Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good new year! No, wait.. an amazing new year!

Swedish Christmas feast... This was just round ONE!! :)


MORE FOOD!!!


Kalle Anka (Donald Duck) It went on to play parts of the Jungle Book, Snow White, Cars and many others

Hej Familj!!!

Well this time next week it will be 2011!! Can you believe that?! To me that is just crazy and a part of me just doesn't want to accept it. But alas, it is still 2010 and I hope you all had a marvelous Christmas! My Christmas was incredible and one that I truly will never forget. We were with members pretty much all weekend and they treated us to a very authentic Swedish Christmas. We ate sooooo much food! It is actually really funny because right before Äldste Overstreet and I would go into another members house we would promise each other that we would not eat a lot of food... Then the food came and came and came! The members would not let us say no! haha They are the bestest! The food was delicious, the sounds were exciting and the weather was frightening! We have received lots and lots of snow and it just keeps coming! Not too cold yet, but those months will be waiting for us in the new year! OH! At a members house we were able to participate in an awesome Swedish tradition! We were able (and given permission) to watch Kalle Anka! Or, Donald Duck! It was basically a mix of tons of Disney classics in Swedish and it only showed the best parts! It was so exciting to participate in that and have a few good laughs! :) Another exciting part of Christmas was my phone call home! I LOVE YOU ALL!!! It was so amazing to hear all of your voices and talk with you one on one. I must admit that I was a little nervous about calling home. I was worried that it would affect the work or make my emotions go wild, but all in all it pumped me up! I took the love I received and applied it right to the work here! It was fun to talk and have some time for questions, and it was fun to sing to you all! haha I am a little sad that Landon did not show up to say hello, but I know that he will be born soon... if not already, and say hello to all of you! Yay! You all be sure to give that stud a big.. no, a HUGE hug for me! Let him know how much I honestly love him!!!! :) Okay well seeing as though I did not receive an e-mail from you all.. (completely understandable with the call and all) I am going to ask a few things I forgot to ask during the call because my mind was blown by hearing your voices. Number one is for Mom.. What is the recipe for your frosting for those sugar cookies you would make and we all would decorate?? That would be swell to have! Okay, number two is for whoever is looking after this sort of stuff for me.. How is my facebook doing?? Has anyone signed in lately or been to the page? lol that would be good to know since I am not allowed on facebook! haha Number three is for Dad.. NEW CAR?? haha tell me all the details please! I am interested to hear the specs and description! lol Okay, I can't really think of many more... I guess I should just write them down when I think of them.... You'd think I would've learned that by now huh!? :) Well I am going to finish up today's e-mail with a spiritual thought! For the thought I am going to share one of my favorite scriptures. We have been using this as part of our Christmas message during the season. There are many things we receive at Christmas time. We receive presents and gifts. We receive friends into our homes and food to our tables. We receive warm feelings and peace to our hearts. However, there is one thing that is more important, more exciting and more meaningful than all of that. In Alma 7:7 we read, "For behold, I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all—for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people." How absolutely amazing is that!? The Redeemer, our Savior Jesus Christ, is of more importance than all the things to come or which have already come! It is of interest to note that this is Alma talking. These are the first words that he speaks to his people after having been busy at the judgement seat. Does that not support his words even more?? Does that not just strengthen your testimony of Jesus Christ?! He, Alma, decides to speak of Christ because he knows the importance of the Savior to the world. He knows what he will bring to his people... what he has brought to US! Peace... Warm feelings... Salvation... All of this he has brought to us! We feel it so strongly at Christmas time! I feel that a lot of the time we confuse where there feelings really come from. Because in reality these feelings come from Christ and His infinite Atonement! This has been a BIG focus for me this Christmas season and it has brought me so much joy! I love it! :) I love all of you! I am so thankful I have my loving family and the chance to be a missionary. I am thankful for the opportunity to carry Jesus Christ's name on my badge so close to my heart... because thats what he comforts... that what he protects... and thats what he strengthens. He means everything to me! I hope you all have a fantastic new year and that you enjoy every second of it! Until next week... 2011!!!

Trogen och Stadig, Är Jag Redo!!!!!
Faithful and Steady, I AM Ready!!!!!

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Sorry, I almost forgot to add this!

Tuesday - p.151 ch.3 - p.157 ch.5
Wednesday - p.157 ch.5 - p.162 ch.8
Thursday - p.162 ch.8 - p.166 ch.10
Friday - p.166 ch.10 - p.170 ch.12
Saturday - p.170 ch.12 - p.174 ch.14
Sunday - p.174 ch.14 - p.178 ch.16
Monday (next) - p.178 ch.16 - p.183 ch.19

Just a phone call away!!

My home ward loves me so much!! Thank you to all!!!


Thank you Mom for the decorations!! (one of many!)


A very Swedish Christmas decoration! You see them in every window!

Our "Christmas tree" pre-missionary touch..

Our "Christmas tree" post-missionary touch!! Yeah!!!!

Hej Familj!!!

Well, it is that time of year when missionaries around the world are able to call home and listen to the voices of the ones they love! I must say, I am REALLY EXCITED! lol It will be great to take some time on Christmas to see how everyone is doing! Everything will work out with the call and we are still good to call at 5 PM our time, 9 AM your time! Anyway, thats all for the call aspect of the e-mail.. :) Now on to other things! This week has been pretty crazy! We are continuing to receive lots and lots of snow! (It is snowing very hard as I am writing!) The beginning of the week was pure fun! We were in Göteborg most of the time playing snow football on Monday, and of course Zone Conference on Tuesday. (Yes Mom, I received all of the packages!! Thank You!!) Zone Conference was just amazing! The main focus was on the Savior and they had prepared well. The message given by the Zone Leaders was something I will never forget. The Spirit was so strong and moving... I felt.. at peace. Wonderful!! On Wednesday it was back to work! We had a very successful day with our finding efforts. We tracted into a Muslim lady who was not interested at all, but after asking her if there was anyone else she knew that would be interested she told us to try the lady the floor below her. So, we went right away and knocked on the door. The woman was not interested.. at first. After talking with her for a little while she started to warm up. We asked her where she came from and then told her we were from America. Her face lit up! haha She loves America, and her 15 year old daughter REALLY likes America. The Mom started yelling for her daughter after she found out. They immediately let us in and started asking lots and lots of questions about the church. We taught them the Restoration lesson and they were really interested. We asked for a return appointment and visited them again on Saturday. When we were there the second time the family was just as nice! They fed us some chocolate coconut balls and juice as we watched the Testaments movie together. They thought the movie was just incredible! Especially the Mom. She had to leave the room a couple of times because she was crying so hard. It really was amazing! We thought they were going to make it to church yesterday, but they were not able to come. We are heading back tomorrow and will teach them again! Yay! Okay, now a funny story... The other day we were tracting a very tall apartment building. Not a single person was interested and we were getting kind of down. We knocked on a door, very much like the others and awaited an answer. When the door opened what stood behind the door shocked me. It was a man in his 80's wearing nothing but a "fish-net" tank top and men's bikini style underwear. As I started to utter my first line of dialogue I burst into laughter, but was trying so hard to remain calm, cool and collected. My efforts were in vain! Äldste Overstreet burst into laughter as well, and we both just started laughing together as this old man was staring at us. He told us he was not interested in God and closed the door. We were crying out eyes out in laughter. We ran to the elevator and jumped in so we could gain some sort of composure. It was absolutely hilarious! One of the funniest moments I have had on my mission, and I fear the imagery will be forever engraved in my mind. hahahahahaha Anyway, I better get to the e-mails for this week... However, I will be talking to most of you on Saturday... So, this will be short! My dear, sweet father!!! I love you Dad!! Thank you very much for the recitation of the Charlie Brown Christmas. I like how you focused a big part of your e-mail on the true meaning of Christmas. That is what were are in full swing of doing right now. Honestly at times I feel as though I am an elf running around the North Pole of Sweden sharing the true meaning of JUL! One of my favorite scriptures is Alma 7:7 because it puts things into perspective. Check it out! :) Thank you for the calling card information! I am sure with both of us working at it, it will all work out! :) I am so excited to hear your voice and be able to talk with you. It will be something special! It feels rather strange to finally be on the other side of one of these calls. lol, weird! Anyway, I love you Dad, and I will talk with you Saturday! Okay now on to Matt!! I love you Matt! You must be having an awesome time on your Christmas break.. I remember those days all too well! I can also tell that you are stoked for the trip to Utah! As you should be! You will have an awesome time there because time spent with family is more valuable than anything! Not to mention you will be able to see Landon! How excited are you Matt?!?! I am losing my mind!! haha How exciting! Stay safe and have tons of fun in Utah. When we talk later you can tell me all of whats happening! I thought your experience with the foreign exchange student from Sweden was hilarious! How cool is that?! Did you like the Swedish language?? Because I love it! haha Well, I can't wait to hear your big grown up voice and all of the stories I have missed out on! I love you Matt!! Okay now it is Mom's turn! I love you Mom!!! First off, thank you so much for all that you have done for me this Christmas. You are so kind and just amazing! This Christmas is going to be one that I will never forget, and a big part of that is because of you! OH, one thing I wanted to ask you... You have sent lots of decorations and calendars and what not.. Is it okay if that stuff graces the apartment for the next elders there at Christmas time?? Of course I will not leave the sentimental things, but I just wanted to get it cleared up before hand! haha I am sure it is all good, but you let me know if there is something you would like me to take or send home! I am glad to hear Molly will be taken care of while you are on your trip to Utah. Whew! lol :) I can't wait to talk to you Mom!! It will be amazing to hear your voice! This phone call is going to be lots of tears.. I can already feel it! I will just be so glad to hear the voices of those I love and miss with my whole heart... :) I love you Mom! Until Saturday!!!! Alright everyone, here is the Spiritual Thought for the week. With Christmas time coming fast I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to bear you all my testimony about the Savior... I KNOW that Jesus Christ lives. I know that he loves me and watches out for me. As I ponder all that he has done for me an uncontrollable feeling of gratitude flows over me and warms me. If only I could have been there to express my gratitude as he hung and suffered on the cross. If only I could have been there to see him suffer in the garden and somehow try to ease the pain. If only I could give him a hug and thank him for the opportunity to live with my Father in Heaven again. The gift of being able to return to heaven and live with my loving family again is something I hold near and dear to my heart. I love Jesus Christ. He is my best friend... He knows me and comforts me daily. Through my Savior I have the opportunity to be better, to have a second chance. Words can't come close to express how I feel.. This is all so real.. As I pray I can feel the Spirit. As I read the Book of Mormon, I know the Spirit is there. As I think about my Redeemer and Savior the Spirit fills me to the point of tears... Tears of joy! Tears of happiness! Tears of thankfulness... I am so thankful for this time of year. I am thankful for the decorations, the foods, the sounds and the gifts. However, I am most thankful for the gift of Christ. I am thankful for Him and His willingness to atone for me. I love Him. I love all of you. I hope you all have an amazing Christmas and remember the Savior. Here is another really good video.. Short, but gets the point across.. http://lds.org/topic/christmas/ look for the video called "The Greatest Gift" :) I am excited for Saturday and I hope you all are too! Until then...

Trogen och Stadig, Är Jag Redo!!!!!Faithful and Steady, I AM Ready!!!!!Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Here are the Book of Mormon Challenge passages for the week...

Tuesday - p.115 ch.32 - p.117 Jacob
Wednesday - p.117 Jacob - p.122 ch.3
Thursday - p.122 ch.3 - p.132 ch.6 (sorry about the length on this one!)
Friday - p.132 ch.6 - p.136 Enos
Saturday - p.136 Enos - p.140 Omni
Sunday - p.140 Omni - p.145 Mosiah
Monday (next) p.145 Mosiah - p.151 ch.3

I love you!

Happy to be inside this WARM church building!

Hej Familj!!!

Welcome to yet another P-Day here in the land of Sweden! It is, needless to say, very cold outside and the once lush green mat that was outside has turned into a cold, dark frozen tundra! The snow continues to fall as does the temperature! We had a couple of "warmer" days that made things very slushy, but then the cold came back in full force and now everything is slick and crunchy! haha I am sure you can understand what I mean! We have been out doing finding work day after day seemingly undistracted by the environment around us. Perhaps it is the fire in both of us truly wanting to find that golden investigator. I will tell you that we have seen the Lord's hand here in this work! It is amazing! During our long sessions of finding work we always happen to come across a less active member, or an old investigator. Most of which turn out very positive! For instance, the other day we tracted into a less active's house and he let us in and talked for a little while. We asked if we could start coming and visiting him and he loved the idea. Just the other day we went by and watched the Joy to the World DVD and gave a spiritual thought. He fed us Julmust and lots of cookies and was just plain... nice! He even gave us both a Christmas card. He is awesome! Anyway, things are going great here in Skövde! I am loving every single second of it! As I should!!! :) Lets see, today we are heading to Göteborg.. Yes, zone conference is not until tomorrow, but we are having a zone p-day today! It will be "snow football" which basically means... football... in the snow. haha It will be an awesome time! So then we will head back here and the very next morning head back again! lol Wooo for trains! Or is that.. whooot whooot?? lol (Sometimes even I don't understand myself...) :) So, Christmas is in full force with us! We have decorated the apartment and things are looking mighty fine! I will try to include some photos! Haha our Christmas tree is probably the funniest thing I have ever seen. We don't have a tree... So, we took a little floor lamp and wrapped some green decorating garland around it. (the stuff you would normally put above a window or on top of an entertainment center) We then adorned the "tree" with lights and ornaments and other things and then completed it by putting a picture of Jesus on the top! haha Perfect! It is rather strange actually... but near and dear to my heart. Just think... year after year searching for the perfect tree and then finally having the opportunity to be in Sweden where the trees are perfect and beautiful and having to settle with a floor lamp and some plastic decorations! hahaha It makes me laugh. :) Anyway, our decorating was helped a lot by a couple of envelopes from Mom!! Can I just say one thing.... I have the best home ward on the face of the planet!!! Opening that package and seeing all of the hand made decorations made me feel so warm and loved! Of course I cried like crazy... haha It really, REALLY meant a lot to me. Not to mention..... JON SCHMIDT!!! I can't believe he made one for me!! How lucky am I!! I was so surprised! I was going through looking at all of them and reading mom's notes and then I got to one that said, "you are really going to like this one..." I pretty much screamed... haha well, yeah, I did. I am so lucky! Thanks Mom! Anyway, anyway, anyway... I am just very happy right now.. It feels great, because this is how I feel everyday! :) I should get to the e-mails because we need to go catch a train! Hello my dear father.. I love you!! I am happy to hear that my letter made it there and that Bishop Jacobsen was able to read it for you all. I bet that was a little hard for Mom. I feel as though I should write another letter and thank them for the wonderful decorations they made for me! haha Oh! about the phone calls... I am pretty sure that it is an 8 hour difference... So double check that one so we can be on the same track! Thank you for taking care of the phone card and be sure to let me know the details next e-mail! We will most likely be calling from the church here. We were thinking that 5 o'clock our time would be best for us and you. That would mean if we called at 5 our time it would be 9:00 AM your time. Let me know if that works with you! I am calling your phone right?? haha Anyway. As for the length of the call.. It is pretty much wide open. We have not received any time limits, but I think it will probably be about as long as when Josh and Kevin would call us on their missions. Anyway, it will all work out and be awesome! Haha I loved your spin on the Gift of Tongues! Very funny! It is true.. my taste buds have changed and it is a good thing! Right in time! As for the reading... its all good! Just keep trying! Remember, this is not supposed to be stressful.. Just relaxing and enjoyable! :) Anyway, I love you very much and can't wait to talk with you on Christmas! Okay next is Matt!! I love you Matt!! It sounds like Christmas break is going to be fun and enjoyable! Work hard these last few days so that you can play hard these next couple of weeks! Who is going to be taking care of Molly while you are gone?!?! haha sorry random question! Yeah Matt, Christmas here is going to be great! Different, yes, but great! The branch here is taking care of us and we are going to have a great time! I would be a liar though, if I did not tell you I am missing home like crazy!! I love the Christmas season... It is a big one for family! :) However, patience deepens joy! :) Wow!! BYU is 18th in the nation?? Well they just keep doing great! That is so good to hear! :) Anyway, have an awesome week Matt! I love you and pray for you every day! Stay Strong! Not just physically.. ;) :) Okay now it is on to Mom!! I love you!!! It definitely sounds like you are excited for this trip to Utah for Christmas! I bet you all are! How fun! Tell everyone hi for me and that I love them!!! :) Especially tell that to Landon when he makes his grand appearance! :D Also, tell Sister Manning thank you for that wonderful gift and that I send my love! It would seem as though you have seen a couple miracles there yourself!! I am so glad that Colin is doing well and that they could all get to Oklahoma safely! Also, I am SOOOOOOO HAPPPPYYYY to hear that Nana is cancer free and in remission!! What amazing news that is! I have been praying and praying for her and I am so glad that she is doing well! I love her! I also received a package and a card from her for Christmas! She loves me too! :) Anyway, thank you for your e-mail Mom! I love you and just like everyone else, can't wait to talk to you soon! Okay well I have zero time this week so my Spiritual Thought is going to a video again!!! Here is the link... http://lds.org/pages/what-shall-we-give?lang=eng trust me.. this one is good!! I love it! If you did not get to watch the Christmas Devotional... you missed out! The music was gorgeous, and the messages were amazing. The Spirit was still there even if it was in Swedish and not the real voices! haha Anyway, I will give you the reading for this week now.

Monday (today) p.78 ch.10 - p.82 ch.13
Tuesday p.82 ch.13 - p.86 ch.16
Wednesday p.86 ch.16 - p.90 ch.20
Thursday p.90 ch.20 - p.95 ch.24
Friday p.95 ch.24 - p.100 ch.26
Saturday p.100 ch.26 - p.104 ch.27
Sunday p.104 ch.27 - p.109 ch.29
Monday (next) p.109 ch.29 - p.115 ch.32

I love you all very much... With all of my heart in fact! Keep praying and loving that Christmas Spirit... Or rather.. The Spirit of Christ! :) Until next week...

Trogen och Stadig, Är Jag Redo!!!!!Faithful and Steady, I AM Ready!!!!!Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

"Called to serve him, heavenly king of glory!!!"

Äldste Kundis to the rescue! Does someone need the Gospel?!

A more refined snap shot... :)

Hahahaha I just couldn't resist!

Me and our humble Thanksgiving.. :) Nice huh??

This is "Glögg" a special hot Christmas drink... SSSOOOOO gooooddd!!! Mmm!

The food at the branch party and a few of the little children in the branch! :D

Hej Familj!!!

Indeed I have been called to serve, and it feels amazing! First things first, Äldste Overstreet is awesome! Transfer times are always scary because you just don't know what to expect, but the Lord has blessed me! A little about Äldste Overstreet.... He hails from the beautiful state of Arizona and resides in Mesa. He has been in Sweden for two months and has excellent Swedish. He is a hard worker and knows exactly why he is here... to Serve the Lord! :) Needless to say, I am very happy that I will be able to spend this long 13 week transfer with him, and Christmas too!! Yes, that IS the official word... This will be a 13 week transfer and it will be incredible! Already, we have seen a big change here in Skövde. We have been tracting non-stop and talking with lots of people! The work is tough, and the weather is COLLLLLDDDDD, but the reward of coming home at night, kneeling down and saying, "Lord, I have done my best.. Rest my body that I may return to the work tomorrow and find the prepared" is so worth it! I love how tired I am, and I love the challenges. They help me grow, and I know the Lord loves me because of them! We are still receiving lots of snow here and the wind continues to blow... But I need to tell you something... Perhaps a little secret... If people think Sweden is beautiful in the Summertime, just wait until they see the Wintertime!! Honestly, flying down a train track through the winding terrain and looking out the window only to see forests covered in white, lakes beginning to freeze and snow falling is something really special. I absolutely, positively, undoubtedly love this place! Helt underbar! So, yes, the Christmas season is coming up, and everyone is getting ready. Seemingly every window here has a little candle thing in it (kind of like a menorah, but definitely not... because they are not Jewish... lol) Also, lights just keep appearing everywhere! More and more!!! Sure, the sun goes down at 3:30 PM, but the town stays lit thanks to all of the lights! Woo!! The members are also getting into the Christmas Spirit! We were invited over to a members house for dinner yesterday, and she had decorations up and it just felt good! Want to know what we ate?!?!? I bet this will alarm almost everyone that knows the kinds of food I like, and those I just can't eat. Well, we had a fish and shrimp bake type thing with vegetables galore!!! Guess what??? I loved it!!! ha ha, my taste buds have definitely changed! I can't believe I have gone this long in life not liking shrimp!!! Was I crazy!? ha ha I surprise myself seemingly everyday! Ya!!! lol :) Anyway, I have rambled on long enough! I better get to the e-mails fast! Okay well to start the e-mails, it is Matt!!! I love you brother! :) Sounds like you had a pretty nasty virus! Did you ever find out how you got it? I hope you didn't lose too much weight.. Thats never good when you are sick! From the pictures of you decorating the Christmas tree it looks like you are doing well again, and that is good to see! Molly still jumps and bites at the snow when you shovel huh?? Some things just never change I guess! I was always fine with it, but then she would start to get in the way, and then it bugged me.. Now I would love nothing more than to see her here in Sweden eating up all the snow as I shovel someones drive or here around the church! Ha ha, I would love it! Oh wow, sounds like BYU is still doing well! That is goooood to hear! You and the family are going down to Utah for Christmas? How cool is that!! Fill me in on all of the details! Where are you staying and who are you spending it with? It should be crazy fun! Speaking of which, snowboarding sounds fun! Be careful though... I like your motto, but your motto is no good when you happen to break your leg or your arm! :) ha ha you know me, just watching out for you! Well, Matt, my brother, enjoy this season, and work hard to finish up your work at school before the break! You can do it! I know you can! Have an awesome day brother! Okay, now it is time for me to reply to Dad!!! I love you so much Dad!!! :) First off, thank you so much for the advice about being a senior companion. It was really helpful! Also, thank you very much for addressing my concerns about becoming a senior. I need all the help I can get right now, and your love and support helps me a ton! Thank you Doctor Dad!!! ha ha Good times! As for the scripture reading, I can understand that it would get a little messed up because of the illnesses that have been going on.. Its all good! :) As for where we are, I will mention that at the end.. I have figured out the pages and chapters and stuff for all of this week! Woo! I am soooooo glad that you and Mom had such a wonderful time at the temple! Your experience brought tears to my eyes as well! Completely amazing! :) Temples are just incredible!!!! What happens there and what we learn when we go with questions is purely amazing. I miss the days of the MTC when we went every single week! But anyway, thank you so very much for your e-mail and all that you do for me! :) Okay, now I will move on to Mom!!! I love you Mom!!! It is so good to hear that you and the family loved the Jeffery R. Holland talk! It is completely amazing, and I love it every time I watch! Really puts the Book of Mormon into perspective huh?! :) Bravo on the Christmas tree! It looks amazing! Did Dad do the lights like he does every year?? I always loved that part of Christmas!! Going out as a family to get the tree, fighting over trees, and then finding the perfect one... Dad always wanting to get a Charlie Brown tree.. ha ha ha ha :) Then we would decorate it as a family and decorate the house!!!! All as a family.. perhaps thats why I loved it all sooooo much! Yup :) I am sure that was it! I love you all!!! :) As for the camera card, I haven't sent it yet. I have been pretty busy and also, I need to figure out which one of the cards to send!! ha ha Perhaps I will mail it off this week.. We will see.. I need to write a summary of the pics because I don't just want to send them and confuse you all! Anyway, I will get that to you! Oh my! That news about Colin made me jump out of my seat! Poor little guy! I am glad that he is doing better now and that all is well. Babies can be so scary at times! Sounds like his baby blessing was great though! :) Be careful out on those roads Mom!! I don't like hearing those kinds of stories!! Tell that driver that rear-ended you to leave you alone! Why did he pick on my Mom?!?! Not cool.. Not cool. lol ;) I am glad to hear you are okay and safe! Bara så du vet.. Just so you know... Zone Conference is on Tuesday the 14th of December. You asked... I responded.. ha ha Anyway, I love you Mom!! Thank you for everything and have an awesome week! Alright everyone today's Spiritual Thought followed by the schedule for the Book of Mormon reading! Today's Spiritual Thought comes from the 18th chapter of 1st Nephi. This is when Nephi finishes the boat the Lord had commanded him to build. He says, in essence in verse four that the ship was "good" and that the workmanship was exceedingly fine. Why was this so??? Was it because Nephi was an amazing ship builder, or was it because of something else? I think it was something else.. If we read verse two of the same chapter we can see why the ship was "good".. Verse two reads, "Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of men." So, we can see here that the ship was "good" because Nephi followed the way of the Lord. I would like to apply this to our lives today. As we go about life and make decisions we should constantly be praying to the Lord.. (See verse three of the same chapter) He will direct our paths and help us to be happy! ! ! If we are constantly doing what the Lord asks of us and follow his guidance, through the Holy Ghost, our lives will be "good". We will be able to stand back and see that the Lord has truly blessed us. I love my Savior, and I am thankful for all that He has done for me. I also love the ability to be a missionary and to have this time to get to know Christ and to follow him in every way. :) I love my life! I love this Gospel!! Okay, now for all of those who are reading with us... here is something that will help out greatly! It is a list of the reading for every day!

Monday (today) - p. 41 ch. 18 - p. 46 ch. 20 (This is where you should be)
Tuesday - p. 46 ch. 20 - p. 50 ch. 22
Wednesday - p. 50 ch. 22 - p. 53 2nd Nephi
Thursday - p. 53 2nd Nephi - p. 60 ch. 3
Friday - p. 60 ch. 3 - p. 65 ch. 5
Saturday - p. 65 ch. 5 - p. 69 ch. 7
Sunday - p. 69 ch. 7 - p. 78 ch. 10 (Sorry, just how it worked out.. Plus, its Sunday!)
Monday (next) - p. 78 ch. 10 - p. 82 ch. 13

Okay, so just to clarify... When you are reading... The page you start on, no matter how much text is on that page counts as one page.. Read the four pages and whatever you end on you finish the chapter... make sense?? SO, YES.. even if a new chapter starts anywhere on the fourth page that means you must finish the chapter, meaning that you might read a lot some times. ha ha wow.. complicated! But it needed to be cleared up! Anyway.. I love you all!!! Have an awesome week!

Trogen och Stadig, Är Jag Redo!!!!!

Faithful and Steady, I AM Ready!!!!!

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Transfers... Senior WhAt?!?!

Hej Familj!!

Well, sorry about the late e-mail... I forgot to mention that transfers were coming up last week and that Wednesday would be my P-Day again. But anywhooo it looks like you just figured that out yourselves! So, transfers... lol I will be staying here in Skövde and be getting Äldste Overstreet as my companion. Also, if you can't tell from the title of the e-mail, President also made me Senior Companion!! AGghhhhHHHhhhHHH!!!! haha Äldste Overstreet has been in Sweden for two months, so that means I will be doing his follow-up training... Which basically means getting him moved out of the "greenie" stage. I have mixed emotions about all of this.. Let me try to explain! First of all, I am very, VERY excited! This will allow me the opportunity to have more of a say about what goes on, and it will be a huge period of growth for me!!! Don't worry, I absolutely do not intend on being "Mr. Bossy" to Äldste Overstreet.. haha We will learn together and make decisions as a team, rather, as a companionship! :) But really, this transfer is going to be big! I will grow a lot! The language will get better because I no longer have a Senior Companion to rely on......... (gulp), and my growth as a missionary will also increase! I am excited on those aspects... However, I am scared to death right now! Everyone keeps telling me I am ready, but I don't quite feel that way! I have been praying really hard and basically I plan on getting the Lord's help all that I can because I am going to need it! :) Oh! As for Äldste Watts, he is moving BACK to Katrineholm to be the district leader there. (he was there last Christmas time) Oh and get this, he is going to be companions with an Elder that he has been companions with two times already!!! Crazy! Definitely the funniest transfer anyone has ever heard of! lol OOOHHH!!! Also, just so you know, this transfer is going to be a super long transfer.. I think either 12 or 14 weeks long!!! It has something to do with the MTC and new Elders... I am not completely sure.. When I find out for sure, I will be sure to let you know and keep you informed! Okay, well that is the transfer information. We have a little bit of time left to e-mail and then we have to go get on a train and be off. So, I will get to the e-mails before I run out of time! First up we have Dad!!! I love you so much Dad!!! He asked lots of questions about the Book of Mormon challenge so I will answer those... First off he asks if when you are reading if you are supposed to read out loud with each other and go around the room or read silently together... To be completely honest, I think it would be best if you all began with a (kneeling) prayer together.. with whoever you are reading with, (if you choose to read as a family.. etc...) then read silently... Mark what you choose to mark and then end with your OWN PERSONAL (kneeling) prayer... After everyone has finished and prayed... get together and discuss what you felt.. read.. highlighted.. Share your prayers.. Bear testimony even!!!!! Don't think that will get too repetitive, because it is amazing! You read something different every day in the scriptures... Things you can build testimony in, or possibly already have a testimony about. It will be amazing! Maybe make it a weekly thing if it is not working out... I want this to bring us all together, but at the same time, I want it to REALLY be a sincere personal experience. Does that make sense?? I just want the Spirit to be felt!! :) :) Anyway, on to the next question! Where do we start reading?? I started from 1 Nephi 1:1 myself.. That is where you should start, but if you want to read the intro and other parts.. feel free!!! They are just not part of the pages thing.. hehe:) I will let you know what pages and things so we are all on the same page next week because I left my Book of Mormon that I am using at the apartment on accident... Transfers can be tough!! lol For a quick check.. today is Wednesday and I have already done the reading for today. That means I just finished with 1 Nephi 10... Is that where you are?!?! Good! haha Okay well now I am going to continue with Dad's part of the e-mail!! :) Okay, well it is good to hear that you finally got snow up there! Isn't it just lovely?!?! hehe Nice idea for your other highlighting thing! "Revelations for our day..." I really like it! I have to be honest, when I read that was what you had chosen I laughed a little.. only because I said in my mind... (Thats MY DAD!!!!!) :) lol I love ya! As for my thumb, things are back to normal! The bruising did not get bad, and the pain went away a while ago! Nothing to worry about there! I am soooo excited that Mom and you had the opportunity to attend the temple together in Billings! As today is Wednesday I am sure you have been there and it was great! I look forward to hearing about how it all went! :) Well, I love you very much Dad! Stay safe out there on the snow!! My prayers are with you!! :) Okay now on to my brother Matt! I love you Matt!! So, you had an awesome Thanksgiving break huh? Sounds like a fun time! I know how that is to put off all of the homework until the day before you go back though... makes things tough, but thats just a part of learning! I am still trying to figure it all out for myself! So, how are you liking the Book of Mormon challenge?? I hope that you are taking it serious brother... I hope that you can feel the Spirit while reading and understand all that the Book of Mormon means! Keep me informed Bro... It's important to me.. :) :) BYU Basketball sounds like they are doing amazing! I wish I could see them! Sad story about BYU Football though... one point!!! Josh filled me in on the game with Utah in his e-mail. I am glad that I did not get to watch that one! whew! Being on a mission grants you even the strangest of blessings... NEVER in my life did I think of missing a BYU v. Utah game as a "blessing" haha Oh well!! So, it is hard taking care of Molly right now huh??? I hope that can get figured out.. lol I love that pup! :) How long is she left at home for?!?! haha Poor dog! Anyway... Thank you for your e-mail Matt! I love you very much! :) Now I will move on to Mom!! Yay!! I love you Mom!!! I am thankful that the e-mail worked this time! Even though Bresnan was down.. I hope that by sending this to the bresnan address it still gets to you! :/ lol WOW Mom!! It sounds like you sent a lot of stuff to me for Christmas!!! I hope I can get it all back from the Special Christmas Zone Conference!! You really do spoil me! I have not received anything yet, because I am pretty sure they are holding it all until the Conference. I am excited! So, you enjoyed the Book of Mormon Challenge too!! I am glad! It is really cool! I feel the Spirit amazingly strong as I read and pray! I love it! Completely heart warming! :) As for the Wells Fargo stuff.. thank you for letting me know! :) haha Also, like I asked Dad, let me know how the temple was!!! I am excited for you two! :) Thank you for attaching that picture of Hillary and Landon!! She is pretty big! The time is almost here.....!!!!!!.....!!!! Are you as excited as I am?!?! Wooo!!! Anyway, I love you Mom! Thank you for the awesome words of encouragement and for taking such good care of me! I love you! Okay, now on to the Spiritual Thought.. It will be rather short today because I need to run, but here it is! I would like you to go to the new church website and go to the conference talks section. Get to the October 2009 Conference and watch the talk given by Elder Jeffery R. Holland entitled, "Safety for the Soul" I am sure you all remember it, but in light of the Book of Mormon challenge starting I would encourage you to watch this... It brings tears to my eyes every time! Here is a link!!!... http://lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2009/10?lang=eng Well, I love you all very much!!! I need to go!!!! Until next week...
Trogen och Stadig, Är Jag Redo!!!!!Faithful and Steady, I AM Ready!!!!!Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Kärnsjukhuset - (What is it, and why was I there at 1:30 AM??)

Hej Familj!

And it came to pass, that it was time to write home again! haha :) It is good to be back and writing to you all again! Let me start this week's e-mail off by telling you what "Kärnsjukhuset" is.. Before I tell you I want you to know that I am completely okay!! haha Ok, so it is a hospital! Yup, a hospital, and I was there at 1:30 in the morning!!! Once again, I am perfectly ok!! Don't freak out... please don't!! So, here is the story behind this! It was 10:30 PM and to a missionary, that means lights out! So, Äldste Watts and I decided that we should get to bed. Instead of turning out the lights the normal way by pushing the switch we decided to use sticky hands that my mother sent in a box not too long ago. Just to clarify, a "sticky hand" is a little gummy hand attached to a long stretchy band so you can throw it and it sticks to things! lol I hope you know what I am talking about! Anyway, we were standing in front of the light switch, both with a sticky hand, taking turns trying to hit the switch. I finally hit the switch and right after the lights went out Äldste Watts' sticky hand hit the switch again and the lights came back on. This, as you might guess, created a mini battle over the light switch. We would each go for the light switch and the other would try to block the switch with their sticky hand. This is where the incident happened. During the frenzy my REAL hand struck Äldste Watts' REAL hand and I was in pain!!! It hurt very badly... Probably because we were both swinging our arms as hard as we could in order to hit the switch. The pain went away, and my thumb was a just a slight shade of red. We both figured that it had just made it red because of how hard we hit. As we went to bed my thumb just didn't feel right. I keep putting my fears aside thinking that it really was just the force of the hit and that my thumb was fine... Well, it wasn't. I couldn't deny my fears any longer so I turned on the lights and alas, my thumb had swollen quite a bit. Äldste Watts looked at it again and we both decided that there was something seriously wrong with it. When I grabbed my thumb and tried to move it, lets just say it could bend ways that it definitely should not bend! Äldste Watts and I FREAKED OUT!!! haha We came to the conclusion that I had dislocated my thumb. So, we did what we were trained to do and called President. He answered the phone, and we went through things with him. He advised me to head to the hospital and to get it looked at considering all of the clinics were closed at that time. So, we looked at the bus schedules and they were not very good... Especially heading out to the hospital. We walked for 20 minutes in the snow to get to the middle of town where we could actually catch the bus. When the bus finally came... (we waited for quite a while) we headed out. To our surprise, the bus did not take us to the hospital and instead took us to a place about 2 kilometers from the hospital. SOooo, after another good walk in the freezing cold and snow we arrived at the Hospital. The main entry was closed so we had to go to the emergency room. In the emergency room there was no one waiting and I got looked at pretty fast. This is where it gets strange though. When I took the ice bag off my hand and looked at it, things looked okay. The doctor made me do a few exercises with my thumb and he said it was okay!! He told us that it had definitely dislocated, but somehow was reattached. I was amazed to see that my thumb had fixed itself! My thumb was back to moving in correct ways and all was well!! This all happened on Saturday night and now my thumb is doing great. The hospital visit ended up not costing a single kronor because they never took me back, and we were out of there pretty fast. I consider myself blessed.. I don't know how my thumb fixed itself, but it did. Simply amazing! Now it is just a little stiff and slightly off color. But as I said before... I am OK!! lol I am being watched over and protected. So, how was that for a story?? lol It was interesting for me! Anyway, that took far too long to explain so I will move on to the e-mails! First this week is my Dad! I love you very much Dad! Wow! Thank you for that quick Spiritual boost! Quite the writer you are! But really though.. Thank you for that! Wow, also, what amazing Saints we have in Great Falls! They help our family out so much and I am so thankful for them. Sounds like things are going well! :) You asked about Red! Yes, Red is doing very well. We keep in contact with him and will be seeing him again this week. Yes, he will be open to hearing more lessons! He is a really cool guy and I think understands what we are telling him.. What it MEANS anyway. We just need to see if he is keeping his commitments and truly praying to know what we are saying is true! Hopes are high for him! :) Thank you for all of your prayers Dad... Yes, I do hear you.. :) ;) I love you very much and hope that you have an amazing week! Okay now we have Matt!!! I love you soooo much brotha! Okay... you went to a JON SCHMIDT concert?!?!?! What!???!?! That is soooo unfair! I love Jon Schmidt! Did you get a chance to tell him that his music means a lot to your older brother in Sweden?! haha But wow.. I bet that concert was just spectacular! In fact, I know it was! He is incredible! Did he play the crowd favorites like Graduation and Waterfall and All of Me??? Oh oH OH!! Did he play Love Story meets Viva la Vida?? That would just been the best! Haha Anyway, enough about him! You sound like you are doing well! Working hard with school and also having some fun! Thats important! You asked about my workout.. I am doing it! Mainly it consists of lots of push-ups and sit-ups. The sit-ups I like to mix with some side to side motions while holding a big box full of books! You know what I mean?? You are in the sit-up position, but when you go up, you stop half way with the box on your chest and throw the box from side to side... It is killer!!! It tears you up good! As for my results.. They are coming along well. I had to cut a new hole in my belt for my jeans because they keep slipping off!! haha :) Anyway, I am not completely focused on getting ripped right now... more becoming a good missionary.. haha thats what this time is really for! :) School can get pretty overwhelming at times huh? Oh I know how that feels... But you know what??? The secret to it all is in one word.. It is a word that as a missionary is hard to help investigators realise.. The word is, PRIORITISE!! Seriously Matt, it is amazing how things are not as stressful when you order the things you NEED to do with those things you WANT to do! It is tough to stick to it, and do those things you NEED to do first, but it is important in the long run! Remember that!! It will bring you happiness! I promise you! :) Thank you for the news about BYU! Sounds like things are going better for them in football and it sounds like basketball is going to be an epic season! I can't wait to get back to BYU! Not only to move on in my education but to participate in all of the fun things college has to offer! It will be fun! Anyway, have an amazing week and enjoy your Thanksgiving Break! I love you Matt!! :) Okay well this space is normally Mom's, but I for some reason did not receive her e-mail... Sad!! haha nah, it's okay! I am sure that all is well! I will just move on to the Spiritual Thought! Are you all ready for the 28th?!?!?! It is fast approaching and I just can't wait anymore! I hope that everyone is as excited as I am and that your marking pencils are just jumping into your hands! haha Okay, I just wanted to show how excited I truly am for this challenge! It will be amazing! Anyway, that is NOT the Spiritual Thought this week. The thought comes from the book I have already quoted from.. that is, "To Draw Closer to God," by Henry B. Eyring. The thought comes from a story you may have heard, but that I found just amazing! He tells us of his father... His father, a man eighty years old at the time, was assigned the responsibility of the welfare farm. Now, you must know that his father had terrible bone cancer. So bad in fact, that he could barely move. An assignment was given to weed a field of onions, so, his father assigned himself to go and work on the farm. Others that were with him the day he was working say that the pain in his body became so great that he layed down on the dirt and pulled himself along with his elbows. He couldn't even kneel. The people that were wit him also reported that he was smiling and laughing right along with them the whole day! Now this is where the story gets interesting. At the end of the day, after all the work was finished, and all the weeds had been removed someone came up to him and said, "Good heavens! You didn't pull those weeds did you?! Those weeds were sprayed two days ago and were going to die anyway!" Henry B. Eyring says that his Dad just roared!! He thought it was the funniest thing! He had spent the whole day working on the wrong weeds. When he asked his father why he could laugh at what had just happened, after all the pain he had just gone through his father responded by saying, "I wasn't there for the weeds." What an amazing story. Henry B. Eyring goes on to say that he was there for the Lord. He quotes 2 Nephi 32:9... "But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul." Everything that we do, we do for the Lord, and he in turn will bless us .. Even those things that seem pesky or mindless... When we do them in the right Spirit we receive so much more than what we may see. I have a testimony of this. So much of what I do, in fact everything I do right now is for the Lord. As we serve and press forward with strength and a realization of WHY we are doing what we are doing we will be blessed!!! Lets just remember, that when we are in this onion patch, we are not here for the weeds! :) haha I love you all and hope that this story touched your hearts like it did mine. I need to get going now, but I pray for you and you are always in my thoughts!

Trogen och Stadig, Är Jag Redo!!!!!
Faithful and Steady, I AM Ready!!!!!

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

I understand what you are saying!!

You're going to do what???


Looks like my Dad tried to fix this one. :)

Hej Familj!

Let me start off with a very important announcement!! It's Kevin's Birthday tomorrow!! Wooo!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEVIN! I hope you receive my card soon and have an awesome day tomorrow! Well everyone, today I was really struggling to find a good title for the e-mail. So, I finally decided on a funny story for you all! As we all know, the bathroom in our apartment here is closed for repairs. (I believe I mentioned that..) Basically what started as a leaky shower turned into tearing out all of the floor in the bathroom including the sink, toilet and everything from the walls. Don't worry, we are using the bathroom downstairs so all is well! The other day, Äldste Watts was down showering and the landlord with a plumber came into the apartment. They said hello and to please excuse them, and then proceeded towards the bathroom. When they re-appeared the landlord told me that the repairs would take much longer than anticipated and that they would not be done until around Christmas time. I, as you can imagine, was a little saddened by the statement. However, he continued on to say that they could connect the toilet again temporarily (for a couple of weeks) so we didn't have to keep going downstairs every time. That sounded good to me so I told him okay and that I understood. Well, he didn't believe me. (Usually Äldste Watts talks with him because he speaks Swedish better than I do) I proceeded to repeat everything he had just said, but this time with hand gestures! I again, told him that I understood EVERYTHING!! He became flustered... He then motioned for me to follow him to the bathroom where he told me again what they could do for us. Except this time he went VERY into detail. He told me why it would be a good thing to put the toilet back in, making sure to dumb it down to elementary education... he basically was telling me that when we, "got the urge to go" that we could take care of it in the apartment. Haha I was laughing a lot because I kept telling him that I understood what he was saying, but he just didn't believe me! Finally he just told me that when "my friend" got back he could go knock on the landlords door and he could explain it to him. Lol.. I really did understand everything, and when Äldste Watts went to talk to him he came back and said, "yeah, he said everything you said he did!" I was just laughing. Our landlord is a funny guy! Takes good care of us though! Anyway, I also wanted to tell you something cool that happened! A little while ago we received a referral from my old companion, Äldste Bracken in Växjö. The referral's name is Red. We taught him quite a bit in Växjö, and it turns out that he moved to Mariestad! A 40 minute bus ride from Skövde! I was very excited to see him again! We went out to visit him and he was just as cool as I had remembered.. Very nice, spiritual, and just a plain good guy! We talked for a long while and taught him about becoming strong through the Lord. He liked the visit a lot, and invited us to come back again anytime! He has been reading the Book of Mormon and really likes Alma. Oh, also, Red is extremely smart! He has a couple of degrees and works as a geologist! haha crazy! Anyway, I was just really glad to meet my friend from Växjö again! :) Okay, now on to the e-mails! Hello Dad! I love you! Yes, I do have a nice warm coat. We will see how cold it really gets and I will let you know, but right now I am warm and toasty! :) Thank you for checking up on that! So, Nana and Heidi did get the letters I sent! Good! I am glad that they enjoyed them! Sounds like Nana really was enjoying the flashback to her mission! I bet she was an awesome missionary! Wow Dad, it sounds like you really enjoyed the worldwide leadership training meeting! They have been talking about that here for a while. It was broadcast here at about 14.00. We could not go, but I am glad it was good! You will definitely continue to grow and lead our family.. and continue with the amazing job you ARE doing! You watch out for us and protect us and I am so thankful to have you as my father! Did you know that yesterday was Father's Day here in Sweden?!?! You were definitely on my mind! :) I love you! Okay, now on to Matt! I love you Matt! You get a nice long Thanksgiving break! Do you remember last year when you successfully helped me surprise Mom and Dad when I came up from BYU? Haha I still remember Dad's face when I called him and then walked into the Staggering Ox restaurant! haha We did good! Really fun times too! Yes, I do remember how cold it gets in Montana. haha And I can't wait to see how cold SWEDEN gets! It will be fierce for sure! Not to mention I have to be OUTSIDE in it! Not bundled up under a blanket with Molly cuddled up next to me and the fire going! haha So, you are still pushing the new car idea... You are persistent, I will give you that! Good luck! Yes Matt, I will continue to spread the Word of Christ and have fun at the same time! I love you brother! :) Okay now on to Mom! I love you Mom! Wow, you are pumped about my challenge! Way to be! As for the other thing to highlight aside from the Christ scriptures, I am not fully decided myself!! haha I am praying about it and trying to figure out what would be best. A couple that I am leaning towards are Faith scriptures and scriptures that talk about direct blessings. Also, a good one I heard was highlighting the prayers made by the different prophets. Or, possibly highlighting the scriptures that talk about our day.. haha I dunno!! There are lots of options! Just pray about it and ponder it out in your mind! It will be fun no matter what you choose! :) Speaking of fun! Sounds like you had a blast with Matt, Jessica and Colin! I am glad that they could come up and say goodbye.. I am sure that was really hard! Thank goodness for phones and the Internet! And planes! haha I will miss them for sure... I have been missing them for a long time! haha :) Your Primary program is next week?!? So is ours! Yes, we do have primary children in the branch, and they are just as cute and awesome! I can't wait to see the program tomorrow! That is so cool that we are having them on the same Sunday! I will be thinking of you and the primary kids! Wish them good luck for me, and tell them to sing really loud so I can hear them! haha :) Speaking of kids... You just said the G-ma word!! Landon is coming fast! It is almost time! How completely exciting! :) :) You must be very anxious! lol He will definitely brighten the season! Thank you for your e-mail Mom!! I love you! Okay now on to the Spiritual Thought for the week! I hope everyone is excited for the Book of Mormon challenge!! It will be amazing! :) However for the thought today I want to talk about something that I know I have talked about before... That is gratitude.. (This is possibly because Thanksgiving is coming up fast!) I am reading a book by Henry B. Eyring called "To Draw Closer to God". In this book is a bunch of his talks and firesides etc.. He makes a point about gratitude that I really love. He shared a poem entitled, "How Different" by Richard Chenevix Trench. It goes like this...

Some murmur when the sky is clear And wholly bright to view, If one small speck of dark appear In their great heaven of blue: And some with thankful love are filled, If but one streak of light, One ray of God’s good mercy, gild The darkness of their night.

What an amazing poem! I love it so much! I constantly need to remind myself to be thankful for ALL that I have! Even those things that are not as pleasant such as trials and hard times! Just like Dad said in his e-mail this week, "Please, as always, look for the lessons contained in each and every day, even though difficulty may quite often be the most powerful teaching tool." There are soooo many others out in this world with sooo much less, yet they are so thankful for all that they DO have. We will find joy in expressing our gratitude! I know that this is true! Go to the church website http://www.lds.org/ and watch the video at the bottom entitled, "In the Spirit of Thanksgiving". Haha I loved the guy in the red shirt talking about the little things in life.. haha I love you all very much! Keep on pressing forward and know that you are blessed! You really are! We all are! Until next week!

Trogen och Stadig, Är Jag Redo!!!!!Faithful and Steady, I AM Ready!!!!!Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Guess who is wearing his WINTER BOOTS?!?

(Just a note from Mom and Dad, Garrett has included a challenge in this e-mail to ALL family members that will build our testimonies and strengthen us as a family by reading and pondering the scriptures together. If you would like to read along as a family, and I know he would like us to, his challenge is outlined after the main section of his e-mail. Reading together couldn't hurt us, it could only bring us together in the gospel. So, I would love to have as many of us as possible join in on the spiritual growth that the prophets have promised us as we read the Book of Mormon as families. We love you all!!! Now --- here's Aldste Kundis' weekly blog:


Hej Familj!

Yes, you are correct! It IS me who is wearing his winter boots! Good job! :) So, we had a very large snow storm Tuesday morning! We woke up very cold and confused. A quick glance out the window and our suspicions had been confirmed... it had snowed! A LOT, and was still snowing! We got ready to travel to Göteborg to attend Sharpening and headed to the regular bus stop. The bus was late... very late. We watched helplessly as the train we had tickets for rushed by the tracks near our bus stop. A few minutes later the bus finally came and took us to the station completely filled with people. We were able to book more tickets and travel on the next train, but it was quite the inconvenience! We arrived a little late and missed the pre-conference goodies they had... :( lol!! :) Oh well! I had an amazing time and sharpening! Being with all of the Elders and the Andersons is always a party! During sharpening we talked a lot about the Book of Mormon, and its role in missionary work. AMAZING!!!! haha I had prepared a lot for it, and boy I tell ya', it paid off!! I learned a lot and the Spirit was really, really strong throughout the entire day. We also discussed the upcoming season, and how as missionaries it is very important. President Anderson made the comment that we are entering a season where everything points to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and that as His representatives we need to make the most of it and be ready to work! :) I LOVE Christmas, and it is sooooo coooool to be in Sweden for it! Everything is falling into place here. We HAVE THE SNOW... haha, the streets are filled with lights and huge decorations, the stores are full of traditional Swedish Christmas foods like Julmust (a delicious drink with a one-of-a-kind flavor) and Pepparkakor (basically... ginger snaps?? haha), and decorations are appearing in and on houses! I love it! If I remember correctly, most of this stuff happens after Thanksgiving in the States?? lol Anyway, Winter is fast approaching and I can't wait!!! :) Okay, well I am going to start responding to the family e-mail... The first up is Matt! I love you my brother, sweet brother.. You are switching to strong safety huh? Sounds like you are thinking like a winner! It is true that defense does not get as much attention, but it is just as, if not more important than offense! Besides, who do the fans and the rest of the team look to when the other team has the ball just inches from the goal line with seconds left?? Yeah, thats right... the defense! You will have fun with that Matt! I look forward to hearing all about it! Stay safe! haha :) So, you want a new family car do ya?? That sounds interesting! I can just imagine you right now... just like I was... showing Dad and Mom the cars I had found in the newspaper and explaining how we need a new one. lol Good luck!! By the way, I have some news about my truck! Haha... you CAN sell it! But,only if I get the money to pay for CPR Classes and EMT-Basic Certification classes. I have been thinking a lot about my future, and that is looking like a very good way to go! Not as my final career, but to use for making money during medical school and college, getting experience, and also volunteer work so I can actually APPLY to medical school hahaha! Oh, and by the way, I think I like the idea of becoming a Pediatrician. One, because it is on the clinical side of medicine and two because I get to work with children and help them out!! Sounds pretty cool huh? lol I am liking it a lot right now, but we will see what the future brings! :) I thought you might like to know that considering you are planing on being a PA! Woo! Anyway, I love hearing you talk about the family and life right now.. I am glad you love the family! You know what?? My two favorite pictures in the ones Mom sent me were one of you and Mom at the wedding for Greg, and another of you and Dad on your birthday! :) They made me very, very happy to see you sooooo happy... :) I love you Matt.. :) Keep loving Mom and Dad and the whole family.. it will bring you REAL joy, and REAL fun. :) Okay, now I am moving on.... To Dad!!! I love you Dad! Yes, I did receive Nana's things and Heidi's as well! I received Nana's first and sent off a thank you letter, but something happened in the mail and it was sent back to me! I was really sad when that happened, but I sent it again with another one addressed to Heidi to thank her and Denis. So, they should be receiving letters from me any day now! :) Thank you for letting me know! I am also glad that Nana enjoyed my songs! haha You will have to let me know if she can understand any of the Swedish! German sounds pretty strange to me.. (I see a lot of German tourists here) It is more of a "back of the throat" language whereas Swedish is very much a "Front of the mouth" language haha. Anyway, yes, we do have a princess here in Sweden.. we actually have a couple. I believe you are referring to the Crown Princess, Princess Victoria. She is next in line for the crown, and the entire country is obsessed with her! haha She just became married this past summer, and it was a HUGE deal! haha! It is awesome that you heard her on the radio though.. Small world! So, you were hit by a car TWICE on your mission?!?! haha and just when I thought it couldn't get any funnier!! jkjkjk I look forward to hearing the full stories some day! On a more serious note... Dad, thank you SOOO much for what you said in your e-mail. I need that a lot right now. Like, really.... You must be VERY in tune with the Spirit because your e-mail was pure "answer to my prayers".. Thank you Dad.. I love you!! I Really, really do! Okay, now on to Mom!!! I love you Mom!! You sound very excited to have Matt, Jessica and Colin up there! Enjoy it and be sure to give Colin a big hug for me, as well as express my love to Matt and Jessica and wish them luck with the big move! :) Just to answer your question, yes, we also fell back an hour like you! The extra hour of sleep was a nice gift from father time! hehehe ;) I will explain a little more as to your second paragraph in your e-mail to me.. probably when we talk at Christmas.. It is all good, but just more of a talking thing rather than a writing thing! So, "don't worry, about a thing..." I got it under control, and I am being exactly what you asked me to be, and I am still amazingly happy!!! :) :) (as always) Thank you for the update on Rhett, rather, Elder Miller! I received a letter from him just yesterday and he sounds pretty good! I do remember the days of learning a new language in the MTC... They were not too long ago, and I can still understand what he is going through now! It is a daily struggle to learn this language! It is hard, but the help I receive from the Lord is just spectacular!!! :) Purely the gift of tongues! Wow Mom, your e-mail was also very inspired this week... You know those times when you said you feel that I need extra prayers?? You are spot on! Thank you for caring so much about me! :) I love you! I feel the strength in your prayers, as well as the rest of the family's prayers. I love it! I hope you and the family can feel the strength from my prayers for you, because I love you all and pray for you constantly, many times a day! :) Prayer is just wonderful! Okay, well, thank you for the update on the plaque! I can't wait to see it! :) To answer your question, my suits are black... both of them haha. Remember?? You were the one that thought I might want to bring a black and a blue one, or at least two different colors... haha But I was stubborn and just wanted my two black ones! One is black with a black pin stripe design, and the other is black with a silver pin stripe design. So, there you go! I haven't really thought of anything else for Christmas... Ask Josh and Kevin what they would have wanted or did want haha :) I trust them! Well, thank you very much for your e-mail Mom! I love you very much! :) Okay everyone, so now it is time for the Spiritual thought!! It is going to be completely different this time.. Yeah, I am going to throw a curve ball so fast it will make your head spin! The thought today is actually a CHALLENGE!!! Do you think you are up for it? It is pretty easy, but you must be committed. And I mean, REALLY committed. Not just for one day, or a week, but for however long it takes! Okay, I have kept you in suspense long enough. My challenge to you is to read the Book of Mormon with me! :) Haha, but there are some rules to this, and some guidelines to help it run smoothly. At Zone Sharpening President Anderson gave me a copy of the Book of Mormon, and challenged me to read it. But not just read it, read it AND mark a couple things. The first in one color is anything that has to do with Christ, his words, attributes, etc... and the second is something of your choosing for example, heroes of the Book of Mormon, faith scriptures, etc... I will post a little thing at the end of the e-mail with all of the details so you can maybe print it out and place in your Book of Mormon. Okay, I know some of you are reading this saying, "I have read the Book of Mormon," or, "that sounds way too time consuming", but trust me, this will be fun, easy, and most of all WORTH IT. I know that as we read together and focus on gaining a testimony, or growing in our testimony of the Book of Mormon we will find peace, joy, and love. Our lives will be better, and we will all grow together! So, I will post the rules/guidelines and you will let me know if you have accepted the challenge or not. If I do not hear from you within a couple of weeks I will contact you and remind you... ;) hahaha I love you all, and I really don't want to turn this into one of those, "ugh" things that clutters your day. I really feel that this will be good for us as family and friends. Just think about it, pray about it and let me know... I love you all so very much. The power that exists in the Book of Mormon is beyond my comprehension. It continues to amaze me every single day in one way or another! So, it is time for me to sign out of here and move on with my mission!! haha I love you, and pray for you always...

Trogen och Stadig, Är Jag Redo!!!!!Faithful and Steady, I AM Ready!!!!!Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Äldste Kundis' Book of Mormon Challenge!
(Print out and place in your Book of Mormon)

1) Obtain a BLANK copy of just the Book of Mormon. (Don't use the one you already use)

2) Obtain two marking pencils. (Two different colors of your choice)

3) Beginning the 28TH OF NOVEMBER, read FOUR pages every day.

4) When you have finished your daily goal of pages continue until the end of that chapter. (yes I realize this means you may read more than four pages every day... lol)

5) While you read, using one color mark scriptures that have anything to do with Christ.

6) While you read, using the other color mark something of your choosing. (this is the SAME every single day meaning, don't switch once you have decided what you are going to highlight)

7) Begin and end each day's reading with a PRAYER. (This is VITAL.. Don't just read because you have to, make it worth it)

8) Write down cool things you learn, or send a quick e-mail to Äldste Kundis every once and a while to share the cool things you notice! (Both are recommended ;) hehe)

9) Enjoy your time reading, and embrace the wonderful Spirit of the Book of Mormon! :)

10) The weekly e-mail will contain the page numbers and chapters for the week. (in case something happens and you fall behind)

-- Thank you for accepting the challenge! As we read together we will learn together and grow as individuals. We are reading a book that means EVERYTHING to us as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joseph Smith called it, "the keystone of our religion". Let us make it the "keystone" of our lives and grow in testimony. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I love it with my whole heart. The Spirit it contains has blessed my life in ways that I can not fully describe to you. I treasure the time I have to ponder it's pages and learn. Answers to prayers, calmness to a troubled heart and salvation to a soul exist here within these pages. Take advantage of every word and treasure it like the gift it truly is. I love you! I look forward to this time we have together! Lets do this! :)

Med Kärlek,
(With Love,)

Äldste Garrett Kundis :)

Late and later!!

Hej Familj!

Sorry about this, but my e-mail is going to be very late this week... The floor in our shower leaks, and the repairmen came today to tear out the floor and re-build it. They still have more work to do, and we are using another shower in the house where we live. SO... that kept us at home for quite a while this morning and then we traveled to a place called Timmersdala to do a little service for a couple here in the branch. We basically raked frozen leaves for 5+ hours! haha It felt really good to get out and work like that though! I am sore! They are really nice people too. They are called the Berggrens!! haha just so you know. They fed us tacos for dinner and APPLE PIE for dessert! Mmmm!! You all know how much I love apple pie! Anyway... We have Zone Conference (sharpening) tomorrow in Göteborg, so I don't even know if I will be able to write tomorrow... But definitely the day after that!!! I am really sorry that things were delayed today. I guess that is just the way things go! The Berggren Family really needed the help, and today was the only day that would work for them.. I love you alllllllllll very very very much! I will write when I can!! :)

Med Kärlek,

Äldste Kundis :)

Happy November Everybody!

Hej Familj!

Well hello to you all! Welcome to the month November! It is spectacular isn't it?? Hahaha :) Well let me first start out with a big thank you to the Swedish/US Postal Services! I was very happy to hear that my little surprise arrived safely! I was also glad to hear that you enjoyed it! Your comments made me feel wonderful, and I got a big smile on my face! The songs were fun to put together and I enjoyed doing it! Let me just say that this has been in the works for a long time, and I am soooo thrilled that it finally made it into the hands of those I love back in the USA! I can't wait until Landon arrives! I am pumped! (as I am sure you ALL are!) :) Anyway, I will see if I can attach a couple pictures of the recording process for you. Just so you know, I recorded them in the home of the branch president, President Blomberg. I used his full size guitar to record with, and I came into contact with a little 3/4 size or maybe even a 1/2 size guitar back in Växjö. The guitar originally started in Lund, where it was stolen by Malmö, and then later stolen by Kristianstad. Kristianstad was where the district leader was in my district back in Växjö. You can probably guess what happened! I went on splits with Äldste Cluff who is in my group and stole the guitar! Haha I told him that I would get it back to him and Äldste Clarke before transfers... It didn't make it back to them. It was really funny because When I transferred out of Växjö I took the guitar with me, and of course I saw both Äldste Cluff and Clarke at the central train station in Lund. Haha I told them it was mine and that I needed it more! They were just laughing and all is well! :) So, I have a guitar here! It is great to have just to relieve some stress and to accompany my singing! ;) Lol, anyway I better move on to the e-mails! First is Dad!!! Wow, I love you Dad! :) So, how many little ghosts and witches did the house see yesterday? I am curious just how busy it got! Did you have enough candy? lol It sounds like you and Mom both gave awesome talks! I wish I could have heard them! But either way, congrats! Oh, did you make any funny joke about how you finally were called to give a talk??? I know I always liked that when I was called to speak. hehe ;) I am glad that you are impressed by my bread making! haha It is quite the art form! Lets just say it has been fun experimenting! Such small things can make a huge difference! (Spiritual Thought Spoiler.. hehe) I learned from one of the Senior Sisters here in the Göteborg Institute Center. She was really good at it! :) I am glad that Mom got her recommend renewed and that she is ready for the next temple trip! That will be a lot of fun for you two! Thank you so very much for what you said about my song... :) I am glad you liked it! It has some mistakes in it, that I know, but with all things considered (being on a mission in SWEDEN....) I think it turned out nicely and I am glad you appreciate it. Landon is a stud! I love that little guy! Love him, love him, LOVE HIM!!! :-) Dad, I will always be thankful for what I have!! Those things you said about being better for going through all of this, are true! I know that! Do you want to know WHY I know this?? It is because I see it in you! Whenever I look at a picture of you, think back to times we had together or read the words you send me every week, I can see it. You are amazing Dad! I love you! I am lucky to have you! :) Okay, well I should move on to Matt!!! I love you so much little bro, or should I say Huge Bro?? You are ripped! Haha I received a little package in the mail a couple days ago and there were pictures in there.. Some of which had you in them! What happened?!?!?! Are you sleeping all of the time? Because honestly you have developed some stunning features! Good work! I bet you are just loving that! How was the Halloween party you rushed off to? Fun I hope! As for my truck... It is Mom and Dad's decision. (what did I just say???.. oh boy here we go...) They know what is best! Always! :) ;) I am glad you also enjoyed the song! Thank you! So, you got a kick out of the blank piece of paper huh? lol Good! And I am glad to hear that you plan on using it to write me a letter back! :) Thus why it was placed in YOUR envelope! hehehe ;) oh wow, I really liked your line... "you gotta risk it to get the biscut!" haha So true! Keep up the hard work with school work! It WILL pay off! You know that right?? Because at times I know I forgot that little fact! Keep pushing through! Besides, you have Christmas break coming up really soon!!! yay! That was always a fun one! Well, I love you brotha man! Have an awesome week! :) Okay now to Mom!! I love you Mom, I REALLY do!! First things first, thank you for your little package you sent! I loved the pictures! They are the BEST!!! However, there is one thing I have not seen a picture of yet, that I really would like to see... My plaque? Is it up there yet? haha Just wondering! :) Okay, next item! Thank you for your kind words about my song! It was really cool to read about the story of how you and Josh and Hillary received the package on the same day and listened to the songs at about the same time! It sounds like you let the whole world know! haha Cool! Landon is awesome, and I can't stand the fact that I can't be there to see him when he arrives! However, always know that I am over here sharing in all the excitement! :) Haha you didn't really like the black licorice candy bar?? haha Just wait they have these little things that I will send sometime that are basically big wads of hard salty licorice.. blugh.. I can't eat them! haha I just wanted you to experience the culture a little bit. Haha okay, now to the question you asked.. The sweater would be best as a pull over. Haha :) Dad's talk was amazing?? I heard that yours was too!! Good job to both of you! So, President Anderson is sending letters to you huh?? And to think.. he didn't even tell me! haha jkjk Yeah, he is really awesome! Looking out for us on every front! I am happy to have a mission president who loves me personally and wants the best for me! He is great! Haha, Colin was a pumpkin for Halloween huh? Well, by the looks of the picture, he was a beautiful little pumpkin! I bet he raked in the candy! Or... not really because he is still very much a baby! hehe Well, Mom, I am glad that you have the opportunity to bear testimony frequently! That is great! Keep it up and love it! :) Okay, I love you Mom!! You are amazing and just plain one of a kind! :) :) Keep smiling!! Okay, well before the spiritual thought I want to ask one question... Did anyone go to Taco Bell?? I realize that it was Sunday, but I did say you could do it another time! If you haven't yet... Do it!!! haha :) Okay, now Spiritual thought time! We have been talking in the mission lately about how small things can make a huge difference. Like my comment about making bread in Dad's part of the e-mail... When making bread something as little as not enough salt, or a different brand of oil can drastically change the outcome of the finished product. Trust me.... I KNOW!! haha In the mission they talked about kneeling prayers. We remember what happened with Somayeh when she kneeled and prayed! Such a small thing had a huge difference! Many missionaries have seen how that little act of humility has helped people feel the Spirit. We have all heard Alma 37:6, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass..." Hello!!! It is right there! The little things we do every single day have a huge impact on who we are and who we are becoming! Reading scriptures, praying, holding a door open for someone, helping a child reach... all of these things are wonderful... and in the long run add up to more than just a simple act! Read the first part of Alma 37:41, "Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works." As we go about doing those things we know we should be doing and helping others we will eventually look back and see the growth we have made... We will be able to see how the Love of Christ has blessed us and made us better people! I love this thought.. haha How awesome is it really, to wake up and look at your day and see the potential for leaps and bounds of growth? Incredible! :) Well, I need to get going.. Lets all work on the "small and simple things" this week and try every day to be better. We never really know how a simple smile or a single verse in the scriptures could change WHO we are and HOW we are!!! :) I love each and every one of you! You mean everything to me!! :) Keep pressing forward and loving those around you! Until November 8th...

Trogen och Stadig, Är Jag Redo!!!!!Faithful and Steady, I AM Ready!!!!!Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

"I'm Dreaming of a White... October!"

This is at the bus stop a little bit down the street from our place. :) SNOW!! :)

Creating the CAKE!!!

Finished product, up-close!!!! :)

Birthday Goodies !!!

Aldste Watts' Delicious Dinner!!

Party with Jonkoping !!!!


Hej Familj!

Well, thats right... SNOW!!! We had quite the little blizzard on our hands! It all started during our district meeting. We had just finished eating at an all you can eat Thai food place and were heading to the church building to begin the actual meeting. On our way there, we noticed a few white things falling out of the sunny Swedish sky. To our delight, rather, my delight and the older missionaries horror, we discovered it to be snowing! I freaked out! I was dancing around saying, "the first snow on my mission to Sweden!" I was pumped! I am really excited for the winter and the low low low temperatures. BRING IT ON! haha I know it will be really tough, but I am pretty sure if I keep this attitude up I will be able to successfully drive myself crazy and not notice how terrible it is going to get! ;) lol Anyway, I will try and attach some pics for you. The snow became pretty bad throughout the night, but it is pretty much gone now. So, how is life in the good old US of A?? It is going well here in the good old SWEDE of N.. What? haha :) No, but really... I am loving Sweden! It is fun to learn the language and experience the culture. It is like every day I get to see something completely new, or learn a word that makes no sense whatsoever! haha Committing words to memory is getting easier, but still, Swedish IS foreign to me. I don't think it will ever be non-foreign to me! :) Okay, I am going to get to the e-mails now! First we have Dad! I love you soooo much Dad... I really do! :) Okay, haha I am not old! I am a fine young 20 year old looking for adventure! No gray hairs I am happy to report! :) About the lack of money... no, this doesn't happen every month. It was just this month because we had to buy a lot to get the essentials that are normally already in the apartment. So, we should get money before the week is up and we can go buy "real food" again. It will be really nice to be able to just buy sliced bread rather than making it and slicing it ourselves! haha OH! Yeah, this is funny. We ran out of good yeast for the breads, so now when we make bread it is like a fluffy cracker! :) It still tastes good, and has all the nutrition we need, but just not big fluffy bread. We have the trials now, but it is really fun! Being poor is quite the adventure! Don't worry Dad.. I am taking care of myself and everything is well!!! So, it sounds like you had a great time in the temple! I am glad that you were able to go! Oh how I look forward to being in there again! :) It is AWESOME! HAHAHA You were hit by a car on your bike?? (while on your mission... lol) I am glad that you were okay! But I must admit, I thought it was a little funny! Please expound on that in the future some time. I would love to hear how it went down. :) So, it is getting colder there in Great Falls huh? That DOES mean crosstown game!!!! It is pretty funny how the ward scheduled the Halloween party on the same night as the game. I think they have done that in the past as well.. I think I remember not attending the party for the very same reason! Anyway, enjoy all the fun of crosstown! Go CMR!! Well, I love you Dad! Thank you for thinking of me in the temple.. I know the Lord is teaching me every single day! I love it! :) Okay now moving on! MATT!!! I love you buddy! Way to go... MORP with Hollie! I remember you two hanging out quite a lot back in the day. How are you going to answer her? Rather, how did you answer her? You know what I thought was always funny... The person would only get a creative response back if they were saying "yes"... I think is would be funny if just once someone gave a "no" response but with all of the fun of a "yes" answer! Just think about it! haha Guide the person on a series of fun scavenger hunt activities and in the end the final rose would just have a card that said, "no." Haha!! Thats a little mean, and I truly hope no one ever decides to do that! But... bahaha! :) Okay, anyway! Well, Matt you will be happy to know that I have started a work-out routine again. It is one that Äldste Watts' MTC companion wrote for him and it is supposed to get me ripped! haha We will see! I am hurting pretty bad right now so that is a good sign! Oh man.. Why do you have to always bring back those good memories! You make me miss you sooo much every time I read your e-mail! That Little Big Town concert was awesome, and it didn't hurt that we WERE in the center of the SECOND ROW!! haha Good times! It is good to hear that you are having fun and that you have lots of friends! That is always good, and makes High School that much more enjoyable! Haha I am also glad that you are enjoying the stereo I purchased... It IS nice, and I am happy you are finally appreciating it! Well I love you Matt! Thank you for the update on the USA! Keep up the hard work in school and know that I love you! Okay now it is Mom's turn! I love you sooo much Mom!! I am glad that you can use that story of the AP's in you sacrament meeting in your talk! Just remember, that even though the car was totalled, the box survived!! :) I was sad to read about your misfortune in Billings. It is never fun when you want to go to the temple and you can't. Trust me, I wish I could be there every day, but I just have to wait six months or something like that. haha I am sure you were very bummed to find out that your recommend was expired, however, you will get it renewed and be able to go with Dad next time! :) It will be wonderful! I am glad you had a good time together and that all was well! Mmmm Olive Garden! Now thats just mean to tell me! :) jk What on earth did you order from the Distribution Center in Swedish?? Are you learning the language mother? Are you getting some materials? haha But really though, what did you order?! Speaking of ordering, you asked what I might enjoy for Christmas.. I had a thought the other day. I would REALLY enjoy one of the BYU Football shirts for this year.. I think they are normally five dollars and you can get them from the BYU Bookstore. However, maybe with the way the season is going they will be on sale for half price! ! ! haha jkjk I love BYU Football.. I stick with them even through the embarrassing tough times.. I would need a large, if that.. Definitely not an XL... :) :) Just something I thought would be sweet! Other than that... I am doing well on other things. I have lots of toothpaste and floss (don't worry, I brush at least twice daily and floss everyday!), I am good on everything else too. A new tie or two would be cool! haha Okay, I need to stop this talk! ! ! Maybe a size large sweater? Long sleeve?? haha ;) lol jkjk Well, I love you very much Mom! Keep smiling and loving those around you! :) Okay well, now a quick word about Halloween!! I want everyone to enjoy themselves, but there is something I want everyone to do.... Go to Taco Bell... Sometime.. It doesn't have to be ON Halloween, but just go there... Enjoy it! haha That was very random, but my mind wanders to last Halloween when I ate there with Josh and Hillary. Mmmm! Okay, now on to the Spiritual Thought for the week! I want to talk about a talk I was reading and gave a lesson on in Priesthood meeting this past Sunday. It is entitled "Watching with All Perseverance" and it was given during the April 2010 General Conference by Elder David A. Bednar. In the talk he gives parents three things to do to help their children. He describes them as "a Spiritual early warning system". The three parts are first, reading and talking about the Book of Mormon, second, bearing testimony spontaneously, and third, inviting children to act. I LOVED the talk! What a powerful system not only for parents and their children, but for us as individuals! The first one, the Book of Mormon.. It is another testament of Jesus Christ.. Who are we trying to follow? Who are we looking up to as a constant example? Thats right, Jesus Christ. Reading from the Book of Mormon, and most importantly talking about it will help us come closer to Christ, and strengthen our testimonies. Speaking of testimonies, the second part was bearing testimony spontaneously.. What a great way for us to realize what we truly have in the Gospel! When we bear testimony it not only strengthens those who might hear it, but it also strengthens us and makes us happy to have all of our many blessings. I can testify to everyone that I know that when we really make an effort to bear testimony spontaneously that we will become happier people. We will see just how much the Gospel of Jesus Christ connects with our lives, and we will in turn look at live in a much more positive light! I have seen this within myself on my mission! I love it! Okay, now the third one. "Inviting children to act". This was a little bit harder to relate to individuals, but I like to look at it this way... When we take the first two principles Elder Bednar makes and really apply them to our lives we will be strong when adversity comes, or a hard choice is placed before us. We will "act" in the right manner and make correct choices! haha I hope you are following all of this! :) So I guess what we can take from this is to work on these small and simple things like reading and talking about the Book of Mormon and bearing testimony spontaneously and see just how much of a difference it makes! I promise that it is a HUGE difference! I love learning about all of this, and I hope you can understand why I enjoy explaining and testifying! It makes me happy to share! :) lol Anyway, I need to get going! I love you all VERY much! You help me a lot! Okay, until next week! :)

Trogen och Stadig, Är Jag Redo!!!!!
Faithful and Steady, I AM Ready!!!!!

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)