Christmas Eve Dinner & Duck: 12/28/2015

Merry Christmas everyone!!! I hope you all have had a great Christmas with your friends and families! Christmas in Denmark was so much fun:) We were able to spend Christmas Eve with familien Nielson in Tønder. That was a blast! They made a delicious duck dinner and topped it off with Risalamande (Don't know how to explain so Google it:) ) It was so much fun dancing around the Christmas tree, singing songs, and opening gifts with them! I love the families in the branch I am serving in and am so grateful for them having us over for Christmas Eve.

Christmas Day was spent with another family in our branch. Familien Kuntz. We had a delicious dinner and a ton of treats (definitely have been gaining weight) It was there where I was able to Skype home!! That made my week:) My first Christmas in Danmark was definitely one for the books!

Sunday was a lot of fun too. We went to Tom's house (another guy from our branch) to make Æbleskiver. He holds a contest every year with the missionaries in the area to see who can eat the most. I was able to eat about 30 and I felt wrecked after that. The all time record is 65 which is INSANE!! Don't know how someone can eat that many Æbleskiverer. It was great visiting with him and learning how to cook Æbleskiver.

December was a slow month when it came to mission work in Sønderborg, but with the business of the holidays at it's end, we have a lot of potentials in January. I have a lot of "New Year Goals" I will be setting. 2016 is my mission year (the full year a missionary serves while on his mission) so I want to make the most of it! I invite all of you to add to your list of New Year resolutions things that will strengthen your relationship with our Father in Heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ. They both love you more than you could ever imagine. The closer we get to them, the happier we become! 

I love you all! Have a Happy New Year!!!! 2k16

Ældste Weese

Pass along cards for the ducks

Half in Denmark & half in Germany

Christmas Eve with familien Nielson in Tønder

Cooking Æbleskivers 

Christmas Skype with Elder Weese - 12/25/2015

On Christmas Day we received the best gift ever...we were able to Skype with Parker for an hour!! We had been looking forward to this all month long and we were so happy to be able to see our missionary and talk to him.  He looked so happy & the light of Christ shined all about him.  He seriously would light up every time he'd share a story about his mission or talked about the members in his branch.  One of my favorite things he told us was about an investigator they met named Andre'. As a mom, I was so touched to see the emotion in his face when he talked about how far this man had come and how much he hoped for him to continue the progress and be baptized.  Parker was also able to introduce us to the family that he had shared Christmas with and who was making it possible for us to Skype.  We are so grateful to this family for sharing their home with our dear elder on Christmas!! We had some great laughs as he told us about his landlord coming over to fix their furnace in nothing but a hoodie, that was way too short!!  Apparently nudity is not a big deal in Denmark!! Parker shared his testimony with us in Danish and I couldn't believe how strong the spirit was when he spoke.  I'm so proud of the way he has worked through the trials of a mission and stayed motivated to work hard. Over 100 days ago we dropped off our son at the Provo MTC and to see the man he has become in those 100 days is so amazing!!  He is filled with the spirit and his relationship with our Heavenly Father has become the most important thing in his life.  As parents we couldn't be prouder!! We love you Elder Weese!!!

Christmas Day with Familien Kuntz

Christmas Packages for Elder Weese

 Elder Weese & Elder Jensen aka: MIW-Men In White...we make this look good!!

Jule Frocost (Christmas lunch) 12/14/2015

Hey everyone! I hope you all have had a great week! This week has been pretty good for Ældste Jensen and I in Sønderborg! This weather has been beautiful this whole week! Pretty good sized rainstorms in the morning, but it has always cleared up to be sunshine and blue skies! I love it cause it definitely affects the people we contact! They are so much happier and willing to talk even if they aren't interested at all. So the weather has definitely been a tender mercy from the Lord and we have gotten a lot of great conversations from it. Still gets pretty cold!!

 

I was still pretty sick at the beginning of the week, like I was absolutely miserable, stuck in bed on Tuesday, but I feel 100 percent now! It definitely is the Christmas season and in Denmark it is so much fun! We ate with a member family near the beginning of this week and had a "Christmas meal" We ate what is called Risengrød, its like a super thick, hot, rice pudding that you eat with butter and cinnamon. It was sooo good and I ate way to much! After that we had Æbleskiver! Don't know how to explain it other than it tastes amazing! So Google it haha!

 

I love the members of the branch I am serving in so much! They are so friendly, caring, and our branch just feels like one big family! I feel extremely blessed to serve them. This Sunday was in fact our Jule Frocost (Christmas lunch) Another great meal with a bunch of fun activities for everyone. One of the members dressed up as Jule Man (Santa Clause) and we all sang and danced around the Jule Træ (Christmas tree) It was a blast:) Ældste Jensen and I made about 100 chocolate chip cookies and brought them to the lunch. Everybody loved them and asked "How in the world did you make this?!" The funny thing is Danes love chocolate chip cookies, they can't make them to save their life though. They make all these amazing pastries but can't grasp how to make chocolate chip cookies. They are so used to cooking something until it is completely done, so we tell them the key is to taking them out while they still look doughy haha. 

 

This week we did a lot of contacting! The missionary work still is really hard and we only have a couple investigators that have all hit a wall in their progression. We were able to do some great service that involved us building fences for a member's horses! I always love going out to her place and doing service.

 

I hope all of you have been doing great! Please keep in mind the true meaning of Christmas this year! It can be hard with how chaotic and commercialized it has become, but know that it is a great time to "Rejoice! For a Savior is born" I know that Jesus is the Christ, the son of our loving Heavenly Father. No man can return to live with God except by relying on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and living his gospel. He is here to strengthen our weaknesses, help us through sorrow and trial, and He truly loves each one of us!

 

I love you all and hope you have a great week! Vi ses

 

Ældste Weese fra Sønderborg Danmark

Getting ready for Christmas in Denmark: 12/7/2015

It's Jul tid!! Christmas time in Denmark!! Lights are getting put up, Christmas trees on every corner, and the weather is horrible! haha this week has been hurricane winds and non-stop rain, I'm loving these Danish winters! The sunrises at around 8:30 and sets at 15:54 (3:54 p.m.) So it feels like it is always dark!

 

Ældste Jensen and I did a lot this week! Starting off with a pretty good P-Day. I'm trying to get more of a variety when I grocery shop. I make the same junk everyday so I'm trying to mix things up a bit! I can't remember if I mentioned this, but last week we threw on our winter tires for the car. We had to use this super ghetto jack, but luckily we didn't get crushed. Let's just hope our wheels don't fall off while we are out driving haha. We took our car in to get serviced. Dealerships here are sooooo different than the ones I am used to back home! I have yet to see a Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge, and the only Fords I have seen are little Euro Junkers. When I talk to Danes about vehicles back home they tell me, "Oh they are way too big, bad quality, not efficient whatsoever...etc" It's hard not to argue and say that I have yet to see a nice car in Denmark, but as a missionary I shouldn't argue about that stuff haha.

 

This week has been really hard for Ældste Jensen and I. It might have to do with the bad weather, but we had a really hard time contacting. Basically no lessons and nobody interested. I have been sick for that past few days and we both felt like we are in a slump right now. It was really hard for me at first, but as the week when on I changed my perspective. I have strengthened my relationship with the Savior, Jesus Christ, so much this week.  Never have I felt closer to him. I can't imagine how hard it must of been for him, the son of God, to be rejected and despised of man. Of the very people whom he was serving went through the Atonement for. I know how it is for me when I see someone reject the Gospel, but I can't imagine how our father in heaven feels. 

 

I am thankful for the trials and hardships in my mission, not because I enjoy them or that they are easy, but that they allow me to grow. That they strengthen my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Ether 12:6 says "...for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." I know that to be true. It takes an act of faith to see the light of Christ. I'm eternally grateful for him and what he has done. Providing a way for all mankind to be saved, to change their own lives for the better. The message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ brings me joy. It helps me know that I can become all that God sees in me. That my family I have now and the one I start later will be eternal! Knowing this has really helped me through this week!

 

I'm excited to be having my first Christmas in Denmark soon! I hope all of you back home can look around all the crazy madness and chaos of the season and see what it's truly all about. A celebration for the Savior! There are two videos I recommend all of you to watch, "A savior is born" and "Because of Him" both are around 2-3 minutes but they are great!

 

I love you all and hope you have a great week!!

 

Ældste Weese

Thanksgiving in Denmark: 11/30/2015

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! I hope everyone has had a great Thanksgiving week! I sure have. I have to admit I felt pretty homesick thinking about the Holidays. I know I will miss all the great family get togethers and dinners and stuff and I don't like thinking about that! I have a quote above my desk that says, "Missionaries leave their families for 2 years to help others be with their families FOREVER" That really gives me a lot of comfort to know that I am doing the right thing.

 

Hmm where to even begin, we had a lot this week! Let's start with Zone Conference. That was a blast! There were about 40-50 missionaries there, which always is a great time, we had training, feasted, had a talent show, and then had our own Turkey Bowl! It was such a great time. We had training on Family History and the Christmas initiative, some great tools we will be using to have more missionary opportunities. The food was great! Had tons of stuffed turkey, potatoes, gravy, brød, fruit, the whole deal! My favorite part of it all though was the Turkey Bowl! Playing American football (the real football)  with a bunch missionaries was so much fun! It was really cold, wet, and muddy but I didn't care!

 

We have had some really good missionary work these week. Ældste Jensen and I have met many new potentials and have taught quite a good amount of lessons! Everyone one of these investigators come from completely different backgrounds. That really has made me realize how much God truly loves us. He knows our circumstances, our special situations, but no matter what they may be, He has provided a plan of happiness for all to experience! I love being able to teach people and tell them that I know there is a God. That he is our loving Heavenly Father, who truly loves each one of us. Our relationship with him is personal and he knows what we have gone through. Being able to tell people, to teach them how to pray, that they can ask and say anything to God really has strengthened my testimony.

 

I have had a lot of self reflection this week because of these experiences. They have really allowed me to check my own spirituality. I have become so much closer with my Savior because of all of this. I want to challenge everyone to pray more. To be completely honest with God. Tell Him about your true desires, things you might be struggling with and wanting that may not be right, tell him those things! I promise you he will bless you. He will give you comfort and you will know without any doubts that He is there wanting to bless you!

 

Well one of the hardest things this week was this Sunday. I gave a talk in church! Ohhh that was so hard for me. It took days of planning and I barely suffered through it at the pulpit. I sure hope my branch was able to understand me. Learning Danish is one of the hardest things for me as a missionary right now! It just hasn't been clicking lately!! I know it will eventually though!

 

I hope you all have a great week!!

 

Ældste Weese fra Sønderborg Denmark 

Fredericksborg Castle:

 Elder Weese decorating for Christmas!!

 Zone Conference Pictures: