Hey Everybody!
It was another exciting week in Denmark! Its been full of a lot of ups and downs and all kinds of things. However its been an awesome week and I as usual don't know where to begin. I guess the easiest place to begin is at the beginning.
This week I had my first Zone Conference in Ballerup. It was a great conference and I was taught a lot of things. Basically they go over how the missions doing and things like that. The sister Missionaries generally do a cute game and the Assistants to the Presidents give a training on what the Mission president thinks is needed in the mission. We also found out about my New Mission President that will be coming in July. He is Danish and is actually my Stake President right now. I don't know too much about him, other than hes really strict. Its a good thing, I am an obedient missionary, right? haha.
The day after Zone conference we had an appointment with a REALLY positive investigator named Kobfa. She is a really kind, awesome person. She comes from Taiwan and is just super amazing. Elder Christensen told me that she is really interested in Baptism. He said that she believes our message. Apparently the only thing holding her back is that she wants to see a baptism before she actually gets baptized. Crazy, right? Well before the appointment, we found out their was an baptism the next day in our area. So we were really excited to tell her about it and get her there. So we arrive at the appointment and have a really good lesson. We taught her about prophets and why its so unique and important to our church. She really liked it. It was also a great lesson because every other question from her was about baptism. Finally we told her about the baptism in our area and she was excited. She said she wanted to go. We told her we would pick her up and have a good experience. Then she said, "After we watch, Then my turn for baptism!" haha. I was like WOW! Shes ready. I told Elder Christensen, We may want to put a leash on her when we get to the baptism to keep her form jumping in the water! haha.
The next day finally arrived and unfortunately her son got really, really sick. She didn't have the heart to leave him home, so unfortunately she wasn't able to attend the Baptism. It crushed me, because we probably would have set a baptismal date with her after she witnessed the baptism. Oh well, their will be more baptisms. This is where the news gets good... The next Baptism in our area, is mine!
Yes what I said above is true! I set my first baptismal date with an awesome investigator named Christopher! Whats great about setting this baptismal date with him, is me and my companion didn't really do anything! haha. We arrived at the appointment and we even had a Member of the ward with us. We have met with Christopher a few times, but hes been taught since July. So we sat down and just begin talking, seeing how he is doing. Then he changes the topic and says, "I have decided something." We say, What have you decided?" He was like, " I want to get baptized!" This caught me and Elder Christensen way off guard! We were a little speechless. Finally my companion asks, "Why do you want to get baptized" he said the perfect answer, " I know your message is true, and Every time I think about this church and you guys, I feel peace." Except imagine that in Danish! haha. He told us, what we needed to hear. So we set a baptismal date with him for March 12th. As the appointment went on, we found out hes actually been teaching his girlfriend everything we taught him.. So to me that meant a lot. It showed he is taking what we have to say seriously.
It was just so exciting to set a baptismal date! We have a lot of work to do to get him ready, but I feel very confident and I what ever happens, happens. Oh just so exciting!!! After that appointment, we celebrated. I bought some Diet Coke and we had some Danish pastries. haha. I must say, it was an AWESOME day!
Then on Saturday I found out it was a Danish Holiday called Fastelavn. Its a kid Holiday, but basically its kind of like Halloween, except smaller and its not supposed to be scary. Its kind of funny actually. So like I said the holiday is for kids, and what they do is dress up. The usually dress up in something funny, like clowns, Einstein etc. Basically any costume that's not Dracula or a mummy with blood. Nothing like that. Then they have a bin filled with candy that they hit like a pinata. When I say bins I mean a wooden Barrel. They hit it until the candy falls out and the Barrel is destroyed. This tradition is way old and goes back to the viking age. Apparently in the olden times they would put a cat in the barrel. Then they would hit the barrel until the barrel broke. The goal was to kill the cat before the barrel broke. However if the cat was still alive after it broke, they would hunt down the cat and kill it. So yea, very interesting. The ward hard their own Fastelavn party for the primary. The kids just love it! Let me tell you, they wack the heck out of those barrels. haha. The barrels I saw had a picture of a cat on it, and that's usually where they focus their hits. I get this feeling, somewhere down the line of Danish History, they didn't like cats! haha.
There is also a chant they sing: Here it is, in Dansih and then translated in English.
Fasterlavn
er mit navn
boller vil jeg have
Hvis jeg ingen boller får
så laver jeg ballade
Boller op
boller ned
boller vil jeg have
Hvis jeg ingen boller får
så laver jeg ballade
Translation:
Fasterlavn
is my name
I will have some buns
If I don't get some
Trouble I will make
Buns up
buns down
I will have some buns
If I don't get some
Trouble I will make
er mit navn
boller vil jeg have
Hvis jeg ingen boller får
så laver jeg ballade
Boller op
boller ned
boller vil jeg have
Hvis jeg ingen boller får
så laver jeg ballade
Translation:
Fasterlavn
is my name
I will have some buns
If I don't get some
Trouble I will make
Buns up
buns down
I will have some buns
If I don't get some
Trouble I will make
So yea, Its similar to ours I guess. In Any case its kind of fun.
Then on P-day I went and visited my first castle! It was really cool. It was called the Kornberg castle. This is where Shakespeare based his story Hamlet on. Its an amazing castle. However the castle acutally burnt down many, many years ago. A kind rebuilt it, but it never was restored to its originally glory. It was also raided by the swedish during their war many years ago. They also lost a lot of stuff when the Germans occupied Denmark during WW2. In any case they are slowly restoring it and it still is really old. The only part of the builing that is original and about 600 years old is the chapel. It was the only part of the castle to survive the fire. I sent a picture in the email. I have one of me in the Chapel and of the castle.
However I was so awed about how amazing the castle was, I actually forgot to take a picture of me in front of the castle! lol! So the picture is just a picture of the castle! Its still really cool though! Here is a cool website that talks about it!
Then on Tuesday this week, we had a lunch appointment slash service project for a ward member. His name is Bro. Rasmussen and he is a awesome guy. We get to his house and apparently all the missionaries chop wood for him. He still uses a wood burning stove to heat his home. So that was interesting. I have never chopped wood before. Lets just say, I looked pretty ridiculous! haha. However, we didn't do it long as the wood we were chopping was frozen. It's been a hard winter! haha. So luckily I didn't look like a fool for too long. However, attached is another picture of me chopping wood. Enjoy. haha. Who would have every guessed I would chop wood. I sure didn't.
As for my spiritual message, the one thing I learned this week is never assume things about people. Christopher , the investigator I set a baptismal date with, I honestly never thought we would set a date with him. Hes a punkish type kid, and I just thought he liked to meet with us and would never go anywhere with the gospel. That's BAd thinking on my part. When Christopher told us he wanted to be baptized, his punkish attitude disappeared. The spirit was in him and he felt it and he knew he didn't to act on it. You just never know who the gospel will affect and how they will take it. This can be applied to many different aspects about people, but to keep in simple, Never assume things about people. You just never know how they might take things, and how they might just act on it.
I hope you all are having a wonderful week! Its great to know that winter is slowly coming to an end. I cant wait to show you pictures of Denmark in the summer! Its going to be amazing!
Oh and before I forget... HAPPY, VALENTINES DAY, PRESIDENTS DAY; and GROUND HOGS DAY!
Have a wonderful week and thanks again for all your love and support!
- Hide quoted text -
Your Denmark Missionary,
Ældste Skyler Hardy
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