Heading Home: 7/4/16

Hej!

     This is my last email of my mission!! It still doesn't feel real. I will be home sometime on the 7th of July. Thank you to all of you who have written me and supported me throughout my mission! I am so grateful to have had this time to come to Sweden and teach people more about the gospel and about our Savior Jesus Christ. It has been great to be able to see the change that it has made in people's lives, and in my own. Even though it has been really hard at times, I am so glad that I came on a mission. I have been able to learn a lot and hopefully I've grown a lot as a person as well. I know that the church is true and that it really is the Church of Jesus Christ, and that He leads it through a modern-day prophet. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that when we read it with an open heart that it will help our faith to grow, no matter how much or how little faith we may already have.

I hope everyone has a great week, and I'll see some of you very soon! HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Elder Smith

Pictures!!!

1) We were on the train and there was a crossword puzzle. Someone was very creative.

2) A regular train

3) It rained in the bus! There are some doors on the roof of the bus that are like emergency exits but they also can be opened a bit to let in some air, and the bus driver left them open when it was raining super super hard outside, so then it started raining inside. It's maybe hard to see in the picture, but the floor's wet.

4) A member was on vacation this week and brought back gifts for us! This is små kompisar, or "little friend". The box says that it encourages imagination and creativity, and makes people happy. It's literally a bag of beans, so it's pretty funny. I like it.

Midsummer: 6/27/16

Hej!

     This week was super good! On Wednesday we started splits, so this time I was with Elder Nielsen in my own area. We went to a town called Flen to teach some members and their friends. Unfortunately, our member who usually translates for us had to work, so we had three people who speak Persian, and a little English that we wanted to teach. So we made a drawing and talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Luckily one of them is a member so he already knew how it goes and could explain things to the others. Later we had a gospel principles class.

     On Thursday we had district meeting in Norrköping, and switched back to our normal companions. We had a sports night activity and played basketball and soccer. Towards the end it started to rain a bit, but it wasn't too bad. 

     On Friday it was Midsummer! Kind of. Technically it was Midsummer Eve, but that's when everyone celebrates it. We went over to our branch president's house and had lunch. We played a game that is basically jenga, and then we played a game called kubb outside. It rained a bit, but not too much.

     On Saturday we went to some outlet stores in our area and I got some normal people clothes in preparation for going home. I have just over a week left now, and it feels super weird.

     On Sunday both Elder Roylance and I gave talks about the Second Coming. I think mine went pretty well. There was an American couple visiting so I translated for them. I also played the piano for sacrament meeting since the member who usually does it was out of town. When I got up to play the closing hymn I got mixed up and started playing the opening song instead. The opening song was page 19 and the closing one was 16, so that's why I got mixed up. Luckily they stopped me before I was done with the intro :)

     This week I want to talk about Moroni 7:41. It says: "And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise." Today there are a lot of things going on in the world that can worry us. But we don't need to fear the future because we have hope in the atonement of Jesus Christ and we have been promised the ability to return to our Father in Heaven when we keep the commandments.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

1) During Swedish class this week, a member named Pia found things in the kitchen and told everyone what they are called in Swedish, and our job was to write it on the board and draw a picture.

2) Lunch. This is Augustin, Elder Roylance and me

3) Riding bikes. I didn't know he was taking a picture so that's why I'm not smiling

Travel: 6/20/16

Hi!

     This week was kinda crazy, but super good! It was a normal week, until Wednesday when we had to travel to Stockholm so we could stay the night before mission tour. We got to Stockholm Central station and there were tons of other missionaries there. We got up early the next morning and got to the chapel by 8:45 to take pictures as zones. We had four zones there, so probably somewhere around 100 missionaries. It's crazy how many people there are that I don't know now. They're all new!

     After pictures we walked into the chapel single file and got to shake Elder and Sister Dyches' hands, then we started the meeting. It was really good! President and Sister Beckstrand talked about learning how the Spirit speaks to us so that we can be better able to recognize it in our lives. Elder and Sister Dyches talked a lot about their time as mission president and wife in the Oregon Portland mission, so it was fun to hear them talk about places I know. 

     After the meeting we started splits with our district leader and his companion, so I was with Elder Jensen instead of Elder Roylance. Elder Jensen had an interview with Elder Dyches, and it went a little long so we missed our train home but it also meant we had more time to spend with the other missionaries, so it was okay :) We got back to Linköping later in the evening. 

     It was a little weird being in Linköping because I served there back in September. The next day we went out and contacted a lot of people on the street, and it was really good because a ton of people were outside. The elders there got a call earlier in the week from a chaplain at the hospital saying there was a member of our church there who wanted a visit. So we went to the hospital, but it was a little hard to find the member because we were only given her first name. Eventually we found her, and it turned out she was from a different stake, but was at the Linköping hospital, because it's a pretty good one I think. We were able to visit with her and give her a blessing. It was a really good experience.

     On Saturday morning we switched back companions and I was able to be in my own area again. Yesterday at church we had a ton of visiters. We normally have about 25 people in church, and we had about 10 visiters. So that was cool. 

     At the mission tour I got a chance to talk to Elder Dyches a bit, and he knew I am going home soon so he told me to read the last line on the last page of Preach My Gospel. I looked it up, and it says, "Love the Lord and serve Him the very best you can." I think this is something that is very simple and straight forward, but can make such a difference in our lives. If we love the Lord and serve Him to the best of our abilities, then that is essentially all that He asks of us. If we truly love Him then we will do all that we can to keep His commandments and prepare ourselves to return to Him one day.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) Me and Elder Roylance with Sister Powell, who visited

2) I don't know who took this, but someone took a picture of us getting food at dinner yesterday

6/13/16

Hi!

     This week was pretty good. On Monday we went to our investigator Simon's house and played magic the gathering with him and his friends. I lost, but it was still pretty fun. This week we have been trying to fix Elder Roylance's bike, because the back tire was flat. We just about got the wheel off, but there was one screw that wouldn't budge. We actually stripped the hexagon screwdriver thing because we were pushing hard but the bolt wasn't moving. So we got another screwdriver thing and after pouring some canola oil on the bolt to grease it up and a ton of work we finally got it off. We looked at the screw and there was a little section where all of the threading had broken off. I'm not sure if it happened before or after we started trying to get it off.  But luckily we have a new screw now so it should work fine. We patched up the tire tube, and it still had holes after about 5 patches, so we're going to just get a new one today.

     On Wednesday we had gospel principles class, and we taught a Swedish class right after that because the member who usually teaches it was sick. It's a little hard to teach people a new language, especially when you don't exactly know it the greatest either. But it went well. On Thursday we had district meeting, and went to a Chinese buffet for lunch. 

     Yesterday a member named Miriam who served a short-term mission a little while ago visited and spoke in sacrament meeting. Her cousin from Canada was there so I translated for her. I think I did alright, haha. The second councilor in the stake presidency also visited. When we drove down here, he picked up some members from an immigrant camp so that they were able to come to church. It was really great for them, because they haven't been able to come in a long time because of travel issues.

     This week we have a mission tour meeting, and President Dyches will be visiting. I will also be giving my final testimony, usually referred to as a "dying testimony". Usually missionaries speak at their last zone meeting, and give a short testimony in Swedish. I will be giving mine in English, so at least that will be one less thing to worry about! 

     Lately we have been talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ a lot with our investigators. I think it is so great that no matter where we are in our faith, the Gospel of Jesus Christ can help us to grow and have a stronger testimony. If we don't have so much faith, then we can "plant the seed" as Alma describes in Alma 32, if we want to be better, then we can repent and take the sacrament to renew our baptismal covenants. And if we're doing okay, then we can still "endure to the end" by continuing to do all of these things and just increasing our faith. 

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) Katrineholm this morning

2) Yesterday I was looking for something under my bed, and found this creepy clown thing. Then we hung it on the wall. I pranked Elder Roylance with it one too many times and he threw it away

3) Updating records

4) At the church

Broken Bike: 6/6/16

Hi!

     This week felt like it went by super fast. Last Monday we emailed and bought groceries, then just took it easy in the apartment. On Wednesday we went to a town called Flen and taught some members and their friends at the library. In the evening we had Gospel Principles class and a Swedish class.

     On Thursday we went to Eskilstuna for zone training. Most of the other missionaries in our zone are newer in the mission, so there were a ton of people I didn't know. We talked about how we can help new members and less-actives prepare and set goals to go to the temple. 

     One day we were riding our bikes and Elder Roylance rode up onto a curb, but as he did his back tire hit the edge of the curb and went flat super quick. We took the bike home to try and fix it, but we can't get the back wheel off. So we'll see if we can fix it this week.

     I go home on July 7th, which is just over a month from now and it feels really weird, haha. But I'm still going strong :)

     This week in church we had a lesson about self-reliance. There was a scripture used that I thought was really interesting. It was Matthew 16:29  "Therefore, forsake the world, and save your souls; for what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" There are a lot of things in the world that can distract us from what is really important. If we are letting these things take priority in our life, then we are in a sense taking these things in exchange for our soul since we could be focusing on things of eternal importance instead. It is important that we remember who we are and why we are really here on the earth.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) Elder Roylance took a panorama so we could fit this really tall statue in a picture. I guess I turned my head as the panorama was going...

2) A big church in Eskilstuna

3) It's a bit blurry but this is me (to the left) and a member named Daniel. We were visiting another member named Bashir at a restaurant he works at and he gave us this super good food. We mostly ate it using our hands and the bread, not silverwear.

Katrineholm: 5/30/16

Hi!

     This has been a great week, but it felt super long! On Monday we spent most of the day getting ready to transfer. We cleaned up the apartment and packed in the morning, and later we had to make a transfer report with information about the area and our investigators for the missionaries who would take over our area after we left. It was a lot of work, but we managed to get it all done in time. 

     I got on my first train on Tuesday at 7:45 am and left Karlskrona. I had three train transfers, all of which went well, and got to Katrineholm at noon. My new companion is Elder Roylance. He has been on his mission for a little over 6 months. Katrineholm has been good so far. It is a little smaller, but we have had a lot to do so far. 

     On Wednesday we went out to a little town in our area called Flen and met with some members there. In the evening we taught a gospel principles class, since we have only two hours of church on Sunday and don't have time to do it then. 

     On Thursday we went to Norrköping for district meeting. We have a pretty small district right now since one of the areas in Linköping closed last transfer. So it is us, the Norrköping elders and the Linköping elders, so there are 6 of us total. After district meeting we went to lunch at a place called Max, a Swedish hamburger fast food restaurant. 

     On Friday we went to a town called Vingåker and taught an investigator, then we went to a service in the Swedish church with him. It was interesting to see how another church does their services. 

     Yesterday we had church. It is only two hours because we are a smaller branch. There were maybe a little more than 20 people there yesterday. I got to speak a little while in sacrament meeting because I'm new so I got to introduce myself. After church we called a ton of potential investigators and did other area book work. 

     This week I was reading in Alma about when the sons of Mosiah were about to go to teach the Lamanites about the Gospel. In Alma 17:11 it says: "And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls." The sons of Mosiah were promised help and success in their work, but they had to be patient and endure their trials with faith. We all face many challenges in life, but if we are patient in long-suffering and rely on the Lord, then we will not only make it through these trials, but we will be stronger afterwards.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) Elder Roylance contacting a cat

2) Us

3) A banana curry pineapple ham pizza

Transfers: 5/23/16

Hi!

     So I am being transferred to Katrineholm, a town that is a little southwest of Stockholm. It's kind of weird because for most of my mission I have spent three transfers in my area, but now I will be in each of my last three areas for only one transfer. It should be fun though. My new companion is Elder Roylance, who was MTC companions with Elder Dean, who I trained. 

     Last P-day we went to a marine museum in town. It was really cool. They had a submarine and we got to go inside it. They even had the telescope thing going all the way to roof of the museum, so when you turned it around you could see 360 degrees around the museum. On Tuesday we had a branch cleaning day to clean up the chapel, basically Spring cleaning. But it ended up being the missionaries, one of our investigators named Petra, and a few members. It went well though. We clipped the hedges and mowed the lawn and cleaned out old junk out of the shed. Afterwards we all had soup and bread for dinner.

     On Wednesday we had district meeting in Kristianstad. After the lesson we had a funeral for Elder Israelsen and Elder Walker. It was pretty fun. I borrowed a guitar and played "Into the West" from the last Lord of the Rings movie. After that we all went to lunch and got pizza. We ordered three family pizzas, but it was way too much, so there was a lot of leftovers. 

     On Thursday we did service for a member who lives in a town called Nybro. Elder Benson and I spent most of the time painting a few things while the other elders did other odd-jobs. The member had a friend there and it turned out he actually worked on the submarine at the museum when he did military service. So that was pretty cool. 

     On Friday we taught our investigator named Desirée. She accepted a baptismal date! I am a little sad to leave while she's getting ready to be baptized, but I know the other elders will do a good job taking over the teaching. After that we did some swing-bys to less-actives and old investigators. 

     On Saturday we did splits, so I spent the day with Elder Israelsen. There was a woman that the other elders met at a branch party last week and set up a teaching appointment with, but she never came and they didn't have her information. We knew which group of apartments she lived in, so we decided to go find her. It turned out she lived in the very first stairwell that we tried. The door was slightly open with some construction stuff around and someone inside was on the phone but we rang the doorbell anyways and it was her. Then we were in another neighborhood later and talked to a guy who is probably a member! He is from Africa and his parents are members so we talked to him about family home evening and things like that. It doesn't sound like he's been to an LDS church in a while but he said he'd come to sacrament meeting soon. 

     Yesterday we had a super good sacrament meeting. So there are four missionaries in the branch, and Elder Israelsen is going home and Elder Blattman and I are transferring so it was a lot of change. We are actually closing our area too, so only one new elder is coming in. We sang a last minute musical number, but I forgot the name of it in English. After church we went to a member family's house for dinner and had smörgåstårta, or sandwich cake. It's like cake because it has bread and it's layered, but it has sandwich ingredients like cheese, mayonnaise, and other stuff. 

     This week I have thought a bit about how the Gospel gives us peace in our lives. There is so much happening in the world these days, and life can really easily become stressful but we can still have peace. I think that it is amazing how the gospel has a real power in our lives to help us to know how to be happy and that we have something to rely on even when it seems like everything else might be going wrong. 

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) Me and the submarine, Neptune

2) Some of the coolest guns I've ever seen. It's an ax

3) Elder Benson hard at work