ROBERT BAKER AND ELDER RICHARDSON

A few of the members of our district, and then
Robert Baker on the end. He was the first Swede I talked to when I was in the MTC. That was over Skype. Now I get to serve in his ward. He said my Swedish has gotten better. ;)
Elder Richardson is my new companion. He is the one to my left. Together we terrorize the streets of Handen. 

THE BIRTH OF CHRIST WAS ONE OF WORLDWIDE IMPACT
One of the treats we had this past week was our Zone Conference. The Beckstrands put together a conference with a focus on Christmas and why we celebrate it. They added some fun twists, and we even had a white elephant activity. But one of the focuses I really liked was on the birth of Christ in The Book of Mormon. His birth was reverenced by shepherds and wise men in the East --  a humble birth. But it was also rejoiced over on the other side of the world. His birth was one of worldwide impact. One that is not bounded by time. No other man who has ever been born into this world has had more of an impact than Jesus Christ. 



CAROLING ISN'T A THING IN SWEDEN

This past week we went caroling twice. Caroling isn't a thing in Sweden. But as we stood in tunnels out in the cold, people bustling past, we were able to reach out to people. We had people walk past and give us a smile, tell us good job, and pause to listen. We even had a few people who joined in. It was fun because we were able to touch people in the simple testimony of song.

MORE WONDERFUL PEOPLE TO BECOME FRIENDS WITH
Walking into church Sunday, was a crazy experience. There are three wards that meet in our meetinghouse here, and each ward is quite large. As people began filing in, I kept feeling overwhelmed by the number of people there. We had close to 150 people, which has been the biggest ward I've been in. I found myself feeling completely out of my element. No longer in the close company of our little ward in Kungsbacka, one can easily melt into the congregation. But the awesome thing is that each person I talked to had their own personality. It's a huge ward, but that just means more wonderful people to become friends with.

ELDER ROWLEY'S PAGE TURNER

One of the cool things about moving to Handen is that I'm around Elder Rowely again. 

He needed a page turner, and he knew the skills I have in that field. 

I was sight-read page turning. 

But it ended up sounding great. 

ALREADY A CHRISTIAN

Later that night, we were out tracting. We didn't have much luck as many were out of town, with friends, or just not interested. But the last door we knocked on, we met a friendly face. Already a Christian, she was happy to see two young boys out spreading the beautiful message of Christmas. She explained how every morning she listens to the radio. And about a week ago, they had a two hour talk show about Christmas. In the entire program, there was not one mention of Jesus Christ. And then we came along. She had us wait at the doorstep and came back moments later with a box of chocolates and two mugs to say thank you for the message we share. She was just as excited about the message as we are :)

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

President and Sister Beckstrand read us The Night Before Christmas with a little missionary twist.

SHOPPING AT IKEA, BIG CHANGES, WONDERFUL DAY, 24 HOURS LATER---HANDEN, PERSONAL NOTE FROM THE EDITOR, PHOTOS FROM HOME

SHOPPING AT IKEA
It's been quite the week. This last Tuesday we began preparing for the two new missionaries that would be moving in with us. The apartment is spacious and quite luxurious, but we were missing some of the necessary furniture, like beds. Naturally, we wanted a place for them to sleep when they got there, so we went shopping at good old IKEA. It was pretty fun being in Sweden and shopping at IKEA. Almost as fun as the next 8 hours that it took for us to figure out and assemble the bunk bed, desks, dressers, and chairs. But long story short, when they stepped through that door, everything was ready for them. We spent the next few days adjusting with all the changes that come with having two extra people in the apartment, and it was a good time.  

BIG CHANGES
Friday night, about when we felt like everyone was getting settled in, we got a call from President Beckstrand. My first thought was, what did I do wrong? That thought was quickly pushed aside as I realized I'd been a trying my best to be a good boy so Santa Claus will bring my some presents this year.  As he began to talk to us though, I realized some big changes were coming. So it was then that I found out that I would be moving back to the Stockholm area in a city called Handen. Elder Chugg would be sent to Katrineholm. And all the work we had put into that apartment to make it the 5-star living quarters it is, was for nothing. Regular transfers were a week before, so it definitely took us by surprise. 

WONDERFUL DAY
The next day we spent with the new Elders teaching them everything they needed to know about the area -- the people they should meet, where to shop for groceries, and everything. We had a wonderful day together, and we got in contact with many of the people we planned for.  Sunday came around, and we had to let the ward know. This was probably the toughest part of it. We had planned Christmas with the families I had been with last year, and we were all excited. But that was all pushed aside as we explained that there was a change in the plans this year. 

24 HOURS LATER---HANDEN
I was lucky that I could play my violin with the choir for our last Sunday there, and 24 hours later, I'm sitting in Handen typing up this email. Missionary work can often fall into a monotonous cycle, but there are definitely curve balls that can come our way. I was so glad for the chance to return to Kungsbacka, and I thank the people there who have had an impact on my life. But I also look forward to my new adventure here in Handen. 

P.S. Sorry, no pictures this week. My hard drive is deep inside my suitcases, and I haven't had time to unpack yet. :)

PERSONAL NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Since Aldste Sweat wasn't able to send photos, I will add some personal photos from home.  Merry Christmas!!!

PHOTOS FROM HOME

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, missing our 2 missionaries this year.

Denzel, the youngest in our family.

Giovanna, our oldest child.

Dominique, our oldest son.

Dante, our 4th child, at BYU Jerusalem.

Elder Sweat, far right, our 5th child currently serving a mission in Guatemala.

Arianna & Tiana, his two younger sisters.

Denzel, the baby, sitting on Santa's lap.

Terrell and Becca, the wonderful parents of Aldste Sweat!!!  

Flashback photo from the good old days of watching our boys play baseball, eating seeds together, and giving the refs a hard time!  

VARBERG

The Swedish coastline in Varberg.

THE WORST OF THE STORM HAS PASSED

On Friday, we had Elder Roosendaal with us. His companion traveled to Stockholm for the day to attend meeting, and he would be back later that night. However, there was a huge storm around Northern Europe that created a change of plans for us. Elder Roosendaal stayed the night with us and his companion was left to fend for himself on the streets of Stockholm. Trains were cancelled and there was quite a bit of damage done. For me, though, it was just another rainy day. Although, the gusts of wind did make it slightly unpleasant as I found myself assaulted by rain that found its way into my ear hole. That was a first for me. But the next day, Elder Roosendaal's companion made it home safe and sound. And as far as I know, the worst of the storm has passed. 

IT'S BEGINNING...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ME?

If you haven't had the chance to check christmas.mormon.org, I would recommend it. This has been one of my favorite videos that I have seen in awhile. The story of the birth of our Savior is a reason to rejoice! But why? It's a question I have taken time to think about. Why is it important to me? And now, I extend that to you, discover why. 

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS

Joseph and Mary hold the baby Jesus on the night of His birth.

THE YOUNG CHRIST CHILD

A portrait of Mary and the young Christ child at the time the Wise Men brought gifts.

THE WISE MEN

The Wise Men present gifts to the child.

KUNGSBAKA FOR ANOTHER TRANSFER

This Saturday, we received the calls for transfers. Elder Chugg and I will be staying in Kungsbacka for another transfer. We will be receiving two new missionaries this week in our apartment. There are a lot of changes this week as we are receiving around 25 new missionaries to the mission. There will be many eager faces drinking in all the novelties Sweden has to offer. 

THE WARD CHRISTMAS PARTY

The bishopric dressed up to do a short sketch at the Ward Christmas party. As you can see, the kids are all mesmerized.