12-21-15

Dear everyone,

HEEEY!!!!! It's Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!! Haha I'm so excited for this week!!! First of all, thank you to everyone for your kind emails and letters! I loved them :) Sounds like there are so many great things happening at home, but lucky for me I get to be in the DENMARK COPENHAGEN MISSION!!!!! I can't think of a better way to spend this special time of year! Okay I also should probably start with another little confession... at zone conference two days ago they gave us all of our Christmas packages, and everyone just opened theirs there on the spot, so I couldn't hold back and I opened all of mine!! So sorry!! But SOOO grateful for the love and support! Thank you so much to each and every one of you that sent things. You don't know how much it means. I seriously love my family so much. 

This week has been fantastic! We've been caroling a lot lately because... well because we can! It's Christmas! So we've been visiting all of the less active members in the ward and singing songs for them and reading from the Bible story of Christ's birth. They've been loving it. Great way to spread the Christmas cheer. We also had a big Christmas concert this week. There has been a group of traveling missionaries that have been performing for all of the different wards in Denmark. Well, they finally made it to Århus this week and I was the one in charge of finding things for them to do while they were here. We had about a 4 hour block before the concert began, so we decided to spread the word. We set up a hot cocoa stand in front of the church and then went marching down the streets. I led the group at the front with my guitar playing whatever Christmas songs I knew and then 16 missionaries followed behind me singing their hearts out and holding up signs to advertise free hot cocoa and the concert. It was soooo much fun! Everyone seemed to smile as we marched by singing all of the Danish carols that they know so well. 

Then at the concert TONS of people showed up! It was a full house! Investigators, members, less actives, complete strangers! Then in the middle of the concert Elder Vance and I got a call from a member that was on her way to the concert with her family but her tire had exploded!! So we biked over to her as fast as we could and switched her tire out with the spare, then barely made it back right as the concert ended. It was a crazy night. 

Our zone conference was also great. Just imagine 50+ missionaries gathered together all day to celebrate the life of Christ. It was awesome! Then at the very end they surprised us by putting on the new Disney movie ''Inside Out''!! Such a good day.

I hope you all have a great Christmas week and remember the Savior during this special time of year. He was born. And that is of great importance. He, a god, was born into the flesh. He condescended to the most lowly of circumstances so that he could experience mortality. So that he could understand US perfectly. He has been through it all. There is ALWAYS someone who understands what you are going through. How awesome is that?!?

I love you all!!! Happy Christmas!🎄🎄🎄🎄

Ældste Bradshaw 

Video of Jed receiving presents at Zone Conference https://www.facebook.com/janna.obryant/videos/10205269028475770/