This week has definitely been the most unique of my mission.
Yesterday we met with a reporter from TV2 Fyn - the regional tv news station for the entire island of Fyn. She was doing a 10 minute interview with us and following us with her cameraman for the day as we went about our work. That's a lot of time, tv-wise! It's all in connection with the Mitt Romney thing. So on Thursday we met with a representative from the Church's PR devision here who gave us coaching on the interview process, techniques to respond tactfully, and how to answer her questions while staying in control of the interview and getting the message across. It was aaaaaall in Danish too, so that was just a blast. She was actually really fun, and the cameraman was so sweet. They started by interviewing us one-on-one, beginning with personal "getting to know you" questions, like "Where are you from?", "Tell us about your family.", and "Now tell me, why did you decide to serve a mission?", and switching to more controvercial topics like "Why can't women be priests in your church?", "What's the deal with you not drinking alcohol and coffee?", and a bunch of questions about homosexuality and divorce (with my family background). She also asked a lot about how the whole Mitt Romney thing is affecting our work, our political views (which we can't share), and the church's standpoint on it all. Søster Moore and I actually feel like we did pretty well. Søster Moore had given a talk in church that Sunday, so they filmed her reading a bit of it from the pulpit. They also filmed her playing "I Am A Child of God" on the piano and singing (she majored in Drama education, and taught at a high school before coming, and has a gorgeous voice) while I sat and listened. And a bunch of random opening and closing shots she'll probably voice over where we walk into the church, sit down, and start reading in the Book of Mormon, then a few where we close our books, stand, and walk out. The camera man said he knows what he wants to do with it, so I'll trust him. Then we showed them around the church, telling about the baptismal font and everything. They also filmed us with photos of our family, telling a bit about everyone. That's right. You guys will all be on the Danish news. The best was of me walking into a bathroom while Søster Moore waited outside, since that's the only time we're only allowed to be apart. Whatever. The weirdest part was when they filmed our faces as we watched a clip of Romney's and Obama's acceptance speaches. Both were them just trying to make themselves seem like everyone else to get that connection. Søster Moore and I were not at all interrested, so I don't think she got what she was looking for.
It was really cool contacting with them though. Awkward, but cool. Hey, you try explaining the Book of Mormon to someone on the street while you've got a camera four inches from your face! It went well though. They also got shots of us knocking, which was hilarious. The reporter went and knocked on a few doors to ask if she could film us knocking at the house. Everyone just shut the door in her face. NOW she knows what it's like to be a missionary! In the end she gave up and just filmed us from the street as we knocked. It was weird doing it with microphones on our jackets though!
In the end we visited the bishop's family. This was something we'd really been pushing for, since this is the heart of our work. We can knock on doors all day, but the real success comes when we're in the homes of members, less actives, and investigators. He's pretty young too. His kids are 11, 9, and 4. We held a Family Home Evening with them where we prayed, shared a scripture and a spiritual thought, and sang a song. That was the best part of the whole interview.
It will air some time before Nov 6 with elections, but she's not sure exactly when. The whole news reel will be in their website. It'll all be in Danish, but I'll send you guys the link anyway.
So the trainings, pre-interview meetings, and interview work has taken up most of our week. I don't have much else to write about.
I love you all! Thanks for all of the e-mails and photos this week!
Jeg elsker jer,
Hannah
Photos:
1. Søster Moore and me at the beach in Kerteminde
2. Fun with the statues in Kerteminde
3. Our bikes don't play well with others
4. The fishermen on the docks in Kerteminde
Mom - Thank you soooo much for all the photos! I loved seeing everyone. Seth was adorable! And the camel is so cute. I'm looking forward to seeing him. I've decided to name him Alma. Don't worry about sending the package off. It will get here when it gets here, and you have a lot on your plate right now with school and helping Greg and jetsetting around the country. I love hearing from you, and every package is a treasure, but it's not worth stressing over. You're amazing either way.
William - Mom said you were going to write, but that's fine. My half way mark isn't until the 14th, so you've got a few days before I get offended. ;) I love you!
Katie - I'm so glad school is going well! It's crazy to think you've gotten so old and mature-ish (I say mature-ish, because everyone tells me you're becoming more like me, and I would never describe that as fully mature). I remember the beginning of my Junior year at AFHS so vividly that it's mind-blowing to think that you're in the same place now. Wow. By the way, that is such a cute picture of you on the 4-wheeler! I absolutely love the picture of you and Camilla laughing though. That's so cute.
Greg - I'm glad you're close to being back to full speed again! I was a bit sick this last week, and spending a few days inside drove me absolutely crazy. I can't imagine 3 weeks. Ugh. Seems like you're a trooper though!
Grandpa M. - Thank you for your story. It's always so good to hear the impact one person can make, especially without knowing it. That's every missionary's dream, you know? I'm so glad that you are feeling better after the treatments and working back in the temple again. That brings its own sense of peace and strength. I love you!
Dad - Hahaha! I love the diagram of the brain. It's sadly true. I've been getting some notifications that my e-mails weren't delivered to your address, but you kept responding as normal, so I didn't think much of it. Sad. Well, just so you know, I also died laughing at the license plate photo you sent. Now that's clever. That's so cool about the Dr Who cast! Poor Søster Moore is also a huge Harry Potter fan, but left right before the last movie came out. She's been living in tragic un-knowing-ness (hey, that works in Danish ... just not English) ever since.
Supreme Mugwump - Thanks for the half-way card and the cd! I'm so excited to listen to it! I just got it in the mail as we left to e-mail, so it was perfectly timed. I have a year mark package all ready for you, but your gift is taking a bit longer to put together than I thought. I got your birthday package in August though, so but that timing, I have until mid December to get it to you. ;) I'll try to get it off next P-Day though.
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