Dear Family and Friends,
So this is probably the first you will hear about the fire that has just happened in my mission. A sister's Apartment caught and fire and destroyed everything in it in church yesterday (luckily the four sisters that used to live there were at church so they were all safe) but they have lost everything besides the clothes they took to church and the bags they had with them. It just so happens that I am one of the sisters that lived there.

From what the firemen think, it was an Electric box in our Apartment that pretty much exploded and started a huge fire immeditely. The fire and smoke and ash destroyed everything in our Apartment: Furniture, clothes (even the ones in drawers), books, Pictures, letters (so sorry to all my friends. I swear I had letters ready to send you but you'll probably have to wait a while longer to actually receive any letters from Sister Briscoe). All my clothes are gone. This is why you should wait to buy really cute and modest clothes from Europe until you are nearly done with your mission! Never buy them before. And don't care about material Things, you can still preach the gospel with just a few items as a opposed to many.

So sister Bartholomew and I were walking home after church and had planned to get her some Soup (cause she was sick). we saw our Windows flapping open and our neighbors standing outside. They were giving us weird looks and so we asked them what was up and they told us that our Apartment (just our Apartment, not the Building) had caught on fire and the firemen had been there and a few of them were still there but they also told us we were not allowed in our Apartment. Now at this point, I was picturing a Little fire. Like maybe the other sisters left the stove or oven on when they left for church and it started a small fire. But eventually, Sister Bartholomew and I convinced the fireman to let us go look and see the damage. I felt like I was walking into one of those crime scenes you see on tv where the person burns Down a place to hide evidence. Every singel inch of wall and ceiling was Black. some furniture was destroyed and they let us look at our clothes: all ruined. The Pictures I'm sending are from another sister's camera (mine was in the Apartment when it burned. I don't know where it is or if it's alright). The biggest bummer is the clothes. What a shame that all that Money is wasted. Now I know not to buy stupid stuff anymore.

But we called president, told the other sisters and then all four of us cried. We cried, prayed and cried some more. We cried because of the Financial loses and we cried because we are so grateful to just be alive. It was a freak accident and if it had happened while any of us were in the Apartment, "it is unlikely we would be alive" (quote from our friendly fireman) And we have so much to be grateful for. The members here have seriously stepped up immediately and donated old clothes and food and a place to stay and dinner appointments. I'm touched by how much people have helped. It makes me think of Doctrine and Covenants 84:77-91. The Lord knows that I, Sister Murray and Sister Hall, and Sister Bartholomew need clothes and food and so He blessed us to be in the most amazing and wonderful area where we already within 24 hours, have so much, definitely enough to get us through as missionaries.

I'm also grateful for the gospel. I am so grateful to be a missionary and to be sharing this wonderful gospel that I know is true. I know that Christ lives and that He still has disciples on this earth. I know them, they've given me food and clothes and a place to sleep right now. It's interesting and humbling being on the receiving end of so much love

and charity and kindness. I'm overwhelmed and I don't know how on earth I will ever every repay them back. To whoever reads this, don't take the most important Things for granted. Please don't forget that God has a plan and it involves the most important thing ever: our own families. Because of the gospel, God has given us temples and priesthood power where we can be with our families for time and all eternity. I know with my Whole Heart that the temple is the Lord's House and that we should do everything we can to learn about how wonderful the temple is and how we can get there.

I love you all so much. I'm so eternally grateful for you in my life and I pray for your safety! Please pray and thank the Lord for the members in Odense Denmark that are taking care of four homeless sister missionaries.

Much love, Sister Briscoe

A busy week, in which I get sick and get a ton accomplished

Dear Everyone, woah, what a busy week! After you hit the 6 month mark as a missionary, time just picks up and days and weeks slip by. This week went by so incredibly fast.

I was sick from Tuesday to Thursday (just a Cold and a really sore throat). But thankfully I was able to go out and Work for most of the days. I did feel awful Wednesday night, after our Ward coordination meeting and I ended up asking Elder Ivie and our Ward mission leader for a Blessing. It was a neat experience because Elder Ivie annointed and did that in English and my Ward mission leader (Stephan) Sealed the Blessing and did that in Danish. It was the first Blessing I've received in Danish and it was a very special experience. It just reconfirmed my testimony about how real the priesthood is and how God is the one speaking to us when we receive Blessings, because Stephan said some Things that he could have no way of knowing that it was exactly what I was struggling with. I love the priesthood. I'm so very grateful to know worthy priesthood holders that can act as intruments in the Lord's hands and help me and others when needed.

Despite being sick, we got a TON done this week. How grateful I am for Ward members that love doing missionary Work. There is this greenlandic member in our Ward, JJ, and he loves doing missionary Work. He comes teaching with us so much and he is right now helping us teach two greenlandic families (because we can't speak greenlandic). We've met with them once before JJ came with us and that did not go well because only one of the Family members speaks Danish and the second time we came, JJ was with us and the spirit was so strong and six other Family members now are investigators!

Also, we met this mulsim man trying to contact a referral with JJ. He pulled up on his bike and started yelling at us to come over and we thought he was mad but then we found out that that was just the way he talked. He just yells. Anyways, he was very interested and enthusiastic about our pamphlets and kept telling us we needed to bring him some in Arabic. Then he showed us his house, and hustled us in (like he did not even listen to us when we tried to tell him we couldn't come in because there wasn't a third girl). He just kept frantically beckoning us in and saying "come! COME! come!" finally, we just went in (I know, I know, I'm an awful missionary). Basaam (that's his name) is a very devote muslim, with the prayer rug and Compass pointing East and everything. Anyways, he made us sit Down and then brought out all this food for us to eat. Then he proceeded to yell us, not tell but yell, his life story. We finally convinced him to let us go and he very energetically told us that we were his sisters and JJ was his friend. "Sisters, Friend! Sisters Friend" he wanted to be sure we understood. That was an interesting experience.

Our investigator Nynne is perfect. Seriously she is. We went to a lesson with her and asked her how reading was going and she is half way through the book of mormon but she's going to start over and keep reading in Alma at the same time so she can understand clearly. She prayers after every time she reads and gets a confirmation that it is true. She now believes Joseph Smith truly was a prophet and she surprised us by telling us that she has read the ENTIRE gospel principles mannual. Yeah, that was a surprise. And she says she wants to live after everything she's read in it. I love her so much. She's so amazing. And it's so obvious to me that it's nothing I am doing but that this process for her is really between her and the Lord. He's the One teaching her, not me. And then, through her example and her sincerity, she has taught me so much of what it Means to put the Gospel and the Lord first.

Anyways, I love you all so much!

Kærlig Hilsen, Søster Briscoe

P.S. The Picture is of Søs Ripplinger, Me, Nynne and Søs Bartholomew and the other Picture is Nynne's oldest boy, Jonathan playing with the Elders after a dinner appointment (he is 3 years old)

Great Week

So this past week went really well. I love it when you have investigators who are sincerely investigating the church and putting time and effort into studying the Book of Mormon. I love it when you have investigators who have testimonies. And that is Nynne. She is perfect. Man, I love her so much and every day, that love just increases. It's so great being a missionary because the Lord just blesses you with a portion of His charity and love that He has for His children.

This week we went teaching with Sabrina! Yup, that's right, Sabrina from when we first lived here. It was great to see her teach. It was the first time since she's been back from her mission that she has gone teaching with the missionaries. I felt a Little special. She also called me "Diana" and that was weird cause it didn't sound like my name. I'm "Søster" now.

Also, we found out that one of the Africans in our Ward is going to another church. But we also found out that not only is going to another English speaking african church, he is preaching in an English speaking african church. And guess what he is preaching? The message of the Restoration and the Book of Mormon! haha, so that's missionary Work to the extreme. Now we just need to get all those people he's been working with to come to our church Building and then baptized. We'll have to have a talk with our African friend and see what is really up.

Hmmm, I can't really think of anything else that has been very exciting. Busses have recently been late. Like 30 minutes late to everything and that is getting old.

I'm hungry and I want to eat a Kebab. I love Kebabs. There are middle Eastern burritos and they are delicious. But I only have 63 krones to get me through this week so going and buying a kebab would put me at 13 krones. So no kebab for me. No food for me actually. Just a Little bitty small. That's what happens when missionaries travel and use all their food Money to visit less actives that live way far out there.

Sorry this letter is short this week. I'll try to have a more eventful week this week. Love you all!!!

MVH Søster Briscoe