Syster Brink in Sweden: Getting down and DÖPT

This week has been the greatest. I will start with sheep shearing because I know you all want to hear about that :) It was the first time I've worn jeans in public since like. December. I felt like a civilian. It was super weird. But we get to Sigrid and Robert's farm with the elders and they show us around. They had bunnies, cats, sheep, chickens, turkeys, you name it. They made us a pizza with ram on it (his name was once alfred. apparently.) and it was to die for. Then they put us right to work. Us girls sheared the sheep while the boys took down a fence.

IT WAS CRAZY.

1. There were three sheep to shear

2. All of the sheep were pregnant.

I held heads, legs, tails, sides, hooves. I sheared off the backs of the sheep. It was so great! :) By the end of the shearing party I was covered in sheep juice (its like, wool fat. or something. it's gross.) and super itchy wool. But I had so much fun.

Tuesday I was so sore. Who knew shearing sheep would be such a workout? We visited with Paulina to make sure everything was still good for her baptism on Friday. She was so excited! After her we went to visit our släktforskning lady Jenny out on her island. We're planning a YSA activity with her at her home and we're really excited about it. We had to take a ferry out to visit her. She drove us back to the bus stop and we waited for the bus and two of them came but they were going the wrong direction... so we thought.... But they were actually going the right direction and the next bus wouldn't be back around for another hour and a half. So we walked for like 4 miles to all the other bus stops on the route. Such adventure. We finally caught a bus and by that time our whole day was shot. So we just went to pingis. We had a cooking class as part of the activity night and I learned how to chop onions professionally with dull church knives. I love the activities we have :) We really get the members involved as much as we can

Wednesday we spent in Nybro. Carolina needed help stacking her fire wood so we agreed to head on up there and stack it for her. I did not realize how big a task it would be. She had so much wood. But you better believe I stacked it. And I stacked it good. I could get a job as a fire wood stacker. Carolina is crazy, but I love her to pieces. She took us to see a glass blowing exhibit too, and it was so cool! We were only there for like 10 minutes, but it's gonna be a p-day activity in the near future cuz I want to go back so bad.

We had planned to get a lot of contacts on wednesday, but having spent most of it clear up in Nybro we were really worried about being able to make the weekly goal. All the shops close at like 6 here in sweden. But we went out, determined to contact 105 people in one night. Which would normally be impossible. Except sometimes when you make goals and are really determined to reach them, the Lord blesses you with a GIANT SWEDISH HOCKEY CELEBRATION IN THE MIDDLE OF CENTRUM. There were like over 1000 people all just standing in the center. We were able to contact all 105 and then some. In and hour and 40 minutes. Which is like, the miracle of my life.

District meeting was on Thursday. We had lunch at Kebab house. We know the guy that works there. He's mine and Allred's best friend. Then we went to the church to make a whole bunch of cookies and clean out the font for Paulina's baptism. The font like, pops out of the floor in our chapel so that's super fun :)

Friday morning was crazy. It started with getting a call from Paulina that her kids were sick and she couldn't be baptized that day because she had nobody to watch them. But we quickly figured things out and our sweet primary president went and baby sat while Paulina got baptized. The service was small, because most people were at work. But we had our two most recent converts, Irene and Andreas there and they were so sweet with her! Irene and Maria (two of our spanish speakers) really just put their arms around her and welcomed her in. Ä. Purkey baptized her and Ä. Silvennoinen confirmed her. In the confirmation blessing he promised her that if she continued to be faithful and keep her baptismal covenants everyone in her family would be baptized. I heard that and I was like, "oh my goodness. It's going to happen." She got up and shared her testimony after everything. She had met with missionaries 12 years ago when she was still living in Chile and now here she is in Sweden getting baptized. CRAZY!!! I'm so excited for her and so happy about how everything has turned out :) She is really excited about temple work and can't wait to do baptisms for her grandparents.

We also taught a couple guys on Friday night from really far south sweden. They spoke the gnarliest skånska I have ever heard in my life. I didn't understand like anything they said. I randomly blurted out "Jag tror på Gud, själv klart." (I believe in God, obviously.) and it was the world's greatest trainwreck lesson.

Saturday we had Stavs Konferens!!! We got to go on down to Malmö for that and had a sleepover with the sisters there (holla at Syster Bateman!). We ate cheese cake and met all these great members. It was super fun :)

Sunday was day two of Stake Conference. We crammed like 15 people on a pew. We all just pretended we didn't have shoulders for two hours (which didn't work) but it was way fun cuz I sat by Sigrid and Robert (the cutest couple in all of scandinavia.) We listened to a guy speak in Danish. And I understood it. So I guess my swedish isn't as bad as I thought it was. We also got permission from President Beckstrand to go on down to the Denmark temple on March 21! We're gonna need to find a ride now, but it shouldn't be much of a problem.

This week has been amazing and so fun!!! I can't believe how blessed I am to be a missionary here in sweden! I get front row seats to all the miracles and sheep shearing and wood stacking my heart could desire. I get to walk around beautiful countrysides and talk to adorable swedish grandmas when I miss the bus. I get to have the coolest companion ever and I get to serve with my favorite elders. I'm not gonna lie, I honestly don't miss home too much. I love being here in Sweden. Right now is my time to serve the Lord and I couldn't be loving it more!

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! I LOVE HEARING FROM YOU PEOPLE BECAUSE YOUR LIVES ARE SO FUN :)

Ha det så jättebra!

Syster Janessa Brink