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| 5) very hard to see, but I burned a portion of this tie to celebrate 6 months! |
Well everyone, I've hit the 6 month mark! The time has absolutely flown by and I don't know if I can say I've loved every minute of it, but I have loved all the experiences I've had, the people I've met, the friendships I've made and the life lessons I've learned. I find myself telling tons and tons of people every day that I wouldn't want to be doing anything else in my life at this moment, and doing this work is one of the biggest blessings I've ever received.
So this week, I feel like we were getting attacked left and right. Whether it be on the bus, at the door step, on the street, or even in lessons, I felt like we were getting spiritually attacked. I'm thankful for the example of Äldste Lewis who is able to strengthen the both of us after a tough encounter with someone. He is always quick to share his testimony with me and it really helps me carry on. He doesn't let anyone else weaken his testimony, so it's always cool to hear him testify with power both in lessons, but also when we just are walking down the street just me and him.
The first attack came to us when we went to visit our friends Saara and Marko. We thought that a one week break would be enough time for everyone to cool down and start back up from square one. Well, as soon as we knocked on the door, the argument began and didn't end until we left 30 minutes later. To be honest, I'm surprised we stayed as long as we did. Yeah, I think we heard just about every swear word in Swedish and English in that visit, and to top it all off, saying I lied about my personal experience of tithing how my family has been blessed because of it. So, I was a little on edge, getting pretty angry at this point. But then Äldste Lewis looked at me, just touched my knee to stop me from going off, and then he just bore his testimony so powerfully for Saara and Marko. I was completely shocked and I just felt all my feelings of anger disappear as the spirit filled the room. It was such a life-changing experience, and while Saara and Marko couldn't accept the message, Äldste Lewis and I were able to know that we had testified with all our hearts and that we knew that all this was true.
The next attack came when we went to visit our boy Stig at his shop. He had closed down for the night and so he said we could come and visit him and share our message. He had a million questions for us about life, ethics, morals, you name it, and he just wanted to see what we had to say about all his questions. It came down to him saying that 'I totally believe that you two guys are 100% honest and that you are not lying at all, but I feel like someone is lying to you two.(meaning parents, leaders)' Again, I was completely shocked. My parents and leaders have taught me so many amazing principles and so there was no way they could be wrong. I've received a testimony myself of this gospel, but it just doesn't feel right when someone says something against those that have raised me and taught me so many amazing things. Again, we were presented with a chance to just share testimony and that's exactly what we did! I then asked Stig if he had learned anything from the visit, and unfortunately he said no, but he did say that he feels like we have something to teach him still for him to learn, so we are very hopeful for the future!
Yesterday we had a fantastic church meeting and we had interviews with President Youngberg. Both church and the interview were exactly what I needed to start this week off on a good foot! I was able to teach our 2nd hour class and Veronika was able to share her testimony, and then Selma as well, and I was just feeling so much strength from everyone that participated in the class. I'm so glad that God is watching out for me.
I can't remember a whole lot that happened this week, but I do remember that I met someone on the bus this past week who plays volleyball and he invited me and Äldste Lewis to come play this afternoon, so I am so excited!! Life is just amazing and I know the next 18 months here in Sweden are just going to keep getting better. Love you all!
Pictures:
1) this is Lasse, I taught him about 4 months ago and we ran into him at Willy's. He told us that he shook Arnold Schwarzenegger's hand so that's pretty neat
2) cool church here in Gävle
3) got a fresh haircut from Sarah Heikki
4) our lil bro Roy, he lives in the same apartment with Anna-Baby (a member), he loves to scream and jump around...i'll try to attach a video
5) very hard to see, but I burned a portion of this tie to celebrate 6 months!
-- Äldste Steele
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| 1) this is Lasse, I taught him about 4 months ago and we ran into him at Willy's. He told us that he shook Arnold Schwarzenegger's hand so that's pretty neat |
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| 2) cool church here in Gävle |
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| 3) got a fresh haircut from Sarah Heikki |
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| 4) our lil bro Roy, he lives in the same apartment with Anna-Baby (a member), he loves to scream and jump around. |
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