Hello Family!

Ok so I gotta lot of stuff to say, and it's actually pretty late and yeah....

Ok Stig got baptized!  I called him a few days before to ask him who he wanted to do it and he said "someone with authority"  haha haha!!! what a smart guy!  and a sense of humor!

But anyway I got the honors, it was pretty awesome.

From 06 Luleå w. Hanes

From 06 Luleå w. Hanes

From 06 Luleå w. Hanes

Some other cool things....

It was thanksgiving!  and I had lots of fun with some Americans!  they are in our branch and super awesome.

We also are trying to fix some of the underlying problems here in Luleå by helping them understand the importance of meetings, especially PVC etc.  They havnt had that in years haha.  Anyway help them with Home teaching etc.  Trying to build up Zion, which doesnt always mean knocking on doors.

Anyway I'm sorry it was so short...

I love you all, miss you all.  You guys are great.

ÄA

Hello Family! Nearly Thanksgiving!

Hey well I guess since it's nearly thanksgiving I'll say a bunch of stuff I'm thankful for!

• My Family
• They do so much for me!  they are still alive and doing well after all the crazy stuff they've been thru!  They are so awesome and I love them lots!!!!
• That I'm a missionary!
• I get to help a bunch of people understand that there is a God and that he still loves us even today.  And that I get to be in Sweden.  That is pretty cool.
• I dont think i'd be fair unless I name some spicific people in my family.  Especially my mom and all that she does for me and my family.  She is super awesome.
• I'm grateful for my Dad, and all that he taught me.  He taught me so many good principles, like to work hard and to play hard.  And true success isn't a material possession-- It's family and contention with what you have.
• I'm grateful for the awesome grandparents and great-grandparents I have.  Especially supporting me as a missionary and basically I couldn't be out here without them!
• I've also gotta say thanks to Matt.  I'm very grateful that he takes care of my family and that he could come visit me.  I'm grateful that he is a respectable man and respects my family and me.
• I'm grateful for THE GOSPEL!!!!  and that I know about the Book of Mormon!!!!!
• Sometimes still as a missionary it just feels like heavy sometimes and wow, like I know all this stuff, am I really doing all I can.  Is it really true??  Is all this worth it???  Is the Atonement real????  Well it is!
• I'm grateful for all the wonderful friends I had growing up- Matt and Bryce.  They are awesome.  And they are coming home soon.  Well I'm glad that I can know them and that they made good choices and helped me follow the gospel.
• I'm grateful for AMERICA!!!!  You guys have no idea.  I'm super grateful that we have the Bill of Rights, and that we are Free to believe what we want and say what we want.  I'm grateful that it was Possible for Joseph Smith to last 40 years or however long he actually made it.  Only in america and he barely did it.
• I'm grateful for my Investigators and all that they do.  That they were brave enough to ask God if the Book of Mormon is true.  
• I'm grateful for every person that stands up for what they honestly believe in-- No matter what that is.
• I'm grateful for spell check, and that I'm not spelling these all "greatful"
• I'm grateful for all the missionaries I know, cause they stand up for what they believe and sacrifice a lot to be in Sweden telling these people all this stuff, and It can be extremely hard. 

Anyway that is just a small list of the stuff I'm grateful for.  I hope all of you celibrate THE BEST HOLIDAY EVER by saying and thinking about the things you are grateful for.

OK about this week.

Stig is going to get baptized!!!!!!!!

This saturday!  we dont know all that much about what is going on, cause he lives so far away.  He said to us that he "wants this to be between God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost and himself"  haha so that's awesome!!!!!  he is a great guy.

We had some awesome stuff happen to us this week.  We went to Umeå for Transfers and I was with Elder Bennion, we had a good time and taught some awesome people and had some awesome teaches.

The most important thing we are working on is making a Branch Mission Plan.  We are working on making it, and making sure everyone understands it.

Have a great week!!

ÄA

Hey Family!

This week was pretty awesome!!

We had a killer week.  At the beginning we set up some awesome goals and worked really hard at them.  For a while, like the first couple days it looked like there was no way to get them.... we had almost no teaches until thursday.  Then after that we got kicking trash somehow and it was awesome!!  I guess the good thing was that we got several member teaches early in the week, but that was it.  Anyway it was a great week.

Sunday was probably one of the best days of my mission so far.  We had an investigator sing in Sacrement!!!  It was really really good.  If i could just explain how funny it was tho.... k so it was the Young womens turn to be in charge of sacrement meeting, so they all gave talks and were up on the stand.  And then Andreas after came and sang, and blew everyone away (and he played the piano at the same time) and it was super super good.  But the best part was all the young women were just mesmorized, they were completely out.  All of them were just staring at him with their mouths open.  And the other girls that came with Andreas got it all on video!!!!  HAHA!!!  I'll try to get the video so you guys can see it.

Anyway it was really good.
AND then after Andreas sang in sacrement a member of the Mission Presidency got up and talked to them and basically said thanks for sharing your tallents, but we got something to share with you guys, and taught the restoration to them.  It was pretty intense and i was scared they would get scared aweay, but they came 2 days later to our English Discussion Group!  AND AND they knew that my companion Elder Hanes was going to leave, and they wrote up a funny patition, and paper to "the big man" about that he should stay here, and if they fail to get him to stay then they wish him a good life.  It was so awesome!!!  They are way cool kids.

We had alot of good teaches too.  It was a really good week.

Tomorrow is transfers, and I'm staying in Luleå, and getting Elder Clarke (i know little about him, but i've meet him before and i'm excited for the next 2 months) and Elder Hanes is going to Stockholm inerstan to be with Elder Drake.  So yup thats the current sitiuation.

Also i've been collecting stamps of all things... I actually have had lots of fun with it.  We have some members that gave me some stamps, and I bought some.  It's been pretty cool.  Oh and this one investigator gave me some.  Anyway I'm having lots of fun in Sweden!!! It's great to be a missionary and bear testimony every day.

But i do miss home, and my bro Jeremy, i usually call him Bear, so it's weird to see Jeremy written.

anywya gotta go!

ÄA

Hey Fam! 10th Nov 2009

OK!

So we officially went into the Artic Circle yesterday!! it was way cool!  My comp had never been in the 6 months that he had been here so we took a bus up there and had a pretty good time.  We walked around the tiny tiny little city, and went to the church and some of the shops.  It was a good experience!

We went to a little shop and got some saumi stuff.  That was cool. I got a sami bracelet, they are really cool, and the cheapest up there.  That was good.  And we just went around and saw it all.

They have these funny things called "sparks" and they are little sled skooter things that everyone takes around.  I'll get a picture of them and send it to you.  They are pretty awesome.  Everyone had them up there.  It was frozen over everywhere.  Pretty much it was a frozen winter wonderland.  it was really cool acutally.

We went to Umeå and had sharpening with the assistants and president and our leader, it was pretty cool.  It sounds like my companion will be leaving me next week, and i'll get a new one.   But that isnt sure and we'll have to see what actually happens.  I would like to train but we'll have to see.

Everything is going pretty good.  Stig is awesome, he is going to get baptized pretty soon, and we are working hard with him.  He knows everything.  We working super hard this week to get 2 baptismal dates, even tho we have no idea who the next one will be.  We had set up some way hard goals, and working hard to get them.  It'll be lots of fun, but lots of work this week!  We are trying to make everything the best we can up her, and help the branch realize we are serious and want to work hard.  It's pretty good.

Life is good!

here are some random pictures.

From 06 Luleå w. Hanes

Thats us going into the Artic Circle

From 06 Luleå w. Hanes

This is the cool church in Jokkmokk

From 06 Luleå w. Hanes

This is what EVERYTHING looks like up here.  Trees white, water, sky, fog, it's pretty cool.

Anywya have a great week!

ÄA

Hey! Just Quick!

We went to Jokkmokk today.
It's above the Artic Circle and so we are heading back today, and probably wont have time to email when we get back to Luleå.

I'll email tomorrow morning.

Love ya'll

ÄA

Hey Family!! 091102

Hey!

Ok for things this week,

We had a pretty good week.  We got 13 teaches, and my comp was sick for most of the time.  It was good tho.  We also went on splits.  i went to Umeå with Elder Kroff.  That was pretty fun.  We taught a 11 year old kid that one day walked in their appartment and started talking to them.  He's an awesome kid.  His whole family is slowly starting to investigate the church.  It was pretty cool.  His dad died a few weeks ago, so i talked to him with that.  We did some good stuff tho there.  It was pretty fun.

We also had our english discussion class with our awesome high school friends.  They are troopers.  We play games with them for a little bit and then we talk about the gospel for a little.  Andreas is going to sing in sacrement meeting!!  I'm way excited for that.  He is awesome!!! we actually taught their english class again today.  High school classes can be an awesome way to find people if you do them right.  We did a pretty good job.

Another cool thing this week was what happened with our Iranian friends.  Parvaneh, the wife texted us asking if she can come to chruch on sunday.  It was pretty cool!!!  she came and she just wanted to sit in the hall way and read her koran.  She said that she hasn't had time to just think and do religious stuff sense she came to sweden.  I really care about them, they are so awesome!!  We are going to go to their house again sometime soon.  THat'll be fun.  I'm glad we got to be friends with them.  It's pretty cool to go see other people and what is going on in the world.  Parvaneh said she was really said that we could move in a few weeks, she said she considers us best friends.  That was pretty awesome, and she said that 4 months ago she lost her two best friends in all the troubles that happend in Iran.  one of her friends got thrown off a bridge and she was the first one to get to him, and he was dead.  Then another one of her best friends got shot right in front of her at a protest thing.  It's pretty sad...  I'm so glad we live in a peaceful nation!!!  America is one heck of a great place to live in.  I've never had such a great appreciation.

ANother note is that Thanksgiving is the best holiday in the world.  That's what i think all holidays should be like.  Family gets togther, have good food and say what they are thankful for!!!   Isn't that what christmas and easter should be like???  Where did all this greed and presents and materializm come from??  Anyway enjoy Thanksgiving because it's the most Godly and Holy holiday in my mind.

Other things....
Stig, our friend that is going to get baptized is doing awesome!!!  we went to his place and walked to the resturant where his newly married to wife works, and had some Thai dinner.  That was awesome!! we got to meet her for the first time, and Stig is fully ready for baptism.  He is one awesome guy!!!  I'm way excited for him.  He will be baptized on the 28th of November.  That is my 1½ year mark.  He is also a doctor, and has one funny sense of humor.  He is so funny.  We were talking about repentance and "change" in sunday school and he said something so funny.  I was laughing so hard.  He said something to the effect of "sounds like Obama".  It was so funny to hear him say that.

Anyway life is going pretty good!  this week a head will be pretty awesome.  Back down to Umeå for sharpening... and interviews, which means transfers are coming soon!!!!

anyway gotta go.  I love to hear from you guys!

Thanks,

ÄA