A BEAUTIFUL WAY TO END THE DAY, THE BEAST OF ALL BEASTS OR WE WORK FOR FOOD OR WE WORK BECAUSE WE WANT TO, DINNER APPOINTMENT, I'M PART OF A FAMILY IN SWEDEN, TRYING TO FLY? CLOSER TO FINDING HIS FATHER, LAST NIGHT, CANALS, MALMO

A BEAUTIFUL WAY TO END THE DAY:

I don't know, maybe I send too many sunset pictures, but it's always a beautiful way to end the day. Down below are the soccer fields that we have Sport's Night on. 

THE BEAST OF ALL BEASTS or WE WORK FOR FOOD or WE WORK BECAUSE WE WANT TO:
This week seemed to fly by. Due to this being vacation time for most of the people in Sweden, we had the opportunity to do a lot of service this week. One of them was helping with some yard work, and I used the beast of all beasts when it comes to mowers. It was electrically powered. I felt more like I was vacuuming the lawn than anything else. And then when I went to work on the hedges, same story. Electrically powered. No smell of gasoline, no rumble of an engine, it was all very low-key. On Friday, we were helping paint a house. After about an hour of work, they brought out some ice cream so that we could take a break. And to make sure that we didn't get any hunger pangs, we would leisurely pick cherries from the low-hanging boughs. It was a stressful situation indeed, but we pulled through. When we finished, the member was very pleased with how much we had accomplished in the time we had worked, and we were pleased with the working conditions under which we had found ourselves. But the important part was that as we worked, his neighbor came out wondering why our friend was getting all the help. His first question was whether we were Per's (the member) children, and at this point, Per took the opportunity to introduce us as missionaries to his church. I thought it was awesome, because he was bold in introducing us, which is a tough thing to do in this society. Per explained that we work for food (Disclaimer: We work because we want to, food is just a bonus). So now his neighbor wants to invite us over for dinner, and possibly helping him out with some painting. I enjoyed the experience, because the service was enjoyable, and we reached out to someone in a new way.

DINNER APPOINTMENT:

On our way to a dinner appointment with (from left to right) Nadim, Majeed, Fardin, myself, and Elder Taggart.

I'M PART OF A FAMILY IN SWEDEN:
Another person we met this week is named Sarah. And it was awesome getting the chance to meet her. We went over to her place with the other missionaries, and when we showed up, the smell of cake was wafting through the air. We sat down and started talking, and she pulled out the cake. And she told us it was a family recipe, but she had done her best to Americanize it, because she was hoping it would be like our moms' baking. The other missionaries had all met her before, when I was in Stockholm, but I felt like I was at home very quickly. We talked about many different things, and she kept stopping us and asking, "Okay, but what is wrong with you guys?" Haha, we tried to explain that she would find the fault in no time at all, but to simply accept the good while it was there. Over and over again, she told us how good we were and how she wants sons like us. She even offered to write letters to our parents to tell them they were lucky to have us. I was about to accept the offer but was cut off as the other missionaries said it was no problem, their parents already know. I nodded my head in agreement, still thinking it wouldn't have hurt for some time in the future when I do something stupid. I had a wonderful time there, and as we headed out the door, she told us to let her know if anyone gave us trouble. I had to smile as we walked away, because it's not often that I get the feeling that I'm part of a family here in Sweden. But when I left there, I felt like I had a family member here in Sweden rooting me on. And that's a cool feeling.

TRYING TO FLY?

You can't really see it from this picture. But the wind was reminiscent of my days in Rexburg. Elder Taggart was trying to lean against the wind, with not too much success. As he was doing that, a car drove up and the driver asked him if he was trying to fly. From there, the conversation naturally flowed to who we were and what we were doing in the area. It's amazing the many different ways that we get the chance to talk with people.

CLOSER TO FINDING HIS FATHER:
There has been one other experience that stuck out in my mind during the week. We were walking through the streets, talking with people as we went, and we came to an empty stretch with no one in sight. We kept trekking forward anyways, and as we went, we saw a guy standing off to the side. We stopped and we talked with him. As we spoke with him, he told us about some of the struggles he had with his life. Particularly with drugs. He explained how hard it is to believe in a God, but how he wishes he could. And he kept saying, "I see you guys, and I wish I could be as happy as you, but..." at which point he would trail off. We persistently witnessed that we know God is there, especially for us in our hard times. He is waiting for us to find him. Each time I explained these truths, I felt that love that God has for me. He is our Heavenly Father, and He loves all of us. The guy again expressed his desire to have what we had, then he shook our hands and headed off. This is the rejection that hurts. Not in the way when someone gives you a snotty reply or does something to hurt your dignity. I wanted to rush after him and plead with him that he is so close to finding that happiness. But he did not feel like he was in a position to accept this message, and that is something that hurts. I hope that he finds that happiness he is looking for, and maybe we'll see him again one of these days. But at any rate, I think he is that much closer to finding his Father. 

LAST NIGHT:

Walking along last night, trying to find someone to talk to. The hardest part was deciding who to talk with. 

CANALS:

One of the many canals that runs through the city. 

MALMO:

The city of Malmö.

THE WRONG TROUSERS, WALLPAPER, THE BOOK OF MORMON---A GIFT, MIND-BLOWING SAFT

THE WRONG TROUSERS

When I saw the paint roller, I instantly thought of Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers, and I knew I had to use it. They never showed the pain that is in your neck after doing that for 30 minutes or so. 

WALLPAPER

We had the opportunity this week to help renovate a bedroom. It all started with taking down the wallpaper, which seems nonexistent in the US, and is almost finished. This project has one again reminded me how important tools are to get work done. We had a steamer that would melt the glue and make it much easier to peel the wallpaper away. Unfortunately, there was only one steamer, so in the meantime, we would chip away, bit by bit. But, it was an experience that I have never had, and may never get the chance to have again. Then we spackled and sanded the room, and made it a smooth surface. Again, the sanding would have taken hours by hand, but we got to use a pretty heavy duty sander. It made all the difference. We are now in the painting stages, with hopes to complete the project before they travel. It's been a fun project and helps break up the routine. 

Scraping wallpaper is serious business.

THE BOOK OF MORMON---A GIFT

On Tuesday we had a specialized Zone Training. Which basically means that President and Sister Beckstrand came down to say hello and see how we are doing. It was a good time. The group that I came to the Sweden with was all there. We have now assumed the nickname "The Flock." But as a Zone, we had the opportunity to sit down and discuss the Book of Mormon. It has been enlightening for me. I have always gained wisdom and counsel from the Book of Mormon, but the recent focus on it has led me to look even deeper. There is so much to this book. And it excites me to think about all the knowledge I have yet to discover. Not only that, but it was real people who wrote this book. There are stories of parents urging their sons to try and improve their direction in life. Kings teaching their people the equality and importance of all. A leader who struggled to lead an army that were deaf to his counsel, yet wanted him to lead them. The triumphs and the struggles of multiple leaders all trying to defend their life, liberty, and family. This book is filled with people, who have had real experiences. And we can learn from them. They have written them down for our benefit. It is filled with pleadings from their souls and praises to our God. My love and respect for the Book of Mormon and all those who sacrificed their lives to bring it to us today grows as I truly seek to learn and understand. And that makes life a gift. You never know what you will find when you open the book, hungry for knowledge. 

MIND-BLOWING SAFT

I mentioned that we made some saft last week, and the results blew my mind. I expected it to be good, but it surpassed all my expectations. And perhaps it comes with a sort of sense of pride, knowing that we picked the flowers and made the concoction that now graces our table. But, from a purely non-biased opinion, it turned out perfect. 

Elder Taggart thought this picture was very well built. With the focus moving in towards the setting sun. Another glimpse of Malmö, through the window of a bus.

LAST WEEK'S PHOTOS, SOLO TRIP TO STOCKHOLM, ELDERBERRY TREES

LAST WEEK'S PHOTOS

On Thursday, we were taking the bus home. We were in an unfamiliar area, but we hopped on our bus home and sat back for the ride. After about 10 stops, we should have arrived at our stop, but instead we came to the end of the line. At which time, we stepped off the bus very confused. The bus driver asked us where we were headed, and we told him. Apparently we had gone the completely wrong direction, so he told us to hop back on the bus so we could get home. It was going to be a 15 minute wait before he went back in the other direction, and we saw the sunset. Naturally, we had to go check it out and take a few pictures. It was such a peaceful night, and a great way to end the day. The water was feathery and the breeze, warm. These moments don't come often, but when they do they are much appreciated.

The first sunburn of the year. We were sitting by the canal in Malmö and I chose a spot in the sun. Unfortunately my little white arms couldn't take the hour of sun. And even worse, that line. No one has a tan/burn line right there on their arms. 

Getting ready was quite the ordeal for the king, back in the day. One person to do the hair, and two others to tell the king how good he looks.

This was an exhibit that shows the criminals from a certain period of time. It gives each of their names with their reason of incarceration.

 SOLO TRIP TO STOCKHOLM

As my train came into Stockholm, I had a walk down memory lane. It was great to be back.

This week I got the opportunity of renewing my visa to stay in Sweden as a missionary. We are all listed under one address in Sweden to make it easier to keep track of us due to the amount of moving that we do. So naturally, the government wondered what was up. We usually would just go to a Migrationsverket near us, but they wanted all the people renewing their visas to come in to Stockholm to do it. We were the first group to have to do it, and hopefully the last. But because of the expense of traveling to Stockholm, I made the journey on my own. For a missionary that's a pretty big deal. Pulling into T-Central after 2 months of being away, and walking through the subway station alone was a new experience. I felt incomplete. I got on the tunnelbana I needed and reached my destination, where I was picked up by the Office Elders, and that feeling disappeared. The next day I went to Migrationsverket, and within 5 minutes, I completed the visa interview and could return home. So my visit to Stockholm was quite the trip. An hour later I was on the train home, with only lingering memories of Stockholm to keep me company. 

ELDERBERRY TREES

These are blossoms from an Elderberry Tree. Believe it or not, but this is soon to become a drink. It is still in the process of creation, because it needs to sit for 5 days. But tomorrow we will get to see how it turned out. 

On Thursday, we met up with one of the members in Malmö's ward, and we headed to the park to find elderberry trees. Our goal: Make some saft, basically juice concentrate. It was a fun experience, because I felt especially Swedish. The Swedes love do-it-yourself projects, and this is no exception. So to have the opportunity to enjoy the culture a little bit more was awesome. 

It's amazing the way this city changes, flowing from urban to green parks. It's one of the things that I love most about Sweden.

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Mine and Elder Taggart's apartment. Mom will be proud to see that there aren't any clothes on the floor. :)

Pildammsparken

I have now seen what an ugly duckling actually looks like in real life. And it's actually, really, really, ugly. Ha, no, but it was cool to be so close to this family of swans. 

Due to the fact that there are no slopes in Sweden, they wanted the experience of the burn of running mountains. And these are pretty killer. 

My desk

BEING IN A SPIRITUAL MOOD, I COME FROM SWEDEN

"Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Denmark!"

BEING IN A SPIRITUAL MOOD

This has been a very interesting week. At the beginning of our week, we were sent a number to call from other missionaries in Linköping. Before we got home that night, we received a call from the person, who had also received our number. His name is Magnus, and we set up a time to meet. It's been awesome from there. We met with him twice last week, and each time he recognizes the spirit that he feels while with us. He calls it, being in a spiritual mood. As we teach the doctrine we find in the scriptures and read words of ancient prophets, the words resound with him. Written for us today, The Book of Mormon is applicable. And he understands that, which is something that we struggle to relay to other people. But Magnus has a hunger for the knowledge and wisdom that he can gain from the book.

I COME FROM SWEDEN

Yesterday we had a chance to talk with a lady named Margarita. We talked a lot about family history and what it means to bring our family to the same understanding that we have. And it is exciting! We had a lady, from Virginia, stop by the church and leave a short story talking about her ancestors in Sweden. She had taken the time to come back to her roots, and she has her ancestor to thank for a lot of the goodness she enjoys today. It really made me think, especially with the 4th of July just a few days ago. I love that I am American, and I am proud to be a part of the USA. But I also love that I come from Sweden, a land that I have the opportunity to experience and enjoy. I have been able to experience the same culture that my ancestors may have experienced. Maybe they danced around a pole, too. I don't know everything that they have experienced, but I love that I am able to get a glimpse of their lives.