What a week this was!! It started off by Elder Christley coming back into our mission! He has been home for about a transfer because he needed surgery. He is doing well now and is actually staying in the office with us for a few weeks. So he'll be here when I go home! That's my boy!
This week our mission had the wonderful opportunity to host Elder and Sister Dyches from the 70. And what a spiritual feast it was. On Tuesday we flew down to Göteborg with the Beckstrands and then picked up Elder and Sister Dyches. That night we ate dinner with them and then reviewed a survey we had taken in preparation to the mission tour. We talked about the welfare of the mission and then Elder Dyches took what he learned and applied it into the training he would be giving the next day.
On Wednesday we had mission tour for the Malmö and Göteborg zones in Västra Frölunda. The Beckstrands gave an awesome training about following the spirit and learning your personal spiritual pattern. They did such a great job. Then Elder Dyches trained us on choices and consequences. The Dyches were so loving and down to earth. They just make you feel like 100 bucks!
I also had the opportunity to share my departing testimony in the conference. Missionaries never thinks that their day will come but it does for everyone. I have never been so scared/nervous to bear a testimony! Elder Dyches asked us to talk about something we learned on our mission. I expressed how I have learned not just about my Savior but to truly know Him and how you can call on Him. It is something that doesn't just happen over night but is an everyday process.
I also received an interview with Elder Dyches. He just inspired me to be better. Being with him for 3 days made me realize how far I am from where I need to be. I could just feel the light of Christ bursting from him. He is such a good listener and teacher.
Wednesday night we flew back to Stockholm and the POEs picked us up. Then all of us drove to the Dyches hotel in Stockholm to drop them off. About 1 hour later we got a call from Sister Beckstrand saying that the POEs had taken us to the wrong hotel. the POEs dropped the Dyches off at the wrong hotel in Stockholm and they had to take a taxi to the correct hotel... nice goin fellas!
Thursday we all met in Västerhaninge for the mission tour in Stockholm. The Beckstrnads once again did a fabulous job training on the spirit. This time Elder Dyches taught about becoming master teachers. He allowed missionaries to ask him questions as well.
I also had the opportunity to bare my departing testimony on Thursday. This time I talked about how I have learned the blessings that come from selfless service. I remember one time when I was like 14 I told my mom that service was stupid... man I was pathetic... haha anyways. It seems weird to think that that was the last testimony I'll bare to those wonderful missionaries...
Friday we had a special MLC. Elder Dyches trained on leadership. The two biggest things that stuck out to me were
1. Understanding the difference between an excuse and a reason.
2. He told a story of a famous man who owned a steel company in Pittsburgh. When he died, they wrote this cool phrase on his tombstone. It says something like this: "Here lays a man who drew better men to him than he was." Or something like that. What it means is we should help people around you to become better then you are. I thought it was super good!!
On Saturday we taught Marimba and Jones! They are the family that we tracted into a few weeks ago. We taught them the restoration and they had many practical questions. Like questions about what we can and can't do. I think that is a good sign becasue that means they are seeing what it would like to be LDS!! They are super good and I am so glad we are teaching them :)
Well as you can see we had a loaded week!! This week will be a little calmer and we will be in Stockholm for the most part. It is also midsommar this week which is a big Swedish holiday so we have a few non-proselyting days becasue of it.
Have a great week!! Do good things ;)
löövs!! ses snart ;)
äldste hemmingsen