THIS IS WHAT WE FOUND, THE WEDDING PLANNER, WARMTH AND HAPPINESS, NO ELEVATOR, OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE, LOOKING FOR ANSWERS, FOG

THIS IS WHAT WE FOUND

On the outside, this looks like any normal hedge. But then we saw an opening, and this is what we found.

THE WEDDING PLANNER

 This was a great week. One of the highlights was the marriage of Su and Jing. Unfortunately, I also don't have any pictures of it. I was stressing out the whole time making sure it went well. It's tough to be the wedding planner and I have gained great respect for them. But we had a nice ceremony in the chapel where our bishop united them until the separation of death. 

After the ceremony, as we were eating cake, I asked Su if he felt different. He responded with, "Yes, I'm married now." (I should add that they had been together for several years.) 

So then I asked a follow up question, "Well, is it good?"  He smiled big and said, "Of course." 

We have talked with Su a lot about the purpose of life, who God is, and why prayer is important. But at this point, these are not major roles of his life. However, marriage is still a priority in his life. And that's what the Gospel is meant for. It is meant to strengthen and build strong families. We have talked about eternal marriage and what that means. And it is amazing when one considers the importance of such a statement or a claim. But it is backed up with evidence. We cannot slap down the evidence of such a union; rather, it is a truth that each person can receive for themselves. It's a personal witness. And once we have the witness we can move forward with great hope. The commandments and everything we have to guide us will improve us. And we have it all, because God loves us. 

WARMTH AND HAPPINESS

These ducks are probably just taking a break from the flight coming down from Boden. They'll soon be on their way to warmth and happiness.

NO ELEVATOR

No elevator...

OPPORTUNITES TO SERVE

To go in a little more detail with the tall building, I should explain that missionaries love opportunities to serve. When we are serving our men, we are practicing true religion. On Saturday, we had planned to help a family move. When we showed up, I instantly noticed the grandeur of the building. Then as I looked on the board to see which floor we were heading too, I just had to chuckle. It seems that it's always the top floor. Even better, there was no elevator. So five flights of stairs later, we reached the door and were welcomed in. Needless to say, I could feel it in my legs the next morning.

LOOKING FOR ANSWERS

Then there was General Conference. We have a slightly different schedule of watching the sessions here in Sweden. But the words are still the same. I had prepared several questions that I was looking for answers to, and it was awesome to see the talks addressing my questions and concerns. With one speaker left, I had one more question I wanted answered. And then, there it was. Every single question was hit. The conference was wonderful, and I enjoyed hearing the inspired words of our leaders. Three new apostles have been called, and with each of them I can see the wonderful potential they each have in this service. I am grateful that we have a prophet and apostles, just like in the days of Christ. And I am grateful that we have a Father who loves us and gives us guidance. The modern day scripture of conference is a treasure that we can continue to study in the months to come. It's real-time scripture. :)

FOG

This isn't typical either. It's the first time I've seen the fog since the spring. But the gray skies visit us frequently.