Monday, September 1, 2014

Tracting in Arboga, Zone Conference, Haircut, Surprising people with my Swedish

hejsan!!

First, The reason this is a day late is becasue we had an investigator pop up out of nowhere and could only meet during our email time yesterday.


This week has been one crazy week we have been going all over trying to get everything done that we needed to get done. We actually started the week off with splits!! I went up to Arboga with Äldste Trotter while Äldste Held stayed here in Örebro with Äldste Albertsen. It was really good actually, Arboga is a small town about 45 minutes outside of Örebro and the other missionaries are there and in Örebro so they have a car!! waddup haha. We did quite a bit of tracting but we had about 4 lessons to go to as well. I can now add Pakistan to the list of countries with people I have taught!! I love them too because instead of a handshake they give you a hug for a hello which I am now instituting as the new hello all over the world!! It just feels nice to get a hug sometimes.... I feel the judgement through the email right now... stop that haha. I was able to teach a few members there that are about to get the priesthood because they are super new members which really was super cool to see how excited they were and how their knowledge was growing as new members in the church. 



So I have a tracting story for everyone and I know you want to hear it. So we were in Arboga and we tracted this house and this man came out and said they were not interested so we left. We went down the stairs since it was an apartment complex and knocked on the next door. A lady came out of the house uptairs and literally just stared at us.... so I said hello...nothing....how are you doing?.....still noting and she just creeped back into her apartment so we just went to the next door. She came out and yelled at us that the entire building was on vacation and that we just needed to leave!! So we left.... and then came back to talk to the people that we left behind haha. Itäs really interesting actually we talk to a lot of younger swedish people but all of the old ones want absolutely nothing to do with us whatsoever. 

My swedish is getting better Iäm having conversations with people right now so that is always a plus but its hard because their language is so different in the way that they use it. I cant just say the literal translation I need to figure out how they say it which I think is the hardest part about speaking and understanding a new language because the way that they use the word might now make sense with what it actually translates to. But it gets better everyday so in 2 years I might be able to just straight up talk to people about whatever. 



We have been  just about everywhere this week just trying to do as much as we could. We had a family move into the ward which is really cool because that doesnt happen too often. I would say the miracle of this week was in two places. SO we went out contacting on thursday and there was a girl that we stopped and we decided that we really just needed to teach people every time that we stopped them. We stopped her on the street and I knew everything she said and I responded back completely by myself and then taught her more about how God has a plan for each of us and I was able to bare my testimony for her on the street. That was super cool to see because usually I can start a contact but I cant talk to people quickly enough to keep going unless they ask me a question. So that was cool. The other was on Wednesday. We had a lady that we contacted about 2 weeks ago and we have about 20 minutes to go before we were supposed to be in our apartment but we decided when we got back that we would go around really quick and see who we could talk to. She was right outside our apartment and we gave her a Book of Mormon and invited her to open church hours. On Wednesday she totally came!!! We taught her for close to 3 hours and she had read 450 pages of the Book of Mormon. She is way smart and she said she was looking to find her faith that she used to have when she was younger. Hopefully we will get to continue teaching her but that was definitely a miracle and we were so blessed just to be able to be a part of it. We told her that we didnät even know why we went out that night because she asked, and she said that she decided to take a weird way on a walk that night so she had never been to that part of Örebro either. It was just a really cool thing to be a part of.


We also had a Zone conference this week so we went to Uppsala. We got to see the President too so that was cool to get an interview from him again. He is really cool and it will be super cool to work under him and his wife the next 2 years they really are inspired people!! I also got a haircut this week from my companion whos danish so it looks pretty swedish but I think I pull it off which is all that matters right?! haha but the equivalent for a haircut here would be about 50 to 60 bucks which I am so not willing to pay so that is what ends up happening. Hes actually talented and I think he will have a future in it if he wants to!! 

I see miracles all of the time out here in Sweden and probably the most hands on miracle is just talking to people. I talk to them and we sit on busses and have conversations and they ask me how long Ive been in Sweden and they about die when I say one monthish. Most people come to Sweden and it takes them years and years to learn the language and that is the same everywhere. I dont think for one second the reason I can do that is because I have a talent for languages because I actually know that I have no such talent. I am helped out so much every day by a loving Heavenly Father who knows exactly what my problems are and will help me through anything that I need help with. I know that it takes effort on our part but I know that God helps us, He wants us to become better and to be able to return to live with Him again. I know that He lives and every day is evidence of that. 


I hope everyone has a great week!!!!


Äldste Israelsen 

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