Great news from Amager Søster Holbrook's first area.

Still a few more fun things happened for Søster Holbrook's extended birthday week.

Yanaika bought Søster Holbrook the CUTEST cup for my birthday!!!! Along with that, she gave me tomato soup in a cup to show that she supports the "no tea thing." She also got me a little game about Denmark and wrote me the CUTEST note. I almost cried. Basically Yanaika is a dear friend and always will be, regardless of if she gets baptized or not. 

 Feeling like King Benjamin preaching to his people !!

Hey Everyone!

Miracle story from Amager this week!  As many of you remember, that was my first area! While I was there we found and baptized a man named Mads and at his baptism one of his friends named Pernille came and felt the Spirit so strongly! You might remember me emailing about this experience. Long story short, she was in tears and told us "I feel like I am home. I want to be baptized." She had some problems to overcome but now she is finally ready to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized! She is getting baptized in the ocean on September 9th!!! 

Everything is great here! thanks for the support.

Love,

Søster Holbrook

Søster Holbrook's humor ;o)

She has ALWAYS loved little frogs and there were MANY in Morfar's yard while we would visit. Here she is with another one.. WHAT a cute picture!

 Mission Leader training at the Mission home.

This picture might not mean a lot to any of you but to me it is VERY tender. Søster Holbrook has not been running for a LONG time and it was such a HUGE part of her life in High School. To now see she is back out running is amazing and I am grateful she can now start to enjoy it again.

 

Another great week for Søster Holbrook and the joy of being a missionary. So happy she is doing well and is learning a lot. We LOVE Denmark ;o) !!!

Birthday visit from Mormor and Morfar.... what a joy.

This week Søster Holbrook had a great visit from Mormor and Morfar and that is always a sweet thing to have happen and she got to celebrate all week LONG for her special day too.

Family tradition on birthdays. We always made a roll-cake with Danish candy on it and it is SO GOOD!! 

 Danish ice-cream is the BEST!!

 

 Morfar and Mormor enjoying the time together too.

I LOVE these three sweet people - THEY are the joy in our lives.

Email from Søster Holbrook this week:

Hey everyone! This week was AWESOME!  I have attached a ton of pics and they only capture a fraction of what we did this week. Sister Baird and I celebrated my birthday every day this week so that is one reason I am sending so many pictures! Also notice the picture with the stop sign in it. I think that is the second stop sign I have seen in all of Denmark. They are not common at all!

We gave C and J over to the elders this week and it was actually a really awesome lesson. We taught the restoration and kinda had to rush the end so we could catch our train home. But as we were leaving, I felt like I should show her a picture from the pamphlet. It is the picture where Joseph Smith gets the Priesthood and Peter, James and John are laying their hands on him. We showed it to her and she looks at me and says "you have a gift. I have seen this in a dream before." She then proceeded to tell us that "It is true. I know it is true." She still has lots of things to work through, but we feel like she is on her way to following the example of Jesus Christ and being baptized! 

Sister Baird and I were out contacting on the gågade on my birthday and we run into one of our investigators!!!! His name is G and he is a refugee (sad story, we can't actually teach him anymore because he doesn't have permanent residency and other stuff) and we had a good conversation about how God is always there for us and sometimes, like Joseph of Egypt, He allows us to go through hard experiences so we can learn and grow and later help other people. He told us a little about his experience as a refugee and he said something really profound, "We are all refugees to God. This is how I feel." I think he is right! We are all wanderers in a strange land, and trying to come back to God. At one point, G says the phrase "it is a piece of cake." and we reply to him "see! your English is great! (because he thinks he is not that good) You know some of our funny phrases!" He then told us: "I also know, hip hip hoorah! it's used for someone's birthday. Happy Birthday!" so here he was, kind of wishing me a happy birthday without actually knowing it was my birthday. I guess what I am trying to say is that is was just so "coincidental" that we just so happened to run into him and he just happens to know that phrase and use it in a birthday example... I know God knows us and He leads us to people or people to us everyday. This is His work and I am so blessed that I get to play a small role in it.

Stay happy!!

Søster Holbrook

 

 Her STOP sign that are NOT very normal in Denmark.

 Birthday dinner on Mom and Dad but not shared with them this year. First time every not as a family dinner!!

 

 Knocking on door can be made "fun" and we can enjoy it too because of these pictures.

 

I sent brownie mix and candles to Søster Holbrook, so she could make a cake for her 20th birthday. Here it is.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!!

It was a very sweet and tender week for Søster Holbrook this week. She had her GOLDEN birthday away from home and yet she had a great time and felt our love. We missed her but are grateful for her time in Denmark serving the Lord.

Another week in Vejle for Søster Holbrook.... She is LOVING the mission and Denmark.

Yep.. Søster Holbrook has had another great week on the mission and we got a LONG email this week. NOT bad at all ;o)

They did it and it looks great! Søster Holbrook has always LOVED puzzles and now she can do a few at night to relax after a log day with the companions.

She is an ANGEL that is for sure and here you can even see her wings ;o).

Hey Everyone!

Something I love about being a missionary is that there is always something interesting that happens every day! It is such an adventure because when you leave the apartment, you are not always sure who you will meet or what bizarre experiences you will have or miracles that you will see, but you can always count on it happening! It is literally a 100% guarantee. How exciting is that? This week was no exception.

Awesome experience 1: We were out knocking in a little town south of Vejle called Vinding and stopping by two potential investigators. We stopped by potential investigator number 1 (his name is C) but he wasn't home, so we walked to the other one and stopped people as we went. We had one great conversation with a young man and then we ended up at potential investigator number 2 (his name is K). He had just gotten home and was feeding his children some ice cream. He was super friendly and we got to teach the Plan of Salvation. He has recently had a lot of experiences that have gotten him to question a lot of things, especially about the afterlife. He feels like God has been watching over him and was super interested throughout the discussion. He looks forward to learning more about why our church is so different (aka the Restoration) this week! After his lesson, Sister Baird and I felt like we should try C one more time because we are not in the area often. As we walked back we passed a bakery and I thought,  "why not enjoy a little pastry?" so of course we run in and grab a little pastry (don't worry, we gave the cashier a pass along card) and eat it on our way. We arrive at C's house and he was NOT home. But as we turn around to leave he drives up!!! Talk about perfect timing! He was pleasantly surprised to see us, but unfortunately he didn't have time to talk because he had guests coming over. But it was a small miracle that we got to get in contact with him again and remind him of the Spirit he feels when he sees us. It is a testimony that God's timing is perfect, and maybe I am not just a fatty wanting to eat pastries, but am actually slightly inspired. 

Awesome experience 2: Speaking of families, we dropped by R and fam and they were happy to see us! They had dropped us because of all the rules and so we were pretty nervous to show up to their house! But it ended up being great. R wants the gospel. She has not closed the door at all, but she knows that it is a step that she wants to take with her whole family. Which may take a little heart softening because G is not a fan of tithing at all. This was our dialogue when they first opened the door:

G: I don't have enough money to be Mormon.

Me: Oh.. Are you talking about tithing? Is that why you don't like our "rules"?

G: yeah I don't have enough money.

M: Well, it is an ancient law that we find in the bible...

G: It doesn't say that in the Bible!

M: It totally does! It is in the Old Testament.

G: No it is not!

R: Have you read the Bible?

G: No....

R: Well I have, and Søster Holbrook is right. It is in the Bible. So be quiet.

HAHAHA It was nice to have R shut that down real fast! Anyway, G left to play pool and we continued to chat with Rose. We had a great conversation and reestablished a friendship so the door is not closed to us at all! She said that we are always welcome and one day, when G is ready, they will take the missionary discussions again. So until then, we will continue to stop by and serve them! They are wonderful children of God.

Awesome experience number 3: This one is in Sister Baird's own words (thanks friend). 

----Last weekly planning I was trying to pick up the phone with my toes....yeah. Don't ask. I wasn't successful, but I accidentally called a woman named A-C. Whoops. She didn't answer, and Sister Holbrook had no idea who she was so we were thinking that was that. But then she called back. She was so excited to hear we were the missionaries. And we set up an appointment for Saturday. She texted us her address, and we realized that she was definitely in the Elders' area. Oops. We decided to go out and see if she was positive and have this first lesson and then turn her over to the elders. 

Saturday comes, oh my goodness crazy day. We go out to Fredericia to play football with the ward and investigators, and we needed ALL our things because we were just going to stay out there because we had service and then A-C in the afternoon. In the craziness of trying to get out the door in the morning I forgot my planner. And my phone. And my camera. My planner had A-C's address, my phone her number, and I had taken a picture of the map to help us know how to get there. It's a good thing Sister Holbrook loves me. 

After football (Hold up, side story: A member, J, twisted his knee funny while playing and his kneecap popped out of place. :( not good. It was the first time they'd ever had an ambulance called in the 20 or so years they've been playing every Saturday morning. According to the members we talked to yesterday, he's doing better and it wasn't damaged as badly as it could have.)  we went and did some service with the Ægtepar (senior couple) based in Fredericia, Elder and Sister Yates. They are way awesome. I'll have to tell you all about them later, cause this is already a way long email. 

So because I had forgotten my planner we had to go back to Vejle to figure out where the heck we needed to go. The Yates found out and offered to drive us to our appointment. (This is a good example of how awesome they are) As they drove to the appointment, they asked who we were visiting, and RANDOM they KNOW her! Sister Yates and her had especially hit it off when A-C had made contact with the missionaries int he spring. We invited them to come be with us for the appointment, and it was SO GOOD! 

A-C, or C, is SO prepared for the Gospel. She is Brazilian and worked for a member of the church in California. She loves her boss and has been extremely impressed by the way she lives and has raised her family. C found God while she was in the States and wants to help her daughter have God present in her life. Her little girl, J, is three years old and so cute. J was super shy at first, but by the end, she and Sister Holbrook were best of friends. :) 

C's husband is very, very anti religion and God.C is incredible though, and she wants to learn about the Gospel. She's read a bit in the Book of Mormon, but wants a copy in Portuguese so that she'll really understand. She told us she's all in, when she finds out it's true. 

I guess it's beautiful to me how much God works through us. He doesn't let our weaknesses come in the way of His work, in fact He USES our weaknesses to accomplish His work. :) If I hadn't forgotten my planner, the Yates wouldn't have been involved, and Chris wouldn't have been nearly so open or receptive and ready. 

I'm just amazed that God lets us work with His children. I feel so honored and blessed to be part of the miracle of inviting others to come to Christ. I've learned on my mission that the field truly is white and ready to harvest. I know that as we trust in Him, He will lead us to the right places to thrust in our sickles-------

Anyway these were just a few highlights of the week. props to whoever read the whole thing.

Thanks for the support!

 

Love,

Søster Holbrook

 

Søster Holbrook also had a hair cut this week so here is a before and after picture :o)

 

 Before the cut...

 

 The hair that is now GONE!!

 And after the hair cut. She looks cute and before she gets home in 5 1/2 months it will be as long as before the cut.

 

We LOVE you, We MISS you and We are so proud of you. Keep working hard and know that you are amazing. The Lord is true and He is REAL.

 

 

 

 

Temple, meeting one of Daddy's friends from his time on the mission in Denmark and first week with Søster Baird second round!!

So Søster Holbrook had the chance to go to the temple with Mathias and it was his first time. What a treat for them both.

The temple is ALWAYS a favorite place to spend some wonderful time.

 Thoughtful and Beautiful.

Nice cozy place to study and get to know the Savior better.

Email from Søster Holbrook this week:
Hey Everyone!

Sister Baird and I had a great week! It has been just like the "good old times" which means it has been AWESOME. It is especially cool because we have both grown a ton as missionaries, so we are still teaching with inspiration and power, but it is on an even higher level. The Lord is blessing us for our hard work and I feel so blessed to be one of His laborers in the vineyard at this time.

The temple trip with Mathias was a HUGE success! He was baptized for about 30+ people and absolutely loved it. He told us afterwards that he could feel each person standing there in the font with him!! He also blessed the sacrament for the first time this week and then bore his testimony in church. He talked about how the priesthood means a lot to him, about how the temple trip was super special, and about how he likes reading in the Book of Mormon and applying it to his life. Words can not describe how incredible it is to see him deepening his roots in the Savior and His gospel!!

I read this scripture this week and couldn't help but laugh a little! It is in Luke 10:8. "And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you." As a missionary we eat some of the most interesting things (this week was BEANS. ha-ha), but we can't help but just eat it anyway because that is the polite thing to do! The things we do as missionaries... ha-ha

Keep on keeping on!

Søster Holbrook

 

 One on the sweet people Daddy got to know while he served the mission in Denmark.

 

 Learning about the plants is always fun and Søster Holbrook is enjoying it for sure.

 Just look at that SWEET face. We LOVE HER!!!

Søster Holbrook is now at the six months mark of coming home to Utah but who is counting.... MOMMA is :o). She is loving being a missionary and was sad to receive her six month letter for going home. She is such a doll and the best youngest daughter ever :O)