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 

Spring: 5/16/16

Hi!

     This week pretty much all of the plants have grown leaves, so it's super green everywhere. Last Monday we didn't do too much special, we just got ice cream and walked around town. On Tuesday we did service for a member woman, then in the evening we had a YSA activity and we played a game called kubb. After that we had institute. 

     On Wednesday we met with one of our new investigators. She referred herself online and requested a Book of Mormon, so we set up a lesson to teach about the Restoration. The lesson went super well. We had a member with us and she was a huge help. Also we got to have the lesson outside and it was really nice weather so that was a plus :)

     On Friday we had a specialized zone training in Malmö. The theme was "back to the basics" and we talked about planning effectively and using our planners. Afterwards we had interviews with President Beckstrand.

     On Saturday we had a branch party. There was a lot of music, then we had mexican food. It was super good. 

     This week I was reading in Jesus the Christ about when Lazarus is raised from the dead. Even though Christ had a lot of power, even enough to raise someone from the dead, he still had others lead him to where the sepulcher was, and he had others remove the stone from the cave entrance. He had the people do everything that was in their power before He used His power to do the miracle. This is the same way it is in our lives. We cannot expect God to do things for us that we can do ourselves. Part of this life is that we need to act for ourselves and exercise agency and show our faith. In Doctrine and Covenants 63:9 it says: "But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe." 

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) Wild flowers in the forest

2) Canola fields 

3) A cathedral in Malmö

Sunshine: 5/9/16

Hi!

     This week has been good. It has been super warm (65 degrees roughly) and sunny all week. On Monday we went to visit a little town in our area called Karlshamn. Unfortunately we couldn't find too much to do there that was different from Karlskrona, but it was still fun. We went to a family home evening activity with the YSA and we played the game called brännboll again that is kind of like baseball, and we also played red light, green light.

     On Tuesday we helped a member move furniture out of a house that he sold. It was some big wooden dressers and things but we managed to get it all out. On Wednesday we did companion exchanges with our district leader and his companion in a town called Växjö. So our district leader Elder Gergetz came down to Karlskrona with me for the day. We ended up doing street contacting most of the time, and talked to a ton of people so that was good.

     On Friday the high school students started their first party to celebrate graduating (even though they don't graduate till June), so they were all in the streets yelling and blowing some horns, so we couldn't get much work done downtown.

     On Saturday there was a baptism for a woman the Växjö elders taught, and since they didn't have a font in Växjö they used our chapel so we got to go too. It went super well. Yesterday morning I got to skype home for Mother's Day, and that was super fun.

     I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation. In a world where there are so many worries and uncertainties, we can know that we have the ability to live with our families forever. We can know that no matter what happens to us, we can be happy. We can also know that there is a purpose with this life, to prepare ourselves to return to our Heavenly Father, and that He loves and cares about us. 

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) This picture is in most elevators here. It is a warning that you can get squished if you're in an elevator that doesn't have a second door.

2) Me, Elder Blattman, and a member named Cyril while we were helping another member move.

3) Here's the chapel, and my finger

Called to Serve: 5/2/16

Hi!

     This week has been great! We've done a lot of service. Last Monday we didn't do too much for P-day, but in the evening we had FHE with some of the YSAs. We played a game called brännboll, which is like baseball but you toss the ball in the air yourself before you hit it, and it needs fewer people. On Tuesday Elder Blattman and I did some yardwork for a woman in the branch. While we were out it started hailing a little, but besides that it was actually okay weather. That night we had institute, and I translated for one of the other elders' investigators named Kamal. The lesson was on polygamy, so that was fun haha. It was actually a really good lesson though.

     On Wednesday we did service for a couple in the branch. We mucked out the area where they kept their sheep. We had pitch forks and shoveled a bunch of the old dirty hay onto a tarp, then we all dragged the tarp over to the other side of the yard and dumped it into a big pile. After a few times we decided to just hook the tarp onto the hitch of the car to drag it over, since it took 5 of us pulling as hard as we could to drag the weighed-down tarp. It was fun though. At the end we each got to hold a lamb.

     On Thursday we had district meeting in Kristianstad. We have three wards in our district, so each week we go to a different building for district meeting. Afterwards we all went out for pizza. On Friday we visited a less active with the other elders and we chopped some tree branches into firewood since the other elders cut down a tree in her yard last week. After we finished the work outside, we ate pizza and made bracelets. The member woman is really into making bead jewelry and stuff, so we each made an "I love Sweden" bracelet. It was fun. 

     On Saturday we did splits with the other elders, so I went with Elder Benson for the day. We traveled to a town called Ronneby to teach a man they met the day before. He didn't speak much English, so we were having their investigator Kamal come with us to translate from Arabic. It turned out that the potential investigator lives right across the hall from Kamal! He wasn't home, so Kamal invited us to his apartment and gave us Arabic food, so that was fun. Then we went to town becauseSaturday was a holiday called Valborg. We finished proselyting at 5, so we changed into normal clothes and met up with the other elders and some members and investigators in town. There was a choir of old men that sang, and then we walked to an island in the southern part of town, where they were going to have the fire. During Valborg they make a giant fire, the two main reasons I've heard is that it is supposed to scare away witches, and that it is just to celebrate that Summer is coming and Winter is over. We had to wait a long time, but eventually they started the fire. It was pretty cool. 

     There was something interesting that I read in Jesus the Christ the other day. James E. Talmage was talking about how Jesus Christ offended a lot of people. It wasn't because Christ was a bad person or did anything wrong, but it was only because the people chose to be offended by the things He said that were different from what they expected. At one point, because He was not acting in the way many of the Jews expected the Messiah to act, many of Christ's disciples left him. At this point, Christ asks His apostles "Will ye also go away?" But "[t]hen Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life." We need to always remember where our faith really lies. When we have doubts or possibly even get offended by doctrines or other things we don't agree with, we need to remember that we follow the Savior, and that if we rely on Him, we cannot fail. I know that Jesus is the Christ and that when we humbly follow Him we will always be led in the right direction.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) We woke up to SNOW on Tuesday, in the end of April :p

2) My new friend

3) #streetclothes

4) Fire

5) Lots of hay and other stuff

Ice Cream: 4/26/16

Hej!

     This week feels like it has been really long, but it was good. Last P-day we went to a place in town that supposedly has some of the best ice cream in Sweden. It was pretty cheap, and I got three flavors so it was a ton of ice cream. That night we went to a YSA family home evening activity. We played the game mafia, and it was pretty fun.

     On Wednesday we traveled to a city called Lund to stay the night before a zone training. It was super pretty with a lot of older buildings. On Thursday we had zone training, and I got to see a lot of people I haven't seen in a long time so that was fun. We talked about how to help people with baptismal dates to make it all the way to baptism. 

     On Friday we did some service for a woman in the branch with the other elders. It was fun. We went out to a town called Nybro that is a little further out so we don't get to go there so often. 

     Yesterday was church, and when church ended it was hailing outside. It's been a little colder and we might get lightning sometime this week.

     This week I was reading in Preach My Gospel in the Commandments lesson guidelines, and there was a part that really stood out to me. It says: "Truth is a knowledge of things as they really are, were, and will be. It does not change with conditions or time. Truth is the same in every age and culture. God is the source of all truth. We can have faith in Him because we know He will teach us only truth. God wants all His children to know the truth. Therefore, He reveals the truths necessary for salvation through prophets and apostles. He reveals truth to us personally through the scriptures and personal revelation." There are a lot of people who don't believe in absolute truths, but in this definition of truth we know that real truths do not change depending on circumstances. They are always the same and we can rely on them. Our Heavenly Father wants us to know the truth and has given us prophets, scriptures, prayer, and many other things to help us find it. 

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1)  This was a really cool fountain we found while contacting. It is a big stone that rolls around because of the water pushing up from underneath

2) A cool church in Lund

3) Hail

Karlskrona: 4/18/16

Hi!

     This week was good! Monday was super busy with trying to get ready for transfers, but was good. On Tuesday we got to plant tons of flowers in front of the temple, so that was a lot of fun but a lot of work. We planted thousands of flowers. The flowers were all white, orange, yellow, and red. Afterwards we got pizza for lunch so all the work was worth it, haha.

     We left the apartment at about 8 on Wednesday morning, gave the phone and keys to the sisters, and went to the train station. Overall transferring from Västerhaninge to Karlskrona took about 6 hours. First, I went to Stockholm central station, then took a 3-hour train, and two 45-minute trains, with a little waiting time in between each one. Luckily all of the train transfers went well. 

     I really like Karlskrona so far. It is a cool city. It isn't huge compared to other cities, but I think it's still pretty big, so it has all the plus sides of a city too. 

     Besides transfers nothing too crazy has happened this week. We have been having a lot of success with tracting. We've found people who are interested in about every stairwell in the apartment buildings we've been tracting, and that's always good. 

     Today I was reading in the Book of Mormon in Jarom, Omni, and Words of Mormon. I think it is interesting how several of the prophets who write here say that they don't have anything more to say than what was already written. Jarom said: "For what could I write more than my fathers have written? For have not they revealed the plan of salvation? I say unto you, Yea; and this sufficeth me." This helped me realize that maybe I haven't been paying enough attention to the first few books of the Book of Mormon. Out of the roughly two hundred years when it was written, these books are considered by the prophets to be the most important spiritual teachings. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that its teachings really do "reveal" the Plan of Salvation and many other precious truths to us.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) Me in front of a big church in town

2) Well, unfortunately I don't really have any other pictures this week. I'll try to take more this week!

Moving Time: 4/11/16

Hej!

    I found out I'm being transferred after only 6 weeks in Västerhaninge. It's kinda funny because I introduced myself to the ward on a fast Sunday, and then yesterday I said goodbye on the next fast Sunday. It's even weirder because we are closing the elders' area and the sisters are taking over the whole ward boundaries. Also, the sisters will be moving into our apartment, so we have to clean it really good haha. I will be moving to Karlskrona, in the South on the coast, so that will be super fun. 

     Last Monday we went to the Vasa museum. There was an article by Elder Renlund in a recent Liahona/Ensign that talked about the Vasa. It was a little stressful because we didn't have much time to spend in the museum, but it was fun. 

     On Thursday we had district meeting, and afterwards we did a funeral for Elder Sweat, our district leader who's going home this week. It was fun. We had speeches and stuff. That night we had sports night, and played soccer. 

     On Saturday one of the companionships in our district had a baptism, so we went to that. While we were there, I saw a bunch of members from Alingsås, my last area, because they had a temple trip so it was fun to see them. 

     This week I was reading in Jesus the Christ about how Christ taught with parables. He taught this way because it was easy symbolism to understand, but only if you were truly listening. He said it was so "[t]hat seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand." The only way to learn things of the Spirit is by the Spirit. Christ taught in great simplicity, but only those who were humble and listened to the Spirit were able to grasp the true meaning of His teachings. We also need to listen with our spiritual ears, and see with spiritual eyes.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Smith

Pictures!

1) In Sweden the weeds at this time of year are purple, white, and yellow flowers.

2) The Vasa

3) We found a little tower with a lookout point on top.