* 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
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