We didn't have any fantastic days this week but we still had some good things happen. First off, (random side note) my area that I work in Malmö is just over twice the size of Rhode Island... and there is 3 other areas in Malmö... hahaha Simmons and I figured that out last week!
Monday was a bummer.... Diego called us and said he would no longer like to be baptized but that he we could still come teach his family.... The Lord will bless us somehow.. someday..
So Wednesday, we got blåsted twice but we did have a dinner appointment at 19.00 so that was nice. The husbands niece was there and she is not a member but had some very very very good questions and seemed to soak it all in. We ended up teaching her the Restoration and how the gospel can bring peace in your life. The wife of the home began to cry as she talked about how happy it makes her feel knowing that her family can be together forever. It was very personal and the spirit was fantastic. The non member (I can't remember her name to save my life) is from Peru and took a Book of Mormon and said she would read it. She goes home tomorrow to Lima Peru sooooo I guess we'll have to leave it up to Hermana Ossola to teach her the lessons ;)
Stake Conference was this week end and it was fantastic. It was in Swedish but I focused hard and got a lot out it. Saturday night the focus was on member missionary work and it was perfect because that is what Ras and I have been trying to do! One question that I have been having this week is how can we keep new members in the church? The easiest answer to that is they need a friend. There is a ward in Scotland that has tons of converts because the ward is sooooo good at accepting new people. Some times people think that missionaries do missionary work and then when they leave, they take with them their missionary work. when in fact, WRONG. The missionaries have left the ward these new converts/investigators who have entered into a whole new world! They need some friends kids!! In a sense, it is the missionaries job to find, teach and baptize, and it is the wards job to invite, befriend, and retain. A quote that I love is that "The strength of the church is not in the numbers but it is in the conversion of the members" which means that it means nothing if we baptize 23501345 this year if we don't keep these people active.
So then on Sunday, we all went up to Lund and had church there for stake conference. A crazy thing happened and Diego showed up with his family! The visiting General Authority gave a great talk about families, it was just what I wanted Diego to hear! After the meeting we went to find Diego and when we did, he and his wife Nancy were crying because they loved it so much. They told us later that the general authority had come to their house Saturday and personally invited him to stake conference! what a miracle. Nancy is leaving to go to Canada for a month but Diego doesn't want her to go because he says he'll miss her too much. I think that this is a perfect opportunity for Diego to realize how much he loves his wife and maybe he'll also realize that there is a way for him to live with her for eternity. So we talked more with Diego and he has invited us over a few times each week to read from the Book of Mormon with him. --We back baby, we are back--
I guess the more I think about this week, the more I see the little miracles that happened. It is hard to see good things happening when you are in the moment, but when you reflect upon your experiences, a whole new perspective is revealed.
We had another exotic meal this week. This time it was lobster.. ehh it was alright. It is crazy to think we only have one more full week of October left! Cheer on those Royals and Hawks for me!!! Tell Taysom Hill to suck it up, rub some dirt on it, and get back in the game! ;) I love you all and enjoy hearing from you! See ya soon!
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