September 23, 2013

Hello from Trollhättan,

Well this week was good. We helped a less active in our ward paint some of her furniture, it was pretty fun, but it has started to rain a lot more and the weather is getting chilly.
 last P-day I bought a coat (due to the cold) and at the same time I bought a back pack because my shoulder has been hurting from my shoulder bag, I am happy to report that my shoulder doesn't hurt anymore.

That was pretty much all we got to do on P-day, but it was enjoyable. It rained pretty much all day really hard. 

On Thursday we got to do splits with Skövde, it was really fun. We visited a less active in Uddevalla called Hernan, he is from Chille, it was a good lesson and at the end we gave him a blessing. After we got back to Trollhättan we visited Lennart, who as ofthis Sunday is now active again!, The lesson with him was good as always. The next day we had lunch with the Sisters at the Church and then had a sacrament meeting with a lady in our ward who cannot be around very many people because of germs or something. Then we took the 2 hour bus ride back to Skövde and I rejoined my companion, and then we took the 2 hour bus ride back to Trollhättan. I am a little sick of buses, because we ride them at least 5 times a day, but I am glad that we don't have to walk everywhere which would be rough. 

On Saturday we had a ward clean up day, where we did yard work around the church, it was a pretty nice day so I had a good time. 

Also we finally met with Petronella after a month of trying, it went well, and I really hope that she will get baptized. We had an appointment with Sanne yesterday, but she stood us up again, we will hopefully meet with her this coming week. 

Other than that I am doing great.

Love,

Äldste Peterson      

September 17, 2013

HEY!!!!! 

This last week we did a lot of traveling. 

On Monday for P-day we went to Göteborg as usual and ended up hiking up this really cool staircase that led up to a castle type tower type thing, I took pictures, It was also really cool because we were overlooking the whole city. We also met two Americans! I didn't think it would be so weird to hear their accents, but it was. It was also super nice to speak American English to someone other that my companion or other missionaries. 

Tuesday and Wednesday were just normal days with a few lessons and then on Thursday, we went to Köevda for district meeting, it was a 2 hour bus ride there and 2 hours back. District meeting was really good though, and afterward we went to a Chinese buffet for lunch, it was really good sushi, and when I got up to ask for more water, I got complimented on my Swedish, the guy couldn't believe I had only been here for two months, and he had no idea where Wyoming was even after I explained it to him... although I have only met one person so far who knew where is was so that wasn't really a surprise. the day after, Friday, we had an appointment with Detlef a German guy in our ward who lives on the island called Orust, which is about a 3 and a half hour bus ride from Trollhättan. We went with the plan to visit less actives around where he lives by bike. It was super cool, he reminds me a lot of brother Card, because he makes instruments, he showed us three cellos that he made and I don't even know how many violins and violas, he also makes and repairs classical guitars, book binds and oil paints, and his house here in Sweden was pretty much just a studio to do all of these things. We went to the members house on bikes and I felt like I was in the sound of music, riding through Swedish countryside. The member that we visited was a very old lady, I felt really bad for her because her house was absolutely disgusting and she had no idea. We sang a few hymns for her and taught her a lesson which was a great experience. After we left and were getting on our bikes to ride back the way we had come, Detlef asked us if it was alright that we took a dirt trail into the forest, we of course said yes and about 20 minutes later my companion asked him if he had ever been that way before, he said " oh nej, men jag älskar adveture" which means no, but I love adventure. I was thrilled it had been a while since I had been on a bike and riding through forest trails in Sweden seemed like a fine way to build our relationship with this member so we followed him. It was really fun, he took us to this lake and then more forest trails as we made our way back to his house. when we got back he fed us soup which was made out of pumpkins and ginger from his own garden. We then taught him a lesson and he practiced his talk with us that he was going to give in sacrament meeting. Then we walked back to the bus stop and rode the three hours home. however the day was not over yet, because the Zone leaders wanted to go on companion exchanges with us, so after we got back we went and got my companions clothes for the next day and took a train to Göteborg. We switched companions and then while I was waiting for the next train back to Trollhättan with Elder Lawrence a man walked up to us and started speaking English, it turned out that he was from Palestine, and that he had been a member but that he had stopped going to church because of conflicts with some members but that a few days earlier he had met some other missionaries and he promised them that he was going to go to church on Sunday. He was really nice and we talked for about 40 minutes about strengthening faith. Splits the next day was nice.

On Sunday we had a really cool experience, we got to sing as a zone in an open fireside about Christ. It was super good, a few missionaries played violin, sang and played piano. There was also an organ solo and the bishop of Västrafrolunda ward played a children's hymn on his guitar and sang with it. The whole evening was great and afterward we got to talk to the people that were there as we all had refreshments, it was super fun and I could tell that the spirit was there.

anyway I am doing great, love you all and keep being awesome

Äldste Peterson 

This was on P-day in Göteborg overlooking the city.

           

this was what the tower\castle thing looked like

 This was the lake that we rode by with Detlef... he made us wear the orange vests... and those are the bikes

this was when we were riding through the forest...

we passed a bunch of cows... it reminded me of home.

This was taken earlier in the week in Trollhättan when we were on our way to Overby to get lights for our apartment. There are a lot of trees in Sweden.

September 9th, 2013

Hey!

Well this week went well. It was my companions 21st birthday on Wednesday and a couple of youth from our ward invited us to come over and play risk with them. It was really fun and I think it was the first time that I have won at risk, I will say though it was interesting to play in Swedish. Right after we went to a besoks kvällen which is basically when we visit less actives from our ward with some of the members, it was a great experience, I went with our ward mission leader and we visited an older lady. We talked a little bit about how it is important to have faith and to always pray, I think that it helped her a lot and she was very thankful that we had come. Her son who was just 50 died last month and he lived in Germany so they did not have a bunch of contact. That was hard for her but she said something about being glad that she would be able to meet him again soon (this was all in Swedish so it was a little hard to follow at times). Overall it was a great experience though.

We had Zone training this week on Thursday which was great, we went to Göteborg and after the training we went out to kebab for lunch, it was a good meeting, and also good kebab. 

Later that day we helped a lady from our ward pick up a coffee table, which was good, and after wards she wanted to take us out to kebab. We graciously declined saying that we were full so she said that she could take us next week. right outside of her apartment I saw a super cool little motorcycle and took a picture of it see below... and it was a mustang, haha

We visited Hjalmar and Anna again this week and they were talking about getting a divorce, not because they don't love each other, but because when they got married they stopped getting some money from the government. We taught them about how Satan works harder on us when we do good things and I think that it went well because after teaching Hjalmar said, "were not going to get a divorce, because we are not going to let Satan win" lessons with them are always interesting.

On Saturday we played Innebundy in the morning at the church, it was really fun, it is basically like hockey, but no skates. We also swung by a lady's house who we met the day before, her name is Maria, and she is from Syria, but she has lived here for 20 years, she said that she was Christian, and she wanted us to teach her 21 year old son. 

On Sunday we had a really cool experience. So a couple of weeks ago we met a bus driver who asked us what it was that we did, because he saw us around all the time and we were always taking buses, we told him that we were missionaries for our church, and that we were from America. When he found out we were from America he was super excited, he said that he loved America, and that he even had an American flag in his apt. we met him a few more times, we gave him our number and we told him to call us. On Sunday he called us and said that he did not have to work today so we should come over to his house. We met him at 6pm, and he even picked us up. He came with his girlfriend or wife (they have been together for five years) and drove us to his apt. It was super cool, he and his wife are from Kostovo and they love America. we ended up being able to teach them the restoration and part of the plan of salvation. It was super cool because they had a muslim background and so we even taught them about Christ. we left them a Book of Mormon in Swedish, but we are going to get them one in Albanian, because his wife speaks only a little Swedish. 

anyways that's pretty much it but I hope you all are well.

Med Kärlek

Äldste Peterson  

here is the cool little motorcycle.

here is the couple from Kosovo that love America. She fed us so much!

        

September 2nd, 2013

Hey Everyone!

Well this week was good. We saw Sanne!!! It was actually a pretty cool experience, because first we lost our phone in  Göteburg (we got it back the next day though) which made us miss the train, which made us an hour late, so we had to cancel FHE. all of these things that we though were pretty annoying seems like they happened for a reason because on the last bus we got on to go home we saw Sanne. She said "hey" and we sat by her and talked to her for a bit, it turns out that her phone is broken and she is getting it repaired which is why we haven't been able to contact her. the Lord really does work in mysterious ways. 

Anyway let me just go through the highlights of the week:

Tuesday, We went to Udevalla and met with a less active for lunch, it was super cool because we went to a sushi restaurant, first sushi in Sweden (it was ok). We have been trying to help her get active in the church and she couldn't come this last week because she was going on vacation, but we have strong hopes that she will come to church this Sunday.

Wednesday: I think that one of the funniest things that i have experienced on my mission is interacting with small Swedish children, we went to the Svensons for dinner and they have three small children. It was so funny because they only know a few English words such as "bear", or "lion" just simple words, but it was really funny to try and talk with them because they are just so cute.

Thursday: We have two new elders and a new sister in our district, so district meeting was even more fun than normal, and we ate at Fontana again which was great. Elder Farley, Elder Olsen and sister Willhite are the new peoples names.

Friday: Our ward had a music night on Saturday which was awesome, but we handed out flyer's the night before just the neighborhood around the church... the funniest door we knocked on was actually one that we didn't. We walked up to it planning on knocking on it and just as we were about to it opened and a middle aged man marched out in his shirt and underwear... we told him who we were and we invited him to the music night, this was all as he went to his car and got his pants, so we just followed him around, as he got his pants he asked "vad har du för budskap" which means what do you have for a message... he had a really strong accent, I think that was was Irish, but it made it really hard to understand him. anyway we followed him back to his house, we just stood at the door, and were talking to him as he was putting on his pants. He asked things like... "so you guys can't get blood transfusions right? oh wait not that is the Jehova's witnesses" or "so you guys have a lot of wives?" It was an interesting discussion and at the end he said "well I need to go and drink some spirit, do you guys drink spirit?" we said no and then we bid him farewell and he got in his car and drove away, and we kept knocking on doors. It was actually a really funny experience.

on Saturday we played soccer with the youth, went to a baptism in Kunsbaka, and finished off the day by going to the music night that our ward held. Unfortunately none of the people we invited came, but there were still a lot of people there.

anyway I love you all and I hope that you are well,

Med Kärlek

Äldste Peterson