Before the cathedral in grandeur rose
At Ingelburg where Danube goes:
Before its forest or silver spire
Went airily up to clouds and fires;
Before the oak had ready a beam,
While yet the arch was stone and dream --
There where the altar was later laid,
Conrad the cobbler, piled his trade.
It happened one day at the years white end --
Two neighbors called in on their old-time friend;
And they found the shop, so meager and mean,
Made gay with a hundred boughs of green.
Conrad was stitching with face ashine,
But suddenly stopped as he twitched a twine:
"Old friend, good news! At dawn today,
As the cocks were scaring the night away,
The lord appeared in a dream to me,
And said, 'I am coming your Guest to be!'
So I've been busy with feet astir,
Stewing the floor with branches of fir.
The wall is washed and the shelf is shined,
And over the rafter the golly twined.
He comes today, and the table is spread
With milk and honey and even wheaten bread."
His friends went home; and his face grew still
As he watched for a shadow 'cross the window sill.
He lived all the moments o'er and o'er,
When the savior should enter his small, lowly door --
The knock, the call, the latch pulled up,
The lighted face, the offered cup.
He would wash the feet where the spikes had been,
He would kiss the hand where the nails had gone in.
And then at last would sit with Him
And break and eat bread as the days grew dim.
How are we prepared to remember him
Even past the time that the light grow dim?
Do we remember the Savior, into the special season --
Remember the things he did, and for what reason?
Remember dear Christ and the love that he feels
Even to those who spit at his heels;
The birth of the man, who still through it all
To take on our burdens so even we can stand tall?
Would we wash the feet where the spikes had been,
Or even kiss the hands where the nails had gone in?
Would we at last sit with Him,
And break and eat bread as the days grew dim?
12/14
Fun-ish preparation day. Worked hard to help Elder Piipo (pee-Poe),
and had huckleberry pancakes. Hauled a lot of wood, and we got to
watch a great video that all the sisters made in temple square while
they were there! It was really cool- they read the Christmas story out
of the bible, but each sister spoke her native tongue! There was
probably a good 7-8 different languages, and I think it showed greatly
how Christ is the savior for us all!
Because we had to go home from Drummond, we were a little behind on
all of our laundry and whatnot. We didn't really get finished washing
and cleaning until about 3, so we weren't able to do much with the
zone. When we showed up to the stake center, the zone was already
raging in a game or pod-ball, so I just kinda jumped in! Haha I'm
starting to get pretty good at it, I think. I was able to get about
half the people out just after I first started, through either
catching or throwing. However that game is so weird because just after
I got out all those people I got out jumped right back up! Lol well I
mean I mean I guess it kept the game going!
Exchanges! I went on an exchange with Elder Crocket today; his
companion is the district leader, and they live almost 2 hours away
from the stake center! So Elder Sedig had a baptismal interview to do,
and with us living about 10 minutes away he decided to save some gas. Haha
Once we got to Ronan (Row-naaan) we had a service project planned, so
we went straight to the members house to help them move some bigger
things from their old house to their new. Lots of tvs, couches, and
dressers to move. Haha I guess as the young, "large of stature" vibe
we seem to give as missionaries, I should be expecting it by now! But
the best part was probably dinner afterwards- the family owned a
Mexican diner in town, and the food tasted just like it was from home!
Man... I really am starting to crave a lot of those small things from
home, like actually good tortillas! Lol
12/15
We had a long morning- Elder Crocket is slow to shower, eat, and get
ready. Studies are supposed to start around 8, but he wasn't ready to
go until like 9! So studies were a little weird, but I guess that is
why we go on exchanges- to become better! Haha
But as we started companionship study, a member of the ward there
called us and asked us to come help move some people into town. Cool,
whatever we thought. He said there was a Uhaul, so we assumed it would
be not long, but not a short project. When we got there.... We were
surprised. Instead of a Uhaul, there was a full size 16-wheel semi
parked out front, filled with all of this persons stuff.
Oh jeez.
Haha I guess he had moved from like Louisiana or something like that,
so to make only one trip he hired a moving company from Georgia to get
all his stuff to Montana! So we spent probably a good 4 hours moving
them and helping them get everything out. At the end, the movers said
they were so grateful- without us they guessed it would have taken
them almost 13 hours! D: Haha so they insisted that they gave us some
money for lunch. As missionaries, we rent supposed to, but they
insisted so much that we almost literally couldn't leave without it!
We took that money and went to lunch. But we also bought an extra like
15 chicken sandwiches to go around and give to people- take our
disobedience and put some sort of purpose behind it! Haha so as we
were driving to the park, we saw a lady lookin super stressed out in
the middle of the road. After pulling over and going to her, we found
out that her truck was stuck in the road about 200ft off the road, and
that her sister had tried to get her out, but only got her stuck! Haha
So we had two women and two children stuck in the mud down the road,
hungry and needing help! Man, the Lord works in weird ways. So we gave
them all sandwiches, as well as going and buying some gasoline so that
they could move their truck out of the mud! It felt so good to help!
However, we couldn't get them unstuck at first, so a local member came
and tried to help tow her out. Great! We thought, but no. He got too
brave, and his truck got stuck also. Flip.....
So after utilizing every intelligent thing we could think to do, we
decided to go back to the boy-scout basics and get them out. Oddly,
that worked. Hmmmmm
A little bit after that we had dinner, and then we went over to job
corps and played ball with them for a while. It was a lot of fun, and
I think I'm finally starting to see Elder Potter's basketball coaching
coming in handy! Haha we played 21 for probably 2 hours, 4-5 games,
and I won 3!!!!! What in the?! Hahah Thank you Elder Potter!
12/16
Driving around in the snow is super sketchy man! We had to drive an
hour to get to Missoula, and there was anywhere from 8-10 inches of
snow on the ground. I'm starting to like whole snow thing less and
less...
We had a zone breakfast this morning- everyone brought something and
we spent probably about an hour telling stories, and in the end the
zone leaders had us each share one thing nice about our companion. I
think it was awesome!
I get to play in district meetings again..... hooray. haha I guess
with the talents the Lord gives me!
I got to practice driving in the parking lot for a while, doughnuts,
slipping, and all! haha It was lots of fun definitely. We got to help
move a few couches for an investigator form the moving van into her
home. The movers had it down for a bit, but eventually one of them
slipped on the ice and dislocated his shoulder!! D: It was super
scary! I tried to help, but I thought that it would have been better
for him to just go to the hospital, so the investigator rushed him to
the hospital and got all those things figured things out!
With our Christmas devotional tomorrow, we have an extra two elders
staying in our apartment. It is working our pretty good. We all get to
study and drive together tomorrow, should be great!
12/17
The Christmas devotional was pretty cool! We got to hear a lot of
testimonies from different Elders and Sisters about the Atonement and
we got to sing a bunch of different Christmas songs. We put together a
few great musical numbers as a zone, and so we got to really bring the
spirit in with music. IF there is one thing that I have learned, it is
that music brings the spirit, and there is not too many ways that can
do it better!
They put together a big slideshow of all the missionaries in the
mission, gathering different Christmas pictures from home. Apparently
my mother decided to send the Ugly sweater picture form Madison's
birthday party. My companion got a kick out of it, so I guess it
wasn't a failure! ;)
SANTA CAME
After a two hour drive home, we rested a bit in our apartment, and the phone went off- a recent convert of our was getting married!!!! IN 15 MINUTES!!!!!!!! Haha we drove so fast to get to the church on time! The wedding was great, and I could tell they were super happy, but I thought it was kinda weird because the wedding in itself lasted..... about 8 minutes. There was about a dozen people there. Huh... different than I thought it would be for being the first wedding I can really recall going to!
12/18
Matt Damon? Elder Mika's seminary teacher saw this picture, and apparantly I look like Matt Damon in it.... huh
We FINALLY got someone to come over and fix our water heater so it would stop leaking all over the apartment! It feels nice to have a dry floor again! haha
Besides that, we went caroling with the ward. Reminded me of going out with the family every year........ whatever man!
12/19
9 inches of snow today..... TOO MUCH
Shoveling at the church- 3 hours... tired, dead, I am SO DONE WITH SNOW
Snow plow got stuck.................................................... TOO MUCH SNOW
12/20
Christmas program today. Lots of singing, lots of special talks, and some pretty cool stories!
We got to teach the Sunbeams..... man I am starting to find that teaching kids in the water is SO MUCH different than teaching anywhere else. I was good at it in the water, but maybe I'm just out of practice! haha
I got two packages today. HARRY POTTER LIED!!!!! THERE IS POST ON SUNDAYS! hahah A package from Grandma Wallgren and from the T-town ward!!
Elder Braden R Wallgren
Montana Billings Mission
2015-2017
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
John 15:15-16
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
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