This week I had an interesting moment. We were on a street, and I had the thought, "wait a minute, I'm in Sweden... Speaking Swedish. Not in Utah speaking English." It was weird, because it didn't feel any different really.
Monday night we had a member dinner with a family and during dinner their 4 year-old daughter was playing with something colorful, so I asked her what color it was. A little note, I didn't really know Swedish colors yet. She taught me the colors, then went and grabbed some other colorful stuff to see if I knew the colors, and for the next 10 minutes I reviewed Swedish colors and pronunciation. Then she thought it would be cool to teach me to count, so we counted to 100 together in Swedish, and I learned how to pronounce a lot of sounds that I was doing wrong before. Then she realized that I spoke English, and the tables had turned. Now I was the teacher, and it was all about counting in English and English colors. It was fun. She now knows how to count to 30, and some colors, so we helped each other out. I was getting a language lesson from a 4 year-old. That's pretty humbling to know she can barely talk and her Swedish is better than mine.
My companion got sick, and was feeling so bad he couldn't go out on Tuesday, so I did splits with another Elder whose companion was in the same condition. The other one is on bed-rest for 3 days, but my companion is doing great now. We had a good time teaching finding, almost getting the cops called on us because a guy overreacted to us just knocking on his door, but it was fun. That's honestly the meanest thing a Swede has done to me since I got here. The people here are really nice, but also a lot of atheist. It seems like the people we meet are either Atheist, Mormons, or Jehovah's Witnesses. A Jehovah's Witness tried to contact us today, the most forward Jehovah's Witness missionary I've ever seen, and we had a nice discussion. He's cool and I wish he was a member of our church because he would be a great missionary.
We had a lesson with a Sambo couple (it means they live together and aren't married) and member this week. It was really interesting because it was just the wife with us and our member friend, and a child of each of theirs, and she was loving it. Our member was a missionary in England, and she did a great job of relating and teaching the lady. Things were going great, and we were getting ready to invite her to read and pray, then her sambo (unmarried husband) walks in, and my companion both feel like the world is about to collapse. Then he comes in and he is on the same page as them. He was just as interested, and was asking good questions, taking our commitments, and it was incredible! Things went great, and they committed to coming to church, reading, praying, and meeting again. It's so cool!
We have another investigator from Afghanistan who we ran into twice while contacting this week, and checked up on him during those visits, but he didn't show up to his lesson today, so we'll see how things go with him. He's really positive, and has a way cool story and family. I especially love his dad and the impact he made in this man's life. We almost had to drop one of our other Muslim investigators, but he agreed to meeting somewhere else, and praying, so things are great with him. His brother is another investigator, but things aren't going as well with him, even though he's more willing to pray and accept Christ.
I had my first moose this week. We had a member dinner, and it was such good food, I asked what it was, hoping for a name, they told me it was a meat-loaf with Beef, Pork, and Moose. Mostly moose. I really like moose meat. Up next is reindeer and Surströmming. Two other Swedish delights I haven't tried yet. Then again, a lot of Swedes haven't even tried Surströmming.
That's enough of the adventures, we had a cool district meeting about doing the Father's will, and our desires, why we came on a mission, etc. The sad part is my district leader is transferring, and he's a spiritual giant, and the best leader or missionary I've met. We had an incredible meeting, and I realized even if I didn't start my mission for the best reason, I now have that desire, and it is changing me. We had an amazing stake conference and were invited to lay down our weapons of rebellion and never take them up again. We each wrote down one weapon of rebellion we had, and buried it in a place near the chapel and temple, representing our commitment to never pick it up again, even after our mission is over. Commitment is the key to changing, and no commitment will be kept without love, so learn to love those that hate you, and that you don't know. As you seek to be the light, set the example, and share God's love, you will find that others will accept it, and Satan will throw everything he has at you to take you down. But remember that God is protecting you, and only allows Satan to tempt you with that which ye are able to overcome. They that be with God are more than they that be with Satan. Never doubt, love and share. The church is true as is the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith was called by God to be his prophet and was given the authority to do so by those who had it, as was President Thomas S. Monson. I know that God grants his spirit to be with us, and blesses us always. Our Savior lives and suffered and died for us.
Mvh,
Äldste Liddle
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