Funny Stuff in Sweden!!

My fellow district mates! This was after a failed attempt at a BBQ.. It got way too cold! haha But I was able to burn my shirt while up there!


This is Kelvish, one of our investigators! He is so awesome!! Recently he shaved! (looks like a new man!)


This is an action shot of Pan Dong, another investigator! He is from China, and REALLY good at ping pong!


Me and my new friend! haha This guy can be seen all over Sweden! He advertises glass.. which is Swedish for ice cream!


Part of the big town square! If you look closely at the little trees you will see colorful feathers.. symbols for the approaching Easter Season! :)

Hej Familj!!!

I have some funny, funny stuff to tell you all about!! But first... How are you all doing? From what I have heard, you are doing well and enjoying all that this life has to offer. That is good! :) It is getting warmer and warmer! I am writing from the church looking out at a wonderful 17 degree Celsius day! (yeah, that is 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit! Woo!) The sun is shining and the birds are chirping.. It is just like heaven! There are really cool wild flowers that have started to pop up through the grasses and such.. Quite the sight! Spring in Sweden is, and will be a beautiful thing!

Anyway, let me get to the funny stuff! We all know that serving a mission affords us the privilege of experiencing great things. Many returned missionaries have stories that captivate their audiences and leave them craving more.. The story I am about to tell however, is not one of those. This will be painful to tell and to read, so please just read through it once, and then wash it from your brain. Okay, so.. here we go! This week we had the opportunity to travel to Karlstad for our weekly district meeting. While there we had fun, felt the Spirit, and learned how to be better servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. We also had the opportunity to go on Splits or Exchanges as I think some missionaries call it. I stayed in Karlstad with Äldste Maxwell. Äldste Maxwell is awesome! He is a rock climber and loves to laugh. We had a great time on Splits... Well, sort of. Lol.. This is where the story gets strange. Äldste Maxwell is a greenie and has been in the country for a little over a month now. I told him that I was going to be following his lead the whole day. We went tracting and met a few nice people. Towards the end of the day, Äldste Maxwell felt impressed to visit one of their investigators. He informed me that the investigator has a tendency to be a little strange.. This in no way prepared me for what was ahead of me. When this man answered the door, he did so wearing a shirt and some boxers. Haha He quickly invited us in and sat us at his table as he searched throughout the apartment to find some pants. lol :) He found a pair and we started to talk. He had a small hint of alcohol on his breath, but nothing too overwhelming. Probably just buzzed. He controlled the teach however, and we quickly realised that now was not the best time to be visiting him. Being who I am, I thought it would be fun to entertain the man a little. He at one point asked the question, "Sweden is not believing.. But I am!! Why am I the only one who is believing??" To which I replied... "Because you are EXTRAORDINARY!!!" hahaha!! He really, REALLY liked that! He made me stand up and he gave me a big hug!! haha This happened a few times throughout our visit... lol :) Towards the end of out visit, we were basically backing out of his door because he did not want us to go. He asked for one last hug before we went, so I gave him one as I was just laughing my head off. Then.... he kissed me!!! AAAGGGHHH!!! Yes.. I am serious! Don't worry, it was on the cheek, but still. It was plain nasty. I almost vomited. I am sorry that it had to end that way... But thats exactly how it happened. I guess I should have seen it coming though because the entire visit he continually commented on how nicely I looked and how I was wearing nice clothes. This man is a child of God. However, he is a little strange when buzzed by some sort of alcohol. Haha I hope you enjoyed that story and got a good laugh. It was pretty funny after it happened, but now I know never to trust Äldste Maxwell ever again. Oh, yeah, Äldste Maxwell just laughed the entire time! He didn't help me! lol :) Anyway, I think that is enough for story time this week!

Let me get to the e-mails! First we have Matt!! I love you brother! Thank you for your awesome e-mail! I miss you like crazy too.. However, I know that patience deepens joy! One day in the future we will be able to hang out again and have many, many more good times together! It will be awesome! :) I promise! But it sounds like life is going well for you! You know what, I really love how almost every week you mention something about Seminary and how you see it bless your life! That is amazing to hear! It makes me very proud of my brother to know that he is doing what he should be and loving it! Sick!! :) You think you are stoked for summer?? I am stoked for it! I will get to wear short sleeves and work on getting this paste white skin color changed back into a golden tan. haha Talking to people out on the streets is hard, but I am blessed in many ways... not just Spiritual ;) haha I love you my brother Matt!! You are awesome and I hope you know that I pray for you daily! You are always on a missionaries mind! Give Mom and Dad hugs for me and love them to pieces! They are awesome and love you very, VERY much! I love you Matt! Until next week!!

Okay, now moving on to Dad!! I love you Dad! Have I ever told you, that you are my hero? Because, you are. :) You take such good care of your family and that includes me! I am doing well with money at the moment.. I normally use my checking card for little purchases here and there. We got some Swedish goodies for General Conference.. I use it sometimes because our mission cards are pretty sensitive. Meaning, they don't always work when they should. I used my credit card to purchase some books in Swedish just so that you are aware. They were quite the deal! The mission sends us money towards the end of the month, and I am not sure if the dollar influences how much we receive.. It sure feels like it does though.. haha Our investigators are doing really well! Thank you for asking! We are hoping that before the month is out we will have a baptism! Woo! I will keep you informed! You asked about what I am studying in my Personal Study right now.. That is the time where we can study the scriptures or the missionary library and Preach My Gospel. At the moment I am reading through the New Testament and through the Book of Mormon again. (The same copy I used for the challenge, but focusing on two more things) It is going really well! I absolutely love the New Testament. Having read Jesus the Christ, reading the New Testament opens my eyes and really connects it all! Needless to say, my testimony is growing daily! Thank you for asking! :) I love you Dad! You are awesome and truly are my hero! :)

Next up we have Mom!! I love you Mom! First off... GET FEELING BETTER!! haha I don't like hearing that you are not feeling well! Get better soon! My prayers are continually with you! :) That e-mail from Elder Houston was so awesome!!! He is a stud! I am glad that you cooked a nice meal for him and treated him like a member of the family! How did the object game go?!?! I bet he did a great job! What object did he get? Who picked it?! lol Anyway... General Conference WAS amazing!!! It was very much needed, and I am really sorry that it is over.. :( aww.. lol We DO have Zone Conference coming up! It will be on April 19th!! Woo! And yes, transfers will be the first part of May! Probably May 4th and 5th.. Not completely sure.. but I am pretty much sure.. haha :) I love you! Thank you so much for sending that picture of Landon! He looks so good! haha I can't wait to meet him! Pictures are the best! Thank you so much for your words of comfort Mom. I feel your prayers and your love. It is really quite the miracle because we will be out working and it will be tough, but all I have to do is pray and I feel strength! I know it is because of my loving family praying for me and loving me. Thank you. :) :) :) I hope you feel my prayers and love also! They are constantly being sent!! Have a great week Mom! I love you so much!

Okay, well, this is getting long so I think I will get to the Spiritual Thought! The thought comes from a quote I just love. It is by an unknown author and goes like this... "Some goals are so worthy, it's glorious even to fail." Is that not just completely EPIC!! hahaha! I love it! When we look at our goals in life and those many, many different things we are trying to be, or to do, or to accomplish it can get overwhelming. Most of the time we are not able to do it all. However, if we take a step back and look at what we have done in the process we can see that we truly have done great things... glorious things! This is an amazing blessing, and something to truly be happy with! For me, I all too often focus on what I wasn't able to do, or what I wasn't able to accomplish. Which causes feelings of sadness and failure. When if I really look at it, I have not REALLY failed.. I have done amazing things in the process! I believe this is what life is all about! We strive to be perfect, but we are not going to be in this life... BUT LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE! :) Look at what you have become and those you have helped in the process! Miracles! Pure miracles! haha :) Okay, well I hope you liked the thought! I am loving my mission and look forward to this upcoming week! I love you. I love you. I LOVE YOU! :)

Hej då!

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

Äldste Kundis :) :) :)