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 31, 2011
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 :) :) :)
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 :) :) :)
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 :) :) :)
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 :) :) :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
