Week 50: Elders Only

Chilling on the bench

32 Elders, 0 Sisters. What does that mean? That's right, a mission-wide Elders' Conference! Woah, what an ingenious concept! We made this gathering as manly as possible. Masculine voices belted "Kom, Israels ældster" (the Danish version of "Ye Elders of Israel") and "Kom, all I Guds mænd" (the Danish version of "Come, All Ye Sons of God") as I enthusiastically played along. We heard some trainings that boosted our testosterone levels. We were fed a Filipino buffet and saved up calories to prepare for the next activities. We played a bunch of sports, American football, volleyball, soccer, and rundbold (a Danish hybrid of baseball and cricket), to get some bonding time in. We then tasted different cookies in a bake-off between 5 Elders. The Elders enjoyed this gem while it lasted because it was definitely a glorious day!

Other than the unforgettable event mentioned above, we had a few things happen. We did some garden work for Gerd and went around offering service in her neighborhood. One woman named Alice wrote down our number and said that she would call some other time. We tried a new approach on the street by asking people if they like Jesus. There were many laughs but also many more open conversations, one of which was with a young woman named Ida. We got her number and agreed to meet in the park in the near future. We had interviews with President and Sister Olsen, which was very uplifting. We got our bikes fixed and had an eating appointment with the Held family. Eske and Jared randomly showed up to church and we taught them about the Word of Wisdom, the Law of Chastity, the Restoration, God's nature, human nature, and the basic organization of the Church. It was all in English, since Jared recently moved from the States. Teaching is always so fun, especially with how rare it has been for the time being.

Whelp, I thought to conclude with a little experience. Every missionary was invited to share a scripture with President during our personal interviews. During my interview, he randomly opened his scriptures and then asked which verse I would like to share. He happened to open to Alma 26:27, the exact spot I had in mind. Now that might seem insignificant to the natural eye, but that was a tender mercy for me. I was a little down that day and it boosted my mood because it made me think a special childhood experience. When I was 12, I prayed to know if the Book of Mormon was true and randomly opened to Mosiah 1:6. That was a powerful answer and I noticed those strong feelings again with President. Never forget that the Lord works through "small and simple things" (Alma 37:6), like these that I mentioned. These events really do make the biggest difference.

Jeg elsker jer utrolig meget,

Ældste Moore

Vietnamese delight 😋

Never ship leg day 😎