Nougat Bits (only 1/2)

​Nougat Bits. I wish I could show you a size comparison. Now I have an excuse to have some more!!

Week 16 (I think)

Time is just flying by like crazy! I can't believe that It's already been over 2 months that I've been in Vejle! Transfer calls are next week, and then transfers the week after that! We're all pretty sure I'll be staying here, but you never know :) Exciting things happening!!

Have you all had a great week? I certainly have! Nothing too crazily exciting, but we did get some snow, the nasty stuff!! Hahaha, but I didn't slip and fall, and we didn't have to ride our bikes in it, so that was wonderful! It's all melted again, but I'm sure we'll get some more eventually! I'll get some pictures next time of it! :)

This week has been really full of finding people! The work is ''slow'' here in Vejle, if one could say that! Not too many investigators, and the new ones that we do make appointments with have had to cancel on us (one of them because of the snow!!). But we work mainly with Less-Active members and others who need service :) 

I have a strong testimony about the importance of caring for the flock :) These people we work with have already recieved the Gospel into their lives, but just still need that burning passion to continue growing in their faith! I am able to love them, serve them, listen to them, and help them them continue on their path of eternal progression :) we never stop learning, and we should always strive to seek learning!

I have come to be even closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ, as I have worked hard to serve those around me. If I can love these people so much, I can only imagine the love Christ himself has for these people :) My favorite painting of Christ is brought to mind - 

I just love this picture to bits :)))))) I hope you do, too!!

I absolutely love being a missionary :) This has been the most amazing experience I have ever had! It's soooooo hard, but it's soooooo amazing :)

I love you all, and hope you have a fantastic week!

Some funny (though most of them are pathetic) things -

¤Almost every single door we knocked on, the people answered by hanging out their window...

¤We learned our favorite Kebab place was closed until dinner time on Saturdays (this is actually something sad that happened, because we wouldn't be in Fredericia later, and we needed lunch)

¤ We got a new bishop in the ward yesterday!

¤ I saw a man who looks JUST LIKE RICHARD ARMITAGE, only this guy was blond

¤ we tried catching a bus to an appointment (the bus would take us there in 10 minutes, whereas walking up the hill would take us an hour), and the bus driver made eye contact with us at the bus stop, and just kept driving. We had to walk instead.

¤ we dropped a potential investigator because he just wanted to flirt with us

¤ this morning (around 6:40 ish), we got 4 or 5 messages from an unknown number telling us to leave them alone. We have no idea who it was from, but Sister Sorensen is pretty sure it was a crazy lady who we haven't had contact with in at least 3-4 months.

¤ NOUGAT BITS. This is the cereal from heaven. No lie. It's chocolate cereal with nutella filling!! But! don't try eating a whole box in under an hour! it's really hard, and you can't move the rest of the evening! but the challenge may or may not be tried again at district activity this week...... no comment

OH - I'm so excited! In a few weeks, a new transfer begins, and my dear old friend Søster Williams will be coming to Denmark!! :D See you here!!! (some Elders in the district joke that I could train someone! Woah now, that would be interesting!)

But after this transfer, I will have been officially trained, and no more a greenie! So that's exciting! :)

I feel like I'm just rambling now!

Have a great week!! Hahaha

Med kærlig/venlig hilsen (whichever one you want, really!)

Søster Soelberg <3

​Søster Sørensen is really epic. Especially under lamplight next to a bush.

RANDOM HAPPY THING - [sorry, I keep remembering things]

Next week, all 6 missionaries in the Fredericia ward are helping with a wedding, and they want me to help take pictures, so that's exciting :) Søster Sorensen and I are also making decorations, and some desserts for it! Wish us luck!! in Danish, one would say held og lykke (luck and happiness)!!

Um, I think that was all I wanted to say........ Have a great week!!! :D <3

The Denmark Copenhagen Mission

Hello all! I hope you've had a fabulous week! I hope you enjoy this week's letter :)

 I really enjoyed Zone Training last week, and I can't wait for next month! I've been thinking a lot about what the Elders were talking about at Zone Training - what our calls mean to us. I know for a fact that I am already very attached to the Danish people and mission, and I love that! I can't really think of anything particular to write about this week, so I thought I'd just share my mission call experience with you all :) I apologize if it's a bit choppy - two hours doesn't feel like nearly enough time to write a concise message, and all the feelings of my Heart are just exploding as I write this! I hope you can understand it!!!

In the time leading up to puting in my mission papers , little snippets and inklings kept making me think about Denmark and my Danish ancestry. My Grandpa served here when he was younger, and he and my Grandpa served here again in the late 90s. I grew up in a military family, and we were always living far away from extended family members, so I have to sadly say that I don't have very many memories of my Grandparents. But I know how important Denmark was for my Grandpa, and I know how important it is for me. If it wasn't for my Danish Great-great grandparents, I have no idea how my family would have come in contact with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have a soft spot in my heart for whoever those missionaries were that found William Karl Soelberg and Dagmar Johansen, and actually acted as match maker for them! Hahaha, but I love those missionaries and the hard work they put into their missions in Denmark.

I have always wanted to somehow help people, and a mission came to feel just right, and looking back now, I just knew that I would be called to Denmark. I think back on experiences in school where Danish would just pop up - either something would be said and my ears would perk up, or I'd be listening to a list of different languages, and my heart would pound a little faster as I heard Danish words. They were all strange experiences for me, and at the time, I really didn't think much about it.

After puting in my mission papers and during the wait for my call, I would think of all the places I thought would be a real adventure to experience. Those few, short weeks were full of excitement, but anxiety, and every possible mission was running through my head! I got to the point where I tried telling myself that if I was sent to a specific mission, that meant that I would have other certain opportunities in the future because of it. Totally over-thinking Things! But all this thinking was stressing me out, so I finally sat myself down, and decided that I wouldn't think any more about it.

I had been going out with the Sister missionaries there in my branch, and I had come to experience the love for the people there in the Baltimore, Maryland mission. I realized that anywhere and everywhere in the World, there were people who needed to hear the message of the restored Gospel, and to experience the joy that I have recieved through living the way that Christ wants us to. I prayed, and I felt the comfort of knowing that wherever I was called to, which was still a mystery to me, was where I needed to be.

The day finally came where I could open that large, white envelope! I was nervous,  but not at the same time (if that makes any sense), as I opened it. When I read that I was called to serve in the Denmark Copenhagen mission, I knew right then and there that it was where I needed to be. My mom later told me that she didn't believe me the first time that I said Denmark, and had to come over and check the letter herself! Emotions were high, and waterworks were happening on my face, for sure!! But all in all, it just felt completely natural!

Not long after receiving my call, I started to try and study some Danish on my own, and while it was strange for me, I felt that it was the most beautiful language I had ever heard! I didn't learn hardly any Danish in that short period between June and October, though! And that was very frustrating! But I was able to be more interested in my own Danish Family history, and I enjoyed learning more about my Great-great grandparents and their experiences of conversion! My heart was most definitely turned to my fathers! The Spirit of Elijah is real, my friends!!

I find it interesting that even after receiving the confirmation that Denmark was where I needed to serve, it still took me a long time to accept the confirmation that I needed to serve a mission. But with study and prayer and fasting, I finally realized my reservations, and gave them all up to give my life over to The Lord. I feel like this is absolutely the best thing for me to be doing with in my life, and I know that as I devote myself 100% to the work, I will be able to do what I ultimately strive after- which is to help others recognize that they are loved and are important.

I have truly been blessed on my mission, even if it has only been a Little over 3 months that I have worn my missionary nametag :) I have come to better understand my relationship with the Savior, and I have come to love Him even more, and also love myself. I have come closer to my ancestors, and I am eternally grateful to have this special connection to my Grandfather. It Means a lot to me, since before I felt I never really knew him. My experience in the MTC was incredible, as I felt the Spirit working in me as I worked hard on the Danish Language, which I still know to be the most beautiful language I have ever heard!! I know that there is no way I would be able to communicate this shortly after begining to study a language if it hadn't been for the blessing of Divine Aid! I hope to continue to develop myself into the missionary, and person, that my Savior and Redeemer knows me to be. I hope (in the true sense of the word) to become a powerful influence in someone's life, and I know that I can through the Savior.

I am eternally grateful for this opportunity to devote myself entirely to the Lord, and to serve the people of the Denmark Copenhagen mission. I know without a doubt that this is where I need to be right now :) It Means a lot to me, and I will never forget it!

I invite you all to experience the same joy and happiness that I have felt from studying about our Lord and Savior every morning! And I especially invite you all to read ''Jesus the Christ'' by James E Talmage! My testimony and knowledge has grown even more as I have devoted myself to prayerful study, and I want you all to feel that, too :)

Have a fantastic week!! <3 I wish I could give you all a big hug, but that's just not physically possible right now, hahaha. But the next hug you receive, imagine that it's from me :)

Med kærlig hilsen,
Søster Morgan B Soelberg

<3

​Found this guy checking out the living down below on the streets. I wish I could grow a mustache like that. But then again, maybe not...

Feet eating Fish!!

​We all enjoyed our feet being nibbled on by little fish last pday!! 

Attached is a snippet of Søster Sørensen's foot!!

Clown Baby

​Nothing like a creepy clown baby to make you smile!! I was laughing too hard to get a good picture, but I hope you remember the moral of this sign, which is to watch out for little children as you drive by. Sweet dreams tonight ;)

Chokolade Julemand??

​Another Chocolate Santa. This one's a little more creepy....

Doing Work in Danmark!

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Why on earth am I emailing on a Tuesday, you ask?? Godt spørgsmål!! Yesterday, the internet was down in our darling Vejle Library, so we got permission to end our Pday early and email today :) So here we are, emailing you lovely folks!

I was SO excited to email you all yesterday about a fantastic experience we had on Saturday!! It was actually such a fantastic day, with so much happening, that even today, both Søster Sørensen and I are still writing about it in our journals! Wow, but I'll give you the short, condensed, most important things :)

It all started out with the Wind! Vejle has been hit pretty hard with a bad wind storm of sorts, and the wind was absolutely insane! We didn't have a chance to find out just how fast it was going, but I promise you, it was even above the Wizard of Oz status! It was incredible insane! And one thing I have learned is that you shouldn't try to bike side by side with strong wind - it doesn't end up pretty!! But we stayed relatively safe, and managed to get places without tipping over! 

While venturing out into the world, we figured our best bet for safety was to lock the bikes up and go on foot. So that's what we did, and it gave us the opportunity to contact people on the street! It was going well and without incident until we started talking to a man. We asked if he would like to look at our homepage (www.mormon.org) and gave him a pass-along card. He looked at the card, and suddenly had the most horrendously disgusted look on his face when we asked ''Are you Mormons??'' We answered, of course, '' Ja, det er vi! '' (yes, we are!). He then looked me right in the eyes and asked me in the most menacing and daring voice, ''Why??'' and the Danish just flew from my mouth right there!! ''Fordi det er hvad vi tror på!'' (Because that's what we believe!). He then sneered and scoffed, and ripped up the poor little pass-along card, and went along his merry way. I don't think anything in the world, or anything I would have said, could have softened his heart, but I know that by bearing such a simple testimony, he knows it's what I know. And I hope that someday, he'll remember this little American girl who struggled with Danish, but stood up in confidence and clarity to a spiteful situation.

After that experience, as with the other similar one's I've had, my heart was really sad for the people who feel like tearing others down is the best way to decline the simple but glorious message of the Savior's gospel. But I straightened my back and kept walking, and I told myself that it was still going to be a good day, even if the morning wasn't turning out so well.

And by golly, we made it a good day! We had so many wonderful conversations with people! I went up to a girl on my own and asked her a Danish Language question, and actually understood what she explained to me (**fist pump!!**), we talked to a darling old man on the bus, and another old couple on another bus! We also knocked around in a neighborhood, and spoke with so many wonderfully interesting people! One thing I have found on the mission is the importance of everyone's voice! There are so many varying opinions in the world, and you never know them if you don't ask! While almost all of these people we talked to weren't interested in discussing religion, we still had a wonderful time with them, and they now have that experience of two little Mormon Sister Missionaries trying to, as Søster Sørensen aims to do, ''Change the World.''

But the good day is not over yet! Late at night, about 40 minutes before we were to be inside, we made our way to the nearest bus stop that would take us to the Trafikcenter. We had about 20 minutes before the bus would come, so we decided to knock on some doors in the area. The first few attempts didn't have much success- a lot of people weren't intersted at all. But with little time left, we knocked on one more door, and to our (wonderful) surprise, this darling woman tells us that yes, she is interested! It took us a few confirmative questions from her call box to know that we were actually being allowed into her apartment! Hahaha, you should know that this was probably the first time (I cannot think of any more times at the moment) that a door contact has let us in, in my experience on the mission! So we were very excited!

She let us in, and we had a fantastic conversation about Frelsesplanen (the Plan of Salvation), and we are seeing her again this evening :) So that's really exciting!

But the moral of the story is an important one! Even if the beginning of the day is rough, don't become discouraged! Continue to work hard, and be positive, and so many wonderful blessings will come! I think that for every bad experience you have, you will find that there are so many more good experiences to follow!! So keep your head up :) Share your love and good wishes! Always do all you can to make someone's day, and you will find that your day is made in the process!

I love you all! And I hope you have a great week!!

Med Kærlig Hilsen,

Sister Morgan B Soelberg

​Nothing like a windy fjord!! 

3 Americans and a Dane

​Steen Hylander, Ældste Earl, Søster Sørensen, and Ældste Madsen, ending 2014 looking good

I love Fredericia

​

The New Year

The-necessary-contemplative-looking-off-into-the-distance-that-really-represents-the-new-year's-arrival Picture. oh, and a few dying fireworks in the background
​

Godt Nytår!

I hope you all have had a fantastic New Year!! New Years in Denmark is definitely a different experience!! Imagine a firework show in Texas, and multiply it by one billion!! It's insane!! Even better than 4th of July in Rexburg, according to Sister Sorensen!! hahaha

We had a fantastic evening in Fredericia, enjoying the entire city, and even seeing the surrounding citites, being lit up, hearing the explosions all around! Fredericia takes pride in being the site of a tremendous battle, so we all climbed up on the ramparts and had the best view in the World!! If only I could take the panoramic image from my mind and paste it on this email!! My good golly!! But I guess you'll all just have to experience an actual Danish New Years all on your own at some point in your life!! Please do!! I'd be glad to tag along!!

​Ældste Jordan Earl, Ældste Trent Madsen, Me, and Søster Emily Sorensen enjoying fireworks on top of a cannon!!

But aside from the fantastic views, this week has been great for our missionary Work! So many people were busy during the Christmas season, but now that the New Year is under way, people are looking for ways to change their life! Enter the missionaries!! I know that this wonderful Gospel of Christ is something that everyone needs! There is a fire burning in my Heart as I have come to love the Danish people more than I expected I could, and I know that love comes from the Savior! His love for us all is immeasurable, and absolutely incredible! As I learn more about Him, and actually get to know Him, I have found myself able to better know myself, my potential, and what I can do to help others! I hope you all take the time at the start of this new year to come closer to Christ, and become more like Him! His love will always be there, and His help is indispensable! 

I apologize about the Short letter this week, but honestly, the only thing I can think to tell you all is about the incredible love the Savior has for each and every one of you! He knows you individually, better than you know yourself! How? Because you lived with him before this life!! You are his beloved Brother or Sister, and He gave up everything to help you return home to him! You have potential, and you can reach that only through the Atoning love and Sacrifice of the Savior. Please(!!!) use this opportunity he has given you, and do not procrastinate!

My Heart is full of love and joy and thanksgiving for this wonderful opportunity to serve the Lord. I wish you all the best week!! I love you all, and I look forward to next week to hear from all you beautiful humans Again :)

With the warmest wishes and the  tightest hug,

Sister Morgan B Soelberg <3