On Monday, it was Syster Maxwell's Bday so we made banana pancakes for her at the church. When I was eating, I kept on thinking, "Why doesn't Jack Johnson just go join the Mormon Tab Choir so that we can listen to his music! So annoying!"
And then on Tuesday, we went out to eat at Max for Äldste Max Barns (get it?) birthday. When we were there, Syster Taylor gave him a gift and it was a *snack-sized* box of crickets! and then we all tried one! so yeahh I ate a cricket haha, it wasn't bad. haha
And then on Friday, I felt like there was something in my gums in the back of my mouth, but I couldn't get it out. It bothered me all day and then finally at like 21:30 (9:30pm) I decided I had had it. So I found my inner Doctor Jeffrey Hemmingsen (DDS) and went to work. I dug out the thing with a plastic fork and once I got it out, I realized it was a piece of my wisdom tooth!
So the thing that I have decided that will help me learn Swedish the fastest is to just not worry about looking like a dumb American (which I am, and everyone can tell...) and just try to talk with people. I look stupid at first but then I tell the people I am trying to learn Swedish and they are nice! It works most of the time but sometimes people are like, "well that is cool, good luck..." and then just ignore me... okay... One thing that my Uncle Brad always told me was " If you ain't falling, you ain't trying!" (that is how he taught me to snowboard hahaha, I fell a lot, still do actually.. anyway)
So Äldste Rasmussen and I have decided that we need to work with the members better in order to be more effective. So they already have a Halloween party set up for the end of the month and the missionaries are kinda in charge of it. So Rasmussen and I are going to make it sweet. Like they have the creepiest basement under the church and the bishop told us to make a haunted house down there and so yeah we have big plans for this. We also are tying to get all the members to bring friends to it so that the can see the church and stuff. We have a spiritual side to the party too so it'll be good.
So I have also studied super hard this week because, I love it. So I have a few random thughts that are completely different but it was just stuff I like haha
In Helaman 5:10-11 It says
10. For he said unto him that the Lord surely should come to redeem his people, but that he should not come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins.
11. And he hath power given unto him from the father to redeem them from their sins because of repentence; therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of repentance.
Christ won't take away are sins from us, we have to offer them to him. It is not enough to just just believe in Christ but we must follow his gospel and live our lives as He would have us.
And then my wonderful mother sent me a quote while I was in the MTC and it is really the best thing ever.
No man knows how bad he is till he has tried to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of the wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives into temptation after 5 minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulses inside us until we try to fight it; and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to full what temptation means.
So in the words of Äldste Hemmingsen, it is hard to be good in this world. There is so much bad going on around us. If you want Christ in your life, you must seek after Him. Satan will find you if you don't seek after the good things. It is a lot easier to follow the ways of Satan but there is no reward in that. There is nothing good that will come from that. It is only Christ who wants to help you and will help you, if you allow Him.
My eyes have opened so much this last month. People just don't care for anything about religion and they are full of pride. My most favorite person in the Book of Mormon is Moroni. He is my favorite because he had all the reasons to be prideful. He was a general in the army, he was smart, loved by the people, but yet he still was the must humble man ever. In Alma 60:36, he says it perfectly
36. Behold, I am Moroni, your chief captain. I seek not for power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my people.
How can I become like Moroni. He is stud. If everyone was like unto Moroni, the very powers of hell would be shaken and satan would have no power over man.
I love you guys! It is so nice to hear from you all! see ya soon!
Med kärlek
Äldste Hemmingsen