2-29-16

It's going to have to be a quick one this week. I don't have much time. But I'd just like to tell you what happened with K* this week.

We went over to teach the Word of Wisdom (if you remember that was our biggest problem) on Wednesday. After we had taught him everything, he stood up and said ''so about that beer..'' then walked over to the fridge and one by one pulled out 34 beer bottles, handed us each a bottle opener and said ''well, get to work!''

Haha it was amazing! We opened up every single one of those beers and poured them down the drain of his kitchen sink! It was a miracle! And felt amazing... he is now ready to be baptized this Saturday.

Otherwise, things are going great. I was in Copenhagen again for more meetings with President, it's getting warmer, and a new sister just moved into the area fresh out of the MTC. All good things, all good things.

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

Ældste Jed Bradshaw

2-22-16

Heyo!

This week has been an absolute delight. Unfortunately, today is transfer day. That means that Elder Dickson is leaving me :( But that's okay because I am getting a great new companion: Elder Gudmundson! He's awesome. He has Icelandic roots and plays the bagpipes, so I think we're going to make some loud music together. Why not.

But this last week we saw some great progress with K*. He is still on track for his baptismal date in March. We meet with him quite regularly and even attended his birthday party on Saturday with all of his friends and family, which was a really good thing because they have all been worried that we are some kind of cult or Jehovas Witnesses or something. So we were able to calm their minds and explain a little about who we are. Then K* came to church the next day! Just one more time and he's ready to go under. He's still holding out well with the smoking, now we just need to move on to coffee and alcohol. Yaaaayyy...

This week I also had the cool experience of going back to one of my old areas; Nykøbing Falster. That was very strange. I think President has me here as a zone leader so I could go back there and feel very old. It worked. It felt just like going home again. I saw lots of my old investigators and member friends, so that was great. We even got to ride in a car with SJ* (an old investigator of mine) and he was playing the new Coldplay song!! Haha it made my day. 

Awesome week!! I love Slagelse and the people here :) I hope you all have a great week!! Love you!!

Ældste Jed Bradshaw

2-15-16

Well, yesterday (Sunday) was Valentine’s day. What a great day to be in church, renewing our covenants and talking about Jesus. Heaven knows we need it on such an awful day. To all you singles out there, I salute you. *moment of silence as trumpets play in the distance*

But despite being such an overbearing holiday, Sunday was actually fantastic!!! K*, our friend on baptismal date, came to church and had a great time. Then out of nowhere, one of the members in the Ward brought their friend to church. He attended sacrament meeting, guest class, and priesthood! We snagged his number as he left and set up an appointment to come and chat. He seems extremely positive! Way to go members! We also had one of our investigators show up for the last 5 minutes of church, but I'm fairly certain he only did that because he knew that we were having a pot luck right after church. Free food. Who wouldn't come? He's a Romanian fellow studying here and he literally lives of off things that he finds and scavenges. A real penny pincher. (not unlike David Bradshaw ;))

K* is progressing wonderfully. He was a light smoker when we first met him, but we gave him a priesthood blessing after our second appointment and now he hasn't touched a cigarette in 2 weeks!  In fact, he says that he can't stand the smell of them anymore! Miracles.

Things are going really well right now :) And really fast.... gosh darn it, I wish the clocks would slow down.

Have a great week peeps! Love you all!

Ældste Jed Bradshaw

2-8-16

Good Morning!!

This week has been great (has it never not been?)!!! Elder Dickson and I have been working hard and are already seeing the fruits of it all. On Tuesday we found a new investigator named K*. The story of how we found him is a miracle, but I don't have time for that, so here's the dealio: He's awesome and he wants to get baptized. His date is for March the 5th. Please pray for him :)

Church was wonderful. D*, H* and A* came. Not that any of you know who they are, but they're wonderful and I was very happy. Elder Dickson and I called an audible last minute with guest class and taught the fall of Adam and Eve. Haha that was a fun discussion.

We attended Young Mens this week and taught all of the Young men how to play American football at the bishops request. Problem is, I'm from England and my companion is not into sports, so neither of us knew what we were talking about. We ended up just going outside and playing rugby instead. That was much more fun! The kids loved it!

We got back in touch with a young man that was baptized 2 years ago but never came to church after his baptism. We were actually just making cold calls in the phones and came across him on accident. Well, we set up an appointment and went over there on Wednesday when I was on splits with Elder Amos. Wow. Powerful lesson. His name is S* and he is at a very low point in his life. But it's the perfect amount of low that he is sufficiently Humble to listen and change.

We talked about the atonement of Christ and the empowering effect it can have in our lives. He was in tears as he voiced how alone he felt. After a moment of stark silence, I told him that I know how he feels. I know just what it is like to feel alone and abandoned. I've experienced it. I described the pit of emptiness that I feel in my Heart, and we connected. But then I told him something even better. I told him that his Savior knows even more what he is going through. He knows perfectly and exactly how Sander feels. He continued to sob, but they slowly turned into tears of joy. The Spirit was so strong. Anyway... He's a great young man and is ready to come back to church, so we're going to keep working with him.

Otherwise, Elder Dickson and I have been working on a little project. Now that we have Slagelse Studios, we've decided to help the mission out and set all of the mission scripture masteries to song!! In Danish! That's been lots of fun.

Well, I love you all! Have a great week!

Ældste Jed Bradshaw

The one with me sitting Down playing guitar is on a wall that is a good 40 feet tall... It was quite the climb

Haha we think we're awesome

2-1-16

Buenos Dias Amigos!!!

Sorry about the lull in my emailing last week. I simply forgot to write. Too much going on :) But everything is great here in the promised land! Okay maybe not the promised land... Danes are a Little too unrighteous to make such a claim. But really I'm loving it here in my new area. I've already made lots of friends, especially with my new companion! Elder Dickson is a music major at BYU going in to organ performance. His goal is to be the organist that we all see on the telly during general conference. Needless to say, we have a blast together. Our apartment has converted into a studio now complete with two guitars, a keyboard, harmonica and ukulele. We write tons of songs in our free time and have even been able to sing a song we wrote for a homecoming missionary in the Ward here. It's scrumptious.

We've been teaching a fellow named *A* from Romania this week fairly consistently. We didn't think it was going to well, then yesterday he just showed up for sacrament meeting!! He had come once or twice before, but always left right afterwards. Well this time I tricked him into coming to guest class! I simply engaged him in a good conversation and casually walked as we talked. I walked right into where I knew the class was going to be held then sat down, all as we talked. Then people slowly filed in and he was trapped! Class began and we had a great discussion about the plan of salvation.

Otherwise we have an investigator or two, but I don't think we have managed to find ''the one'' that I'm certain we will find. I guess we just need to hit the streets some more. I love talking to strangers, so that's not a problem.

This last Tuesday Elder Dickson and I dedicated our area. We found some sweet Viking ruins out in the middle of nowhere full of the original foundation stones they used for their long houses. We knelt down on the wet grassy plain and offered a prayer to the Lord. It was a great experience. The Spirit was quite strong and I felt a special connection to Denmark and the people that live here. I love being able to serve in this beautiful place.

I hope you all have a great week! I love each and every one of you.

Ældste Jed Bradshaw

1-18-16

Woah, Slagelse is fantastic!! The members here are just so excited about missionary work. Never before have I seen a ward mission leader as motivated as the one we have here. He is determined that we will have 3 baptisms as a district by the end of this transfer. I believe him. I know we can do it. Elder Dickson and I have set some huge goals together as to how we can get out there and find the one. Our primary objective is to receive referrals from the members here. Slagelse has already seen tons of member referrals get baptized, so I know it can happen again. I just need to build some basic member relations, then show them I mean business. 

Yesterday was my first Sunday in the ward and I was given the wonderful opportunity to give a talk. I was a little intimidated at first seeing as I don't even know the ward yet, but then I saw it as the perfect way for me to introduce myself and win over their trust. It went great, I think :/

We have a great big teaching pool here, but nobody that is particularly positive, so we are going out finding quite a bit. We could teach all day if we wanted, but I don't think that would be too effective with our current investigators. So I'm praying hard that the Lord will lead us to someone that we can put on baptismal date this week. 

We were also in Copenhagen this last week for our monthly leadership conference. It went well enough. We will be training the mission on how to get more progressing investigators. 

OH! I had a great experience this last Saturday! I had the great opportunity to meet my grandfather!! No, I don't mean grandpa Bradshaw or Wilkins, but grandpa Vanderput. The very man that trained my father in his mission in London many many years ago. 

It's been a great week! I'm just excited to put my mark on this place and leave it better than I found it. I hope you all have a great week!! I love you!!

Ældste Bradshaw

1-11-16

Well hey.

I am currently sitting at a computer in a city by the name of Slagelse. Now, please don't say the name wrong. If you're going to pronounce it like an Englishman, then you're going to want to say it as if you are saying ''sleigh-ul-suh''. My new companion is Elder Dickson, who I had 1 and a half years ago in the MTC. We'll be the Zone leaders here for the next little bit.

I'll be honest with you, leaving Århus was not fun. It was easily the most difficult part of my mission thus far. I was there for half a year, and I felt completely at home there. I did not feel like a missionary showing up to church on Sundays. I just felt like another member that had lived there for years and years. There are families in that ward that I am closer to than I am with some of my real family. I absolutely loved my time there and will never forget it. I don't think anything will quite compare.... so many great lifelong friends and memories.

But I'm very optimistic and happy to be serving in Slagelse (sleigh-ul-suh) now. I look forward to getting to know all of the new missionaries here. I'm actually quite familiar with lots of our investigators already because I met many of them while serving down in Nykøbing Falster, so that is nice. 

Well, I think that will do for today. I love you all hope you have a great week.

Ældste Jed Bradshaw