Encounters

Hello Hello Hello! Always good to hear from back home! Thanks for all of the emails and updates you send! I love to hear all about your experiences back home.

So I was reading Elder Jay Sargent's [from same home ward in Utah] blog today and I think it is uncanny how similar Sweden seems to Denmark! I mean, I can even read Swedish I found out! At the Temple last week there was a bible and I opened it and saw it was in Swedish. I was able to figure out basically everything. It's insane how similar these Scandinavian countries are to each other!

I am super excited to find out we have Danish ancestry on Mom's side! If you can, find out where our family comes from! That is so awesome! How far back? I saw that one line was all the way back in the 800s!

Also, there is no snow yet. It's been a way warm winter (comparatively) but apparently a cold-front is about to settle in. Possible it could bring snow.

Missionary Work

Things are going well with Ældste Brindley and me. We got along really well. I'm really grateful for the opportunity I have to be able to serve with him. Things are also going really well here in the Randers District. We are just beginning to work on a lot of different projects:

This past week Ældste Brindley and I went to the Branch Præsident to talk about missionary work within the branch. We talked about our big Open house we are planning on holding. We came up with a bunch of good ideas and were able to present a date together to the branch council for the 22nd of February. We also are beginning weekly Open Houses which are smaller projects as well as weekly Family History classes which we're working together with our branches Family History expert on. Sport Saturdays are being held weekly as well for the community to come to.

A Fortunate Encounter

We also had a miracle happen this past week. So the other Elders were dropped this week by one of their investigators because she said she just didn't have the energy to have our visits anymore. Ældste Brindley and I didn't know that this had happened. The next day we were walking in the centrum on the way to visit the doctor when lo and behold, there she was! We talked to her and set up an appointment to meet with her that day, still not knowing that she had dropped the other two Elders. When we talked with the Elders and said that we had an appointment for them with her that day they were stunned!

Me at the appointment with that investigator. She has a bird!

Anyway, all four of us went to her apartment that evening to find out what she was stressed about and where she pictured herself in relation to the Church. We found out that evening that since a month ago, the last time we met with her, she had given up smoking and drinking completely! She attributed it to us and our help that she did it. That Sunday she showed up in church as well and came with us to eat with a member. At the member's home she told us she had found faith in God again and she thanked us for that. We hope that things will continue with her, she seems very positive at the moment!

Language Missteps

There were a few really funny moments that evening where I messed up my Danish. The first one we were talking about the Danish Queens husband (who French and is awful at speaking Danish - everyone makes fun of him) and I accidentally said "Dronningens Kone" which means "The Queens Wife." Everyone was laughing about that. Then about 15 minutes later one of the members was offering more slices of ice cream (yes, they sometimes serve slices of ice cream here) and I meant to say in Danish "Jeg har allerede haft seks" [translation: I've already had six] but from my pronunciation I actually said "I have already had sex!" Oh man, it was so funny! Everyone just started laughing so hard! It was a long night for me.

That was my week! I'm going back down to Copenhagen this week for New Missionary Training for my companion. It's a long train ride, but it's always fun. I'll let you know how that goes!

Love you all!

MKH,

-Ældste Wawro

At Leadership Training in Copenhagen the first week of January