Week 3

Hej alle!

Today is quite the exciting day. Not only is it pday, but it is also our halfway point. Yay! So exciting. Now we just need our visas so we can go to Denmark instead of be re-assigned. All of our fingers are crossed!

This week was just plain amazing. After everything that has happened this week, there is no way that i could ever not believe that God is there and he loves me. I had confirmation after confirmation.

The first big confirmation was Thursday. It was p-day, but it was a bit of a rough day. We had so much going on and i had so much on my mind. Adjusting to the mtc isnt exactly easy and with all i had to think about at the time i was really struggling to keep up with my comps all day. Finally at class we taught our "investigator" Sørin (aka Brother Williamson). It went well, but i was very much overwhelmed by everything. This was at the very beginning of class. At the very end of class Bro. Williamson always takes each companionship out to talk to them about how they are doing and what we can all do to help. He said that he had noticed that i had had a hard time with the lesson. There was no denying it at all. He asked if everything was ok and me, in my stubborn Handley way, told him it was nothing i couldnt handle and that i was just fine. Most everyone else would have accepted that answer and jsut moved past it, but Bro Williamson sat back for a minute looking at all of us and then told us an amazing story from his mission. i wish i could tell it all, every detail, but it would take way too long and it isnt really my story to tell so i will give you an extremely watered down version and that will have to do. He told us a story from his mission where he had had a really hard time. He said his whole life had fallen apart and he had no one to turn to except the Lord. He hadnt been living the mission rules like he should have at all, and they were having no success in the little country town they were in, so one day when things were at their worst, he got down on his knees to pray. He said that he didnt get any big answer when he was done praying and he didnt feel anything special, but he did decide to live the mission rules to the best of his abilities.He did and he had to work at it, but things started to get better. They finally found this man who wanted to learn more about the gospel. They had no idea what this man was saying at all since his accent was so thick, but they kept teaching him and teaching him. The man read the book of Mormon and they assumed that he understood what he was being taught, but they had no way of knowing for sure. Eventually they were both transferred and later they learned the old mans story. His wife and most of his family had all died and he was all alone. He felt in his heart that he would see them again but had no way to know for sure. He felt that no loving God would give you a family just to take them away at the end of your life. He had just been waiting to hear the truth for years and years. They learned that the man was bearing his testimony to them during every lesson and wanted to be baptized. The new elders in the area baptized him. The mans name was Sørin. He was the inspiration for the way Bro. Williamson teaches us. Bro Williamson said that the old man had been waiting his whole life to hear about forever families from two broken teenage boys who were lost but trying their hardest. It was so powerful.

Now, i dont feel like i have my feet in two places at once and i am living the mission rules the best i can. I am not perfect but i am serving to the best of my abilities with my whole heart. I was, however, getting frustrated with the fact that everyone else in my district could talk back and forth to the investigators with little problem except me. I could sometimes understand what they were saying, but it never came together, and even if i could understand, i couldnt come up with an answer. I just couldnt handle it any more. The story about Bro. Williamson and Sørin was exactly what i needed. It just confirmed to me that our Savior knows each and every one of us individually and that he loves us more than we could ever comprehend.

The next day we went to a thing called TRC where we go and teach real members of the church in Danish. The first TRC we taught was an elderly couple who had both served in Denmark on their missions. Apparently the rate of missionaries getting married to each other from the Denmark mission is crazy high because they are one in four who help out at the mtc. Anyway, we came in and introduced ourselves. All i said was Jeg Hedder Søster Handley and they asked me if i was Danish! My confidence went through the roof for about two seconds until i had to say something else in Danish and i totally butchered it. But, the most important thing is that i recognized that as another tender mercy from Heavenly Father. My confidence had been so low with my Danish the night before, then all of a sudden someone asks me if Im Danish. Since then i have progressed so much. I will get into that later.

The next TRC we taught was a girl from Denmark. She is a foreign exchange student living with an LDS host family in Idaho. She wanted to learn more about the church so the host mom offered to bring her to the mtc where she could be taught in Danish. (the host mom served her mission in Denmark and married one of the missionaries haha) They drove 6 hours so this girl could come talk to us. We had no warning that she was not a member. We were given 5 min to prepare something to teach her, then we walked in and just started talking. She was a sweet girl and was very patient with our Danish. She asked questions and talked to us back and forth. She asked us why we decided to serve missions. I told her that before my mission i was a firefighter and i loved helping people. I told her that i loved it so much that i decided that i wanted to help people in any way i could and i felt so strongly that this church is true that that was the best way i could think to help people. It wasnt quite as fluffy as that, infact it was quite simple, but she listened and asked me more questions. We told her that Heavenly loves her and we taught her the plan of salvation (Frelsesplanen in Danish). At the end we asked her if she would be comfortable praying for us. I expected her to say no and to have an awkward silence, but she said yes! First for real missionary moment. The spirit was so strong. It was amazing.

Anyway, i do know that God knows us individually and intimitely. I have never felt his love so strong in my life. There is no doubt in my mind that he lives and loves us. It took the MTC to really figure that out and i am so glad that i have the oppurtunity to be here and i cant wait to serve him in Denmark.

Jeg elsker jere!

Kærlighed,

Søster Erin Handley

P.S. Here is the song that i always used to sing "Jesus Said Love Everyone" in Danish. Enjoy!

  

                Jesus sager: elsk en hver,

                mod dem kærlig vær!

                Alle elsker dig igen,

                hår du kærlig er.