* you better love it
Monday, December 29, 2014
Pinch Me! I'm in Denmark!
Merry Christmas, everybody! I hope it's been absolutely grand :) This has been a fantastic week here in Vejle, Denmark, as I hope it has been wherever you may be! Life is going swell, and now that the days are getting longer, I can truly say that ''it only gets brighter from here on out'' without making it sound like it's been horribly forfærdelig (awful)!! But worry not, my dear friends! And have I got some lovely things to share with you this week :)
snapped this bad boy Juleaften! Ældste Higby, me, Ældste Carmak, and Søs Sorensen
1. There are so many lovely people herud (out here) in Denmark :) Last Monday, literally right after we walked out of the library from emailing, a man started tapping on the window and motioned for us to come over. So here we were, two men within, and two Sister Missionaries outside, and one of the men starts talking to us. But unfortunately, we can't hear a single word he's saying! So this man starts huffing on the window, getting it fogged up, and then starts writing backwards so we can read it
'' Å R H U S '' (a town here on Juland).
When we nod, and say we know what Århus is, he writes
'' P E R K I N S '' (who is a Sister who served up in Århus).
Sister Sorensen freaks out because she knows who Sister Perkins is, so we try comminicating with him that we know her. After about a minute of not understanding what anyone is saying, we realize that we can just go inside and TALK with these men! So we finally get smart and have an actual conversation. The man is a member up in Århus, and had his friend with him, who isn't a member of the Church. They had actually JUST been talking about religion when this man saw us walk by the window, and he wanted to introduce us to his friend. Unfortunately, the man wasn't interested, but it was an enjoyable experience! Hahaha, and it was great to see how excited this man was to do his own missionary work! No matter where you are, you can always be a missionary, spreading the joy of Christ and his Restored Gospel :) I challenge you all to open your mouths, and share the joy that you have received!!
2. We traveled to Børkop trying to find a referral, and though it got too late and we couldn't find her street (Denmark isn't as nicely organized as the cities I'm used to using a grid system), we got this great picture* on the train platform.
3. I've already fishtailed twice on my bike, and it wasn't even icy yet!!
4. Sister Sørensen and I watched some teenage hoodrats shoot fireworks at each other. The fireworks were pretty, but we were a tad concerned for the safety of the individuals involved. No one died, though, which is fantastic, and our bus eventually came to get us, so we will never know the outcome of that teenage late night outing.
5. CHRISTMAS!!
My good golly, Christmas is just so great :) Denmark celebrates Christmas the most on the 24th, and then the 25th is just carried over as a fun time, too :) We were able to spend time with members on both nights, and had the most fantastic food! I miss Stuffing and American Peanut Butter, but once you get a taste of Danish Cuisine, you forget that there's anything else in the world! We loved Singing/dancing around the Christmas tree, and just having a grand old time to hygge with everyone there :) And on the 25th, we all got to Skype home and talk to our dear ones :) Definietly a lovely Christmas <3
snapped this bad boy Juleaften! Ældste Higby, me, Ældste Carmak, and Søs Sorensen
6. Our District has had a goal this week to eat 80 bowls of ris a la mande, the most delicious dessert you could ever have (until you try another Danish dessert, and everything just goes crazy in your mouth). Well, ladies and gents, this District goal turned into a Zone competition, and I am proud to announce that last night, Sister Sorensen and I ate 15 bowls of the Ricey pudding of heaven, and brought our dear Fredericia District to a total of 85 bowls downed. The next in line for bragging rights in the zone only ate 49 bowls, followed by 33, and finally, 24. I can only say, that while I love that dessert, 15 bowls made me not want it for a little while. And by a little while, I mean that I'll probably eat some tomorrow ;)
7. As far as a more serious topic, the Danish has been improving, slowly, but surely!! This past transfer has been full of me being seriously culture shocked as far as not being able to communicate with the people, but last Wednesday, something that has never before happend, happened!! We were talking to a young mother in the ward, and we were just having the most wonderful conversation! Near the end, she asked if we would teach part of Primary that coming Sunday, which we happily accepted! But it wasn't until after the conversing parties had left one another's presence that I realized I understood every single word and idea that she was saying. That was probably the happiest moment of that morning, even surpassing learning that bakeries are still open on Christmas!!
I know without a doubt that the Lord has helped me learn this language. I still cannot communicate as fluidly as I would like to, but I've gotten to the point of being able to understand about 65% of what people say to me, which is absolutely fantastic! I still have a long way to go, but I know that with patience and hard work, I will continue to see the growth of this ability I have the opportunity to achieve! I have already seen the Lord's hand in my experience here in Danmark :) <3
My time these past 6 weeks in Denmark has been incredibly wonderful for me! I've learned so much, and I hope, in the true sense of the word, to be able to continue learning! I know that this message is true and that it changes lives. No matter how many people reject us, close doors in our faces, laugh at us, stare at us, glare at us, and try to tell us we are ''confused and on the wrong path'', I know for sure that My Savior and Redeemer loves these people, and I'm glad to say that I love them, too! The message of the Restored Gospel is one of Peace, Happiness, and a renewed Hope. As we read in Alma 58:11, ''[The Lord] [does] speak peace to our souls'' as we become discouraged, and he lifts us up in confidence and renewed energy. This is the most exhausted I have ever been, but what better state can one be in than in exhaustion from being a servant of the Lord, spreading joy, happiness, and the message God's love?
I encourage you all to continue Discover the Gift, Embrace the Gift, and to Share the Gift. The Gift is Christ, and he accepts all who come unto Him.
Have a Wonderful week, and the most wonderful New Year :) Here's to 2015!!
Until we meet again!! <3
Med kærlig hilsen,
Søster Morgan B Soelberg
*Pictures, as always, are included above
Monday, December 22, 2014
I call this my CSCS
An adorable Danish home! My Creepy Stalker Camera Skills (CSCS) are put to good use on busy roads!
Christmas Ham?
No, silly, that's not a Christmas ham! That is cookie dough after being carried around in a *clean and new* trashbag inside of a backpack. It was still good, don't worry. We tested it thoroughly before baking commenced.
Skal vi ikke lave en snemand?
Don't Trust google tranlsate on that one! That's the translation for ''Do You Wanna Build a Snowman''!! :D And good golly, I would love to build one with the little children - but we CAN'T. There's just absolutely no snow on the ground!!
Bam. Proof. That's the view outside the Library window right now. And we're not expecting any snow until after Christmas! And I'm actually not bummed! Hahaha, yesterday was the first day of winter (technically), so there's still plenty of opportunity for Denmark to be blanketed in icy death. BUT TODAY IS NOT THAT DAY!
***¤ That cookie dough we made. We made a lot of it. And by a lot we mean it looked like we had a Christmas ham in our fridge. Pictures will be included.
Bam. Proof. That's the view outside the Library window right now. And we're not expecting any snow until after Christmas! And I'm actually not bummed! Hahaha, yesterday was the first day of winter (technically), so there's still plenty of opportunity for Denmark to be blanketed in icy death. BUT TODAY IS NOT THAT DAY!
This week has been a rigtig god (really good) one! In fact ~
¤ I rode a train underwater *in connection with the fifth point
¤ I have now heard what swans sound like. Pure Evil. There is no other way to describe it. If you would like further clarification, see the asterisk below**
¤Tons of train misshaps!! *Also in connection with the fifth point
¤ In the attempt to bake ***cookies at the church building, due to the lack of an oven in our own lejlighed (apartment), we stumbled upon a ''Murder Investigation'' taking place. We were unable to bake our cookies at that tidspunkt (point of time).
*¤WE WENT TO KØBENHAVN!! Ah man, that was so exciting!! Talk about a busy city! It was actually for my ONE-MONTH-MEETING (which is totally insane, might I add), and it was absolutely glorious :) I met up with Søster Mann again, and that was so great :) We also got to go to the Temple in Copenhagen! And we actually did it in Danish! It was a beautiful experience, and I will never forget it :)
outside of the Copenhagen Temple :)
Me, Søs Sorensen, Søs Mann, Søs Ripa, and in the back - Ældste Child and Ældste Ockey (the assistants)
And in connection with points 1 and 3 - traveling was an adventure on Fredag!! We were supposed to wake up early in order to catch our 5.40 in the morning train to Copenhagen, but that actually didn't happen. I mean, come on, our bodies are set to wake up at 6.30. But it was actually totally doable, except the alarm was set for 17.00 instead of 5.00, so that was rough. And then on the way back to Vejle, the train we were on was canceled there in the station, so the whole train empties and runs to another platform, on which the train was scheduled to seperate and head to two different places, and even after we got on the right car, they announced they would be stopping early. So we get off the train the farthest it will go before it returns to Copenhagen, and get on a bus for almost 2 hours on the way back to Fredericia, where we can take the train to Vejle. Oh man, what an adventure!! But it was great!
That morning, after missing our first train, we felt there was a reason for it, and I randomly guessed that there would be a man who we needed to talk to! On both our misshaps, we had wonderful conversations with 2 different men who gladly accepted our card, and though we haven't heard anything from either, they had that initial experience :) so that was great!!
¤ Splits in Odense :D It was gorgeous!! The people we visited were darling, and I am convinced Søster Noorda's bike is better than mine, but she doesn't believe me. The weather was nice to us, and I found a Santa made out of Chocolate!! :D
***¤ That cookie dough we made. We made a lot of it. And by a lot we mean it looked like we had a Christmas ham in our fridge. Pictures will be included.
¤ No recent sightings of Storm troopers.
¤ Another random hailstorm! This time, while biking! Never, and I repeat, NEVER, go biking in a hailstorm! It hurts like the dickens!! Even with a helmet on, and a scarf covering most of your face, it feels like death! But that's not the most exciting part of that storm! I saw a bird get hit by lightning! No lie! I'm facing one way, and Søster Sørensen is facing 180 degrees the other direction --- we see the same exact bolt of lightning across the sky (that's a dang long streak of lightning), and I see a flash and a puff of smoke in sky!! Ah man, how insane is that??
And those are the highlights of this past week! One month down in The Land!! It's seriously going by too fast!! But this week brings us Christmas, and a very happy birthday to little miss Savannah!
Thank you so much for the letters and Christmas cards :) They make me smile from ear to ear!! I hope you all have a fantastic week, and always remember that the Reason for the Season is Christ :) <3
Med Kærlig Hilsen,
Søster Morgan B Soelberg
I can't believe this! Even on a Danish computer, the document I type says my last name is spelled wrong! What is wrong with this world?? Hahaha
**one windy, rainy day, Vejle Søstrene travel to a far-away town in the middle of nowhere, Denmark. Whilst making their way over a bridge, two large swans fly only about a foot over their heads, the sound of pure evil coming out of their freakishly long necks. The girls can not, and could not from that time forth, describe the sound any other way.
Monday, December 15, 2014
Juletiden
As usual, more Pictures are posted on my blog :) sistermorgansoelberg.blogspot.com
But here's a Little sneak peak!!
The Christmas Spirit is just lovely :) and can you believe how green that grass is?? Holy cow!!
Juletiden
The Christmas Spirit is just lovely :) and can you believe how green that grass is?? Holy cow!!
Bay
Part of the bay! When it gets warmer, I may be able to get some better Pictures, but isn't this just lovely from a distance??
Middelfart
I did it. I got a Picture with Middelfart. I'll get some more, don't worry.
This is for you, Rhett and Link
Uge Fire i Landet
Another beautiful week! Christmas lights are everywhere, people are busy shopping and celebrating and having a grand old time! There's a Danish Word, hygge [kinda pronounced who-guh] , which doesn't translate entirely into English, but it Means Coziness, and Family, and fun, and love, and warmth, and sitting around the fire with a good mug of varm kakao and just being together. I absolutely love it! Jylland is totally my speed. I've only been in København for a day, but later this week I get to go Again for my One Month Meeting, and later today, Søster Sørensen and I are headed to Odense for splits :) Ah, it's going to be great!
But I'm totally all over the place Again! Let me try to sum up just how magical this past week was -
¤ We had splits on Wednesday! Søstrene fra Odense kom op og vi havde en rigtig god tid (The Sisters from Odense came up and we had a really good time!)! I was paired with Søster Noorda, and I got to take her to our appointments all on my own! I was a Little nervous, because I'm still fresh to Vejle, and we were visiting people whom I had neither met before, nor even been near their neighborhood! But armed with a map and a prayer in our Hearts, we made it around town and up hills without dying! And it was great! On one of the Streets, before our Dinner appointment, we decided to knock on doors and talk to people about the ''He is the Gift'' initiative. We had just given out our last Card with our number and the address of the Church, but we still had 10 minutes before our appointment. We decided to fill out some more Cards and continue Down the street.
Well my friends, it's always in those last moments where you don't think anything will come when the magic happens!
We walked up to the very next door and knock, when this darling elderly woman comes to the door and gets the brightest smile on her face! She spoke really fast, and really mumbled Danish, so Søster Noorda (who is only one transfer [6 weeks] older than me in the Land) tried our best to understand her. But she was telling us about how the Søster missionærer about a year ago had come by and helped her at just the right time, and that she still had the phone number and their names. She had been thinking to call them up for some help, and we showed up at her door :) So she gave us her name and phone number, and we're going to stop by her place this week :)
¤ Also on Onsdag, we had the most crazy weather! It started hailing and the Wind was INSANE! But we survived well enough to be caught in another hailstorm Torsdag night! haha, it was great!
¤ Juletiden (The Christmas Season) is such a wonderful time of the year. In fact, it's the MOST wonderful time of the year. It's a time when you go out and about, talking to people about the True meaning of Christmas, and they actually sometimes listen to you! But really, peoples Hearts are so much more open to learning more about Christ when we celebrate him! So our District got to together after our District meeting on thursday, and sang julesanger (carols) along the Gågade :) It was absolutely amazing! Well, the experience for us was beautiful, I'm not entirely sure about the experience of those listening to us! But people did stop and listen, and we gave out over 200 He is the Gift Cards! We're already planning on meeting with a few people at an activity coming up next week from that night!
we sang in front of this bad boy. Even though it looks like a church, it's not. It's where the mayor meets, or hvad som helst (whatever). I'm not entirely sure, but it looks pretty nifty, and full of the Christmas Spirit!! hahaha
¤ What else happened this week? I'm glad you asked, because I'm still going!
¤ On fredag we had dinner with Nunna and Knud Anderson! They're the most adorable elderly couple in the World! And yes, some of you might recognize their names! They were farfars (Gpas) and farmors (Gmas) Mission President and Wife when they served here in Denmark! It was really great to spend time with them, and we saw some Photos of Grandma and Grandpa :) Familien Anderson has actually been to the Dome Home! They had Pictures and were talking about how they absolutely loved it! They would call it the ''Dome house,'' which just sounded so funny to me, but yeah it's a house, and it's a dome, so det giver mening (it makes sense). The elders asked me afterward if it was weird that they knew my grandparents, but it's not! It's really great :) Brother Anderson tells Grandma Neoma Hi, and wishes her well :)
¤ We went bowling with the Ward on Lørdag and had an absolute blast! I still think bowling is one of the most awkward sports out there. I mean. Yeah. Yup. I don't even know how to describe it. It's fun, don't get me wrong, but it's just awkward. No further explanation needed.
¤ Oh man, nighttime in Denmark is so great! And over the past 3 nights, Søster Sørensen and I have seen Shooting stars :D ah, man, those have probably been the highlights of our long, Cold, eventful days! It's absolutely wonderful!
¤ We met a few creepy people, but all is well. So that's exciting.
¤ Danish Christmas food is so incredibly amazing! We went to the Hyldanders last night for dinner, and made Christmas decorations and ate great food! Their små drenge (Little boys) are the most adorable Little boys. Little Daniel was the one who I wrote about last week as the small boy who was ''shooting'' me and 'throwing me in jail.'' He reminds me a lot of Austin, and I could totally see this Little blond haired boy growing up to drive a tank! hahaha, they're such an adorable Family though! Unni (I have no idea how to spell her name) is Norwegian, and Steen is Danish, so their Little boys are learning both languages! It's crazy! But totally adorable!!
I just remembered that I totally forgot to mention Zone conference the other week! Ah, it was phenomenal, and the food was amazing! But the best part was seeing how incredibly excited all the elders were to Watch Frozen. Yes, Frozen! hahaha, probably about half of the missionaries there had never seen it, and it was just great!
but anyway, my time is running short :)
I love hearing from you all! I hope you have a great week!
Keep smiling and spreading good Christmas cheer! Don't be afraid to open your mouth and do missionary Work of your own! If I'm hear speaking a new language doing it, you can, too!!
Med Kærlig Hilsen (with love),
Søster Sølberg
Uge fire i Landet
Another beautiful week! Christmas lights are everywhere, people are busy shopping and celebrating and having a grand old time! There's a Danish Word, hygge [kinda pronounced who-guh] , which doesn't translate entirely into English, but it Means Coziness, and Family, and fun, and love, and warmth, and sitting around the fire with a good mug of varm kakao and just being together. I absolutely love it! Jylland is totally my speed. I've only been in København for a day, but later this week I get to go Again for my One Month Meeting, and later today, Søster Sørensen and I are headed to Odense for splits :) Ah, it's going to be great!
But I'm totally all over the place Again! Let me try to sum up just how magical this past week was -
¤ We had splits on Wednesday! Søstrene fra Odense kom op og vi havde en rigtig god tid (The Sisters from Odense came up and we had a really good time!)! I was paired with Søster Noorda, and I got to take her to our appointments all on my own! I was a Little nervous, because I'm still fresh to Vejle, and we were visiting people whom I had neither met before, nor even been near their neighborhood! But armed with a map and a prayer in our Hearts, we made it around town and up hills without dying! And it was great! On one of the Streets, before our Dinner appointment, we decided to knock on doors and talk to people about the ''He is the Gift'' initiative. We had just given out our last Card with our number and the address of the Church, but we still had 10 minutes before our appointment. We decided to fill out some more Cards and continue Down the street.
Well my friends, it's always in those last moments where you don't think anything will come when the magic happens!
We walked up to the very next door and knock, when this darling elderly woman comes to the door and gets the brightest smile on her face! She spoke really fast, and really mumbled Danish, so Søster Noorda (who is only one transfer [6 weeks] older than me in the Land) tried our best to understand her. But she was telling us about how the Søster missionærer about a year ago had come by and helped her at just the right time, and that she still had the phone number and their names. She had been thinking to call them up for some help, and we showed up at her door :) So she gave us her name and phone number, and we're going to stop by her place this week :)
¤ Also on Onsdag, we had the most crazy weather! It started hailing and the Wind was INSANE! But we survived well enough to be caught in another hailstorm Torsdag night! haha, it was great!
¤ Juletiden (The Christmas Season) is such a wonderful time of the year. In fact, it's the MOST wonderful time of the year. It's a time when you go out and about, talking to people about the True meaning of Christmas, and they actually sometimes listen to you! But really, peoples Hearts are so much more open to learning more about Christ when we celebrate him! So our District got to together after our District meeting on thursday, and sang julesanger (carols) along the Gågade :) It was absolutely amazing! Well, the experience for us was beautiful, I'm not entirely sure about the experience of those listening to us! But people did stop and listen, and we gave out over 200 He is the Gift Cards! We're already planning on meeting with a few people at an activity coming up next week from that night!
we sang in front of this bad boy. Even though it looks like a church, it's not. It's where the mayor meets, or hvad som helst (whatever). I'm not entirely sure, but it looks pretty nifty, and full of the Christmas Spirit!! hahaha
¤ What else happened this week? I'm glad you asked, because I'm still going!
¤ On fredag we had dinner with Nunna and Knud Anderson! They're the most adorable elderly couple in the World! And yes, some of you might recognize their names! They were farfars (Gpas) and farmors (Gmas) Mission President and Wife when they served here in Denmark! It was really great to spend time with them, and we saw some Photos of Grandma and Grandpa :) Familien Anderson has actually been to the Dome Home! They had Pictures and were talking about how they absolutely loved it! They would call it the ''Dome house,'' which just sounded so funny to me, but yeah it's a house, and it's a dome, so det giver mening (it makes sense). The elders asked me afterward if it was weird that they knew my grandparents, but it's not! It's really great :) Brother Anderson tells Grandma Neoma Hi, and wishes her well :)
¤ We went bowling with the Ward on Lørdag and had an absolute blast! I still think bowling is one of the most awkward sports out there. I mean. Yeah. Yup. I don't even know how to describe it. It's fun, don't get me wrong, but it's just awkward. No further explanation needed.
¤ Oh man, nighttime in Denmark is so great! And over the past 3 nights, Søster Sørensen and I have seen Shooting stars :D ah, man, those have probably been the highlights of our long, Cold, eventful days! It's absolutely wonderful!
¤ We met a few creepy people, but all is well. So that's exciting.
¤ Danish Christmas food is so incredibly amazing! We went to the Hyldanders last night for dinner, and made Christmas decorations and ate great food! Their små drenge (Little boys) are the most adorable Little boys. Little Daniel was the one who I wrote about last week as the small boy who was ''shooting'' me and 'throwing me in jail.'' He reminds me a lot of Austin, and I could totally see this Little blond haired boy growing up to drive a tank! hahaha, they're such an adorable Family though! Unni (I have no idea how to spell her name) is Norwegian, and Steen is Danish, so their Little boys are learning both languages! It's crazy! But totally adorable!!
I just remembered that I totally forgot to mention Zone conference the other week! Ah, it was phenomenal, and the food was amazing! But the best part was seeing how incredibly excited all the elders were to Watch Frozen. Yes, Frozen! hahaha, probably about half of the missionaries there had never seen it, and it was just great!
but anyway, my time is running short :)
I love hearing from you all! I hope you have a great week!
Keep smiling and spreading good Christmas cheer! Don't be afraid to open your mouth and do missionary Work of your own! If I'm hear speaking a new language doing it, you can, too!!
Med Kærlig Hilsen (with love),
Søster Sølberg
Monday, December 8, 2014
The Land : Week Three
My good golly, is it already week three?? But the real question is, have I already hit my 2 month mark? Ding ding ding, the answer is a big Danish ''JO'' (that's an emphatic YES)!! I saw this morning that it's already the 8th of December, which means I reported to the MTC and started my clock two whole months ago! Time has flown by already!
Our apartment is ready for the Christmas season :) we built a fireplace, and put some festive things up on the wall! I'm currently sewing a stocking, so that should be up by Christmas! <3
Thing are going great here in The Land! I'm absolutely loving my time here, and I'm very happy that I am able to be here :)
This week has been absolutely splendid! Last week, we had received a referral, but the only way to contact the young woman was through Email. So every other day, it's been exciting to rush to the library to check and see if she responded, and she usually responded within the hour of us sending her a message! So we had invited her to Church, and she quickly responded that she would love to come, and even came half an hour early! And she also brought a friend with her who was interested! One girl is Japanese, and the other is from Spain. They both set up return appointments for us to visit them, so in one day, BAM - we have two new investigators! It's all very exciting! And really hard to try and teach in English! hahaha
Speaking to people on the street and knocking on doors is always a thrill. You just never know who you're going to meet, and what they're going to say! We've learned not to be discouraged when people open the door, and close it right away. And we've gotten better at speaking Danish when we try to talk to elderly people who can't understand us. But on golden days, we meet people who really are receptive, and that makes it all worthwhile :) Even though we haven't had any new investigators that way, we do have pretty pleasant conversations with people! And I'm slowly (but surely) getting better at understanding native Danish! It's a whole entirely new experience than in the MTC! When I understand someone enough to answer back, they're always impressed that I've only been learning Danish for two months! I know without a doubt that what I am able to speak is not from my own abilities, but it's thanks to God :) and I'll never forget that!
My experience in Denmark is so different from what it was in the MTC! The 6 weeks in the MTC, it was so easy for me to understand what my teachers were saying, and I struggled so hard to speak the language. Here, in the Land, I can speak the language enough that people who don't speak Danish think I'm a native Dane (that was exciting!!!), but I have the hardest time trying to understand people! But it's coming, and being immersed in the Language is a big help! The ward members are so helpful, and even people on the street help me remember a word when it doesn't come fast enough! Hahaha
I'm trying to think of funny happenings for y'all. Let's see how many fun things happen to two American girls in a Danish city -->
¤ A man thought I was a fluent Dane ( I wish!)
¤ We both recieved a bottle of Pickled Troll Bums (yup)
¤ We were almost swarmed by birds
¤ We saw Storm Troopers on the gågade (this deserves some more light)
¤ An 80 year old man was hitting on us
¤ A little boy (about 2 years old) at church kept ''shooting'' me, and tried throwing me in jail
¤ We missed a bus. And a train. And another bus.
¤ We enjoyed a very happy man (his smile was a little creepy) playing the accordion on the gågade
¤ There was a man kayaking in the river in the middle of the city
¤ A bike race went up along our street
And I can't think of anything else.....
But this week was so fun! About those Storm Troopers!! Søster Sørensen and I were freaking out and wanted to take a picture with them, but we were on the way to the library to see if our investigator had emailed us back, and we weren't sure if it would appear too 'touristy' to get a picture! So we decided that if they were still on the gågade when we got back from the library, we would totally get a picture! But sadly, they were gone :( But since it's the Christmas Season, we're hoping they'll be back before we leave!! :D hahaha, so expect a picture!!
Our apartment is ready for the Christmas season :) we built a fireplace, and put some festive things up on the wall! I'm currently sewing a stocking, so that should be up by Christmas! <3
Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful week, and thank you so much for the letters and emails! I love hearing from you :)
Love,
Søster Sølberg
Monday, December 1, 2014
The food here is too good
With weird faces, weirder angles, and the perfect lighting and clothing adjustments, we have the typical after-eating-appointment ''food babies''
Week Two in The Land
This letter may end up being a little shorter this week! I'll try to be understandable!! :)
I hope you all had a woooooonderful Thanksgiving!! Even those of you outside of The States! haha, Thanksgiving is always a great time to remember all the blessings you have been given, and then bless other people! This past week has been amazing! We were able to visit a darling woman named Marianne on Thursday, and it was a lovely visit. Without realizing that it was Thanksgiving, we began a ''Ting jeg er taknemmelig for'' list with her, and it was beautiful! She struggles with extremely bad depression and anxiety, but despite her illness, she was able to smile and laugh and think about different things she's grateful for! It was very inspiring! Even the very small things in our lives are miracles! We should never take anything for granted!
The Danes make me laugh so much! They're just so happy, and love everything! Even though 95% of the people we talk to brush us off and say they aren't interested, sometimes, you find golden people who are just lovely! This past week, while contacting, we found two different households who seem like great potentials! One woman, Cille, was just delightful! She opens the door, and we explain that ''vi er ud at snakke med mennesker om deres familie!,'' and she just laughs while her cat runs off because of the cold air coming in, and she says ''and about little white cats, too??'' We all had a good laugh, and she was very interested in what we had to say :) it was a wonderful change from our other daily contacting experiences, and we're planning on stopping by again soon. :)
So Søster Køster is leaving this week :( actually, tomorrow! She's been on her mission for 3 months already, but she finally got her visa to head to the New Zealand MTC, and will be headed to Austrailia in a few weeks! It's been so great to have her here! She's been a big help, teaching Søster Sorensen and I the Danish Ways! She's very confused about why Americans (mainly Søs Sørensen, hahaha) put Peanut Butter on so many things! Hahaha, such a doll! But she really is so great :) She finds the scriptures so funny! It's great hearing her chuckle during personal study, and then during Companion study she just bursts out laughing again when she tells us what she read! haha, like this morning, it was about when the people of King Lamoni thought he was dead, but the Queen said that she didn't think he was dead because he didn't stink, Søster Køster thought that was the funniest thing! haha, ooooh man, she'll be loved in Austrailia!
There are so many funny things that happen when you're an American in a new country! We visit a lovely woman named Emily, a Philipino married to a Dane, and she likes to call the Søsters by their first names. So when she heard mine, in her cute little Phillipino voice she shouts out ''Morgan!? Why are you called Morgan!? That's such a weird name!!'' haha, and then there's Søster Køster, who says I speak the most American English that she's ever heard!
Oooooh it's really soooo fun here :) I absolutely love it!!! <3 I can't believe I've already almost hit my 2 month mark for already being on a mission! Everything goes by way too fast! Especially study time in the mornings! That's one of the best things of the day! There's just not enough time to study the scriptures enough! I can't wait to devote more than an hour to studying when I'm home again!!
As Fast Sunday comes up this week, I encourage you all to study up on fasting, especially being sure to read Doctrine and Covenants 59:12-16! Fasting is a wonderful experience, and when we remember the promised blessings, that makes it all the better :)
I really wish I could write more concise letters! I feel like I'm always all over the place when I write! But I hope you could understand me, and my love that I have for missionary work already! This is the true Gospel, and I know that with all my heart! It may be hard work, but it's the Lord's work, and it will be done! The Lord is always there to help you in all your trials, just as I know that He is with me to help me in this very different part of my life! I don't know anyone, and I don't speak their language well enough to effectively do anything on my own. But I know that I'm not alone, and that God loves me, and will never abandon me!
I hope you all have a wonderful week! I challenge you to recongnize the blessings the Lord has given you, and I would love to hear of the good things happening :)
Oh! and if you haven't already, I encourage you to take a look at the Church's Christmas initiative going on this Month! you can check it out at http://www.mormon.org/christmas !!
Sister Mann and I were lucky, and got to see it back in the beginning of October at the MTC ;) it's great to see it out and about now! <3
Jeg elsker jer!
~Søster Sølberg
a lovely little rainbow brightening our aften after a lovely appointment
Monday, November 24, 2014
Companions
This is what we do after placing a Book of Mormon. Actually, no, but we did it because Søster Køster had never tasted a honeysuckle!!
This is at the very top of the Hill we live on, not far from the Windmill
Søster Sørensen is amazing
Søster Sørensen had this lovely Picture of us all with the original Kristus!! <3 Søster Sørenson (left), Søster Mann, Søster me, and Søster Ripa (right)
Welcome to The Land
The wetness is all from a drizzle!! We got soaked!
The windmill at the top of our hill. You can see it in the distance
This is on the Gågade, a strip mall like thing not too far from our apartment
This is on the Gågade, a strip mall like thing not too far from our apartment
THE LAND * Week One
Alright, first Things first - this Danish keyboard is horrible!! The keys are all different, and the computer keeps saying my Words are all spelled wrong, and it'll randomly capitalize Words!! hahaha, but here I am, in a Danish library, surrounded by Danish speakers with Danish books, and the sun blinding me through the window! Which I guess is really a good thing - the sun is still shining! hahaha, I'll miss it in a few weeks!!
But why on earth am I starting like this?? In case you haven't been updated in a while - I'm in Denmark!! I am actually physically literally in The Land!! And my good golly, it feels great!! A Little chilly, but totally great! It really does look like a fairy tale everywhere here, and even though I have absolutely no idea what the signs say or exactly where the buses or trains are taking me, I could walk around outside for hours!!
But I guess to start Things off right, I'll give you the Little rundown of the goings on ~~~
Mandag - Goodbye MTC!! It's been great, and I beat the MTC experience steriotype by actually losing weight, despite all the icecream and burgers! hahaha, but that luck probably won't last for long! Everyone was super sad that the two Little Danes were leaving, but we're all super excited! The Nords head out to the field today (the monday I'm writing this! Good luck everyone!
So Monday rolls along, and Sister Mann and I left super early, and even though we had a bit of a stressful morning making sure we had everything, we made it to the airport and somehow caught all of our flights! Definitely tender mercies in that experience! While we were waiting for our flight to London, we made it to our almost empty terminal, and were a Little confused about where we should go. We kept on hearing a mans name being called (he was the last passenger they were waiting for) to the terminal NeXT to us (like, seriously, his name was called about 4 or 5 times), also going to London, and we eventually realized our flight was merged onto that same flight. We ran over, and the mans name was being called Again, but it wasn't until the woman at the desk realized we were supposed to be on that flight and had given us tickets for it that the man showed up. We definitely realized the Little Blessing that had been.
And then we flew across The Pond.
Tirsdag: Welcome to Denmark!! And by golly, were we tired!! That day, we were greeted by Pres and Sis Sederholm, and had delicious Danish food :) No lie, it's a good thing all my skirts have growing room ;) hahaha
We met up with two sisters who would be our companions, but we wouldn't know until the Next day, but we walked around Copenhagen, and actually did some Danish street contacting :) it was a really neat experience, and definitely not a horrible experience!! We also went to that really cool Church (I'm so horrible, I can't think of the name of it right now) and saw the original Kristus statue, and the statues of the Apostles as well!! And I'm such a cool kid that I left my camera in the car about a block away! hahaha, but fear not, I shall obtain some Photo evidence of it eventually!!
Onsdag: Today is the Day we learn who our companion is and what area we would be in first!!! There were two options : we would either Stay on Sjælland, in København (Copenhagen), or head to Jutland, in Vejle. I'll let you guess before I tell you. That's a horrible thing to do on an email. Don't worry, I'll be smarter NeXT week - I'M IN VEJLE! A cute Little town that's just wonderful :) A fun Little fact for you - the hill we live on is illegal to bike Down because of how steep it is. So that's exciting. And the name of the street adjacent to us is perfect - ''Lille Bjerggade'', som betyder ''Little Mountain Street'' på engelsk. Woah, some Danish popped out. That's cool!
The train ride from København to Vejle was pretty long, but I actually found out I'm in a Tri-panionship right now. Søster Sørensen is my trainer, and Søster Køster is a Dane who just got her Visa for her mission. She's headed to the New Zealand MTC on the 2nd to serve in Australia Sydney South! But it's been uber great to have her with us :) she helps me with my Danish, which everyone says is impressive for a greenie, but I'm 100% sure they're just being nice!!
Torsdag-Lørdag: I probably really shouldn't mix this all together, but honestly, it's all mushed together in my brain. It's all been a lot of appointments and street contacting, and getting caught in the rain without pina coladas
we got a Little wet in the misty drizzle of death. hahaha, this is going to be great!!
Oh, I had my first Door Approach in Denmark Saturday night!! It was just after we had a really good lesson with a woman from another door approach, so I was in a good spirit! hahaha, I rang on the doorbell, and the Second I had eye contact with the man opening the door, I said ''Hej!!'', but he was already closing the door before he said ''Nej!'' and locked the door. Haha, soooooo that was my very first Danish Door Approach experience! But I'm still willing to do more! Even though mostly no one wants to hear from us on the street, we keep our heads up, and keep working!!
Søndag!!: Sunday was great! We headed to Kirke, sang in the kor, og had a great tid! hahaha, dang, Little Danish Words! Whichever language has the shorter Word, that's probably the one that will come out of my fingers!
But anywho, Sunday went great! All the Little old ladies kept wanting to speak English to me, but I try to respond my best in Danish! But one really cool thing - I was speaking to a woman ( I can't believe her name just slipped my mind!!) who was asking me about some other Sølberg missionaries! Søster Sørensen was certain we weren't related, until the woman mentioned that they were an elderly couple about 15 years ago, when I realized they were talking about Grandma and Grandpa Soelberg!! They were so excited to hear that they knew my Grandparents! This couple I was talking to were actually Grandma and Grandpa's Mission President and Wife when they were serving here in Denmark! I'll be sure to get a Picture with them! We're setting up a meal appointment this week! :)
And here we are on Mandag Again! We've got a full Schedule of only essential pday activities, because we have our District Activity on wednesday! so that's going to be great! Lots of grocery shopping, and a few Things we need for the apartment. Hahaha, I wish you could all see my computer right now, pretty much every Word has the red squiggle underneith, so I have no idea what's spelled correctly and what isn't! So forgive me if I write like a pre-schooler, I have English, Spanish, and Danish jumbled up in my brain right now. hahaha
Until NeXT Pday!!
-Søster Sølberg <-- I'm totally getting a nametag with an ø in it! then all three of us in our Tripanionship will have ø's in our names :)
You should all know that the licorice here is the craziest thing!! I'll try to get some sent home for Christmas soon! You've never tasted licorice until you've had Ammonium-Chloride enhanced licorice! your mouth will probably die, and you'll suffer, but you'll be so happy you did!!
Toodles!!
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
MTC Week 5!!
Good Morning everyone :) Ah, what a great day!! Pday is always a treat in the middle of the week, but Guess What!!?? And don't say "Chicken Butt!!" because that's not MTC approved!! hahaha, but seriously, I do have something to say - THIS IS MY VERY LAST PDAY IN THE MTC!! The next time you hear from me will be in a week and a half!! But I'm getting ahead of myself here... ahem. Let us continue.
I was better this week and actually planned out this email by writing down things each day hahaha so even though it's not tooooooo exciting, here ya have it:
Onsdag (Wednesday, last Pday after I emailed): Right after finishing my emails, I get dressed up for lunch and the Temple, and you would not believe who I ran into!! S i s t e r M e l i s s a K o r m y l o :) Ah, it was so great! She was on her MTC orientation tour, and I was headed somewhere, so we didn't have time to stay and chat. But during this past week, we've been able to see each other some more :) It's kinda sad that I'll be leaving so soon after I get to see Elder Brazell and Sister Kormylo, but it's just time to head out. We'll get some pictures before I leave though! She has some on her computer, but our Pdays are different, so she hasn't had the chance to email them to me before today. I'll get some on my own camera though :)
Torsdag: I RECEIVED MY FLIGHT PLANS AND MY GOOD GOLLY AM I EXCITED!! :) I fly out on Monday, at 3:30 IN THE MORNING. I'm not going to share everything on here, but I do have a 4 hour layover in the States where I can call home for a bit, and then I have another 2 hour layover in Europe before finally getting to Copenhagen Tuesday Morning. So Mom and Dad, don't be busy Monday around Noonish!! I'm so excited, but it doesn't feel 100% real yet!! Aah, my good golly, it's amazing!
Fredag: We got to teach our Teachers as themselves: just Bror Williamson and Søster Taylor though, I don't think we'll get the chance to do it with Bror Whitlock. But it was really amazing! This past week we've been focusing mostly on TEACHING PEOPLE, NOT LESSONS, so I really appreciated the time they put into our scheduling to let us experience them as themselves.
Lørdag: WE JUST HAD PRETTY MUCH THE BEST LESSONS IN THE WORLD!! I love teaching our investigators, even though they can be stubborn and difficult!!
Søndag: Today was the first Sunday where we were expected to give our talks entirely in our mission language. It was interesting, seeing that there are 6 languages in our Zone, but it was really pretty cool. Søster Mann and I didn´t speak, so we´re totally expecting to Next Sunday. But two Nords spoke, and they were great, and we can actually understand Norwegian, so it was really awesome :)
Mandag: Nothing too exciting, other than it being the last Monday in the MTC
Tirsdag: Today was the Last Tuesday devotional in the MTC!! We sang ''Praise to the Man'' in Choir, and I got to sit beside Søster (or Irma/Sister) Kormylo, and it was really great!! The Spirit was so strong in the meeting, and I'm thankful for the things spoken! We heard from Dean M Davies, 2nd counselor in The Presiding Bishopric and his wife, Sister Darla Davies.
and back to Onsdag!!: well, this is my last Pday in the MTC!! I can't believe it's already gone by so fast! Sis Mann and I have a lot to do before we leave: we just bought our Prepaid Phone Cards for the airport, and we're figuring out if there's anything we want to send home before flying out. We only have One lesson left with each of our investigators, which is sad, and I'm admittedly a little nervous coming into an actual persons real life once I get to the field! THIS IS THE REAL DEAL! But I know that The Lord will help me as I put my Trust in Him!!
As always, I love hearing from all of you :) I wish you the best this week! As soon as I find out what my new address is, I'll let my parents know, or if you want it directly, I'll send you a message :)
Ég elska Þig (''I love you all'' in Icelandic!!)
Just a quick note, because people have asked: I will not be going to Iceland because it's only open to Elders right now! And it's a specific call to the Danish Mission, Icelandic Speaking :( so sad, haha, but, Danish is cool too ;)
MTC week 5 pictures
The computer is being silly, and won't let me rotate the picture the proper way, as it is in the camera, but we can all work those sternocleidomastoids and turn our necks to the side ;)
These are all the missionaries in the MTC headed to the Danish mission :) Two Danish speaking Sisters, and Three Icelandic speaking Elders! Wish us luck!!
Monday, November 10, 2014
MTC WEEK 4
Good morning!! I hope all is going well!!! :) Today marks the completion of week for in the MTC!! Can you believe that??? I certainly can't! There are so many wonderful people here who I have become so dear friends with, that it's sad to think that in a week and a half, I'll be leaving the MTC and leaving all these great people behind! Our zone is pretty much the best one in the world ;) Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Belgium, and the Netherlands are getting some pretty great people in the next few weeks!
So last week we gained 22 more missionaries in our Zone! 3 Icelandic Elders, 11 Dutch Sisters, and 8 Dutch Elders! The Dutchies have been really isolated their first week, mainly because they're going to all of the orientation meetings, so hopefully Sister Mann and I get to know them a little better before we leave in a couple of weeks!
The Icelandic Elders are a hoot! One is from UT, the other, I'm not so sure, but the 3rd Elder is actually from Denmark! He's been such a great sport helping Sis Mann and I figure out words and pronunciations! We learned a brand spankin new grammar rule 2 days ago, and we feel like our Danish is a complete flop right now because we just realized we've been saying things pretty wonky this whole time! Haha, but it's coming! I'm sure once we're completely immersed in the Language in Denmark, the rate of learning, because of necessity, will skyrocket!! So that's exciting!
OH! SOMETHING REALLY COOL! Sister Mann and I met Sister Sederholm (President Sederholm's wife) this past Sunday! She had to come to UT on family business, and figured she'd stop by and say hi :) She's so sweet, and she gave us some Kinder chocolate as a late Halloween gift!! I can't wait to see her again with Pres Sederholm in less than 2 weeks! We should be getting our flight plans this week, which is SOOO exciting!
Sister Mann and I finished memorizing The First Vision in Danish this week!!
Jeg så en lyssøjle lige over mit hoved, som var stærkere end solens glans, og som dilede gradvis ned indtil den faldt på mig.
Da lysset hvilede på mig, så jeg to personer, hvis glans og herlighed trodser enhver beskrivelse, stående over mig i luften.
Den ene af dem, talte til mig, kalte mig ved navn, og sagde, mens han pegede på den anden, <<Det er min elskede søn, hør Ham.>>
So there you go! If Google says something's wrong, I probably just spelled something weird, but I can say it by memory! Danish can be tricky just because you don't pronounce anything the way you'd expect it to be pronounced! But the more I learn of it and how to speak it, Danish sounds so calming and natural to me, which I definitely appreciate!!
This past Sunday, in devotional, one of the speakers mentioned how we can ask for help by specific angels! I know without a doubt that I have felt Grandpa Soelberg's help with this language, and I am so grateful to have this connection with him, especially since growing up away from family made it hard to have really any memories of spending time with him. But I have definitely received strength, and I can testify that the Gift of Tongues is real!!! <3
We were assigned a new Branch President this past week, and he's already been making some changes to the way our Branch works! Since there are 6 languages learned in our district, our Sacrament meetings have been held in English, and our individual talks have all been in English as well! But our new Branch Presidents wants us all to start saying our talks in our respective mission languages!!! My good golly, this next Sunday will be an interesting one!! And we don't even know who gets called on to speak until the moment you're called! Wish us all luck!!
As always, my mind is really all over the place, so I'm not sure what I've left out!! Next week, I'll definitely work better at preparing these before I sit down to type it out! Hahaha
I love hearing from all of you! I love hearing about what's going on in your lives!! I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors!!
Kærlighed,
Søster Morgan Sølberg
Sunday, November 9, 2014
MTC WEEK 3
Wowee, my goooood golly, this has been an amazingly beautiful week full of frustration and companionship tears, but also full of laughter and happiness, feeling the amazing love that our Heavenly Father has for all of His children. He really does care about all of our lives, and wishes us success and happiness.
Over this past week, Sister Mann and I have had the privilege of teaching our three new investigators, Solveig, Joakim, and Hans Erik. Now, I know, you're probably telling me, "Sister Soelberg, you do realize that those aren't "real" investigators, they're just your teachers pretending to be other people!" But sirs and ma'ams, let me tell you something! Our missionary service doesn't start once you get in the field. It doesn't even start once you're set apart. It starts the moment you hear the Gospel and the Holy Ghost testifies to your heart of the truth. The moment you see someone in need, and you realize that that someone needs the Savior's loving touch. I am now set apart as a servant of the Lord, by the power of the Lord's Holy Priesthood, and I will do everything in my power to be a missionary at all times, but I hope you take the opportunity to be a representative of the Lord wherever you are, whoever you're around.
I personally know that this is something I need to do, and I am so thankful to be here at the MTC to better understand how. I have learned sooooo much in the past 3 weeks, not only about how to speak Danish, but also how to be a better missionary and representative of Christ.
I'm so thankful for my teachers. I had the privilege to hear from two of my teachers yesterday, on two separate occasions, about how our lessons, although taught through simple Danish, have gone deep through their facade of an investigator, and touched their own personal hearts. There is power in sharing personal experiences while teaching, as lead by the Spirit. We all gain experiences in this life, and whether they're joyful or heart-wrenching, they enable us to learn and grow, and in turn help others.
I know without a doubt that I am meant to be here right now. Even though I'm sooooo exhausted, it's a good exhaustion, if that makes any sense. I'm pretty sure the only reason any of us are still alive and healthy is because of the Spirit and the importance of the work we're doing. We have to do this. The Savior's work was never easy for Him, so why should it be easy for us?
I'm so thankful for all of the messages I've received!! :) They brighten my week!! And I love all the letters, too!! I wish I had more time to write hand-written letters, but it's just not possible with our schedule right now to get a lot out. I've actually been working on a letter since last Thursday when I have time, and it's still not finished yet!! hahaha
This week we get 22 new missionaries for our Zone!! 19 Dutchies, and 3 Elders headed to the Icelandic portion of the Danish mission :) That's so exciting!! We still need to come up with a nickname for the Icelandic Elders, haha, so if you come up with any, shoot 'em my way, and we'll start a tradition! Sister Mann and I wish we could have more Danes, but we've realized what a blessing it is to be the only 2 Danes in the MTC!
Oh, before I forget, I made 2 Swedes cry yesterday ;) haha, well, I guess it was technically because the Spirit was so strong in our District meeting, but it made me appreciate the tenderness of Elders. They may be right out of High School, but they're not children. These Elders know why they're here, and their Determined to do everything they can to do it right.
Another thing!! I absolutely LOVE praying in Danish!! It's probably my favorite thing to do here!! It just feels so natural, and it's such a soothing language to me :) I really hope I can find someone going to BYU-I to help keep up my Danish after I come home! One of the Nords, Elder Phipps, is headed up to Rexburg when he gets home 6 months after me, and since the languages are so similar, maybe we can help each other with that. Sister Mann is headed to Provo when we get home, but maybe another companion will know which school is really better ;) hahaha
Oh, and I'm now District Sister Training Leader! Since it's only Sister Mann and I in the district, we just switched our roles halfway. So Now I'm District Leader and Junior Companion, and Sis Mann is Sr Companion :)
Let me know if there's anything else you want to know!! Send me Dear Elders!! It's great hearing from all of you :)
Jeg elsker jer!! :)
-Søster Soelberg
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
MTC Week 2!!
Can you believe that I've been here long enough to have ANOTHER Pday?? My good golly, I certainly can't! I feel like I've only been here for such a short amount of time, but then, at the same time, I feel like I've already been here for forever!! Holy Guacamole, time is so wacky to me right now.
But while everything blends together, everyday has such a distinct feeling and it's own designative events!
Our first week, we taught our first investigator, Benjamin, and with the 5 lessons we were able to give him, he promised he would be baptized when He knew he had the faith he so dearly wanted! So that was really cool! And after learning we wouldn't be teaching Benjamin anymore, we walk into class the next day, and Benjamin ended being our 3rd teacher, Bror Whitlock!
It's so strange being in a class with only me and Sister Mann. And now we have 3 teachers for only 2 students! hahaha
We have 3 new investigators now, and even though they're being played by our teachers, it's incredible how we are able to distinguish these new individual investigators apart from our teachers' identities! We are now teaching Hans Erik, Solvig, and Joakim! So we're pretty busy remembering who we're teaching when, and what lesson we should be studying. We're also given the opportunity to teach actual Danes in the real world using the TRC, and that will give us the experience of teaching people who are already members! I'm so thankful for these Danish individuals who happen to live in Utah, and are willing to devote time out of their day to help Sister Mann and I improve the skills we are learning, and I hope they don't mind our simple knowledge of the language!!
Sister Mann and I are told that we're doing great in the language, with as much as we know of it after only 2 weeks. Learning a language so fast can be so strange: some days I'm ready to go, doing great at learning Danish, and then, the next day, I'm exhausted and just want to curl up in a ball and listen to Josh Groban all day long! Haha, that's probably the one thing that's the hardest for me here - not being able to listen to my music. It's been a little rough trying to figure out other ways to relax and relieve stress, but I think I've managed it pretty well! And I know that as I try my hardest to follow these rules we have been given, I will be blessed to understand the blessings that come from this challenge.
It's slowly getting chillier here in Utah, and I feel like I'm right at home! I've spent the past 3 falls out here in the west, and though I miss the humidity of the east coast, I'm glad to be in an environment that I'm relatively *recently* used to! And I'll be getting plenty of humidity in Denmark anyway!! But the one thing about East coast falls I particularly miss are the colors!!! There is nothing that can compare to the beauty of the East coast forests changing color! I love hearing from Sister Smart and Sister Ipson and their experiences with their first East coast falls in their missions!!
Our zone has been constantly changing since arriving here! The first Monday after arriving, all of the previous Nords and Swedes left, and we got a new bunch ( a whole lot of them! Two districts!) the following Wednesday! This past Monday, the Elders headed to Suriname ( a Dutch speaking country right above Brazil) left, and this coming Monday, our Dutchies will be leaving us!! I'm not sure if we are getting any new additions to our zone Today, but we will for sure next Wednesday! It's still really strange to be one of Two Danes in the entire MTC! hahaha
Oh, one of the new Swedish Elders in the Zone is from Eagle, ID, so he knows the Soelberg clan up there!! And Sister Brady, next door to us in the Residence hall, is the cousin of Nichole S :) everyone is so connected!! It's great!!
I ran into Elder Soelberg again the other day, and we were able to figure out that we're pretty distant cousins (obviously)! So Great-great Grandpa William Carl Soelberg, who came to the US from Denmark back in the early 1890s, had a brother named Jens Christian Soelberg Jr. Elder Soelberg comes from Jens Christian Soelberg Jr, so we're related all the way back to Great-great-great Grandpa Jens Soelberg Sr! It's pretty exciting! Elder Soelberg is headed to Romania, where his Mother's family is from! So we are both pretty well connected to our missions :)
I love hearing from each of you!! You are all so great, and I hope you have a stellar week! I'll be sure to have better stuff to talk about next week!! My mind is constantly in a Spiritual high, and it's hard to think about EVERYTHING that has happened!!
Kærlighed,
Søster Soelberg
Ps- bad hair-days abound in the MTC
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
MTC week ONE!
Oh my goodness, where to begin!!?? I can't believe it's only been one week, it already feels like I've been here for an eternity!! I apologize if this get's confusing and incomprehensible, my mind is just such a flurry of EVERYTHING right now!
The MTC is really sooooo amazing!! There really is no way to explain the feeling you have here! It's true that all we do is Study, Eat, Work out, Study, Eat, Study, Eat, Study, Study, and even more Studying!! And once you're done studying, you look down at your schedule and realize that you have to do even more studying. My. Good. Gosh. It's crazy, but we're all on such a spiritual high right now! My head CONSTANTLY aches with so much new information (Danish is probably the craziest language ever. Seriously. So many rules and exceptions, and I thought English was ridiculous!)
I guess I could just start out with the day before reporting, right??
After boarding the plane to come to Salt Lake, I started having THE WORST HEADACHE in the world!! My head ached, and my heart was a little heavy knowing that I just said goodbye to my dear family for the next 18 months! I feel like so much is going to happen, and I'm a little anxious about that! But I just kept telling myself that this is what I need to do. I received that unshakeable confirmation, and I know that I cannot deny it. The Lord will be there with me, and like Isaiah said, He will be right next to me, holding me by the right hand as I go to the front lines of this Spiritual battle in the world.
So I land in SLC, and finally make it to the baggage claim, where I see my beautifully darling cousins, Stephanie and Landon! It was sooo amazing to spend the day walking around Temple Square with them! There were tons of people asking if I was a new missionary, because let's be honest, how many women do you see walking around Temple Square on a Tuesday dressed in missionary attire who aren't greenies?? yeah, you got it, none. We're all so obvious to spot, as one older gentleman told me!! hahaha, but that's alright with me :)
I think saying goodbye to all my cousins was the hardest part on Tuesday, after saying goodbye to my family already back in Maryland. I felt like such a cry baby, I was seriously on the verge of tears all night long! I'm so grateful that they all put in the time to come and see me one last time before I headed off! All of their advice and stories were so uplifting, and I love them all to bunches <3
Day one in the MTC was so hectic! I arrive at the MTC, and the Elder escort was actually someone I recognized! Elder Needham from Logan High, headed to the Czech Republic!! I've also seen some more Logan high missionaries while here, like Sister Lefler and Sister Goring, and it's so cool!!
Getting my nametag was so surreal! I can't believe I actually have it now! I love having Christ's name above my heart wherever I am!!
We go right to class on day one, and boy, was that an experience!! I walk into the Danish Classroom, and that very second, Bror (Brother) Williamson just starts going all out in Danish! Wowee, my head was spinning!! You can only learn so much from personal studies of a language, and hearing it so fluently was incredible! But at that moment, I was totally shocked and confused and worried that I wouldn't be able to master any language that beautiful!
Day two came, and day three, and day four. Hahaha, it's all pretty much the same. We study all the time, and when we don't study, we eat. And when we don't eat or study, we sleep. Night's go by so fast here! You're so exhausted that you knock out the second your head hits the pillow, and seriously, 5 minutes later, it's already 6:15 and we're out of bed! I'm exhausted ALL THE TIME, even though we get 8 hours every night!! But even though we're so tired, we're constantly busy, so we don't have any time to think about being tired!! Golly, it's such a strange thing.
Sunday was so incredible. We actually had FREE TIME, in which, my companion, Sister Mann, and I didn't know what to do with ourselves. We were so exhausted though, that we actually laid down for 15 minutes while the rest of the zone went on the Temple Walk. But don't worry, we won't do that EVERY Sunday, we're definitely doing the temple walk this coming Sunday.
The Branches have been moving around a bit here on the MTC campus, and we just gained a new counselor in our branch presidency, and he served in Denmark! So he bore his testimony in Danish, and Sister Mann and I were so excited that we were actually able to understand what he was saying! For the most part, anyway!
Monday was a typical monday, but better only because we are at the MTC! Hahaha, if that makes any sense. It was just more studying. But then Tuesday came along! Tuesdays are great for one very beautiful reason: DEVOTIONAL! It reminded me of Rexburg, which was great :) We heard from one of the members of the Seventy, Larry Lawrence, and it was a beautiful talk! I also sang in the choir, which was an amazing opportunity! I'm planning on doing it the whole 6 weeks I'm here!
And here we are, on PDay!! I have it on Wednesdays, for those who kept asking in emails. But obviously, you just got one, so.....yes, Wednesday is the magical Day.
Want to know some Danish words?? Of course you do, sillies!! hahaha
My favorite is Kærlighed, a beautiful word that means "Love." ahaha, I don't know why, but it's just my favorite :)
Jeg ved at Gud elsker os, og at gennem forsoningen, vi kan vende tilbage til Gud og Jesus Kristus. J
Jeg elsker jer!
Kærlighed,
Søster Soelberg
Ps: It's so weird hearing "Soelberg" with a Danish accent ALL THE TIME!! And when it's not in Danish, the Swedes, Nords, and Dutchies pronounce it pretty much the same way, with very little differences!!! hahaha
Oh yes, a quick cool tidbit for cousin Rebecca if she reads this any time soon : my Zone leader is a Dutchie, Elder Benjamin Hunter!! He said he knew her from "Savior of the World." :) Isn't that cool?? And I've met a sister here from Eagle ID also, and she said she absolutely LOVES the Soelberg crew up there :)
Anyway, I'm trying to fit everything in!! If you want to know anything, just feel free to shoot me a letter!! Letters are great here!! They're so exciting :)
I love you all!! have a great week!!!
Vi Ses!! <3
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