 |
| Me and Elder Harden |
Upon boarding one of the trains this week, I saw an open seat across from a middle-aged woman and decided take it. I was slightly disappointed to find out that she was on the phone so I couldn't talk to her, but eavesdropping is usually a really good way to practice the language, so I decided I would see
 |
The street we live on. We live in the
basement of a house, and it turns out
the owner who lives upstairs is
Muslim. What are the chances that in
Eskilstuna I lived above a Mosque,
and now I live below a Muslim?
|
what I could learn. I began listening, and it took me a good two or three minutes to figure out what language she was speaking. I was pretty sure I was hearing some Swedish words here and there, but I couldn't understand 70% of what she was saying... After some time, I realized that she was speaking Skånske, a Swedish dialect that's spoken in southern Sweden, which is notoriously hard to understand (and all the other Swedes make fun of). Due to the close proximity of southern Sweden to Denmark, the languages have mixed, resulting in a dialect that sounds like someone is speaking Swedish with a few cotton balls in their mouth. While trying to overcome my stupor of amazement that what I was hearing could be considered Swedish, the woman ended her phone call and began writing a few things in a planner. At this point I knew I had to talk to her, as a missionary you can't afford to miss any opportunities, but I was more than a little scared to do so. Sure I could start a conversation with ease, but what happens when she responds and I have absolutely no idea what she just said? I noticed that she was using a Pilot Frixon pen, which are super cool erasable pens I've seen used by a few missionaries. I decided such a topic could make for an interesting conversation, so I took the leap of faith and asked her if the pen was truly one of the erasable pens I had seen and heard about. All of a sudden she got super excited and started talking quite rapidly about her pen. Somehow we had an entire conversation about a pen (a good portion of which I didn't understand at all, but it's amazing what smiling and nodding can do for you), and then out of the blue she gave it to me and insisted that I keep it. I was blown away by her kindness, and our conversation continued, during which was able to share with her my purpose as a missionary in Sweden. By the time we got off the train, we had had a wonderful conversation, and I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day. I couldn't stop thinking about how much a small act of kindness, the giving of a pen and a friendly conversation, had brightened my day, and it's my hope that I am able to help others experience something similar through my words and actions each day.
The Lord answers our prayers. This principle has been confirmed for me time after time, and we had
 |
The streets of Göteborg
(or Gothenburg for all those
English speakers out there)
|
an experience this week that was no exception. We met a man, Bobak, on the tram who had given us his address and asked us to come by, but we had no other information. It took us quite some time to find his apartment, and when we finally arrived we found ourselves face to face with a port-coded door. We used the port-telephone to call the building manager, and a woman answered and then hungup after we told her who we were. Not wanting to waste the time it had taken to find the building, and desiring to meet Bobak again, Elder Harden and I offered a prayer together that we might be able to meet him. After praying, we called again and this time the woman answered and let us right in. After getting in the building, we were able to find Bobak's apartment and he invited us in. Our visit with him was filled with the spirit, and we were able to testify of the power of prayer. I know that the Lord hears and answers our prayers, whatever they may be. If we humbly turn to Him and seek his help, he will reach out and guide our paths.
Äldste Sirrine
 |
| An old church we decided to visit on P-day.
|
 |
The REAL church. This is the meeting house
for the Västra Frölunda Ward.
|
