(Translation: Goals and Miracles!)
Dear Family and Friends,
Syster Schneiber and I have a wonderful week of goal making and seeing miracles! We really set our minds to contacting 10 people everyday no matter how hard it is in a small town. Things turned out great!! We didn't always reach the goal because of appointments and time but the Lord knew we were searching and willing and he blessed us. We reached 5 new investigators!! It was absolutely amazing. Thanks to the standards of excellence they really give us a focus and it is something that even make us stretch, but is still possible. I feel like we are about to witness something huge in Alingsås. The members are so amazing too!! I hope to go home someday and be as good as they are. Syster Schneiber is absolutely amazing. We have a lot of fun together and we have a goal together that makes everyday great. At the end of everyday we ask each other if we have done any good in world that day?? We even have a paper up that you can't miss. It gives us something simple to reach everyday. It feels so good to be with her! The other day we noticed these little flowers that have just popped up in the middle of little patches of grass. I looked at S.Schneiber one day riding the bus and told her to look at all the flowers. Then we said.. like in mulan... "did you see those huns! they popped out of the snow!.. like daisies!" Man she is so cute.
This weekend was like christmas for me. I loved General Conference. I wish it would just keep going. We had the opportunity to listen to the first three sessions. We watched both morning sessions live with you! So it felt cool to know that we were watching it together. I think my favorite talks were.. OH! i don't know! I loved Eyrings! I love the way he speaks. I loved Hallstrom's about the gospel verses the church. I loved elder hollands because it was about a simple story in the bible.. I just read that parable of the houseworker because I started the new testament so I had read it this week. He gave me a whole new spin on how I though about it. I really loved Paul. E Koelliker when he talked about how to inspire other. That was an answer to my prayer... how do you start a desire in others?? He said.. Be sincere, an example, and love others. Our capacity to love is huge. Like Syster Newell (Mission presidents wife) says love only multiplies and never divides. Our capacity is HUGE! I could just keep going! I received revelation for almost all of my questions! We then went home last night and discussed what our favorite parts were. As we discussed S.Schneiber felt like her prayers were answered. Did you receive revelation? If you haven't, go through your notes! And if you still cant find it talk to someone else about what your wrote down in your notes. S.S. needed to talk her way through certain ideas to receive what she needed inspiration.. or writting it down in her journal.
I LOVE READING SCRIPTURES! Have I said that before? Just in case I haven't... Reading the Book of Mormon every morning and then telling S.S about it.. is perhaps the best part of every day. Right now I am in 1 Nephi 7 and loving every minute. Now I am reading it in Swedish and falling even more in love with the language. The language is so simple it makes the scriptures so good!
So miracles! As a missionary you often times have goals. So we were trying to reach this goal of talking to 10 people every day.. outside of what we had scheduled. In Alingsås this can seem very hard.. because the town is very small and there are not so many people out and about. BUT! We made this goal and we were going to try our best. We had been promised if we tried to reach this goal the lord would help us get 5 new investigators that week. SO! last sunday was our first successful day of reaching 10. Through out the week we tried our best. Monday..our pday we reached ten again! tuesday was a crazy day and it started going off schedual. So as we rushed up to our first appointment we were about 5 mins early. We parked our bikes. As I hoped off mine and we went to lock them S.S just spoke outloud to me and Heavenly father saying "Heavenly Father, we are ready to talk to some prepared people.. if you feel like send them our way." Right then a man walked past. S.S and I were startled and thought... oh geez.. I hope it wasnt him! I wasnt QUITE ready. So after parking the bikes we headed down the little road to our meeting place. A younger man rounded the corner and lit up a cigaret. S.S looked at me and said.. should we do it? I said, why not! We stopped him. and He gave us his number!!!!!!! First person we contacted! THIS IS NOT NORMAL FOR MISSIONARIES IN SWEDEN! :) The rest of the day we were so busy we didnt get a chance to talk to 10 people. We felt like it was heavenly father that knew we were not going to have time so just gave him to us first. :)
Wednesday.. the same thing happens. we are running late. We have to quickly hop on our bikes and cycle to the church to print something out to then quickly head back for a teach. This does not make for good random contacting on the way. We were rushing up to 5 oclock. finally the day slowed down and we went to go by some old investigators. As we walked up to the apt complex of the family there was a man and his son sitting on a park bench. S.S looked at me and said.. should we talk to them? I look at her and said "why not!" He said we could come back next week on thursday and teach him. yay!!! This kept happening to us throughout the week. And guess what! We got 5 new investigators! I really shouldn't be so surprised because with the Lord anything is possible.. but! I still was!
Syster Schneiber and I have also decided to make April a month of perfection and we are going to try to do our best and let the lord do the rest. Like you say dad, "Work like its all up to you and pray like its all up to the Lord." I am super excited!
There is so much more that happens to us each day on a mission. It is just too much to write down. Two neat small experience were around conference. On Saturday we were sitting in the chapel listening to conference and we have big widows on the sides. We saw a man outside walking his dog. Conference is so amazing.. who wouldn't love listening to this and feeling of the spirit and power of God. I said, "should we go out there and invite him!? She thought for a moment.. and said.. why not! Big smiles came upon our faces we headed out. We walked up to the man and told him that we were listening to a prophet of god speaking and he would be welcome to join us. He said no.. but it was at that moment that I realized.. I need not have fear. We can do all things. And even if they reject our invitation.. that does not mean it doesn't count. Every invitation counts. On sunday morning we decided to walk to church. The buses don't run on sundays and it would take us about 40 mins.. but we thought it might be the only way we could reach our 10 contacts. There were not too many people on the streets. By the time we rounded the bend with the church just a minute ahead.. and woman pushing a stroller came walking towards us. Well! we decided to stop and invite her. She unfortunately had to rush to her friends house.. But she said "I got your little note yesterday".. With a little surprise said, Oh! are you Marta!? She said yes. She was quickly past and headed on her way, but said maybe we could come back another time. Out of all the people out we run into an old investigator we have gone by a few times but she was never home. We have noticed that we never just "run into people". The lord really guides us and puts people in our path. Even when they don't want our message. He still wants us to invite them.
SO! I love you all and I love this gospel!! Have a wonderful week!
Love Syster Sprague
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