A Trip to Aalborg for J's Baptism

Well oh my goodness, I'm turning 20 in 5 days. I got the package!!! I'm saving the presents, except for the camera - I opened that yesterday so I could take some rockin' pictures today. Today has been SO FUN. More on that later!!

The longer I live away from you guys, the more I am grateful for everything you do for me and for your love. I know I am in the right family, and that we were all supposed to be together! Aren't you so glad that families can be together forever? That's always been the foundation of my testimony. I've never doubted that we will be an eternal family!

Hooooo hey hearing about your week makes me feel tired for you! Whew! And now you're down to the last week (weeks? I'm not sure if you're leaving in 1 week or 2)! Ahh! I just love Rapid City so much, it's been a good place to grow up. But Washington DC will be such a great adventure! I'm so excited to hear about all of the sight-seeing and new experiences. Especially with so much family being around! That is so crazy and awesome, all of the sudden 3 of the McBride Sistas will finally live close to each other!

Søster Hadley and I doing our companionship hug in front of a wonderful windmill!

This week has been crazy and wonderful. On Monday we got to go to the YSA Family Home Evening because E, the sweetest girl ever, invited her friend D and he came!! He was very interested in the way we pray, and said that our knowledge of God as our loving Heavenly Father just might convert him. ;) We're hoping he will come again tonight, so we can all be good friends. 

Then on Tuesday we went with the elders to the hospital to sing to an almost 90-year-old woman, E from our ward who broke her hip last week. She usually conducts the music in sacrament meeting, but I did it instead last Sunday and yesterday (it reminded me of being the music conductor in Hawaii! Fun times!). 

Being with E was such a good experience - she has so much faith and sincere love for the Lord. She sang with us and knew every word of the Danish hymns we sang. She told us how important it is when you're conducting music to look into the peoples eyes and smile at them (I did that yesterday and it was so great! She was right!), and that we're all a part of her choir. Her daughter, who isn't a member of the church, was there too and really enjoyed it. She even called a member from the ward afterwards to thank us for coming! 

Right after we got out of the hospital, we got a call from a girl who lives in Frederiksberg and is interested in learning more about the church. We have an appointment with her this week and we're SO EXCITED! People never call us first!! Sister Hadley and I have been freaking out about it all week.

Den Lille Havfrue!

We also did a lot of good service this week (painting C's apartment! deep cleaning at P's!) and went on splits with the Sister Training Leaders. I was with Sister Petersen who is a really hardworking missionary and just wonderful. We met some great people throughout the day and got a couple of numbers (and gave away a Book of Mormon! woo!). 

Here is our rockin' district. :)

And on Thursday we had a REALLY fun district activity! We played beach volleyball for 4 hours straight and had a barbecue on some one-time grills. I love our district! It was nice to just relax and have fun for a few hours. We got incredibly sunburned but it was worth it! I'm getting my sister missionary tan-line going, and it looks really really good. ;)

On Friday night we took a train to Odense and stayed overnight there (so fun to be back! It felt like I never left!), then headed up to AALBORG!  

Oh my goodness Saturday was so wonderful. J is baptized! I saw the Middlemases and some of my greatest friends I've made (H and I, J and E, J and J family, the bishop, Sister Packard and Sister Grant, tons of wonderful people!). 

J's baptism!

Sister Bishop and Sister McVey traveled up with us, so I got to spend a day with almost all of my companions (seriously the only two I didn't see were Sister Hale and Sister Nuttal). 

All of us sisters together, I love them all so much! 

After the baptism we had just enough time to eat lunch at Sticchi's, the greatest Italian restaurant ever. On our way to Sticchi's, Sister Bishop and I contacted someone at the bus stop, gave her a Book of Mormon, and got her number. Oh! It was so fun to do missionary work with my trainer and see how much we've both grown and learned. :)

The Kristus statue in Vor Frue Kirke. We went to a concert there on Tuesday night (it was an all-boys choir... like one of those amazing ones where the young boys can sing higher than most girls I've ever heart) and it was beautiful.

Yesterday during testimony meeting P bore her testimony for the first time since 1993... it was the sweetest testimony. She is the most faithful woman and is working so hard to quit smoking. She has a bad knee and has a hard time walking, so P, her home teacher, accompanied her up to the stand and stood by her while she bore her testimony. It was such a sweet moment!

Us on the docks.

Basically it's been such a great week and there's been a lot of great missionary work going on! And 2 of Sister Hadley's favorite ladies to meet with just got back from long vacations to China and Malta, so I get to meet them soon! So exciting! 

And this morning was transfers, so we stayed with Sister Orgill while she waited for her new companion (Sister Packard! She's coming here to Sjælland to be a Sister Training Leader) and had a grand time being tourists in Copenhagen! I'll attach the pictures for sure. We're spending today and tomorrow with Sister Briscoe while she waits to pick up her new missionary Sister Ripa. 

Sister Hadley, Orgill and I this morning at Kastellet.

And guess who gets to take Sister Ripa out contacting on her first day in Denmark? Meeee! I'm so excited! It's going to be great. :) 

And for the rest of the week we have more service with C and P, meeting with G, P, E, and more! And of course we're going to find more people and just serve the Lord any way we can. I love it here, I love the gospel, and I love these wonderful Danes. 

Also, I love the white handbook! Lately I've been starting my personal study by reading a page out of the white handbook in English (we read a few pages in Danish every day in companionship study) and reading the scriptures that go along with each section. I found a really great passage in D&C 58:30-33 - where Christ is speaking. He basically says that many times we are disobedient, then expect blessings to come - but when they don't come, we start doubting God, but we forget that we weren't obeying his commandments in the first place. But it's hard for Him to help us if we aren't willing to do what He asks us to do!

I love being a missionary, and I love you so much! I will miss celebrating my birthday with you, but Sister Hadley and I will be partying it up here. :) Have a great week! I hope the move continues to go well and that everyone stays happy and healthy!

Love,

Hannah