I doubt I can duplicate this week every in my life

We did it.
15 member present teaches.
20 total teaches.
and both really tired.

If you dont understand missionary numbers and stuff like that, just know that what we did was nearly impossible.
I learned so much this week. We set rediculous goals, basically just following the councel of the General Authority, and got others to try it too, built a team, planned very hard, worked even harder, had to be really creative, and relied heavly on the Lord. There were so many times that we said "if this whole day doesnt fall just perfectly, then there is no way we are going to get 15" Many times we were supprised with how busses just showed up, how members fell into place, and the Lord just provided. It was incredible. I've just about never been so mentally tired. We had so many teaches fall thrugh, and had to think really hard, until the Lord gave us the back up plan. One good example was at church, Jerry Appelqvist didnt come with his family. We needed 2 investigators to stay the whole time to get the teaches we needed, and Erik needed to go home after the 2nd. We couldnt do it! it was impossible! but Jerry came to the members house after church and we got a teach with him and them! It just worked out! And then to get the 15th teach, we were going to go with the Elders Quorum president and his son to a less active, and then go to our 15th teach. But we were short on time, and so our member came up with a brilliant idea of sending 2 of us to David Gustavssons house, and the other 2 (on splits) to Erika, our investigators. The teach with David Gustavsson was the 15th teach, and Erika would have been the 16th, but she wasnt home. We ended up going by our inactive friend, to get the 20th total teach. It was INCREDIBLE. I have learned so much about streching for goals and how the Lord will provide the way. I was thinking about it, and of all people on this earth, we are the ones he is going to help directly the most. When we set goals and pray about getting them, and work as hard as we can, he will do the rest. Of all people on this earth, we need it most. This week is going down in the record books. Our zone beat the all time total member teaches in recent (probably all time) Sweden Stockholm Mission History. With a total of 40. Our district got 35 of them, and our area got 15. Basically it was incredible. Our district is incredible. we are less then 1/4rd of the zone, but we get probably 80% of ALL the key indicators. We just work hard, that is it. Just do it. When we were planning on how we were going to get 15 member teaches Äldste Langston said "this is going to have to be incredible." And it was. We were on busses all day, trains and everything running by and thinking of the work 24-7. I think i dream missionary work now. What else... this week we played a game called, go thrugh every movie we could think of and name the charictors. It is really hard when you have been brainwashed (crystal clean) from the world back home. It was lots of fun though. We got stuck on a couple people. OH this was another funny experience. We have a bus driver friend, who grew up in sweden, but moved to Austrelia for 20 years and is now back. He is so cool. Well we saw him on just about every shift he had this weekend. we really got to know him well. He must think we are absolute work-a-holics. next Pday will be on Wednesday. That is kinda important.
Little update on the people we are working with: Jerry Appelqvist-- problem is he doesnt want to live the word of wisdom, but wants to get babtized Alexander Appelqvist-- we are not sure what he is waiting for but working very hard. The molment he is "ready" he said he will set a date, and I know he will follow thrugh with it. Erik-- Accepts everything, and enjoys church every week. Next time we will ask him for a babtisimal date. David Gustavsson-- We just dont want to make a less active member. He is ready, reads the book of mormon like crazy (he is 11 years old) and is in 3rd nephi. He had a possible ride to church every week. He will get babtized very soon, we are just making sure he is serious about it.
Thats it, ÄA

Jan 19th 2009

Hey! This week was very interesting. Zones Confrence was great, just took a huge chunk of time away from us. We traveled to Halmstad 1 night, slept there, finished our trip to göteborg and had zones confrence there. President Kopishke and Elder Ford were there from the 70. That was cool, they gave us this plan to go to the next level. It was really confusing but very good. Alot of it sound like he was saying what is wanted from us, but not what is practical, or reality. It was very interesting to hear what they had to say. Honestly I was very confused with what they actually wanted of us, but the zone leaders cleared up a lot of things for us last night. We are suppose to get 20 total teaches every week, and 15 of them are suppose to be member teaches. I'm sure the most of you dont understand what that implies. That is absolutely rediculus but we are going to do it!!!! It was really good! We are going to do it this week. I'm very excited for it. Äldste Langston is excited for it too. when we were planning he said "this is going to have to be incredible." haha yeah it is going to. we are going to try to do it this week. so back to last week, tuesday was travel to Halmstad, wed was drive to Göteborg and Zones Confrence stayed the night there, then thursday we were going to go home but Äldste Tikkinan was messing around with Äldste Petersen (they are best friends) and Tikkinan ended up splitting the back of his head open, he needed 2 stiches, so we went and waited at the hospital for 5+ hrs. I wasnt very happy. I can be really patiencnt with some things, but it was so stupid, anyway so we got home that night and killed 3 days to go to zc. then we went and chopped down a tree in this guys back yard-- that was pretty fun, but then that seriously took time out, and then the next day we helped another member paint her basement. so yeah, not much time to work, and tons of our planned teaches fell thrugh. that was not fun. Over all it was pretty good week i guess! learned a lot. I'm excited for this week, we are really going to tear it up! glad to hear the Draper Temple is done! that is so awesome!!! send me pictures someone! to get to the closest temple i'd have to get on a train for 2 hours to get to denmark. not too bad, but nothing like a 5 min drive! take advantate of what you guys have! Nothing like the promised land of America and Utah CONGRATS TO NATE! my cousin! apparently he has been doing awesome at basketball for the Miners. Keep it up! I'd like to see some more reports from you nate! and emailed news articles about it! Hopefully this week we get alot of work done! Love you all,
-- Äldste Riley Adamson

Jan 12th 2009

Hey so for a quick update this is what i sent to president in my report today " This week was a great week! we had a very sucessful time here in Kristianstad. We had 8 member teaches and 4 in sacrement. And the key to it all was the 15 teaches. They really help. People have been inviting friends over when we come and it has been really really good. Our mission leader is AWESOME. He really gets the work. We have a branch goal of having members invite the missionaries over AND a friend, doing that 2x a week! So hopefully we get a new investigator and a good contact 2x a week! So far it has been really good! this week we had 2 and a few weeks ago we had 1. It has been really good. I'd want to say that the branch understands the next level and is going to bring it here in Kristianstad. They get for the most part the new idea of them finding and us teaching-- but they still have some work to do. This week was very good. I was not at the teach with the Appelqvists but I heard it went good, but that Alexander and Jerry did not want to set a babtizimal date, AND would not tell why. We are working on that situation. David Gustavsson also has been showing progress. We had a member take his older inactive sister to church 2 weeks ago, and yesterday her and David came. That was Very good. If we can keep getting him a ride to chruch he will actually get babtized here soon. All our other investigators are doing great. We have Erik, Cristian, and Erika who all are showing great faith and openness, all are swedes between 20 and 29 years old. It is really really incredible how the Lord just does the work when us and the branch do their parts. Erik is a potiential babtism within the next 2 months, and Christian will need a little work-- but it is definately possible. And Erika is our new investigator who is open and seeking the truth. We will have to wait and see how the gospel effects her. "
OTHER exciting things that happened this week. While I was in Växjö on splits we went to a Jahova Witness meeting. It was very interesting, and really cool to see how they do missionary work. I think every member of our church should go to their church JUST to see how it feels to be an investigator and how they can become better missionaries themselves. It was SO interesting. I felt very welcome and everyone was very nice and willing to talk to us, didnt bash us or anything, and very respectful. And they are so close to the actual gospel it is scary. We as normal members of the chruch need to become better missionaries. This is how the work is going to go forth in the next level of missionary work. AND the next day we went to a Mosque. Cool huh??? we wanted to get a Qu'ran, but they didnt have any in english. BUT it was very interesting to talk to they guy and see what they believe. You guys should look into them, they are NOT what you think. They are such nice people and really are trying to do the best they can. You guys dont understand what it is like in sweden. I'd say that 30% - 40% of the people living in sweden are immigrants. Many are from the middle east. They are NOT what you think. Sweden has really opened my eyes to a lot of things. That day that we visited the mosque i felt like i was in another country, like a crazy country. The bus schedule was messed up and so the immigrant side of the city had tons of people trying to get on the bus, and we were over there and the busses were packed with people speaking all sorts of diffrent languages. I've decided i'm really good at guessing things. My comp got a bunch of cds for his birthday, and I guessed what 2 of them were AS he was opening them, I guessed Tarzan and Pocuhantas, and then i missed the other 2 or something. It was cool, and I guessed the exchange rate a few times. that was cool. Well anyway I guessed that these 2 girls were speaking veatnamese, and i was right. That was crazy. I guess i'm lucky! I think you would be BLOWN AWAY if you realized how much truths the Islamic Religion actually has. I'm just going to incourage you to look into it if you are interested. or ask me. Tomorrow we are going to work in Halmstad, and then the next day we are going to Göteborg for zones confrenece. That will be fun, but mess up this whole week. And today we are going to Hässelholm to go see the pompeus exhibit, you know the city that got volcanoed? well the exhibit is here apparently. I'm having tons of fun here! and our area is on fire!! it is really awesome to see it happening here! thanks for all you guys do! Love yall lots!!
-- Äldste Riley Adamson

Jan 5th 2009

Wow, so really quick. New years was pretty fun. we went to a members until 9.30 and then went home. BUT fireworks here are CRAZY! anyone can get the big huge ones, and they launch them off all over the place. I felt like i was in palistine this week. they were crazy. all over all week. HAHA so new years day we went in town and it was absoutely dead silent. we saw like 2 cars and 2 old people. It was pretty funny. and then at the train station there was like 10 teens who were just a mess. what the life right?? today we are going to take a bus down to shimrisham-- the most south you can go in sweden. i'm excited. dang this is going to be really short. Our zone down here is doing really good. It is cool to see the diffrent missionaries and how their attitude and willingness effects the acutal work they do. I'm sure i'll see more of that later. We need to get 15 teaches a week, wich is really hard. and some dont care at all. and it is from one of the Apostles. it just blows me a way. but my district is awesome lvoe youall
-- Äldste Riley Adamson