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| One of the cool ships...and... a massive boat prop we found by the coast |
This week we had some incredible experiences, among which was an opportunity to serve one of the members, Tyler Smith (who actually comes from LA). He has been renovating his apartment,
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| Serving Tyler |
and had a bunch of scrap wood, concrete, and tile that needed to be carried down 5 flights of stairs and loaded into a trailer to be taken to a recycling center. It was wonderful to have a chance to do some service, and we got a little additional exercise as well, so the Lord was truly smiling upon us.
I absolutely loved general conference, and we were pretty busy this week so we didn't get a chance to watch the last session until Friday. During conference, I had the overwhelming feeling that President Nelson is truly God's prophet on the earth, and the changes that have occurred are truly inspired to help prepare us for the coming of Christ. As we traveled home from the church where we watched the last session, I found myself pondering the words of President Nelson and the message which stood out to me throughout conference; we need to minister, not just teach or share a gospel message. We got off the tram out our usual stop and began walking home when we approached a lady, about in her sixties, walking with three large bags of groceries. I thought of the message of ministering, and was looking for ways to serve people through small and simple means, so we greeted her and asked if we could help, but she quickly informed us that she was strong and didn't need any help. We continued talking to her, and throughout the course of the conversation we found out that she lived on top of the hill next to the square we were in. She
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| A nice glimpse of nature:) |
told us that once you reach the top, there is a beautiful view of the ocean, and immediately the spirit put into my mind the words to say, "Wow! That sounds incredible! Could we help you carry these bags to the top so you can show us the view?" This time she agreed, so we each took a bag and began the trek towards the top. Along the way we had a wonderful conversation, learning a lot about her
family and her religious background as a member in the Swedish church. When we reached the top, we stood for a few minutes taking in the view. Without prompting, she turned to us and said, "I know there must be a God to create something so beautiful as this." We began a gospel discussion with her, teaching her about the Book of Mormon and it's message. As we talked about the Book of Mormon, she stopped us suddenly and told us that she had just gotten shivers, like a chill that ran from head to toe. We were able to testify that such a feeling is the spirit, through which she can learn the truth of all things. We helped her carry the groceries the rest of the way to her house, and once there, she thanked us profusely for our help, adding that she had seriously contemplated whether to take the tram home, but had felt that she should just walk. She said that just because she was capable of doing it alone, that doesn't mean she wanted to, and she
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| Waterway in town |
didn't know if she had the energy to walk up the hill that day. She was overwhelmed with gratitude, and I was overwhelmed with joy. Such an experience has strengthened my testimony of the power that comes from following the words of the prophet. I have tried to offer to carry groceries countless times, but the response is always the same: an uncomfortable Swede who declines the help and seems slightly offended that we think they can't do it themselves. However, by pondering on, and applying the words of the Lord which we heard during conference, we were led by the hand of the Lord and were presented with an incredible opportunity to help and bless one of God's beloved daughters.
Äldste Sirrine
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We found a Tesla dealership...
naturally we had to check it out.
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