Syster Brink in Sweden: Svårt Vecka

This week has been harder than the others, but we have still found ways to have fun and enjoy the work. Last week was the first week we've been here and had new missionaries come in, so S. Giles and I decided to make it really memorable for them. We got our lunch and ate it back at the residence on the couches there. We pulled them up in front of the elevator and sat there holding a christmas tree and a camera and every time someone came up we'd take a picture and shout "WELCOME TO THE MTC!!!!" It was seriously so great!

We were able to go to the temple last week and it's so cool to go as a missionary. Knowing that there are so many people praying for you and for the work is so amazing.

I got the christmas tree you sent meee!!! I strung the lights above my bed and they make me soooo happy!!

On thursday S. Smith (my roommate, S. Adamson's comp) decided she needed to go home. She's been struggling with health issues and thought that going on the mission would bless her and help her overcome those trials but she was having a hard time. She'd been praying about it for weeks and finally felt at peace with her decision to leave. We went to go and pick her up from the health clinic and they directed us to the district office and that's when we knew that she had made her choice. We were all pretty heartbroken, our district has become so close and sending S. Smith home is like losing a member of the family. Needless to say it was a pretty tearful day.

We dropped S. Smith off at 5:30 am on Friday. Our whole district got up and went with her to the travel office. Ä. Simonson gave her a blessing before she left (his first one!!! it was really simple but sooo good). It was really hard to see her leave and my heart was broken, but I know she's gonna get the help she needs and she'll return to the mission when she's better. Even up until she left she was doing everything she could to be the best missionary she could be and I'm so proud of her!!

So now I am in a tri-panionship. Nobody told us exactly what would happen after S. Smith left, so S. Giles and I kind of absorbed S. Adamson. Tri-pan is hard. I'm not going to lie. S. Giles and I had a really good thing going and our flow kind of got messed up when we added a third member to our lessons. It's hard going places because we'll get together and be ready and then remember we have a third person. It's been an adjustment, but I know it's gonna be for the best! Blessings come from challenges!

On friday night there was a special dinner for the branch president's and their wives and the missionaries in the choir surprised them with the closing song Silent Night. It was seriously so cool to be there and sing for them! I was able to stand right at the front with S. Giles and S. Bateman. We were right in front of the MTC Presidency. The spirit there was amazing!!!

Saturday was a hard day for me. I just felt spiritually exhausted and I couldn't get myself to focus on our lessons, or language, or the scriptures. Also, on saturday some of the elders in our zone got called down to the district office. Apparently they were stealing silverware (we stopped after the fork chandelier on the 1st week) and they got caught. In total they returned over 1000 spoons, knives and forks. Like... what? How did they get so much silverware in only 2 1/2 weeks?

My first fast sunday as a missionary was great! Ä. Larson got called as the new ZL so that's way cool! He'll do great! The Dutch districts left this week so we heard a LOT of dutch testimonies on sunday! Gonna miss those dutchies!!! We also watched the 1st presidency christmas devo and Joseph Smith- Prophet of the Restoration.

Our lessons with our investigators this week have been nothing short of awful. The flow in the tri-pan is so hard to figure out. BUT. We think we're finally getting through to Haydar and he feels like he can repent and talk to heavenly father now (!!!!!) so we're feeling good about that. We shared a song with him yesterday, Where Can I Turn for Peace and I KNOW he felt the spirit. There's no way he couldn't have, it was soooo perfect!

S. Bateman and S. Gardner went to the dentist on monday and Aunt Denita was the receptionist!!! SO I got this cute picture from her :) I love being able to hear from home and family so often!!!

Mr. Melville (freedom elementary principal) is in a Branch Presidency here for the Poles and the Macedonians! How cool right? So I said hi to him the other day!!

Erik Kaochusaret (?) stopped by my class the other day and brought Elliot, his little bear that he drives with haha :) It was way good to see him! I think he put a picture up on facebook so you'll have to check that out!

Last night we had a member of the seventy come for devotional. He gave the best devotional yet. I seriously loved his message sooo much!! I don't know if you can look it up, but his name was W. Craig Zwick and it was great!!!

Elder Ahlander leaves on monday! How crazy is that?! I'm gonna miss seeing him between study times and teaching each other little phrases in swedish and polish. So excited for him to get out in the field though! He's been here for 9 weeks and I can't even imagine having to be here that long! Thank goodness swedish is a relatively easy language.

--------------------Answers to Questions and other Random things---------------------

My P-day is wednesday and we go to the temple after lunch. It's totally 100% illegal and against MTC rules for you to try and visit me. If we just happen to see each other that's okay but please don't make a trip out of it :) Also, hugging any guy is outlawed, even if they are family.

We've only been able to go to the temple once since being here but we're going today. We did a session last week but S. Giles hasn't ever done sealings so I think we'll do those today.

My district is really good at the Ray Romano voice and we've started yelling DEBORAHHHH!!! to get each other's attention/find each other in the noisy cafeteria. If anyone asks we just say we're yelling "DET ÄR BRA!!!" which means "THAT IS GOOD!" in swedish hahaha

Brother Whitworth is going to have his first kid this summer!!! They find out the gender in about a week or two! SO EXCITING!!!

You know those tough guy snaps the characters do on westside story? My district walks in formation and we'll do that sometimes when we go to lunch or on our way back to class. It is seriously sooo funny!

Singing Cheetah Girls songs in the shower is the ultimate way to relieve stress. I'm surprised more people don't do it.

That's all for this week!!! I'll be sending pictures soon! be on the lookout!

Love, Syster Brink :)