Week 58; December 15, 2014 – No Such Thing as Latvian Baseball… Really?!

Hey guys!

It's been a really fun week. We started off with a simple P-day, eating at Pizza Hut and shopping a bit. We went to a member’s home that night by the name of Max and Santa. They were super cool and they were the first Latvians I've met on my mission. I've always had a life-long question that I wanted to ask a Latvian. Back home our ward played a game called Latvian Baseball. It was like an indoor version of baseball and I had always thought it was the national past time of Latvia. So, I asked them if they had ever played… Sadly, to my despair, they hadn't! My apologies to the youth of the Carmichael Ward, but Latvians do not, in fact, play a game called Latvian Baseball!

Reaching One Year in Sweden Next Week

On Tuesday, we taught the Omahomen family. We were reviewing the new-member lessons with them and we taught them about prayer and scripture study. I bore my testimony of how scripture study has blessed my life. I told them that I wished I had studied more when I was younger and how developing a love for the scriptures has been a huge blessing for me. I felt prompted to promise them that if they were to study their scriptures daily as a family, they would be blessed to become stronger and more united than they have ever been before. They really liked the lesson and promised to give it their best efforts.  

Later that week we had our Santa Lucia program. It was super fun! A lot of less-active members came and a few even participated in the program! The costumes were hilarious and the ward had a great time! It was definitely a taste of some great Swedish culture. We may have not been the best singers, but it was surely a night to remember! 

Some of the best parts of this week have been while we were out contacting people. Our District Leader challenged us to contact people on trains and buses more often. I don't really love doing that, but I thought what the heck, I'll give it a shot! The first one went pretty well. I couldn't find anyone in particular that looked like they would love to talk about religion, so I just sat down. I noticed a lady who had these really cool rings on, so I asked her where I could get some like hers… As a Christmas gift for my Mom, of course. That started a great conversation and we were able to talk about the church a bit. Although, she wasn't super interested, she seemed to respect what I had to say. Sorry Mom, she got the rings from a second-hand store, and they were from Macedonia. So, I don't think I'll be able to find you one! 

Later that day, I found a guy that spoke mostly Spanish and we did pretty well bouncing back and forth between languages. Although our discussion was going great, he hoped-off the train before I could get his contact info. Lesson learned!  

On Saturday we found our best contact. We had just finished-up moving a new member into his home on the far end of the area. In the process, I contacted another man and this time he knew only Spanish. Fortunately, I knew enough Spanish for some basic dialog, but this time I didn't really think I could do it. However, the most amazing thing happened. I understood nearly everything he said. I understood that he was from Iran and that he had lived in Spain for 20 years. His Swedish wasn't very good and he was having a hard time learning the language. Then, an even cooler thing happened, I started remembering Spanish words that I hadn't seen or heard since my sophomore year in high school. The more the conversation went on, the more we understood each other. It was an incredible experience. At the end of our conversation he gave me his number and said he'd be happy to meet with us any time! The Lord had put the right words in my mouth even though my Spanish was downright terrible. I know God helped me recall every Spanish word I had ever put into my head so I could talk to this man. I just wish I had tried harder in my Spanish classes. Regardless, I would consider this to be a miracle! It was a real example of how weak things can be made strong with the help of the Lord.  

  

Well, I can't believe Christmas is only a week away! I hope you all enjoy your time together, and I hope you will also think of the savior in the coming days. I have grown to love Him so much more than I ever thought possible. I can truly share my testimony that He is the Savior and Redeemer of the world and that He loves you all more than you could possibly know. Jesus Christ is truly the greatest gift the world has ever received and He is the greatest friend anyone could ever have. I know this is His work and helping people find Christ is the most incredible experience I have ever had!

He is The Greatest Gift!

Have a wonderful Christmas! 

I love all of you! - Äldste Stoeltzing 

Week 57; December 8, 2014 – Ikea, the taste of Sweden!

I hope everyone is having a great time preparing for Christmas. We can really feel the Christmas spirit here in Sweden. There is no better time to be a missionary than around the Holidays in Sweden. After the dark, cold month of November, everyone just seems like they want to take the entire month of December to be happy, and we've met some wonderful people. 

The week started-off with a really cool experience. We did a service project for a member in the morning and we had a long afternoon of swing-byes without much success. By that time, we were decently far away from home at that point and our phone had died. But, we left some things at the other Elder’s apartment earlier that day, so we needed to stop-by before we went home. 

I decided to ask someone if I could borrow their phone and I felt like I needed to talk to a girl by the train station. I just asked her in English if I could borrow her phone to call a friend because my phone had died. She laughed and said her phone had just died too and that she had the same problem. We got to talking for a while and she said she went to a Christian school growing up, but wasn't very religious herself. We needed to go the same direction as she did, so we kept talking on the train. She told us about how she'd been living in France with her boyfriend and that they just broke up, so she'd recently moved back to Sweden. She said she was at a point in her life where she was trying to get a few things figured-out, and said that our meeting was possibly a sign that she should go to church! The coolest part was that she said she actually lives really close to the church. We gave her our card and she said she would come to church sometime in December. So, we’re hoping that she'll come in the next few weeks. This was a way cool experience and one of the most unexpectedly positive contacts I've seen in a long time. 

In Sweden we're definitely seeing that youth are often the most open towards the gospel. They are still open to forming new ideas and beliefs and they have probably been the most positive people to contact recently. 

I had one of the coolest meals I've ever had in Sweden last Wednesday! An older lady in our ward, Betty, wanted to make sure we had a proper Swedish Christmas feast experience while doing a little missionary work. So, she decided to take us to the Julboard buffet (The Christmas Table) in what I'm, pretty sure is the biggest Ikea super store in the World!  She said, older people like it a lot, so expect it be busy. And boy, was that an understatement! I'm pretty sure every retiree in the greater Stockholm area had made the pilgrimage to the giant Ikea to partake in the Christmas feast. 

Sweden has become a lot more like America in their tastes, or at least, like a really, really healthy America, you could say. It was absolutely crazy! They had five different kinds of Seal (raw hearing). I skipped that, but I did get some Salmon because it's almost required that you eat some form of fish in a Swedish Christmas feast. They had all kinds of ham, potatoes stuffed with beef, rice pudding (one of my favorite Swedish deserts), of course, they had lots and lots of Swedish meat balls, and every other Swedish food you could think of. Even after a year I sometimes wonder what true Swedish food is actually like, because of how Americanized their tastes have become. But I think I can honestly say I know what Swedish food is now. We each had about four plates full and we felt stuffed by the time we finished, but it was super fun! Betty is one of the coolest people ever for giving us that experience.

That night we went out to one of the farther out parts of the area to contact people. The town square there wasn't very big, so we decided we would change it up a bit and solo contact people while staying close to each other. I decided to do something a little unusual and talked to a street vendor. He was a little surprised, but when he figured out who I was he got super happy and said, “Wait, your 20, and you came all the way out here from California to tell people about God, That's amazing!” He said, a lot of people from his culture live in California and he had me guess where he came from. I had no idea, but it turned out that he was from the Sikh faith. I thought I knew a thing or two about Sikh's, but I didn't know much at all. He briefly shared the history of his people with me and I shared a little about our faith as well. He said that he didn't have a ton of friends in Sweden, so he invited us to come by his house and share more about why we’re doing missionary work. So, I'm hoping we'll meet him this week. Fun fact: He told us his name is Singh, but so are the names of 20 million other Sikhs around the world. I guess they all have the same last name who knew, got to love what you learn on a mission, right!  

So, on Thursday night, we had us some culture. The ward is putting on a Santa Lucia (Saint of Light) production and we've been invited to be a part of it. This is the holiday where girls wear a white dress and a crown of candles on their heads and sing together before Christmas. It's not really seen all in the US, but it's a huge tradition here. So any way, the practice went well and the songs were super fun, but we found out that we were getting costumes as well. They want us to be the star boys. We will stand behind the Santa Lucia girls and sing with them. Our outfits will also be white gowns. The ward members thought we looked great in our traditional Swedish clothing. We took lots of pictures, but I don't think I'll put them in the blog, so ask me about it when I get home and you'll have a good laugh! 

      

Lastly, we finished-off the week with a great lesson with a girl named Mercy. She grew up in Sweden, but studied at UCLA. We got to know her for about 30 minutes, but she came with a lot of questions about how we gained our testimonies. She was really touched by what she heard, and then I shared my Grandpa's conversion story. She thought that was absolutely incredible. She said she hadn't been taking a lot of time to read the Book of Mormon before, but she felt strongly that there was something important in the lesson and she committed to read it very seriously in the coming week. We are hoping to meet her one more time before Christmas and see how she feels about baptism!  

Well that's what happened last week. Christmas is almost here and I can't wait to talk to you guys then… It's going to be great!!! 

I love you guys so much - Have an awesome week!!!    

-Äldste Stoeltzing 

Week 56; December 1, 2014 – “He is The Gift”

Hey guys!

It's been a great week here and I love this new area! It's quite a change, but it's a good change. We've gone from riding in buses to commuter trains, cable cars, escalators, and subways to get around town – All in a day’s work! 

The longest escalator I've ever seen!

Our first meeting great! We met a less-active family that made us spaghetti for dinner (he emigrated from Italy, so it was really good)! They were some of the nicest people ever, and we really hit it off with them! They were really open about their background and they seem to want to move forward and get involved again. So, we're really excited to keep working with them!    

The largest hospital in Scandinavia

Later in the week, we taught the Omahomens family about the temple. They are recent converts to the Church and they loved the lesson. Hopefully, they’ll be able to go to the temple this week!  

Something incredible started this week! The Church produced a new video called “He is The Gift,” and they want to share its’ message with the world. We are now contacting people with a message about the true meaning of Christmas and it really opens people up. So far, we haven’t had one bad contact!

I went on a split with Elder Farnworth and we got a group of young people to take a selfie with us holding “Share the Gift” cards and they promised to tweet about how they felt watching the video! I hope everyone has a chance to see the video and tell their friends about its’ awesome message!

Share the Gift!

Well, thanks for reading everyone. I hope you all have a wonderful week as you prepare for Christmas!

Love you guys!!!

Äldste Stoeltzing   

Week 55; November 22, 2014 – Six Areas in 12 Months

Hey guys!

So, our P-day was changed to Saturday this week. We had a large group of missionaries going home, so we are having transfers a few days earlier and we’ll be taking today off instead. 

The Narrowest Street in Stockholm

Believe it or not, we're both getting transferred. This will be my shortest transfer yet, we’re only switching bedrooms in the same apartment. President Beckstrand has decided to close one of the two Vendelsö areas and we will be replacing our two roommates who were working in Hägersten, just outside Stockholm. 

Elders Stoeltzing and Ogaard

This is probably the strangest transfer yet. I'm super sad to see Elders Kapp and Sandquist go, but this has been a really fun six weeks. Although we won't get to keep working in Vendelsö, I feel good about the opportunities we are leaving for Elder Williams and his new Greeny. 

Getting All Decked-out for the Holidays!

Hägersten will be an awesome area and there's a ton of work to do there. I can't wait to get out and work hard next week and hopefully settle down in one area for a while.
  

I wish I had more to report this week. Unfortunately, I got pretty sick with an ear and sinus infection, so I've been down much of the week. Hopefully, I’ll be ready to go by Monday. Until then, I'm going to get a little more rest and, by next week, I'll be telling you guys all about area number six! 

Love always,

Äldste Stoeltzing 

Week 54; November 17, 2014 – I Have Kept the Faith!

Hey Guys!

It hasn't been the busiest week, but we've been blessed and the work is moving forward!

We taught a less-active member named Jamie on Tuesday who still has a powerful testimony of the restored gospel. It was our first lesson with him, so we learned about how he joined the church and we shared our testimonies of Christ with him. He's fairly busy with work, but he wants us to come back and he will come to church as soon as he can.

Later that night I went on splits with our Ward Mission Leader, Brother Brändh. We taught another less-active member, Jamaal. Brother Brändh led the lesson by telling a story. He's super good at origami, so he folded-up a piece of paper as he told the story and he made one tear in it. The pieces spelled-out the letters “Love,” with a cross, and he explained that the atonement of Christ is because he loves us. I really hope I remember how to do that lesson because it was a super cool way to teach that principle and keep your attention.

Later, we found our second new investigator named Lisbeth. She was a lady that Elder Nielsen and I found on splits about two weeks ago. She was really receptive at the door and said she'd read a little out of the Book of Mormon. We didn't have much time, but we reviewed the principals from the first lesson and answered some of her questions. We hope to meet her again next week to teach the Plan of Salvation.

Last weekend we had Stake Conference. It was great to see members from my last three areas. The conference was wonderful. Nabeil from Norrköping was one of the speakers and he told an amazing story about how his family came over from Syria and how he found and accepted the Church in Sweden. All of the speakers were great, but what I'll remember the most is the news from the members in Linköping that Carl-Arne had passed away. I don't know if you guys remember me writing about Carl-Arne, but he was a man in his mid-90's that Elder Farnworth and I used to teach. Of all the people I've met on my mission I don't think anyone has had the impact on me that Carl-Arne has had.

When Elder Farnworh and I met with him Carl-Arne was fighting cancer and dealing with the trails of old age. He was sick enough that no one would have blamed him if he stopped coming to church, or even if he left his apartment for that matter. Despite his health challenges, Carl-Arne felt it was his priesthood duty to pass the Sacrament in his small branch in Linköping every week. Carl-Arne was almost blind and hard of hearing, but even still, after the Sacrament was blessed, he would drop his cane, pick up a tray, and pass the Sacrament to each member.

Carl-Arne showed me that even the most basic responsibilities of the priesthood have a significant meaning to someone who has given a life of service to the church. He still considered passing the sacrament to be the most valuable thing he did every week. He was the best example of enduring to the end that I've ever met. And I hope that no matter what I do to serve in Church, whether it be leading an Elders Quorum, or greeting people at the chapel door every Sunday, I hope to do it with the same devotion and love that Carl-Arne showed in his last act of service.

This verse is for Carl-Arne; 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

-Äldste Stoeltzing  

Week 53; November 10, 2014 – Half-way done?  I’ve only Just Begun!

Happy November everyone! 

I can't believe I've been away for a year already… It doesn't feel real! This has been the fastest year of my life and I've loved every minute of it. It feels really weird to be in the middle of my mission. I've learned a lot out here, but I don’t feel like I'm nearly where I'd like to be as a missionary. So, I’m really grateful for one more year. I'll probably get things figured out right about the time I'm ready to hop on a plane and head home next year. 

Celebrating One Year as a Missionary... Shirt Burning to Follow!

So, it snowed this week too! That made for a cold, cold day of tracting. The weather was pretty unexpected, but it warmed-up quickly, so the rest of the week wasn't too bad.  Regardless, the cold, dark winter is coming soon. Glad we have mittens!  

A gift of mittens at Zone Conference - Warm hands and warm hearts!

We finally had a sit-down investigator lesson with someone who was really interested in our message this week. His name is Mono and he came prepared with a lot of good questions. We will hopefully teach him at the church this week, so expect to hear more about him soon! 

Translation: "Beware of Dwarf Hamster"

 We spent a lot of time trying to find a ton of new people this week and we had some good successes. We feel like we’re finally developing a good potential investigator pool. So, hopefully the area will be moving forward, full steam ahead, very soon. 

Other than that, not a lot has happened in the past week, but I'm ready to start my final year as a missionary… I can't wait to go one more round. Thanks for a year of reading my blog. This has truly been the best experience of my life and I'm so glad I get to share my adventures with you guys!               

Jag Älskar Er! (I Love You!)

Week 52; November 3, 2014 – A Halloween to Remember! 

Hey everyone!  

It's been a tough week, but it’s been a good week. We worked very hard and made this a finding-centered week. We are both pretty tired, but it felt good to work so hard. Even though we didn't see a lot of success, we did make some progress.  

On the road in Norrby

 We've been trying to work with members to bring them a message about the power of friendship to encouraging them to develop at least one new friendship in the month of November. It can be scary for members to be put on the spot, and asked for a name of someone to teach. So instead, we're trying to show members that by just being themselves, they can bless the lives of others if they open up and are willing to make a new friend. If all goes well, we can move forward and help them to share the gospel. This message seems to be going well. We also used the Ward Halloween party as a way to help members strengthen their friendships and invite someone to the party.

 

The beautiful Norrby countryside

We had our Zone Conference on Wednesday and the Beckstrand’s did a great job. Their message was about mission unity. Basically, if we could all be united in purpose, effort, and obedience, we'd see miracles in Sweden. Sister Beckstrand taught a lesson about being a light in the darkness (because the sun goes down at 4 pm now), and she explained how we need to be warm to do that… So, she gave us all a new pair of mittens that some awesome sisters from the Relief Society made for us. We also had the best lunch I've had at a Zone Conference in a long time, so thank you to the senior couples for your wonderful cooking!   

 

    

That night I went on splits with Elder Farnworth's ‘greeny,’ Elder Nielsen. We had the best night of work I've seen in Vendelsö. It was a miracle! Literally the first door we knocked was interested in our message and listed to the whole first lesson. She took a Book of Mormon and invited us back in about two weeks. Later that night we met a girl from Mongolia that talked to us for 20 minutes in English and said she'd also be interested. She took my other Book of Mormon and we got her email address. I was so thankful that Elder Nielsen got to experience a great night of missionary work and that I got to be part of an awesome evening.     

Crossing a bridge in Hägersten

Thursday was a tough, tough day. It started out well when the first lady we talked to was interested in a meeting and gave us her phone number. But, the rest of the day was a shut-out and we had a lot of doors closed on us. It was a good day for patience building, but I am thankful for the one person we did find. And, if we can teach her, the whole day would have been worth it! 

Hägersten

Halloween was interesting… First we helped Nikolas with an English lesson and then we went out to start tracting. We made it through 5 or 6 large buildings and we started walking to a different area when we found the coolest looking playground ever. I asked Elder Ogaard to take a picture of me, but when I hopped down, I put my hand out to catch myself, and when I got up my hand kind of hurt. I looked down and saw a big piece of broken glass where I landed. Then I looked at my hand and realized I had cut it pretty badly. Fortunately, there was a small clinic nearby and we got in right before they closed. I'm sure I looked like I had the best Halloween costume in town because no one looked the least bit concerned despite seeing a lot of blood. The cut was deep enough that I had to get stitches for the first time in my life, so that was cool! After getting five stiches, I was finally put back together… We decided we'd call it a night. But, it was certainly a Halloween to remember.

  

Hi Five... Stitches, that is!

Saturday was awesome! Elder Steen had been helping to put together a ‘Trunk or Treat’ Halloween party for the Stake, and it went really great! We've only been planning it for about two weeks, so we had no idea what to expect, but the turn-out was really good! We had over 100 people come and all of the parents thought it was an amazing night. Yesterday, the ward told us they hope this becomes a yearly tradition and they thanked us for our help putting it together. Also, we found out that a good handful of kids in our Ward invited their friends to the activity, so we'll be following-up this week! 

Salamon Came to Church on Sunday!

Afterward, the whole zone took a walk around the Västerhaninge graveyard to look at the lights. Halloween is a little different in Sweden. They actually put more of a focus on remembering their dead than focusing on candy, so the graveyard was filled with people lighting candles to honor the dead. The whole place was lit-up with candles… It was really beautiful!  

A Halloween tradition of honoring the dead with light

Well, that was the end of an interesting, but good week. The work here is tough, but it is moving forward. Thanks for keeping me in your prayers. That really, really does help. 

I love all you guys. Have a great week! 

Äldste Stoeltzing