Hi!!!
I hope everything is going well in all
y'alls lives. I'm still alive and well, even in the MTC. The language is
still coming along, still teaching like 3 times a week, and TRC
(teaching members in Danish) is awesome, although I feel dumb most of
the time when giving a lesson to them.
So on last wednesday, my teacher looked up what was for
dinner. Lo and behold, it read chicken cordon on bleu. Then he told us
an interesting fact about what he had done while he was in the MTC. He
told us his record, of eating chicken cordon bleu, was 5. I instantly
knew what I had to do, and said "Challenge accepted." Dinner rolls
around, and it began, 2 at a time I would get my chicken. I ate, and
ate, and ate, until the sixth one came about. I felt like I was going to
explode, but I can never give up, and never surrender. I continued to
eat, until I got half way through my sixth one. That was my stopping
point sadly... but 5 and a half chicken cordon bleus, I broke my
teachers record, and earned respect throughout the zone. Because of this
great task I had accomplished, my branch president thought it was
fitting for me to be zone leader, and so it came to pass, I am zone
leader.
Friday was an awesome day in class, Brother Stacy
taught us about how when he was in Denmark, this retired lady would
always invite them over for a HUGE dinner every week. They knew that she
was spending most of her weekly income on them, and they were very
appreciative. But when christmas rolled around she invited them over for
dinner. Brother Stacy asked her why she keeps doing this, and that they
can go eat with a different family. But she wouldn't accept. Brother
Stacy felt so bad about her spending her money on them that he called
his mission president, and his mission president told him that he needs
to visit with her, eat her food, and be grateful. So that's what he did.
But after they were done eating dinner, brother Stacy asked the sister
why she would spend her money on them for Christmas and buy them gifts,
feed them, etc. She told them that all the money she has spent on them
is nothing, because she spent her Christmas with Christ. It made me
realize what being a missionary really means. We are representatives of
Christ, and need to act in accordance to that calling in everything that
we do. It was a very touching and uplifting moment. It made me realize
how good I should be for this calling.
On Friday as well, we taught a non-member foreign
exchange student for TRC. It was crazy how strong the spirit was, I
realized that even in super broken Danish, you can feel the spirit
strong, and the spirit is a much better teacher than I will ever be. Our
lesson was on the book of mormon and prayer, she said that she already
had a testimony of prayer which is awesome. I'm so excited to get out in
the field and begin working and contacting. (Although I'm not quite
there with the language... -.-)
Saturday nothing really special happened. I almost
broke my skull catching a ball that was thrown to me. The wall was much
closer than I expected it to be. It was also a day we said to speak
Danish only all day. It went fairly well even though everyone stopped
this commitment around dinner time. We heard some of the funniest
stories from Brother Williamson though. He talked about his worst
companion, who got a 7 on the ACT. He said that he felt kind of bad
because he knew he wasn't all there. But his companion wouldn't shower,
or brush his teeth, and didn't know Danish at all. Brother Williamson
told us about how he got his companion to brush his teeth. He would say
"Let's have a contest to see who can brush their teeth the longest." But
he had one of the 2 minute electric tooth brushes. So as soon as it
would stop, his companion would yell "I won!!!!" But the way he told it
is super funny... and super terrible. (Once again... a 7 on the ACT)
Fast Sunday was good, it wasn't nearly as bad as Phill
said he was, he is just a whiner. Most of the talks we have been given
in devotionals involve how often people get dear johned and how we
should "lock our heart", but someone in this devotional pointed to his
wife and said that she waited for him. This is when Elder Wawro
enthusiastically said "He did it!!!!" (quoting the internet meme) it
made me laugh super hard. Later that night, Chad Lewis was here and
talked to us. He is an amazing man, and can jump stupidly high (I now
know where Jesse gets it from) He talked about how we should always be
missionaries, in everything that we do. Also that we should learn our
language and be more than missionary fluent in it, and not to forget it.
These two things are something I hope to keep with me forever.
Yesterday was a pretty good day. We skyped with the Dad
who invited the foreign exchange student to live with him. It was a
nice conversation, although he said something that really stuck out to
me. After our lesson and talking in Danish, he said "Elder Swan,
Sophia(The foreign exhange student) said something that I should tell
you. She said that you have good Danish, and that you should speak more
and not be so nervous." It made me realize something that I really have
to work on. That I need to work on leading the discussions and talking
more. (even in English I'm just a quiet kid.) But that is something I'm
trying to work on this week. I hope I can fix it, because I want to
speak and teach to the best of my ability.
Anyways, everything is going well. Still loving Danish, still living through the MTC.
Love you all,
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