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 :) :) :)
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
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 :) :) :)
Sunday, November 14, 2010
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 :)
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 :)
Monday, November 8, 2010
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 :)
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 :)
Monday, November 1, 2010
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 :) :) :)
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 :) :) :)
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