Monday, December 26, 2011

Best Christmas Gift!!!

Hej Familj!!!


I just talked to you all! Haha, it was so much fun being able to hear your voices and to feel of your love. This Christmas I received lots of things, especially chocolate, but my favorite present ever was the phone call home. Luckily the Siikavaara's had skype and everything worked out! It is true, the voices came through much more clearly and I could finally relax knowing that the PSP had a full battery charge! haha Thank you for your great questions and the support and advice you gave. I look forward to the time I have left out here and I am determined to make the best of it!

Our P-day today has been rather relaxed. No, no trip to Stockholm, we just stayed here and checked out the HUGE sales the stores have after Christmas! Seriously, if you wait until after Christmas to buy things here they are like half price if not less expensive! Missionaries love this time of year! Especially in Sweden where everything just seems to be pricey. Anyway, I don't want to make you all read about my shopping the after Christmas sales.

This week should be a great one! Everyone is happy because they got some presents and we can go talk to them and invite them to be a part of the greatest gifts they will ever find! Hopefully, they will see the importance in our message and listen to it!

Okay, well I am going to head out and on with my day! I love you all so very much! Landon was a lot of fun to hear and I am sure that you all had a great Christmas time with him there! (I hope to see the pictures soon.. haha whenever you can get them!!) Have a great week and a wonderful NEW YEAR!! When I e-mail you next it will be 2012!!! CrAzY!!! I love you all!


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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Monday, December 19, 2011

"I'll be (calling) home for Christmas..."

Hej Familj!!!

Wow I am very sorry that I was not able to send you all an e-mail last week! I felt really bad about it. I hope that you all can forgive me and that we can again be friends??! haha I love you! So, it really is just one week before Christmas! Can you all believe how fast the time went? Maybe it didn't whoosh by for you like it has for me, but wow I wish someone would pull the brakes a little bit! :)

We have had a very interesting week here. Let me first start off by telling you some bad news.. Lets get it out of the way so we can get to the good stuff. As you all know I was not able to e-mail you last week. That was because we headed up to Stockholm for a P-day with the two zones and stayed overnight there for District Leader Training the next day. But that is not the bad news. We were done with the training meeting and Äldste Rautio and I were on the train back to Stockholm Central so we could take our train home to Linköping. On the way to Stockholm Central my companion makes an observation and asks me a question. "Where is your bag Elder Kundis??" My stomach jumped about a mile... I had left my bag of stuff somewhere. This bag contained the following, a pair of shorts, my tennis shoes, my soccer/football cleats, a BYU shirt, my BYU sweatpants, a pair of garments, a suit bag, a suit hanger, a pair of socks, my leather travel bathroom bag, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair gel, deodorant and electric razor... Needless to say, I was in a bit of a panic. My mind as well as my companion's mind began to race trying to remember where I had left it. After calling the other Elders we figured out that I must have left it at a bus stop or on the bus we took to go get lunch. So, I tracked down a number for the bus company back in Södertälje (Where we were) and asked how I could see if anything had been found.

Well, their lost and found was only open from 10 to 2. So, I traveled back home without my bag full of stuff. THAT was the bad news. Here is a bit of good news... The next day I called the lost and found and someone had returned my bag!!!! Awesome right! So, I called the Elders that are serving in the area about two hours away from us and asked them to go identify it and get it in their hands. They did me the favor and called me after they got it. Whew!! Ready for the real bad news? haha The bag was missing my leather travel bathroom bag with my electric razor in it as well as my other bathroom items. :( FAIL! (The suit bag and hanger were also stolen... but thats okay those are all over apartments here) So, my razor had been stolen, and we got to spend the day going around looking for a really cheap electric razor. We found one that was on a great sale, but it was nothing like my old one. :( I miss it! haha Anyway, someone in Stockholm was in need of a razor, and I am glad that I could have helped them out. I hope they remember that it is not battery operated and that they will need the charging cord in a few days.. haha That is still in our apartment!! lol

Besides that, our week has been really nice! We have had a great amount of success and Äldste Rautio and I are getting along just fine. It is quite the switch to have a Finnish companion though. haha He does things a little differently than we Americans do them. His English is very good, and he has great Swedish! We are doing work! :)

Lets see... other news... OH!!! About the call on Sunday (Christmas)... We will be at a members house all day so I will try to see how the whole call thing is going to work out. What I mean by that is, I know I will be able to call, but I am not sure how much time I will have... So, don't be too disappointed if I don't have lots of time to talk... They are a really cool family of Americans so they understand the whole calling home thing, but I am just not sure how it will all work!!! I am thinking of calling at 4PM our time which will be 8 AM your time... I repeat, EIGHT IN THE MORNING YOUR TIME!! hahaha If that doesn't work for you just let me know by e-mailing me quick and letting me know what time would work better. We will be very flexible since we can't go out and work on Christmas! I can check my e-mail fast later this week to see if you have replied. If nothing, I will call at 8 AM your time or e-mail you and let you know otherwise! This is going to be so amazing to hear you all and feel of your love and Spirit! Have some questions for me so we can make the best use of our time! I will try to have some questions of my own ready! :)

Okay, well I think that is a good e-mail for this week.... haha Since I will be talking to you all on Sunday, I don't want to tell you a whole lot right now! We will save it for later! Thank you for your amazing e-mails this week! You all are going to have such an amazing time together! Enjoy all that this time of year has to bring! Oh! Mom, Syster Oscarson called me from the office a few days ago and informed me that your boxes for me arrived! I will be getting them on Thursday when we have our combined Christmas Zone Conference! Wooo!

I am feeling well, I am loving life, I am soooo happy! Have a great week and know that you ALL are in my prayers every single day! For a quick Spiritual Thought I would just like to bear you all my testimony of Him who we celebrate and remember at this very special time of year. I know the Christ lives. I know that He is my king and ruler, but most importantly I know that he is my friend. He loves me and takes care of me. My days and weeks are filled with His tender mercies that let me know he is there. His Gospel is true. His words have the power to change our lives if we will but let them. I am thankful so very much this Christmas season for the gifts Jesus Christ has given me. The great gift of the Atonement. The gift of eternal families. The gift of peace and love in this world. He loves me. He loves you. He loves us ALL!!! Let us all love Him this Christmas season and throughout the coming years. Joy is waiting for those who are willing and who have a desire. Jesus Christ is the very Son of God. Our Redeemer and our personal Savior. I know this is true. I testify of it every single day, and I testify of it now. I love Him. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Monday, December 5, 2011

Change is in the airplane museum???!!

Hej Familj!

Okay, sorry for the confusing subject line but I thought it was rather creative. Now allow me to explain what is going on. Yes, there are going to be some changes. And yes, that means transfers. We received a call on Saturday morning from President Newell informing us that Äldste Maxwell would be leaving Linköping and heading down south to a city called Kristianstad. It is pretty close to my first area of Växjö. Anyway, I will not be moving just yet. I will be getting a new companion. His name is Äldste Rautio. Strange name?? That is because he does not come from America! He comes from Finland! Haha Yeah I know! How exciting right? lol :) He is a pretty fun Elder and full of energy. I am not sure how long we will be together maybe just a month, but it will be a fun time. My mind races as I think about where my last area will be... Only the Lord knows! Maybe it is Linköping? Maybe somewhere else. We will soon find out! I am very sad that I will be losing Äldste Maxwell though... He is truly an amazing person and a great friend. We have had fun together and he truly has helped me through lots. Companions in the mission are like angels by your side. (well, not ALL... hahaha!!) But most! :)

Anyway, I better explain the second half of my subject line. This Wednesday we had the amazing opportunity to visit the Flyggvapenmuseum with Karl-Arne from the branch. Karl is like 90 years old and knows TONS about the Swedish Air Force and airplanes in general. He had jobs when he was younger building planes! Cool! So, he has been wanting to take us to the Air Force Museum for some time now. We had a blast there hearing about all of the stories and histories this amazing man had to tell. The Museum was actually really modern and state of the art! We had fun driving airplanes (not real, but virtual) and climbing in and out of helicopters (real) not to mention viewing the shattered remains of a Swedish surveillance plane that was shot down by a Russian fighter plane. Awesome! There were so many things to look at and we were so very thankful that this man wanted to share with us a part of his life. Karl-Arne is now completely blind and can't hear very well. So, the museum was not something he enjoyed with his eyes, but through us he was able to feel the warmth that he felt when he was younger being enthralled with the machines of the sky! He is an inspiration to me. This man does all that he can to help others and fulfill his duties as a Priesthood holder. He doesn't let his age get in the way.

Okay, well I better get to the e-mails before time is up! First off, Dad! I love you Dad! Okay, I must be honest with you... The pies are NOT gone yet. We are making progress, but we don't want to gain too much weight! Know what I mean?? They are going to be gone soon, but not too soon. I am glad that there is some pie in the fridge at home for you. We can eat our pies together and know that we might be eating pie at the same time! Cool! haha :) So, sounds like the Ward Christmas Party was a hit! You sang "We Three Kings" huh? I wish I could have heard that. So glad to hear that it went well! Where did Matt end up being?? Sad to report that I have not been in contact with the Doctor yet. We just had so much going on this week that I kinda forgot... That is a very good thing though because it means I am doing a better job of just moving forward and doing the Lord's work. Yay! I will investigate it more this week though. I will take care of it! I will be sure to write down the calling card information when you get it to me so we can chat a bit at Christmas time! Wooo! That should be fun! Thank you for your thoughts on gratitude! We all can benefit so much from expressing gratitude for those things that we truly have been blessed with. I know that the Lord blesses all of us in many ways. We just need to prayerfully thank Him for that which we do have and we will see all that He has promised us. It is awesome!!! Okay, I love you Dad! Have a great week and know that my prayers are with you!

Next is Matt! I love you Matt! Ok. So. Why did you get so lucky to get an iPhone??!!? That is really awesome! I bet you love it and have lots of fun with all of the crazy apps and music! Are you using it most to call Mom and Dad?? ?!?!!?! !? haha Or Maddy?!?!! lol I love ya bro! How are things going with Maddy? Is she your girlfriend or just a friend? Let me know! You could probably talk to Mom and Dad a little more about my health issues.. they know lots! Just know that I am happy, full of laughter and enjoying my time here in the beautiful land of Sweden. No worries! As to your question about the Swedish people and if they joke around like Americans do... Yes, and no. haha They are great people, but in public they keep the jokes to a minimum. They like their space and don't want their "image" to be downed at all. So, if you know them and you are at their house for dinner or something, expect some laughter. In a bus or on the street... not so much! ;) haha It is a different culture! Don't worry brother, we will have plenty of laughs all in good time! All in good time... :) I was glad to hear that the lights are looking good! Way to go! Be sure to take a picture when you've put up the finishing touches! When are you all going to get a Christmas tree?? Soon hopefully! I love you Matt!! Hold out in school until Christmas break! Do work!

Okay now we move to Mom! I love you Mom! "It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!" You are right! December is here and I couldn't be happier! The lights are coming out and the air is filled with Christmas smells! Wooo! Now all we need is the snow! We should be getting some (finally!!) this Wednesday. We will see! :) I think it was a great idea to trash that pie Mom. Removing the temptation is always the best bet. Way to go! Maybe we should do that too?? lol Maybe. ;) hahaha I am happy to know that you liked the picture from Zone Conference. I also think the suit is a good one... That's why I bought it! haha :) I am touched to hear you speak of changes in me... I know that the Lord has molded me into something new, something better than before, but I also know that I am still the same old Garrett! That will never change! Speaking of things that will never change, how about your kindness?!?! haha Thank you for sending off those Christmas boxes! I am not sure when I will be getting them, but whenever that is, it will be awesome! :) Thank you! Not to worry, I will get the Khronicle thing to you next week for sure! I promise! :) I know that takes time to put together! :) Okay, well I love you Mom! Have a wonderful week with the family and may health and strength be upon you during this season of joy!

I would like to end with a short Spiritual Thought. We have power on our side. Not just the power of man, but of God. Anything we face, it is NOT ALONE. In 2 Kings we read the story of Elisha, one of the prophets of God. In chapter six verses 15-17 we read, "And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." I absolutely LOVE this story. It is so powerful! Elisha's servant was struck with fear when he saw the adversary had surrounded them. But Elisha knew better. He knew that the Lord was on his side. Do we KNOW that the Lord is on our side? Do we have faith in him? I know that at times I fear, as the servant of Elisha did, when I see the adversary has surrounded me. But there is no need to fear. We just need to OPEN OUR EYES!! See the countless angels round about you ready to defend and battle at your very word. Call upon them often. Use the power our Father in Heaven has given to each of us! I pray that our "eyes may be opened" and that we will allow ourselves to be lifted by a power far greater than anything Satan, or the world, can throw at us. I know this to be true. I have a testimony of it. And I leave that with you in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and dear friend, Amen.

Have a wonderful week family and friends! I love you all very dearly! My prayers are filled with thoughts of you!

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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Monday, November 28, 2011

Please, no more pie...


That is President Caussé in the middle... Can you see me?!? haha :)


Hej Familj!!!

Yes, it is true... I actually said that! NO MORE PIE!! haha As you may have guessed this past week Äldste Maxwell and I have eaten a lot of pie. Right now in our fridge we have three!! A chocolate one, an apple one, and also a pecan one! Yum! The reason for the pie invasion is a certain holiday we all know as Thanksgiving. I am certainly giving thanks for all of the food I received, but I mean come on, it needs to stop!! :)

We had a wonderful Zone Conference which was actually a mission tour with President Caussé. For lunch we had yet another Thanksgiving feast. This one was catered from a nearby restaurant. Mmm! Turkey and mashed potatoes, and the Senior Couples all brought pumpkin bars that had everyone searching for more! They were delicious! We hopefully will have the recipe soon! So, the food was incredible, but the real treat was President Caussé. He brought with him an intense Spirit which flooded the room as soon as he walked in! We were all able to go up and shake his hand and get to know him a little. His main message was on how we can be better missionaries and improve as to better reach our brothers and sisters here in Sweden. I once again am at a loss for words. The meeting was so... special to me. I learned a lot that I will be working on applying for the future and the present. I love having the opportunity to come out of the world and to be able to take part in this glorious work! It is so important!

Anyway, I will move on so I can get all of these things typed! (I would give so much to be able to type faster!!) On Saturday we headed over to the Siikavaara's house. They are the American family I was telling you about. The father is actually from Finland, and one of the daughters was actually born in Ireland! They travel around a lot! haha Sounds fun!?? :) When we arrived the Thanksgiving feast was all ready to go! The table was set beautifully and the food smelled delicious. We all ate and had a fun time together. We were able to go around the table and each name five things that we are thankful for! It felt like home! After the amazing dinner of turkey, potatoes, gravy, stuffing (imported), sweet potatoes, a berry jello thingy, and fresh home-baked bread it was time for dessert! There were at least five different kinds of pie and in total about nine or ten pies! Wow! We were soooo full! I am going to need to exercise even harder to get rid of all of the weight! :) So, as you have probably guessed, they sent us home with pies! Three of them and told us to come by and pick another one up sometime! hahaha! The kids don't really like pie so that is why we were given them... Anyway, so now we have lots of sweets around the apartment! Every missionary's dream I guess!

Okay, before I get to the family e-mail I would like to say a little something. Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!! I was told that there was a family/friends fast for me this past Sunday. I can't explain how much the knowledge of this has strengthened me. As I read of the fast, tears filled my eyes. The love you all have for me is something I am VERY thankful for. God answers prayers. Often times through other people. I know that this love and support is a direct answer to my prayers. We have the Lord on our side. He is with us... He is with me. I feel his presence everyday. Blessings follow after an act of faith, and you all, myself included, have put your faith in God. Now, we must be still and KNOW that HE IS GOD. He will help me. Through my trials he already has! This will pass and I will be a better person because of it. I love you very much. Each and every one of you. I hope one day to repay you all for the miracles you are bringing into my life.

Okay, now I will get to the e-mail! We will start things out with our celebrity, Mr. Kundis! I love you Matt! That was a pretty awesome article and picture of you in the Great Falls Tribune! Hey, even Molly was mentioned! That's my dog! She is so awesome! So, I must get a picture of all of your lights when they are done! And since you made the paper you will have to be the best house in Great Falls!!! :) Go get 'em tiger! haha How did the paper find you? Did they just see you outside and come up and say, "hey, want to be in the paper??" Just wondering on that one! Yes, they have lights here in Sweden. But they are very European in that sense. Very plain, but in the plainness there is beauty. Almost every window in the entire city has a little candle looking thing in it. Basically it has seven lights that look like candles and they are arranged like stairs that go up and then down. Like a roof from the side view?? haha _-^-_ <===Kinda like that! :) Anyway, they are really into lights here in Linköping. All of the streets are covered in lights and they even have a festival going on with a trail by the river with different light displays! Cool huh?! I liked how you mentioned the Christmas call! It will be fun! I bet you are still the same, and I would not want it any other way. You are awesome! I love you! I have not changed.. much... haha I am still the same Garrett, but I have received a few "upgrades" if it is okay to call them that.. :) Still the same though! No worries there! I too hope that the upcoming season has people more interested in the Gospel and gets them asking more questions. That would be great! You finished your BYU application? That is awesome! I wish you luck! I am sure your essays were great.. I remember those being very stressful! It is at times like that I ponder on the whole "don't judge others" thing. hehe ;) There are amazing friends waiting for you at college. Whichever it is. I know that for a fact! It is part of your personality to make friends. No problems there! Well, I love you Matt! You are awesome and good luck with the rest of the lights!

Okay, now it is time for the other Mr. Kundis! I love you Dad! :) Thank you for letting me know about the fast. I really appreciate it. :) Warmed my heart! Haha, I laughed at Nana's comment about the crawling through the phone and strangling a doctor. Haha I understand her completely! I have had those same feelings myself! ;) hahaha No news yet, but I will be calling the clinic this week to see whats up. I have no idea what the waiting list is like for MRI's but if you ask me, it is too long! I hope as always to have more information for you next week. It sounds like your Thanksgiving with the family was really fun! Yay for memories! :) That will be really exciting on Christmas! Josh, Hillary, Landon, Kevin and Annie all there! How lucky! :) I look forward to the phone call so I can hear you all! It will be great! Thank you for your e-mail Dad. I will keep up the positive attitude and continue to give my all in the service of the Lord. You are in my prayers! I love you!

Okay, now what would the e-mail be without Mrs. Kundis! hahaha I love you Mom! As you already saw, Zone Conference was awesome! So much fun, and very Spiritual! Our week was really slow, but on Sunday something happened and we were blessed by the Lord! People were very open to talking with us. We had an amazing number of teaches and new investigators to work with! A real miracle! It was a great way to end the week. Yes, I do remember the Great Falls wind! I have actually been reminded of it lately! It has been very warm here the past few days, but the wind has been "howling" almost 24/7!! It is crazy! I think today it has mellowed out quite a bit though. Everyone is stunned that we have not seen snow yet. I feel personally that the weather Gods are holding it all back and one day they are going to let it all go and we are going to have a real blizzard on our hands! :) It is great that the Primary kids had such a wonderful Primary Program! You truly do love those little ones! They are very lucky to have you helping them! :) ;) I will start working on something for the Khronicle! Crazy that it is time for that already! Where does the time go.. I mean really... where has it gone!? Thank you for sending off the envelope and for putting a Christmas box together for me! I love you very much! Have an awesome week!

Okay everyone, I want to end this "book" right. So, here is a Spiritual Thought. I have been reading a lot lately in the Doctrine and Covenants. It is amazing to me to see all of the promises made to the saints. Since I am a missionary, those promised to the Saints serving missions are especially interesting. I think that the promises contained in the scriptures should be taken to heart and studied often. We know that we can be blessed. But I think if we knew really what the scriptures were promising us, we would be seeking after them a lot more. Life often times gets in the way, and we may not even notice the blessings! What a tragedy! We should never allow a blessing to come without recognizing it, giving thanks and seeking for more! haha I don't mean to sound greedy or anything, but there is SO MUCH promised to us. It is all just right there waiting for us! It is ours.. yours, mine, everyone's! Do we want a happy life? Then search the scriptures! Learn of the promises and about how easy it is to take part in them! I would dare to say that many of us already are taking part in MANY blessing and promises fulfilled, but we just don't realize it! Wouldn't realizing how much we have been blessed and how much we are going to be blessed afford us with a much more enjoyable, and much happier life?! I think so! I KNOW so! :) haha I love you all very much! You mean everything to me! Have a wonderful week and enjoy the blessing we have all received! Until next week...

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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Monday, November 21, 2011

HEJ!!! Giving thanks for Thanksgiving!

Hej Familj!

I have like two minutes to just say that I love you all and that I will hopefully have some time a little later to write to you all... But if not, there is always next week!! :)

We have had a pretty good week, not as good as last week, but still moving forward! Once again, I love you all very much! I loved the e-mail from all of you! It is awesome and warms my heart to hear from you! I need to go because we are going to Stockholm for a Thanksgiving P-Day with President and the other Elders and Sisters!! Wooo! I love, love, love you all! :)

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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

-------------------------- PART 2 -------------------------------------------

Hej Familj!!!

Are you super excited that I was able to write a little more of an e-mail?!? I know that I am! We just returned from our trip to Stockholm. It was sooooo much fun! We had a big "Turkey Bowl" meaning we played lots of American Football, and might I just say that we all got pretty muddy! The field was very wet and everyone was sliding around! Lots of fun! President Newell even came and joined in on the fun! I think he rushed the Quarterback every single play! Way to put on the pressure President! :)

After the many games of Football we headed into the chapel making sure to leave our shoes at the door and took our seats for the Thanksgiving feast! It truly was a feast! There were about 50 missionaries there plus the Senior Couples and President Newell. Sadly Sister Newell was not able to join us because she was making preparations for President Caussé from the area presidency who will be here this week for our zone conferences! It will be awesome! We had lots of food there because every area was assigned something to bring. Äldste Maxwell and I brought sweet potatoes! Mmmm... lol There sadly was no turkey, but that is okay because turkey here is extremely expensive. We had tons of ham instead! Woo! Mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, apple pie, rolls, stuffing (handmade because they don't sell it in Sweden!), and lots more! The desserts were incredible! Soooo many cakes and brownies and pies and ice cream! Yeah!! haha I am very full, and the fun thing is that we are going to be having ANOTHER Thanksgiving feast with some members here! They have a turkey which is currently in our freezer because they didn't have room! The member family is awesome and they are also American so they will do it right! Woo! They have already made us a pumpkin pie and it was incredible! My favorite! :)

Anyway, I really should get going now! I am so glad that Mom and Dad had a great time with Heidi, Dennis and Nana in Mexico! Sounds like it was a very fun trip! I will have to follow along next time.... Did we all get that??? Ok. Good. :) I love you!

I also wanted to wish Kevin a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I sounds like all of you had a fun time together with the cake and all. It is guaranteed that when Mom makes a cake, the party is on!

Thanks to Landon for his e-mail! His words were so sweet and he is just full of compliments! He loves all of us very much! I can't wait to hug that little man!!!! haha :)

Well, I am going to wrap this up with some words of advice... Come what may, and love it! Someone talked about that a while back I think it came from a talk by Elder Wirthlin?! haha I love you all very much! Have an awesome week! :)

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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Incredible Week!

Hej Familj!!!

This week has been, as the title says, INCREDIBLE! Lets just say this, we pretty much doubled our numbers! We are not sure what it was exactly, but people were willing to listen and wanted to know more! It does a missionary's heart good have a week like the one we have just had. We are now hoping to carry that momentum into this week! Speaking of that, we have a teach that we need to get to, so this e-mail is going to be short and sweet.

I will just fill you all in on some fun things that have been happening! Today Äldste Maxwell and I found an incredible sale on some weights. We bought some and will be using them tomorrow morning! Wooo! Lets see, Äldste Maxwell stole a bike today! Haha more like he stole his bike back.. Confused? Don't be. It is all really simple! He parked his bike at resecentrum and when we came back to get the bikes his was gone. No where to be found. After looking for quite some time we decided to go check one last place. Guess what?! We found it! But there was a catch, some one had locked his bike to another bike! The lock used was pretty wimpy though so we made plans to come back and steal it back from the thieves. Before leaving we used the lock that Äldste Maxwell had on his bike (it was still on his bike but had been moved??? lol) to lock the bike to the railing in front of the bikes... Anyway, we were able to go there this morning and get his bike back. (with a little help from some pliers and a hammer! :) ;) Both bikes are safely in the apartment now. No worries!

Okay, other fun things... The sisters up in Norrköping are having a baptism! His name is Florin and I will be interviewing him this Thursday for his baptism on Saturday! Things truly are happening over here in Sweden! 35 baptismal dates and counting in the mission! Wooo! We are continuing to meet with Majid and preparing him for his baptism on December 17th. He needs help following the Word of Wisdom. Your prayers are very welcome and needed! :) He is awesome! I know he can do it!

Hmm, what else.. Christmas is coming! We have stocked up on pepparkakor, julmust, and glögg (complete with raisins and almonds! mmmm!) It is amazing how much some of these simple things have become so necessary for a good Christmas! They are a tradition! I only hope and pray that I can get my hands on it in the States! OH!! Yesterday it was the Primary Program!! It was awesome to see all of the kids up there doing their thing! Good times.. Good times..

Well, we better get going so we don't miss our opportunity to teach our investigator! His name it Samuel! haha I love you all very, VERY MUCH! You are forever in my heart and in my prayers! Until next week!

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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Monday, November 7, 2011

Serving a mission and I love it!

Hej Familj!!!


This week has been awesome!! I know, I know, I say that about every week... But it is all so true! We have had some great teaches and found some new great investigators! Today, we are resting from our labors though. No basketball or football or traveling to Stockholm! We woke up this morning, exercised, got ready for the day, had our personal and companion studies and headed into town!

We were able to finally go in all of the shops we pass everyday during our contacting hours. Not too much exciting to say about the stores... They are all pretty much the same wherever you go here in Sweden. We did however find an item that Äldste Maxwell and I had to pry ourselves away from. Can you guess what it was?? If you guessed what I am about to tell you I will be absolutely shocked because before coming to Sweden I never even knew that these things existed. Okay, enough suspense... It was a soft "jumper-like" sweatsuit. I hope you can get the picture in your mind... It is basically like footie pajamas for adults except it has a zipper that goes all the way above your head and it is meant to be worn out the door for everyday activities. Crazy!! Haha, the first time I saw one was when we were contacting... I was shocked. At first the thought was, "that is crazy.. why one earth would you dress like that." But the more and more I saw them, the more and more the idea seemed appealing. haha Seriously though, these things are crazy soft. They have pockets and a hood (that zips up). I decided that I wanted to get one for fun, and possibly for lounging around the college apartment at BYU. Anyway, when we were out looking at the shops we came across the most beautiful one we had ever seen. It was blue and white (BYU colors!!!) and was the softest material I had ever felt. I was instantly in love with the idea of purchasing it. Then I looked at the price tag... 1500 Kr!!! That is basically 250 US Dollars... Yeah... I really wanted it, and the temptation of a credit card was almost more than I could handle!!! Luckily, I got out of the store and cleared my head with some fresh air. Haha, but I would be a liar if I said I don't want to go back and get it. Hopefully it goes on sale after Christmas! :) Anyway, I guess you could count that as a culture e-mail story from me. We are seeing more and more of those things out on the streets. Do they have those in the states?? Just wondering!

Lets see, other things that happened this week... Oh! My doctor appointment.. Okay, so when I got there the Doctor was pretty shocked because he had not received my papers from the hospital in Örnsköldsvik. (I called them a while ago and they told me they were sent.. grrrr... anyway, its all good..) So, after expressing his disappointment he examined me. My reflexes were all good and my strength and balance were fine. He felt that it was nothing seriously wrong, and that it was most likely stress. He did say however that due to my symptoms we needed to be sure and not risk anything. He scheduled an MRI for my brain and spinal column. He called Örnsköldsvik the next day and got my paperwork. He then gave me a call and told me that they had not checked me for a tick bite. He told me that in a few days I should get a letter informing me when my MRI will be and he also said that I needed to go to the clinic and have them draw some blood to test for a tick bite. We went today to the clinic, and he will be calling me with the results when he gets them. So, after talking with Sister Newell she felt that I had a good doctor who was checking out all of the possibilities. I am in good hands! Hopefully the blood tests and/or the MRI will show something and I can get some help! I am very calm about it all though. Sure, at times it does get to me, but I know that God is there. I know he is watching over me. I will get through this! No doubt! :) :) So, I hope to have even more news for you all next week! Thank you for your prayers!

So, I should probably get to the e-mails now! First off is Dad! I love you Dad! Okay Innebandy is basically like floor-ball. Every player has a stick and there are two goals on opposite ends of the room. (they are pretty small goals) The main goal is to make as many goals as possible before the time is out. Haha, pretty normal. They are incredible here though.. They can throw the ball up and spin around, catch it with the innebandy stick and fling it at the goal with laser-like accuracy! Pretty cool! Swedish food is very, VERY healthy! haha So, I am in good hands when I head over to member dinners. The deserts are sometimes a little unhealthy though... haha :) So, that TV in the kitchen sounds like a really awesome tool for being uplifted and inspired. We truly do have some very inspired leaders in the church. I am working at the moment to memorize a part of Elder Holland's Safety for the Soul talk. So awesome!! Wow Dad, thank you for your story about your conversion. You know what, I really need to sit down and talk with you.. and with Mom.. I have so many questions for you two! I feel like since I have been out on my mission that there are so many things I want to ask. We will have to have some Dad/Son activities when I return! :) Sounds VERY good to me! :) I love you! Thank you for your e-mail Dad! You are right, FUN IS COMING! In fact, it is already here! Okay, have a fantastic week Dad! I love you!

Next we have Matt! I love you Matt! That new Young Men's Presidency sounds great! Make sure to get to know them and be friends with them. You will love mutual activities even more! How is the weather here in Sweden compared to the weather in Montana?? Well, we have not had snow yet! In fact, it has been extremely warm lately! I guess it is just waiting a bit before everything turns white and fluffy! I will let you know when we get some snow... Haha yeah, I remember going into Mom's room and asking her for money to go to Dairy Queen. I understand now why she always gave us the money to go. She wanted us to spend more time together!! Isn't that awesome! I really appreciate her for that. She knew that our time together was precious and she wanted it to be fun for us! We have a great Mom and Dad! So your BYU applications are coming along?? Fun! You are going to thrive in the college life! I know it! There are sooooo many friends just waiting for YOU. Speaking of waiting for you, how did you get sooo many tardies in seminary?? I don't remember having that many.. Maybe my teacher understood that I gave you rides and was waiting for you to get you instant carnation breakfast drink.. hahaha ;) I love you Matt! Have a great week and I can't wait to hear more exciting news next week!

Okay, now it is time for Mom! I love you Mom! You had SO MANY trick-or-treaters!! 300+?!?! Wow! I guess the new house location is more popular for that. The Swedes don't really do that.. Some do, but not many. Well, I hope that your Mexico trip goes better this time! Have fun and get that relaxation in! :) 11/11/11?!?? Wow, that happens once a century! I will have to do something special to celebrate! :) Speaking of dates... Christmas IS coming up, like you said! I am not sure I really need much.. but I will put my thinking cap on and let you know! Thanks! Just for the record, I really don't know how Matt got that many tardies in seminary!!! I think brother Sheldon might be mistaken! ;) Haha, anyway, thank you for your shout-outs to our members and to Äldste Maxwell. They are ALL great and I love them very much! Friends for life! :) I guess they are just SOME of the blessings of missionary service! Well, I love you Mom! Once again, have fun in Mexico and tell Landon hello and that I LOVE HIM!!! :) I love you Mom!

Now, time for a Spiritual Thought! I was impressed this week by Joseph Smith's prayer to the Father when he was suffering in Liberty Jail. In D&C section 121 we read, "O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries? Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions, before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels be moved with compassion toward them? O Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven, earth, and seas, and of all things that in them are, and who controllest and subjectest the devil, and the dark and benighted dominion of Sheol—stretch forth thy hand; let thine eye pierce; let thy pavilion be taken up; let thy hiding place no longer be covered; let thine ear be inclined; let thine heart be softened, and thy bowels moved with compassion toward us. Let thine anger be kindled against our enemies; and, in the fury of thine heart, with thy sword avenge us of our wrongs. Remember thy suffering saints, O our God; and thy servants will rejoice in thy name forever." (D&C 121:1-6) Joseph, and the many faithful Saints at the time went through many trials and tribulations. Today, we continue to press forward and fight the battle. Perhaps not in the same way as the early Saints, but in ways that are challenging for us in our days. Job loss, economic problems, emotional trials, health issues to name a few. We sometimes wonder why, and for how long we must fight and battle. I know, as part of my testimony, that when we get to the point when we allow our trials to be a turning point, meaning we turn ourselves to God the answer is always the same. "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high..." (D&C 121:7-8) Those words, spoken by the Father of us all to his son Joseph Smith are words that are continually being spoken by that same father to us today as we pray and seek help. Are we listening? Do we believe Him? I know that my Father in Heaven loves me. He has helped, and IS helping me through my trials. We are NEVER alone in this life or in the life to come... Our Father would not do that to us. I love you all very much! You mean so much to me! Thank you for your support and love. I hope you all have a fantastic week and find many opportunities to do good! Until next week!!


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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween! I'm going to be a missionary!

Hej Familj!!!


I would like to start out by apologizing! Äldste Maxwell and I will be traveling to Stockholm today for a Halloween activity with the other missionaries! We will be playing basketball and volleyball and innebandy! Also, there will be pumpkin carving and I guess ghost stories!?!?! haha We will see what all happens! So, because we have to travel up there today I will need to make this e-mail fairly short. But not to worry, you get one every week! You could always go back and read again one of my e-mails from a few months ago! Sounds like fun to me!
Anyway!!! Enough of the time wasting! We have had a GREAT week this week! Our numbers were high and we are watching the Lord's hand take control here in Linköping! Seriously, this area is starting to bear some serious fruit! We have some great investigators making progress, and our members are a huge part of that! The members are also taking great care of us! This week we have a member dinner almost every night! Woooo! :)
So on Thursday we had an incredible Birthday party for Äldste Maxwell! The Sisters once again, made the party a REAL party! They came with a pinata and a crown for Äldste Maxwell! We had cake and candy and lots of fun!
Lets see, other highlights... We met a Jehovah's Witness yesterday.. Haha, that is nothing really new, we meet them all the time... But do you remember the promise in the scriptures it goes something like, "...and you shall not be confounded before men?" Yeah.... we had a modern-day witness of that promise. Haha it was incredible! Everything the man pulled out we had an answer for, and when he could not argue it anymore he would move on to something else controversial and again, we had the answers. I do not retell this story to boast, just to testify of the reality of the promises in the scriptures! Hopefully the man, and his wife, ponder the message further and give us a call!
Okay, I truly have no time! I am going to answer some questions quick and then I have to go! To start off, about the airport thing.. I am feeling that flying into Salt Lake City would be best for everyone. I know that people are busy, and I see no reason.. well, no REAL reason why I would need to have everyone drive up to Montana and take time away from their schooling and work. So, that is what we will do for that.. If that is okay with everyone! I think there will be like 5 or 6 other missionaries coming into Salt Lake City from Sweden, so you all will be able to meet them! Woo!
About BYU, I think that returning in the Fall would be the best option. That would give me time to work and set up an apartment with my BYU friends for the Fall. Okay, other questions...
Before that, CONGRATS MATT!!! Way to beat the Bison! It sounds like you did a great job and that there were lots of happy CMR people! Woooo! Thats my brother! :) Mom, you got to see Dallin H. Oaks?!?! How cool is that!?! Way to upgrade him! :) I am sure he appreciated that! Vitamin D?! Sure, that sounds good! haha ;) So, I really need to go now. Or else I will miss my train! I love you all soooooo very much! Have a fun Halloween and a great week!


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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Monday, October 24, 2011

AWESOME B-Day Party!


Making the cake! I got to use the BIG knife! hahaha


The finished product! (Kinda looks like a big doughnut right?.. I guess that's the idea with a bundt pan!)


My AWESOME fur hat!!! It is so warm! :)


Matt's AWESOME fur hat!!! Can't touch that! Bamm!!!!

Hej Familj!!!

Well, this week has been great! We have worked hard and enjoyed being in the service of the Lord! I want to start off by letting you all know about the awesome birthday party the Sisters threw for me last Thursday at District Meeting. Äldste Maxwell's birthday is on the 27th of October so his will be celebrated this Thursday at District Meeting. We traveled to Norrköping and gathered for lunch at a local Kebab shop. After having some delicious pizza (Pasta sauce, ham, cheese, curry and bananas!!) we all headed to the church. I was carrying the cake I had made the night before!! We actually had a spring-form bundt pan to cook it in. Just like Mom! I did not cook the cake for long enough however, so it was a pain getting out of the pan, but it came out and was really moist and delicious! I cut it into three layers and put chocolate frosting and strawberry jam in between the three pieces. Yum! After placing Reese's Pieces on the top and candy dots on the outer sides the cake was ready! We had our District Meeting and then the Sisters took over! They made me close my eyes and promise not to peek. I did so. They placed something on my head and something around my neck. They told me to open, and then the laughter erupted! It was then I realized that I had a sign on my neck that said, "Spank Me!" This comes from a conversation we all had on the train ride back from Stockholm. We were talking about birthday traditions and then Sister Tanner mentioned something called a "spank machine??" It is basically when people line up and the birthday person crawls through the tunnel formed by their legs and gets spanked by each person. I, as you could probably guess, took the opportunity to express what a terrible tradition that was. Who wants that on their birthday?! Is this something normal?? Do people actually do that? Anyway, I guess they got me back for the comments! Not to worry, after looking at the sign I exclaimed, "There will be NO Spank Machine!!!" :) hahaha It was a good warm-hearted joke. On the other side the sign read, "Birthday Boy!" That was nice of them... lol After all of that commotion I realized that I was still wearing something on my head... It was a huge crown they had made from plastic and a balloon and some blue and yellow ribbon! Beautiful! haha We put ALL of the candles Mom sent into the cake and took it outside to light it. Sadly, our attempts outside failed. So, we took it inside and with very controlled variables lit the cake and I blew out the candles. It was fun! We then lit the sparklers that were also sent (because those were probably not a good idea in the church! ;) After eating some DELICIOUS cake we left for home. It was lots of fun, and I will never forget it! :) So, in other news.... haha The weather is getting colder. We woke up to a morning of frost the other day, and the air smells like snowfall! It is only a matter of time... Only a matter of time.... AGH!! haha

I want to get to the e-mails because we are running behind today! Matt! I love you Matt! It sounds like Peak is incredible, but I am a fan of free... Take advantage of that! The mission life is GREAT! Thank you for asking! I have had lots if experiences while out here. I will save most of them for another time though. Just know that I am safe and loving my time as a representative of the Lord, Jesus Christ! Congrats on the win in Kalispell! Sounds like all of their smoke and mirrors wasn't able to cover up their playing! Way to go! You're awesome! #1!!! haha I just thought I would go off on some sticker slogans! ;) Yes, I have heard of "the jerk" dance move. Sadly, I don't really remember the steps. Äldste Deleeuw, who is in my group, still does it all of the time! haha Fun stuff! You got a fur hat?? Does it look like mine?! I absolutely LOVE mine! It is so warm and soft! Thats what you get with quality Swedish goods! :) I hope you are doing well brother! I love you very much! Keep on making me proud of you!

Okay, now on to Dad! I love you Dad! I hope you and Mom have lots of fun on your Mexican trip... Still bitter!!! We will take that trip together some time. . . Right?? hehe! As for a contact number... Our number here in Linköping is 0735250247. You will have to figure out the country code, because I am just not sure! (I don't make too many international calls to Sweden...haha) Anyway, I hope that number is not needed, but since you asked, you have it! My Doctor's appointment on the 1st of November is just with a regular Doctor. I called Örnsköldsviks Sjukhus and had them send my paperwork down here to Dr. Morten Ericsson. So, he should be up to date on my health. Pray for him!! We will get this figured out! :) I am pretty sure that I mentioned the bike questions in my last e-mail... We did get a new one, and the mission paid for it. The money came from the bike fund I contributed to when I first came to Sweden. As for the BYU thing for Matt.. If I remember correctly, the early registration gave you a higher chance of acceptance. As for Summer or Fall... I am not sure because I never questioned that. I think they were under the same registration period?!?!?? Maybe?? Because I was accepted for the Summer Term.. Anyway, let me know if I can help any more with that! As for what I would like to do... Maybe work the Summer and return in the Fall?? Or jump right in at Summer... I will have to give it some more thought! But thank you for looking into it for me! Thank you for your words of comfort and advice! I always love those! You are right, this mission is a life changing experience. But it is sooooo much more than that! This has changed my eternity! haha It truly has! My faith has strengthened so much, and I KNOW the Gospel is true! What a GREAT blessing!!!! I didn't know this much joy was available on Earth. I am so glad I have been led to it! Thank you Dad! I love you so much! Have an awesome week!

Okay, now on to Mom! I love you Mom! Yeah, my B-Day party was awesome! So fun! Äldste Maxwell and I both laughed at your Spongebob shirt comment. I think he is okay without one... haha TV was not really his thing.. hahaha He is awesome! Speaking of Äldste Maxwell, we are still together! haha They had transfer calls on Saturday, and we were not called! Yay! So, we are together for another "transfer".. I hesitate to use that word because they are not at scheduled times anymore... As I have explained before. So, we are together for another "period of time". We are both happy about that! I am sure you are too! Wow!!!! You got Travel WHAT?!? I can't believe they sent you my release date this early! I guess they need to get things organized! As for the decision of which airport to fly into... I am not sure. It would be GREAT flying into Salt Lake City and being able to see everyone! But I would not be released... That is something to think about. I am leaning towards SLC, but give me a week or two to think it through. Haha, that rhymed! :) As I told Dad, I hope you have a great time in Mexico! Soak up all that sun and enjoy the relaxing time! It is going to be hard coming back to the cold weather though! haha I guess every good thing has a little bit of a bitter side.. I used that word twice in my e-mail so far! :)

One last thing.. Landon looks soooo good! That hair cut is spectacular! He should be in adds or in a magazine or something! He deserves more "glamour shots" haha Did you notice the Napoleon Dynamite reference? Sorry. haha :) Okay, I love you Mom! Have fun!

Now a Spiritual Thought! We were able to travel up to Stockholm yesterday to watch stake conference. The theme was "temporal and spiritual welfare". One of the talks really got me! The part I want to focus on was when the speaker said, "I am without trouble, in a world full of troubled times." How can we say this for ourselves and mean it? How can we find that peace? It is simple. Faith in Jesus Christ. The speaker went on to talk about the blessings of Faith and action. I have a testimony that faith can work miracles! I see them EVERY SINGLE DAY!! When we look around us it is easy to become discouraged and frightened... But when we look around us with an eye of faith it is easy to see opportunities to do good, opportunities to grow, and opportunities to feel the warmth the Savior of this very world offers. I know Christ lives. I know he loves me. I know he loves you. Let us all be at peace knowing that FACT. I hope you all have a great week and feel the love I am sending each of you from this wonderful land of Sweden!

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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Monday, October 17, 2011

It's my B-day... on my P-day!!!!!

Hej Familj!!!


Well, today has been amazing! We had lots of fun, and I am pretty worn out! We got up pretty early to travel up to Stockholm. They were having a big P-day activity there and we were invited. We went up a little early to hit the downtown Stockholm shopping! I purchased a VERY nice Swedish hat. One of the ones with all of the fur around it... I will send you a picture sometime! I was wearing my bright yellow Spongebob T-shirt that y'all sent me, and a big fur hat! It was warm and just plain fun! I didn't look to crazy out on the streets because I am STILL a missionary!! :) However, after the shopping and a little lunch we headed to a football field to play some good old American Football!!! It was awesome! I had on my BYU sweatpants and my bright yellow Spongebob T-shirt, and a big fur hat! It was quite the sight out there on the football field! I was also very skilled at football today if I might be so bold! I was able to catch three touchdown passes and a few other ones to make our team win pretty much every game. Haha I think I might just try out for the BYU Cougars when I return there.... hahaha ;) Yeah right!

Lots of people wished me a happy birthday, and we even got a call from a member here in Linköping wishing me the best on my day of birth! It was awesome! Tonight I hope to make my b-day cake and put up some decorations. Not sure though... because the Sisters in Norrköping thought it would be fun to bring all of the stuff to our District Meeting this Thursday and celebrate Äldste Maxwell's and my birthday together! We will see!

Wow, I am really tired! haha I just noticed that my fingers are moving really slowly over this keyboard! haha :) Hmm... lets see... Oh! haha This might be a little lame, and some of you might wonder if you are reading correctly, but today when we were shopping in Stockholm we went to one of the large malls there and found a new Hollister store!!! haha The outside looked just like it would in the States, and the inside smelled exactly like it does in the States. Lol.. This is a big deal! A Hollister in Sweden! I was in heaven! I didn't buy anything, of course.. We all know that a missionaries budget is limited, and whats the point in buying something on your mission that you can easily buy back home.. (probably for a lower price too... haha!) Anyway, it was a fun time!

So, let me get to the e-mails for today! First up, Dad! I love you Dad! Majid came to church! Plus, we were able to have a member with us at his teach this past Friday! It was great! From what we could tell Majid liked church, and all of the members were nice and invited him back! Does a missionary's heart good to see members inviting investigators to church! :) ;) Thank you for praying for him! Okay, so about the Doctor. We wen't to the Vårdcentral the other day to set up an appointment. They called today and told me that my appointment was set for November 1st. They figure that since I have been dealing with this for over a month now, I can wait a little bit before I see the doctor... hmmmmmm... I had a few things to say about that. But, oh well! I am able to move forward and work so I am not bummed. I have been doing pretty good the past while so that's positive! :) I will keep you up to date on all that! Be sure to thank Nana for all her help and concern. I really appreciate it! Okay, about the bike... Yes, we both lock them, but not to the bike rack. Bikes are attacked here in Sweden so normally the safest way to do it is to use a U-lock through the bike frame and the rear tire. So, it was really unfortunate that MY bike was taken over all of the other, much nicer bikes locked in the exact same way. We are pretty sure that we were targeted or something. It happens... sad, but true! So, your wrist is still giving you some grief huh? Is it possible that it is from all of the driving?? Just wondering. I will continue praying that you feel better! I love you Dad! Thank you for all that you do for me, and your family! :)

Okay, now it is Matt's turn! I love you Matt! Thank you for all of the B-day wishes! It feels great to be 21! I have so much to be thankful for on this beautiful day! Sounds like you have had a great time with Rhett! I was happy to hear that you two were able to chill. About BYU-I... I joke around a lot about Provo being much better, but honestly from what I have heard from the MANY Elders here who go there, it is a really good school. Not only academically, but socially as well! If I had to choose, I would choose BYU-I... You gotta have the BYU in ya! haha :) ;) Pray about it. That ALWAYS works! :) So, I think I remember Snap fitness... That is cool that you go there instead of Peak. I really want to get to a gym everyday when I return, and I really want to swim as an exercise.. So, Peak looks really good, but we will have to see how things work out! You hurt your knee??? That's no good! Get feeling better and back out there on the field. My prayers are with you... as always! Keep up all that you are doing! You are awesome! I love you!

Okay, now on to Mom! I love you Mom! Thank you very much for singing me Happy Birthday! It sounded incredible! ;) And if I am on the Thank yous.... I have a LOT! Thank you VERY MUCH for all of the boxes! Thank you for the great presents and goodies! Thank you for all of the GREEN ENVELOPES!!!! There are soooo many! haha I will send you some pics probably next week of all of them! I am sure that the mail person has my name memorized! :) All of the notes and pictures made for an incredible Birthday! :) I most definitely felt the love, and got all the smiles! Haha, I must admit that I laughed when you asked the question as to why Äldste Maxwell was wearing glasses... It is because he needs them to see silly!! haha He normally wears contacts and they were giving him some trouble so he moved to his glasses. He is back to contacts now... Just so you know... Haha! :) That is really good that the doctors were able to figure out what was wrong with Rhett! I hope that the treatment goes smoothly and that he is back to 100 percent soon! I love you very much Mom! Thank you for giving birth to me! haha :)

Okay well, I must get to a Spiritual Thought now! I know the Church is true. That's it! hahaha No, but really I am very thankful for the knowledge that I have... Especially that knowledge that I have received out here in the mission field! My testimony is such a strength to me, and I know that I have been blessed with this for a reason. What a blessing it is to be able to stand in front of a complete stranger and say, "I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, and I know that you can know that too!" It is amazing the feeling it gives me. Warm, reassuring, and uplifting! We are members in Christ's Church. We are taking part in the blessings promised to us in the scriptures. I am sooooo very thankful for all of you! For my leaders in the church, for my good friends, and most of all for my family! You all ROCK! You all made, and continue to make the difference! Let us move forward into the coming days knowing with a surety that we are loved by others, that we are watched from those up above and also, that the Church is true.

I love you all. Have a GREAT week!

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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Monday, October 10, 2011

One week... Then it's B-DAY TIME!!!

Hej Familj!!!


Well this week has been a good one! Our numbers might not exactly show that, but that is because a great deal of our time was spent with our amazing members! We have been visiting lots and seeking out people to teach. So far, so good! We have been blessed and out members are helping out with the work! We have just recently started to teach a less active member the new-member lessons again because she wants to know more and at the same time we are teaching her fiance AND her neighbor who are not members... yet... hahaha!!! ;) This less active member has also been having some interesting medical issues. It has had her pretty worked up, and we had a powerful lesson on the plan of salvation this past week that really helped her, and absolutely helped me. The Spirit was there and all were blessed! Missionary work rules! Majid, sadly did not come to church yesterday. Even when he told us he would! It is okay though. He has made great progress from when we first met him! Thank you for your prayers! Well, today we are not really doing much. We had a nice relaxing morning and we are taking the day as it comes. Chill. :) That is good! I say that because yesterday was crazy! It started Saturday night when we received a phone call from the first counselor in the Branch Presidency. He informed us that the High Counselor had cancelled and that he needed me to give the talk instead of him! This has happened before, but I really don't enjoy the short notice! haha I think we can all understand that. My topic was something from General Conference that influenced me. Hard huh?!?! I mean there were so many things! I decided to focus on prayer and especially Elder Cornish's talk from the Sunday Afternoon session. Not having a computer to print off the talk I had to go from my notes! Thank goodness I took notes! Whew! I was up a little late Saturday night and Sunday morning was just a joke... I worked on the talk and quickly got ready and we were close to being late! (close I said, NOT late. haha!) It turned out that they also had me choose the hymns and lead them. Äldste Maxwell took care of the translating and gave the closing prayer. We were pretty busy during the meeting! It all turned out well and I think I actually went over the twenty minute time slot... Oops. ;) So anyway, things really are going well! The health is okay. Hopefully Dad received my other e-mail. :) Okay before I get to the e-mail here are some interesting facts that I would like to share. My black bike was stolen. We went out one morning to see my bike gone without a trace. It was locked with a strong U-lock so someone just picked it up and took it! Darn! Another fun fact, There is a Sister missionary in my District from.. guess where... GREAT FALLS, MT!!! haha Her name is Sister Christine Ridl. She went to Great Falls High and lived in the East Stake. That was pretty cool to find out! We both lived in Great Falls our whole lives but never met! Crazy! Another one... Äldste Maxwell looks great with glasses... ;) haha!! (he truly does!) Another one.. Every night before bed we have "tea time!" We turn off most of the lights play some soft music and enjoy nice cups of Chamomile tea. I have come to really enjoy herbal teas! Peppermint is a favorite! :) One final one... During our District Meeting on Thursday it poured rain on us when we were walking to the church after lunch. We were SOAKED!! :) Okay, now on to the e-mails! Dad! I love you Dad! Okay, I hope that my e-mail helps you understand a little more about what is going on. Again, if you have more questions ask!!! That is really cool that Äldste Maxwell's mom is writing e-mails to you all! Yeah, we are pretty tight. It is so awesome to be companions with him. He is understanding of all that I am going through and is always right there to lift my Spirits! How is your wrist doing? I hope that it is better! You have been in my prayers! I love you Dad! Have a great week! Thank Nana for the suggestions! I love her so much! :) Okay Matt! I love you Matt! Wow, Rhett is coming up?!?! How awesome is that! Make sure to give him a nice manly hug for me and tell him I say HI!!! Those were some good times we would have together! OOHHH!! GET BEST WOK!! I can't tell you how many times I have day dreamed about having Best Wok. I am going to get that pretty fast after I am.... haha Thats in the future! :) ;) So you have a Swedish Girl in one of your classes? What is her name? What city is she from?!?! Let me know! Didn't you have a Swedish girl in one of your classes before this?! Oh! This is fun.. We were going to get groceries last week when we heard, "Hey missionaries!" being called out behind us. We turned to see a woman walking swiftly towards us. She came up and shook our hands and told us that she was from Salt Lake City! It was fun to run into her! She was visiting a friend who lives here in Linköping! :) Anyway, that is really cool that you are loving the ward! It is always nice to have leaders that care about you! Tell them all that I say HI and that I love them and miss them! Äldste Maxwell and I can see what we can do about the crazy activity you requested. Haha it will be good! Okay I love you brotha! Have a "sick" week! Du är min hjälte! :) Okay Mom! I love you Mom! What have you been up to mother of mine?! I have been getting green envelopes like crazy! Haha! The messages and pictures are awesome! I have some awesome people who care about me! How lucky! It sounds like I am going to be making friends with the mail carriers here in Linköping! Wooo! Birthdays rule! I can't believe I am almost 21! Just another week! Wow! So, you and Äldste Maxwell's mother are e-mailing huh? That is pretty sweet! I am sure she is very friendly! They have eight kids! Crazy awesome! Äldste Maxwell misses them! We will all have to go visit them some day! It would be sweet! Thank you for the update on our family! Sounds like a very busy time! LIFE! Wooo! Speaking of a busy time, we need to get out of here! I love you Mom! Have a fantastic week! Okay Spiritual thought time! Make service a part of your life. Service is a mindset that if worked at can become a part of who we are. Acts of service lift those around us while at the same time reminding us of who we are and why we are here on Earth. There is a video up on the church's website about a girl named Annie. She and her family went through a hard time. But through acts of loving kindness, or service that hard time, or that trail was turned into a learning experience for an entire community. Watch the video and learn from it! Let it inspire you to reach out and search after those in need. Here in the link. http://lds.org/pages/opportunities-to-do-good?lang=eng I know that we are all children of our Heavenly Father. We are here to learn and grow, and to help others around us to do the same. I am so very thankful for the time I have here in the wonderful land of Sweden. I feel genuine love for those around me. I desire to serve them. The Lord has taught me and for that I will be eternally thankful. I hope you all find time this week, even in your busy schedules, to serve someone else. Write a card or make a phone call. It doesn't need to be something big. I promise you that the Spirit will touch your heart, and that person will feel the love you freely offer them. Thank you for all of your prayers. Thank you for your service to me. I have recently had long conversations with my Heavenly Father and felt the flood of prayers come over me and comfort me. The power of service is real. Your prayers offer me your love. Thank you!!! Now, go have a great week! I will do the same! :)


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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Monday, October 3, 2011

Conference Time Again!

(Just a quick note from the Mommy! Please keep praying with us that they will be able to figure out what is causing Gar's numbness. He needs our united prayers in his behalf. THANKS!!! )

Hej Familj!!!

Well, I hope that you all enjoyed General Conference as much as I did!!?!? It was so nice being able to hear the voice of God's Prophet on the Earth today! Not to mention the fact that he was incredibly fun to watch with all of his jokes and facial expressions! We gathered in the Chapel here in Linköping to watch conference. The Spirit was strong, and my pen was moving faster than I could even think. So many good topics were discussed. Haha, after the second session we watched together a new member who was less active and even in-active for a time stood up and said essentially, "finally! That was the hardest thing to sit through! Probably one of the hardest things I have ever done!" haha I confronted her remark and explained that they all talked about great things! Not just the same things! Haha I believe she was only kidding which was good, but I can understand that remark. Because I feel that all of us at one point thought the same things! Even if it was just when we were little and forced to watch by our parents! It is like anything in the Church... Give it some time to grow within your heart and you will love it. General Conference is no longer something I can sleep through... It is something I have to keep myself from jumping out of my chair for. Conference has become something so powerful and so meaningful that even now I am longing for the next one! haha!! Anyway, this week has been fun! We worked hard and testified of Christ. We taught with the Spirit and felt the swelling motions within ourselves. Majid is doing well! We will be teaching him again this Tuesday. Hopefully with a member!!! :) haha So, things are going nicely here. As for the health update... My symptoms are mostly the same. No more panic attacks. I have noticed however, that my symptoms, those being loss of feeling or awareness of my body, increase a lot when I lay down to sleep. So much so, that I must calm down and remember that I am okay. It's been a little difficult getting to sleep. Also, once I have fallen asleep I often times wake up having rolled onto my arm or hand or something and it is completely numb. Kind of like when you get a serious "fallen asleep feeling". After some time the sensation goes away and I am back to "normal" but still not "normal" if that makes sense. Anyway, I will be asking to see if I can go to a doctor today to see whats up... Maybe get some answers. I am calm about all of this, but still I need to find an answer or at least some more hope!! haha! Please don't worry about me! My work here as a missionary moves forward. As we heard many times in conference, our Father in Heaven is aware of our surroundings and circumstances. He knows the weaknesses and troubles we have. I received a strong, solid testimony that all I am going through will "work out for my good". My Savior loves me. He wants me to be happy. Through Him, I am. Now, I need to get to the e-mails if we have any hope of getting all the things done today that we need to! Okay first we have Matt! I love you Matt! Thank you so much for sending me your love! It means a lot to me! You continue to impress me by all that you are doing! I was very happy to hear that you and Dad were able to attend the Priesthood session of conference together! What an awesome session that was! I loved how you thought about us watching conference at the same time! I had similar thoughts! We are united even if a map and a few miles say otherwise! You and I know better! :) Enjoy the beautiful fall season! It truly is a time of reflection... Prepare to serve a mission! haha I just thought I would add that very important part of your e-mail. I feel strongly that you have much to give. We need you out here as a part of the Missionary force! As Elder Holland stated so forcefully... "Sign on.. and speak up. We are at war." Be the voice of God! :) I would go back and watch that talk again. He is amazing! I love you Matt! Have a great week and know that you are forever my brother! Make me proud man! haha (you already have!) Okay, now it is on to Dad! I love you Dad! So glad to hear that at least one of us is seeing progress in our medical issues! You are still in my prayers, as always, and I hope that progress hastens! I hope I answered some of your questions about my health already.. Just so you know, my panic attacks were triggered by the strange sensations I got. Almost like I was going to "fly out of my body". I would think one would understand a panic attack when you experience a feeling like that! :) I have learned to calm myself when those sensations come strongly. Something is still wrong though. Not sure what. That is why I hope to go see a doctor soon! I am sure that I will get right in there! :) The Newells are great! I will update you again next week on how everything is going! It was so fun to read about the tailgate party before the Priesthood session of conference! Hopefully that was a good thing to draw out more viewers! But with the session available online now, I am not sure how well the chili and cornbread worked! ;) Okay, well I must more on. I love you Dad! Okay, now it is Mom's turn! I love you Mom! I will start off by answering your question. We have Zone Conference on the 11th of October in Stockholm. If the box arrived there before the 11th I would definitely receive it. However, I am not certain how long it takes boxes to travel. Things move around the mission pretty well, so I am sure that it would not sit in the office for months. I would get it eventually. So, I hope that is helpful. Probably not, but I tried! Since we no longer have regular transfers it is hard to know when I will be getting anything! :) Also, I don't really have any last minute requests for my birthday... As time goes on, I find that I am not having a strong desire for things of the world. They will come in time right?! haha Thank you for all that you do for me! I love you! You really liked conference!!! That is great! Those were some great lines! I have quite a few of my own that I liked.. "Be as quick to knell as you are to text" (one of my favorites!) We even picked out some of the same! :) The Choir was awesome! That primary choir had me in tears I must say! :) But I am sure you already knew that! They have such a special Spirit about them! I love you Mom! Have a great week! You and the family are forever on my mind! Okay now for a Spiritual Thought! Well, it should be something about conference right?! haha but what on earth do I focus on?!?! I don't know! It was all so good! Maybe another "one-liner" from my stash of good ones! I liked this one from Sister Barbara Thompson's talk. "I didn't keep a testimony, my testimony kept me." I love that so much, because I am experiencing that Gospel truth on a daily basis. Right now, it is tough being out here. My health has had me worried at times. I testify that my testimony is keeping me. At night when the lights are dark and my symptoms grow stronger, my heart is comforted by the Savior. My personal Savior lets me know that everything will be okay. Jesus Christ promises that the morning will come. Or, to quote Robert D. Hales, "weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning!" In a very literal sense, my testimony IS keeping me. At the same time, it is growing stronger and stronger. I am "never far from the gaze of (my) Heavenly Father." That brings me comfort. This help, this miracle is there for each and every one of us! Our testimonies are not just for us to feel when times are good and the meeting was great. Our testimonies help us through the battlegrounds of life! In the darkest of moments our testimonies are the light. The light necessary for our eventual triumph. I know that Christ lives. He is my friend. I know the Church is true and I know that we are all sons and daughters to a VERY loving Heavenly Father. I hope that all of us have a good week. I pray that all of us may hold fast to the faith. Until next week!! :)


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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Monday, September 26, 2011

Lovin' the Members!!!


My awesome sofa on the Linköping University Campus!!!
Did you know that my sofa is HEATED?!?! haha It is awesome! It is super warm so you can sit outside when it is a little chilly! :)


Hej Familj!!!

Well, this week has been pretty awesome! As you can probably tell, the members are a BIG part of that! We just have some really great members here in Linköping!! They are always a joy to be around on Sundays, but even more fun to be with them in their homes and with others! Let me share an experience we just had this past Saturday with a member. We had a time set up with this member for three o'clock to come and have some food! We had been out during the morning for a little longer than expected so we were a little late getting home for lunch. We were both starving, and just couldn't wait until the fast approaching three o'clock appointment. So, we heated up some left overs and decided to eat just a bit so that our stomachs would stop whining! haha Well, we both ate too much. I know, big shocker... hahaha :)

When we arrived we hoped that she would maybe need a little more time to prepare or want us to share the message first. However, when we went into the apartment building, her door was open and she quickly welcomed us into her place. After we took off our jackets she directed us to the table. At the time we did not know that it was the table because you could not even see the table there was soooo much food on there! She had made us chili con carne with rice and LOTS of it! Not to mention all the different kinds of breads and cheese and butter and hard boiled eggs.... etc... :) She LOVES having the missionaries over and always greets us with the warmest smile when she sees us! Anyway, back to the story! When we sat down Äldste Maxwell and I looked at each other and both knew that we were in for it! We served up some rather small portions (like we discussed before we went into her building) and started eating. The food was great! Really good! However, after the first few bites I was completely full. Knowing that it was bad manners to not finish what was on your plate I continued eating despite the feeling of needing to vomit rising within me. After the last bite, I was extremely nervous... The entire time she had basically been begging us to take more, and trying to give us like three pieces of bread at one time... haha It was crazy! She ordered me to take more rice and I followed her demands. She then told me that I needed to pass my plate to her so that she could serve me some of the chili con carne. She told me to basically "say when". She took the MASSIVE ladle and plunged it deep into the chili. She quickly drenched my plate with what looked like pure meat and beans and went back for a second one. As she was rising the ladle the second time I quickly told her that what she had given me was plenty. She proceeded to place the second ladle of food on my plate and gave it back. (The same thing happened to Äldste Maxwell just a few minutes after) I ate. And I ate. And I ATE ATE ATE ATE!!! I was so sick. The plate would just not get any smaller! For the first time since I can remember I was gagging trying to fit all of the food in my stomach. I was about three quarters of the way done with my plate when this dear sister stopped me. She looked me in the eye and told me that I did not have to finish. I wanted to finish that plate soooooo badly, but I just couldn't. She continued on to say that it looked like I was suffering. Haha, yes she really did say exactly that! I was absolutely suffering and I needed to stop before I lost it all! After she took my plate and I was getting really woozy she said, besides, you still have dessert! .... ....... .. .. ... .. .. I think I cried a little. She gave us fruit cocktail with home made whipped cream. Yum!! But oh so blugh.. I ate only a few bites. After dinner we shared a message and got out of there pronto. We were both sooo sick. I had some quality time with the grass by the bus stop before we climbed on to get to our next appointment. Once on the bus we tried as much as we could to rest our bodies. I am sure we just looked terrible! haha

We were off to another great member's home to go and visit a newly moved in member of the branch. When we arrived, they were preparing food. . . ... . ... I about lost it. I could not believe what was happening! This member noticed right away that we looked a bit uncomfortable. She asked what the matter was. I spoke up and told her that to be perfectly honest we had just eaten with another member and that we were both sick from how much we ate. We had no idea they were planning on feeding us! So, the mother made some quick changes. We were going to be having Mongolian BBQ with the new grill the father of the family (a non-member) got for his birthday. So she told him to get the grill going and we were going to go visit the new member first. We were so thankful! Walking around felt incredible! The new member lived about a 15-20 minute walk away from the members house and that gave us a little bit of time to prepare. The new member was not home then, so we left her a card and planned to return to visit her later. On the walk back this awesome member told us to just take a little bit of food and to not worry about a thing. The evening turned out pretty well. The food was great! Even though we really didn't want it. hahaha And we made friends with the husband of the member. Yay! That night we came home and went straight to bed. We are still feeling like we have no appetites. haha It's crazy! We truly are being taken care of here in Linköping! It is great!

Okay now I must get to the e-mails! That took some time! Okay first up we have Dad! I love you Dad! Yay BYU and CMR both had wins! That is so good to hear! Yes, we were able to go and visit Majid! Thank you for asking! He is doing great! Very excited still about learning and understanding the Gospel! Woo! We will be visiting him shortly! The weather is not as warm as it has been for you all! We are having very fall temperatures and the leaves keep falling at an ever increasing rate! Aggh! It is okay though because I love the fall colors and smells! Yay! My last P-day in Stockholm was great! We played football and ultimate Frisbee! Perfect weather for both too! It was nice being up in Stockholm again.. kinda feels like home up there! :) So, you have a wrist brace huh? Oh no! ;) I hope that you feel better soon! I will be praying for you and hoping that the doctor can figure out what is going on. Keep me posted on that! As for my health, I am doing pretty well! No more "panic attacks" if that truly is what they were. However, I am still having issues with the whole "numbness/weakness" of my skin. I am just hoping and praying that it gets figured out and that I can be up to full health again some time soon. Äldste Maxwell and I feel that it is something in my neck. Because sometimes when my neck is in a weird position I get the sensation that my body is "gone" or that my sensation is lost. Maybe a nerve getting cramped? Not sure, but we are continuing to monitor it! :) No worries! Well, I love you Dad and hope that this week is a good one for you! :)

Okay, now it is time for Matt! I love you Matt! Way to go on this past game! Sounds like it was awesome! Homecoming week huh? Oh that was always soooo much fun! Enjoy it all and be safe with all that you do! Yes, I hear about American sports over here. Missionaries have their sources and when someone gets something, it spreads pretty fast. The Swedish people like a lot about the States and I think sports is up on that list. I am continuing to work out, but by the looks of your pictures I don't think we will be able to lift much together. You could spot me, but I don't think I would be of much assistance to you! hahaha We will see in the future how things are going. You truly are looking good and putting on some poundage! Muscle of course.. haha :) I am praying for you and hoping all goes well with school and all of your other activities! I love you! :)

Okay well, Mom must still be resting from not feeling too well. I hope that she gets feeling better and that ... (right as I was typing that she sent a message! awesome!) I am glad you are feeling better this morning Mom! Have a great day and know that I love you! You all are in my prayers and thoughts! By the way, thank you for the awesome BYU shirts and family pictures! They are sooooo much fun! Pure GOLD if I might say so! :) ;)

Okay now for a quick Spiritual Thought. This one is about football... and the Priesthood. So, go to this website and watch the Mormon Message entitled, "Sanctify Yourselves" (http://lds.org/pages/mormon-messages-gallery?lang=eng) It is an awesome video! The Sister Missionaries in Norrköping told us about it! Oh! Yeah, the District is doing great! We were able to have a great District Meeting this past Thursday! The Assistants to President Newell came and brought a great Spirit with them! Not to mention that one of them is Äldste Bracken!!! Remember him? My second companion in Sweden.. We were in Växjö together! I love him! Äldste Olson is the other Assistant and we are good friends too! Okay, I love you all! Have a great week! Hearing from you makes me smile every time! :) :)

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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Monday, September 19, 2011

Mine eyes have seen the glory....rather the horror of BYU Football!

Hej Familj!!!


Well, I have to say I am a bit disappointed at BYU's actions. Especially when a mission President gives permission to his missionaries to watch them and the Utes battle it out. I watched in horror as fumble after fumble and broken play by broken play hearts were torn and squashed into the cold, dark, unforgiving ground. Haha, okay so President Newell did NOT give us permission to watch the game, nor did I watch it. I was just going off what I was told. Sounds like it was pretty hard to sit through. What on earth is going on?! I guess BYU is still waiting for me to get back before they dominate. Well, this week has been good! We found a new investigator! His name is Majid! He is eager to learn more about the book of Mormon and the Gospel in general. Working is great, and we have been able to do more of it! My health is doing well! No more panic attacks, probably because I realize what they are now. I am still experiencing some "numbness" or a better way to describe it is "weakness" in my skin. Not sure if it is truly a nerve compression or something else. But all that I know is that it has not become worse, so that is comforting. Today we are heading off to Stockholm to play some sports! So, sadly our train leaves at 10.57 and it is 10.19 now! That means no time! Just know that I am doing well and loving life! I want to thank Dad for his wonderful card. It was nice to have that and feel the love! I love all of you and am sooo thankful for this time I have in Sweden! The season is starting to change and I am looking forward to all that fall and winter will bring! I really have no time because we need to go catch a train. I hope this is not too disappointing, I promise a better e-mail next week! I love you!



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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)

Monday, September 12, 2011

Trials make the heart grow stronger!!

Hej Familj!!!


I don't have much time so this is going to be rather short. First off, so you all know, I have some symptoms that returned this past Tuesday... Not to worry though! I am doing great and am in good contact with President and Sister Newell. I think it might be something to do with a pinched nerve or something similar, but nothing to be seriously concerned about. If the symptoms get worse or anything I am surrounded by loving people who are ready to take care and offer their help. I will be traveling to Stockholm on Wednesday for District Leader training so that will give me a chance to talk with President and see what we need to do to get this all figured out! Hopefully nothing will be needed in the future and I can just continue with the Lord's work. I guess I spoke too soon last week in letting you all know I was doing better. I guess I just wanted you all to not worry about me! :) Because there is nothing to worry about! Well, this week was not as great as we had planned... mainly due to my little health issue. But this next week is looking great and we are starting to figure out Linköping! We had our Branch Conference yesterday and lots of visitors from the Stake in Stockholm. After church we had a lunch with soups and sandwiches and LOTS of desserts! Mmmm! It was great to be a part of it all! Everyone was just so happy there! It is great! Also, we were invited to our Branch Mission Leader's home for dinner on Friday. He is a great guy! His wife is a great cook! haha They made deer for us! Mmmm! I haven't had stake in a long while, so it was a very nice meal! They have a dog who is named Vargo (pronounced Vah-reee-oh) which means good wolf!!! haha He is a four year old Siberian Husky. Probably one of the friendliest dogs I have ever met! It made me really want to have a Siberian Husky sometime in my future! However, Molly still has Vargo beat... Pretty hard to beat perfection!! lol :) Anyway, I left the house covered in fur. Kinda a down side... :( So let me get to the e-mails before I need to head off! Lets start with Matt! I love you Matt! Honors Stats huh? Sounds like fun! Pointers I would offer... Number one, make SURE that you truly UNDERSTAND everything you learn. If you don't, go in for some one on one help! Mrs. Dahl is really amazing when it comes to helping her students understand! Quite an amazing teacher! The class is a lot of fun, and at times it is really easy to goof off and not really be paying attention. Don't do that. Trust me, it leads to confusion and stress later on. (Normally around test time!) haha You will do great in her class though! Have fun with the whole M&M's thing. Bring her some but take the blue ones out for her. Trust me, she will love you for that! hahaha I hope I am remembering this all okay! :) I pray that your ACT went well and that you are happy with how you did! Get involved and be your very best self! Make friends with the teachers and prioritize! You know all that though... :) I love you Matt! Okay, now time for Dad! I love you Dad! To answer your questions, yes, I did lose feeling in my head and face. No, I did not buy anything new or change anything. No, we do not have different rooms... haha The rule is still the same. The other bedroom is being used as luggage storage and our ironing board is set up in there for when we need some good looking shirts! :) Lets see, haha yes! I am eating very well! Much better than pre-mission! It is great! Hahaha your story about your mission was just too much! haha I can just see ya'll riding your bikes in the middle of the cold night with steam coming off you! Sounds like a cold place! Yup, winter is coming, but I am not scared! It will be fun! :) Okay, I love you Dad! Have a great week! Let me know if you have anymore questions for me! Mom! I love you Mom! Thank you for the third package!! haha It is great having a supply of American goods in the apartment! Someones birthday is coming up?? It's not mine is it?!?! Well if it is, and I had a loving mother who asked me what I needed/wanted, I would have to tell her that I am unsure right now! Money in the account might just be the best option... I have a few things I would really like to buy before I head home. You know, things from the mission! Anyway, I will give it some thought and let you know soon! (oh, by the way, there is an $11.29 charge on my wells fargo credit card.. Sorry, but my other cards would not work at the place we went to!) That was soooo cool to see a picture of Tyler!!! I haven't really had contact with him for a while.. I hope all is well with him! Sounds like the funeral went well! Glad to hear that everyone was able to remember the good times and support each other! :) So you and everyone else knows, my "bummer" is doing fine!! Riding bikes around all the time has started to just become "the way it is" and I don't hurt nearly as much now! But that doesn't mean I pass up the opportunity to leave the bikes and just take the bus every now and again! ("You got that right.." -direct quote of what Äldste Maxwell said when I read that line to him! hahaha) My prayers will be with Josh, Hillary and Landon this week! I hope that they are feeling better and that whatever caused them to get sick is gone! It's no good when the whole family is sick! Blugh! Keep me posted on how they are feeling! :) Also, tell Russ Morin that he needs to get healed up for Basketball Season! I bet that is hard having to be out a whole season of Football.. Senior year too.. bummer.. I mean, ouch! I am sure he is just as optimistic and happy as ever though! He is always a good example of that! Tell the coaches to get Matt in the game more.. He worked too hard to just stand on the sides! That kid has a heart and a determination to do his best! Let him do it!!!!! Grrr!!! Sorry, a little bit of older brother for ya! Well, this has gone on for quite a while and we need to get on with our day! We have a cleaning inspection tomorrow and we must go buy some food for the week! Mmmm! I hope you have a great week Mom! I love you! Okay quick Spiritual Thought before I have to get outta here! This one comes from a comment Äldste Maxwell made in our last District Meeting! He said, "You gotta put in and forget about whatever is gonna come out." At the moment he was making reference to pole vaulting but in bigger context it means that when we set goals and stretch to achieve them we must forget about what we want to achieve and focus on the things we need to do or give or "put in" in order to achieve those goals. This is so true, and I love it! Set goals, and then don't go for them! Go for the smaller things that will make the large goal a reality! Simplify and the rate of success will increase! haha Just my two cents worth this week! Sorry this was rushed! I love you all! Have a fantastic week! :)


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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)