Broadcast, Mission Leadership Council and Are Our Feet in Two Different Worlds?

Helping Move Many Boxes!

Hey everyone!!

We have had one crazy week this week and we are pretty excited about the things that are happening in the area and in the ward. Elder Larson and I have been thinking a lot about the things that we need to do to improve and where the mission is moving and where the work needs to be moving here in Södertälje as well and where we personally need to be more diligent or improve. We had the broadcast this week with some of the 12 and the executive missionary committee or something like that. They basically just had a training about the things that we need to do to be teaching repentance and having a change happen in the people that we teach. Essentially that is the reason why we are here, to show people how to change their lives and how the atonement of Jesus Christ can be applied for them as well and not just now or for a split second or for a day but for a lifetime and maybe a little more :).  They talked so much about us being able to be conduits for the spirit so that there isn't anything hindering the spirit from being with us while we are out during the day or while we are teaching people. I have personally thought about worhtiness this week and realizing that it needs to be a part of our daily thoughts and what we need to try to experience every day. The bishop related an experience on Sunday about how he was on the way to church to come and serve and have meetings and he was super stressed on his way and speeding with his seatbelt off to come to the church. How easy is it to have our feet in two different worlds? And, if we do, the spirit cannot be with us in the way that we might want, in the way that we need, and almost more importantly in the way that other people need. Besides that being the focus we are also concentrating on the aspects of teaching that will help us to teach "with convincing power" which is something for all of us 18-25 year olds struggle with sometimes is teaching with this convincing power.

This week we will have Mission Leadership Council to talk about what the mission needs and how we can take all of the things that we have learned to the missionaries that we serve and how it can be applied. One thing that we have been trying to do quite a bit is teaching repentance and making sure that people cannot missunderstand the things that we say, just like Nephi says, "my soul delights in plainness" because when God speaks to us He does it in a way that we will understand and so that changes from person to person. We taught Fidelis again this week and we met in the library and the only place that we could sit was at the little kids table with the tiny chairs and proceeded to have one of the most powerful lessons that I have had on my mission. We just read out of 2 Nephi 31, he hadnt read and so we just read with him from the scriptures and explained about the Savior and his gospel and how we can come closer to him. He told us that he was questioning this last week about the mormons and if they actually preached Christ and he said that he knew the things that we were saying were true and that he understands the purpose of the Book of Mormon and why we need to read it. It is a powerful witness of Christ and his purpose.

We had a man this week that needed help all of a sudden to move and to pack things, he is 82 and got a notice from the doctor to not make too much effort or like strain himself I guess you could say. So we helped him and he literally had hundreds of binders that he had writtned stuff in and put stuff in and of course he needed them all so 20 giant boxes later we had those packed up and then we had to start on some books haha. We did not have time to finish but we will be going back hopefully with a little help from the quorum to help him to pack up and move... so many binders its ridiculous. Super fun to help out though we love when we have the opportunity to serve.

We taught this man named Benjamin the other day that came to the church to watch the restoration film and learn more about the restoration and about Joseph Smith. He has been in church quite a few times now and when we watched he understood the spirit behind the prophet Joseph Smith and he said essentially that he was so glad that he come to the church that day and he understands about the reason why he has felt the way he has in the church.

Anyway I dont have too much more time but it will be a good week this week. I know that the church is true and the restoration is a reality :)

Love you all!

1. lots of boxes.
2. giwal... investigator and I promise he was smiling until we took a picture haha
3. drilling the wall at a members home... they have a lot of trust