Jul: 12/26/15

Hej!

     I feel like I just wrote an email a few days ago, so I think I'll keep this one pretty short. We have P-day on Saturday this week. I think I'll write again on new year's day, but I'll have another P-day on the first Monday of the new year too so we'll see.

     So Monday was only a half P-day because we had non-proselyting days for Christmas. So after 12 we had a normal day. Our district leader and his companion came to Alingsås to do workovers for the day. I went with Elder Bailey, the district leader, and our companions, Elder Dean and Elder Burton, were together. Both of them are greenies so they had an interesting time being out on their own, haha. They did super well though. After we were finished we all got pizza together.

     On Tuesday we went to Göteborg and our district and another district did Christmas caroling. First we wrote our testimonies in a bunch of Book of Mormons, then we practiced a few songs and headed out. We sang right outside of a big mall called Nordstan, so there were tons of people walking by. We would sing and then a few people at a time would break off to contact some of the people who stopped to listen or people walking by. It was pretty fun, but about halfway through it started raining so we all got pretty wet. Afterwards we had hot chocolate at the YSA center.

     We spent most of Christmas Eve with a member family. In Sweden Christmas Eve is the big day for celebrating so we did a lot of fun things. We watched a show called Kalle Anke (Swedish for Donald Duck), which is a series of Disney clips that has been aired on Swedish TV every Christmas Eve since the 50's. Most of the clips are always the same. After that Santa visited and gave the kids, and us, Christmas presents. After that we just ate food and hung out a bit.

     On Christmas day we just hung out in our apartment and at the church a bit, then in the evening we went to a member family's house. We got to skype home, which was nice, and then we ate a good Christmas dinner.

     That's pretty much all that happened this week! I just want to share my testimony that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that no matter who we are or what situation we are in, the gospel and the Atonement can make a positive difference in our lives. I have been able to see it in my own life and I know that it is true.

I hope everyone has a great new year!!

Elder Smith

Picture!

1) I was pretty bad about taking pictures this week, so this is all I've got 

The Darkest Day: 12/21/15

Hi!

     Today is the darkest day of the year! That's not exactly good news, but at least it means now it will start getting lighter and lighter :) Since I'm farther south than last year it isn't as dark or as cold though, so that's good. We don't even have snow! All the members say we will probably get snow in January and February.

    Last P-day we went to Göteborg and ate lunch with some other missionaries in our district. Then we went to a dollar store kind of place to buy white elephant gifts. I got a little train set and some airplane stickers.

     On Friday we had a zone conference with all the missionaries from the Göteborg and Malmö zones, so on Thursday night we had 4 elders stay at our apartment. We didn't have so much extra bedding, so we had to go into our creepy crawlspaces and take out some bed sheets, pillows, and mattress pads. All of it was dusty so we washed what we could, haha. It was pretty fun though. Two of the elders that stayed with us were my past companions so it was fun be with them again.

     The zone conference was super good. We talked a lot about Christ and about our purpose as missionaries to help people come unto Him. At lunch we split into three groups and did a white elephant gift exchange. I got some chocolate bars and two creepy ceramic statues of a little girl standing next to a duck. When I got home I put them in the corner of one of the crawlspaces so maybe they will creep someone out in the future :) During the second half of zone conference we had a ton of musical numbers. I accompanied on piano while Elder Dean (my companion) and Sister Hall (a new missionary in our district) played violin. We played "Away in a Manger". It went pretty well.

     This week during personal study I was reading in Alma, and a verse really stood out to me that I haven't noticed so much before. It is Alma 26:20. Ammon is talking to the other sons of Mosiah about their mission among the Lamanites and talks about how they themselves used to be wicked. He says "why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal dispair?" He then goes on to say "Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls." We are hopefully not as wicked as the sons of Mosiah were before being converted, but I think their story is something true for all of us. God is just, but is also very merciful. We all make mistakes, but through the Atonement we have the chance to overcome our faults and be saved. This is why He sent His son Jesus Christ, so that we can use the Atonement in our lives.

By the way, I have P-day again on Saturday instead of next Monday, so I will email again then :)

I hope everyone has a great week and a merry Christmas!

Elder Smith

Pictures!!

1) A typical meal of meatballs and pasta

2) The creepy ceramic girls in the creepy crawlspace. This room is right on the other side of the wall that my bed is up against.

3) Poor city planning

4) The river in a town in our area

A Very New Companion: 12/14/15

Hej!

     This week was pretty good. Last P-day we didn't really do anything special, but it was still good. On Tuesday we tried getting everything ready to go since we both had to leave to Stockholm in the evening. A member took us out to lunch and got us pizzas. We visited a few people to say goodbye, then took two trains to Stockholm. We stayed the night with the zone leaders of the Stockholm South zone. In the morning all the trainers went to the Västerhaninge chapel, which is right by the Stockholm temple, and waited. All the new missionaries were brought in and had a meeting, but we were hidden downstairs. There were tons of missionaries there. There were 27 new missionaries, which meant there were also 27 trainers. It was fun to get to see a lot of people who I haven't seen in a long time. 

     Eventually they brought all the trainers in and we sat at the back of the chapel. One by one President Beckstrand called up a greenie and gave them a letter. They opened the letter, and read where their first area would be and who their trainer would be. Once they read it the trainer went up to hug them and they sat down together. My companion, Elder Dean, was third to last so I had to wait a while which was a little stressful.

     Elder Dean is from Auburn, Washington, and plays violin. He even brought his violin with him. He is super good at Swedish so far and has a personality that is a lot like mine. We get along pretty well.

     After the meeting everyone got their bags and went to travel to their areas. Almost all of us had to go through Stockholm central station, so there were TONS of missionaries on the train there, and all of us had suitcases as well. Luckily we had no problems getting back to Alingsås, and our ward mission leader gave us a ride to our apartment. 

     On Saturday we had a Christmas concert. It went pretty well. I participated in 5 different songs, which was a little hectic since we could have used a little more practice on a lot of them, but it worked out. I got to play guitar to accompany a member while she sang, and I sang in the rest. During the concert the Alingsås Lucia came and sang a few songs. Santa Lucia is an Italian saint, but it is a tradition in Sweden to have Lucia concerts, so every year there is one Lucia and a few other girls who go around and do concerts and sing three Lucia songs. So it was pretty cool to have the official Lucia at our concert. After the concert there was a TON of food for everyone.

     Church yesterday went well. Elder Dean gave his introduction testimony in Swedish and did pretty well. After church there was food for everyone because there was still a TON of leftovers after the concert. And even after that we were given a big bag of bread to take home haha. 

     This week I learned how personal scripture study can really be a blessing to us. We were teaching a part member family, and showed them the new Christmas video. We expected to have a short discussion, but then the nonmember husband started asking a bunch of questions about how we can know Christ is the Savior and about other stuff. A lot of the stuff he was asking about was things I had read about that morning in personal study, so it was easier for me to think of how to answer him. It was a really cool experience. 

     I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) Stockholm station. I don't know why it didn't load last week

2) Stockholm

3) Elder Dean and me in Stockholm station

4) The sunrise, at 9ish

Stuck in Stockholm: 12/7/15

Hi!

     This has been an eventful week! On P-day we didn't do too much, we just spent time with the other missionaries in Göteborg. On Tuesday we had an apartment inspection. We passed, although Elder Roosendaal had to clean out the shower drain (you have to clean the shower drains here once in a while and they are pretty gross). We also got a new toaster, which was nice. That night we had a dinner appointment with a member family. All their kids started showing us the instruments they play, and one of their boys is learning trumpet so he let me try it out. It's been a super long time since I played, but I managed to play a few notes, haha.

     On Wednesday we did splits with the zone leaders, so Elder Albertsen was with me in my area for a day. We did a lot of tracting and visited a few less-active members. At one point we were walking around and stopped to talk to an older woman. In the middle of the conversation she asked if either of us was wearing perfume and told us that we smelled too nice. It was an interesting conversation. We just barely missed the bus home, so we were stuck in a small town for an hour. We went and got pizza while we waited, which was fun. 

    The next morning I was making toast with our new toaster, and after like 20 seconds it popped the toast out. It was weird, so I pushed it back in. There was a small spark on the inside on one of the heating wires, and the toast wouldn't stay down. So I tried again, and the same thing happened. So after a few more tries, which maybe weren't so well thought out, I tried one last time. There was a big spark, and all the lights went out. Luckily only the fuse for parts of the apartment was blown out, so we could still see in the main room. After that we had district meeting. After district meeting we ate at a Chinese buffet to celebrate Elder Roosendaal going home. Then we went to go to the train home, and we realized Elder Roosendaal didn't get his bus card back after splits, so we had to wait for the zone leaders to come to the station and give it back.

     On Friday I went to a trainers meeting in the mission home in Stockholm. It was kind of weird to travel there all by myself, but luckily everything worked out fine. The meeting was super good, we talked about how to help our greenies learn fast and feel prepared to be missionaries. After the meeting we went back to the subway station and made our way to Stockholm Central Station for our trains back to our areas. When we got there, there were people everywhere and it was super crowded. We found out that there was a huge wind storm so there was power lines and debris blocking the railways. Everyone going north got out okay, but a few trains going south and west were cancelled or delayed. At first my train was delayed an hour, but then it got cancelled. So there were five of us stranded there: me, Sister Harkness (who is in my district), Elder Christley, Elder Hainsworth, and Elder Purkey. We had to go to the train company's office to see if we could rebook our tickets but it was super crowded so we walked around Stockholm a bit to wait until the crowds died down. It was really really windy outside, and some stores' signs were blowing over. Then we went back to the station and waited in line. We all got new tickets for free--for the next day. We figured out places to stay, but we had to wait a while for the sisters to come pick up sister Harkness since we didn't want to leave her by herself. We all got 24-hour subway passes and the elders went to stay with the Gubbängen zone leaders. They are both from my MTC group, so it was fun to see them again. 

     The next morning we had transfer calls, and luckily I had my companionship's phone so I got to listen to my zone's transfers. I am staying in Alingsås with my greenie. We met Sister Harkness at the station around noon, and our replacement train was also cancelled. So we got back in line and got new replacement tickets for a few hours later. We got a faster train though, plus 100 crowns to a store to buy food. While we were waiting for that train we were watching the information board and hoping not to see another cancel, and a member came up and started talking to us. His name is Paolo, and he was visiting Europe to learn English. He was pretty nice. Then our train got in and we got on. It was delayed half an hour, but we finally made it back to Göteborg. We went to pizza after that and then Elder Roosendaal and I took the train back to Alingsås. I was exhausted after all that. I am going back to Stockholm tomorrow, so hopefully this time it will go a little smoother :)

     Church yesterday was good. After church was kind of crazy, because there were multiple people who wanted to practice Christmas concert songs with me all at the same time, but it worked out.

     This week I strengthened my testimony of how the Holy Ghost can direct us without us even knowing it. When I was getting ready to go to Stockholm, I was trying to decide what to bring. I thought about bringing the phone cord, since sometimes there are plug ins on the train so I could charge it. Then after a little hesitation I decided to take the wall plug as well, just to be safe. I thought I wouldn't need it since it was only supposed to be a day trip. While we were trying to figure things out I had to do a lot of calling so it was really nice to have all the stuff I needed to charge the phone and stay in contact with people. 

     I hope everyone has a great week! Sorry for the long email, there was a lot of things that happened this week!

Elder Smith

Snow!: 11/30/15

Hej!

     Last P-day we didn't do too much. We hung out with the Kungsbacka elders and went to an outlet mall. Everything there was still super expensive so we were pretty disappointed. Then we went to the Kungsbacka elders' apartment and played card games. 

     On Thursday we had district meeting at the YSA center, and then the senior couple in charge of the YSA center prepared a Thanksgiving lunch for everyone! We had everything we needed for a proper Thanksgiving meal, although the turkeys here are not so big. That evening we had a ward activity where we wrapped up clothes as presents to refugee boys who came to Sweden with no parents or other family. 

     Yesterday there was a lot of choir practicing. First we had a choir practice before church. Then during Sunday school I practiced playing guitar while a member sang Santa Claus is Coming to Town. That went pretty well actually. Then after church someone else was practicing a song so I got a break, haha. 

     Yesterday it was raining super hard all day, then at about 10 o'clock it started snowing! It was snowing super hard and got to about an inch and a half. It melted by this morning though, because it's not cold enough outside. Also, last night President Beckstrand called me and told me I will be training next transfer!!! On Friday I will be going to a Train the Trainers meeting in the mission home, so that will be super fun!

     This week I have really strengthened my testimony of scripture study. I have been reading scriptures that I have read before a couple of times, but I am finding a lot of things that I never really payed attention to, and it makes it so much more interesting to study the scriptures! I know that they have to be the word of God, because they teach me about the gospel and I know they are true.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith 

Pictures!

1) Our district and the Kungsbacka district on Thanksgiving

2) Thanskgiving!

3) A member had an app called face swap

Frost: 11/23/15

Hej!

     It has started getting pretty cold here, but it has been a good week! Last Monday we just went to Göteborg and spent time with some of the other missionaries. One time this week we were riding our bikes to an appointment, and it started to snow! It was just tiny little snowflakes but it was still exciting. During the second half of this week it just suddenly got really cold. On Friday it was all frosty outside because it was cold but dry. When we were leaving our apartment building, I took one step outside and my foot got zero traction so I slipped down the steps up to the door. I think they had been wet before so they got a thin layer of ice. I've been a lot more careful on those steps since then, haha. 

    We got two new investigators this week! It is a lady and her daughter, and she also has a baby boy. They are from Eritrea (in East Africa). Missionaries in the past had had some sort of contact with her, like just saying hi and talking every once in a while but this week we got in to teach them. Also, this week they came to church! I think the daughter had a lot of fun in primary, and everyone came to say hi to them when they came, so it went really well. 

    The ward members discovered that I can play piano, so I've been recruited to help out on a bunch of performances for an upcoming Christmas concert ward activity, so that's fun. Yesterday evening we helped out with an "8 is great!" activity. It was for the two primary kids that are turning 8 next year. Elder Roosendaal and I gave short talks about baptism and the Holy Ghost, the bishop talked a little about what the baptismal interview would be like, then we showed them the baptismal font and practiced how they will stand when they get baptized. It was pretty fun.

     This week I have been thinking a lot about how I can better receive guidance from the Holy Ghost. Something I have realized is that sometimes it is as simple as just asking for help. The scriptures tell us to "knock and ye shall find". I know that when we ask for help or direction or anything else through a specific prayer, that Heavenly Father will answer that prayer.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Elder Smith

Unfortunately I forgot to bring the cord for the phone so I can't upload any pictures this week :/ But I will have some next week for sure!

Running to McDonalds: 11/16/15

Hej!

     This was a pretty good week. Last P-day we didn't do too much, we just went to Göteborg and visited some stores with some of the other elders in the area. On Tuesday morning at 6:30 we went running with a member again. We ran around the lake (about 5 kilometers) and then to McDonalds for breakfast (another kilometer). I was a lot less sore this time after running, so I guess that's a good sign, haha.

     On Wednesday we had a specialized zone training, and President and Sister Beckstrand visited. We talked about Joseph Smith and the restoration, and then we found out a little about this year's Christmas initiative. We got to see the new Christmas video even though it isn't coming out on lds.org until the end of November. It's very different from the stereotypical Christmas video but it's still very good. 

    This week we did a lot of service. A family in the ward just had their roof redone so we helped them disassemble the scaffolding around their house. We didn't quite finish the first time so we came back the next day and it was pouring rain. We got soaked, but it was fun. The next day we helped a member demolish what was left of a small trailer home. All that was left was basically the metal trailer part and the flooring. The member had a saw and cut the metal trailer into small pieces.

      Yesterday I gave a talk, and I used running to McDonald's as an example of enduring to the end. I think it went pretty well. 

     While I was preparing my talk I came across Joshua 24:15, which tells us to "choose you this day whom ye will serve;...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." It is important that we decide now where we stand, we cannot have one foot in and one foot out. I know that when we commit to following the Lord that we can receive many blessings.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) Me on some scaffolding

2) Me on the ground, Elder Roosendaal is on the scaffolding

Running: 11/9/15

Hi!

     This week was pretty good! On Monday we went to Gothenburg and hung out with some of the other missionaries. We hiked up a big hill to an old fort with a great view of the city. Elder Roosendaal and I found some sweaters on a sale rack in a store, so now we have matching Christmas sweaters. In the evening a member took us out to pizza so he could "interrogate" me. He has a set of questions that he always asked new missionaries. 

     On Tuesday it was my birthday! In the morning we ran 5 and a half kilometers with a member. We ran around a lake that is right next to our apartment. I haven't run much in a while, so it was pretty hard but we did it in 33 minutes. Besides that it was kind of a normal day. A member made a sugar cake for us.

     On Friday we had a zone training. We talked about Christlike attributes and how we can receive guidance on what we can do to be better missionaries. It was pretty good. On Saturday we helped a member clean the chapel. That evening we had dinner with our ward mission leader and his friend. His friend ordered Chinese food for everyone, and we had giant spring rolls.

     Yesterday was Father's day in Sweden, so there was a primary program. It was funny, but super good too. I was also asked to give a talk next week. It will be my first talk in a sacrament meeting on my mission.

     As part of preparation for zone training this week the zone leaders asked everyone to read the talk "What Lack I Yet?" from the most recent general conference. I thought it was super good. It helped me realize that we can each receive very personal and useful revelation when we ask for it. It may not always be the answer we expect, but the Lord knows what is best for us and what we can handle.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) Elder Roosendaal and me and Gothenburg in the background

2) kebab pizza with french fries on it

New Area: 10/2/15

Hej!

     Last P-day I didn't do too much. We went out to lunch as a district and then played a card game called Munchkin at the church. After that I just packed all my stuff. On Tuesday I finished some last minute packing, and my first train left at two. It was about an hour long, then I had a 20 minute wait and took another hour long train. Then another 20 minute wait and an hour long train. Everything went pretty smoothly with switching trains and all that. At the train station in Alingsås the elders here showed up with a member, and Elder Päärkä got on a train to his new area, and we loaded my stuff into the ward mission leader's car and dropped it off at the apartment. Then we had a dinner appointment. 

     I have had a lot of member dinners here so far. We've had member meals maybe 5 out of 6 nights that I've been here, so that's kind of amazing haha. This is my first area where we actually ride bikes everywhere. We have bus cards, but the buses don't go super often so usually it's quicker to bike. It's a little cold, but it's not too bad. Alingsås is a kind of small town so we get around easily.

     On Thursday we helped build a spooky tunnel for a primary trunk or treat activity. We were supposed to help three primary boys set it up, but we pretty much ended up doing it haha. We used chairs and garbage bags to make a tunnel. On Friday we took a 40 minute train to Göteborg (Gothenburg) for district meeting at a YSA center. It was pretty fun. My companion is the district leader. We only have three companionships in our district right now: us, the zone leaders, and a sister companionship. Each companionship is in a different ward, so that's interesting.

     My new companion is Elder Roosendaal. His dad is Dutch, his mom is from the Philippines, and he's lived in London half his life so he has a British accent. He's a pretty fun guy. 

     On Saturday we helped out with the primary's trunk or treat activity, and that was pretty fun. Other than that we didn't really celebrate Halloween. Yesterday was my first week of church here. There was a couple from Örebro there visiting, so it was fun to talk to them and see how things are going in my old area. There are a ton of families in the ward here, so it's really fun. 

     I am really grateful for the Holy Ghost, and especially for the gift of the Holy Ghost. As a missionary, there are a lot of things we have to remember, and usually in a different language, so there have been a lot of times when I have had no idea what to say to people in lessons or talking to them on the street. But I have realized a lot of times where I was able to think of something, or my companion was, that were helpful to that person. So I know that we can have the companionship and help of the Holy Ghost when we are worthy and seeking after it.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) Elder Roosendaal, Me, and Lennart (ward mission leader) at the train station

2) Selfie

3) Riding bikes

Into the West: 10/26/15

Hej!

     This has been an interesting week. Last P-day we were looking around a store with the other Linköping elders, and President Beckstrand called. He told Elder Backman that he will be training next transfer. 

     On Friday Elder Backman went to Stockholm with all of the other future trainers for a meeting at the mission home, so I was in a tripan with the other Linköping elders all day. Honestly it wasn't so different from a normal day, since we share an apartment and I already see them pretty often. Contacting people felt kind of weird though, three on one seems like it might intimidate people pretty bad, haha. 

     On Saturday Elder Backman and I decided to visit a part of our area that's a little farther away called Motala. It's right by a big lake, so there were some cool sights. We swung by some less-active members and got to teach one of them. 

     On Saturday morning we did a group phone call with the zone and the zone leaders said where everyone is transferring. I will be transferring out of Linköping after only six weeks, and I'm going to a town called Alingsås. It is right by Göteborg (Gothenburg) so there will be a lot of other missionaries close by, although I've heard that Alingsås is a branch. My new companion is named Elder Roosendahl, and he finishes his mission after this transfer so I will be his last companion. It should be fun.

     Something interesting is that of the 12 new missionaries that were supposed to come in from the MTC, only one of them got a visa so the rest are being temporarily reassigned. Since we are missing so many elders there are 5 areas that will be closed until they get here, and one of them is my current area. Elder Backman will be companions with another elder in our district who is supposed to train, and when their greenies come they will go back to their own areas again. Another interesting thing: All of my companions who are still in the mission have either just finished training, are currently training, or are about to train.

     We had daylight savings yesterday, so now the sun comes up an hour earlier. Unfortunately, this also means that the sun goes down an hour earlier. So now the sunset is at 4:24 pm. 

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) This was a door we tracted this week

2) This was near a swing by we did

3) A healthy missionary meal: hot dog meat, and green-dyed rice

4) These are some swans in a stream right by our apartment

This Week: 10/19/15

Hej!

     This week was pretty good. Last P-day we didn't do too much, we just went to the mall after doing grocery shopping and emailing. On Wednesday we helped a member do some yard work. She lives a little ways outside of town so it was a really pretty area with trees that are in all the Fall colors. 

     We did district meeting on Friday in Norrköping (the other ward in our district), and that was fun. Afterwards we went to a Chinese buffet. There weren't many tables open when we got there so we tried fitting six elders in a four-person booth and that didn't work so well. Luckily a table opened up so we moved to that. 

     On Saturday we did exchanges, so I had Elder Williams in my area. He has been in Sweden for about 5 weeks now so he's still pretty new. It went pretty well. We got to do the second hour of companion study that greenies do when they're being trained, so we watched some of the District. Then we didn't really have any set appointments so we walked around a lot and swung by some potential investigators. 

     Yesterday we had church. Our branch president's parents visited from Denmark, and in Priesthood his dad got up and introduced himself. Danish is pretty similar to Swedish, but it's pronounced differently and has a few different words. So I could kind of understand the gist of what he was saying, but it was still really hard to understand. 

     After church we did a lot of walking again. Elder Backman and I found a cool park on a little river, and there was a place with locks (I think that's what they're called. The things where there are a few gates that an fill up with water or be emptied so that boats can get through). At one point we stopped at another park to rest for a few minutes, and there was a huge flock of birds right above us. I don't know why, but every evening right before sunset, these birds will come together into huge flocks and just fly back and forth over town. We were able to get them on video.

     This week I started my career as a barber. Elder Williams needed a hair cut, but the hair cut places in Sweden are really expensive. They are about 20 dollars at the cheapest places. I think his haircut turned out pretty well, I pretty much just used hair clippers and followed the directions that came with them. I also cut my own hair last week and I think it looks alright, especially now that it's been a week so it could grow out a bit, haha.

     This week I was pondering a lot about how to help people understand the purpose of the Book of Mormon, and why it is not out of the question that God would give us more scripture than the Bible. A few days ago I was reading in 2 Nephi 29 and found a good answer. I was trying to decide which verse is best, but the whole chapter seems pretty good. But basically the main message is: God reveals His word to all of His children, and it is the same word. The witnesses of multiple nations create a stronger testimony of the Father. Since God has revealed His word, who are we to say He cannot reveal more? I'm grateful for the Book of Mormon and for modern revelation, that can answer questions we have about the gospel and continue to give us direction and inspiration. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that through prophets we can continue to learn more about the gospel.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) Swedish nature!

2) This was on the ceiling of the Chinese buffet. It looks just like the dragon head from the movie Kung Fu Panda, but it's hard to see.

3) Elder Williams and me at the library. We had a goal that day to find a good selfie. We found this statue.

4) A rare drinking fountain! This is literally the first one that I've seen in a public place since I got to Sweden. Unfortunately it was turned off :/

Bowling: 10/12/15

Hej!

     Last Monday it was the birthday of Elder Jones, who is in our district, so we all went out bowling! It´s been a while since I bowled, so I was a little out of practice but still did okay. After that we went to a store called Clas Ohlson and Elder Backman and Elder Williams both got Rubiks cubes, so after that I taught them how to solve them. They both learned pretty fast.

     On Tuesday the other Linköping elders had a baptism! We don´t have a baptismal font here in Linköping so we went to the Norrköping chapel, which is about a 40 minute bus ride away. It was super good. There were members from our branch and the Norrköping ward, and even some other members from farther away that came. 

     This week it has started getting a little colder and darker, but luckily it has been super good weather lately otherwise. No rain :)

     Without planning it, this week in my studies I read three different accounts of the creation. One was in Genesis, one in Moses, and another in Abraham. I am so grateful that we know about the Plan of Salvation, why we are here and what our goals are for this life. When we talk to people on the street one of the questions we like to ask is what people think about the meaning of life, and often people aren´t really sure. But our Heavenly Father has revealed His plan to us, so that we can have direction and so that we can know how to return to Him. 

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) Elder Kiikko bowling

2) Persian rice and sauce made for us by an investigator

3) A big water tower by our apartment at night. It is lit up to be pink. The bottom part is its reflection on a stream. Sorry it´s not great quality, the camera didn´t focus so well in the dark.

Conference: 10/5/15

Hi!

     There´s not so much to write about this week so I´ll keep it pretty short :) The first part of the week was pretty normal. The zone leaders stayed the night last Monday because they were doing workovers with Elder Kiikko  (the district leader) and Elder Williams on Tuesday. We had district meeting on Tuesday so the zone leaders could be there, and it went pretty well. We talked about how we can work better with members and involve them better in missionary work. Afterwards we all went out for pizza. 

     We have an investigator!!! We met with a man this week who we met either last week or the week before, so now he is an investigator. He is from Albania, and has a belief in God but isn´t sure if Islam or Christianity are true, so he is very open. We also have a few other lessons set up for this week so we are hoping things will start getting a little busier now. 

     This weekend it was conference! We got to watch Priesthood session at the church, but the connection was not so good so it took a long time to try and get the video playing again. But otherwise, it was super good. We watched Saturday morning andSunday morning sessions both at a member family´s house on Saturday and Sunday evening (time difference). They were super nice and made us dinner both nights as well. As much as I like Swedish, it was super nice to get to watch all of the sessions in English so I could understand everything better. 

     One of the things that I learned from conference this time was the importance of keeping it simple. The gospel can be one of the most complicated subjects, but also the most simple. I liked how President Thomas S. Monson began his talk by saying to "keep the commandments." It can be as simple as that. When we take the simple steps, our faith grows and we prepare ourselves to take on some of the more difficult challenges. I know that the words spoken at general conference come by revelation from our Heavenly Father, and that if we follow them they can help us to come closer to Him and deepen our faith.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) This is a cool lighthouse thing in the middle of an apartment complex

2) Finnish chocolate at the grocery store. It´s popcorn flavored

3) The sunset

Fall Is Coming!- 9/28/15

Hej!

     This week was pretty good. Last P-day we went to a big shopping center area and went to an outlet store. We pretty much spent all of P-day going to different stores in town, haha. 

     On Wednesday I went on exchanges with Elder Kiikko, our district leader. It was kind of funny because we live in the same apartment so it didn´t feel like it was really any different from a normal day until we went out. We had a pretty good day together. We went out to swing by a less-active but they weren´t home so we tracted a while. We also talked to a bunch of people in town. We found out that Elder Richard G. Scott had died, so we watched the video about him on lds.org. Then we had family home evening with the YSA, and watched the video again. As we were playing a card game for FHE, some members came to the church for branch council. We were either not informed about it or Elder Kiikko maybe forgot, but we went to the meeting pretty unprepared, haha. But it went well. We watched the video about Elder Scott again.

     On Friday we went to Södertälje (near Stockholm) for zone training. President and Sister Beckstrand were there as well as the assistants. I got an interview with President Beckstrand and it went well. Our zone training was mostly about chapter 13 in Preach My Gospel, how we can help investigators to feel comfortable and prepared in church and how we can work better with members.

     On Saturday we went out to a small town in our area to help a member work on an extension he is making to his house. It was hard work, but it was pretty fun. It was a super nice day. Most of the time I was nailing boards to the side of the extension. After we were done working the member took us to this big hill that overlooks the town, and it was a super cool view. Then he took us to a pizza place for lunch.

     Something that I really liked from the video about Elder Scott was how he had a great perspective on eternity. Even after his wife passed away, he continued on without a doubt in his mind that he would see her again. This is something that I want to emulate. Things in this life do not always go as we plan, and sometimes bad things happen. But our Heavenly Father knows us and is looking out for us, so everything will work out in the life to come. 

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!!!

1) Double rainbow!

2) The town of Kisa

3) Elder Backman and me