Well family it was so wonderful to be able to skype you all and get the chance to talk to each of you. You are all amazing and it meant a lot to me to hear about your lives and see how much you are doing. You are all so talented and blow me away with your talents.
This past week was wonderful. I loved studying the birth of the Savior in the week where we have the opportunity to celebrate His birth. This week has been the darkest and rainiest and coldest week of my mission (weather wise) but it has been the warmest, brightest and most beautiful weeks I have had on my mission.
On the 24th, we went over to Lisbeth (a less active member who is slightly mentally handicapped) apartment because she called us asking if we could visit. So we decided to go over there and read Luke 2 with her and show her pictures of the Nativity. We asked her what she like about the picture and she said "everything, except that thing" She pointed to the manger. We asked her "why Lisbeth? Why don't you like that?" She told us "Because he should not have been born there, with all the animals and other things. He deserves to be in a castle." We asked her why again she thought that and she looked at us incredulously and said "because He is Jesus Christ! He should be in a castle". We then went on to talk about what Christ means to her and we looked at more pictures of His life and talked a lot about His Atonement and Resurrection and how much it would mean to her to be with her mother and cousin again. It was just a short visit though because we were going to be together with her later that night at the Bishop's house.
So after Lisbeth's house, we tried to go to the hospital to go singing but apparently we needed to have booked the hospital a month in advance to go caroling but that was okay because we had some good back up plans. We went out and stopped by a part member family. The wife is less active and has never ever let us into her apartment (because she tells us she doesn't want us over when her husband is over). Well her husband actually had been in the hospital for the past month but on Christmas Eve, he got permission to come home. So we went over there and buzzed up and she answered and we told her we wanted to sing to her. she said "My husband is home finally..." We thought she was going to tell us to go away, but then she continued "so come on up." She let us in and we sang to her and her husband. The Spirit was present and it was a miracle. I was so grateful to be able to meet her husband and to be the means of bringing the Spirit of Christ into their home on Christmas eve.
We stopped by an investigator but he was sleeping so he didn't answer. We were able to talk to two of his friends and sing Christmas carols to them and they loved that.
We had a Guds Tjeneste in the afternoon and there were so many less active families and non members visiting that day and so we had the opportunity to talk and to get to know a lot of them. So that was wonderful experience. It was great to see people focusing on the true meaning of Christmas.
After the service, Sister Tew and I biked in the cold rain to a nursing home to do some service. The man we had arranged it with told us that we could come at 3pm and that there would be some people we could just sit with and talk to and cheer them up. However, when we got there, everyone was napping. So we ended up just spending about an hour and a half helping the workers at the nursing home setting up the table and getting everything ready for their dinner that night. later, there were a few ladies we were able to sit with and talk to and we actually played some Christmas songs on the piano and sang for them. It was wonderful serving these beautiful daughters of God on a day when they were away from their families. Unfortunately we couldn't stay past 5pm because the Bishop was very clear that he wanted us at his house by 5.30pm. But it was still a wonderful experience volunteering and working with the workers at the nursing home.
Christmas Eve we ate with the Bishop and his family and we experienced a truly Danish Christmas. We ate the most typical danish food and it was delicious. Oh family, we are never going back to other Christmas foods. Sorry, it's only going to be danish food from now on, haha. But seriously, they made the most delicious food. And the bishop kept making eat and saying "come on, sister, is that really all you can eat?" and due to my competitiveness, I ended up stuffing myself to overflowing. But then we danced around the Christmas tree singing fun Jule sanger. den var virkelig sjov. And then we opened up gifts. and the ward here is amazing. The members gave gifts to the Bishop and his wife to make sure that we would have gifts to open up at their house that evening.
Then on Christmas day. We opened up gifts from home. Thank you so much family for everything! It was wonderful. I loved my gifts. We went to a members house and they own a jewelry supply shop here in Denmark and so their gift to Sister Tew and I was to get our ears pierced! and then pick out earrings. So, yup, I got my ears pierced and they allowed us to pick out whatever earrings we wanted from one of their best collections. That was cool.
Then on the 26th, the elders and us had lunch at a members house and so we tried getting there by cutting through a park but because it has rained so much here, the park was completely flooded so we couldn't walk on the path, so we ended up going off the path and trecking through a swamp and I pretty much destroyed my boots. But it was a good lunch with rugbrød and russisk salat and liver paste. Mmmm, I love liver paste now :)
Well I hope you all have an amazing new years and remember to make a goal this year centered on the gospel. I know that if you make a goal that revolves around the Savior, your year will be so wonderful and you will find peace and joy.
Love you all! Sister Diana Briscoe
Well, here are some pictures from this past week.
1. Sister Tew, Me and Lisbeth at the bishops home Christmas Eve
3. All the jewelry we were allowed to pick from (oh emmy, I wish you could have been there, you would have loved it!)
4. that is where the path to the members house should have been
5. this is the path we ended up taking, haha
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