Lukasevangeliet 2‏

Christmas tree with candles on it.

Everyone,

It has been a wonderful Christmas here in Hillerød. To be honest it didn't feel like Christmas until after I had called home. It was different this year to wake up at 6:30 and quietly start a normal day. "It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes, or bags! ... Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more."

Thank you for all of the fun cards that were sent. I was able to open several on Christmas day which was so fun. Thank you for all of your kind words. For some it is different, but for me cards help to remember why I am here, and to continue to press on.

A Christmas Phone Call with Elder Francis!

We asked Ben to pronounce his name, and the Church name, for us. We all laughed!
Our efforts to pronounce the Danish he writes are way off!

We had a wonderful Christmas phone call with Ben! He originally told us he would Skype at 9am Christmas morning. However, at 6:30am on Christmas morning, he emailed and said he could Skype at 7am!!!

Mark and I rushed upstairs, woke up the kiddles, held our Christmas morning scripture study, and then we all walked downstairs, PAST the Christmas stockings (no peeking !?!) and gathered around the computer.

The moment that Benny came onto the screen a huge cheer went up from the kiddles. We were all so happy to see him!!!! Mark brought a couch into the kitchen for us to sit on and we all chatted and chatted for over an hour. It was wonderful!

En Frelser Er Født‏ - A Savior is Born

Julemanden came to deliver our packages at the Christmas Zone Conference.

Here is the link to watch "En Frelser Er Født‏ - A Savior is Born" in Danish:  https://www.mormon.org/dan/jul

Everyone,

Thank you so much for your wonderful letters and emails this week. They really reminded us of the true meaning of Christmas through your words.

The week had a "rough start, great finish" for us here in Hillerød. We were in a low spot until Thursday afternoon when things started to really pick up for us. The biggest thing is that we exceeded our teaching goal for this week. During weekly planning we try to set goals in faith, and for this one we always seem to come up short. We try every week to meet with people, but there is always something that gets in the way. For the past few weeks we have been consistently teaching the same few people, but this week we taught a former investigator and a potential investigator. This was great because we are expanding our teaching pool.

Christmas letters from the Francis Family Party

A "selfie" at the Christmas party.

 Tonight is the Francis Family Christmas Party. Every year we gather and eat sandwiches, play bells, sing carols, and exchange homemade gifts. This year the computer was open and everyone took a moment to sit down and email a short note to Ben. Here are the wonderful messages everyone sent. Thanks, Francis Family, for your incredible support!

Playing bells and singing carols.

 December 20, 2015

Dear Elder Francis,

 Ben:

We’ve all finally gathered for the Franci Christmas Party.  We are so excited to write you tonight and wish you a Very Merry Day today!  Here we go!

Love

Aunt Debra

P.S. I copied your mom...I hope that was okay.  We had a fun time tonight writing you!

Ephriam's Rescue‏ - December 14, 2015

Our P-Day group.
(Note: Is that Elder Reed [son of Blaine Reed] in the front with his thumbs up?)

Everyone,

First off I want to thank all of the Francis family for sending me letters. This week I received one from each family, and it made things so much brighter. Sometimes it feels like you are all alone out here, but receiving mail is one of the best things.

Saturday Mail (Allen and Linda's letter came a few days earlier.
Thank you for the tree. I will send a picture of it next week.)

We have done lots of contacting this week. I met some people from England who were visiting there son. They knew a little about the church, and showed us a picture of the temple in England. They said it was twenty minutes from there home. This was a great contact because we spoke English, and they were very open to talking with us. I did meet a young man from Tennessee who is hear studying business. We didn't expect another American here when we talked with him. My favorite contact this week was with some teenagers. They came up to me, and started asking questions. They spoke english and I spoke danish. It was really fun, and they helped me with some Danish questions I had.

Lære og Pagter 42:14‏ - December 7, 2015

A handmade Danish advent calender from Sister Bendica. We will be spending Danish Christmas with them which is the 24th of December.

 D&C42:14 And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach.

Everyone,

Christmas time has started for us here in Denmark. There are lots of decorations on the Hillerød gågade, and you can feel the excitement in the air.

Anne-Marie is doing really well. We were able to open up a family search account for her, and start the process of adding her family members. She was so grateful for our help. It was wonderful to feel the spirit as we added the data. She told us about her family, and where they come from. She also talked about her grandchildren. Family history work is really enjoyable for us because we get to hear so many interesting stories.