I sure enjoyed General Conference. It is different watching it as a missionary, I find myself constantly looking for things that might help the people we teach.
About the Jepsen Purge. The zoneleaders came over for inspection (the ones I lived with for only a week and a half) and they´re first comment was: "Well it looks like Elder Jepsen was here alright."
About the yard and the leaves, then I hope that Eric might find some time for it in the vacation coming up. I tried doing the 'Accio Leaves!' thing, but it didn´t work from so far away. You can´t blame me for trying though. (Ed. note: "Accio" is a Harry Potter thing, where Harry Potter flicks his wand and stuff happens, thanks to the imagination of a good writer and Hollywod, much unlike real life).
Concerning the patriarchal blessing, then I am quite aware of my own botch-up in this matter. I had it on my bed, ready to pack, but well . . . I don´t know (I guess I confused it with being a another piece of paper to put away and it is now in one of all the boxes in Dad's workshop). But it would be handy if you could grab Eric by his wannabe moustache fuzz thing and have him help you for five minutes to find it. No pressure though ;).
I´m really sorry to hear about Lis. I´ll include her in my prayers, and I hope that they´re family can come through this hardship once more. Still however, we can´t know what the Lord´s will is, it always was in His hands and all we really can do is pray and have faith that the doctors too benfit from Gods hand in things.
About the lessons: I´ve taught the first lesson a couple dozen times now, but am greatly lacking in the others. And I´m really not concerned about teaching in English. More than half of the investigators are foreigners and don´t speak much danish. Needless to say, I´m more concerned when a "normal" Dane finally comes along, and I have to teach in Danish. But, so far it hasn´t been troubling me.
Oh, and thank you so much for the forwarded messages--from the family and Anita. I really appreciated it and I very much enjoyed reading them. Its also nice that I don´t have to write seperate emails to everybody (time is in such short supply). It´s also great to know that I´m able to contribute to Anita´s branch, and that both she AND HER BRANCH enjoys hearing from me. It is a good feeling to have that many people rooting for me--THANK YOU ALL.
Please tell my dear grandma that Frederiksberg IS IN Copenhagen? My address is the Mission Office´s, and whatever they get will get forwarded to me, or I´ll just pick it up myself, meaning Grandma (and others) can write me letters all she (they) want(s).
My new area is like a half an hour away from the downtown, so everything is central in spite of the fact that we live a good bit away from the nearest bus stop (7 minutes of walking to get there)! It´s insane! hahahaha! I remember how it only took like an HOUR to walk out to the main road bus stop from our house. Some things do get easier! My new area USED to have a car, but since my companion who has an American drivers license can ONLY drive an automatic (sound familiar, Mom?), we got an all-zoner card so we can just hop on any bus, train, sub or a rickshaw, and go ANYWHERE that our area permits!! (allzoner card´s can reach to Roskilde (viking ship museum) and Helsignør (Elsinore) P-day Kronborg Castle (Hamlet's castle for all the foreigners) :) trip!)
Something that concerns me though about myself though. I´ve heard from my companion, that even though I might be a Greenie, and in light of the big gap of where MTC should have been, I really don´t act like the greenie I´m supposed to be. He said I talk, plan, teach and contact like somebody who´s been out for a good while, and I guess that is good, but the concern lies in that I notice (as does my companion), that I take over sometimes. It´s an easy mistake, as my companion is friendly and almost slightly submissive elder (not that I don't respect authority, but submission is a little foreign to me). To change that, I´ve been making a conscious effort of allowing senior companion be senior companion, and junior be junior, giving room for his authority to work. It doesn´t make it easier that I´m the one kicking HIM out of the bed in the morning. We´re good friends though, and we connect well together. He´s wacky as well. He lived in Denmark from when he was 5 till he was 16 years old, so our communication is english/danish back and forth, a bit a la Eric and I where we just switch back and forth without even thinking. I clean up after him as well (just like Eric). My companions first name is actually Erik!!! (However familiar, he still doesn´t get close to having Eric the Mugwump von Da Messiruhm (pronounced as the messy room) around. sigh.)
Life is however doing well, as you very well can hear. During The Great Purge, I set up (decorated with) a chess table (using a Book of Mormon chess set, didn't know they had those) with a perfect small little table, two chairs on each side over beside the wall (just for looks and appearance, and to make us look smart and intelligent people when we got visitors), . . . but we´ve actually used it a lot already! I didn´t plan on that . . . .
Only Elder Moulton (from the other companionship) and I use the chessboard. We have a little scoreboard (contained by a little yellow sticky-note), of who has most wins and he´s in the lead. As this is our prep-day, I have to kick his butt tonight to make it even.
While living in the Nørrebro apartment (oh yeah, I lived in Nørrebro!) (ed. note: part of Copenhagen where the gang population is fairly high, with frequent shootings etc.). I used to make food all the time for everybody, got better and more creative every time, and they liked a lot. Then I moved to Ballerup (also Copenhagen, Grandma :) ) and now we get FREE FOOD from a company owned by a member (the very same place as where I applied for work while I was unsure about my visa (the inkasso job)). They´re just down the road, and they order food (which they don't eat) from a catering company, and then they give it to us. CAN YOU IMAGINE, FREE FOOD FOR MISSIONARIES! Needless to say, I don´t make much food these days (which is cool and yet kind of a bummer, because I had some finishing touches to add on my new sauces). Well I'll get plenty more chances, but it still won't be the same only cooking for a 2-elder companionship.
Well I hope you west coast folk are doing well. I miss you guys a lot! (relatively speaking. get it. Relative! Oh well, I tried) I actually had Mom´s picture out today to look at while I had a moment. sigh. (Accio Family! . . . but only Paul comes . . . but then again, now he seems to be all over the place). I hope that the warmer weather is doing you good and warming you up a bit. My Men In Black uniform is really tough sometimes to work with, but I´m dealing with it. I am Bambam, I deal with things.
Well, just want to say that I love you all very, very much (Mom, Dad, Grandma, Auntie Susan and flock and Anita and branch, since I know you might be reading this somewhere). Please pray for our investigators, also the ones we haven't found yet and please pray that we find the ones that we are meant to teach--time is in such short supply. Take care and don´t get lost. As my Mission President says, "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing".
Love you all,
Elder Jepsen
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