Week 17

10-/24/16

This week was a good week yet crazy! We kept trying to set up an appointment with Lena a russian lady, but she called us back and said sorry she hadn't gotten back to us, but her dad died this week and she was super busy.. SO we made cookies( småkager in danish) and took them over to her house just to drop them by, and she made us herbal tea and let us talk to her for about 45 mintues or so.. I think she needed a good laugh and someone to cheer her up it was heartbreaking! But hopefully she is doing better now and is looking on the bright side of life, and can find solace in the fact that she will see her dad again!

On a happier note, my companion was dancing while riding her bike the other day! You don't realize how talented you become while cycling, until you are pedaling, and dancing with your whole body at the same time ahha. It was quite an experience haa. We actually saw some construction workers the other day at about 9 pm, and they had all of their bright lights on at their work on this huge building, and they had a Taylor Swift song blasting it was really funny to bike by haha.

Random tangent, but i was thinking about how the US should have saft.. I dont think it does... But what saft is, is its concentrated juice, so you buy the concentrate, then you put a little bit in a glass then you add water,... depending on the saft, its about 1 part concentrate, 11 parts water... its super awesome and it lasts forever and it tastes really good lol. I was realizing how quickly im becoming attached to the danish food and culture haha. Granted I do miss the US, but I also love Denamrk ahah. And i practice reading danish every morning when i read it off the cereal box.. I also have a preview in to my next languages, swedish and finnish because they are also displayed on my cereal box lol. Maybe i'll come back and i'll know several different languages! hhaah maybe, but for now i'll just stick with Danish its difficult enough ahah.

I really dont have much else to report on this week of the Lovely Life in Denmark, but one of the last things i'd like to talk about is prayer. I've been thinking a lot about prayer this week, and how we really should be giving sincere prayers everyday. Its not something that we should repeat and rattle off before we get ready for the day, or when we bless the food. It should be a perosnal conversation with God. When we pray, we know its a two way conversation with God, just like it would be on the phone with our earthly father. With Heavenly Father, its the same, but sometimes people think were farther apart. That conversation with God, is closer than if we talk on the telphone to our Earthly father. God, can be so close to us, but its only if we allow him to be. The Holy Ghost can testify of him in our hearts, and we can feel his love through the Holy Ghost. but we have to be willing to listen, and change in our hearts and listen to his counsel as our Father in Heaven.. Prayer is such a "small thing" or "simple thing", but it is also one of the most important things, we should be constantly changing and improving. When we really sincerely talk to God as our Father , we are more impressed with the thoughts and actions we should take, to truly become closer to him and follow him. I hope you all this week will think about coming closer and nearer to God in your prayers, and try to be a little better evry day.

i love you all have a fantastic week!

--

Sister Kemiella Quinton

Denmark Copenhagen Mission

                                                       district meeting

                                                 foot massage balls elder Fairbanks

Elder mcDougall crazy

                                                  waiting for the tire patch to dry

                                                    Sis Petesen she was in the MTC with me and is from Alaska

                                                 museum

beautiful Denmark

Sarah

flash dinner

Week 16

10/17/16

This week was a very good week! 

First off, I got a flat tire on my bike but we patched it up all nice and it runs just the same lol. secondly, we went to dinner at a families house in our ward and they are from Portugal... the husband told us his deacon passing the sacrament stories and he said that one time, they put saltwater in the cups instead of clean water, and he said it was so funny watching them all drink the salt water and cringe as the water went down ahah. and then the other sacrament thing he did, is the cups they used when he was young, were the paper sacrament cups so once they put the water in once, they took a hair dryer and blow dried the cups so that they would stick to the tray of the sacrament lol. and he said people would like try and full arm the thing because they were so stuck it was the funniest story i've heard yet i was dying of laughter when he was telling me and my companion the stories ahha. He got baptized at 11 and he was a deacon at 12, so that's why he was may be a little more ranbumnschious than he should have been lol. But its funny as well since he is so serious, yet so responsible with everything now haha. it was so funny! 

also this week, I had a random guy on the train tape his number to the side of the train for me... I think it was just the light of Christ that he saw :) 

also this week, 2 sisters came to our area for splits and they have a car.. i told the one she could park in our parking lot because, its our apartment parking lot... we come out the next morning, and she has a ticket.... so basically no one knew that we had to get a sticker to put in the car if they wanted to park there. How would i know because i dont have a car and it was crazy dark, and the 1 sign they had about it was in the very center of this pile of construction stuff... so basically i have to pay for a ticket that was my fault even though i didnt touch the car haha. I felt bad, the sister was so stresssed about it showing up on her driving record and i was like, dont worry about the small stuff. life is too short to worry about a ticket, that wasnt even your fault. SO that was interesting... they went back to their area later that day, and like 2 days later, someone stole their license plate and 7 other cars around them... so they now cant drive for like 4 weeks.. they were really bummed... but i was able to comfort them, so hopefully they are looking up more now! 

We had a lessson with an investigaor his name is Jonas he is about 21, and we were about to drop him because he hadn't responded to us for like 2 weeks, but we end up getting ahold of him. He talk to him and apparently he has been reading a ton in the Book of Mormon, and hes already to Mormon! We were like what?!!! so we meet with him, then he asked me a question, and i was able to bear a sincere testimony on what he asked about and his eyes got a little glassy then he says in danish 

" sister, i can feel what you just said is true. thank you so much i can feel the warmth i feel so much warmth in my heart and i know what you said was true" i was like ahhh yayyy!!! then he was asking about baptism so hopefully we will have him on a baptismal date soon!!! he actually came to church  as well! He was 1 of our 2 people to come to church which is good in denmark lol. Sunday was a very good experience with 2 investigaors, and we had some really awesome members talk with them both and take care of them it was so cool!!! we loved it! This week was just full of so many little miracles i wish you were all here to experience them! it was so great! 

--

Sister Kemiella Quinton

Denmark Copenhagen Mission

Week 15

10-10-16

This week was a good week full of all sorts of excitement! I was on splits in the Søborg area, and I was knocking doors in this big apartment building where we had someone who said that we could come back. We knocked on the door later and no one's there but as we go to get on the elevator, the guys mom is on it so we talk to her for like 30 minutes or so.  We go to the next apartment building, and there is buzz boxes with a locked elevator so we go back to the building we were just at. We go up the first row of apartments, and we decided to start on floor 14 and then go down. There are only 3 doors to the elevator we were on, so we just did the firsst section of all those floors. We get to the 5th floor, we knock on a door, a man answers and my tempoaray companion starts her approach... Then the man says "Mike! Mike!" and were like what? Then we see this lady in the back fixing something, as we see this 20 year old guy come in to view, and we realize it was the orignal guy who said we could come back! It was his mom in the back! We hadn't realized that we were at the same door lol. We got to talk to Mike again for a while' because hes been so busy.. And we got a return appointment thankfully! SO hopefully that went well! 

Also this week, we met someone in the grocery store and he is 81. We go to his house like 4 days later, and as we come in he goes "oh hi I missed you(in danish)!" and he gives us both a great big hug... We were like uhhhh we can't actually hug as missionaries haha it was super funny because neither of us knew what to do haha. Life goes on as a wonderful missionary of the Lord lol. 

A couple other funny things, is that one of the Elders asks his companion in the morning the same question so that they can start talking in danish. The standard in our mission is 9am to 9pm, as most danish as we can. So to start the danish off in the morning, the elder says to the other elder "Elder, har du din store dreng bukser på?" which meas, "Elder do you have your big boy pants on?" lol. super funny ahha. 

Also, last week I mentioned I was able to share my testimony in russian to a russian investigator with the Elder  who are the Assistants. Apparently they were a lot more impressed with my russian than I was, because I had like 4 people ask me about it this week.. One of them being my mission president.. I was like ohhh yeah I speak a really tiny bit ahha. It was really funny. I actually am helping a danish elder with russian phrases as well for a russian lady they are teaching aha. 

This week in general has been full of miracles there were so many I can't even count them all. I did have the opportuntty to go to a play called "the Haven", which means the garden and it was put on by our stake. It was like a short musical. It was beautiful and about how Christ suffered in the garden and all that it was super amazing and spiritual! 

There is a woman from New Zealand I taught while on splits in Lyngby.. The chapter I suggessted for her to read in the book of Mormon was the first chapter she read. And she let me know yesterday, that she actually has read all of 1st Nephi, and is about a third of the way through Alma! She says she loves it so much and is so delighted to feel joy and happiness every time she opens it. It made me so happy that she is finding the light of Christ, after so many years of not having it. I'm so excited to see where her journey goes :) 

Anyways all is well in Denmakr, the cold is starting to set in, but the Lord has many blessings in store for all these wonderfull people. :)  I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Sister Kemiella Quinton

Week 14

Oct 3, 2016

This week has been crazy! We had so many awesome moments and all! A couple funny things that happened this week was that a Danish elder here who is actually serving in Zimbabwe, he leaves on Wednesday, we were talking about education and he says " Yeah well all everyone in Gymnasium does is drop out and they go own their dads kebab shops" haha. Its funny because gymnasium is like high school, but its kinda not, its a little older as well, it's between high school and college. And Kebab shops are EVERYWHERE in Denmark. They are like these burrito things with kebab meat, and all this other stuff. If you go to the right place, they are super good haha. SO that's why that quote is funny lol. 

I was also told this week by one of the Elders that I look like Felicity Smoak from the tv show Arrow because I had my glasses on.(my family says the same thing) 

I'm so lucky to serve in a district with all the amazing elders and my companion! All the Elders are closer to going home so they all have tons of experience with the language and what not. It's a good learning experience to interact with them. They are a little fun too which is good when we all have a hard mission work day and we can say a joke where we all roll in laughter for a few minutes then we are good for another week until we see each other all again haha. And all the elders have a good place in their hearts as well. They all will do great things one day. 

Another funny thing that happened this week was I was told by our recent convert Frederick that I was the biggest "mormon gangster" he had ever known. he then called me the biggest gangster ever haha. So that was fun! Last funny thing is that

 We were putting chairs away with our mission president in the church, and I didn't know what system they were doing it by because they would randomly put the chairs the oppoasite ways. So I asked and then they said it was 2 one way then the other. i was like ohhhh that makes sense and then my mission president to me goes, you can tell that the beehives never have had to stack chairs before haha. I just laughed it was so funny hhahha.  

An amazing experience I had this week was< The two elders who are Assistants to the president called me, and asked me how well I was at russian. I was very hesistant and I asked why, what they were thinking of. They said that a russian man who they had met with a lot of times was about to not meet with them anymore( he is so close and has so many awesome ideals and he really needs more help finding God in his life) and they told him that a sister was learning russian. So he decided to meet with them once more and watch a video in russian of the restoration with Joseph Smith. So they asked me to bear my testimony of Jospeh Smith. I aske them to let me call you back in an hour. I was on splits that day in another area. So we go to the librabry, I type in a couple phrases of how I actually felt about the Book of Mormon and Jospeh Smith into Google Translate because I didn't trust myself to remember all the correct conjugations and ending s since there are a lot in russian. So then I called them back and I said "okay, I'll do it!" I then worked on memorizing the words I didn't know in Russian so that my testimony would be sincere because it was from my heart and the wanted the russian man to know that. We go over there, my hands were shaking so bad since I've forgotten so much russian since I'm trying to learn a comletley different language. We watch the restoration in russian, and I understand some of it which eased my pouding heart a little bit. Then we talked for a few minutes, and then the elders asked if I'd bear my testimony. I said a few things in english first about really finding for ourselves and trusting God, then I bore my short and sweet testimony on Jospeh Smith to him. And he was like yes I know that also is true in russian. And then we had to leave early, but after that the elders said he still wanted to keep meeiing with them because he said we sisters were angels! So that was awesome! I was able to use the little russian I rememeber to help someone else feel the Love of God for him and hopefully he knows just how true this gospel is. 

Something I really loved from conference was that we don't NEED to know all things. We just need to KNOW God and know he has a plan for us. This really struck me as we really don't need to worry so much about what we don't know. We just need to know, What we know, and trust in God and have peace in our hearts. As Russell M. Nelson said, "none but saints can be happy under EVERY circumstance. We must trust in the Lord and despite our diffiuclt and hard times, he will always bring us up out of the darkness. We just need to know who HE is, and know How he is and always has been."

 We have to trust in our loving Heavenly father. I miss you all so much and I hope you enjoyed conference as much as I did! Love you all!

--

Sister Kemiella Quinton

Denmark Copenhagen Mission

                                              my mad biking skills

Week 13

9/26/16

Hi Everyone,

This week has just been absolutely amazing! First off, we talked one of the elders in our district to not buy this horrendous suit that honestly was like the ugliest thing I've ever seen in my entire life.. So that was good we helped him not waste his money!

 Next thing that happened was we met with a lady named Lillian who isn't really following the church anymore because she is older and doesn't want to get to church because its too far away.. So she goes to the FolkeKirke that is literally 40 feet from her house instead, we were going over to visit her to help her get faith back in God, and she had made us dinner! It was so sweet that she took the time to do that for us... we luckily had only had a lightish dinner because we didn't have enough time, so we were still grateful for it... it's hard though when you're trying to squish food into your body when you're already full though.. We were literally little rolley pollies after dinner..I looked at the clock as we finished eating, and we had been sitting there eating consistently for a straight hour and 20 mintues... it was the hardest thing I've come across on the mission so far because the Danish people are VERY insistent on that you eat their food and they will get offeneded if you don't.. We just got home and laid on the floor for like 20 minutes because both of us felt so sick to our stomachs.. I'm surprised either of us didn't throw something back up with how much we had to eat.. But if that's what it takes to get into her home, then that's what we will do every time! She's such a sweet and giving lady!

We are also teaching a man named Ryan who hasn't been religious his whole life, but he really felt Mormonism was the truth. He is one of the smartest people I've ever met, and he has so many deep questions its amazing that he will let the Holy Ghost teach him through us two little 19 or 20 year olds. He is so amazing because he had to stand up for himself against all his friends when they found out that he was looking into a church, and Ryan was such a trooper because he was like" I've spent my whole life not knowing, so I'm gonna find out for real if this is the true church." He is so amazing and God really has been a huge blessing and part in his life, whether he sees it yet or doesn't see it. 

We also met with another lady named April .We have been able to help her get through some hard times, and she was so grateful for all we do and that we are able to help her find God and be more dependant on God in her life. She told us straight up in the lesson that she new the church was true, but she knew also that at the moment, she wasn't quite ready to come back, but  she loved having the Spirit with her again when we came to visit and asked us to come again.

Also, I was on splits with 2 sisters in Lyngby 2 weeks, ago, and I met a woman from New Zealand named Sarah. she grew up catholic, but hadn't talked to God since she was 14. She said she was angry with God a lot and she not happy with her life anymore. I had the opportunity to teach her the 2nd offical time that the misionaries met with her. She is an amazing woman she's about 38, and she has changed her life so much. She told me she knows that God is there now and that she wants to find him more in her life. She has been terrified to read the scriptures because she doesn't understand. But when we taught her, I had the impression to tell her about 3 Nephi 11, which is when Jesus Christ comes to visit his other children on the american continent. I start randomly in the lesson start taling to her about it and telling her how it's one of my favorite chapters and she's says, "wow I've really wanted to read more about Jesus Christ and what he did for his children!" So I told her how in the chapter the people say Hosanna and the translation of Hosanna means "Save Me Now" and she was like wow thats awesome. I left the lesson thinking I wouldn't ever see her again. She texted the sisters over that area the next day, and said, "so I read 3 Nephi 11 and I loved it! And I know I'm going to get baptized! I'm not quite ready yet, but I know i want to be baptrized now! " That chapter that the Holy Ghost promtped me to read was the first chapter she was able to read in the Book of Mormon because she was scared to read. And she said she even read the chapter after it as well! 

This past week my companion had to do training for some of the new people, so I went on splits in the Lyngby area again and that day, was the day they had scheduled to meet with Sarah and they had no idea until last mintue that I would be coming. We were able to talk with her and ask her how she was doing and all.. and she was talking about how she wanted to put her trust more in God, and again, I felt the Holy Spirit prompt me to show her a song and all of us 3 sisters  wrote down a trial we had overcome and then  when we listen to the song trust Him by Nicolas Neel, we write down all the blessings that we had gained from that expereience. It was amazing and she was like thank you that is exactly what I needed! Tt's been awesome with her, the Holy Ghost has been promtping me both times we met with her. I know it isn't an accident that day when I got to meet with her both times! God is so amazing!

I guess the moral of the story this week is to listen to the pomptings of the Holy Ghost. I heard a talk recently that was talking about what the Holy Ghost does. His jobs are to Testify, teach, comfort, and purify. We need to be the person that the Holy Ghost can reside in because there are so many people out there who have a need for what we have. We have to take the leap of faith, to press forward and GO and follow what we feel. David A. Bednar said that " We bring the Holy Ghost UNTO them, but they bring it INTO themsleves". So we need to follow those promptings and be a light to others.

Speaking of a new light, A man named Frederick got baptized this past Saturday! My compaion and I have been teaching him the past 7 weeks even though the elders found him in out area about a year ago. He's from Ghana, and it was so amazing and spiritual to watch him get baptized, and then the following Sunday he recieved the gift of the Holy Ghost. We are so proud of him and are excited to help him in his journey to become closer to God, and be a member of Gods church. I hope you all had a fantastic week, I know I did and  I hope you all stay safe there in the US! Love you All!

--

Sister Kemiella Quinton

Denmark Copenhagen Mission

                                                       stuffed from eating soooo much

                                                 Frederick From Ghana's baptism day!