One of the wonderful cultural customs in Sweden that has recently come to my attention this week is the validity of bicycles as a legitimate mode of transportation. Sweden is incredibly bike friendly,
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| Apparently bicycles are a big deal |
Well, after dropping Elder Harden off at the train station early Monday morning, I was left with the zone leaders until I got my new companion Wednesday evening. Hanging with the zone leaders definitely has it's advantages, mainly a car, that allowed us to explore the coast a little bit on P-day. We wandered around a little bit, enjoying the beauty, and marveling at the creations of God. One of the zone leaders, Elder Carter, was transferring to Växjö, so after spending some time by the water we drove into town and visited a few places he wanted to see before he left, making it one of the most eventful P-days I've had.
Wednesday was absolutely chaotic. As Gothenburg is the second biggest city in Sweden, many of the missionaries in neighboring areas who transfer end up traveling through it. As a result, we woke up at 4:30 am so we could help all the missionaries get to the train station and transfer our, worked all day, and then helped all the new missionaries who arrived at 6:30 that evening. Among the new
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| A cool statue in town |
missionaries who arrived was my new companion, Elder Bringhurst, and I cannot adequately describe how excited we are to be together. Elder Bringhurst is from Pocatello Idaho, which is actually a lot more beneficial than you might think. Swedes consume an amazing amount of potatoes, and you wouldn't believe how excited they are when they find out that he's from the land of potatoes... Elder Bringhurst transferred here from Umeå, which is up North, so he's definitely enjoying the warmer weather, seeing as how the snow in Umeå was still waist high when he left. One of the things I am most grateful for is his willingness and ability to speak Swedish with me. Elder Harden and I decided at the beginning of last transfer that we would only ever speak Swedish with one another, which has helped my language ability immensely, and Elder Bringhurst has been completely willing and excited to continue the tradition. He only has four months left of his mission, so it's truly an incredible opportunity to learn from his experience in both the language and the work.
What a blessing it has been to here from living prophets and apostles this last week. We were able to watch the Saturday Morning session live (at 6 pm for us) on Saturday with some members. We were able to watch the Saturday Afternoon and Sunday Morning sessions on Sunday at the institute center with the YSA, which was an incredible opportunity to feel the spirit and strength of the rising generation as they gathered to here the voice of the Lord. We have not had the opportunity to view the Sunday Afternoon session yet, and will do that some time throughout the week. My mind was impressed by the scripture D&C 1:38 which says, "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." This conference we have witnessed not only the calling of a new prophet, but also the Lord speaking to us and making His will made known through him. I testify that Russell M. Nelson is the Lord's prophet, the watchman on the tower, on earth at this time. If we heed his warnings and follow his counsel, we will find the joy, happiness, and blessings the Lord desires to bestow upon us.
Äldste Sirrine
What a blessing it has been to here from living prophets and apostles this last week. We were able to watch the Saturday Morning session live (at 6 pm for us) on Saturday with some members. We were able to watch the Saturday Afternoon and Sunday Morning sessions on Sunday at the institute center with the YSA, which was an incredible opportunity to feel the spirit and strength of the rising generation as they gathered to here the voice of the Lord. We have not had the opportunity to view the Sunday Afternoon session yet, and will do that some time throughout the week. My mind was impressed by the scripture D&C 1:38 which says, "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." This conference we have witnessed not only the calling of a new prophet, but also the Lord speaking to us and making His will made known through him. I testify that Russell M. Nelson is the Lord's prophet, the watchman on the tower, on earth at this time. If we heed his warnings and follow his counsel, we will find the joy, happiness, and blessings the Lord desires to bestow upon us.
Äldste Sirrine
P-Day at the coast
