Hello hope everyone is doing well. Here are the notable things from my week:
We were able to meet with Tommy and Sabrina and they both came to church on Sunday. A reminder that Tommy is the guy that doesn't talk at all in his lessons and lives an hour away from the church. So this is his second time driving an hour each way to church and back. Sabrina is the teenage girl who also doesn't talk much in her lessons. But this week she seemed to be more enthusiastic and talkative and came to church for the first time in a while so that was great to have her and Tommy there.
On Thursday we somehow got a lesson planned with our friend Hariet even though on the call she was saying that she doesn't know if she has time to meet with us anymore. Hariet is a lady from Tanzania that I gave a Book of Mormon to on my first day here in Borlänge like 2 months ago. We have only been able to meet with her twice since then because like I already said she is very busy. So for the lesson this week we weren't expecting anything crazy, just like a simple discussion about a Book of Mormon chapter or something like that. Well when we walked into the coffee shop we had planned to meet her at I looked in the back to see Hariet sitting there with 3 other friends that I had never seen before. We walk up and Hariet points at me and says to her friends "he is the preacher". Then we sit down and she just tells me and my companion to start preaching haha. My companion ended up teaching two of the friends who are from Congo and don't really speak much English or Swedish, and then I taught the 3rd friend who is from Kenya and speaks English so I was able to teach her the Restoration, give her a Book of Mormon, and get her phone number to meet again. Definitely a miracle for us to get more people to teach with our lack of finding people recently.
On Friday we had splits/exchanges so I went to Örebro (my companions hometown) with one of the Elders there, and then the other came up to Borlänge with Elder Diasonama (my companion) for the day. Örebro is the sixth largest city in Sweden so needless to say it was very nice to get out of Borlänge into a bigger city for a day. I was with Elder Rosenbeck who was in the MTC with me and we had a successful day together. In just 1 hour of talking to people on the streets we were able to get 5 phone numbers with people who were all genuinely interested. A little frustrating that I can go to Örebro and use the same approach I use in Borlänge and get 5 numbers in 1 hour and I get none in Borlänge🙃.
On Saturday we had a sledding activity with the ward in the morning. Gitahi (13 year old from family that's been coming to church) chose to come with us instead of an activity with his sister and their friends so that was cool. After the activity we had a pretty ineffective lesson with Anders G (guy that I talked about God's love with a couple weeks back) and then met with a guy named Johan that I met on the street about a week ago. It was pretty cool because he was telling me that the day before we met he was praying to God asking for guidance and then met me the next day. And from my perspective I almost didn't talk to him because to me he looked like someone who would not be interested but I felt like I should so I did anyway. The lesson with him was decent. He liked our message and said that he would read the Book of Mormon but was also saying a lot of stuff that doesn't really align with what we believe in so we will see what happens with him. Really nice guy though and definitely no coincidence that we met.
On Sunday we were able to visit a family that lives about an hour away from Borlänge but are still technically in our area. They are in some way related to my companion so he got to catch up with them. They also have a 9 year old daughter who hasn't been baptized and she expressed some interest in being baptized so we were able to explain a little bit about baptism for her as well.
As a missionary, and for anyone in life, there are always constant distractions of things that will waste your time and effort. Of course Satan is very skilled at making those things seem enticing to us, so that we forget what is really important. I feel like in more than half of conversations I have with people I end up reading them Mosiah 3:19, which talks about how "the natural man" is an enemy to God. How it is a natural part of being human that we all face temptations and distractions that will draw us away from God. I love these verses in 2 Nephi 9 that remind us where we need to put our effort and focus. "50 Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. 51 Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness."
I have learned more than ever on my mission that Jesus Christ and His gospel are the only thing that will "satisfy". If our focus and efforts are put into anything else, we will not find the true satisfaction and joy that we are looking for. President Nelson explained this same concept as well: "But here is the grand truth: while the world insists that power, possessions, popularity, and pleasures of the flesh bring happiness, they do not! They cannot! What they do produce is nothing but a hollow substitute for "the blessed and happy state of those [who] keep the commandments of God." The truth is that it is much more exhausting to seek happiness where you can never find it! However, when you yoke yourself to Jesus Christ and do the spiritual work required to overcome the world, He, and He alone, does have the power to lift you above the pull of this world."
Jesus Christ invites us all to come and feast upon the fruits of His gospel, "without price"! As we do the spiritual work required to come closer to Jesus Christ, we will find true satisfaction that nothing else can bring.
Swedish word for the week: Sengångare 🦥(sloth)
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