18.07.2016

Hey!

This week was alright! The weather has been pretty unfortunate for us. Just cloudy, cold, rainy. I didn't think I'd have to break out my North Face jacket that I wore in the winter in North Carolina.. Sad stuff, but it's alright! It's been good nonetheless!

Anyways, because we're still in the period of the Danish summer vacation, a lot of our investigators are gone, giving us not much to work with. Although, we have been out finding still. Because a lot of people are off on vacation, not many people are home, so we've just been really trying to focus on prayer and seeking after answers of where we should go to find the elect. We did that one day and the first door we knocked, we found another family! A mother and two older teenage daughters. The two daughters are interested in the YSA program in Copenhagen, so that will be good to get them involved. When we gave them a Book of Mormon, one of those daughters was ANXIOUS to read it. It was really cool to see. Hopefully we see some more success with that family! Other than that, to fill our time, we're out knocking on some doors! :) While doing so, I snagged a cool beach pic! I'll attach it.

I found an interesting scripture this morning that was really applicable to me. It's In Alma 26:22, It says, "Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed;" I've seen this week what the power of prayer does. The Lord will really whisper in our ears, in our hearts the answers to our prayers. I hope everyone uses this tool the way it's intended to be used, Look at Joseph Smith. Because he was abounding in good works, reading scriptures and exercising his faith by praying, he was able to be the Lord's tool in bringing forth a great miracle - proof that God speaks to his children today. That same miracle is available to us all, regardless of whether you're Muslim, Jewish, Mormon, you name it. The Lord does speak to us and through him, we're able to bring miracles for ourselves and others. Just pray and do what you're supposed to. It's actually quite simple and can take 5 seconds!

I love you all!

Æ. Taylor Howes

Rutschebanen! {Roller Coaster}

Kære venner!

I hope everyone had a good week! This week has been dumping rain, and unfortunately my umbrella broke back in the dreary winter and I left my rain jacket at Zone Training this week, so it's been a wet week! I did find an umbrella laying around the apartment, so that's been a lifesaver for now.. But my week started off good!

Some people in the district went to Tivoli! Everyone in the district was invited, but they assumed it be packed and too expensive... To their surprise it was actually relatively empty and discounted because the senior couples had season passes! Their loss. That place was really cool! I officially rode the world's oldest, non renovated roller coaster in the world! It's called Rutschebanen! Pretty fun stuff. It was nice to be in Tivoli. A lot of cool, fun little rides. It's an OLD amusement park but it's pretty classy. It's a must-see for sure! I got a few pics of it!

I has the opportunity to go on splits to Amager this week! Amager is South Copenhagen where the airport is. It was pretty fun. We contacted around parks and did some service for a member. It was pretty fun. The rain held off too, so that was a big plus.

This week, we found a super positive investigator. It may seem like a normal account for any other mission, but here, this happens once in a blue moon. Anyways, we were led to knock another pretty wealthy neighborhood, and we knocked on several doors but no one was really interested or gave us the time of day. Then we knocked on this one door and no one came to the door. We stood there for like 2 minutes and we kinda just felt like we should stay there. So we stood there for a few more minutes and I texted some people, then an older lady walks up and out of nowhere and asked who we were. We explained we're out talking about the purpose of life and what not. Eventually it turned into a 30 minute discussion about life after death and truths from God. We gave her a Book of  Mormon, invited her to read it and pray, and she is extremely eager to find out if what we were saying really was true. Some questions, promised blessings and the Spirit moved her to accept that invitation, but she even recognized as she said, "a special spirit about us." She even mentioned that we are two men from God. It was quite weird and miraculous, but incredible just to see one person who was truly open and humble enough to recognize what God truly wants her to do. It was pretty cool!

Anyways, I love and miss you all! Have a great week!

Med Kærlig Hilsen,

Æ. Taylor Howes

Glædelig Fjerde Juli!

Glædelig Fjerde Juli, Uafhængihedsdag!! (Happy Fourth of July!)

I hope everyone had a great week. I did! I'm not entirely sure what happened this week because it seemed to fly right by. We did have a good week though. It rained quite a bit and that was miserable, but in the meantime, we decided to know some huge beach houses and that actually came down to be pretty positive! The Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons tend not to knock in rich areas because they assume the responses to be no, but when you bring the truth and the spirit, the reality is actually some yes responses. It's not easy, but rewarding. Just because they're rich live great lives as is doesn't mean they shouldn't hear the gospel! :)

We did although teach another lesson with a half American family and the father decided to pray and see if our message and the Book of Mormon is true. We witnessed him pray for the first time in 20 years and it was truly something special! He's pretty positive, but may take a little bit of time, but he's 100% committed to find the church to be true!

In sad news, a Danish branch and area shut down this week because of the lack of members. That's too bad! It was a beautiful area. It's in Silkeborg, Jylland. I spent quite a lot of time over there on splits. I guess the church building is getting sold! Sad to see...

It's Independence day, so there's no better time for a patriotic spiritual thought. I know it's long, but just read it haha. Your idea of the country will change forever. There's a few verses in 2 Nephi 1:4-9. It's some revelation given to Lehi. He said, "4 For, behold, said he, I have seen a vision, in which I know that Jerusalem is destroyed; and had we remained in Jerusalem we should also have perished. 5 But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord. 6 Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord. 7 Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever. 8 And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance. 9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever." We're absolutely blessed to be a part of a land God promised to his children that left Jerusalem. I've even had some Danes (non-members), that when I have said I'm from the USA, they'd say, "Wow, God's own land!" People already know it, somehow. We're one nation, under God and that won't change unless we do. Make sure we are following the commandments and doing the things we need to to preserve our country, and God will do the rest. If we do so, God promises that no other land will take over our land. Quite powerful! How blessed are we? (Really blessed) :)

Have a great week, I love you all! Watch some fireworks for me!

MKH,
Æ. Taylor Howes

PS: My comp snagged a random pic, but my jacket is red and blue while my shirt is white. #USA

"Sankt Hans Aften"- A Danish Holiday

Davs!

I hope everyone had a great week! The weather this week was pretty scorching. I got fried on Saturday at a ward party! Even my legs got burnt! (cause I wore shorts) :). I'll just get on with it!

Two weeks ago, we found a half American family! I actually tried something I had never done before while being out. Usually, when a couple is in a car and they're backing out of the driveway, I let them do their thing and be on there way, but the one time I didn't let that happen, we had a great conversation. I walked up the side of their car as they were backing up, then tapped on the window and signaled for them to stop, then the roll down the window and I give a door approach, and then the wife responds in English, "What part of the states are you from?" We come to find out that the husband is American, lived in Montana and has a bunch of LDS friends. He said, "They're the best people I have ever hung out with!" We then talk about eternal families and they said they've never heard that message before nor have they seen Mormons come to their door in Denmark, nor met a Mormon. They even said, "You're more than welcome back - in fact, please come back." So that was good. We went back this week and taught the Restoration and eternal families. They loved it! They're willing to read the Book of Mormon and find it's truth, so we're hoping for more success with them in the future. We're happy we've been finding families left and right!! It's been great! We've got several appointments set up this week, so hopefully they all hold! If they do, they'll be golden!

This week, we had a holiday called "Sankt Hans Aften." It's some old Viking holiday that celebrates the longest day of the year, so they make a HUGE bonfire, then throw a witch (scarecrow) into it and sings some sort of carols. It was pretty interesting! Then on Saturday, we had a ward summer party! So we chilled on a farm with a bunch of members and grilled. It was really fun. It was a good opportunity to get to know members better, so it was a good thing overall. 

It's the beginning of a new transfer! So we'll see what miracles the next 6 weeks bring! I hope you all have a great week! I love and miss you tons!!

MKH,

Æ. Taylor Howes

The Summer Party (Elder Allred) & us and the APs at the church building (behind us)! (my companion to the right)

20.06.2016

Hey!

It's been a pretty good week. Things are going better here! The weather has been pretty mild and breezy. It's been jacket weather. Rain jacket weather. It was dumping rain this week, but luckily I was inside at President O'Bryant's house for 3 days for the new missionaries 30 day training. I can't complain! :)

This week, I got to go to the temple! I also went like 3 weeks ago, but I didn't mention it. I love going to the temple though. This time, I took a family name. It was actually a name of a guy who lived in Iredell County, NC like 300 years ago. So I thought it would be fit to take him with me to the Denmark temple. It was pretty special! 

We did a quite a bit of finding this week too.. We actually found some more families! One of the families we found a couple weeks ago finally made it to church! It was a wife and 4 kids. They fit right in and they were well received by the members! The family had an INCREDIBLE time at the church and the kids LOVED it. We should be setting a baptismal date goal with them this week, and I'm sure they'll accept it too! They really felt something special at church and it opened their eyes. 

Anyways, I've learned a lot this past month, and I found some scriptures that really opened my eyes, so I hope they open yours too. It's in D&C 58:4 "For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand." Then in Mosiah 23:21-22, "Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith. Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people." We may be struggling with something and no matter how hard, how often or how sincere we pray, our situations may not be changed, our burdens may not be lightened. It's important to remember the Lord's time is NOT our time. The Lord will free us from our challenges and rough situtations in his own time. It's our job to be patient and just ride the situation like you're riding and angry bull. It won't be fun, and we'll fall many times, but the lesson the Lord wants us to learn is that we don't learn and grow in our good times where we have things easy in our lives, but we learn when we're having a rough time. Even though it's hard, we should look to see what we can do ourselves to learn and grow, and the Lord will do the rest and completely remove you from the situation in his own due time. I myself am still learning, but just ride the bull and hope for the best! :)

Hey, all is well! I hope all is well with everyone wherever you are! I love and miss you tons! 

MKH, 

Æ. Taylor Howes

Airplanes!

Hello!

I hope everyone has had a good couple of weeks. Sorry for not writing last week. That was my bad. Anyways, the weather is still on the incline, but today took a turn for the worse. It's like 50 degrees and cloudy. It's pretty unfortunate considering the past weeks have been beautiful. I'm sure it won't stay this way though!

This week was pretty good. Last week was good too. We taught like, my mission record number of lessons last week, and this week we shot for last weeks success, but we didn't quite get there. On the bright side, we found 3-4 families, and one of those families decided they would be baptized when they found out the church was true. They're pretty positive and almost came to church this week, but they had a reasonable excuse stand in the way - but they're coming next week! We're meeting with them this week, so hopefully once they come to church, we'll be able to put them on baptismal date. Other than that, we're still picking up new investigators and we find a potential about everyday. Things are going in the right direction still! 

This week, we spent P-day on the beach by the airport! I took one pic... Surprise! An airplane. You can see that at the end. 

There was a scripture this week that stuck to me. It's D&C 90:24. It says, "Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another." It hit me that we have to be searching for the answers to the problems we've been having. We can't just pray, we have to act by searching and believing. It's after the trial of our faith where we receive our reward. Remember that all will work together for our good if we follow this simple but powerful principles. 

I love you all and thanks for your emails each week. They really do help! :)

MKH, 

Ældste Taylor Howes

PS: Amager Strand & Danmark ud på landet! Solen var lidt stærk i mine øjne! 

Happy May!!!

Hey!

This has been a pretty uneventful week. But hey! The sun is shining today and it's 60 degrees or somewhere around there. Some of you might say that's cold, but it's the warmest it's been all year and it might not get much warmer! It's been a pretty rainy week, so I'm glad that the weather let up for a day! 

Let's see.. Well.. I spent all day inside on Tuesday because I came down with some nasty cold. I worked the rest of the week, but lost my voice while I was on splits with the Elders in Amager (East Copenhagen), so I couldn't really do much missionary work myself, but I was still out doing it while my companion did all the talking! Poor kid, but he muscled through it with a smile. We found some potentials this week and taught a couple street/door lessons, but nothing has progressed too much. We're working on it though...... It's a tough area! 

Ummm.. well, I gotta give a shoutout to my sister getting married this week! Holla! Happy marriage! And this week is Mother's Day! I love you mommy! Pretty exciting week! I'm excited to skype on Sunday :D! It feels like just yesterday that I last skyped! Time flies when you're having fun!

I found a couple good scriptures this week, as usual! It's in 2nd Nephi 26:23-24;33. It says, "For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness. He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him...for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile." I like this because it tells us that God will never forsake us. He only brings good. He doesn't cause confusion. He isn't just letting bad things happen. His goodness and glory is available to all those who seek it. EVERYONE. Don't get mad at God for what's happening. He wants the same thing you do...peace. He'll give it to you, just ask Him. Don't work in darkness, but dwell in His light. :)

I hope you all have a good week and give your mommas a big hug! :)

Love, 

Ældste Taylor Howes

Sorry I don't have pictures.... ):