Week 57 - Independence Day

Hej mine kære familie!

****PLEASE KEEP PRAYING FOR ANGELIINA******

It has been a great week here in the service of God! Fortunately, he hasn't given up on me and work is still progressing.

Disclaimer: This is the same email that I sent to my mission President. Only difference is he got it in Danish. Honestly I just copied and pasted the whole thing into google translate for you guys. I thought to fix it up but I then I didn't cause it was actually way funny hahaha enjoy.

Lessons learned last week:

1) A Missionary can never read too much about the Sons of Mosiah:

I've been studying Alma Book 17-21 last week, it's just amazing. I learned a lot about loving them as we teach, patience through trials, and how to teach and find people. I wanted to share what I found with you but there was too much :)

2) Choose to love no matter what and God will help you.

The natural man probably does not want to live with the same person and only be with the same person for several months as me and dear sister Webb have. It may well be difficult. But, with Christ's help, it is not only possible but you can also enjoy it. I have seen that if we choose to love no matter what, God will make a miracle from it.

3) Hedgehogs in Denmark are nocturnal and you rarely see one through the day. However, I want to find one.

4) There is strength in being quiet and trusting in God.

5) It is not a more joyous emotion than to feel the Holy Spirit testify to someone you teach.

Last Friday we had a super good lesson with Angeliina. Sister Webb and I both felt that the time was just right to talk about baptism. Then we did. Lessons are sometimes awkward and choppy, but when the Spirit is there it doesn't happen. We could see how open and receptive Angeliina is and therefore she could feel the Holy Spirit. She read aloud about baptism from Nephi's Second Book chapter 31 and could barely handle it. The spirit was so strong. We asked her to pray for baptism and she said she already knows the answer :)

Angeliina and her homegrown radishes

We also had a lesson with our friend Michael this day. It didn't go the same way as Angeliina. No firework, the Spirit was not so clear and it was a little more choppy. But, we taught him about the Word of Wisdom and I got the BEST FEELINGS. It was just some mega cool to look straight into his eyes and exhort him to keep a command of God.

6) If both the missionaries and the investigators just want to follow the Lord, nothing can hold them back

Last Sunday we taught Angeliina again. Sister Webb and I wanted to give her a Baptism date but were not sure when it should be. We thought about it through church with Angeliina and we just felt good on the 4th of July. This time the lesson in person (it was our first lesson in person) was out in her colony garden. For starters, share with us her testimony of why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was right for her. Then we knew it was going to be a special lesson. We talked about baptismal covenants from her and read from the scriptures.

Angeliina has a special subject to feel the Holy Spirit. It's clear when you see her read in the scriptures. It occurred to me through the lesson that this is how it should be. You have to have an open heart, a sincere desire and an intention to act on it. Because Angeliina "just wanted to follow Jesus Christ and be on his path" (that was her word), she was able to have a wonderful experience with God and a confirmation that he exists and has a church here on earth.

She finally did that when we knelt down and Angeliina asked God on July 4th.

I cannot explain the happiness we all felt at that moment and the happiness I feel just writing it right now.

7) If you set a righteous goal, make plans, and work hard, God will help you achieve it.

Sister Webb wants a baptism before she leaves. It occurred to me recently that at the beginning, I did not expect much from my mission. I think that because so many people told me, "If you baptize it is not okay, all that matters is if you develop :)" I thought of preparing for a no baptism mission. A few transfers ago I recognized that it was completely wrong. So I asked for forgiveness and told God that now I expect to have a baptism in Slagelse.

Sister Webb and I made it our biggest goal in our dream session and made plans on how we would do our part to achieve it.

If Angeliina chooses it still, her baptism will be the miracle we have worked and prayed so much before. If not, we still know that God sent someone our way. He will help us with our righteous desires.

8) Our loved ones really help us on the other side, and the little things we do everyday make a difference to the future generations.

I have read a little about my ancestral history coming from my area and it has changed so much about how I work. To hear about the things they have done to put it all in place for me is very touching.

I found some family who stayed here in Sørbymagle and Kirkerup, and should probably try using Facebook to find some family members. Hearing about my heritage reminds me how choice this whole experience really is. It makes me sad that I wasn't all-in in the beginning, but it makes me grateful that the Lord waited until I was all in and focused on sending me to an area with so much personal meaning to me and my family.

I know this is the Lord's work, and my great-great-grandparents Hans and Johanna are helping out on the other side!

Johanna's favorite flower

9) I have the best job in the world.

Mkh,

Sister Field

"And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers,"

-D&C 2: 2

"Yet they did fast and pray often, and waxed stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God, "

Helaman 3:35 (thanks Dad)

Week 56 - What a Wonderful World

"You have two jobs:

1) Learn the language.

2) Build the Kingdom."

-The Other Side of Heaven

Another great week!

We did some service for a sweet lady named Pia down in Næstved. We've been helping her in her garden and she is soooooo nice and so open. She is a firecracker of a woman and has offered us a number of outrageous things including but not limited too a stay at her apartment in Morocco and her son's hand in marriage.

She kept saying:

"Ja I må tage ham op i kirken!"

Og

"Ya take him to the church!"

Lol.

We also went for a walk with a girl named Kim which we met on Facebook. She was really nice and we hope she will become interested.

We had Zone Conference on Tuesday and it went really well. We got to have a picnic outside which was really fun! Dont worry, we stayed at a good distance.

We had church on Sunday!! That was great! Our friend Angeliina came and really loved it. She is so sweet.

Overall it's been good. I found out there are actually wild hedgehogs in Denmark,,, so ????? That was news to me.

Jeg ved at Gud passer på os og at missionærsarbejde er hans arbejde

Mkh, søs Felt

Week 55 - Blessed Assurance

You are instruments in the hands of the Lord with the purpose of bringing light and healing to the souls of Heavenly Father’s children. Perhaps you do not feel qualified to heal those who are spiritually ill...Maybe you face spiritual challenges of your own. Nevertheless, the Lord has called you. He has given you authority and responsibility to reach out to those in need.

-Bearers of Heavenly Light By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Sorry friends I dont have a lot of time!!! But I'll type up something good real quick.

We have had some really incredible lessons lately, teaching people a lot of amazing things that we take for granted every day. Recently we've been having a lot of Plan of Salvation lessons, and I love how happy it is making our friends to hear it. It's so amazing that we know our purpose and we know we have a heavenly father who loves enough to help us to want to be with our families forever!

Søster Webb is an angel and has been leaving me some, "before you go to bed," notes with super nice compliments on them. She's bomb.

God loves you so much. He guides you more than you know. Open your scriptures and find his love.

Have a great week! Elsker jer!

Med kærlig hilsen,

Søs Felt💗

Kirkerup Church - Several ancestors were married in this church in the early 1800's.

Week 54 - Bella Notte

"He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep," John 21:17

Transfer update: I'm staying in Slagelse with beloved sister Webb. Thank heavens I was scared that I would leave. I cant leave my people!!!

Tuesday was Mimi's birthday. Mimi has a chronic illness that causes severe sensitivity to light. She is also immunosuppressed, which makes disse corona tider even harder. She was baptized about a year ago, is Hawaiian, and probably the most Christlike person ever. She lives with Nile (still trying to figure out if Nile is her mom or her sister) and their brother from another mother Dennis. Dennis is not a member, but he is a friendly black guy from Indianapolis and probably our favorite human on the planet. We have been getting to know them over the phone since we got to the area.

But anyways, there wasn't much we could do for Mimi's birthday, because of her condition, but we had to do SOMETHING. So we mustered up all of the crafting skills we could and heart attacked their door. She ended up being really happy about it and was even able to come outside for a bit. We took some pictures and they shared cake with us from a distance.

Restaurants have opened up again, with a few restrictions, and members are starting to want to have eating appointments. Saturday afternoon we got a phone call from an Italian member, Tinne. "Do you guys have dinner plans?" She asked.

We did not. But, we also cannot eat with people, members can give us food, but we can't "dine together" in that way.
We explained the situation to her.
"I know, I know, don't worry, I just want to leave you some food, here's my address,"

We drove to her house later that even to grab dinner and realized that it was in fact not her house but her fancy shmancy italian restaurant on the beach. Oh no, here come the water works. Are we princesses? So we walk in. Her husband is there in the kitchen and Tinne points us in. There was no one else in the restaurant, and candle-lit table sat waiting for us by the window.

!!!!!

It was so sweet! They let us order off the menu like we were real customers and everything. Kept all of the rules, washed our hands a bunch, and shared a spiritual thought at the end about focusing on the Savior.

Later in the week, after finding ourselves upon a large hill- (Alligev l var den lige så stor som de kan være i Danmark) we were admiring the view when we discovered a small flock of sheep grazing not to far away from us. 

We did what one must naturally do when seeing a group of fluffy animals that are afraid of you. You go towards them and demand they accept your love and affection. But alas, they were sheep. So they would just run away. AND THEN out of no where this one cute one just looks at me and comes walking over- JUST TO ME. Anyways it let me pet it and love it and followed me around and it was the cutest thing ever.

Last night, Brad Wilcox held an online devotional and spoke about the Saviors Atonement. He spoke of grace and shared some cool insights.
Here's some of my notes:

Grace isn't a get out of jail free card, nor is it something we have to work super super hard to obtain. Grace enables us. Grace is a free gift that if we utilize we can become better. Grace is like a scholarship. It opens the door for us, we don't have to pay the price, but it doesn't guarantee learning or graduation. We have to work for that part.

The Atonement is about so much more than consolation. It is about transformation.

As far as the work,, things are going well. We have some really positive people we are teaching. It's kinda frustrating because we're hitting walls with a lot of them trying to get them to hold commitments and just do the basics. Praying is so hard for a lot of people here and you really have to coach them through it. But I hvert fald, things are going well. We started teaching three more people this week, one was Divi, a referral from a member, Buster who was previously taught by missionaries here, and Moses who was found over Facebook by the Vejle sisters.

So as you can see, Slagelse has truly been a fruitful part of the the vineyard this week.

Tune in next time for more action, adventure, and literally no romance, with yours truly, mkh,

Søster Felt 🇩🇰

Elsker jer

Week 53 - Be thou humble

I guess you know your in full-on missionary mode when the only songs you can think of that fit your mood towards the week are hymns.

See mom? I guess they are changing me!

Haha or at least I hope so.

We had a week full of lessons, miracles, and meetings and to be honest I just blinked and it was over. I can remember some of it though.

I hit my "one year on a mission" mark on friday and it was kind of cool to look back and think about how much I have changed.

For one thing, I like watermelon now. I didn't like watermelon before my mission. I don't know why, it tastes really good and is quite refreshing. I guess I just didn't appreciate it before. Oh well, now I do and I make yummy fruit salads with it.

Our friends are doing good. We finally got a hold of Dorthe, she is still interested and keeping commitments. She opened up about some home problems that really cleared stuff up for us. She assured us that she is still in,, and told us, "dont give up on me, even when I dont respond," that gave us lots of comfort.

Oscar is also doing good, he is a good kid and just like a genuinely nice person. Sister Webb and I agree we would both be legit friends with him in our normal lives. We hope we dont screw this up hahaha.

We had interviews this week,,, in between interviews we sat eating pizza with Sister Olsen. We were talking about hairstyles and let me tell you trying to explain mullets to a Danish person is harder than you think. Let's just say I think sister Olsen's opinion of the US of A went down a little bit.

I Know God lives and loves you. I know God answers prayers. So hit your knees and just talk to him!

Hope you all have a wonderful week! Elsker jer!

Søster Felt 💗🇩🇰

Week 52 - It is well, with my soul

Flash backwards

170 years ago on May 11th a boat docked in Denmark, Copenhagen and a missionary greeted his new home. Peter Hansen set feet on Danish soil at 4am where he began his journey that would impact the lives of thousands of individuals, create the history of the Lords church, and change my life forever.

Flash forward.

To commemorate the arrival of Elder Hansen, on Tuesday May 11th, 2020 each set of companionship committed themselves to complete 6.5 hours of facebook finding. (The sum total of our hours spent finding would total 170).

So that is what we did.

Flash a little less backwards

I haven't been very happy, at least I wasn't very happy for a while. Probably for about a month or so, I'm not totally sure. I felt joy, when we taught and did missionary work. I felt the peace and comfort of my Savior. But in those little in between moments? When I didn't have something to keep me busy, I was just, down. And to be honest? I didn't understand why. All these missionaries around me talk about how they are the happiest they have ever been and this is the best time of their lives. And I just wanted that too.

I worked my hardest, I know that. I did my best to be exactly obedient, that was not an issue. And I truly did love the work and the people here as I do now. I prayed so much over this. I studied so much. But the sadness and pain and loneliness just wasn't going away for what felt like a really long time. It was really confusing.

With time, I did start getting some answers. I recognized God confirming to me through the spirit as I prayed and studied that this trial was not a punishment or a consequence of any misbehavior- it was just that- a trial. He told me that everything was gonna be okay and I just need to be patient. He just told me this is something that I need to go through right now. This gave me some comfort, but I was still hurting. And I didn't know why.

On the evening of May 10th 2020 I had had enough. I prayed to God and I told him that I want to be happy again, and I want to be his servant.

When I woke up smiling on May 11th I knew the Lord had work for me to do.

As sister Webb and I began our six and a half hours of work we quickly found a facebook group for people struggling with anxiety and depression. A place for them to be vulnerable.

Then, miracles came.

I just felt so much sorrow and empathy for these people as I read their stories and felt their pain for them. I could read them and think, "Yes! I get that!" And I knew what kind of help they were looking for-- because I had been searching for the same kind of help for over a month. I talked to all of these people and listened and validated their struggles for 7 hours. And shared with them what I knew could help them. We saw miracles.

I have gained a new understanding of the scripture:

"And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions."

-Mosiah 24:14

Sister Webb and I just finished our first Skype lesson with Laura, a girl our age who says, "I will try anything to find peace at this time in my life, I have been praying so much to God to help me," We invited her to pray, and in her prayer she cried and thanked God for sending us to her. She was so open and asked if we could call twice a week. This is a miracle.

The Lord has helped me to gain the charity that I have prayed for in a way that I never would have expected. He has prepared me to be his tool in a way I would never have asked for, but am now so grateful for.

I know God's ways are different than our ways. Hold on to him, trust him, and one day it will all make sense.

Elsker jer! Ha en dejlig uge:)

Mkh,
Søster Felt

Week 51 - Thank You for the Music

First of: THANKS to all of you for the birthday wishes! This year's birthday was probably my favorite, and you all made it that way for me. So thankful I was birthed.

Tuesday: Began the day with a lovely burnt appointment. We waited at the church for the lesson. 20 minutes after the scheduled time, we called him. You know what he said? I'm on my way. I'll be there in twenty minutes. So? 40 minutes later we call again and come to find he's blocked our number. Sådan er livet.

It actually ended up being a really good day. We worked hard and taught a lesson over skype to Rebecca, one og my friends from Herning. We finished the day by visiting members and serenading them with hymns,, with social distancing of course.

Wednesday:
Not gonna lie, I think this was the best birthday I've ever had. My comps all did a lot to make it a great day.

It began with me, sitting on my bed, trapped alone against my will. 20 minutes later,,, sister Webb, followed by sis O'Connor and Nielsen, came in carrying an apple illuminated by the glow of 7 candles protruding from wonky angles. Still haven't gotten an explanation on that one. But they sang to me and guided me to the other rooms which were decked out and gave me some really sweet gifts.

The day just kept getting better as I received so many phone calls, texts, and emails from so many amazing people.

Later in the evening we went to a members house who had made food for us to come pick up. It was this sweet old couple, Anny and Leo. Anny made me a layer cake and they sang me happy birthday. I felt so loved. I started crying haha. They didn't even really know me and they were showing me so much love.

Thursday:
We had zone conference and some lessons. I'm sure there was more stuff but I can't really remember right now haha.

Friday: Went on splits with Søster Hepworth. Oh my gosh it was so fun we worked so hard it was like the best day ever. She is so bomb. Great at teaching. Great at Danish. Makes me laugh. Bomb.

Saturday: We had a bunch of lessons also a good day. We taught some of sister Webbs family which was really cool. We also had a coordination meeting with our mission leader Søren and oh my gosh that is always an experience. We tried to keep it focused on missionary work but instead it ended up with Søren making us stand up, face each other, and punch each other in the gut as a breathing exercise. Idk either.

Our friend Cenk also made us some traditional turkish mad. Which was super good.

Sunday: I got to call and talk to a family I know from home who means so much to me. It was really special to hear and share our testimonies of the Savior Jesus Christ.

We also had a lesson with our friend Oscar. It went okay. Wasn't the best. That evening we had a mission wide testimony meeting over skype it was way good.

I know God loves you!

So yeah, Great Week! Elsker her!
Mkh, søs Felt