12-30-14

Hmmmm I don't even know what to say right now. So much has happened since last Monday and my mind is currently blank..... 

Transfers just happened. Elder Nelson and I are staying together but we helped everybody move. Whilst at the huge Copenhagen station we met this hot young Mormon couple from Utah! It was our P-day, and I really wanted to just hang out with them, so we ditched everyone else and showed them around Denmark. It was super fun. Oh and last Monday we went to Tivoli, the world’s oldest amusement park! That was soooooooooo fun! Dang, Denmark is awesome. I'm super lucky. 

Oh duh!! We just had Christmas!!! Almost forgot. It was so incredible to see the family. Love you guys. But surprisingly, that wasn't the best part about Christmas. It was weird because I have been looking forward to skype since day 1 of the mission, but the best thing about this Christmas was much more personal. It's actually quite difficult to explain. I just felt like the distance between the Savior and I was so.... miniscule. Nonexistent even. It was so weird to spend a Christmas with His name stapled to my chest. Right on top of my heart. I really got to know my big brother. It was absolutely beautiful. He will always be my best friend. 

Anyway. The *H* family should be getting baptized very soon here. So that's neat.

Also it snowed like crazy so Denmark is now a winter wonderland. So that's neat too. 

Everything is cold and cycling in snow is impossible. I love it.

-Elder Bradshaw

12-22-14

Alrighty I'll just get right Down to it this week. My district is going to spend the day at Tivoli (Danish amusement park) today so I don’t have much time.

This week a miracle happened. Remember the *H* Family?? Well *MH* (ex-supermodel and most famous tv star in Denmark) is going to be getting baptized along with her two children!! I remember when Elder Hooper and I first knocked on her door and were stunned to silence when such a beautiful woman said that she was interested!!

It's going to be such a boost for the church here in Denmark! It's a Christmas miracle!! That's 5 people now on track for baptism. The sad news is that transfer calls should be happening any second now and I'll probably be leaving my beloved Hillerød. I hope not.

Anyway. Enjoy Christmas everyone. I can't wait to see some of you on Skype on Christmas Day!!! I love you all so so so much!

-Ældste Bradshaw

12-15-14

Kære Alle Sammen,

Christmas is coming!!!!!  Who's excited?? I certainly am. This week in Hillerød we decided to start caroling in an attempt to spread that Christmas Spirit! So on Tuesday we went to the local hospital and sang carols for people for a good few hours! It was such an incredible experience! So many of the patients were in tears as they clapped and anxiously waited their turn to tell us their favorite Christmas song.

People don't really do caroling in Denmark, so it's something completely new for them. And while we were in the baby section of the hospital, what do you know we ran into *C* and *J*!! They're two old investigators and they had just had a baby together! So we sang some songs for them and were able to share the new He is the Gift video with them.

I don’t know if you've all seen this video yet, but it really is an incredible Little video. Two minutes long, yet so powerful. The church is really getting good at their films now. Especially compared to the junk they used to make.

But if you have not yet seen it, go to Christmas.mormon.org ASAP and Watch it. Then share it with every single human being you know. SPREAD THE MESSAGE! Christmas is about Christ, so let's try to remember it.

Our teaching pool has really increased this last week. We've been blessed with tons of new investigators, and *V* and *J* are both still on track to baptism!

Unfortunately I'll probably be transferred by the time they get baptized, but that's okay. It's not about me, right? Haha although it would be nice to see it all come together. Oh well. The Work goes on.

Love you all so much!!

Happy Christmas!!

-Ældste Bradshaw

12-8-14

Today I would just like to take a minute to tell you all about a woman named *A*. She's a short Little less active lady in our Ward, no taller than 4'10", but an absolute bundle of joy. Haha I'm really not quite sure how to describe *A* to you. You would have to meet her to truly understand what she's like, but I'll do my best. She's about 53 and we've been teaching her and her husband *S* since day one of the mission. They have two young children that both live with separate foster parents. *A* loves to Cook and would make us food EVERY time that we came over. She has an INCREDIBLE imagination and insisted that Elvis Presley was her actual father and that she was the best of friends with Michael Jackson. Haha but she has such a good sweet Heart and all she ever really wanted was to be together with her children again as one big Family. *A* has been a small ray of sunshine for me. She was often the highlight of my week. She has played a VERY big part in my mission Thus far, teaching her at least 3 times a week. I've really come to love this lady. But on Saturday morning I did something I never imagined I would ever have to do. I, with 5 other men, lowered her tiny Little White coffin into the hard cold ground. She's gone. Nobody expected it. It just happened.

The service was held at a local Dansk Folke Kirke (church of Denmark) and it was so strange. Not many people knew her so I was one of the only ones that showed up to her sad Little funeral. It was really quite sad. This woman that had meant so much to me was just gone and nobody even showed up to celebrate her beautiful life. I remember sitting there in silence, just thinking, when the church bells started ringing loud in my ears. It struck something deep inside me... I'm not sure how to explain it. I felt so hollow and empty inside..

Anyway.... I would just really appreciate it if you would all keep *A* in your prayers. She didn’t have many friends, so not many people will miss her, but your prayers on her behalf would be fantastic. I know she'll see her loved ones Again, but it's still sad. I thought lots about the plan of salvation that day. I sure am grateful for it.

But it's not just sad Things happening, I promise!! This week two more people decided to get baptized!! First is *V*, that blonde lady that cuts my hair!! She's getting baptized on January 17th!! And second is *J*!!! AHHH I can’t believe it when she finally said that she wants to be baptized! So yeah... Things to be happy about as well :)

I love you all!

-Ældste Jed Bradshaw

12/1/14

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I hope you all had an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving week because I sure did! I was feeling pretty low at the beginning of the week because I knew that Danes don't celebrate Thanksgiving and that we would most likely be alone the entire day. But what do you know the Lord blessed us with an incredible family from the great U S of A to invite us over for Thanksgiving dinner!! His name is Trey Greenwood and is an inactive member of the church, but when he heard that some American missionaries were going to go without a Thanksgiving, he quickly invited us over to spend it with his lovely wife and children. It was such an amazing afternoon. Trey had an ancient guitar that had been broken for decades and had never been able to fix it (one of the tuning pegs was cracked where the string wraps around. Pardon my guitar jargon) so I took a swing at it and got it sounding as good as new!! We played guitar and sang songs together all night long. It was a night to remember.

Other than that, we've been very blessed with tons of people to teach. There used to be days in my last transfer where we would sometimes go an entire day without teaching a single lesson, but that NEVER happens now. The investigators just come flowing in. We found a new investigator this week named Natada. She's from Thailand and her Danish is really not that good. We sat next to her on a bus one day and started talking. We couldn't get much across, but managed to find out that she had recently lost her husband. Naturally we started telling her about the plan of salvation and that she would see her husband again, and she lost it. Right there on a crowded bus full of judgmental Danes she just started weeping. She asked us how this was possible that she could ever see him Again and we continued to teach the entire discussion right there on the bus. As she got off at her stop we managed to get her phone number and give her the address to the church and what do you know, she showed up to church on Sunday!!

The Lord Places people in our path every day. It's quite incredible. Dang I love the Plan of Salvation. Eternal families are SWEET!!!!

I love you all!

-Ældste Bradshaw