April 9, 2018 Follow the Prophet, He Knows the Way

One of the ports

 

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,

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

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

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.


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We found a Tesla dealership...

naturally we had to check it out.

April 2, 2018 Volvos, Audis, and Bikes, Oh My!

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,

Apparently bicycles are a big deal

with bike paths literally everywhere, and the right of way belonging to them. If there is one sure way to anger a Swede, it would probably be by walking in the designated bike lane of the sidewalk... As we were walking through a parking lot this week my eyes were met by the usual, European-style cars made by Volvo, Audi, and occasionally Peugot, when suddenly we came upon a bike taking up an entire parking stall... I believe it was at this moment that I realized just how big a role the bicycle plays here.

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

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.


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P-Day at the coast

 

 

March 26, 2018 Well that was unexpected...

Sometimes you have to take a shortcut through the woods to get to the church...

So last week I sent a picture of Elder Harden and I with Elder Lee, one of the assistants to the mission

Dropping Elder Harden

off at the train station

president who is going home. It was no surprise that he'd be leaving, but we were shocked when we discovered that the new assistant would be none other than my very own campanion: Elder Harden. I feel incredibly blessed for the time I've had to learn from, and grow with Elder Harden. He is an incredibly dedicated missionary who has taught me through his example what it looks like to serve and love others with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. I truly can't say enough good about Elder Harden, and the fact that he has been called to serve as one of the assistants testifies to the kind of high-caliber missionary he is. We both expected to be together this next transfer, and I can't tell you how much we were looking forward to it, so I'm going to miss him, but I look forward in learning even more from him as he serves in this new capacity.


Missionaries transfer on Wednesday, but because President Youngberg wants Elder Harden in the office to help with the transfer process, we found out last night at 8:30 PM that his train to Stockholm would leave at 8:30 AM this morning... Let's just say there was a lot of scrambled packing, a very late night, and an early morning. I'll be working and staying with the Zone Leaders in Utby until Wednesday when my new companion, Elder Bringhurst, arrives. As it turns out, Elder Bringhurst and Elder Harden were companions in Umeå as Zone Leaders right before Elder Harden came to Göteborg, so I will be getting another "retired" zone leader as a companion! I feel incredibly blessed to have such experienced, amazing missionaries as companions, and I look forward to serving with Elder Bringhurst this transfer!


The transfer chaos at the end of the week was just the finish of another great week. I was able to go on exchanges in Alingsås, where I got to meet and help one of their investigators, Alex, who got baptized on Saturday! It's incredible to see the unity and happiness that has been brought into their family as Alex has followed the Savior Jesus Christ, and he and his wife are now working towards getting sealed in the temple of the Lord.


We have been working with a man, Christopher, who was baptized many years ago, but hasn't come to church for several years. He invited us over for dinner on Saturday, and together we studied the scriptures and talked about the restoration of Jesus Christ's church to the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith. I testify that the Lord truly has restored his church, and He has called a living prophet to lead it today. We have an opportunity this weekend to hear the prophet and apostles of the Lord teach and testify of His reality, and I would invite all to prepare to hear their message. All the prophets since the foundation of the world have testified of Christ. Those before him testified of his coming, and I add my testimony to those who have come after Him that He is risen. He has triumphed over sin and broken the bands of death so that we might stand spotless before him if we choose to follow Him.


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Helping with the primary Easter activity!

March 19, 2018 Coincidence? I think not.

One of the many waterways in Goteborg

 This week we had an incredible zone conference in which we received several hours of training on how to use technology. Our mission is one of two missions outside of the US and Canada to be receiving smartphones at this time, and it's truly an incredible opportunity. Each missionary will own his or her own smartphone, which will aid many aspects of the work, and we will begin using social media such as Facebook to proselyte and communicate. The mission is very excited to have such an incredible opportunity, and we will be receiving phones (and additional training) at our next zone conference in six weeks.

On Wednesday we had a member, Tyler, take us out to lunch. It was super nice of him to do that for us, and it gave us a wonderful opportunity to get to know him better and to help him set goals and make plans for missionary work he can do as a member. After lunch we had some time to street

Elder Lee, one of the Assistants,

at zone conference. He is heading

home this transfer, and it's sad to

see him go.

contact, and we had language study scheduled for 4:00 at the Institute Center. We found some wonderful people who we look forward to teaching in the future, and we found ourselves standing outside the door to the Institute Center at 3:58 pm, one person short of our goal of potential investigators for the day. Determined to reach our goal, we decided we had two minutes to do so. We started walking down the street and you better believe I was praying as we approached the first man we saw. No sooner could we say hello than he very abruptly stated he was not interested and kept walking. We continued down the street and had this happen two more times before we decided we needed to head back and start our studies. We were on our way back and were directly across from the Center at exactly 4:00, about to cross the street and enter the door, when we stopped a lady who was was walking very quickly, carrying several bags, and had headphones in. She stopped to talk with us, and it turns out she is from the Philippines and Christian. We had an awesome conversation with her about the church, and she eagerly exchanged phone numbers with us saying that not only would she be interested in a message about Jesus Christ, but her boyfriends dad would be as well. I add my testimony to that of Elder Rasband who stated, "Our lives are like a chessboard, and the Lord moves us from one place to another—if we are responsive to spiritual promptings. Looking back, we can see His hand in our lives." and Elder Neal A. Maxwell who said, "You and I may call these intersectings ‘coincidence.’ This word is understandable for mortals to use, but coincidence is not an appropriate word to describe the workings of an omniscient God."

We saw the hand of the Lord guide us yet again on Saturday as we taught our new investigator Christopher (50 years old), who we received as a referral from missionaries in another area. We had received his phone number from the missionaries, called him, and set up an appointment to teach

We were trying to find a

members house at the same

time the clouds decided to

come down and embrace

the earth. This made it rather

tricky to find the house, as we

had no idea which way we

were walking...

him. As we talked with him, we discovered that he broke his leg about two months ago and is in the process of physical therapy and recovery. He explained that the two people he trusts most in his life is his physical therapist and his mother, and that both had told him within the same week that if he wanted to get his life in order, he needed to start praying more. He pondered on this, deciding they were right, and started to do so. The very next day we just "happened" to call him. He knew there was no possible way that this was a coincidence, so he decided to meet with us and made a plan to meet us weekly and come to church in order to find greater happiness and fulfillment and life.

"You and I may call these intersectings ‘coincidence.’ This word is understandable for mortals to use, but coincidence is not an appropriate word to describe the workings of an omniscient God."

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We found a teeter totter while searching

for the address of someone we were

visiting. Naturally, we couldn't resist.

March 12, 2018 Frixon can bring us joy?

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.

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An old church we decided to visit on P-day.

The REAL church. This is the meeting house

for the Västra Frölunda Ward.

March 5, 2018 The Stairway to Heaven

The stairway

(maybe not quite to heaven...

though that would be nice)

This week was incredibly cold, and I had many Swedes assure me that this was the coldest it's been in Göteborg for many years... I don't know if that's supposed to make me feel better or worse, but at least it should only get warmer from here!

On Sunday we were invited over to a members house for dinner, and they live right in the middle of town. As we were trying to find their house, we came upon the longest staircase I have seen in Sweden. I'm not entirely sure what the Stairway to Heaven really looks like, but this gave me a pretty good idea. Unfortunately we got to the top of the staircase just to find out that we had to go down a different staircase (just as long) to reach the members house. It was fast Sunday, so I'm not sure if the stairs were harder before we had eaten, or after the members had fed us an unbelievable amount of food...

This week we had an awesome lesson with a man named Omar. As we began to teach him the plan of salvation, he told us that he had read about us on the internet, and really likes our beliefs on the family. His family is incredibly important to him, and he's noticed that the family no longer carries the same importance within society, so he's intrigued by the emphasis we place on them, and the belief that we can be with our family for eternity. It was incredible to teach him about God's plan for him, and the truths that have been restored through the power of God. He wants to be baptized, so we look forward to helping him take the necessary steps to get there.

We also had the opportunity to teach a man by the name of Victor, who's from Nigeria. We had an awesome lesson about the commandments with him and read a chapter from the Book of Mormon together. We had just planned to read that chapter, but when we finished, he asked, "Can we keep reading?". We did just that, and Victor accepted the invitation to be baptized as well. Unfortunately

Exchanges with Elder Hansen

Victor was unable to come to church this week because he was in Denmark for a meeting that was coordinating efforts to help refugees from Africa. As far as excuses for not going to church go, I have to say that his was pretty good. As he explained the meeting to us, he said nothing in the world makes him happier than helping these refugees and seeing them receive clothes and shelter that they wouldn't have otherwise. As he said this, I couldn't help but think that that right there is a true disciple of Christ. Anyone who feels that way, and finds such great joy in serving others, will come to know their Savior and will recognize that this is indeed His church restored to earth.

One of the scriptures that had the greatest impact on me this week was John Ch 13. We were looking for a way to teach members to love and serve others, and I feel that there is no better chapter to do so. In John 13, Jesus washes the feet of his apostles. It amazes me that Christ, the highest of all, was willing to do such a lowly task. I think of how gross my feet have become on the mission with all the walking we do, and I can only imagine how nasty their feet must have been after walking such great distances everyday through the desert, in sandals. Despite being the lowliest of tasks, Christ was willing to wash the feet of ALL the apostles (including Judas, who would later betray Him). I am grateful that He gave us an example of what it looks like to love and serve one another, which leaves no room for doubt regarding what we must do to obey his command to love and serve one another.

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Michael, one of my all time favorite members

The streets of Göteborg

February 26, 2018 The Land of Miracles

A glimpse of Goteborg

I'm not entirely sure what the groundhog saw this year, but it must have been pretty frightening because winter has returned in full force after a few weeks of taking it easy. The good news is that while it was certainly cold, the sun has seen fit to shine upon us in greater length as summer approaches, which makes for some beautiful days in the streets of Göteborg.

It's been pretty fun getting to know the city a little bit over the last week and getting used to the train

Our train-track adventure

and bus system here. On Friday we went to teach our investigators Victor and Sandra, but on the way there the train shut down and we had quite the adventure of walking along the tracks a fair distance until we could get to the road and take a bus instead. Needless to say, we were a little late for the lesson, but it went really well anyways, and Victor came to church on Sunday, so it all worked out!

On Saturday the stake had a youth activity that they asked us to help set up for, and the rest of our day was completely full. As we planned for the day and thought about how we would reach our goal for new investigators we thought about Gabriella. We had met Gabriella the Saturday before while tracting, and tried to meet her again the next day on Sunday, but she wasn't home. We really wanted to meet her again, but we didn't have her phone number and it was a long way to walk just to find out she wasn't home, not to mention we didn't really have time because our schedule was full. I found myself thinking, " I wish I could just know the best time to go there so we can catch her at home and have the chance to teach her." I then realized there was a way: the spirit. I knelt down and offered a prayer in which I explained to the Lord that we had a lot to do and not much time to do it, so I needed to know when the best time to visit her was. As I prayed, a story my mission president once told us came to mind, and I felt strongly prompted that we needed to go that morning. We had to contact the stake and tell them that we would be a little late to help set up, which was a little awkward, but we felt strongly that we needed to visit Gabriella first. Upon arriving at her home, she answered the door and we talked for a bit. As we talked, her mom came up to the door and explained that she was baking some bread and asked if we had 30 minutes to come in and talk so that we could try some. Astounded, we gladly accepted the offer and had the opportunity to teach both Gabriella and her mother about the Book of Mormon and the restoration. They're both Christian and have strong faith, so they couldn't believe that they had never heard of the message contained in the Book of Mormon. They took a copy of the Book of Mormon and want us to return again this Saturday so that we can continue teaching them about Christ.

In addition to teaching Gabriella and her mother, another miracle took place on Saturday. Katerin got baptized in Eskilstuna. I can still remember the first time we met her, she had earbuds in and was walking very quickly towards the train station while towing a suitcase behind her. My first thought

Katerin's baptism

was that she must be trying to catch a train, so she probably wouldn't want to stop and talk, but we decided to try anyways. To our surprise, she did indeed stop, and the conversation that followed revealed that she had once belonged to a church and she had recently felt that she needed to come back to God. She was intrigued that at a time of such feelings we had come into her life, and she wanted to learn more. Her desire to follow the spirit led her to make the changes necessary to follow Christ and has led her to the small and narrow path of discipleship. We must never let ourselves believe that someone is beyond reach. Even when someone seems to have absolutely no interest in the gospel of Jesus Christ, we must not let that stop us from sharing its message. It's impossible for us to know everything they have or will go through, and the seed we plant by sharing the gospel may someday sprout and grow into a magnificent tree.


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Kebab Pizza. This is a classic here in Sweden,

which is interesting seeing as how Kebab actually comes from

the Middle East... One way or the other, it's definitely good.