Nice story, mom. It gives me hope for the people here. I was actually thinking about that the other day, how 60 years ago, North Carolina was no stronger than it is here and even less so. People here have to stay strong in a land where God has no importance. It's really sad that they don't even have the opportunity to choose to believe in God because they don't ever learn to appreciate it.
Last P-Day we went into Stockholm and wandered around Gamla Stan, the old part. It was fantastic! I had never been in a real, old (or real old for that matter) European city before. It had all the crooked, cobblestone streets I could have ever asked for. Fun color, great angles, cute boutiques, sidewalk cafes, old churches, a bridge or two and water on all sides! I wore my best outfit and my red shoes, so I felt like I fit in quite well, like I was in an old spy movie or something (Charade? Dare I compare myself to Audrey Hepburn? Yes!). It was great! We walked past the Nobel Museum which is closed on Mondays as is most everything else, sadly, and took a picture. I tried to attach some pictures, but it didn't work, so we'll see if I have time.
Speaking of which President Anderson is not very strict in rules on time spent on the internet and music. He lets us decide, which is quite nice for me and tells a lot about the missionaries here on the whole. We can take the time we need as long as it's not excessive. And we can listen to any music we want as long as it is uplifting and does not detract from the Spirit, so my music is a go! Sister Wood, being a musician herself loves classical music as much as I do. Last week we were listening to Brahms' A German Requiem and she mentioned how she loves the Faure requiem. Ta Da! Whipped it out! I would like to say though, Dad, that I chose to take off all the Mahler except the 2nd symphony and yesterday I put it on and Sis. Wood said that her favorite was the 5th she thought. I couldn't find it even though I remember that it was in my list. I must have deleted it! Unfortunate! We usually save the classical music for our unwinding, journal time at the end of the night and stick to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or the like in the mornings before study.
Another fun happening from this week...We have our district meetings in Stockholm, so we get to go into the city on Thursdays. This Thursday was terribly gray and rainy, but as we went up the street we could hear a drum beat. My first thought was, "who would be beating a drum on the street," thinking it was some street musician. Then, to our surprise came a 25 or 30 horse parade with royal guards decked out in their blue uniforms and lustrously shiny, pointy helmets. They had instruments, but were not playing them. We watched them and Sister Wood took some pictures before they disappeared up the street and we continued on our way. We hear that wasn't normal. There's a changing of the guards, but that's closer to the palace.
After district meeting we went over to one of our investigator's houses to clean up for a dinner we were having over there with a member, her inactive daughter, a young single adult from the area, us, and this investigator. She's in a wheelchair because of her weight, so she can't clean very well. She has a home service that cleans for her a couple times a week (provided by the gov't), but they don't really clean anything. It seems like they just wipe over everything and leave what doesn't come up on the first try. We finally cleaned up the slice of cucumber and melted something or other that has been on the floor since I got here (month ago) and vacuumed the cat hair off of the couch, pillows and chairs. I thought about Ted while sucking clumps of cat hair up from their favorite cushion. Good thing I'm not allergic.
Also, we had kind of a bummer week as far as weather and lessons went, but Saturday we met with our investigator from the Congo and the man he lives with. We showed them the Restoration video in French. They both speak French and Swahili, but our investigator only speaks English while his friend speaks only Swedish besides that, so we all translated for each other. It was really interesting. So, after the movie and talking about the Book of Mormon, this man said that he did not doubt Joseph Smith's experience because he too had an experience similar to Joseph Smith when he said that if he had not seen the things he had, he would not believe them either. He was in prison and was able to escape miraculously. He didn't go into details, but it sounded like he had just been able to walk out without anyone noticing. He believes there should just be one church and one faith. God would not want his children to be confused. The Spirit was so strong and when we left, I said to Sister Wood, "So is that what they call 'golden'?" She said, "Yep, that was pretty golden." I hope he is able to read and come to church and find what he's looking for.
Last thing. We had our music night last night. I sang with Sis Wood and played two flute pieces. They were way easy, but sounded nice. People loved it and said I sounded great, but then they started talking about a Sister who had been here 3 years ago who supposedly played for general conference this last time. Music and the Spoken word? There's always someone better :) But I was pleased and people enjoyed it. There was also a Russian choir that came and sung which was so fun! Anyway, off I go. Hope everyone is doing well. I keep you all in my prayers. I am still happy to be here and enjoying it. The other day we discovered a nature reserve with great bike trails which was actually the fastest way to bike from Jakobsberg to Akalla. The Lord loves me! I know he loves you all to and I really hope you are all doing what you need to be doing to remember that. I'm understanding our part more and more. I always knew it was important, but I'm seeing examples every day of how faith is a principle of action and without doing something we lose it. Funny how rich the simple things of the gospel are. Love you all!
Syster Maxwell
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Week 4
Hej hej!
So, I ate my words last email. That afternoon was lovely and there were little leaf buds on our trees outside. We also saw our first flowers. Yay! No trees yet, but I'm sure they'll be creeping out soon. We went on a bike ride on Monday to test out our bikes. It was a gorgeous day and all you needed was a light jacket. I was supposedly the bike expert as I think I said last time since I had some bike experience recently. So, I took the lead. We were going along nicely for about 10 minutes until the sidewalk suddenly ended and I tried to stop and turn around. Bad idea with 1/2 an inch of loose gravel still on the sidewalk from the winter. My bike skidded sideways and I took a dive head first off the side of my bike. I really wasn't going very fast, so I just scraped up my left palm and dirtied my right knee. All-in-all not so bad, but still maddening. Luckily there wasn't anyone on the street so only Sis Wood saw my spill. So much for my expertise. We had to buy Sis Wood a new seat since hers is rather uncomfortable. We found some great seats at the store that I may need to invest in as well. We biked to church on Sunday. It was only 3 km or so, but we'll have to work up to the 10 km rides we had planned on. It's been awhile since Sis Wood rode a bike. I'm surprisingly in ok shape still I think.
So, Dad, my area is specifically from Ekerö to Äkalla and Bro to Spånga. We are taking in another area that's closing too which is past Äkalla, starting at Sollentuna and going somewhere to the North and East. Clear up to Märsta, but we probably won't be doing too much work up there.
We've been getting a lot of referrals from other missionaries and our investigators this week. It's been great! Hopefully we can get a good group of Africans coming to the ward, so they all feel more inclined to keep coming. We had 5 total at church on Sunday. We also had a big lunch afterwards for the Bishop's dad's birthday. They had two huge smörgås tortas (sandwich cake) and princess torta. Both really good! Smörgås torta has layers of meat or other sandwichy spreads on flat bread and is covered with creamy cheesy stuff and vegetables. It's pretty!
Another interesting thing this week has to do with the complications of being a Sister missionary. I have a hard time talking to men on the street because I don't know what they think my intentions are especially with the cultural mix that we have in our area. Not everyone would view us the same way. On Friday we went to visit one of our investigators at the library. The lesson took an interesting turn when he started talking about marriage and expressed his opinion that we were all just trying to find a place to put our hearts. Then he asked about if we could go out with people while we were on our missions and are we on our missions forever. We told him no, no dating and no, we are normal people that do this for a short time. He insisted that we should take opportunities that arise on our missions since we are building our homes while we are here. We quickly ended the now-awkward lesson and left. We had our suspicions that he liked Sis Wood after that and sure enough he sent a text message expressing that. So, now we don't know what to do. He came to church on Sunday and left after Sacrament Meeting. We aren't sure if he's been coming to church and taking lessons because of Sis. Wood or because of the gospel. I guess this happens to missionaries a bit on the mission.
Anyway, I'm out of time. We are teaching a lot (for here). Our goal is 18 lessons a week. Well, we found a flute for me to play at our music fireside next week. Yay! And thanks Grandma Win for all your letters! They are so great! Love you all. Be good. Play nice.
Love,
Sis. Maxwell
So, I ate my words last email. That afternoon was lovely and there were little leaf buds on our trees outside. We also saw our first flowers. Yay! No trees yet, but I'm sure they'll be creeping out soon. We went on a bike ride on Monday to test out our bikes. It was a gorgeous day and all you needed was a light jacket. I was supposedly the bike expert as I think I said last time since I had some bike experience recently. So, I took the lead. We were going along nicely for about 10 minutes until the sidewalk suddenly ended and I tried to stop and turn around. Bad idea with 1/2 an inch of loose gravel still on the sidewalk from the winter. My bike skidded sideways and I took a dive head first off the side of my bike. I really wasn't going very fast, so I just scraped up my left palm and dirtied my right knee. All-in-all not so bad, but still maddening. Luckily there wasn't anyone on the street so only Sis Wood saw my spill. So much for my expertise. We had to buy Sis Wood a new seat since hers is rather uncomfortable. We found some great seats at the store that I may need to invest in as well. We biked to church on Sunday. It was only 3 km or so, but we'll have to work up to the 10 km rides we had planned on. It's been awhile since Sis Wood rode a bike. I'm surprisingly in ok shape still I think.
So, Dad, my area is specifically from Ekerö to Äkalla and Bro to Spånga. We are taking in another area that's closing too which is past Äkalla, starting at Sollentuna and going somewhere to the North and East. Clear up to Märsta, but we probably won't be doing too much work up there.
We've been getting a lot of referrals from other missionaries and our investigators this week. It's been great! Hopefully we can get a good group of Africans coming to the ward, so they all feel more inclined to keep coming. We had 5 total at church on Sunday. We also had a big lunch afterwards for the Bishop's dad's birthday. They had two huge smörgås tortas (sandwich cake) and princess torta. Both really good! Smörgås torta has layers of meat or other sandwichy spreads on flat bread and is covered with creamy cheesy stuff and vegetables. It's pretty!
Another interesting thing this week has to do with the complications of being a Sister missionary. I have a hard time talking to men on the street because I don't know what they think my intentions are especially with the cultural mix that we have in our area. Not everyone would view us the same way. On Friday we went to visit one of our investigators at the library. The lesson took an interesting turn when he started talking about marriage and expressed his opinion that we were all just trying to find a place to put our hearts. Then he asked about if we could go out with people while we were on our missions and are we on our missions forever. We told him no, no dating and no, we are normal people that do this for a short time. He insisted that we should take opportunities that arise on our missions since we are building our homes while we are here. We quickly ended the now-awkward lesson and left. We had our suspicions that he liked Sis Wood after that and sure enough he sent a text message expressing that. So, now we don't know what to do. He came to church on Sunday and left after Sacrament Meeting. We aren't sure if he's been coming to church and taking lessons because of Sis. Wood or because of the gospel. I guess this happens to missionaries a bit on the mission.
Anyway, I'm out of time. We are teaching a lot (for here). Our goal is 18 lessons a week. Well, we found a flute for me to play at our music fireside next week. Yay! And thanks Grandma Win for all your letters! They are so great! Love you all. Be good. Play nice.
Love,
Sis. Maxwell
Monday, April 12, 2010
Week 3
Hello all,
Spring here is hardly Spring at all. There are no leaves on the trees. There are no flowers. There is lots of wind and gray. Luckily, those days are becoming fewer and fewer. We are hoping to take the bikes out soon; though, I tried riding them and they are only såder (so-so). One of them had a hard man-seat and the other one has a rack on the back which scrapes against the tire. It also has a gear looking thing that rolls along the tire. I don't know what it's for exactly, but it creates more resistance. There is also a wire basket on the side of both bikes. Most people seem to have those on their bikes, but I'm not used to it, so when I tried to get off the bikes (on an uphill--we have a steep driveway), I fell off and got a nice bruise next to my knee. This happened both times. Not like I was riding both bikes at the same time. That would be impressive.
So, we had our first baptism this week. It went off really well. Sister Wood was freaking out the whole day about the font getting full enough and then that Lawal would actually come and then that everything would be perfect. Not to worry, the font got full, in part because Lawal didn't show up until right when the baptism was supposed to start. All the missionaries in Stockholm came because they were going to bring investigators. They didn't end up having anyone come, but they made up half of the congregation, so that was good. Also, 2 of them were the ones that found Lawal, so they came and took part. I said the closing prayer. I feel like I helped a little because I got to teach him most of the commandments. Yeah!
So, we just hope that he stays active. One of the problems they have here which is the same the world over is that people who don't speak the language and come from another culture have a hard time staying active in the church because they feel like they don't have a place or role. We actually have a number of African males that we have been teaching and another one that joined the church in November. If they all came, they would have a great group and be a great support for each other. Another problem is that transportation is expensive here as is everything else, so it's a burden to come to church. Lawal for example takes an hour to get to church because he takes the tunnelbana and pendetåg (trains) instead of taking a direct bus because he can't speak Swedish and it's easier to buy a ticket for the train with a real person than trying to use the machine to buy a bus ticket. That's our theory anyway. The awesome thing is that he got confirmed yesterday. He was 40 minutes late, but he brought a guy he met on the train with him! He loves saying hey and talking to all the African guys on the street. It's great.
So another struggle I'm facing is the missionary culture. I suppose I should just accept it. Sis. Wood has missionary voice really bad. And she loves to decorate her planners. And tell lame jokes. And let go of personal appearance (not that I ever was very big on looking so fashionable). It's not just her. It's everyone. I realized those things and other things I can't recall at the moment are very important to her and I need to find a way to compromise. We are going to decorate our planners. I will just make mine classy. Don't worry, this isn't affecting my testimony.
So, another thing about Swedish people that's very interesting is that they have a wall up against religion. They were painted to me as a cold, closed people, so I was pleasantly surprised when people were pleasant and even friendly to us when we had a question or needed help. But bring up religion, and there's nothing. Not even a discussion about it. Unless you are talking to a Jehovah's Witness or someone who isn't originally Swedish. We got preached to by a young Islamic man this week. He told us to go home and sincerely pray to God to know that he was there and that he promised us we would receive an answer. He also talked about the perfection of the Quaran and told us to read it to know that it was the word of God. We were like, "Hey! That's our line!" It was funny. Anyway, one of the members in the ward said that she thinks they may not talk about it because they have no way to defend their beliefs because they have nothing backing up their non-belief. That's interesting and I want to understand that better.
Anyway. I need to get going. We have zone conference tomorrow. We have Sisters staying at our house tonight and tomorrow, so I get to see Sis. Page and Gotberg from my MTC group again. Yay! It will be a kärleksfest! I hope I've explained that, so it doesn't seem weird. It's an inside joke (See 'Come Ye Disconsolate, verse 3).
Well, I am starting to see the miracles happening. Scriptures I happened to read being perfect. The bus being 5 minutes late when we are too. People seeing their lives improving and becomíng closer to their Heavenly Father. So, things are picking up and I'm still happy to be here.
Love,
Syster Maxwell
Spring here is hardly Spring at all. There are no leaves on the trees. There are no flowers. There is lots of wind and gray. Luckily, those days are becoming fewer and fewer. We are hoping to take the bikes out soon; though, I tried riding them and they are only såder (so-so). One of them had a hard man-seat and the other one has a rack on the back which scrapes against the tire. It also has a gear looking thing that rolls along the tire. I don't know what it's for exactly, but it creates more resistance. There is also a wire basket on the side of both bikes. Most people seem to have those on their bikes, but I'm not used to it, so when I tried to get off the bikes (on an uphill--we have a steep driveway), I fell off and got a nice bruise next to my knee. This happened both times. Not like I was riding both bikes at the same time. That would be impressive.
So, we had our first baptism this week. It went off really well. Sister Wood was freaking out the whole day about the font getting full enough and then that Lawal would actually come and then that everything would be perfect. Not to worry, the font got full, in part because Lawal didn't show up until right when the baptism was supposed to start. All the missionaries in Stockholm came because they were going to bring investigators. They didn't end up having anyone come, but they made up half of the congregation, so that was good. Also, 2 of them were the ones that found Lawal, so they came and took part. I said the closing prayer. I feel like I helped a little because I got to teach him most of the commandments. Yeah!
So, we just hope that he stays active. One of the problems they have here which is the same the world over is that people who don't speak the language and come from another culture have a hard time staying active in the church because they feel like they don't have a place or role. We actually have a number of African males that we have been teaching and another one that joined the church in November. If they all came, they would have a great group and be a great support for each other. Another problem is that transportation is expensive here as is everything else, so it's a burden to come to church. Lawal for example takes an hour to get to church because he takes the tunnelbana and pendetåg (trains) instead of taking a direct bus because he can't speak Swedish and it's easier to buy a ticket for the train with a real person than trying to use the machine to buy a bus ticket. That's our theory anyway. The awesome thing is that he got confirmed yesterday. He was 40 minutes late, but he brought a guy he met on the train with him! He loves saying hey and talking to all the African guys on the street. It's great.
So another struggle I'm facing is the missionary culture. I suppose I should just accept it. Sis. Wood has missionary voice really bad. And she loves to decorate her planners. And tell lame jokes. And let go of personal appearance (not that I ever was very big on looking so fashionable). It's not just her. It's everyone. I realized those things and other things I can't recall at the moment are very important to her and I need to find a way to compromise. We are going to decorate our planners. I will just make mine classy. Don't worry, this isn't affecting my testimony.
So, another thing about Swedish people that's very interesting is that they have a wall up against religion. They were painted to me as a cold, closed people, so I was pleasantly surprised when people were pleasant and even friendly to us when we had a question or needed help. But bring up religion, and there's nothing. Not even a discussion about it. Unless you are talking to a Jehovah's Witness or someone who isn't originally Swedish. We got preached to by a young Islamic man this week. He told us to go home and sincerely pray to God to know that he was there and that he promised us we would receive an answer. He also talked about the perfection of the Quaran and told us to read it to know that it was the word of God. We were like, "Hey! That's our line!" It was funny. Anyway, one of the members in the ward said that she thinks they may not talk about it because they have no way to defend their beliefs because they have nothing backing up their non-belief. That's interesting and I want to understand that better.
Anyway. I need to get going. We have zone conference tomorrow. We have Sisters staying at our house tonight and tomorrow, so I get to see Sis. Page and Gotberg from my MTC group again. Yay! It will be a kärleksfest! I hope I've explained that, so it doesn't seem weird. It's an inside joke (See 'Come Ye Disconsolate, verse 3).
Well, I am starting to see the miracles happening. Scriptures I happened to read being perfect. The bus being 5 minutes late when we are too. People seeing their lives improving and becomíng closer to their Heavenly Father. So, things are picking up and I'm still happy to be here.
Love,
Syster Maxwell
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Week 2
So, week two. Seems like things are still going well. Mom, your Easter basket was at the mission office the first night I came. It made everyone sick and they exclaimed how typical it was that I would have mail. Not in the least, my friends! I didn't actually get that many packages in the mtc, thank you very much. It's ok. They won't make fun of me for it any more because they are gone. All over Sweden that is. Not home. I got your first letter to me grandma and, mom, your two. This weekend was Easter weekend, so the libraries were closed and there was no post. Yes, I said 'post' to be cool. They celebrate Easter here with witches, trick-o-treating, and decorating with feathers and birch branches. I saw Elder Dean who was in the MTC with me at conference on Sunday. He said they saw a girl dressed up as a witch dancing on top of a felled tree in the center of Västerås with feathers everywhere. It has to do with Easter chickens and the coming of spring, but I don't know what the witches are all about. We were out tracting a little on Friday and people kept coming to the door with treats and we had to skip a floor because there were kids going around with faces painted like they were cats (I think--mice maybe?) Mostly we had to deal with people being gone and busses and trains that ran less than normal. We bought and drank some Påsk Must which gave me a headache, but it was good. Luckily we had conference this weekend, so we didn't have time to do much finding work. So the way conference worked here was they broadcasted it to a few stake centers in the area in Swedish, English and Spanish. There were actually more people in the English because so many people understand it and I assume they preferred listening to it in the original language. We watched the Sat morning session live at 6pm then went home. The next day they watched the taped priesthood session at 10 or 12 I think. Then we came and saw the taped Sat afternoon session at 2pm and waited for the live Sunday morning session at 6pm. We didn't watch the Sat. afternoon session at all and will have to catch it in the Liahona next month.
So, we have had a lot going on besides that. I think I mentioned last week that we have a few investigators from Africa (Nigeria and Cameroon) one (we hope) from Russia and one from Peru and a Swedish lady. There are some other people we are working with (less actives and recently baptized) that are from Chile and Peru. So, we don't seem to speak Swedish very often and it still freaks me out and I still have only a slight idea what people are saying to me. I still do silly things when I teach, but I know that when I bear testimony of the important things, the Spirit is there, so that's a plus. I've gotten over the first week of feeling lost and wondering, "Is this really what a mission is like?" We seem to spend a lot of time on busses which Sister Wood says is not typical, but we have to because our area is so large. The church gives us a card that works all year in the Stockholm area, so we don't have to worry about paying or having enough money for busses and trains. It's fantastic!
I still get freaked out by stopping and talking to people mostly because my Swedish is so bad and I feel awkward. Sis Wood reassuringly told me that a mission really is one long awkward moment. Great. I feel ok about it though because we are out to talk to people that want to talk to us. If they aren't interested, they aren't interested, and we find people who are. A few times people are interested in chatting about religion, but not hearing about ours, so they will spew their (oftentimes cynical) viewpoints all over us and we smile and let them go in peace. It's fun because I get to just listen and nod knowingly. I love that! I usually have to ask Sis Wood what the heck they were talking about, but I usually get the gist.
So, the style for young women here is no pants. We as sisters have the tights part down, but the long skirts really set us apart :)
Anyway, I think that's everything. Baptism on Saturday. Everyone is still nice. Elders are awkward but funny. Running for 15 minutes in the morning really doesn't cut it. Oh, and it snowed yesterday, but it's lovely today.
I'm starting to like this. I love sharing my testimony with people who are eager to hear it and truly seeking the truth because I know how and where to find it. I love that!
Love,
Syster Maxwell
So, we have had a lot going on besides that. I think I mentioned last week that we have a few investigators from Africa (Nigeria and Cameroon) one (we hope) from Russia and one from Peru and a Swedish lady. There are some other people we are working with (less actives and recently baptized) that are from Chile and Peru. So, we don't seem to speak Swedish very often and it still freaks me out and I still have only a slight idea what people are saying to me. I still do silly things when I teach, but I know that when I bear testimony of the important things, the Spirit is there, so that's a plus. I've gotten over the first week of feeling lost and wondering, "Is this really what a mission is like?" We seem to spend a lot of time on busses which Sister Wood says is not typical, but we have to because our area is so large. The church gives us a card that works all year in the Stockholm area, so we don't have to worry about paying or having enough money for busses and trains. It's fantastic!
I still get freaked out by stopping and talking to people mostly because my Swedish is so bad and I feel awkward. Sis Wood reassuringly told me that a mission really is one long awkward moment. Great. I feel ok about it though because we are out to talk to people that want to talk to us. If they aren't interested, they aren't interested, and we find people who are. A few times people are interested in chatting about religion, but not hearing about ours, so they will spew their (oftentimes cynical) viewpoints all over us and we smile and let them go in peace. It's fun because I get to just listen and nod knowingly. I love that! I usually have to ask Sis Wood what the heck they were talking about, but I usually get the gist.
So, the style for young women here is no pants. We as sisters have the tights part down, but the long skirts really set us apart :)
Anyway, I think that's everything. Baptism on Saturday. Everyone is still nice. Elders are awkward but funny. Running for 15 minutes in the morning really doesn't cut it. Oh, and it snowed yesterday, but it's lovely today.
I'm starting to like this. I love sharing my testimony with people who are eager to hear it and truly seeking the truth because I know how and where to find it. I love that!
Love,
Syster Maxwell
Monday, April 5, 2010
Week 1 in Sweden
29 March 2010
Hello all!
So, I'm in Sweden. It's finally hitting me that I'm actually in Europe. It was all surreal the first few days, but the different architecture, food, and language not to mention the fantastic public transportation system are starting to sink in. Everyone told me that Stockholm was one of the most beautiful, clean cities they'd ever seen and that the entire country of Sweden followed suit, but what I found when I got here was a gray, grimey place with just as much litter as in similarly grimey US cities. It came as a shock, but after a few days I realized these were effects of the still-clinging winter and my companion says they clean up all the gravel and junk when winter is over. I started trying to imagine what it would look like when everything is green, and I can say that I'm very excited for the summer to come.
The darkness is normal now. It's light by about 5 in the morning I believe and gets dark about 6:30 or 7, so that's not too much different yet. The sun has only been out half of the time, but they tell me it is also sunnier in the summer more often. I came at the end of the worst winter they have had in 40 years, so I'm very grateful for the timing. On our last Sunday in Utah it was beautiful! I swear it was in the 60s, sunny and clear. A lady came up to us and enthusiastically let us know it was going to be like that all next week. We told her we were leaving the next day for Sweden. Oh the irony! It's been in the 30s when it's cloudy and the 40s when the sun is out, so I've just been wearing a jacket another sister left in the apartment. There's a huge bag of clothes in the apartment that I'm going to sort through today and see if there is anything worth the wearing. I'll save my big coat for next winter. It will be perfect!
So, the 11 of us going to Sweden plus 2 senior couples going to other European couples had an overnight flight to Paris. The airport was lovely and we all bought something French to eat, so we would feel like we had officially been there. I got a stamp in my passport. It might just be an exit stamp, but it's a stamp nonetheless. I got to see a bit of England and France, though it was mostly clouded over, but on the next flight, it was fun to fly over what might have been Denmark. Lots of lakes. I sat next to a lady from Scotland who's lived in Sweden for many years. She was nice when I actually had the nerve to talk to her since she looked so severe at first. The food they served was the prettiest airplane food I'd ever seen. French airplane food! I wish I'd taken a picture, but I felt silly.
So, president and sister Anderson met us at the airport and were very kind. We spent a couple of nights at the mission home getting acquainted with the country and the culture. We did a session at the temple all in Swedish and went contacting in Stockholm later that day. Not a good experience, but it's gotten better :) We went to the young adult center they have in Stockholm. I didn't know about these, but they are like institutes with a missionary focus and have lots of activities. They have them all over Europe and have been really great for the young single adults here. I didn't realize that Elder Kopishka (sp?) is the Area President for this part of Europe (all of Europe?). Cool. You did say that you were on good terms now, right, Dad? Also, Sis. Anderson was your mom's visiting teacher for years, Aubrie, and they said their son climbs up mountains with your dad. Ted, you really should try that new-fangled-emailing-missionaries thing. It's awesome.
Well, we got our assignments on Thursday with the usual pomp and circumstance. They have you read a letter with your assignment and trainer, but the trainers don´t have their nametags on when they come in. The goal is that you´ll go and talk with each one in Swedish to figure out who it is. Luckily for me, we had met my trainer on Wed when we did contacting and she had accidentally revealed her true identity then, so I just went and gave her a hug. We all then had kebob pizza (i.e. pizza with kebob on it. So good!)
So, I'm now in the Jakobsberg area which is the northwestern part of Stockholm. It's the Järfälla commune. I live in Barkarby specifically. I think that's ok to say. Our area is fairly large and we take public transit everywhere, so half of the day is spent traveling it seems. Swedes don't talk to each other on the bus, so mostly we've been striking up conversation with people who don't look Swedish. Half of the ward is Spanish speaking, so I should technically be able to speak spanish to them, but I now have a problem speaking all Spanish and not mixing in Swedish. It's very distressing. Anyway, I should wrap this up. I love the ward. They are all such wonderful people. There are about 30 people that come and about 200 or so on the ward list I think, so we have a lot of inactive finding and visiting work on our plate as well. There is also one investigator with a baptismal date. He is way cool. Also, we are starting a Swedish class for people who've just moved here, so we've been putting up a lot of posters for that. It's very exciting, and we're hoping to have a great transfer!
Oh, and my companion is Sister Wood from Cedar City, UT. She's outspoken and very nice. Also very patient. I hope feeling like dead weight will soon pass :)
This email is far too long, but I am feeling great. I am getting less and less self conscious about my clothes, and more and more excited to share the message of the restored gospel with those that are ready and willing to hear it. I have so much more I could say, but I should probably save it. Love you all. Pray for the members here. They need it!
Syster Maxwell
PS Jet lag is not too bad. I feel like I did all through school.
Hello all!
So, I'm in Sweden. It's finally hitting me that I'm actually in Europe. It was all surreal the first few days, but the different architecture, food, and language not to mention the fantastic public transportation system are starting to sink in. Everyone told me that Stockholm was one of the most beautiful, clean cities they'd ever seen and that the entire country of Sweden followed suit, but what I found when I got here was a gray, grimey place with just as much litter as in similarly grimey US cities. It came as a shock, but after a few days I realized these were effects of the still-clinging winter and my companion says they clean up all the gravel and junk when winter is over. I started trying to imagine what it would look like when everything is green, and I can say that I'm very excited for the summer to come.
The darkness is normal now. It's light by about 5 in the morning I believe and gets dark about 6:30 or 7, so that's not too much different yet. The sun has only been out half of the time, but they tell me it is also sunnier in the summer more often. I came at the end of the worst winter they have had in 40 years, so I'm very grateful for the timing. On our last Sunday in Utah it was beautiful! I swear it was in the 60s, sunny and clear. A lady came up to us and enthusiastically let us know it was going to be like that all next week. We told her we were leaving the next day for Sweden. Oh the irony! It's been in the 30s when it's cloudy and the 40s when the sun is out, so I've just been wearing a jacket another sister left in the apartment. There's a huge bag of clothes in the apartment that I'm going to sort through today and see if there is anything worth the wearing. I'll save my big coat for next winter. It will be perfect!
So, the 11 of us going to Sweden plus 2 senior couples going to other European couples had an overnight flight to Paris. The airport was lovely and we all bought something French to eat, so we would feel like we had officially been there. I got a stamp in my passport. It might just be an exit stamp, but it's a stamp nonetheless. I got to see a bit of England and France, though it was mostly clouded over, but on the next flight, it was fun to fly over what might have been Denmark. Lots of lakes. I sat next to a lady from Scotland who's lived in Sweden for many years. She was nice when I actually had the nerve to talk to her since she looked so severe at first. The food they served was the prettiest airplane food I'd ever seen. French airplane food! I wish I'd taken a picture, but I felt silly.
So, president and sister Anderson met us at the airport and were very kind. We spent a couple of nights at the mission home getting acquainted with the country and the culture. We did a session at the temple all in Swedish and went contacting in Stockholm later that day. Not a good experience, but it's gotten better :) We went to the young adult center they have in Stockholm. I didn't know about these, but they are like institutes with a missionary focus and have lots of activities. They have them all over Europe and have been really great for the young single adults here. I didn't realize that Elder Kopishka (sp?) is the Area President for this part of Europe (all of Europe?). Cool. You did say that you were on good terms now, right, Dad? Also, Sis. Anderson was your mom's visiting teacher for years, Aubrie, and they said their son climbs up mountains with your dad. Ted, you really should try that new-fangled-emailing-missionaries thing. It's awesome.
Well, we got our assignments on Thursday with the usual pomp and circumstance. They have you read a letter with your assignment and trainer, but the trainers don´t have their nametags on when they come in. The goal is that you´ll go and talk with each one in Swedish to figure out who it is. Luckily for me, we had met my trainer on Wed when we did contacting and she had accidentally revealed her true identity then, so I just went and gave her a hug. We all then had kebob pizza (i.e. pizza with kebob on it. So good!)
So, I'm now in the Jakobsberg area which is the northwestern part of Stockholm. It's the Järfälla commune. I live in Barkarby specifically. I think that's ok to say. Our area is fairly large and we take public transit everywhere, so half of the day is spent traveling it seems. Swedes don't talk to each other on the bus, so mostly we've been striking up conversation with people who don't look Swedish. Half of the ward is Spanish speaking, so I should technically be able to speak spanish to them, but I now have a problem speaking all Spanish and not mixing in Swedish. It's very distressing. Anyway, I should wrap this up. I love the ward. They are all such wonderful people. There are about 30 people that come and about 200 or so on the ward list I think, so we have a lot of inactive finding and visiting work on our plate as well. There is also one investigator with a baptismal date. He is way cool. Also, we are starting a Swedish class for people who've just moved here, so we've been putting up a lot of posters for that. It's very exciting, and we're hoping to have a great transfer!
Oh, and my companion is Sister Wood from Cedar City, UT. She's outspoken and very nice. Also very patient. I hope feeling like dead weight will soon pass :)
This email is far too long, but I am feeling great. I am getting less and less self conscious about my clothes, and more and more excited to share the message of the restored gospel with those that are ready and willing to hear it. I have so much more I could say, but I should probably save it. Love you all. Pray for the members here. They need it!
Syster Maxwell
PS Jet lag is not too bad. I feel like I did all through school.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)