On Thursday I will have been on the mission for a whole year! It feels weird to think that it has been so long now. One more year to go! Next week I won´t be emailing until Tuesday I think, because on Monday we are having a mission volleyball tournament on Monday. We will be having tournaments as zones only I think, because otherwise that´s a ton of travelling just for fun.
This week has been pretty good. Last Monday we took a tour of the big castle that is in the middle of town. We didn´t really get to see so much of the castle on the tour, but it was still lots of fun. After that we went to a grocery store, and I saw a wall of yarn. So I bought a ball of yarn and a crochet needle! I have never seen a crochet needle anywhere else in Sweden (there are lots of knitting needles in second hand stores, but I don´t know how to knit). So now when I have a little extra time at night or on trains I crochet. On Monday evening we went to a YSA activity where we played volleyball. We invited two investigators and they brought their cousin, so that was super cool. Only two YSA showed up so it was mostly missionaries and investigators. But it was super fun.
Tuesday was pretty normal, but on Wednesday WE HAD A BAPTISM!!!! It went super well. It was an investigator we have had named Sami. He is from Africa, and just called us one day asking if he could be baptized! He had a friend who had a Mormon.org card with some missionaries´number on it, and they gave him our number since he lives closer to us. He lives about an hour and a half bus ride from Örebro, but came here for lessons usually 4 times a week and has come to church every week since we met him. He is a super great guy and has tons of faith.
On Wednesday morning Elder Williams and I helped some guys who were pulling up big rock tiles from a path in front of their house so they could lay fabric underneath to keep weeds out. When we finished one of the guys tried to pay us and we were like "uhh, we don´t do that. This is just service." They were nice guys. Pretty soon before the baptism a member stopped by the church to drop off refreshments she made. She made cake, but there was nothing on it. It was just plain, haha. So Elder Williams and I ran to a grocery store and tried to figure out what to put on the cake. Sweden doesn´t really have cake frosting like America, and there isn´t whipped cream in a can either. So we bought cream and the sisters helped us whip it into whipped cream before the baptism started. So that was exciting.
On Thursday we met a big group of guys from the US who are here for some sort of soccer team. It was super weird to hear so many people speaking English with an American accent. I think it will weird me out when I go home, haha.
On Friday we had a zone conference. The first half was normal, and we talked some more about how to use the Book of Mormon better in teaching and finding. But for the second half, we all went to a room where all the chairs were set up in a circle and had "family home evening" with President and Sister Beckstrand. They let us ask them any questions we wanted and they just answered and talked about their lives. At the end they told us about their experience of getting called to be the mission president and wife. It was really cool to get to know them better and see how much they really care about us.
I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for the Plan of Salvation. There are so many plain and precious truths that change the entire way we look at life and our purpose here. We talk to so many people who have other faiths and views that are so very close, but lack just a few simple truths that affect everything. I know that I have a Heavenly Father who knows me personally and loves me. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that when we follow Jesus Christ´s example and keep the commandments then we will be able to live with our Father in Heaven again with our families. I know that Thomas S. Monson is the Lord´s called prophet today, and that by following the words of the modern and ancient prophets we can know God´s will for us.
I hope everyone has a great week!
Elder Smith
Pictures! I have some good ones this week!
1) Örebro castle, with a rainbow above it! The rainbow is in the top left
2) Elder Williams on a very old toilet
3) Big spears in the castle
4) Sami´s baptism!
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