Mor (Mom),
So again, way sorry about last week. It was way too crazy of a day. That’s way crazy about Dallin. I can’t believe he is leaving already. That should be way fun. He will be great on his mission.
It’s actually way fun being with Elder Earl. It's wired because we can talk about all the good old times and people back at Bingham (high school) and middle school. He was actually in the class that me and Lindsey had at Bingham as well.
It’s fun. We have taught so much this week. It’s great to be with someone in the mission that is not younger then you, haha. The new area is awesome. I love it. We are getting some really great help from the ward, and we taught a "member present" lesson every single day last week (that means the missionaries took another member of the congregation with them to teach). Great stuff. We were able to apply the things we have been learning from the leaders who visited our mission in the last three weeks; Elder Taxia, our area authority, and Elder Bednar. Great man. I love him so much.
We had some really good stuff happen. So as I said last week, we had an emergency transfer because of Elder L**’s exit home. He is doing well. They are still trying to find out what is going on with him, but he seems to be happy and having a good positive attitude about the whole thing.
We have a friend here in Slagelse who is one of the most prepared people I have ever met in Denmark. He will be getting baptized on the 27th of September. He meets with us daily and loves to read and follow in the scripture. He is working on the Word of Wisdom right now, but he has come to church every week since he met the missionaries. He even shares his testimony and participates in class in a very positive way. It's great! He is only 19 years old...future missionary. He will do great! This week we taught him about many good things. We had the chance to actually teach him with our bishop and stake president on Wednesday. It was very powerful.
We also met with this family that got baptized in the States while on vacation for three months. Their family is the best. They are actually moving to Utah when they get their green cards, so I will be able to meet with them for the rest of my life, haha. Kristine, the wife, reminds me a ton of sister Kluger. They are great!
Some great things happening here in Slagelse. This ward is one of the smallest in Sjælland, but it is the ward with the most baptisms year to date. The reason why is the ward is on board with the second harvest. It’s not only saying. They are really believing and they are acting on it. The work is moving forward because it's God’s will and the members here are doing their part.
We had the chance to go on exchanges with Nykøbing Falster which just happens to be where Elder Brindley is serving right now. It was way fun to be with him again. We had a good time working together again. He has grown so much.
We also had some good service with some of the members this week, by really building the trust with them and just doing our part. We actually got an assignment yesterday to go down to Næstved (south of where we live) to go and teach a ninth grade class about growing up in America. We just spent the last four hours down there, no time to prepare just talking, haha. They had some great questions and we talked about the church as well. We even got to show them that we are not just robots without a personality. So we had fun! They all seemed pretty comfortable around us by the time the meeting was over.
After our appointment with the stake president and S**, he talked to us about what we are doing as missionaries to help with all the excitement around about second harvest. We answered honestly and told him that we are not doing anything differently. It’s the fact that the members are stepping in, coming with us, befriending the investigators, and really doing more than they have ever before. We still work. We still knock. We still teach. The members are the ones who have changed. This work is going forward in Denmark because the members are following the new council.
I had a thought this week as we were preparing for a spiritual thought for a member who was feeding us. As we read James 1:5, we thought about the effect this scripture has had on us personally and the world we live in today. We thought about what James was thinking at the time he wrote it down, and then the thought came... he had no idea that what he was writing was going to be the start of the restoration of the fullness of truth to the earth. He was not thinking that a boy of about 14 years old would read this scripture in the future, and that boy would get the true church back into the world, through the power of God. No, James was probably thinking, "This is a true thing, and I know without a doubt it works." He was probably thinking about the fact that he had prayed to our Father in Heaven many times and had gotten his answers. Then I thought about what that means for me today and forever, not just as a missionary, but as a member of this church after the mission as well.
Sharing simple testimony has a lasting effect. Just sharing simple things that we know to be true. Simplicity is the key to bringing the Holy Ghost. The Spirit testifies of truth. To say, "ask and ye shall receive." "Ask of God." Very simple, but very true. The Spirit will fill the room so fast that there will be no way any son or daughter of our Heavenly Father can deny the truth they felt. I know that prayer is a tool by which we communicate with our Heavenly Father, and I KNOW He listens and answers our prayers. In His sacred and holy name, even Jesus Christ, Amen.
Love you.
Med Kærlig Hilsen
Ældste Madsen
Emergency Changes (September 8, 2014)
My Big Brother (September 22, 2014)
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| Elder Madsen and Elder Earl |
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| Elder Madsen and Elder Earl |
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| We are in one of the three areas with cars. We have a brand new Opel with 34 miles on it :) |
