Week 36

Subject: It’s Cold Up Here!

So this week has been crazy. There is so much to tell and I have no time. First of all, responses to people. Grandma, can you please tell the lady in your ward that the hat, mittens, and scarf have been absolutely wonderful. You can tell her 'tack så hemskt mycket' (roughly said tahk so hemskt micket) from me. :) Also, Sis Lee, the snow looked like it would melt that first day. The temperatures got up to 8 degrees, but then this last week it snowed the entire week. We didn't see the sun until Saturday. It was lovely though. It was like living in a snow globe. But, now, there is about a foot of snow, so I think it's here to stay. Today and yesterday have been nose-hair freezing cold. It's beginning!

The big news is that I'm getting transferred to Sundsvall, so it looks like you were in inspired to buy me that awesome winter coat after all, Mom, since I'll be able to use it. I might even get to see the northern lights if I'm lucky. I hope so! Sister Porkka will be training here in Örebro. The irony is that each of us got what the other one wanted, but I've wanted to go to Sundsvall since I came, but not in winter... We will have a car though and I'll have some bragging rights when I get back.

It's hard to describe the last week and a half. We've have some really cool teaches with amazing people. We had a little miracle this last week. We got back from Nora and had 15 minutes before our bus came to go to another teach. I really felt like we should go contacting. We got to the intersection, and I felt like we needed to go around the building to the right. I pointed to that direction and said, "We need to go that way and we are going to find someone to teach." We walked a block and contacted the lady coming. She is Iranian and has been here 5 years and thought it would be ok for us to come over. She gave us a typical Muslim reply about liking all religions, so I was just grateful for the appointment. Turns out she really likes Jesus and one of her daughters is even Christian in the US. The teach with her was great even though her Swedish is rough. That probably sounds run of the mill, but that hasn't really happened that often on my mission.

Last district meeting was really weird. There was a new convert that came to go with the elders to a baptismal interview who is trained in Russian Martial Arts. He taught us how to punch with impact and how to take punches, so we spent the last part of our time together practicing on each other. It was a great unity building activity and would have seemed very strange to an onlooker, but it was awesome. That was Thanksgiving. It was the lamest thanksgiving ever. My district leader did try to make it nice by buying ginger ale and cranberry juice, but really it was a blip. We shared a spiritual thought about thanksgiving, then he said, 'Well, Thanksgivings over. Now on to Christmas!' and then talked about our mission goals for December. I celebrated properly by making a sweet potato pie last night. They don't really sell canned pumpkin here.

Well, I'm out of time. I'll report next time from Norrland! Oh, and, Mom, it was probably good I didn't get the packages because then I don't have to move them too! It all worked out! Thanksgiving at home sounded really fun! Have a great week everyone!

Sys M