Caboose Toilet - Elder Kolby Madsen

Written by Elder Kolby Madsen, serving in the Denmark Copenhagen Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaking Danish.

Hej Mor,

Well that’s great to hear that Maren got there and back safe. I think she has made the trip as many times as I have now. Freak, that’s crazy. Yes, I got my package and the watch was in it. Thank you for that. The candy, spot on. I love and miss red dye number 4, haha! It was a running joke around here because Denmark has way weird candy. It's not artificially flavored = not as tasty, haha.

Well this week was a little crazy.  We had some great things happen. The first week in the area we went to a medieval festival, which was fantastic. We were able to go with a less active member and her boyfriend. We also went to his house and ate lunch. He has a beautiful home with a huge yard, and we told him that if he wants, we could come and do service. He took us up on the offer this week. I love service so much. I was on this ladder and re-cementing the peak of his home. It was way fun. I had never used cement before, but it was awesome.

I drive the train once a day and get to "blow the horn" :)

We went to meet with a friend named A***.  We knocked his door twice this week and there was no answer. We found out later that he was in the hospital and that he was requesting a visit from us, so we went and tried to meet with him. We found out he was in the psychiatric ward and when we showed up he was out cold, so we had to come back the next day. When we went back, he had been moved across town so we could not meet with him until Saturday. We finally met with him and he is doing great.  He has to meet with his doctors before he can travel because of his illness, so we met with him and talked to him about getting an education because it's free here in Denmark. So we talked to him about the importance of an education. He was very grateful for the feeling he got when he prayed. We suggested that when he is feeling sick, or just really flustered, to pray. He said that prayer brings balance back into his head. We're hoping to meet with him again this week.

Yesterday after church we had the chance to go eat with the recently released bishop (of six years) and his family. They are awesome. Both Brother and Sister Mathiasen are converts and they both have very inspiring stories. Sister Mathiasen’s story was exceptionally inspiring. She told us that one of the missionaries who knocked on her door and taught her went throughout his whole mission without hearing from her again. She got baptized after he went home, two years after he knocked her door. She said that when she went to the U.S. to visit, she looked him up and they had dinner. She said that when he met with her, he asked her if she was a member.  She told him that she is, has three kids, and her husband is the bishop of the ward in Aalborg. She said he began to cry a little because he went his whole mission without any "success."

When he found out that she had been through the temple, sealed and has three children in the church, he was just overjoyed. He then told her the story of how they knocked her door. He said he was just barely with his second companion in his training area. He was walking around thinking of who to visit when a name and address popped in his head. He said that he did not say anything to his companion because he was so young, and he didn’t want to sound weird. The idea came again, so he told his companion and they visited the house where Sister Mathiasen lived.

That was a huge testimony builder because that same thing has happened to us so many times. We get a little impression and so we go and act on it. Most of the time it’s just a little contact and things are great, but they don’t want to meet again (for now). But T** in Randers was one of those. We felt impressed to visit his girlfriend, V**, and now he is working towards baptism.

The works goes on. All we need to do is follow and listen. We need to have the faith to receive the revelation and inspiration. It comes no matter what. The faith and courage to follow is where the magic happens.

I love you! Have a great week.

Med Kærlig Hilsen,

Ældste Madsen

Happy Birthday, Elder Madsen! (July 21, 2014)