Transfer to Odense!

I am doing great today! It has been way way crazy and fun. Aalborg was dejligt this morning, but now I am in... ODENSE! 

(Hannah's mom breaking in to tell you a little about Odense - it is one of Denmark's oldest cities.  It celebrated it's 1000 year anniversary in 1988. And has even older Viking roots. Odense means Odin's shrine, named for the Norse god.  It is the birth place of Hans Christen Andersen.  It is on the Island of Fyn.  Hannah says the language is a little different than what she is used to, but she can understand most of it.)

And it is lovely here. Holy cow it is so warm outside, like some serious spring weather going on, and I am loving it! I didn't even have to wear a jacket! My new companion is Sister McVey (I miss Sister Packard so much! But Sister McVey is awesome!) and she is from Arizona. She's been on her mission for almost a year, and we went on splits one time when I first got to Denmark! So that is fun.This week was really fun! I found out on Tuesday night that I was transferring, so I got ready for that (I squeezed everything into my luggage! Hallelujah!). 

I said a lot of goodbyes which was really sad, and just tried to get everything done that I needed to (there were a couple of people we hadn't stopped by in a while, some organizing in the area book, etc). 

Søster Packard and Me

I feel really good about my time in Aalborg and I feel that I did what the Lord sent me there to do. We had some good contacts this week - a woman named T who we contacted on the street who really liked our message about families, gave us her address, and told us to come by! 

Me with a really cute couple from Aalborg

Also a girl named K who took a Book of Mormon and said something like "You always have to be open to a new way of thinking! Maybe this will be the way for me!".  We had some wonderful lessons (one last lesson with J and J, A, H and I, M, everyone! It was bittersweet.), and some fun adventures. Especially this morning.

Me with M, and Søster Packard (did I send this picture before?)

So we woke up at 5:30am and got all ready to go, then got a call from the Elders asking if we had heard from the Middlemases. We hadn't, and we were all a little concerned because the Middlemases were supposed to pick up the Elders and their luggage at 5:45, and us at 6:15. 

Sister Packard and I decided we would just bike to the train station so that my bike would be ready to put on the train, then bus back to the Apartment, pick up the luggage, and bus back to the train. We got on our bikes - and my back tire was flat AGAIN! We biked to the station anyway. 

While we were going we got a call from the Middlemases saying that their alarm hadn't gone off but that they were up and on their way to get the Elder's luggage, and then they could come pick up ours. So we bussed back to the apartment, picked up the luggage, and made it back to the station with 15 minutes to spare! It was a miracle! 

Elder and Sister Middlemas are so good to us to help us with all of this, and I feel so bad that their alarm didn't go off! But it all worked out. 

I made it safely on the train and down to Odense, and got all settled in in the new apartment! There are 4 of us Sisters living in the apartment - Søster Hendersen, Søster Sheridan, Søster McVey and I. 

Søster Barrett and Søster McVey!

We have our own room with a bunk bed and two study desks! That is so nice to have for morning studies. 

My new room.

We all share this hilarious little bathroom, I think it is the same amount of Space as the bathroom in Aalborg but it is shaped in a skinny little hallway. Gotta love it! 

The skinny bathroom.

There's a beautiful park nearby that we're going to go running in (woohoo!) and I am just excited and happy to be here. After I got some of my stuff moved in, Sister McVey and I were going to do laundry - but the Card they use to pay for the laundry machine is missing! So we have to do our laundry tonight at the Ivie's (they are the senior couple here, and I have a feeling they do just as much to save the day for us missionaries as the Middlemases do! Thank goodness for wonderful people like that!). 

Then we went to do our emailling, and the internet at the church wasn't working. So we traveled downtown to the library instead. I feel like today has been a little test to see how much I have learned from all of the crazy adventures I've had in the last 5 months - and I think I passed! :) 

I used to get so worried if things didn't go according to plan, and then I would just waste time being stressed out about things I couldn't control. But instead, today has been a really fun and nice day! I didn't get super worried once! So that, I think, is a big success. 

Plus! I'm already having fun missionary moments. To use the computers in the library here you have to register at the front desk with your sundhedskort - like a social security card - and your email. When I told the lady at the desk what my email was, she couldn't figure out what I was trying to say with the @myldsmail.net part so she had me type it in. 

She said, "I've never heard of that email site!" So I said, "It's from our church - we're missionaries!" And she then told us that she knows a couple members and one of her daughters goes to school with them. I didn't know who she was talking about (since I'm so new and all! ;) ), but Sister Mcvey did and it turns out it's our Bishop and his family! That was a really fun little coincidence. (Haha let's be honest, it wasn't a coincidence!).

So that has been my week, and more especially my day! I am so excited to be here!!!

A really cool church in Aalborg that we visited last week

And I was always worried that when my time came to leave Aalborg, I would feel like I didn't do what I was supposed to do there. But a couple nights ago in my bedtime prayer I had the chance to review a lot of the things we have done in the time I was in Aalborg with Heavenly Father, and I had the sweetest, strongest feeling that I had done the Lord's will there, and that He was happy with my service. 

Inside the church.

So my goal here in Odense is to feel the same way when it's time to transfer away, again! I am just so grateful for the chance I have to be a missionary and learn so much. It's awesome!

More detail in the church.

Anyways I better go! We've got a bus to catch soon to a dinner appointment with the Ivies! Pray for me in my new area, and I will keep praying for everyone over there. :) 

Vi ses Næste Uge! Hej hej!

Love,

Hannah

PS 7 months on Friday! What whaaaat!