Greetings!

 Hello everyone,

This week has been very busy and very full but I will be making a list of things that are super good and some that have been bad!

The Good: 

We were able to teach a lesson to our friend and we also got a few referrals. He is a super good guy but he has it a little hard right now. It means a lot that he would trust us to try and bring hope to his life by sharing about Jesus Christ.

We got to have splits this week with the Zls and they are very cool. We had some good lessons with some potential friends and got to get some important work done.

We made a post on our service page and now have over 9 different opportunities to do service for people! I cannot say that I am surprised but I will say that it is a little unexpected. A lot of them asked what it would cost and when we said it was free all of them were super surprised! I am grateful for the opportunity to provide service. It really helps lift our spirits and definitely fills our schedule with good things.

We have been able to travel to an island that is kinda far away but literally no missionary has probably gone to before. We did service for a restaurant owner and had a very good time. The drive there was extremely pretty and we were basically the only ones on the road the whole time. We also had a fun feast together on P-day and traveled to a beautiful beach. It was cold, but it was beautiful to see the dark black sand and high cliffs. Because the water was so high, we could not walk down to the edge of the water. Still, a very fun day with our district. 

The Bad: 

Not much!!!!! It is great as missionaries to accept the bad and not let the most of it stand out but I will say the darkness and the slow work is definitely hard to deal with at times. We are finding more and more ways to be better though so that is exciting! I continue to have a good attitude. And, they ZL's brought us the "happy light" that all missionaries in Denmark are expected to turn on each evening. . 

Spiritual Experience: 

As I met with our mission President during interviews, what he shared made a lot of sense to me. The reasoning and faith that our president has is evident. He really cares and is guided by God! I'm so grateful to have a really thoughtful, fun and dedicated example. It really buoyed me up. I'm grateful to wear the name of Jesus Christ on my tag and look forward to this Christmas season.

Well everyone, I thank you for the support and I will say that I am thankful for all the prayers for missionaries across the world.

Vi ses til næste gang!

These are a bunch of pictures of me and my companion together around art!

Love,

Elder Lines

Nykøing Falster and the many islands

 Hello everyone,

This week has been amazing!  My companion, Elder Hacking, and I  have been doing some great work. The area we are in, although hard, is filled with  a bunch of fun stuff! We have an amazin branch with super dedicated members. They have invited us over to eat and we have been able to get to know them better.

A big thing we focused on this week was getting to know the areas around our zone so we went to some of the other places on the islands. We knocked on a lot of doors and used our time efficiently to find out whether or not the inactive members in that area were actually interested in coming to church. Overall ,we did some very good work. 

As the time in Denmark goes on, so does the love that I have for these people! There is so much joy to be found and they just need to take the first step and they will be so blessed! As a part of my study this week, I have made it a staple to focus on the way that we better show our love and the idea in my head keeps coming  to SMILING! I have seen so many people go from frowning to smiling after the simple gesture of sharing my joy.

As a cool activity this week we went to the town of Vordingborg and took some fun photos while doing some findnig up there. The best part of this experience is that it was the most successful day I have had in this new area. We were truly in the right place at the right time and made some good contacting. The work is slow, but it is happening. And, I'm grateful for the small and big miracles. I've enjoyed training and am learning so much as a district leader. Our district is small and I'm looking forward to a fun p-day activity we are planning for next week.

We had a very cool experience this week with one of our friends who moved out of their house due to a rat problem. We got to talk with them about the Book of Mormon and Heavenly Father. We gave them the invitation to read and helped them move their furniture and get some food from the depths of the infested house (luckily I didn't see any rats luckily). It was a combination of service and testifying. The best combo!

This has been a pretty normal, uneventful week.  I feel that every week that goes by it just becomes more and more familiar with me and becomes easier to handle. I am just happy to be out here! Each week there is something to learn and someone to love. And, I get to testify of Jesus Christ which really does bring a smile to my face. 

I am thankful for everyone's prayers and for your faithful support. Happy Thanksgiving my friends!

Love,

Elder Lines

The Mafia in Nykobing Falster

 Hello everyone,

This week has been filled with quite a lot of things and I'm happy and doing well.

First of all, this week was transfer week! Where we got to learn about travel plans and say goodbye to the area. As I told you last week, I was moved out of Aarhus and sent to Nykobing Falster! I am so excited to be able to get to be here and serve the people. The branch here (meaning there are not many people) consists of around 10 people that come to church. We work with them closely and it has been great to get to know them in the short time I have been here. We live right about the church. Like, the church is on the first floor and our (very large) apartment is on the second floor. We also have a car since our area is large (three islands connected by bridges). We also have a washer and dryer right in our apartment which is obviously very convenient. 

My companion has told me about the members and they are literally like a "Mafia" (a good one) down here. They run the missionary work and the branch. They have the dad and his kids who make up the leadership of the "mafia" in the entire bottom of Denmark! I have been able to enter as an honorary member of the Johansen mafia family. What a faithful family to hold the church together in this part of Denmark. It's very impressive.

On another note, I have become the DL. That means that I am the leader of my district and will be giving ideas for finding and creating goals. I also check in on the missionaries and make sure the work, language, etc are going well. Along with that, it means that we will get to have a lot of fun activities with our district. I like people and enjoy being social, so I'm excited about this. 

This week we had quite a few lessons but I think the best lesson I had was right before I left Aarhus. It was with our friend Bozhidar and we had the opportunity to talk a lot with him about his current situation in Denmark. We got to teach him about God and his eternal plan for him and how we need faith to truly understand! It was a good last week in my first city. I loved it there and am grateful for the people who welcomed me and taught me how to be a missionary. 

A time that I felt the spirit this week was during the first church meeting in Nykobing Falster. I was able to bear my testimony! I shared a scripture from Mosiah 2: 

And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and ^ahappy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are ^bblessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out ^cfaithful to the end they are received into ^dheaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

This scripture is such a strong testament to the work we do. I would encourage all of you to ponder on this scripture and how blessed we are to be followers of Christ. It felt good to feel confident in my  Danish skills and I can see how far I've come in just a few weeks. The gift of tongues is amazing. Mostly, it feels good to be able to say what I feel and people can understand me most of the time. 

The last thing that was fun this week is that we got to see a lot of the new Elders & Sisters in the mission. One of them is a native Danish Elder. We don't see those too often! He comes from Denmark and speaks perfect Danish. I just love seeing the Danes' own people out in the country to serve and love the Lord. 

I love you all and am very grateful for your love and support.

Love,

Elder Lines

Forflyttelse uge!

 Hello Everyone,

This week has been really. really good and frankly probably the busiest week we have ever had in terms of stuff that we have planned ourselves. Along with that has come some really fun times and some interesting developments! As I stated in my last email, we had the ability to set our friend, Janik, on baptismal date. Every experience we have had since we have been able to see how ready he is and how happy he seems to be! He is scheduled to be baptized in the middle of this month. It's been a very big blessing to be part of this process for me. I have learned so much from him and will always consider him a friend.

The entirety of our week has been great but the defining event of this week is definitely the news we got from President. I will be  moving to Nykøbing Falster in the next transfer! That means that I will be packing and completing some work we have here to do in Aarhus and moving by the end of this week.  It is definitely bittersweet that I will be leaving and I am happy to say that I will be leaving knowing that I have helped in any way that I can. What a great start to my mission. I have loved this place.

This week started out strong with a lot of planning to lessons and some eating appointments with just some really cool members! As a part of leaving the area that I am in now, I feel sad, as I will be leaving people that I have come to know so well. I'm trying to say goodbye and thank you to as many as possible. 

As mentioned, we have been busy doing good things.  We did a cooking class, managed a family history event, and helped out with a young adult sacrament meeting. A big part of all this work means that we have  been able to have a lot more lessons! This week alone we have had more lessons than we have been able to for the whole transfer. We have seen some miracles and most importantly, I have been able to see our friends here grow and learn of God's eternal plan for them. Seeing how hearts and people change has been really powerful for me. It has also forever changed me.

We also got to make some Mexican food this week with our friend Janik. We made burritos with homemade guacamole, Spanish rice, sweet potato, and mushrooms. Overall I would rate it a 9/10 as we had so much fun doing everything and the food was delicious. No surprise, I continue to love food!

The next day was a Family History event where a bunch of people came to learn about family history. We managed the setting up and preparation of some of the parts of the day. With all the missionaries there we just had a blast and were able to have so much fun relaxing and taking the day to help others learn about something so important. 

Well everyone that concludes another week of the work in Denmark! I wish everyone a warm and comfy time!

Love,

Elder Lines