Week 45 Helped With Home Teaching, Young Women's and First Interview!

I think its week 45. Something like that anyways. I hope ths letter finds everyone doing super well if not make this week better!!

First, congrats to Justin he married my MTC companions sister so now elder Archibald and I are offiially some form of brother or half cousin or something like that haha. This week has been really interesting to say the least we had about 10 appointments just kind of not show up or cancel last minute so it took some patience to get through the week.

There were a few things that made the week really cool and one of them is how the ward is beginning to use and to trust the missionaries more. We have helped them go out more for home teaching and in ward council when they see that we are doing things that trust builds and they are willing to see everything as a big picture and how the missionaries can help rather than what missionaries have done in the past in this area. We talked with the young women's leader about using the young women to help a couple of families with daughter to come back to church and they are super willing so this week we should be trying o visit at least 2 maybe 3 families with the young women or at least the young women 's leader to help them have the connection to come back.

Another things was my first interview for a baptismal candidate!! He was super cool and passed with flyng colors. It was really interesting t be able to answer the questions that he did have about the organization of the church and the priesthood and everyhing... I don't know if we realize this but the church is not a simple thing to figure out!! But it was good to explain it to hi and  loved te experience.

The last was Vida came to church!! She is a less active that we have been workng with for awhile and she finally came to church!!!!! We were so happy for that and we gave the ward a little push and they just took her under their wing and it was amazing to see :) Her feeling towards it were amazing and she called us the "angels of the church" haha which was just incredible to hear since this week was so... I am just gonna stck with interesting thats a good word. But I know that God has a bigger plan for everything we do than we can even know and even when it looks like it doesnt make sense at the time we do it that it will turn out as long as we are doing what we know is right. I have a strong testimony of the power of the atonement and that it does change people. it helps us be better and helps us to change our nature same with everyone around us if they accept it as well.

God lives and he directs the work over the world and here in Sweden. I love being here and hearing from you!!! Have a fantastic week!!

Med kärlek

Äldste Israesen

Vecka 44 Den här veckan gick otroligt bra! Jag kan inte ens beskriva exakt vad jag menar men jag ska försöka i alla fall

Stockholm!

Hejsan!

Den här veckan gick otroligt bra! Jag kan inte ens beskriva exakt vad jag menar men jag ska försöka i alla fall. This week was a lot of teaching and a lot f setting things up as well. We are still looking for those people that are just ready to aept the gospel but we do hae some that are progresing in the gospel as well. This week we got a new referral from the sisters in Täby and it is a spanish man that lives in our area that has apparently read most of the Book of Mormon and wants to meet the missionaries and figure out the church behind it so we are super stoked to teach him this week so I am going to learn a little spanish and see how it goes ;) Its been amazing to see just this area gro and be able ot find the people that are interested in learning more and then applying the gospel in their lives.

There was a chevy... thats all I have to say about that :)  

I dont think I told you last week but the other week the sisters had a lesson with a ouple of investiators and one of them is 12 and she is a fireball. he sisters called me during one of their lessons and I talked on the phone to this 12 ear old that was asking me questions that were really hard to answer but it was an inredible experience to hear what kinds of conerns she had with the gospel even thogh she is only 12 she understand so much and thinks about things so deeply and that just rang true to me that it doesnt matter how old you are we are all searhing for answers in one way or another and the Gospel has the answers we just need to be willing and humble enough to look and search and be willing to accept the answer that comes :)

This week we also met with an active member and his sons (one is a member and the other is 9 but wants to know more).It was so cool to start to teach them as a family. Apparently, the youngest has never taken interest in missionaries before so we are realy excited to be able to teach and talk with him. Also, they made this seriously amazing russian soup and that was really nice as well ;)

Kebab!

It has been one amazing experience working here and the ward is opening up so much to missionary work and trying to spread the gospel themselves and we, as missionaries, are super grateful for that!! We have a couple of people that are getting ready to recieve he priesthood soon and we are really excitd to see that hapen and see them become active members of the ward and ge allings and things like that. We also have a couple of baptismal dates in this district as well so I am really excited to be able to intervew them and to see them come into the church. Its really cool to see the work moving forward in all of the areas and not just this one in Jakobsberg.

We are really pushing to get the ward and the ward mission leader more nvolved in the work does anyone have any suggestions? Has anyone been a Ward Mission Leader? Anyway I will update you with how all of that goes this week and we hope to see more success as the weeks go on. I know that the gospel is true and that it helps all of us. I dont care if ou are 95 or 9 i will help you through life and t have mre happiness. I know that we have a prophet on the Earth and his apostles. One thing that I took away from general conference was how important families are. If you havent read the general womens session I suggest you do that it is amazing and the difference in the family with and without the gospel is löjlig. I love you all!!!

Äldste Israelsen

1. kebab...yes

2.stckholm!!!

3. There was a chevy... thats all I have to say about that :)   

Week 43, Trains are Cool, Gift of Tongues, General Conference and Read Elder Holland's Talk - Wow!

Very Spicy Dinner!

Hejsan!!

Wow this week was one crazy ride. We did about a million and a half things so it felt like forever but also like it never happened if that makes any sense at all. We had transfers this week and so I got my new companion Elder Luke. He is a really good solid missionary and I am looking forward to working with him and also in the last letter I said he was in the same "ground" as elder Johnson and Jones but really its the same "group" as we say in English haha. I just kinda threw him in the deep end to begin with, we jumped on a train and I told him I would see him after his lesson on the train and then went to sit next to someone else... I know when that happened to me for the first time in Stockholm I didnt really know what to do but he went right over and started talking with someone on the train and eventually taught them as well! That is why the trains are cool but he really knows his stuff and I have been super impressed.  He is from Saint George Utah and good friends with Elder Jones too so Saint George just loves me I guess.

On Tuesday we were able to go out with the Greenies on their first day and contact people!! It was actually super cool to see them contact and just go for it with the Swedish that they knew. I remember just talking to people and not having a clue what they said or what to say back. But I was also really impressed with their Swedish. Honestly they sounded like people that we talk to that have been in Sweden for a couple of years and have been to school for Swedish. The Lord really does bless those people he sends to be able to accomplish the thing that He gave them to do. Super cool experience for me and for Äldste Johnson.

After Elder Luke came on Wednesday we went and met a new investigator named Robel. He is super cool and he even fed us. But he fed us some of the spicies food that I have ever had in my entire life... no joke we felt absolutely awful after haha I knew when I finished the plate that I had won the battle... but definitely not the war haha. We were a little sick the next couple of days after that but that is okay!! We are visiting him again this week so we will see where that goes. He also came to one session of general conference with us so we have really high hopes for him.

We had quite a few new names come across this week and were abelt o get three new investigators that we are really excited to meet with more! we will see this week where they go progression wise but they are incredibly solid when we taught them. We are definitely seeing a lot of blessings here in Stockholm and we will continue to see more for sure.

One thing that was really cool was on Saturday we traveled to Västerås to a baptism for an investigator that Äldste Luke taught and she wanted him to baptize her!! So we went out there so that he could do the baptism and then made our way back to the big city. It was really cool again to see a baptism and just how simple and powerful it is. The cool thing was to see Elder Luke actually utför the baptism and that God would trust us enough to do that sort of a thing is just incredible in my opinion. The spirit was really strong and no one walked away from that without a smile on their face. We had a member drive us to the train station and they told us that we would be late so if we were "rättfärdiga nog" then the train would come late. We laughed and then ran to the train and we would have missed it... but it was late!! Tydligen är vi rättfärdiga nog haha just kidding but it was a cool little miracle for us that day and we needed it.

General Conference was a fantastic experience and we were in the Gubbängen chapel for that. We had Robel come for a session and then Idowu as well and it was just a really good experience for them to see the apostles and prophets speak to us. They spoke a ton this time about families and marriage so to all of you YSA out there... you have to get married... now. (Just to clarify I am not a YSA I am a missionary... so that was not applying to me). But I do want to say that I am so grateful for the family that I have and was raised in. We see and talk to people everyday that their lives would have been so different if they had grown up with gospel principles. It really is easier to live with them and there is so much more love in the family when we have the simple truths like we can be together forever with our families. I am really grateful for conference and that I had the chance to watch it. I have been in the conference center I have felt the spirit that they have and I felt it again this last weekend. They are called of God and they really are prophets and apostles TODAY that if we listen to we can know how to guide and direct our lives for the future. I love this gospel and all of the small and simple truths we can find in it. I hope everyone has a fantastic week and look at the talk by Elder Holland on the Sunday morning session... wow.

Jag Älskar er!

Äldste Israelsen

Week 42, This Week Was Literally Dop...Mostly Because Dop in Swedish Means Baptism!

Nej men hej!

This week was literally dop... mostly because dop in Swedish means baptism!! Johnson was baptized and confirmed a member of the church yesterday and we are super excited about that. This week has just been crazy with preperations and making sure that his interview went well and that everythng was planned and in order for the ceremony on Sunday. Äldste Johnson had the opportunity to baptize him and most of the ward was there to see and to support him in his commitment. He is the most awkward hugger n the face of the planet... but the most humble and ncredible man I think I have ever met in my life. As these peple make these changes in their life it reminds me that we need to make sure that we have that indset all of the time. Just to remember hw amzing it was to make those covenants and to live true to them every day because we have been so blessed t have them and it changes our lives and the lives of the people around us. Such a cool experience.

Subway Decoration?

This week hasjust been one miracle after another and I think it is always that way we just have to be looking for them otherwise we might miss them. We had three iracles that I think would be cool t share and the first was with this TU (tänkbara Undersökare) Not sure how that translates but we went and knocked on her door and were able to teach the first lesson to her and the spirit was so strong and she told usall of these experiences she had with being sick and oming closer to God in so many different ways. We will be teaching her again this week and see how that goes it is super exciting to see her progress like that.

Another miracle this week was with an older member She really was not feeling well and we had the hance to give her a välsignelse with her home teacher and the spirit was really strong and it was cool to see the trust that the ward is gaining for the missionaries and ho the relationship is building It means a lot for us to give and recieve those blessings and I have a stronger testimony now than ever about Gods hand in our lives and how we can b a tool in the Lords hands especially in blessing the lives of the people around us.

The last one is a double. There was a man that we met this week that said he would definitely come to chuh and he did!! He came for sacrament meeting and the baptism which blew my mind. The ward was super god in helping him and making him feel welcome and at the end he said. "that was really good... so when can we meet?" We told him that we are boked for the next month at least... but for real that was awesome!!! It isnt so often that we have people asking us when we can meet with them its normally the other way around so we will see where that one goes. The next was after everything was done and cleaned Äldste Johnson and I left the building and it was raining and we decidd to try and contact a man that was walking anyways. We stopped him and said who we were and he pulls out this cross and says he was going to church (there is a catholic churh across the street so we thought he meant that church) but he said he didnt knw whih one to go to but that he just wanted to see and join a church.... so naturally we turned around and showed him the chapel! It was so cool we taught him for about an hour in the chapel and he said that he has just been looking for a church to join so we shall see with that one as well.

The whole point with the mracles this week is just that as long as we are doing our very best we wil see those little things that mae everything we do worth it. Whether that is a church calling, raising a family, or school, or even work as long as we do what we can and give the rest to the Lord everyhing will work out.

Sadly Äldste Johnson is leaving me and going to Linköping and I will be getting Äldste Luke who is in the same ground as Äldste Jones and Johnson so for now it will still be the blind leading the blind ;) I love you all and I hope you know how much I love the gospel and that I know it is true. Look for mirakler and search for answers especially during General Conference this next weekend. tills näste Vecka!!

Äldste Israelsen
1 Baptism!
2 Cool Stockholm picture
3 I dont know why this was in the subway.. decoration?

Week 41, Super Old Ship and They Trust Me to Butcher a Sacrament Meeting Talk in Swedish!

Ward Council

Hejsan!!

This week will probably be sadly short but it was still a really good week!! I have had to learn some good time management skills here in Jakobsberg which I thought I was ok with but sometimes it takes 45 minutes for us to get from one place to another with trains and busses so I have had to figure that out and I should probably do that sooner rahter than later because we have a transfer call coming up this week already and I think my companion will probably be leaving.

Vasa Museum

The exciting things for this week was that Idowu, the man that was baptized in Örebro and came to Jakobsberg and now I am here with him again. He will be getting the Priesthood really soon and I am stoked about that he is an incredible guy and is going to do some incredible things. We also met with Johnson who we are having the Baptismal interview with tonight and his baptism should be this upcoming Sunday which is super cool and we are so excited that he is going to take that step, he is definitely ready for it.We got back in contact with our Polish investigators and hopefully they will also be baptized faily soon but we will see where they are after their trip to Poland.

I gave a talk as well in the ward this last week and that was exciting. They trust me enough to butcher a talk in Swedish!! Oh yeah! But it was a really good opportunity to be able to do that in the ward. I am not sure if they do that much back home but I think they should to give the members a chance to know a little more about the missionaries.

The thing that we have been working on a lot as a district this week is being able to pray in a better way. I think sometimes we take it for granted that we can communicate with our Heavenly Father and that it really should be a process. Make it work if it doesnt feel like work. Enos described it as a "wrestle" and I think that we should feel the same way as we really searh for the things that are important to us and recognize that God wants to help us with all of those things I think that is when our prayers become meaningful.

Sorry about the short email but I want you all to know that I know that the missionary work that is going on is true. It is a bunch of kids that dont know what they are doing delivering the most important message that has ever been given. And we do it. To me that is a huge sign that it is true that the Holy Ghost leads and guides us as we do it. I know that God is real. I know that he loves us and that this gospel will bring us closer to Him than anything else ever could :) I love you all och önskar er en oerhört vecka!!

Äldste Israelsen
We saw the Vasa museum! This super old ship that they pulled out of the ocean in tact!!! Super cool. And that is our ward council... plus a couple of people haha