Julemanden Kommer

So, here is what I have learned so far about Christmas in Danmark. What you must know about Danes, is that they LOVE Jule (Christmas)! Christmas has been a topic of conversation in most of our lessons/visits since I got here. 

Within the last few weeks the gågade (basically a walking street with lots of stores and shops all along it) has been lit up with Christmas lights, and this last Saturday Julemand

(Santa) arrived in Aalborg on a boat! We didn't get to see it, but apparently there's a big celebration. 

"Santa is Coming"

And I know that on Christmas, Danish families gather around their Christmas tree, hold hands, and dance around the tree while singing a Christmas song! I'm going to try to learn the song this week. :)

Me with a kebab (the most amazing middle eastern burrito type thing ever, and it's also like a foot and a half long)

(Hannah's mom here) all this talk of Christmas reminded me that I wanted to post up her address - in case you want to send her a Christmas card - she loves Christmas cards! You will need to use an international stamp - they are $1.00 at the post office.

This is the coolest park toy I have ever seen!
 It is like a hamster wheel for humans!
You sit in it, and when you lean back
 (if you lean hard enough) it spins you all
the way around!

Sister Hannah Marie Barrett
Denmark Copenhagen Mission
Borups Alle 128, 1. Tv
2000 Frederiksberg
Denmark

And, just like every other week, this week has been great! We finally got ahold of a less-active member of our ward whose mom (a really cute older lady in the ward) referred to us, and he said we can come back! 

We made a bunch of no-bake cookies this week and took them to ward members. It was really nice to be able to stop by, leave a quick spiritual thought, and get to know each other a little better! We're trying to build up the relationship with the ward members, because that's how you get the best missionary work done! 

I'm tellin' ya, Danmark has the greatest playgrounds!

One day this week, we took the bus instead of biking because we were going to a smaller town outside of Aalborg. I have to say, I used to dread riding the bus because I wanted to be able to talk to people and share the gospel with someone on the bus ride, but I always got really nervous and too afraid to do it. But this time, I sat next to a lady and had a completely normal conversation, in Danish! It gets easier and easier to talk to people and be brave. Probably because I can actually understand what is being said now. ;)

Yesterday (Sunday) was probably the most exciting day of the week. A less-active woman we have been meeting with finally came back to church, and she was so happy to be there! She brought her two little boys and they really enjoyed it too - they're going to come back next week! 

And remember the couple that we ran into last week on the day of their appointment, but they ended up having to cancel the appointment? They were in church too! It was a great Sacrament Meeting and all of our people that came were really happy. Which means we were really happy!

The bus road & pit of death!

After church, we had an appointment with an investigator who is from Uganda. We invited the Ægtepar to come with us so they picked us up in the car to drive us there! Remember the picture I sent last week of a bus road, and how they have pits of death on them to keep normal cars out? Yeah, we drove on one of those roads. Into a pit of death. 

A tire may or may not have been flattened, and the rim on that tire may or may not have been bent! Ohhhh it was so terrible, but so funny! We're going to be dropping some kind of treat by the Ægtepar's apartment today to say thank you and sorry for the crazy car ride. But we ended up getting to the lesson, and it went really well!

Anyways, sorry, my note is not very exciting this week. But it was a great week! And Christmas is coming, which means even more fun ahead! Plus I should have some really cool pictures to send next week, because today we're going to visit some old Danish churches.

A half eaten kebab and a julebøll (a Christmas pastry).

Can you believe how fast time is going these days though? It's already almost Christmas! It was just the summertime!!!