Gotland, Baptismal Date, Let the Spirit Guide Prayer and We Got To Attend the Temple!

Tjena tjena hur lagget?!

 How is everyone doing? It has been a fantastic week here on Gotland and we have been running from place to place just trying to contact and find as many people as we can to just teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to. I think the hardest thing is that we cant just make people automatically become interested in religion they have to have thought about it and have questions in their lives first. I think in Sweden just depending on who they are they havent thought about religion before and definitely not a way to solve problems but more of a problem creator which is really sad. We have been blessed a ton this week by the Lord and a lot of the people that we met last week have become investigators this week!! One of the coolest things is just to be able to bear testimony of what this life is all about to random people and then having them think to themselves and inviting you back to be in their homes and teach them. I have learned more about the importance of the spirit this week because so many people have gone through a ton of hard times in life and they have seen and experienced things that I cant even dream of much less have an answer to. We teach a few immigrants and they have questions that really are burning inside of them and the only way that we can help them to find that answer is with the spirit. I have seen that multiple times this week whether thats a scripture popping into my head or just giving them something to read and having them tell me that it answered a lot of questions that they hadnt even asked yet. The point is that the spirit works through us in so many different ways if we just let him. Coming to this branch and seeing the missionary work they have done has helped me to understadn that as members it is the same thing. If we prepare and live the way we know we should then the spirit will use us to bless other peoples lives. We had a lady this week that has started to have us over just because she had a coworker 15 years ago that was a member and she thought that he was a good man and wanted to know a bit more about what he believed. It is amazing what kind of influence the spirit can have. As missionaries we have a small influence on a bunch of people, and as members we have a huge influence on a smaller amount of people. However, both are needed to help missionary work in general.

Do you remember the Chinese lady that we started teaching last week? We set a baptismal date with her for next monday (its a lucky day for her) and we were all super excited. We have a ton to still teach her so we will have to meet with her every day this week to make sure that she is ready but it is super exciting to see her enthusiasm for everything that we have. She recognizes us finding her as a miracle and a whole bunch of stuff that has happened in the past week is the same. A miracle. There is even a short time missionary that just started that speaks fluent Swedish and Chinese and English that can help us over the phone to translate which is insane that never happens!!! Also, keep praying if you can for our other investigator who is still trying to give up cigarettes and coffee to be baptized on the 1st. We have a few others that seem to be on that point of accepting baptism as well so I hope that I have more good news next week.

In other news the Swedish is coming along really well and I am speaking with everyone. Sometimes they definitely use words that I dont know but I can get the meaning of basically what everyone says unless they are speaking straight up gotlandisk which is like super redneck swedish then I have no idea but neither does Elder Held so its fine haha. We had zone training this week so we went in on a boat and train to Västerhaninge where the temple is and had zone training about prayer. I think it has really changed how I think about prayer and how I should pray as a missionary and otherwise.  The biggest thing is that the spirit should guide our prayers and what we say. So if we take a moment and really think about what we should say and what thoughts come to our heads then we can be guided to revelation during the prayer instead of after which I think most people think that is when we recieve revelation from prayer. I think everyone just has to find out the best way that they can communicate to their HEavenly Father and that is the best way that they can pray. But it is amazing to think that we have that communication to our Heavenly Father. God. Who cares so much about everything we do even though sometimes we dont think so. I have been blessed to see his hand in my life but also in the lives of so many around us all the time I know that He cares and listens.

We also got to go to the temple because we didnt leave for 5 hours after the training and the president gave us the ok so we got to go to a session in Swedish!! I understood about 85% which I would consider to be pretty good but I will keep working on it! Its great being out here and I am loving it! I hope everything is going well for everyone and sorry if I didnt get to write everyone we didnt have a lot of time this week to email!!

Jag Älskar er!!

Oooh Så an intressant svensk sak. de flesta i Sverige hatar Halloween, det finns bara ett små avsnitt i en står affär som man kan köppa halloween greyer... och jag har aldrig sett Halloween Godis...

Har en fantastist vecka!!


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