March 20, 2017

  

Hej Everyone!

I hope you have all had a good week, because we sure did! There was a lot that happened, but I will tell you about the highlight of the week. It was a burrito that I got from a mexican food truck earlier today. Just kidding. Mostly. (It was a reaaaally good burrito). In all seriousness, the higlight of the week... Her name is Patricia, and she is our miracle.

Last Tuesday, we had 2 appointments right in a row, which we were very excited about, naturally. But, true to the nature of missionary work, both of them had to cancel. So all of a sudden we had a good chunk of time open to start finding new people to teach. (also a very normal part of missionary work). So we started walking (normal), and nothing quite felt right. It was a bad time of day to knock, but it was not the best weather, so people didn't really want to talk on the streets either.

We finally ended up in a random neighborhood, and looked it up in our little book to see if it had been knocked recently. There was only one house marked down, and all it said was "Patricia". No info, no positive or negative comments, nothing. So we figured that we would go and check it out. We knock on her door and she was nice enough, but it was just really awkward. Eventually she starts telling us about this time that her mom's friend prayed for her toe (which had been operated on and worked on for years with no success), and then her toe was healed within 2 weeks, and ever since then she has always wondered if there really is a God. Long story short, we come inside, where we meet her bunny and her 6 year old autistic son (another miracle, because he HATES new people, but he really liked us). We talked for a little while, and when we invited her to try praying for herself, she asked "yeah, I can. Should I pray right now?"... well, yeah, sure! We leave, thinking about how incredible prepared she was, and incredible grateful that we'd met her.

Fast forward 2 days. We come again, and teach about the Restoration. She LOVES it. At the end of the lesson, we invite her to be baptized. Her response? "Oh, yeah, can we do that tonight?" WHAAAAT. So we tell her that no, she'll probably have to wait a while, so she pulls out her calendar and we make a date and set a time. Then, 2 days later, we go on a walk with her, and she treats us like her best friends. We get back to her house, and she pulls our her Book of Mormon and explains that she thought it was too predictable to start reading from the beginning, so she chose from the table of contents where she wanted to read. Which happened to be the Words of Mormon haha, so she was a little confused. But she still loved it! Then she came to church yesterday, and commented in every single class. No fear, just curiosity and a desire to learn.

Where did this woman come from?! She is just the most perfect, sincere woman I have ever met. Raising her son alone has forced her to grow up very quickly, and she is just searching for a place of refuge and support. And then we found her. She hadn't had a big life changing event, or said some big prayer, but her entire life has been preparing her to hear the gospel at this time. That is just a huge testimony to me of how God is aware of every tiny little thing that is happening. We might not always know that He is there, or that He is guiding us, but He is. He knew Patricia would be ready at this time, and He knew that it was time to answer her silent prayers. I can only hope and pray that He will continue to use me and my companion to find even more people - even if it takes cancelled appointment after cancelled appointment to do so.

Missionary work is full of miracles. I can't explain them, but I am experiencing them. I hope that you all keep your eyes open for the little miracles that happen every day. They're there, I promise. I love you all, and I love being a missionary. Be happy and keep your head up - I'm rooting for you :)

Love, Søster Ludlow

Denmark - so Beautiful!

Yah - this is real

I found a glorious thing!  A drinking fountain!  NOT COMMON in Denmark!

This is Nouria - she loves us and we love her!

Splits with the Sisters

March 13, 2017

Hej all! 

Don't have a ton of time today, but things are going really well here! The sun comes up right after we wake up, and so every morning is just a BEAUTIFUL array of colors. I love the sun, even though we don't see it very often. Spring is coming here - there are tiny purple, white, and yellow flowers growing out of the grass all over the city, and no one cuts them down. People are getting happier, and the days are longer. I love Denmark so much. 

This week during my studies, I studied a talk that was about how the best leaders are really the best followers. There was one quote in particular that really stood out. It said something along these lines: Your ability to lead others comes in large part from your commitment to follow Jesus Christ. I thought that was actually really profound. If we are dedicated to following Christ and living like Him, then we will be living a life worth following. And as people begin to notice and follow, we will in turn be able to lead them unto Him, which is much higher a calling than any other leadership we could have in this life. Instead of focusing on how you can guide other people, or on how you can influence other people, just focus on how well YOU are following the Savior. and as you focus on that, the love that comes will be enough to guide others to where they need to be. 

I love you all, and I hope you have a good week. I am praying for you and just remember, when the road ahead looks hard, look up instead. I love you all!

Love, Søster Ludlow

Leadership training at the mission home with these great missionaries!

March 6, 2017

March 6, 2017

Hej Everyone!

Transfers came around and rocked the boat again. Sister Naylor abandoned me to go back to my cute little branch on Amager. I am going to miss her a lot, but my new companion is awesome! Her name is Sister Haag. When I first got to the land, I was in a trio with Sister Naylor and Sister Haag, so we've already been companions! I guess President has run out of people who can handle me, and now he's just cycling back through them! But really, I adore Sister Haag, and am really excited to work with her here in Aarhus.

A  classic good bye shot of Soster Naylor...she's gonna love me for this one!

I don't know if I already told this story, but I remembered it this week and thought I'd share because it is awesome. So a few weeks ago, Sister Naylor and I were on the bus on a Friday night. It was loud, and it was packed. To the left of us, there was a group of 4 30-35 old men that were being loud and obnoxious like single men usually are (no offense, love you all). After a while, I noticed that they had become aware of my name tag and the book I was holding in my hands. I heard them start joking around about all of it. My name, the church, the book, talking about Americans and how fun it is to make fun of them when they can't understand (haha... we let them think that.) I looked at Sister Naylor and all she said was "I will love you forever if you do it". What was 'It', you ask? Well, just think about my personality and how humbly (ha) I respond to people who think they can walk all over me. When the bus got close to our stop, I got out of my seat, turned toward them with my most dazzling smile and casually just said "I heard y'all talking about my name and this book - we'd love to tell you more about it and about how Jesus Christ and this book could help you find a happier life" and handed them our card, asked for their names, smiled, waved, and WALKED AWAY. BOOOOOOM. Let me tell you folks, the gift of tongues is REAL. Those 2 sentences were probably the most flawless Danish I have spoken yet on my mission. The entire bus just stopped talking and turned to look at the 5 of us. I WISH YOU COULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOK OF PURE TERROR THAT CROSSED THEIR FACE. It was hilarious and I felt really cool after. We never heard from them, but I'd like to think that they now think twice before mocking foreigners with Jesus on their side. Hehe being a missionary is awesome

Denmark is just so beautiful

The other day, we had a really good lesson with our investigator Nouria. She is 23, has pink hair, and loves Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Star Wars. Basically, we are best friends and I adore her. But we had a lesson about who Christ is to us personally and why we need to involve Him in our lives. and she was listening but I could tell that it just wasn't clicking with her. She has been athiest her entire life, so I knew that we needed to start explaining things in a different way. Then, all of a sudden, a scene from Star Wars popped into my head, and I began to tell her a story - about Qui-Gon Jinn and Anakin Skywalker, and how it was because of Qui-Gon that Anakin had the chance to become free - but he still had to choose to accept Qui-Gon's offer and put in the effort to learn to become a Jedi. I related it to how yes, Christ has set us free, but we still have to choose to accept His gift and do our part to become who we are meant to be. It was incredible, and I never thought Star Wars could bring the Spirit so strongly into a room, but it did! It made sense and she really was touched by the idea. Again, I love being a missionary. 

I just want to challenge you all to think about who the Savior is to you, and to find one more way that you can stand and represent Him in your life. I love you all, I love beign a missionary and I hope you all have a good week!

May the Force be with you!

Love, Søster Ludlow

 Me offering a spoon to Sister Naylor to accept that she eats rice with a spoon

On splits with Soster Baird

Leadership Training at the Mission Home

February 27, 2017

Hej everyone! 

This week has been crazy! We put on a music and the spoken word concert in the church yesterday, so we spent a lot of time this week preparing for that! We also had 3 different sets of sisters visiting for splits, and had a church tour/doctrine explanation session with a class of 45  20 year olds, which was way fun. Plus, we went all the way to Copenhagen! That was easily the highlight of the week.

Can I just say that Satan will use literally anything he can to stop us from having success? This week, while we were getting ready for the church tours and concert, 2 out of the 4 elders ripped their pants RIGHT before everything started. Don't worry, their companions covered them with flags and chairs until new pants could be found, but Satan literally was biting at our pant legs trying to stop us from putting it all together. Luckily, all it did was provide a much needed laugh and everything still went smoothly.

But you might be asking, why were you in Copenhagen, Sister Ludlow? That's all the way on the other side of the country! A whole 3 hours by train! (Haha Europe is so tiny) Well, remember when I served on Amager? One of my sweet investigators, Mads, made the decision to be baptized. It was one of the happiest days of my entire life. When we found him, he was in the process of trying to stop with misuse of drugs and alcohol, and trying to mend broken relationships caused by 20 years of misuse. And now, he is completely drug and alcohol free, has self confidence, and his adult daughter came to his baptism because she was so proud of the changes he has made in his life. I can't even begin to describe how different he is. But when he saw me walk into the church, his face lit up and he ran over and shook my hand with vigor because he couldn't hug me - but man. What a feeling. After he was baptized, the branch president stood up to welcome him to the branch, and he said something really profound. He said "Mads, you're a part of this family now. We need you, and you need us. We promise that we will be there to watch out for you, love you, and support you, no matter what comes your way. Welcome to our little family, Mads". Isn't that so profound in such a simple way? Every single one of us needs the support system the church provides - but the church also needs us. Every single one of us is needed. We watch out for each other, we support each other. We aren't here to tear down or envy or compete - we are here to be the strength others need when they are weak, and in return, we receive that strength back.

I just feel so blessed that I could be a part of that day. Mads' life is now changed forever - and the lives of his family and friends have already begun to change also. How blessed are we that we get to be a part of this work. I don't care how stressed, how difficult, how long, or how scary the coming weeks are - my mission will be worth every ounce of pain and discomfort just because of Mads alone. I love being a missionary. I love Denmark with my whole soul. Good luck trying to get me to come home. I love you all, and i hope you have a good week!

Love, Søster Ludlow

February 20, 2017 HALF WAY MARK!

Sent: Monday, February 20, 2017 3:04:32 AM

Hej Everyone!

This week was pretty nuts. We were all over the country doing trainings and being on splits, so it was really fun! A couple of fun stories: we were getting off the bus yesterday, and there was this super cute old guy sitting right next to the door. When we walked past, we just had to smile at him, and right when we did, he started singing "God Bless America".... that was a first. Apparently we just look too American for our own good? Last week, we were out in the park, and we met another older man named Irgen. Irgen doesn't have kids, and so instead of spoiling his kids, he spoils the ducks that live in the park. Everyday at 10:30 am, he rides over there with his bike to make sure that they get some good, nutritious grains. And the ducks LOVE HIM. Some of them have names and will come when he calls them. I just love that I live in a country where people are that concerned over the welfare of the local ducks. It gives me a little bit of hope for this world! 

   

Yesterday in church, we were talking about faith in God. The ward mission leader (who was teaching the class) said something that I loved, it applied to both my nerd side and my missionary side. He said that having faith in God is like being a Jedi using The Force - it is invisible, and we can't see it when it is not being used. but the second that we start using it, we can see the effects. Granted, the things done by The Force are a little more noticeable, but maybe that is just because we don't know how to see the effects of our faith? Remember that every good thing comes from God - if we are exercising our faith, and there are good things happening in our life, how can they not be related? We are promised that every tiny particle of faith will bring about miracles in our lives, so watch for them! I'm grateful that I get to be here in Denmark to help people see the effects of our faith. I love you all, I love my mission, I love Denmark, and I love life. Be happy and share the good things in life with someone you love! Have a great week! 

Love, Søster Ludlow

This is Sister Landeen!  Her Aunt, Uncle and cousins are in my home ward in Utah!  

This is a castle/old hospital Sarah stayed at while on splits.  

February 13, 2017

Hola amigos! Como estas?

Man, I learned a lot from Sister Acosta... maybe they should open a Spanish speaking branch in Denmark. Not really. 

But anyway, this week was busy! A lot of the time as a missionary, we say that, and then can't actually remember why it was so busy... because we don't have time to remember! The highlight of the week: 1) it SNOOOOOWED!!! We got like 3 inches, which was pretty impressive (well, at least the Danes think so...). It took about 3 days for all of that snow to come. If only they could experience the storms Utah has been having!   But that was really fun. We had some snowball fights with the youth and made snow angels and watched people slip and slide everywhere. I love the snow!!!! It's all melted now though. Highlight number 2: WE SAW THE SUUUUUN. It has been a few weeks since we've seen the sun out, so that was a blessing. 

Sister Naylor and I made cookies to give to people, and it was on one of the snowy days. Our cookie batter was a little bit dry, and we didn't want to just put water in because that's boring.... and then Sister Naylor asked "what would happen if we put snow in them?" Everyone raved about the cookies and asked what secret ingredient was.... we didn't  tell them that it was snow. Moral of the story? Snow is a good additive to American cookies. 

At stake conference yesterday, Odense's primary kids sang some songs. One of the songs they sang was "We'll Bring the World His Truth". They sang the first verse, and then on the second verse, all of us missionaries stood up and sang with them, and then the third verse, the entire congregation did. We have stake conference in a large music hall, so the sound was echoing and reverberating around the room, and I can not begin to describe how powerful that moment was. The saints here in Denmark might be few in number, but they do everything they can to spread the gospel - and we could feel it when they sang. I just wanted to invite you all to think about how you are showing the light of the gospel to other people. We've been blessed to know of these things, and there shouldn't be anything that holds us back. This is God's church on the earth, my friends. You will not find this much power, spirit, or love anywhere else in the world. Keep going forward, and live the things you've learned. I love you all and am grateful for your prayers! Have an incredible week!

Sister Ludlow

Some great family friends from CONNER'S mission Sarah found at Stake Conference!

Yes - her hair is RED!  

February 6, 2017

Hej venner! 

Well, I wish I could say that we got a lot of snow this week, but we didn't. But it was really foggy, so that was cool! It made it feel like we were in an epic adventure everyday. We never knew what was coming! It has been a good week. Time really does fly too fast!

We went finding a lot this week... but thats pretty normal. I got my lacrosse sticks back, and played a little bit on Saturday, so that was also really good. Wow, this is the most boring email ever... I just want to say that I am insanely grateful for bus drivers. Almost every day, the bus drives past us while we're walking to the stop and we have to BOOK IT and try to catch up- but unfortunately, busses are faster than missionaries. But the cute little bus drivers are so sweet - if they see us running like madwomen, they will wait for us to get there before they drive away! Tender mercies. So if you ever find yourself wondering 'Hey, what is Sister Ludlow doing right now?' just picture me, Book of Mormon in hand, scarf flying, chasing down a bus. Hopefully it brings a smile to your face!

Here we are on the bus that we spend so much time on!

Here's a story! We got a referral from elders in another city a few weeks ago, and have tried to stop by her house a few times, but she was never home. Yesterday, we decided that we were going to try one last time... and she was home! she is this adorable little lady from Greenland. She invited us in (the picture attached is in her house) and sat us down, and told us not to move while she made us food. When she finally came back, she lit a bunch of candles to make things more hyggeligt, and then sat down and pulls out... A BOOK OF MORMON. Turns out that this lady has learned EVERYTHING about our church from missionaries before, and had just been forgotten about. But now, she is ready and willing to accept the gospel and everything that goes with it. It was just the biggest testimony to me that the Lord knows every one of us. He remembers what we forget, and He knows when we are ready to move forward. He's not going to forget us, and He is ALWAYS going to give us another chance. God lives and loves us, people. I love you all and I hope that you have a great week! 

Søster Ludlow

At the Greenland lady's house waiting....