Week 1: Change Upon Change

August 16, 2019

Week 1: Change Upon Change

Our district, left to right: Elder Jensen, Elder Moore, Sister Duckworth, Sister Nelson, Elder Modersitzki, Elder Cook, Elder Jaursch

Hej og god morgen alle! P-Day is finally here!!

WOWWWW, this week has been absolutely insane!!! I really don't know where to start because I feel like Moore (hehe) has happened in this one week than in my entire life before. But seriously, be prepared for a SUPER long email because I've got a lot to share. If you read it all then I know you're a true friend cause that takes some real dedication right there, haha.

Right before I entered the Missionary Training Center (MTC), my wonderful, beautiful family (who I already miss so much) took me to Chick's Cafe and then we had a last second photo shoot. It's been interesting not having a photographer with me anymore because the Samsung cameras and my cheapo camera from Walmart are both garbage but hey it's better than nothing. At the temple, I ran into someone I'd texted before the mission named Elder Modersitzki, from Highland, Utah, and we took infinite amounts of pictures for memories. I guess that's a good reason to take so many so I'm grateful we did that. Immediately after we were taken to the MTC and shipped on the missionary chain line for the next two years! The first day, quite honestly, was extremely overwhelming. I get that people like to welcome new Elders and Sisters but that was really the ONLY thing I heard all day so those words got annoying. We were thrown a bunch of information and I only remembered about 5% of it but at least I didn't forget everything. It's been a blast returning the favor to the missionaries that just came in yesterday, hehehe.

The first thing we did was head straight to class and get to meet our companions and district.

My companion is Elder Jensen from Logan, Utah and he's always willing to talk and uplift others. He's a genuine person and we compliment each other almost perfectly. He loves to play sports and he's incredibly smart. He played basketball in High School and won a National Title in Philosophy so I KNOW that he must be a genius superstar. Elder Modersitzki is in a trio with Elder Cook, from Fruitheights, Utah, and Elder Jaursch, from Sexton, Germany. I don't think I've ever seen a better trio in my life! They're basically the Three Musketeers but 10 million times better! Every time they crack a joke I lagh my head off! The humor has definitely been helpful because we're all going through the same thing. We also have two amazing sisters, Sister Duckworth and Sister Nielsen. I've been assigned as the first district leader so I've made it a priority to get to know everyone a little more each day. Let me tell you, when we're all together we have some hilarious exchanges and say some unforgettable things. I'll make sure to include some of my favorite quotes of the week in this email.

Our zone, which is the biggest in the MTC at the moment, is the best of the best!! Last week the zone consisted of missionaries going to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, The Netherlands / Belgium, Poland, and Mongolia. This week, the Elders and Sisters going to Sweden, Norway, and Finland headed out and some Elders and Sisters going to the United States and the Philippines came into the zone. About 40 missionaries left and 35 came in - talk about a CHANGE. Elder Jensen and I were also in room 321 the first week and transferred to room 307 yesterday. We're now rooming with Elder Hammert and Elder Soug or the Mongols, as we like to call them. They're so funny and we already get along very well!! They taught us some legit secrets to "break us into the MTC", such as getting to the laundromat early to dodge the line and picking up sack breakfast to avoid changing into church clothes. These guys are pretty dang smart! Last night, Elder Jensen and I went around to meet as many of the new people as possible to make them feel welcome. I meet 12 of the 21 missionaries going to the Philippines and 6 of the 14 missionaries going to the US. I honestly believe that these Elders entering our zone is inspired because it reminds me of my friends at BYU-Hawaii (especially those Filipinos reading *cough* *cough*). This simple thing reminds me that God knows how I'm feeling because I miss the Aloha state so much. It's comforting to know that Jesus is now at the wheel and blessing me with tender mercies every day.

So, you're probably wondering how the Danish is coming along?? Well... let's just say that it's coming slowly. We had 8 different teachers this week, and only 3 of them spoke some Danish. That's right, 5 of our teachers didn't even know ANY Danish. :0 Most of this week we've been teaching ourselves the language, which has reminded me of my endeavor to learn Swedish a few years ago. I guess teaching myself a not-commonly spoken Scandinavian language was worth it after all! One thing about Danish is that it doesn't sound ANYTHING like it looks, not even the slightest. If you want an example look up the Danish word for bread and listen to it, you'll definitely see then. Although we've only had an official Danish-speaking teacher for two days, our language has developed rapidly. We've already learned how to meet someone, offer a prater, and testify in the language!! I truly do believe in the gift of tongues!! I've noticed that our district has been stressed and overwhelmed by the task that's been placed before us, but we've learned how to work together and depend on the Lord. I thank God every day for placing me with these Elders and Sisters and I pray for the welfare of them and their families. It's crazy how much I love them and it reminds me of how much God loves us.

On Sunday we had 11 meetings in a row. And yes, you read that correctly. 11... It honestly just felt like one big meeting so that wasn't too bad. My favorite part of the day was watching The Character of Christ, which is a talk given by Elder David A. Bednar. Apparently, missionaries used to watch it every Sunday cause it's so good (and I agree that it's spectacular)!! They discontinued that and only let the incoming missionaries watch it, which is fine for us this week but will be sad for us next week. The message of Elder Bednar's talk was to look outward and lose yourself in the Lord's service. I learned that if I go looking for myself, I'll never find myself. I know that if I lose myself I will truly find myself. I also discovered that I need much more than a testimony of Jesus Christ to be an effective missionary. I need to be fully converted to the gospel and use the Atonement every single day of my life. As a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, my purpose is to invite others unto Christ and help them along the way to conversion. I'm working to improve my personal conversion so that I'll be better prepared to be an instrument in the Lord's hands. I know that He will help me overcome my weaknesses and trials, and He will also fill up all the gaps I may have.

I've been struggling a bit with always being with someone because I usually need some time to recharge. I've decided that I want to replace my "recharging time" with prayer, scripture study, journal writing, and sometimes randomly going to the bathroom. ;) I'm so exhausted and yet I'm the happiest I've been in my entire life. I'm learning to lean on the Savior more and more each day, which is the most important transformation I'm starting to make. I love Him and know that He loves everyone perfectly. There's nothing that will ever change that!! I love and miss you all so much and can't wait to update you on my next week. Best of luck to everyone!

Vi ses snart,

Elder Moore