3 Crazy Newses

Altså... ja. I have some crazy news! 3 crazy newses (that's totally not grammatically correct... sorray!) to be exact. 

1. Sister Vige transferred to Aalborg (best city eva!). I will miss her so much - she's been such an example to me and she just has so much love. It's been a great transfer.

2. I'm having a baby!

...and by that I mean I will be training! I found out on Thursday. I don't know who it will be, but I am hoping and praying that it will be an enjoyable experience for her and that we can do great Work together. I know it will all work out - the Lord is going to bless us as we do our best and serve obediently!

3. I'm also a Sister Training Leader!

Har har har, I bet you think I'm joking, but I'm not. I'm freaking out a little (lot) inside, I've never done either before and now I'll be doing both. I really want to curl up in a ball on the floor and die a little bit inside, but instead I'm just going to say: Bring it on. I can do hard Things! And as President Sederholm said when I asked him how the heck I will be able to do this, "there's only one way. And that's the Lord's way. Trust in Him." All I have to do is keep living the gospel, following the rules, and inviting others to come unto Christ. Heavenly Father will help me do everything that needs to be done. (but pray for me okay?)

Well this week was amazing. First of all, General Conference. Amazing. M came to two sessions! L came to one, and so did S. We watched a session with T and F and T's parents in Italian and when we left, F said he would watch the last session as well! 

It was amazing¨, the talks seemed to be directed straight to me and the wonderful people we work with. The Spirit was so strong and I felt like even though I really wanted to freak out and feel like I was not good enough for what I've been called to do (like I normally do), Heavenly Father wouldn't let me. I just felt His peace and comfort, and a lot of motivation to step it up and work even harder. 

The first session seemed to hit me the hårdest and set the tone for the rest. I don't remember her name, but the woman who talked about the Sacrament was amazing! She talked about a friend who would to take time during the sacrament to go over all the mistakes she had made in the week previous and how she could do better in the coming week. But then she got discouraged because she seemed to make the same mistakes week after week - and I feel that way too sometimes! But then she started focusing instead on specific moments throughout the week where the Atonement enabled her to make it through the week. 

That made a big impact on me - I have been trying to focus in my prayers on what the Atonement has made it possible for me to do throughout the day rather than what I haven't been able to do, and it is so much more motivating! I feel gratitude for what is possible, and I can see what I need to do better at but I don't feel like it's a bad thing to need to repent. Instead I feel like I can ask Heavenly Father to help me in the specific Things I need to do the next day, and I know that He will be there through His Spirit to help me do better than I could do on my own. I can't wait to take the sacrament next Sunday and try to focus on what's possible for me because of the Savior rather than what I haven't been able to do by myself.

We stopped by our Ward mission leader's house on Wednesday with cookies (Classic Sister Missionary move...) and there was a girl moving some things into her apartment. She kept looking over at us and smiling, and then even her boyfriend came out and looked at us! I don't know why they did that, but Sister Vige and I decided to go over and see if we could help them. We ended up having a great conversation, giving them an introduction to what we believe, and giving V (the girlfriend) a Book of Mormon! It was so fun! She said we can come back anytime, so my new companion and I will definitely be stopping by as soon as possible.

M is doing really well. We had a really bad lesson this week - the Spirit was just not there and everyone left feeling frustrated and hurt. Sister Vige and I were so afraid that things were falling apart and M wouldn't want to meet with us anymore, but it turned into a really wonderful oppportunity to learn a bit about forgiveness. We met with M again the next day (we were on splits so Sister Vige wasn't there, but Sister Murray was!) and talked about how it had gone. It was a chance to apologize, to talk about what went wrong, and to forgive. More than anything else it was a chance for all of us to learn about how the Spirit works and how beautiful it is that through the Atonement, spiritual wounds can be healed. We left feeling so much better (and felt so much more of the Spirit's presence!) and when we watched conference together the next day, the Spirit was there once again and it was just good.

After we watched conference with M we went and visited L (by the way - Sister Hall's mom, Jennifer, is awesome! She is picking up Sister Hall from her mission, and spending the week working as a Søster Missionary.  She came with us to lessons all week and was happy to participate and shared her testimony whether the lesson was in Danish or English! She is great. I don't think I have a picture with her, but she has one of me so hopefully she'll send it to me.).  We sang her a song and shared Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-9. It was a really wonderful moment, the Spirit was so strong and I was so glad that Jennifer was there because she could really relate to L's situation as a mother. She's just going through a hard time right now and it meant a lot to have someone there who could really understand.

Anyways it's just been so great. The work is wonderful. On the train to Copenhagen (I'm on splits here while I wait for my new companion) Sister Hall and I were on the same train (she's on her way home!) and we met/talked with a man and woman (I don't know how to spell their names but it was something like Samari and Mahowna) from Africa, from a country I don't know how to pronounce or spell. They are on their way to Sweden and have been traveling as refugees for the last 2 months through Africa and into Europe. I imagine it has been a truly difficult trip, and Samari left behind a 2-year-old daughter. We shared the message of the restoration with them and gave them a Book of Mormon, and prayed with them. It was so amazing! They don't have an address or a phone number to give yet, but I gave them my email so they can write me, and mormon.org so that they can get in contact with the missionaries in Sweden.

I love being a missionary. I'm a little stressed out right now with everything, but more than anything else I feel a strength within me that is not my own. I feel more responsibilty than ever to love and teach the people we work with in Slagelse, and to find those we are supposed to find. It's a beautiful work, and it is the Lord's work. 

I am so grateful for Conference and the spiritual light it gives. I love knowing that even though we're so far away from each other, you and I were watching the same conference and getting the revelation we needed from it. I really loved the closing prayer in the first session, when he prayed for the families of the missionaries serving in the field. I knew that was to you! I hope you could feel the love as well. :)

Have a great week! Keep on being amazing!  I didn't get to see the Sunday evening session yet but I will, and President Sederholm recommended that we read Elder Bednar's talk as well, so I'll definitely be taking the time to do that soon! I don't know what we're studying in Preach My gospel this month yet, but I'll let you know when I do.

I love you so much! I pray for you all and I hope that all goes well. 

Keep it up! you are the best.

Love,

Hannah

PS - the pictures are Sister Vige and I with B, with T (sitting on the couch) and F (again on the couch), Sister Vige and I wearing the amazing mustaches that the Ericksons' sent, and us with M.  hahaha oh yeah this is from when we went to carl's junior. Yum!