Week 72 Elder Albertsen, Fish and Service!

Hey everyone!!

This week was super good we seemed to always have something to do and people to teach and, as a missionary, you don't really get blessed more than that!! Elder Brown left to go home this last week and I heard that he did in fact meet his mom safely in Stockholm so that was really good news. It was hard to see him go and we had an amazing time together in Utby but I am glad for him and everything that he is going home to. Elder Albertsen showed up on Wednesday from västerås and we get along really well!! We served in the same ward at the very beginning of my mission in Örebro and I can tell that I am goig to learn a lot from him. He has about 4 months left on his mission so he has things pretty figured out at this point.

We have been working with our friend from Nepal who is scheduled to be baptized at the end of this month which should be really great to be a part of and he is very excited about being a part of this ward and the church here in Utby and it has been amazing to be able to see him progress as we have met and read in the Book of Mormon and his knowledge of the Plan of Salvation has come. When we realize our potential and this plan that God has for us we see this light that just comes naturally and its up to us to keep acting on it to increase that light. I think I have come to understand that this light is literally visible, it makes all the difference in the world for people and making the decision to follow their savior helps so much in every day life. It helps us to literally walk in the light which makes the biggest difference now and forever.

Last week I talked a little about an investigator named Azi who is from Iran and has a little daughter. She accepted this week a date to be baptized right at the beginning of December and we are so excited for her. She is loving the Book of Mormon and all of the questions that she has always had that no one has been able to answer is answered in those pages. She always had been told to just take what everyone says on their word but she has always wanted the reason why and she told us that these answers are clearly stated in the Book of Mormon and she has loved reading it!! Its an amazing feeling when someone is willing to take in the teachings of Jesus Christ and apply it in their life and we are so excited to work with her and help her to understand more and more.

This week we also had the pleasure of going to a less active members house named Jane. She is from Ughanda and is one of the best people that I have ever met!! We taught her and she asked if we wanted food because she already made it so the answer is yes haha! She gave us fish that just had te head cut off and so the fins and everything were still on it and elder alberstsen and I just looked at eachother like... here we go haha but it was so good!! literally some of the best fish I have ever eaten in my life... so good haha just looked a little off, youll see what I mean.

We also had quite a bit of service to do this week, we helped a member in the ward move to a new apartment so we were able to help the elders quorum out and Minraj even came to help as well and that was so cool to see!! We had just talked about service in the church and he wanted to come along and so he helped this member move and I think that did so much for members to see him being a part and for him to feel the joy of being in service of someone else.

Well everything is looking really good for the next while in Utby. Our mission leader came back from the states and we are looking forward to working with him and getting these two areas where they need to be!  The missionary work is going forward in this ward and there are definitely people here ready to here the gospel. I am so grateful to be here right now and I am having a great time in this ward!!

Have a great week.

Äldste Israelsen