Letter dated 8Sept2014

Dear Family and Friends: On a scale from one to ten, this week was a ten! Yesterday we were in Göteborg for a stake conference and missionary conference. Elder and Sister Halstrom and Elder and Sister Olsson from Sweden were there. It was really inspiring. On Wednesday we met our new friend, Jan Erik. He has a difficult dialect and a tendency to mumble. Luckily we had Alex, a member who's his neighbor, so there was no language barrier! Jan Erik is pretty cool. He has so many clocks! Probably 26 clocks. On Tuesday we knocked on Syster Sandgren's door, and she was baking with her granddaughter, Emma. We got really good food, and are good friends with Emma, and we started teaching the gospel to her too. Perhaps the biggest lesson I've learned this week was how important it is to feast on the scriptures. Sister Halstrom talked about how studying the scriptures should begin with a prayer. Just like we pray over food, we pray over our spiritual food. Scriptures give us wonderful answers and understanding. When she spoke, I was reminded of my past experiences in the scriptures! Some that I think of are Enoch beginning his ministry without self-confidence, only faith in the Lord, and then his ministry leading to the righteousness of his city; Jesus living His life always being tempted in the forty days he fasted but never giving way to temptation; and Joseph Smith finding solace in the Lord's peace when he sat shivering in Liberty Jail. The scriptures give us awesome examples and amazing strength! Here are some of the reasons why I love Sweden! Swedes are very polite! As well as very good at Swedish. It's fun to hear the many different accents. This takes me to a tale that happened on Friday. We met someone from Örebro, which is part of the "whining belt" of Sweden. When they talk, it sounds like they are whining, about to cry! We had contacted this lady on the street and asked her if she wanted to learn about our message. She said "Unfortunately my dog is ill, so I have absolutely no time that I can meet with you." This lame excuse sounded very funny in her whining accent. I love being able to invite Swedes to come unto Christ. I love the trains and buses, which will take you anywhere you need to go. And I love the members and other missionaries, who are always loving and great. Hope you have a great week! Love,