Letter: 16 May 2010

I love my family so much. Y'all are just so incredibly...incredible! I am so happy to know that you are happy and well and that-- even when things aren't so good-- you know where to turn. I am totally at peace about y'all and that is a big blessing.

It seems like a lot of things are changing "on the home front." I am more than excited to hear anything and everything about the house.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO WILL!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TRUMAN!

You two are getting old! Seriously. Those pictures of them in my calendar are so super cute: Will bashfully smiling over the kitchen table and then Truman playing baseball I think.

Life is really good here. Some days have been really sunny and warm and then other days have been rainy. But you know what? The rainy days are okej too because I discovered a most wonderful little trench coaty sort of thing in the apartment. It is a little big, but it has a waist tie and then I just rolled up the sleeves a little above the wrists and it is just perfect! I have everything I need! The Lord has provided a back and a light, water-resistent jacket for me! I don't think life could get better. Tulips are popping up like daisies around here! haha No but there are a lot of tulips in little garden bunches and then daffodils and such. Very lovely. And sometimes the air is so full of the smell of flowers that it is overwhelming! I start coughing and such. That has only happened a few times. Its pretty wonderful though. And it is sunny as long as we are up and out (and probably more than that too) 6 30 AM-9 PM. It is kind of like a fairytale land.

Our investigators are doing well. Eddie is just really amazing. We stopped by to see him with the bishops wife on Saturday afternoon. We had been talking about trying to have his daughter be able to come to the baptism too, but that could mean switching to the day. We really felt like it would be very bad to move it back, even one week so we told him that. This just made it hard with his daughter because he doesn't have her the weekend he had picked to get baptised (before he had thought it would be better if she didn't come because he was sure she would try to jump in the font after him). We were afraid when we told him that he would be a little upset or something or maybe offended like we didn't trust his resolve enough to move the date back one weekend. But he just listened. And after we said that we had prayed and thought a lot about it he just totally understood. We said that it would be really awesome for Leona (daughter) to be there though and asked him if he would think about some options like switching weekends with the mom or asking the mom and Leona to come on her weekend. He just really does not like to be around the mom so it had been tough, but now he is considering options. He got really sick on the way to church yesterday so he went back home. We called to see what was up and then we asked him if he would like to get a priesthood blessing and kind of explained what that would be. He said sure. So, the ward mission leader and we went to his apartment that night. I think he was kind of nervous about it (of course). He was way willing though and it was really great. I was just praying the whole time that the Spirit would touch his heart so that he would feel it was right and good and real. I think that this will be a great blessing for him in building his testimony.

We also taught Prisla (13) and her mom who live an hour away. The Young Women leader gave us a ride in her car and helped us teach! She is really awesome. It was perfect because she was baptized after her teenage daughter had been baptized. She had all sorts of experience with things like they are facing. The Spirit was there when we taught and it helped us teach really simply. Our entire lesson last week had been on authority and they didn't really understand, but this week it was different. We were teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we talked about authority again just briefly and simply. After we were done, Prisla said, "Yeah, I really want to be baptized by someone who has Christ's authority and power, not someone else." Prisla said that she wants to get baptized in October when she turns 14 and her Mom was okay with that. We think that as she continues to come to church, she will feel like she wants to get baptized sooner and if he mom comes, her mom will feel that it is good too. It is just so tough! It CAN happen. I am excited. The Lord has really blessed them and us. I am grateful I get to witness conversion. It is really amazing. The Spirit does it! It doesn't matter what we say. Well, it does because that can influence whether or not the Spirit can be there, but the Spirit does the changing in them. It is really amazing. What a dream I am living here!

I wish I had some funny stories. Oh! Last week haha we went to Family Home Evening (Hemafton) for the Young Adults (Unga Vuxna) and they were playing sports at the park... We weren't sure if we would play or what. We decided to and it was funny. So, we played "brenboll" (burn ball). It is baseball but you toss the ball (tennis ball) to yourself. Like baseball for Sewdish people haha just kidding. They are athletic too. Just not. at baseball... ha Anyway. There was just 6 of us for most of the time and we stayed because one of the new converts was there. That is pretty much the story... ha It is hard to play sports in Swedish. I kept saying things like "Oh man" or "snap" or "nice" ha. And then sports phrases just don't translate I am sure. Like "you can do it" "you got this." It is funny. It was funny that way though so that was good. It was extra funny because we were sore/stiff the next day. Sore from weak-mans baseball...

That is it family! I love you all. I hope you have wonderful weeks, and Maegan that you just love Houston and then Russia! And Baldwins that you just love Louiser and Maegan! I love you all.

Love,

Syster Sarah

10 May- Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all! and to all a good night!

Just kidding. But actually, I should be wishing most of you a good night at this point, as the sun is going down on your corner of the planet.

Life is good here in Örebro. I told Mom and Dad how to say that, so now they can teach everyone else. I remember that "Osorno" was a task for about 18 months until Libbi came home. That is funny. "Stockholm" is easy enough to say, right? "Örebro" means "Penny Bridge" (well, their equivalent of a penny). Kind of a nice little name.

It sure is nice to be home. We have had some crazy traveling this last week. We went to Stockholm (2 hour train) on Wednesday night for a Mission Tour with Europe Area President President Teixeira and then we came back that evening. And then we had Stake Conference in Stockhom again and we went up Saturday night and left Sunday evening. Tedious travel. And especially because yesterday we didn't have a lunch, so we had a bowl of cereal at 6 45 and then had conference and then got on a train and then got home at about 5 15 and were starving and worn out and irritable. But, I got to call my Mom and Dad and Rachel! I was really grateful that the phone and the card worked well. The Lord blessed me a lot. At one point, the phone cut off so I had to try to call again. When I was waiting for like probably 30 seconds for it to connect and ring, I was praying. I was just telling my Heavenly Father thank you that I was able to talk to them for the 20 minutes before. Even if the connection didn't make it again, I would still love Him just the same and obey Him, but if He was willing that would be very very very wonderful to me if I could talk to them more. And then the phone started ringing. It probably sounds more dramatic written out than it really was. I have a testimony though that the Lord hears the prayers of our hearts. I also know that He blesses us when we exercise faith in Him and express faith in Him. Even if He hadn't let me continue to talk to them, it was comforting for me to know and to think through the fact that I had faith enough to get a "no" answer. I hope that makes sense. Pray and have faith and you can be confident in the fact that whatever happens is what is best and that He is with you. He can't be with us if we do not pray. Anyway, I am SO grateful that I got to talk to my family. I love you all so much.

I was happy to hear about the house. more than happy-- more like ecstatic. I love that stuff. I love new beginnings. There is just so much potential! It will be awesome. And I can't wait for my loafers. I also was very glad to hear a hello from Abby and then a hello for Emily too. The rest of you... just kidding. ha I know you care too. There are a few Swedish phrases that can't be translated in my head. Well, that is because I don't like looking things up in the dictionary-- I like to learn things from context. It's way cooler. Am I right? Of course. haha I listen to a talk and learn like 20 new words without a dictionary or anything and then know how to use them! I think that is a huge blessing from the Lord. Anyway, so then I can't really translate directly to English because I just use the word. One of them is "att hälsa." I don't even know how to spell it. It is like to greet someone. If someone says "Oh and tell them hi for me" they just say to hälsa them for them. It is cool. You say it like "hellsa". And when you walk into someone, you don't really start talking to people until you have "hälsa"d them. That means saying "hej" and shaking their hand. Everyone shakes hands here. It is kind of crazy. Even like these gangster-looking kids once. I saw there was like these 6 kids on bikes and they have all these peircings and tatoos and just thinking they are really cool and then another kid that they knew came up to them and they just shook his had to hälsa him. I was like woah. It looked so civilized. It was a real hand shake. That makes it nice at church for investigators. LDS people shake hands, and they already know how.

I taught my companion how to "stand up" on her bike. It was so funny. Not actually standing up, but you know like you stand on the pedals up off the seat with your legs straight? Yeah, she was just like, "how do you do that?" Cause I had been doing that and I was really confused about how she could be confused. She was like, "when you do it, you look so tall. But look at me." She did it and her rumpa (like "roompa" (bottom/behind/bahonkatail in Swedish)) was still practically on the seat and she just looked ridiculous haha. Her head was all high trying to be tall. And then I looked and saw that the pedals were not level and told her to stand on them at the same level and then it worked. It was so funny. She kept being like, "wow you will teach me all the bike tricks!" and I was just like "tricks?" haha so funny. She also thinks it is really cool when I throw my leg over the bike to get off before the bike actually stops moving and then get off when it does. So funny.

The people here are doing good. Tonight we have a teach with Aziz from Egypt. We met him because we gave this other guy a pass-along card and then he must have taken it and then followed after it and asked who we were. He had apparently met with some missionaries before. So, we taught him Friday at the library. He keeps saying how he feels like it is important to search and find the truth and be willing to search because you can't know until you've really searched everything. That is good but that is bad. I hope that he is willing to make a decision to do something about what he learns. But, this could be it! I think it was definitley the Lord who helped him find us again.

I see miracles everyday. Undeniable ones too. It is really amazing. I love my Heavenly Father. Remeber the day I fasted for my contract to sell, Emily and then I magically saw you after your final and you came with me home to get the thing that I had magically forgotten at my apartment that and then you had e-mailed everyone and people were responding and things that hadn't happened before magically started happening with the contract even on like the last day of the semester? That was amazing. And I never would have seen you, Emily, if I hadn't grabbed the wrong binder-- which I never do. So cool. I jsut read about that in my jourmal.

I love you all. I am so grateful for you all, for all you mothers who have taught me so much by just who you are and who you try to be. I love you.

Love,

Syster Sarah Bear Page

4 May- Hi On You!

Hej på er, familjen! That literally translates to "Hi on you (y'all), family!" I guess it is kind of like saying "Hey there" in English. I think mostly middle-aged or older people say it.

It has been a fun week! Spring has finally sprung here in Örebro and I haven't heard any complaints on the subject. The grass is amazingly, brilliantly green. Oh, that reminds me of something kind of funny. We were cleaning the church building with the ward on Saturnday morning and when we were done with the inside, we moved on to the grounds. Swedish people love to work in the dirt I think. So this is the work we did: Vedel, our really funny (he talks really deliberately and says "Hej" and nods again and again until he is satisfied with the greeting) and AMAZING ward Mission Leader would wheelburrow us over some dark, rich dirt. Then, he would dump it out into little piles. Our job was to redistribute this onto parts of the grass around the church that was not growing so well. It felt very funny. So, we'd take some up with our shovel and then place it in random spots...and hope we were doing it well... ha. We kind of would look around awkwardly to see how they were all doing it. Delicate work. So, now there are patches of dirt on the lawn. We must have done okay because Vedel kept saying, "Duktig, Syster Page! Very good! Ni är dukitga, systrar!" (duktig= clever/smart/good at something).

We had dinner with the Kodia's. They are from Congo and have lived here for about 15 years. They speak French and Swedish. They had a guest staying with them for like a school thing from France. He was funny and I was trying to imagine what it would be like to be around people like him for an entire mission. He was a bit cuckoo-- like the sounds he would make or something about his mouth and when he was playing with the little kids he'd just be goofy/weird. It was funnny. haha I was thinking that Swedes are probably weird too, but I don't know. Anyway, I could understand a lot of their French (well, when the African's were speaking) but then I could not respond. It comes out Swedish. That's okay. It was just blowing my mind a little bit.

We taught this young man yesterday, Norov. He is from Mongolia but grew up here and speaks perfect Swedish and English (and Mongolian. That goes without saying, Tracey). He met us at the Church for the first time. He had met with other sisters, but it had been almost two months since he was taught. He is really busy with school and work. So, we talked to him. He said he had always been atheist, but he just wants to learn about Christianity. We talked about some of the blessings we have in our lives because of our knowledge of God. Then he said something really cool. He said that he wasn't trying to see if there was a God so that he can get something in return, or that he can kind of grant his wishes or something. He said, "I just want to know the truth." I was impressed with him. He thinks about things, and he isn't quick to be disbelieving, even when it is hard to imagine or understand. We watched the Restoration video. We emphasized the Book of Mormon and how answers and knowledge of the truth will some by reading that book. He even prayed at the end of the lesson. It was awesome. He is really sincerely trying to figure it out. The truth is powerful. I am so glad that I can say with confidence and conviction that what I have to offer him is, in very fact, the truth-- pure and simple and from the Source of truth. Whenever I start thinking about, "How can I explain this so that they will understand?" Or I start thinking about trying to make something logical I just stop and smile and realize that I do not have to convince anyone or make anything appealing. What I am saying is the truth. The Spirit is there when I testify of truth. Oh I love that part of missionary work so much. I have always loved bearing my testimony.

Yesterday, our 13 year old investigator, Prisla, from the town far away (Degerfors) came to church with the wonderful member who lives out there too. He gives other people rides too. Anyway, she was nervous and excited and nervous. I tried to make it comfortable for her. Testimony meeting started and it was great. A few people bore wonderful testimonies. Leave it to Örebro församlingen. They are so incredible. But after about 3 people, there was a little break. I had already decided that if there was break that lasted longer than about 3 seconds before I heard someone else getting up, I would run up there. So, I did! I hadn't really wanted to when we walked in. I just didn't know what to say and the language is intimidating sometimes. So I got up there and started to just say truth. I said that I knew that Jesus Christ was my Savior and that this was Jesus Christ's Church and that I was so grateful to be a member of it. I said how grateful I was for the knowledge I have and then I just simply said, "The knowledge I have is: I have a loving Heavely Father, who is God, who loves me. I know that The Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that we have a prophet today and his name is Thomas S. Monson. I know that Jesus Christ leads this church through him. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." Something very close to that. Correct Swedish just came out of my mouth and I don't remember thinking about it. I remember looking out at the people in församlingen that I love and then just feeling the Spirit testify through me. It wasn't for me, it was for Prisla and for them. I find myself when I lose myself. Being a missionary helps me do that. I love it.

I think that I'll just be calling you. I think it will be at about 7 15 my time (we are teaching Norov that night from about 6-7). We also have Stake Conference next weekend! And we have a "mission tour" where a General Authority comes and a buch of missionaries go and listen to him. I get to see some of my district (MTC people)! I am excited. Eddie is doing great too. So great. He was in another city DJ-ing this weekend and he went to church in that city! On an hour of sleep! The sisters there helped him out with how to get there, but he went. He is so great. And a DJ. (ha just a little humor there)

Have a great week my little ninos. I wish you all a happy mother's day. All of you!! ha okay, just the Mothers. And the other women a half happy mothers day. I wish you an okay mothers day. ha Anyway! I love you all. No one guessed the song from the last e-mial. hm. ha Have a great week. Tell me about all your adventures (School over, Louiser, Maegan in Russia, the house, everything!). Thank you for your testimonies and for sharing them. I love love love you.

Love,

Syster Sarah

26 April

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LOUISE BALDWIN! That is the cutest name ever. So the other names that I love and cherish with all my heart are Harriet, Marianne, Josephine, and a few others. Ha I'm kidding. I mean I love the name Louise and I was even the one to suggest that! She looks adorble. Thanks for the pictures too. I hope you are doing good, Kath. and I hope your family is getting better, Jeff. Thank you Libbi for the communication. Ususally, Both of us have nothing to tell. I because I conceal nothing and you because you communicate nothing.

Whoever can guess where I derived this from gets 1,000 Swedish Crowns!

"If you give a little more than you're asking for, your love will turn the key"

Hint: and then it goes on a little something like this (at least in my head) "ooO-Oo III (Ah-yyy) just want to be your EVerything..." in like a falcetto

I thought of that randomly and I was like, "How true that is!" Inspiration comes in various forms. But I really did like that message. I have been trying to let go a little more and love people better. I just have this thing with being on my own. I like it a lot. Any advice? Other than the line from the song? You married people or you people who have served missions with a 24 hour companion. And what does it mean to "compromise." I don't think I know how to do that at all. I think I have just learned to do things my way and not to step on anyone else's toes doing it. I am thinking that that won't really work. I want to do things WITH my companion, but I don't know how. So, about 90% of the time I just let her take it the way she is thinking even when I have different ideas, because she has specific things she wants to do.That kind of wares on me after a while. I just really want to be equal partners and feel like I get to contribute. So, any ideas? It's not so dramatic or anything, I just thought I'd ask.

This week was really good. We had a really miraculous teach with a woman, Nomi, and her thirteen year old daughter, Prisla. They live in Degerfors (an hour and a half busride out of Örebro). We met Nomi at the immigration office when my companion was renewing her visa. We had given her a pass-along card on the bus before we came into the office and then in the office she came up and asked how she could get the Book that was on the card. We were happy to help. She was able to hear a quick first lesson before she got on the bus to leave. When we taught them in their home, they were so receptive. We talked about the Holy Ghost and Prisla was telling us that she feels that when she prays. She said it is this strong feeling that she just can't deny that Someone is listening when she prays. She said it also makes her so happy and she doesn't feel like doing anything bad again. We had decided to teach the Restoration lesson just using the Book of Mormon and it was so powerful that way. They started loving the Book already. Nomi had hers in Urdu (she and her husband came from Pakistan when Prisla was 4). Prisla wanted her own book and she can't read Urdu so Syster Robinson let her borrow her Triple until we come back on Tuesday! Tomorrow! It will just be hard for them to get to church. There are members in a neighboring city (Karlskoga) who said they would be willing to give them a ride. Degerfors is only about 20 minutes from Karlskoga (so about an hour from Örebro). That was one of the biggest miracles of the week.

Before I forget: I am thinking that I will get to call at about 6ish in the evening my time. It will be in the evening for sure. Mother's Day evening. It will be just like my old Sunday evening calls. Maybe you will even be just sitting down to eat! I am going to "read it back to you" (remember? that awesome thing I made up in the Cannon Center?)-- the numbers that I might call, just so that you can confirm that they are right.

Dad's Cell: 011-7-916-202-7212

House: 011-7-495-956-7128

Magic Jack: 801-693-8616 (I will try not to use this one, because it might be more expensive. I don't really know)

Eddie is doing great. He came to church yesterday with his little daughter. The young women in the ward love her and take good care of her. I think that that really impresses Eddie. His baptism date is the 29 Maj so he's got a lot of time. He picked that day, but we think he would be ready earlier. I hope he is baptized earlier. Then I would for sure be able to see it. And he would get baptized sooner.

Nothing really funny happened this week. Sorry. Thank you so much for the e-mails! I was so happy to get them. I was just about to sit right down and write myself a letter and make believe it came from you! Okay, not really. Oh man that reminds me. Okay, something kind of funny happened. Well, I thought it was hilarious. We were on the bus and I do not know what it is with Swedish radio playing these kind of random songs that I happen to love. So the bus stops at the light and I start to make out (because it is quiet) what the song is. Oh dear. That was one of the toughest two minutes I have yet experienced. They were playing "Billy Jean". I had to seriously make myself not dance. No tapping the foot, no shoulders, no head movement. I was just cracking up (well grinning like a weirdo from ear to ear) at how much of a struggle it was. Anyway, that was funny to me.

We baked so many cookies to bring to a service thing we do at the Red Cross in stan but they canceled because they were sick so we had like 50 chocolate chip cookies, in small Swedish bite size. We brought them to the baptism we went to in Västerås the next day (Sat). It was actually really awesome because the young man who was baptized had been begging his Elders (our distrikt leader and companion) to have them there but they had not watned to ask us in case we were busy. Miracle. So he loved them. He calls them "Latter-day Cookies." I think that is so funny. They were so small so they were kind of hard. He said to the elders, "Your's were soft. These are like hard!" haha apparently that was a good quality. That was a really great baptism. He (Robar,20) and his girlfriend (Sofia, 19) were baptized togetehr. When Robar came up out of the water, he grabbed his chest and had this astonished look on his face. He couldn't speak but he just smiled and looked at Elder Hanes and just gave him a big wet hug. It was one of the best things I have ever seen. He was glowing the whole night and hugging everyone no matter how old or young they were except the sisters, he gave a good hand shake) and he's this big bear of a guy. Miracles are happening.

Thank you for your prayers. I love you all. I am excited to call you soon. I don't even know when that is exactly... two weeks? I'll know when it comes! It's in my awesome calendar. I write what I did in every day of that cool calendar. It's awesome. Awseome and cool (I just read over this paragraph ha).

I am excited to be in Sweden. I am excited to be a missionary. I don't know how to send pictures... I don't think I came with all my camera hook up things, like I said before. I'll look into that this week.

About 3 Letters Late...

Sorry folks- I haven't been very good at posting her letters right when they get to me, so this letter is from the middle of April. I'll try to catch you all up.

Hej Hej Familjen igen!

It has been a very interesting week I think.

Kind of a funny story. First: our District leader and his companion told us that we should have a code word for when they call and we are in danger and we can't tell them out loud. They decided (surprisingly quickly) that the code word would be a Pokemon character. They are really weird. But funny and really cool. Story: We were having companionship study in our little apartment and then all of the sudden we hear someone fidgeting with our door handle as if to come in! We were very alarmed. But then, the person on the other side decided to try knocking instead. My companion got up to go answer it and I hurried to follow (you know, so I could protect her) and she cracks open the door to find an old lady with cookies, a cake and, as she explains for us, vanilla cream for the cake. I recognized her from the ward (my companion didn't but she still took it and thanked her a lot). That was really random. I still don't know why she was trying to turn the door handle... (I am singing that one scary song right now in my head that I always sing when something is kind of creepy-- I think my sisters will know. I made it up. Libbi always tells me to stop singing it because its not even scary (she's just telling me to stop because it IS scary...) It's the one that I kind of pair with "A-rooo-RA!aaa Arora Arora A-ro-RA!aa"). And then after when we were talking about what just happened by companion was like, "the first thing that came to my mind was 'Pikachu!'" Oh so funny. And then it was just a nice old lady with cake. Pika Pika!

We also saw a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle in stan (like down town, the center area of town) running around while we were waiting for our bus. He even ran after a convertible and almost caught up to it. He was actually just some kid and I think he and his friends were filming a movie... but he got carried away and was just running around like a crazy peron. It was kind of entertaining.

That same day, we were walking home from tracting in some apartments by where we live and we just happened to be walking at the same time and in the same direction of a youngish man who spoke some English and was very drunk. He was Polish so he sounded very funny. So, we asked him if he believed in God. He told us that he recognised us from the bus station. He had seen us there and I guess he had read our tags. He said he was Catholic. He asked us what was different about our churches and my companion said, "We have a prophet today!" He laughed and said, "No, I mean what is different about our churches." "We have a prophet today!" He started cracking up and said in a really funny Polish accent, "I DON'T believe you!" and the "don't" was like higher than the rest so it was like when Panic says "I DO NOT know" in Hercules. We were glad that he went home after that.

Eddie is great! He chose May 29 as his baptismal date and came to church yesterday and then we had a Young Adults meeting to plan hemaftons (family home evenings) and activities and he was excited about it. We had dinner at a member's house. She is Hungarian so she fed us some great Hungarian soup. We are going to try to suggest May 15 because he is so close to being ready and we don't want to have it drag on too long. But, we mostly want him to like the day and feel like it was what he wants and chooses.

We met Sumith. I think that he was drunk when we met him too, but he was so sad. Oh my goodness. He was an old investigator that we had never met. He called and told us how sad he was and that he really wanted to hear about Jesus Christ. We met him at the Church and he was so sad. He told us how miserable and empty his life is. He told us that none of his friends know this, but he is an alcoholic. His dad was an alcoholic. He told us how much he wants to change. We were able to teach him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that Jesus Christ is there for that very purpose. So we can change! We asked him if he would be willing to do what it takes to change. He said yes yes yes yes. He cried. He smiled when we said goodbye. He had said he wanted to be baptized. June 5. We thought he was a little drunk so we weren't sure what to think of the commitments we had extended or how sincere he was. He had told us he would come to church. We said we'd call to wake him up. He thanked us a million times.

Sumith wasn't at church. We called him. He said he had been trying to go to the hospital. He was feeling really sick. He said he wasn't sure if he could drive though. My companion was on the phone with him. She told him to just come to church. He came! Because he "had promised." He remembered! We could tell he wasn't feeling well. It was Elder's Quorum at this time. That was fun! We came with him and Eddie was in there and he came up to him and shook his hand all friendlily (word?). They knew each other from the gym! Sumith taught his class or something! Wow. Sumith could not stay long. He was goind to try to get to the hospital. Wow. He said that he would like to come to institute. This is for real, we think. If he keeps his commitments... wow. He can be a new man! The Lord is really blessing me. I could feel that the Atonement is for Sumith. Jesus Christ tells us to come to Him. He is there to heal the sick, not the whole. Sumith just needs to keep taking steps and he can change! The Atonement can do it. I love Jesus Christ. I know He lives. I know that He loves us and is inviting us and inviting us to invite others to Him everyday. I loved reading in 2 Nephi 26 this week. 23-25 and then he tells us later that he commands us to go out and persuade others to come to Him. Then he says how we can't do it for other people or to puff up ourselves, but He tells us to have charity! The Gospel is for every one (33).

Mom, you can definitely send pictures through e-mail. Please do! I love you all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HINCKLEY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFF! We are teaching a French speaker but I CANNOT speak any French. I am serious. It is very weird and it seems like I can't help it. The Lord has put my mind in Swedish and English only. Thank you, Jeff, for your amazing example. I think about when we went to pick you up. I think about visiting that little branch and how that older lady loved you and gave you bises and some gift and you said "C'est si gentil" and then how that family was baptized and how patient you were. I look for advice from you. I love you!

I love you all. Have a great week.

Love,

Syster Sarah Page

The song went okay. It was Abide with Me. The Spirit was very strong when we sang. That was great. My companion, Dad, has a poppy-ish kind of voice. Our voices kind of don't fit, but! That's okay. Zone conference was great though.

Mothert's Day call...

We had a great chat with Syster Page last night. She sounded happy and content. She is working hard and looking forward to Eddies baptism in a couple of weeks. She loves teaching the gospel and is doing well in the language. She said she understood church and most everything but the teenager lingo. She love the ward they are assigned too. They are good friendly saints that have put their arms around the investigators. She rides a bike and had some funny tales about skirts flying over her head and such. It was so comforting to hear her laugh! Rachel asked her what she was seeing artound her as we were on the phone with her and she said "...me, I am looking in a mirror that is right in front of me." That is also a familar image (no pun intended). She said her day was 6:30 up and running for 20 minutes, shower dress. Then 1 hour personal study, 1 hour companion study, then lunch bvefore they head out the door at 12:00 returning home at 8 pm for dinner etc and in bed at 10:30. Of coursr sometimes the teaching goes later than 8 but that is about the schedule. She just had Zone Conference which is a 2 hour train ride to Stockholm from Orebro. She sang a couple of hymns in Swedish for us and it was nice to hear the language as well as her voice. We are so grateful for her wonderful opportunity to be a missionary and for her love and joy in the work.

Check out the blog that Sarah's mission has. It is linked here on the right called Sweden Mission. Sarah is in at least 3 of the pictures we found.