Aalborg

Stop Being Picky and Learn to Eat!

Well this will probably be a boring and short email. We actually had a ton of service this past week. Been helping two people move apartments. I am really sore from all of it haha. Actually to tell you the truth, I have never had so many service projects in the past week that occurred, in a weeks time, on my mission. We have had the opportunity to help move a less actives daughter (who is not a member) and even talk with her. We haven't had any immediate results but I feel like we left a good impression. We also helped another member move to another apartment. But we have been really busy!

Found out this past week that It is especially possible to get under 25 minutes. We have had eight lessons this past week which were under 25 minutes! this was one of the challenges that was given to us 2 mission conferences ago to have shorter lessons, 25 minutes or less, and visit with people more often during the week.We have had a busy week here in Aalborg.

I would say though that the highlight of the week was with our appointment with a Family that are new converts. We had an eating appointment with them. This is hands down the weirdest thing I have ate on my mission/ life! If anybody really knows me I don't really like fish all that well. Personally it's on my last thing to eat before dieing of starvation. But I had my first Greenlandic Dish. It was soup and bread. Not bad right? But what was in the soup? Noodles. Ok great! Shrimp! Ok what's wrong with that (other than it's fish, and actually the first time I have ate shrimp haha) Than Salmon even more fish! Than to top it off I ate Muscles! Took all my strength to eat 2 bowls full of it!!!! Moral of the story for all those preparing to serve missons..... Stop being picky and learn to eat! Because you cannot tell someone no after preparing a meal all day for you!! But the best part was the lesson we had. They talked with us about some career decisions that they were thinking about making. We found earlier that morning and shared from this months copy of the Liahona. (or in english the Ensign) Where the 1st presidency shared about education. We actually had no idea that we would be talking with them about this. We just found it in the Liahona and thought it was a good thing to share with them. And emphasis on scripture study and prayer. We talked with them on the importance of continually learning than had them read the section with President Eyring's remarks. The wife read the first section and she was immediately touched by the Spirit. The husband read the next section and we could tell that it hit him as well. Testified to them about putting the spiritual things first than they can get revelation from our Heavenly Father on anything that he knows that we needs to learn. It was an amazing spiritual experience to be apart of.

To add onto crazy news we spent the night in Horsens last Saturday. We stayed with the Elders there! I was able to catch up with my previous companion Elder Christensen! Man we had a good time. Reason being was because we had Stake Conference in Aarhus. And than the next day we would be traveling to Silkeborg for the 2nd half of Stake Conference. To add on to the craziness we knew that we were getting a new Stake President. But the thing we found out was the unexpected. Our Bishop has been a bishop for 3 months now and he just got called to be the 1st counselor in the Stake Presidency. We were all just mind blowned! So we get to find out next week who the new Bishop will be haha.

But that is all I have for today! I love you all and wish you all a wonderful week! thanks for everything and may the Lord bless you all throughout your daily lives!

Med Kærlig Hilsen,

Ældste Jantzen Richard Read

The Bloody Towel Exchange

I had the opportunity to go on companion exchanges with Elder Nielsen, here with the other Aalborg elders. He is an awesome missionary! I could tell that he was nervous about taking over the area (Only 2 months in the land) and it was interesting to see the same concerns with him that I had when I first got to Denmark. Amazingly he is doing great! We had the opportunity to teach Rizk, one of the legendary investigators of Aalborg, and he told me of his situation of that he wants to be baptized but his family is very against the idea of it. He asked me what I would do. I tried putting my feet in his shoes to think of what I would do. Interestingly the impression wasn't to express what I would do. I asked him if he remembered the story of Moses the the Israelites. He responded with the story of Moses getting the 10 Commandments and the experience there after. I than asked him to think a little bit earlier. I told him how that when they came to the Red Sea, Pharaoh and his army were on there way to kill the Israelites. But God sent down fire to block them off. Than after that they crossed the Red sea on Dry ground. God provided that. Than after that Pharaoh's army than came after them again. Than God destroyed them with the Red Sea. I than opened up the scriptures to 1 Nephi 3:7. I told him that when you obey the commandments God will provide a way to have his family's hearts soften. He really like that. And without invitation he said that he would like to meet with the bishop so that he can take another step forward to being baptized. See what else he can do to get closer to being baptized. Elder Nielsen gave a wonderful testimony and we both committed him to pray about a date.

Right after exchanges were over we went and played/watched basketball in the city. Something the missionaries do weekly with members and try to get other non members to play as well. Great contacting tool. We showed up and there was a man from Bulgaria who wanted to play. I had my stuff from exchanges and we started playing. The game ended with someone accidently hit the bulgarian's nose and he started bleeding all over the place. And of course we had no napkins or tissues and the only thing we could find was my hand towel that brought for splits. Oh brother. Suffer it for the mission/ investigators haha. So he practically bled all over my towel to stop the bleeding. He was very greatful and he gave me back the towel.... great.... thanks ahah. Hope the blood stains come out haha.

For the past month we have been trying to apply Elder Texira's 3 challenges that he gave to us for the mission. 1) To find more people where we have people (investigators members ect.) 2)Hold shorter lessons (between 15-25minutes visits, this one is probably the hardest haha) 3) to ask baptismal interview questions in every appointment. It's been really hard this past week because everything seemed to not work out and we weren't able to meet with practically anyone. But I truly know that all these things are possible. It's been promised to us, as a mission, that this will help further the work of Salvation in Denmark! We are excited just need to meet with everyone.

Elder Demordaunt is a wonderful missionary! I have seen that he truly wants to work all his heart out the best that he can! It is such an honor and a privilege to be serving with him. I have witness him teaching and he really seems like he tries to follow the Spirit the best that he can. We are excited for the upcoming weeks that we have as a companionship. Well I hope everyone is doing great! Thanks for everything again and have a wonderful week!

-Ældste Jantzen Richard Read

Surprised and Being Transferred

Well had a crazy week! Tell you all the truth I really don't remember the beginning of last week. But based on the title I think you all can guess it. We kind of made jokes that we would get an emergency transfer call in Sønderborg. Because there is an Elder in our mission who needs medical help and will be sent back to the USA for medical treatment. He will still be a missionary in our mission and won't be realsed. He is planning on coming back. He is one of my dear friends also!

But me and Elder Kinch were in the middle of our companionship study. Elder Kinch got up for a drink and the phone started ringing. The fun thing with our phone is that we can have a fake call go off. So a time is set by clicking a few buttons than it goes off in 30 seconds. We played this joke on each other saying President Sederholm or the Assistants called haha. But I looked at our phone and saw that it really WAS President Sederholm. AAAaHHHHHHHHHH! Elder Kinch didn't belive that I was on the phone until he could hear somebody on the other end. President Sederholm told me of the situation and said that he needs to move a few missionaries around. He said that I will be transferring to Aalborg to be with Elder Demordaunt! And that Elder Kinch was going to be in a tri companion ship with Elder Durrant and Elder Willardson for the rest of the transfer. He anticipates that there will be 4 missionaries again in Sønderborg by October.

I was even more shocked to be told that I need to start making arrangements fast. I thought that I was transferring on Monday. President Sederholm told me that it actually makes more sense to send me this Saturday at the mission conference!!!!! What the!!!!!!!!! That means that I have to pack all my luggage before we leave to Copenhagen on Friday! I had less than 2 days to pack everything. GREAT!!! It stinks because I didn't get to say goodbye to as many people as I would have like to. But hopefully I see them at Stake Konfernece!

so with all the madness of this unexpcected I had to hurry. So I packed everything up luckily, and rode in the getto car with All of our luggage (all 4 missionaries) It was packed and we took a train to Høje Taastrup. Dropped my bike off. Than brought me and all my other luggage to Ballerup and stayed the night there. man I got to much stuff. That was a lot to carry around ahhah. Luckily I had other missionaries.

But the next morning we travelded to Copenhagen and had an amazing mission conference by Elder David A. Bednar! It was so amazing! He asked us to read three of his talks on faith and asked us what we learned. It was really a huge Question and Answer session with an Apostle of the Lord! To know that he was 50 feet in front of me was just crazy. I saw also Elder Sakurada and was able to talk with him for just a second. But pretty much Elder Bednar called us to Repentance and to move to a higher plane without saying it. haha. It was one of the craziest expeirences ever! But I want everyone to know that I have had it confirmed to me by the Spirit that those Apostolic keys are RESTORED to the Earth! Elder Bednar and 14 other men hold those essential keys! They are the same keys the apostles of the Lord had when they were on the earth. I have felt the power and authority of that. This church is truly the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is being led by a prophet of the Lord. Called of God and has the right and Authority to exercise all those keys. And his name is President Thomas S. Monson. He is a prophet and this work is true!

After the mission confernece we travled all the way to Høje Taastrup got my bike and had a crazy adventure all the way to Aalborg. It was a long 5 hour train ride. But Elder Demordaunt is an amazing missionary. He is a hard worker. I am excited for the work here. It's going great so far. I love you all and wish you the best! Have a wonderful week! Love always,

Ældste Jantzen richard Read

Last time in Sønderborg =(

Beautiful Sondenborg

Don't take my word for it!

To be honest we have been really busy but not much to report on haha. Okay Lies I just remember a few things. hhaha. Exciting knews is that Elder Sakurada is in Denmark! I am so excited to see another living person from Roy Utah! And even more surprising is I will be seeing him at anther mission conference in Copenhagen this Saturday. And the speaker will be the one and only Elder Bednar! We, as a mission, are so excited for this huge opportunity to hear from him! This is going to be a great week!

I would dare say that me and Elder Kinch had an interesting appointment with an investigator that we found. We had hopes of inviting him to baptism actually haha. We taught the Restoration and the Spirit was just amazing in there! Testified of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon but amazingly even though we testified and the Spirit was present he took a second and said that Christ was the last prophet to live on the earth and there will be no other after him.... What? The Spirit was immediately withdrawn. We tried to explain and use actually bible references of the need for prophets today! But he was set in stone. But what his case that he made was just un clear to me and didn't make sense. It reminds me of The Restoration movie where the priest came to Joseph Smith and said that ''There are no such things as visions and revelations in these days''. Really why? Tell me why does God ceased to be God? I invite everyone to read Moroni 7 in the Book of Mormon. But can someone explain to me that the Windows of Heaven are shut today and that God no longer talks with his children. That CAN NOT be now and WILL NOT BE AGAIN!

I testify with all my soul that I know that the Windows have been opened again. This is Christ's Church here upon the earth! Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God and that we have a Prophet of God on the Earth Today. President Thomas S. Monson. We need prophets today because we are changing everyday and our Heavenly Father will give us our own revelation, when we are doing his will, it can be through the scriptures, a friend or even the apostles and prophets (His Servants) themselves! The Authority to act in God's name was lost with the 1st twelve apostles but God has reached out again and restored that Athority! Just watch President Monson at past General Conference! By his Fruits you shall know! Do not take my word for it though! Do not take President Monson's words for it. Take The Testimony of the Book of Mormon. It is more than just another History book. It is more than just a random civilization that lived in the America's. It is the word of God and has the fullness of the Gospel restored to us! It is the only way of truly knowing! It has been brought forth by the power of God himself to one of his prophets, Joseph Smith. Read the Book of Mormon and than ask if it be true to a Father in Heaven who will tell you the truth of all things if we are willing to find the answer to it! Our Father in Heaven is a Father! He wants to communicate with his Children like any other loving father to his loving children on this earth! If you don't have a testimony of it than get on your knees and ask for one! Just because you cannot see him doesn't mean he is not there waiting on the other side of the telephone! Just do your part and pick up YOUR telephone and desire to know more happiness. I challenge everyone to pray about the Book of Mormon. Do your part first and read it! Don't expect something you haven't worked for. Some answers come sooner than others. Some come even before you finish reading the Book of Mormon. Embrace the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and they will come! Ask and you shall receive. That is our invitation to you and the world! Will you all do it this week? I know that God will answer you! Just asking a specific question ''Are you there?'' makes all the difference in life. I have done this invitation this past week and I know that God lives! And that the Book of Mormon is true!

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Slow down a little and look for the good things in life. The trees, lakes, mountains (wish we had those =) They have made a difference to think of how it all came to be this past week. I love you all! You all are truly my Brothers and Sisters. Thanks for your love and support. This past week they have truly been felt! Love always!

Med Kærlig Hilsen,

Ældste Jantzen Richard Read