Christmas Skype and Jul in Sodertalje

 

What their family saw from Sweden - yep, I'm a dorky mish mom.

 Alice (Claudia and Italo's daughter), Syster Hosenfeld, Syster Hoke, and Aldste Rasmussen

 

Syster Hosenfeld and Syster Hoke 

 

 

Dinner with Claudia and Italo and their family - what cute "place cards" (gingerbread houses)!

 

Our Christmas family picture - next year we'll have her with us!!!

Sankta Lucia

 

 

#spreadingtheword. haha

 

We did some cookie decorating with the Young Women this week. The Elder Missionary turned out good, I think. The sister? Not so much... don't try to turn an angel cookie into a missionary. She will just look fat.

 

Our "Home Sweet Home" is an absolute wreck in preparation for Christmas. 

 

Spreading "Han är Gåvan" (He is the Gift). This time, I wrote it on the cold bus waiting place. Wait... that doesn't sound right. haha. 

 

 

We have been dropping off cookies and a note to most of the less-actives who we have responsibility over. One of them doesn't speak much English or Swedish, so I asked Äldste Rasmussen to translate into Spanish. What an embarrassing moment for me to have to ask him for help even though I took three years in high school. I don't remember anything. Although Swedish hasn't helped me remember, I wish that I would have practiced my Spanish more before my mission. So, that is a tip to all of you pre-missionaries. Even if you don't get called to a Spanish-speaking mission, practice your Spanish. You WILL use it. I am in Sweden and I could use it daily. Just a tip. :) Be better than me. 

 

 

 

Pday last week! We went to the Swedish Coin Treasury (free on Mondays. Woot). It was cool to learn about the old coins that were used thousands of years ago. But I will not want to look at a coin for a while now...

This week we had a fantastic lesson with the family from Iraq! They invited us over, along with the member that introduced us, Gertie. We had a delicious, traditional Middle-Eastern lunch.

It included chicken, bulgar, vegetables, beans, and a drink that is made of Turkish yogurt, water, and salt. It was so good! And of course with their giving culture, we ate so much. Not out of choice, but necessity. Everytime I would eat the things on my plate, the father of the household would scoop more food onto my plate. It happened multiple times. Let's just say that I didn't need dinner that night.

The lesson was really special. We read out of 3 Nephi 11 together. The family read in Arabic while we read in Swedish. This chapter describes the Savior coming to the American continent after His Resurrection. This is one of my absolute favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon because I can feel the Spirit testify to me that it is true. Every time I read about Him inviting the people to come and feel the prints in His hands and sides, I feel such gratitude for Him. About halfway through the chapter, we asked them how they would feel if they could have been there and felt the prints. They said that they would thank Him.

We ended the lesson by inviting them to read the rest of the chapter together as a family and to come to church. We will be meeting with them a few days after Christmas. :)  

 

 

Sankta Lucia! One of my favorite Swedish traditions by far. Wikipedia describes it så här: "In Scandinavia, where Lucy is called Lucia, she is represented by a person dressed in a white dress and red sash with a crown or wreath of candles on her head. In both Norway and Sweden, girls (or sometimes boys) dressed as Lucy carry rolls and cookies in procession as songs are sung. It is said that to vividly celebrate St. Lucy's Day will help one live the long winter days with enough light." Basically, it is the prettiest concert choir you will ever go to! Beautiful candles, Swedish songs, and Christmas. I love it. 

 

 

 

Christmas party! A few weeks ago a cute family called, wanting the elders and us to come over to their house. We had fika, prayed together, and invited her to read the Book of Mormon. (They declined). We invited them to the Christmas party and they came! It was really good to see them there. This is is a picture of the six of us. God Jul, y'all! 

 

Last week I had one of the most EPIC preparation days EVER! Syster Hoke and I planned on going to Skansen, an outdoor zoo. We traveled to Stockholm and then saw that we would only have a few hours to spend there. We decided to go next week earlier so that we would have more time to explore. We walked around that area and saw the ABBA Museum. We decided to go! It was the most fun museum I have been to yet. It was fun seeing their costumes, learning how they became famous, and listening to their music. But the best part was that you could perform a song at the end of the tour! We had a blast and it was a good "relaxer" after a pretty stressful week.

 

 

 

 

 

Baptisms for the dead dating back to the 1700's

Cool story of the week-

While at a member's house, we were able to teach one of the daughters and her friend. They are eleven and twelve, and we showed them 'He is the Gift'. Then we asked them if they know why we celebrate Christmas. Alice, the member, obviously knew the answer, while her friend didn't know who Jesus was. We were able to teach them about prayer and the fact that we are never alone. It was a very sweet experience to teach someone about something that means so much to me. It is easy for me to forget about small things like prayer, and the Holy Ghost, and God's Plan until I meet people who don't know about the meaning of life or how to receive comfort in hard times.

 

 

P-day last week! We went to the Swedish Coin Treasury (free on Mondays. Woot). It was cool to learn about the old coins that were used thousands of years ago. But I will not want to look at a coin for a while now...

 

These two cuties are Angela and her daughter, Alice. Their family was baptized less than a year ago and this week we had the opportunity of doing Baptisms for the Dead with Angela. It was such a special experience for her; it was her first time and she said that she felt the spirit really strongly. It was a cool moment for me to see her get baptized for my family names, many of them born in Sweden in the 1700's! I love the temple and I am so happy that we were able to go with her. :)

 

These lights are very common here in Sweden. They are placed in most windows in the home and turned on when it gets dark.

 

Christmas is here!

 

Oh, and selfies with creepy statues

 

We had quite a freaky experience this week. As we were dropping off Christmas cards and cookies to less-active members, we got on a bus to an area called Ritorp. A few stops after we got on, a man entered and I automatically said, "hejhej" to him. He said, "hej" back. I was surprised that he replied, so I looked to Syster Hoke and said, "Sweet!" But then she reminded me that he was the man that was overly friendly and creepy towards us a few weeks earlier. I shrugged it off, thinking that he would get off before our stop. He didn't. He stepped off the bus as we did and started following us. We crossed the street, hoping that he would continue going straight, but he didn't. He crossed the street as well. The only path that we had ahead of us was lowly lighted, so we sped walked down the path and he continued following us. Then we began to slow-jog until the path turned right, when I told Syster Hoke to run with me into the forest that ran parallel to the path. We jumped behind a tree and waited. And waited. And he never came. We definitely felt very grateful that we were safe and that he didn't find us. And if he ever did, I have pink pepper-spray that is ready to be used.

 

 

More Syster Hosenfeld mish pics

Yay! More surprise pics found on fb.

Enjoy a couple mid-week surprise fb pics of our mish!

 

Syster Hoke and Syster Hosenfeld

The awesome family there in Sodertalje who invites the missionaries over.  It does this missionary mom's heart good to see these pics.  Ahhhh....

 

Our family LOVES Spot It!  I can't wait for Kenzie to come back...and beat me, over and over again.  ;0)

Thanksgiving in Sweden

 

Thanksgiving dinner on actual Thanksgiving was a blast! We were invited to a Chilean family's house for dinner. They fed us chicken, rice, and ice cream for dessert. Then later that night we taught an Iraqi family and they fed us typical food from the Middle-East: nuts, fruit cake of sorts, and tea. (We said no to the latter, but it didn't stop them from serving it to us. We just didn't drink it. I love their culture- they are willing to do anything and everything for their guests.)

 

 

 

We had a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner last night. The family that invited us over is Scottish and Swedish, but both lived in the States for a while. It was such a strange feeling for me to eat food from home. The Pumpkin Pie, sweet potatoes, and gravy really took me back. Except for the fact that the last "traditional" Thanksgiving I had was in 2011 because 2012 was spent on an island eating fish and 2013 was spent in Sweden. Anyways, I love Thanksgiving and it was a good time to reminisce. 

 

This week, we started the He is the Gift initiative. It is a short film that was made by the church to remind people of the real purpose of Christmas. It is short, simple, and touching. I get a little teary-eyed every time I watch it. As missionaries, we have been asked to contact with this film. We have already shown it to people, and it is awesome. We have noticed that people love talking about Christmas, and we can easily refer to what we believe in.

Have you seen the video? If not, check it out at christmas.mormon.org and share it! It really has helped me remember why Christmas is celebrated. Not for presents, or food, or sales, but for family, service, and the Savior. 

Keep your head up, everyone. CHRISTMAS IS COMING!  

 

 

 

 

Christmas is here in Sweden!

 

 

There is a Tanning Salon RIGHT by our apartment. It is such a temptation to walk by it every cold, winter evening. I miss the sun! 

 

 

 

It was a foggy week!

 

And a little note to all of my friends and family. I am a horrible person and will not be sending Christmas gifts this year. I just think it will be nicer to give them to you in person in February. Which is freakishly close... Also! Please don't send Christmas presents! You all already do too much. And my suitcases are packed. haha.