July 28, 2014

It's not a for sure thing yet about the ipads, but I'll be sure to let you know if they do end up coming to Denmark. Just so that you know, not sure by the way you phrased it, but Elder Bednar WILL be coming, hasn't come yet. :) Just send the package to our Apartment in Viborg (Gravene 34B 2.5, 8800 Viborg Denmark) it will go to a post office where I will get a slip in the mail to go pick it up :)

This has been a great week for finding. Just in a few days Elder Pike and I were able to find 5 new potential investigators! It's also kind of too bad because that means it came only due to the fact that other appointments fell through and people just weren't able to meet this week; but none the less we've felt satisfied with the work that we've been doing. Our investigator pool has been lacking so it's about time we start finding some of those people ready to receive the glad message.

Elder Pike is working hard to learn the language. He really wants to progress, and even though he can be a bit shy at times when talking to someone he only just met on the street and trying to hold a conversation in a language he doesn't quite grasp yet, he realizes his weaknesses and works toward his desire to be better.

We had one of our less active members, ‘R’, come to church for the first time since I've been here, and we are now working toward a calendar that will keep him on track to getting back to the temple in the next few months (something he has expressed desire in since I've been here). There are a lot of obstacles, but if this is something he really wants then what is there to stop us!

This week Elder Pike contacted this really nice woman on the street. He scrambled through his words but she was really nice and listened patiently. At the end she said she couldn't meet right now and Elder Pike took it to mean she was blowing us off and offered her a Card at the least.... I was like, woah pony, easy boy, easy... I talked with her for a little bit longer and got her phone number, and gave her a book which she took graciously. I remember doing that exact same thing when I was being trained which makes it more funny. It's just something that comes with practicing lots of street contacts though. I have learned to love to talk with people... I feel awkward talking in English though, and I can't even read my English scriptures anymore.. I've fallen in love with the Danish language :)

I love all the Photos!! it looks like y'all are having a wonderful time.. oh Mom, I remember my rehabilitation therapy, you're in for a treat! ;) I'm sure you'll be fine.

I'm really enjoying my time here you all must know. I have really been working hard and learned more in the past 10 months about how to use my time wisely and trust in the Lord than I have at any other time throughout my life.

I hope you all have an awesome week!! Love you all so much!

Love,
Ældste Pitcher

July 21, 2014

Wow, this is a new experience.  Memories are flooding back to me now, this time I'm thinking, 'I wonder how Elder Francis did it?'... But, I must say that I'm loving every minute of training.

Sometimes it gets a little tough especially when I have to break the news that we still wear our proselyting clothes on preparation days, but other than that everything is going great. Elder Pike really wants me to speak Danish to him as much as possible, and I've really been trying to harness that desire that he has to learn the language even if it's hard sometimes and I really have to break things down.  But I know he is trying his best and has a sincere desire, so I have no doubt he'll be fluent in no time.

Our area is going really well. Though it was a short week I felt like we weren't cut too short of a lot of what this week had to offer. We got around to meet with some people that became new investigators this week, and found time in between for Elder Pike to start building some street contacting skills.

One great experience we had this week was on the train ride back from Copenhagen on Wednesday. A women got on at one of the stops and seemed to be very expressive with her hand. I picked up right away that she was deaf and asked her in Danish if she could read my lips. She must not have picked up on my unheard accent because she showed me that she only picked up a little of what I was saying and asked me to write it down. Turns out knowing how to write really DOES come in handy haha!

I asked her if she could teach us any sign language and just made small 'talk' ;) until she got curious and asked about our tags. We talked a bit about our faith and that's when she pulled out the Watchtower... Yes, she was a Jehovah's Witness. She was very nice though and even took a Jesu Kristi Evangelium pamphlet to read during the train ride.

It was such and awesome experience, and a very weird circumstance of where, I guess you could say I opened my mouth and the words came, maybe in a little bit different medium, but they still came and it lead to another lesson and a prayer with a deaf women on the train.

She taught us how to say Jesus in sign language along with a few other things. I was happy to have met a new friend even if she wasn't really that interested right now. Elder Pike's first lesson in the land, and almost no words were exchanged haha, the Lord really does work in mysterious ways, but it was a great experience that I will remember for a long time.

Some exciting news this week!!  Elder Bednar will be coming to do a mission wide conference at the Frederiksberg church in September!! Everyone is going!!  News has spread, and Pres. Sederholm, I heard from his own mouth, has said that Denmark could very likely be getting Ipads in September. A little set back is that missionaries have to pay for them themselves, but we get to keep them after.  September... it's gonna be BIG.

Amy Wood was in Copenhagen when I was it turns out!  I tried to get an appointment set up with her uncle Troels, but he was busy :P  Apparently she had been in church the day before though and Elder Ogden and Elder Wright got to talk with her.  We found another investigator this week also named Lars, who promised us he would come to church with his whole family and then never showed :(  We'll be stopping by this week to figure out what's up. 

Our area president was in Church this week, and I learned that I can understand Swedish!  It's just Danish slowed down with accents thrown in different places haha! 

'S' came to church this week, our investigator from Brazil!! She seemed to enjoy it a lot, but her teen daughter who was translating for her we could tell was getting pretty bored and they left right after sacrament meeting, but still she came and enjoyed it!! 

It's been a broken up week but a very exciting one. 

It was great getting to ride around Copenhagen again on the same bike that Elder Francis used when he was there (he gave it to one of the Elders that is now an AP in Copenhagen... actually, his name is Elder Gifford and it turns out I did Velocity with him before the mission, small world).  I ate my favorite Copenhagen pastry, slept in my old bed that's as hard as a rock, walked the same streets, it was just great :)  I was in heaven.  It's like going home again after being away for a few months. 

I'm having a great time here still in Viborg.  I hope you both are loving it there, and I look forward to pictures!! :)

Love,

Ældste Pitcher

July 14, 2014

I'm in COPENHAGEN!!! :)

This week has been great. Really, really busy with getting Elder Hafen ready to go, and apartment checks. We are so prime to just have an explosion of work, people just need to start holding appointments!

I'm in Copenhagen right now, and I must say it's a pretty surreal experience. Walking into the apartment just brought back a world of memories of when I first got to the land and then immediately thought about my new companion coming in on Wednesday, and what his impression of Denmark is going to be like after his first area.

It also reminded me of Christmas.

I hope I can make it as positive as Elder Francis made it for me. I'm looking forward to it.

The ‘K’ family from Iceland made it to church again last week (a less active family). Now we are shooting for the consistency aspect :)

Looks like ya'll had a fun trip up to Canada! I'm very jealous. Mostly because anything that even comes close to hockey has been exciting to see recently. I tried explaining to my companion how an offensive system in hockey works the other day and then I just zoned out and looked at the picture of my ice rink for ten minutes... I really want to get out on a rink.

I heard some missionaries got to go ice skating for a district activity... maybe you guys could send a pair of skates next winter ;) hahaha, but really though... that would be great.

I am about to go get a really big ice cream so I have to make it a little bit shorter but photos are coming. My nephew is a champ, and I love you all, have a great week :)

Loves
Ældste Pitcher

July 7, 2014

NOTE: Some friends of ours were in Copenhagen and dropped off a package for Teagan.  While there they met Elder Wright. 

The package got to me, and yes that was Elder Wright my MTC comp, he is in Frederiksberg.  They probably saw Elder Ogden too because they are companions if you can remember me saying that... if I did say that.

My interview with President was AWESOME, I love getting to talk with him and always feel like I receive a bit of revelation by the end of our meetings.  The spirit is always very strong. 

This last week seems to have just flown by. The work has started to pick back up again it seems like, slowly but surely. We had an appointment with ‘F’, an African woman living in Struer whom we haven't had contact with for a long time, and even were able to get a member present because her best friend is Adam in our branch.

The lesson we had with ‘K’ went well, and we're continuing to have close contact with him to be sure that he is working to hold commitments. He had promised us he would come to church this week and then cancelled on us last minute because he had family coming up from Germany. He told us this last week though that he knows it's time for him to come to church. We just got to keep making the commitment, I know he'll get there.

Other than that, Elder Hafen and I are getting along great. We are looking forward to the upcoming transfer, even though we realize that we will likely be getting new companions in the coming weeks. We've gotten to be good friends, and I know that he will continue to have a lot of success on his mission. 

This week has been a blast.  Seems as though everything is going great for you guys as well. 

I'm glad to hear that Corbin is still pulling through like a trooper :) President Sederholm is very good at expressing his concern, and I came to realize that that is how he is with everyone.  Elder Hafen recently lost his grandfather, and President made it a point to make sure everything was going well with his grandmother.  He genuinely cares about all of us. 

This is a great time to be in Denmark :)  I love you both so much, have an awesome week!

Ældste Pitcher 

NOTE: We got this shortly after the previous information. 

I AM GOING TO BE TRAINING A NEW MISSIONARY NEXT TRANSFER!!!! I get to go back to Copenhagen next week to pick up my new trainee!  I'm so excited!  My heart is just racing right now. 

Elder Hafen will be getting one of Elder Redd and Elder Ogden's old companions Elder Call who will be our new district leader.  He's awesome.  This is going to be a great opportunity here coming up :)