Mission Work

IM GOING TO HAITI!!!!! I can not tell all of you how excited I am to be going to Haiti in a week and I am so ready to go. The last time I went was about 3 years ago I think and I've wanted to go to Haiti since then. This time around I will be going to Haiti with my mom, my sister, my grandma, my sisters best friend, and two other girls who I'm really excited to get to know these two girls.

I think that there is such a huge importance in missions work both were you live and other places. I also think that doing the work that Christ has asked us to do is important to. HE says in Matthew 28:19 "Therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit." I have taken this verse to heart and I really think that we are supposed to do as we are told.

I know that there are people out there that think that we need to fix our country first and then focus on the other countries. Those people must not think about the fact that this country has money and resources and a government that is trying to help, but in third world countries they dont have these things. They have nothing and the troops and the missionaries that go there to help are the only thing that are keeping hundreds of children and other people too alive.

I will be going to Haiti on August 6-13, with a flight out at an ungodly hour and I couldnt be more excited. I ask that you would keep me and my family in your prayers as we go on this wonderful trip. Thank you
Madelyn

Getting serious

So its been awhile since I have wrote here and since then quite a few things has happened. Number one is that we have moved. We went from Alabama back to good old Minnesota, into a quirky little house but our family loves it. The thing that I wanted to really talk about though is my mental health. So a very personal thing that not a lot of people know about me is that last year I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, and most recently with ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Now those things dont always label me some days all I want to do is lay in bed but others I want to go hang out with my friends. Since being diagnosed I have seen two therapists, one while we were living in Alabama and the other back in Minnesota. The one in Minnesota wasnt right for me but we are going to see a new one in a few weeks. When I say we I refer to my amazing parents and more so my Mom who has been so supportive and helpful in helping me help myself. Then I also started to see a Phyciatrist which is someone who deals more with what perscriptions will help me the most. Yes, I take different medications to help me and thats not a bad thing, its actually an amazing thing because they really help.
Something that I want others who are dealing with this is that help is a good thing. Having someone to talk to about what's going on with you and what you are feeling isn't a bad thing which is what people who have never felt this way want you to think. It is a scary thing, having this constant feeling of sadness and sometime feeling like there is nothing or no one here that knows what you are going through. It is important to get help or at least talk to someone about it. Yes, some people might think of you differently but its not them that matters in the end its you and how you feel and what you are putting out there for others to see and then act on how they saw you responding or acting.
It does get better, having someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on really makes a difference. I want to thank my mom for being with me through this and for leading me the right way. Thank you for always giving me my space and really letting my figure this out on my own all while going to appointments with me and really caring about what I am feeling.
Love you all and just remember that it does get better
Madelyn

Embrace the Mess

I just wanted to talk for a while about embracing the mess that we truly are. Over this past weekend I went to this thing called TCTC which stands for Tennessee Christian Teen Convention and the first session was about labeling and how we not only put labels on other but we also put labels on ourselves. The speaker talked about how we all have basically a shield or a label on or over us to hide whats really happening and going on with us, or the MESS. Now the mess isn't a bad thing in the least, we are all human and have our issues, for example in all honesty I deal with depression and anxiety and I myself label myself as the cheerful happy person and I make it seem like I am living the worlds best life. I think that we should all listen to this and start to let others see who we really are. I realize that yes there is some cases were you might not want everyone to know whats wrong with you but hiding that from other people isn't gonna help anything. This really spoke to me and I think that so many other people should know that its time to embrace the mess.

Thank you
Madelyn