Blessings with a nametag on

This week was a great kickoff to the year. It kind of feels like two weeks in one happened but let me hit you with the details of what the new year brought for us (no broken goals... i'm going strong working out;)

Progress:

Yesterday Jimmi was confirmed a member of the church!! I'll tell you what... this man knows more than most new converts haha. He recently sent us a message talking all about how the Kirtland Temple was dedicated by Joseph Smith and all these facts about it and stuff and I thought to myself that we probably don't have to worry all that much about him:) He is always asking us if we have any suggestions for chapters in the Book of Mormon that he can read because he reads every single spare second he gets (which is a LOT). I figure he will be on track with all the members in the branch knowledge wise here soon haha. Well, exaggerations aside, Jimmi is a wonderful new member.

Oh yeah, miracle story time.... So there were some problems between the Kommune (the area government authority) and Jimmi because of some beef they had with Jimmi or something like that but essentially it was going to cause some custody problems of their children who are due in about 3 weeks. I'm not sure about all the details of how that would work (they didn't teach Danish gov at Del Oro) but it any case, it has been a trial for them to go through. Well, long story short, Jimmi and Vivi prayed and fasted that everything would work (as did we) and the lawyer called today and said that the Kommune totally dropped the case and they wouldn't be able to bring it up again. It was super neat because Jimmi sent us a text like 2 days ago while it was getting the most heated and said he read in the Book of Mormon some different chapters that talked about the principle that .... faith in Christ=anything is possible. He said, so don't worry, i have faith in Christ. So we didn't worry...and two days after everything worked out :)

So yea, he is on fire. He also hyped on American pancakes and homemade syrup haha. They hadn't tried them before so we brought out to them for an appointment and made sure to fix that.

K* is also going K speed towards a new baptismal date. He has really hard circumstances so we are trying to work out a lot of things, but he is changing a ton still! Today we gave him a blessing because his health is pretty poor and he got way sick on Sunday. After the blessing he said, " shoot man that really helped." He was way thankful and I could tell it left an impression on him. It was a pretty neat experience. After we left he texted and asked, "Hey thanks for the blessing guys. So how many of those do i get?" hahaha i busted up. So, we explained to him a bit more about blessings and stuff. I'm way happy he really is looking to turn his life around :)

We went out and knocked on a bunch of doors and found a bunch of cool new people. Normally every 7 of 10 doors an old retired person Dane on pension answers the door (skive is a nice place to live if youre retired) but we knocked an area and found a bunch of young fresh friends. (Nothing against old people by the way;) besides, its only a number anyhow)

We had some fun knocking experiences... One lady (I think in any case... Elder Baadsgaard swears he thought it was a man) looked out the window and stared at us as we knocked. What ensued was the most uncomfortable staring contest ive ever been a part of. I personally thought she was going to attack me through the window World War Z style based of the looks i was getting. So... we left because wouldn't break her death stare... not even for a polite bow from a American missionary ;)

This week I'm glad that my brain has evolved out of teenage boy/ape mode because we got the same 3 different variations of the same answer when we say we are out to share a message about Heavenly Fathers plan.... im sorry for being a teenager sometimes haha.

Other things:

I got to go on splits with Elder Halling. we had a fun lesson teaching a Burmese family through a language barrier and the internet. It was fun though because i guess the crazy 4 year old son could sense i was used to small munchkin attacks back home because he had a good time ramming a plastic dinosaur into my chest haha. Gotta love hyperactive kids.

Today we went to the Viborg Domkirke. That was the church where they used to hold coronation of the kings and queens so it is a HUUUUGE church and it is beautiful. There a huge murals all over the place. The coolest part was climbing allll the way up in the bell tower and looking out over Viborg right next to the Bells :D I was actually way stoked and it was funny because at first Elder baadsgaard thought we werent allowed to climb all the way up to the top. But because we always need to stay with are companions, that invisible cable that keeps us connected bungeed him up and then we figured out it was okay. Way neat stuff!

This week it snowed! It was actually very very cold and i thought blood would freeze because the humid chill factor here makes it feel twice as cold. The good thing is my viking heritage is keeping me alive so I'll have to send pics after i trim my red viking beard here soon... (raise your hand if you thought i actually had grown a beard)..... (now laugh at yourself if you just raised your hand)

Sorry i'm having too much fun with emailing right now haha here is a spiritual thought to end on a solid note for the day:

Spiritual thought:

I'll explain the title real quick... the Stake president came to speak at our missionary christmas conference and he said something to me that really hit home. He talked about how a lot of times, when God answers prayers, the answer often comes sideways. He said that we have the opportunity to be an answer to prayers every day. Answers to those seeking truth, to those hoping their loved ones find truth, and to those praying that they can continue to walk in the light of truth. He talked about how we can be blessings sent from above, with a nametag on. So that was pretty neat to me:) So future missionaries... take notes on that because when you volunteer two years for the Lord, you truly can be a blessing with a nametag on. (and I might add, it is not the name tag that suddenly fills us with power... we must strive to be worthy for it)

Also, My mom sent me a quote that i thought I would send on.

"We forget sometimes the power of small and simple things—and that lasting change happens little by little, day by day, try after try. We wish we could reach perfection in an instant, but we don’t need to be perfect today. We simply need to “try a little harder to be a little better.”

I have a huge testimony that we can all tap into our vast eternal potential as God's children. I've learned it, I've experienced it, I've taught it, and I've witnessed it. Heavenly Father has a plan for us! I might add to that quote something that I've learned, that if the only time we progressed was when we succeeded, it would be a slow journey. It really is okay to be human! We were made that way... but we must remember that we have a divine potential that is of eternal importance. Now is the time to lay a foundation for the perfection that one day will be reached through the Savior Jesus Christ. If you lack a topic during a ponderous moment in your week, take some time what price you're willing to pay to accomplish your life's mission. If you don't know what it is... then I would suggest that now is a good time to find out. :)

Shoutout to my dad... its his birthday! He is 35 and a couple months old ;) hehe

Peace!

--Ældste j