Remember, Remember ...

Goddag Ya'll! 

Serving here in Odense is just fantastic! Beautiful city, fantastic members, great companion, good work going on, there is really nothing to complain about. Unfortunately, transfers are coming up so within the next couple days we'll get the call and Ældste Mogensen is most likely out of here. He's still in his first area and it's been 4 transfers and almost nobody is in an area for more than 4 transfers (except for me in Randers).

I actually didn't even know yesterday was Memorial Day, but Happy Memorial Day!!

We focused on meeting with Thomas this week. We were able to meet with him about 4 times and they were all great appointments. We've started the lesson again with him so we've already gone through the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation. He basically can give these lessons to us without our help at all. He still is so happy to be a member of the church and he loves all of the members so much. 

Kim de King is doing great. He is really excited for his new calling in the primary and loves the member he is working with. He says there's a lot he can learn from him. He's really been trying to do his best. We also committed him to come with us to J*** J***** who lives just a minute away from where he lives. He said he would, and he would drive him to church next Sunday! So things are definitely moving along with Kim.

We are not completely sure what to do with J*** U***** P*******. He knows everything is true and he even comes to church every other Sunday, but we just can't seem to get him to come more than that. We also brought up going to the temple with him, and he knows he needs to get to the Temple, but he just doesn't seem to be filled with the urgency of "now". It's really too bad.

It was a great appointment with J*** J***** this week. He has a difficult time remembering everything we teach, but in this lesson we saw that he truly is believing the things that we've been telling him. He read the assigned chapter and he told us some of his favorite passages he read. After that, we taught the Restoration one last time to really help him remember. The Spirit was very strong and he told us that he believed Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ. At the end of the lesson, we invited him to baptism and he said he would have to think about it. I asked him, "Well, you said you believe all these things we've said. And if you believe them and will continue to grow your testimony about them, what would be holding you back from being baptized?" He replied, "Well, I guess not anything!" 

We then gave him a blessing to help him remember the things we teach. It was a great blessing and I believe it truly will help him. Right before we were leaving, though, I got the feeling that we really needed to set a date. So I asked him if he would be baptized on the 26th of July. He said he would! So now we'll be working towards that date, and I'm sure that his experiences in church and with the members will be a great help to him. 

So, we were walking home the other day back to our apartment and in the distance we saw a bunch of middle-aged women (well, more like in their 50's), dressed in crazy clothes, and extremely drunk, walking down the road. As we approached they started yelling and asking us if we could give 100 crowns to the bride to be. It was then that we noticed that one of these ladies had a sign around her neck that said, "Jeg Skal Giftes!" [Translation: I Should Marry!] Again, all of them were drunk out of their minds. We quickly said we had no money and tried to scurry away, but they wouldn't let us escape that easily. They looked at our tags and asked if we were Jews. We said no, and then they asked us to take a picture with the Bride to Be. As the Bride approached us, she read our name tag and then yelled, "They're the Mormons!!!" They all started laughing and then she put her arms around us and pulled us in to take a picture. The entire time I was terrified she was going to spill her can of beer on my white shirt. Eventually, they finished and went on their merry way. Definitely a crazy experience that seems to only happen to missionaries...

A little bit of fun with the boys from Svendborg in ToysRUs ;)

Ok...so I just got interrupted by a call from President Sederholm with maybe the worst news I've ever heard...I'm transferring. 

I'm completely stunned. I mean, I can't even believe it. I love it so much here in Odense. I really just feel so distraught about it. The members have been so great to me. I love the work here. I'm leaving Thomas and all those who I've worked with. I mean, I only got 2 transfers here!! What the?!

I suppose you would like to hear where I'm going...any guesses.?

I'll be going to....(drum roll please).......

Gladsaxe 2nd Ward. [Copenhagen]

It's on Sjælland and actually it's President Sederholm's ward. I'm going there to become a Zone Leader with Ældste Merril, Ældste Mogensen's trainer.

I can't believe I'm leaving Odense. I can't believe I'm becoming Zone Leader. I mean, there were so many other choices before me who had been in their areas significantly longer than I...It's just so crazy...

Well, I guess I'll leave on that note. I love you all and hope you have a great week. Next time I'll be writing you all I'll be writing from Gladsaxe...

Here's to all of the great memories and friends I've made here in Odense. Skål! [Cheers!]

-Ældste Wawro