Alma 26 and MMA Video

This week was one of the busiest weeks so far I would say! I could also write this week in all caps haha. Me and Elder Shuppy went to town and did a town of great stuff and got 10 great lessons in this week which was stellar for how packed it was!

The reason for Alma 26 as a theme of sorts for this email is that it basically describes some of the feelings/events/truths of this week. So if you want a taste of what it was like, read Alma 26 (and for extra credit... study it )

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/26?lang=eng

But I'll cut to the highlight reel of this week because there is quite a bit:)

Progress:

So the first bit of progress was with our friends M* and T*. They are a couple who have lived together for a while and the missionaries are pretty close with them (probably because they are way cool). But T* is a member but a little less active in the church, but that doesn't mean anything really because he has a way firm testimony of the gospel and really wants to help M*, who is not a member, find an answer for herself on if the church is true or not. T* Has been a lot more attentive and sincere the past couple lessons, which is great because sometimes the tv is on or his homework is out or something. But last lesson was so awesome:) We talked about the Godhead and their roles in Heavenly Fathers plan. As we talked about the Holy Ghost and his role, it opened up to a way great conversation about how the Holy Ghost prompts us and inspires us to know truth. The main point was how we know that promptings from the Holy Ghost are thoughts to the mind, and feelings to the heart (great definition from Elder Bednar :) ). So we continued to have a fantastic conversation where the Holy Ghost was with.

There is another lady named B* that we have been working with. She is a referral from her son who got the Scandinavian scholarship to BYU and who is there right now. He has a tonnnn of LDS (Latter Day Saint) friends and so his mom was curious about what we believe. She is a very nice lady who is very sincere in all of her questions and asks them often. So we have very dynamic lessons:) But she is very positive in wanting to learn more so we will see.

Skagen:

Now that im less starstruck about Skagen and more focused on it as an area to do missionary work (even though it is still way beautiful), I'll talk more about the work we did up there. We have 4 people we are working with to try and find time and stuff to meet. I've talked about G* before I think, but he doesn't have a cell phone and last time we came up he forgot about the lesson so we finally have a set one next week to meet with him. But he is still a way nice guy and is happy to meet and talk:)

We also have a lady up in Skagen named M*. We are pretty good friends with her even though we haven't actually met yet haha. She referred herself to get a Book of Mormon and a visit from missionaries, but last time we went up I guess Elder Shuppy's police knock wasn't loud enough because she was asleep. So we texted her later that day and she said she was home but she was going to "sleep out the next couple weeks." What?? So we took that vague statement as- she is sick or having a hard time. So the next time we came up (this last Saturday), she didn't answer again.... Im going to do the knocking next time haha. But we even brought her some pastry because we thought it would perk her up because she was having it hard (wouldn't that make anyone happy?? haha ) But we left it on her doorstep with a note because she didn't answer once again. Then later that day we got a text saying thanks but I was home..... Arrrrgggg. She also said we don't have to give her food to win respect or something along those lines hahaha. So I think we have been having communication problems because apparently she isn't sick and she is doing just fine.

So I'll report on next time now that we finally aren't grasping straws haha.

This next part was probably the highlight of my whole week:)) So we were knocking around Skagen before our train came. We only did one opgang because something great happened. So we came to the first door.... no answer. The second door had the voice of a father telling his kids to stay focused and finish their chores or something (I know that one even if I didn't here the words hehe) So we decided to get it on the way down because we don't want to do chores haha. But the rest of the entire opgang was not home, so of course we came back downstairs and rang on his door.

We introduced ouselves and what we were doing and he said, "woah, you mean you took 2 whole years out of your life and learned Danish just so you could come around and talk to people on their doorsteps about Jesus Christ and God and stuff??"

yupp:)

So we started to talk and he said that he has had a pretty rough patch come up in his life and that a lot of his family had passed away and that he was kinda just struggling. We talked with him for a while about faith and what he hopes. He says he used to have a lot of faith but he isn't sure now, but that he hopes there is something like higher power or God between earth and heaven. But he said "You know, it is really weird... that these last couple days I've been hoping to find something that could help me, and all of the sudden ... you guys show up. Isn't that just weird to you?" Man.... my whole body could have been floating. So I pulled out a Book of Mormon while elder Shuppy said something addressing what he had just said, and then we explained to him we are just here to invite others to read the book. That we give up for two years our families, friends, hobbies, and school among other things to come and invite people because it is something that has blessed our lives and that we have come to a knowledge of it being the word of God like the Bible. He asked "So you know its true?" And he was so sincere about it and I was so happy to have the opportunity to be lead by Heavenly Father to his doorstep to bear my testimony on the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. So he took it and we gave him our number because he doesn't have a phone really and he moves around for work because I think he said he works on a boat or something.

I left that place with two things... 1) Heavenly Father truly does prepare people in their own ways and on their own time to have opportunities to accept the gospel. and 2) That I'm good enough as a missionary:) That I don't have to be perfect or even close to it to be good enough to fufill Heavenly Fathers will. That all I had to do was to be the proverbial tool in his hand, and let him do the work.

So yea I would say if you want to know what my feelings were, listen to Ammons words in Alma 26:)

Curtural Wednesday ft. The legend of Ib:

Wedensday we taught our good Burmese friends Familien Hrung. They are a way cool Burmese family and they are very sincere in their faith in Christ and we have great lesson despite language barriers. We usually show general conference talks in Burmese so we can have a more meaningful lesson with them. They keep asking when we will bring them a Book of Mormon in Burmese (that isn't translated yet) so they are super positive, I just don't think there can be any progression until we can break language barriers. But we asked him to say the prayer in Burmese which was wayyy cool because Burmese is a tonal language so it requires one to get more intense in tone for certain things. So it was a way powerful prayer.

Then we repeated the entire lesson with his older brother who is also from Burma and lives around the corner:) way cool!

So the legend of Ib is one of those stories that will be saved for after the mission because of the insanity of the whole thing. Don't be afraid, it all was totally fine after we got out of there,... but that was the single most nuts thing I have experienced in my life so far. I have never had a bigger moment of.... ??? what??? So yea. If it helps, it wasn't that much like the Saratov approach... haha

But hey lets talk about cooler things...

Fight Club:

So like I said, I get to coach/teach wrestling at an MMA club in Frederikshavn. Wayyy cool experience. I got to hold a clinic for 2 hours on Saturday and it was way cool! We went over lateral drops,double leg take downs, knee taps, ankle picks, and a bunch of other stuff. Quality stuff:)

But the reason it was so cool was that the member who is head coach, had a lot of the kids come up to him and ask questions and it gave him a ton of opportunities to share the gospel. One guy said, "woah they're Christian and they can do stuff like that? Awesome! " He also had a super cool conversation with the other coach who has had a rough life so it is another way of finding!

Well I gotta wrap up, but I hope You have a great week!

Drink a blue raspberry slurpee for me:)

MKH,

Ældste Jeppson

Missionary Work MMA Style

https://youtu.be/kJoLk5VfchY

Elder Jeppson teaching some Folkstyle moves to Danish MMA gym