"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 :) :) :)