"I... looked out the window and what did I see???"

Hejsan hejsan!

Hello again! Hope all is well with everyone. We are doing wonderful here. The weather got colder and colder as the week went on, but more and more beautiful. All of the trees just blossomed all of the sudden. Then on Saturday they had a huge celebration in the town where they celebrate families. That was super cool! Because most people it seems don't get married here and they might have one child. But I have been told the percentage is still higher that people are still getting married. During this the ward put together a little choir and we got to sing too. We sang Pop Corn Popping as one of the songs. Perfect time of year. Syster Schneiber had her birthday on Wednesday and the day went really well. We had an amazing member teach! This woman, Nahid, was actually found by a member here and we were able to all get together. We were talking about how important it is to follow Christ's example and she kind of rubed it off like she hears that a lot by people from Church's. We talked a little bit about what it means to really follow him. Not sure Nahid was convinced that we really try to follow him. At the end of the lesson we ask if we could help her with anything. We said we could make dinner with her so that we could meet or help her pass out flyer's for her restaurant she owns. She about fell to the floor! She was so astonished that we really just want to help her and serve her. She even took our help! Tomorrow we will go out with the young women and we're passing out flyer's. I know Nahid is going to die when she sees all the girls there. I really enjoy teaching Nahid. She is one of those truth seekers and really recognizes truths. Its beautiful. 

 

This week has been kinda crazy with random activities so it made weekly planning hard. We are really hoping that all goes well this week. What we did get done was done in prayer so we'll see. I have found that planning plays a huge part in everything we do. Good planning is essential every single day. I would also say that my studies are super crucial. I don't know what I would do without the scriptures everyday. They are a source of strength that gets me through everything that comes my way. My absolute favorite thing probably is when you have a good study session that morning and you are able to share it with others. We taught a man Friday that has a strong background in the Bible and it was our first teach with him. I had read in Luke that morning and was able to share something with him. Man it feels so good to relate to people through scripture!

 

Tuesday night was hilarious! So I will try to keep it short and to the point. We found a book shelf someone didn't want and decided to bring it home, but the only problem was how to get it home. We decided to sit it on our bikes. Then we just walked our bikes side by side home. Yes it probably looked ridiculous but most things we do look ridiculous. We wear a skirts everyday with name tags and talk to people about God in a country of atheists. Well anyway we were walking home and stopped a super cute older lady picking flowers by the side of the road. Her name is Ann-Britt and unfortunately doesn't live in our area. Right as she is asking about how our church is different from others I see Josefin (a young women in the ward) walking towards us laughing. She stops and says, "Do you know how ridiculous you two look??" Ha ha ha then she goes on to say that her dad was around the courner to drive the book shelf to our apartment. So she goes back to get her dad and then the contact resumed. Then they came and picked it up and took it away. The best part was Ann-Britt just that it was the sweetest thing ever and asked for our number and told us to take hers. We met with her on Saturday. Man that woman has a strong faith. Love her!

Guess what?? On Friday I hit my one year mark. That was exciting. All of our group called each other and we had a nice little talk. It was really fun to hear how everyone is doing and different success stories and things. My favorite part was hearing where everyone was reading in the Book of Mormon. Yesterday we had an amazing sacrament meeting. Many people talked about missionary experiences and how it strengthens them as they share the gospel. A few even expressed their appreciation for us, Syster Schneiber and I. It was so so amazing. I totally cried and so did she. One bore testimony that we as members make a difference in others lives. Someone had said it to her the day before and it just hit her how even if its small things she did she really makes a difference. I would have to say the Alingsås ward as made a difference in my life. 

 

Have a wonderful week. I love all of you and pray for you.

Love Syster Sprague