Han er altid hos os

This week was great! A bunch of days where we just went out and did the work, we have a few new potential friends, but not a whole bunch of stuff!
MLC Splits
I had to go on splits with the Aalborg Elders because my companion had to go down to MLC, some training, and it was great. We worked hard, we bought candy and granola for a ridiculously cheap price, I learned some weird Danish phrases that they use in Nordjylansk, we had an awesome dinner appointment with a great family, and then I went back to Frederikshavn.
Strandby
We went up to Strandby, which is where the Boat church and the beautiful havn is from. We got a return meeting with one of the people over there. She was really open to hear our message, and we got her again, by the last door we knocked, just before we were about to head home. She had two kids, her husband is a fisher, and she gladly accepted a Mormons Bog and an appointment to come back. A pretty successful day, especially after none of the people we went there to talk to were home!
The Fam
Familien Blackensteiner who we have been working with are progressing a bunch! They love chatting with us, they are basically members, and I’m a little confused as to why they haven’t committed to it yet, but we just gotta have patience. I’d really appreciate your prayers for them though!
Kirke
Church was good as usual. There was a really interesting lesson in Priesthood about faith, and then it turned into talking about fire, and then they started talking about swearing. I’m not really sure exactly why or how we ended there, but it was a good reminder. It was good to think about, especially the swearing. We are commanded not to take the Lord’s name in vain, but many people do that in America, or at least that’s what the Danes were saying (but yeah it’s pretty true). But here in Denmark, swearing is weird. I’m just gonna be straight up, it’s just strange. Instead of taking the Lord’s name in vain, and I do this from a “let-you-know” kind of way, but a swear word here in Denmark is “For Satan”, which is basically around the f-word in America, a very vain thing to say. And I thought about it, what’s wrong with saying Satan’s name? We aren’t commanded not to say it, so why do the Danes hold this as a cuss word? Well if you really think about it, think of our phrase “for pete’s sake”, it’s kind of the same idea right? It’s because sake means “out of consideration for or in order to help or please someone.” Well we definitely don’t want that for the devil right? I just found it kind of an interesting tidbit that they talked a lot about in Church for some unknown reason, like honestly it was really off-topic for them, but it got me thinking a little bit! Swearing is just disrespect for the gift that God gave us, our voice and our ability to reason. It can offend the people around us and God, and I honestly think that’s a pretty great reason to abstain from it. The test in order to figure out if a word is a swear word is - would you say it around a child?
Spiritual Thought
Well since I already gave one kind of hahah, I’ll try to make this short but I don’t make any promises. --- I finished the Book of Mormon and I’ve decided to start the New Testament. I just finished the Book of Matthew. And of course, you know me, I’m all about finding that staple. I want to find what Matthew wrote that book about, what his point was that’s different than the other 3 gospels… and I think I found it. Matthew starts and ends his book with this thought: Matthew 1:23 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” and Matthew 28:20 “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” So I’ve found the theme of the Lord being with us. Always will the Lord be with you, no matter if you are close to him. He is there until the end. To think that Jesus Christ knows the best for us, because he has suffered through everything that we have, and that even if we turn away from him, he is still there.

I know with all my heart that Jesus Christ knows you. He knows what you have gone through, what you are going through, and what you will go through. He knows the best for you, and if we simply just ask him in humble prayer to grant us strength, he will do it. I know I have seen this in my life, when things got tough, when I felt broken, he has lifted me up, strengthened me, healed me. All it took was coming in front of him in humble prayer and asking for it and telling him the desires and struggles of my heart. 

Challenge: My challenge this week is that you all pray to God, pray and tell him what is going on in your life, tell Him what you think you are doing well, what you think you could improve on, what you need help with, what you’re frustrated with, what you’re willing to do, what you need healing with, whatever it may be. I promise you will receive healing, love, peace, strength, guidance, answers, and comfort if you do it with “all the energy of your heart” (Morini 7:48)
Word of the Week: slå (pronounced slow) - beat, hit, slap, defeat, throb, mow, lick, kick, latch, bar, bolt, smite, look up, kill, break, repulse, camp, fail, take root, fight, brawl
Scripture: Matthew 14:27-36 “be not afraid”

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

Med kærlig hilsen,
Ældste Salisbury