I am so glad to be able to talk to you today. I cannot believe that I have only been in Örebro for less than two weeks! So much has happened! How much I will have to tell! (So much I will have conceal...) hahaha. I just shared that with Sys. Robinson. She didn't get it. I hope you do! ha Anyway...
We have had some great times. I thought today that I would tell you about some more detail-y, interesting intricacies of my missionary life. We travel primarily by bus here and by foot. I love the buses! It's so nice. No car to take car of and find a parking spot and fill up. BUT there is always a ride waiting for you at a pretty convenient time. So we wait at bus stops a lot and ride buses and talk to people there. My first day was funny. I was all pumped to talk to someone on the bus and this cool family gets on. The dad was pretty scary-looking (hairy and big) but the mom had a stroller and a baby and was talking to some other lady. I was sitting by the window. The man then turns and looks at me (weak smile from me) and then decides to sit down with his huge back to me so that he could face his family. I was pressed up against the window now. Oh it was funny. And stressful! They were all talking to each other and I was up against the wall and I wanted to talk to them but I didn't know how and I wanted to talk to someone but now I couldn't cause I was up against the wall. There is not really a cool ending to that particular story. They got off the bus.
We also contact a lot while walking. Oh boy that is crazy! All internally crazy. ("Do I talk to them? Should I talk to them? What about them? Oh I don't know what to say! Maybe my companion will talk to them. No. I should just talk to them. Don't I have any faith!?") "Hej, ursäkta!!" I usually try not to yell. I usually try to just say something at all. It is getting better. It is just hard to know who to talk to when there are dozens in front of you. Just open your mouth to someone! That's what I say. Anyway.
We had a few crazy men this week. They are old men that are a little crazy in the head. We met one that just came up to us while we were sitting in the library waiting for our investigator. I could not understand roughly 99% of what he said and it was very confusing because at one point he got very close to me and was smiling and patted my shoulder and I was like "Oh dearie..." and I was trying to have enough of a smile to be nice and not enough to be too nice. But oh man. And then at one point he stood up and started like jumping and dancing a little bit and then all of the sudden the most miserable look of despair came on his face and his whole person and he walked away with his eyes down and walked away muttering so sad. It was very sad. But then very funny. But then sad. My companion was by my side and all of the people in the library who were trying not to watch, so we were good. The other crazy man was just asking us for "Tia kronor! Tia kronor!" (ten crowns) Blowing cigarette smoke in our faces but he left as soon as I said "Jag har ingen pengar" (I have no money-- probably wrong.) He quickly moved on. Whew. That was at the train station on our way to Distrikt Meeting (Distrikts Mötet) in Västerås. (By the way: 'å' is my favorite Swedish letter. It is very pretty looking and cool sounding. It is like 'oh' but then with a tiny subtle 'a' at the end. The word for Easter på Svenska (in Swedish) is Påsk. It is kind of like a Brooklyn accent. Ho-at Do-ag for Hot Dog. Yeah... I don't know. Think about that one.)
Oh man. Funny story. And good story. We were going to go teach Henri (a new convert that we had never met in person) at Hans's house (a member who we had never met in person). Cool. We knock on Hans's door and he is like 22 and I was expecting 50. Okay. And then we are like "Hej hej" and he's all like "Henri is not here yet, right?" and Syster Robinson is like "Oh yeah no he said he'd be late." ... and then my companion realizes what he means (that that means we can't go in yet) so we are like "Uh well we should just go wait for Henri downstairs." haha Awkward #2 was waiting for mystery Henri. We say a few people come in but then this one guy was like "Hej hej" I was like "Hej hej...?" And then he must have realized and was like "Jag är Henri." ha funny. Then the lesson. Oh man. Nothing was too funny in there but then so many things afterward were funny because of Syster Robinson. I don't know if I'll ever be quite as uncomfortable with situations as she is. Oh man so hilarious. We were walking out of the building toward the bus stop and she is just like "Oh my goodness! Could it have been any more awkward!?" I was confused. haha She was saying how she had had to sit "on a bed next to a guy!" (on the end of a couch that was made into a bed and she was not next to him (Henri) at all, she was as close to the wall and as far from him as humanly possible). Oh so funny. She was freaking out. It was so funny. She was just talking about how she just couldn't speak and how she was like a robot and so boring. Oh so funny. Hans asked if we wanted to ficka afterward (which just means like drink something and eat something and just hang out/talk) and I wasn't sure what he had said so I couldn't respond and then Syster Robinson was apparently stunned from discomfort that she could not respond and it was just very uncomfortable for all present. Luckily she got out that "we have...bus...yeah" oh so funny. I hope that made you laugh because I was almost going the bathroom in my pants walking to the bus stop from the way Syster Robinson was reviewing the evening.
The lesson was really good though! I actually felt like I could express myself well. It was because I was bearing my testimony of the Savior. Henri had expressed to the previous sisters there that he did not feel worthy enough to go to church and take the Sacrament when he had not read the scriptures that week or something like that. He felt like he had to be perfect. We talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how it is an ongoing process. I bore my testimony of the Atonement and of Jesus Christ. I said that I am weak. Since I have become a missionary I have really seen that I am not perfect. I said that I cannot speak Swedish and I am not brave enough or good enough to be able to do all the things that the Lord has commanded me to do, BUT that is why Jesus Christ came to earth. I testified that without Jesus Christ I am nothing. And with Him I can do anything. I need to use the Atonement in my life because I am not perfect.
I also had a very special experience bearing testimony to a lady on the sidewalk while we were walking to the Church for a child's baptism in the ward. She was out with her daughter and maybe husband. I was able to bare my testimony of how the Gospel of Jesus Christ blesses families. I explained how it had blessed my family by helping us love each other and serve each other better and helped us grow closer. I saw a physical change come over her. She was looking straight in my eyes and I knew that she knew that I was sincere. I love bearing testimony. That is when I feel the Spirit so strongly and my tongue is loosed. Much more is communicated in a testimony than words. The Spirit can carry our message of truth to there hearts. I saw that. She gave us her name-- Helen-- and pointed to where she lived and gave us the address! Miracles are happening here in Örebro.
We also went door tracting this week on Thursday evening before Påsk. No one was home for some reason. One door did open for us. This was exciting because we had a new little thing we wanted to try, especially for Påsk. We offered to sing a hymn about it. The man (about 30) stood at the door with his 3/4 year old son. He asked the son if he wanted to hear a song. The boy said no, all shy. We kept talking about Christ and how we celebrate Påsk by celebrating the reality of Jesus Christ. We offered him the "Finding Faith in Christ" DVD and asked him to watch it. He said sure. We asked if it would be okay if we came back sometime next week to see how it went. He hesitated and thought for like 5 full seconds and then was like, "Jah." Ja! He asked his son again if he was sure he didn't want to here a song. The boy said okej this time. We sang with all our hearts "Jag på Kristus Tror" ("I Believe in Chirst"). That was my testimony and I could feel that the spirit of testimony was reaching him. After the song, the boy ran to go get his Thomas the train and show us and then offered to sing us a song and then asked us to sing again. He even told us his mom could sing too. The dad (Johan) asked us wehere the church was and it just ended so well. We are going back on Thursday to see how the DVD went. The Lord has blessed us very much.
They only had Conference yesterday in Swedish... I was a little sad but it was a great blessing! I learned that I learn much more by the Spirit during Conference than through the words. Thoughts and impressions still came to me and the Spirit testified to me while Pres Monson was telling a story that I did not even understand that Jesus Christ lives and of how immense the Salvation that He offers us is! That confirmation to me by the Spirit and not by mere audible words gave me a great confidence that the Spirit really in my companion.
I have to go. I love you all very much. thank you for your prayers. One night, I really remember being impressed that you are praying for me and that I felt the strength from the prayers you give for me. Thank you. I love you. And thank you for the package! I love it all! I especially liked your note Abby. Those are definitely St Patricks Day socks... Easter green... hahaha. I love you! Have a great week and talk to you later! I wish I could share more!
Love,
Syster Page
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