Jakobsberg Week 9 - April 16, 2018

Hello!

This week was so cool!

On Tuesday, we visited the Stockholm Sweden Temple! It was amazing! It is in Västerhanige so we just have to get on the train in Kallhäll and ride about an hour. A companionship is allowed to attend if one of the companions has not been in 6 months, so we switched our p day from Monday to Tuesday and visited then. The session was in Norwegian because a stake from Norway was attending, so we listened with headsets to the Swedish translation.  I turned mine off a few times and the Norwegian was super similar to the Swedish. We have some good pictures!

It also happened to be Elder Petersen's 20th birthday on Tuesday! After visiting the temple, we went and had Pizza Hut buffet! It was super good. Grattis på födelsedag, Äldste Petersen!!!

This week has been full of miracles! Here are a few of them:

Elder Craun and I on splits (on the dock outside our house after a morning run)

I was on the train on Wednesday morning and tried to begin a conversation with the lady across from me. She said that she didn't want to talk and continued reading a book that she had. I took note and took out a copy of Mormons bok that I had and started reading so that I could ask her something like 'what does this word mean' and try to get a conversation started in that way. The train ride was soon over and I got off. I didn't really think about that attempted contact any more. About 8 hours later, Elder Craun and I were on splits, doing some evening door knocking. It was about time for us to finish up and get home. We got to the last door we ended up knocking, and guess who answered?!?! Yep. I recognized her immediately as the same lady from the train, but I wasn't 100 percent certain it was her. Elder Craun began the contact and soon the lady was like, 'oh yeah, I sat across from you on the train this morning!' It was unbelievable! We ended up having a great conversation. She visited Salt Lake City just a few months ago and made some friends there who have sons on missions. She said that the first time she came in contact with the Church was around the time her children were born, she got really interested in family history then and said that the Church's resources were really helpful. The coolest part of the conversation is when we introduced the Book of Mormon to her. She accepted our invitation to read Alma 32 and I gave her the same copy of Mormons bok that I had started reading that morning on the train after she said she wasn't interested in talking. We will be going back to visit sometime this week. Isn't it cool when we get to see just how much the Lord's hand is in our lives?

On Thursay evening, Elder Petersen and I had a few minutes to be out and we prayed that we could find someone to help. We were lead to an area near our apartment and began talking with Dimitris. He was cutting up newspaper to put into his compost bins. We began talking to him, and his wife came out and talked with us as well. I don't even really remember what we were talking about, but we became really good friends really fast. Elder Petersen and I are planning on going back on Friday, Dimitris' 75th birthday. I know that our prayer was answered by meeting him.

I was talking to a man on a bus on Saturday and he told me that he was a member of the Church halfway through the conversation! He has been inactive for years and recently moved into our ward boundaries. We got his number and he wants to meet with us next week.

Yesterday was Elder and Sister Smith's last Sunday in Sweden! We had dinner with them and the sisters at Bishop Fhors' house. They will be headed back to Rexburg, Idaho on Tuesday. It has been so fun being in the same ward as them, I am so grateful for senior couple missionaries! 

One last bit of exciting news: Elder Renlund is coming to Sweden! He was born here and he can speak Swedish, and this is the first time he will be visiting Sweden since his call as an Apostle! We will get to hear him speak in two weeks, both at a mission conference and a stakewide fireside. He will have a special fireside for us. Only the missionaries in Stockholm will get to attend in person, the other missionaries will participate via the Internet! He will also be speaking for all of Sweden, and we get to attend in person for that as well because we are in the Stockholm stake! I am so excited to get to listen to an Apostle of Jesus Christ! 

I hope you all have en underbar vecka!

Äldste Francis

Here are some pictures of the temple, eating pizza, Elder Craun and I on splits (on the dock outside our house after a morning run), and some nice springtime blossoms!