of you getting ready to submit your papers, start learning now and do not wait until you have your call. As my mission prep teacher has so wisely taught us, be worthy to go to the temple and be prepared for the biggest change that will soon be in your life.

-MADS

Beginnings

Hi I am Madison Dunkley and I am a Mormon.  Well to be more specific I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am preparing to serve a mission in the area of Quito, Ecuador and I want to share my experiences with anyone who would like to hear about those experiences. This means, as the title says, I will be gone for 18 months to serve the Lord and share the gospel with anyone willing to hear or learn.  Anyways through my extra crazy life I am just gonna share all that happens and how I am getting ready to leave...which is so stressful by the way. Anyways so excited and here is the quick details of how it happened.
I did not think I would be going on a mission when I turned 18.  I had so many plans for the rest of my life and to be honest a mission was not one of them.  After some soul searching and some hardcore praying and fasting I realized that whether I liked or not a mission was in my future.  So that is how I got to this point in my life.  So from here on out I will be sharing some quick things about how I plan to get on my mission while finishing up a semester here at BYU-Idaho and leaving exactly two weeks after finals. HERE WE COME APRIL 23.

-MADS