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| Splits with Natasja |
It's crazy to think that 2019 is already over and I ́m entering my "black year" (full year serving as a missionary)!! There's a whole bunch of unforgettable memories I ́ve already made and incredible miracles that I've seen in Denmark. I look forward to the many, many more that are on the way. This week blew my mind and also the skies! Thanks to our moved P-day, I ́ll be including Christmas and New Years festivities in one email instead of two. That ́s a pretty good way to hit two birds with one stone, if you ask me!
Danes are exceptional when it comes to celebrating holidays so that makes this time of year so memorable. We only had a couple days this week without an eating appointment so our spirits were high and our bellies were full. Lille juleaften (Christmas Eve Eve) began with the Kjeldsen family. We helped them decorate their tree after eating plates upon plates of homemade pizza. Natasja was also there and apparently stayed with the family late into the evening after the APs and Roskilde Elders took off to get home on time. It's been great to see how well she has been fellowshipped into the ward and the relationship she is building with the members here!
We spent juleaften (Christmas Eve) with the Møller family, who has a son about to head out on his mission to South Africa. President allowed the missionaries to stay out for 5 hours and we thought that would go by super lower, but boy were we wrong! We ate traditional Danish food, sang Danish Christmas carols, danced around the Christmas tree, watched a Disney Christmas show, and unwrapped Christmas presents. The dynamic quartet all got new gloves, scarves, Super Brugsen t-shirts, and Georg Jensen ornaments as gifts. We all felt blessed and spoiled after that eventful night. Danes really put a lot of effort into treating and uplifting the missionaries - we LOVE it!
Juledag (Christmas Day) was another day of getting pampered. The Nørrungs had us over for julefrokost with a HUGE array of smorgasbord delights. There was salmon, shrimp, pickled herring, salami, blocked cheese, meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, rye bread, sourdough bread, and much more. I really enjoy seafood & meats and I ́m still somewhat addicted to cheese so I was in PURE HEAVEN!! We then listened to a few Christmas classics, played a few rounds of Bingo. and took a family stroll around Lejse. Gotta love my family away from family! :D We finished off the night with the Larsens and a nice half-Brazilian, half-Danish family. We were served Brazilian food: white rice, brown rice, black beans, pinto beans, and bell pepper chicken. The family showed interest in learning more about our church so that ́s always exciting!
Anden juledag (second Christmas Day) was yet again a spoilfest. The Borup brothers came to pick us up and told us to switch into P-day clothes to get the hygge spirit going. We chilled with them by playing board games, card games, and watching what Danes like to call "the real football". Now that I ́ve lived here for a bit I kinda agree that it's strange to name a sport that uses mostly hands football. What were those pioneers thinking? I do have to say that I felt like I was plopped in the Moore family room. I appreciated the homey feel!
Oh my goodness, New Years in the States goes not compete to New Years in Denmark. NOT EVEN CLOSE!!! I mean, I ́d put them above Disneyland firework shows! WOW, the Danes were going b-zerk and lighting the skies like crazy! We literally could not sleep cause it was too loud. We watched the fireworks and reflected on how Brown and I will be missionaries this whole year and Jensen and Walton will be back in the States before we know it. That ́s a pretty weird but thrilling thought. There's definitely some pros and cons to that.
As a missionary, I ́ve truly seen how the gospel transform others. We have witnessed this with one particular person who decided to get baptized on January 18. You ́ve already read her name in this email (hint hint: Natasja). On Saturday, we had an 8-year-old baptism and Brown, being the genius he is, invited Natasja to watch it last minute. She showed up and enjoyed the experience! There was a birthday party afterward so we planned how we would do about extending a date to her. We had discussed setting her on baptismal date before so I asked Lars, our mission leader, to be a third man in a lesson. We read from 2 Nephi 32, which talks about going down the right path, and then asked if she would love to be baptized January 18. She accepted and immediately asked when we could start planning the baptism. She ́s pumped and we ́re looking forward to that day!
Being a missionary is a good way to start off the New Year, so I thought I ́d end by challenging all you wonderful readers to find one way to brighten someone's day everyday. It doesn't have to be anything big and quite honestly, I believe that the most impactful things in life are simple. Let us always remember that "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma 37:6). The tiniest acts of kindness may seem pointless in the moment, but there is no way to tell how influential they could be to those being served. Make 2020 a fantastic year! Love you all!
Godt nytår! Skab et fantastiskt år!
Ældste Moore
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| Reindeer Brown and Reindeer Moore |
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| Reindeer Moore in his natural habitat |
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| Familien Møllers dekorationer |
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| Familien Møllers juletrae |
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| New Years Eve at Lotte's |
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| New Years Eve dice gift exchange at Lotte's 🎲 |
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| Leftovers |
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| Domkirken |
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| Fireworks over the Domkirke |
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| Speed racer about to set off a firework |
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| Firework fun |
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| Lego war! |
