Winter in Södertälje

January 11, 2016

Hey everyone!!

I hope y'all have had a good week and have started off the new year right :)

This week has been, well, interesting. We have seen lots of good, lots of bad, and lots of miracles.

The week started off with a challenge from the Assistants to try to get one baptismal date. We thougtht, "easy, we got 7 days to get this". It's all fun and games until Satan gets in the way.

Monday was Pday, and we had the opportunity to just rest for a bit. We traveled to Örebro that afternoon and we were in Örebro that evening, and the whole next day. It was super fun! I was able to be with a sister from Finland. She's so tiny and precious and just a great missionary.

So there was Monday and Tuesday.

Wednesday we had 2 lessons set up but neither of them came. Then it was time to go to the Wesemyer's and that took the rest of the evening (complicated situation).

Then Thursday. All went wrong. Early Thursday morning about 3 am, I started feeling sick, I tossed and turned trying to fall back asleep and even tried to just force myself to throw up and get whatever was the issue out of my body. Didn't work. I woke up the next morning still feeling awful. I slept until an appointment at 10.00 and forced myself to get up and go. The whole way to their house I just felt my stomach was not happy. I even pulled over a few times to dry heave in the snow. Nothing. We did service for this old couple but I was going downhill and they expected us to stay and eat lunch with them...spinach casserole.

I opted out and asked to take my portion home, and she agreed. We went back to the apartment and got a blessing from the elders. Sister Johanson finally admitted that I looked really pale with a tint of green. I rested for the rest of the day until correlation meeting with all the missionaries here. I went to just listen but wasn't feeling too hot. Elder Larson looks at us and says, ”I need to vomit. Excuse me.” and in the middle of our meeting, he stands up, runs to the bathroom and upchucks. We closed the meeting shortly after. On our way home, Sister Adamson looks at us and says, ”I don't feel well.” she then runs off the bus, hurls at the stop, and gets back on. Elder Israelsen was also sick but didn't end up throwing up..same boat as me.

Friday. District meeting and then we hit it hard. We went by all of our people, taught like crazy, talked to everyone we saw. We worked hard. But still, no date. However, I did have the chance to go with the greenie Sister Eriksson to a lesson with a GUs. We ended up teaching her and her sambo and their two kids! It was the greatest lesson I think I have ever taught on my mission. The spirit was so strong and the dad was explaining it to his girlfriend and her daughter. For example he was explaining something in Twi to the daughter because she understands that language best. About how the church isn't Joseph Smith's church but that it is literally Jesus Christ's church. It was just, a really cool experience that I was really glad to be a part of.

Feeling rather defeated, we decided to just keeping working hard, and pray for a miracle.

Saturday: "ring ring ring" goes the phone. We looked at the caller ID. It was Per. An investigator that Syster Johanson had found a few months ago. He was satisfied with his own beliefs and not willing to change anything. But then suddenly.... a miracle.

"hello?" we answered.

"Hey, this is Per. I was wondering if we could meet tomorrow around 10? before church."

"We would love to meet!" we happily replied.

After we hung up the phone we went out to work our tails off. A block down the road we saw a little old man. As we got closer, we realized it was Rolf. Remember Rolf?? If you don't, that's okay. Rolf is just my best friend. He is 77 years old. And I love him with all my heart. It was Rolf and he was walking towards the cemetery. We stopped him.

"Hey Rolf!" we said.

"Hey to you two!" he said.

We shook hands and let him know how much we had missed him. We let him know how much we still pray for him and worry about him.

He then expressed to us that he was on his way to light a candle at his wife's grave. It had been one year since she passed. He was going there alone. His son and daughter and grandkids were too busy to go with. He then invited us along. We happily followed. We lit a candle and shed some tears on behalf of his dear sweetheart. MIRACLE. We were there at exactly that time for a reason. Rolf needed us. I don't doubt that for a moment.

Sunday: We met with Per. Asked him to be baptized. He said "yes, I will pray about it and prepare myself for the 6th of February."

Despite the flu, snow storms, workovers, and all the curve balls satan threw our way, we were able to rise to the challenge and do the work the Lord needed us to do.

This is the Lord's work. Despite sicknesses and weaknesses, He will still do what He needs to be done. I know that.

I hope that you all have a wonderful week! Love and miss you all!

And no I didn't do anything for my 1 year...That was the day I got sick :)

Love,

Syster Jordan Lund

Castle in Örebro

It was -11

One year!! My companion and the other sisters are the best

Rolf walking to his wife's grave

And the snow is here... just so pretty!!.

Cute sisters in Örebro

January 18, 2016

Our one selfie for the week #frozenfingers

Hello everyone!! I hope everything is going well back home, miss you all lots!

This week has been a total blur. I don't even remember what happened. A couple major things..it was been FREEZING COLD. The high this past week was maybe -10? And it got down to -18. We've been wearing lots of layers, but the work goes forward! Also, we found out about transfers! Unfortunately, my lil Syster Johanson will be leaving me to go do the Lord's work in Uppsala. I will be getting a sister named Sister Nielsen! Woohhoo!! It's my second Syster Nielsen so that's funny! It will be good, she is super awesome! But I'm going to miss Syster Johanson lots :( We had a packed week with lots of lessons and whatnot, but I will clue you in to a few of my favorite parts.

We went and served this lady who is EXTREMELY PREGNANT. We have to in the ward that everytime I see them I think they are just going to go into labor right then. Anyway, when we went to serve Lindaura (from Bolivia) we had an action plan if she were to go into labor while we were there. She didn't, but we were ready. We cleaned her house for her, and just got to know her better - she is super cool and has a hefty testimony!

We met with our friend Andreas and got a baptismal date with him! There are a few hurdles we will need to discuss before he gets baptized but he is so excited! And he is home for good! He came to church for the first time this week too! He was SO NERVOUS. haha poor guy. We were singing the opening song and he was sweating. I had to tell him to calm down and that it was all going to be fine. He did. And he loved it! He said he can't wait to come back! oh man, he is just the coolest guy ever.

We saw Rahaf quite a bit this week! We are working really hard to get her integrated into the young adult center and what not. We went with her to institute and then to an activity to meet some more friends. I think she likes it! She is in a tough situation right now, but I know that if she just prioritizes her life a bit everything will work out great! I love her she is so funny and awesome :)

Rahaf insisted in doing our hair haha my ears were freezing, but she is so good!

I don't have too many pictures this week, because ya know...it was cold and we didn't want to take our hands out of our mittens. It has just been a really busy week - overall good though :)

Funny story that isn't spiritual at all: Living with 3 other girls has some major perks. One of those perks is that you basically have 3 closets. So we wear each other's clothes all the time. So , this week we were at a member meal with all six missionaries eating beans and rice (healthy I know). We were all squeezed around a table and sharing seats uncomfortably. I was aiming my spoon into my mouth, but some beans fell off and onto the shirt I was wearing (which was actually Sister Erikssons) and my skirt. I tried to play it off nonchalantly and wipe it with some water and my red napkin. The red dye from the napkin started coming off onto the shirt. Oh no.. I jumped up and ran to the bathroom to take more desperate measures. I started wiping it down with a towel in the bathroom. I ended up just taking it off and scrubbing it and soaking the spot with as much water as I could. When I put it back on, there was a huge wet spot, obviously...so I had to toss a scarf on and sweat for the rest of the meal. hahahah the stain is gone now though! WORTH IT.

Spiritual note: My ponderize scripture for this week is Omni 1:12 and it talks about how the Lord will help us in our hard times according to our faith...AFTER we have put in the effort and have done our part. I think sometimes we forget that part and expect the Lord to give us what we need on a silver platter. In reality, we have to put in quite a lot of work and have the faith that he will help us in order for us to receive.

Have a great week!! Thanks for all the support!

Love,

Syster Jordan Lund

January 25, 2016

Hey everyone!! I hope all is well, this week has been an amazing one filled with lots of cool spiritual experiences and fun times.

I said goodbye to the one and only Sister Johanson, as she cruised off to Uppsala! I already miss her, but I know she's probably killing it over there. And I get to see her this Tuesday at MLC (Mission Leadership Council)! I'm so excited. Sister Nielsen got here and we have just been working our behinds off since she got off the train - it's been so great!

We met with Roger and watch President Monson's General Conference talk about temples ("Blessings of the Temple"). It was super cool and the Spirit was so strong as Roger was expressing his desire to go to the temple. He is just so stinkin' awesome. He even wants to help teach Family Home Evening tonight with the elders! He's a good one.

We picked back up with Rolf this week! We met with him and talked about faith in Jesus Christ and how we can grow faithfully in our families. He was really grasping the doctrine and we invited him to read the Family Proclamation. He said he would. Fast forward two days. We went over to his apartment with the other sisters to do some service for him including taking down his Christmas lights and putting back others. We had some fika as well before we showed him the short film from Påsk (Easter). It touched his tender little heart and he began to cry as he talked about his experience in Jerusalem and walking on the same ground that Jesus Christ walked on. It was very special and the Spirit was so strong. AND He had read the Family Proclamation and talked about how it got him thinking and has good principles. He hung it on his fridge...the only thing on his fridge. And he came to church on Sunday in a suit (first time I'd seen him in a suit).

Fyra systrar här i Södertälje! Det började snö på väg hem

Rolf's fridge :)

My best friend Rolf.

On the way to a member lunch this week, we stopped and helped an older man with his grocery bags. He only had two bags that were both pretty light in weight, but he was SO grateful. to u. He expressed how his heart had problems and that the short walk we had made with him would have taken him 3 times as long because he would have had to stop and rest. His eyes were teary, but it was probably just the cold :)

We had a wonderful missionary broadcast that missionaries across the world were able to watch! It was so cool! The focus was "Teach People, Baptize Converts". We met at the church and made pizza and brownies and ate during the broadcast. It was cool, and we have some new focus points we have already applied this week! The miracles have been endless.

Elders helping each other out at lunch after District Meeting #companionshipunity

We had the most spiritual contact I've ever had in my life. We had just gotten back from District Meeting in Eskilstuna and we had 30 minutes before we needed to take a train to our next appointment. We went into town and starting talking to people. Sister Nielsen contacted this man and asked him a few questions. We testified with all of our hearts that God loves him and has a specific plan for him and his life. He started tearing up and toold us that his life has been really hard and that he has supffered 2 strokes. It's truly amazing how the Lord preserves his children for a greater purpose. The Spirit was so strong as we all teared up in the middle of stan. I'm not exactly sure what we said, but I know it was the Spirit that was speaking through us.

We taught Andreas about the Law of Chastity on Saturday and basically laid it out pretty clearly that he needed to either move out or marry his fiance. I was really nervous for the lesson, but it went really well and he was understanding! He said he would talk to his fiance about it. Pray for him! and his fiance.

Also, you thought 6 missionaries was a lot?? We got two more. 8 missionaries here in Södertälje!! The two new ones are actually a senior couple working in the office, but they are coming to our ward. SWEET. We are pretty jazzed.

This week I've realized the importance of being obedient and keeping ourselves worthy so that Lord can work through us. We ought to be the instrument that God wants us to be, especially if we are dedicating 18 months of our lives to it right? I've also had so much love lately for the people here. I feel like I can see these people as they really are - children of God. I wouldn't trade the experiences I am having here for anything. I am just so happy with my life and mission right now! It doesn't get better than this :)

I hope you all have a wonderful week!! Love you!

Syster Jordan Lund

Playing a Swedish game at the Wesemyers.

My new comp Sister Nielsen and I found a ton of random ducks downtown

The canal is finally breaking through because it's getting warmer!

February 1, 2016

Hello everyone!! Where in the world did January go? I feel like every new month I say the same thing. But it is crazy how fast the time is flying!!

This week has been super crazy busy, but super good. It seemed like we were just running from lesson to lesson all week. Which is good!! But I don't have my journal today so I'll recount the things I remember.

We had a home evening with Mojgan and Shideh and Rahaf! We made some really good persian food as usual and Rahaf made a cake for us! We talked about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how we can all overcome our individual trials in our life.

Rahaf and her cake

We had MLC!! Long-awaited, but it was super good! We talked about the importance of teaching the Atonement and repentance clearly and directly. We also talked about our standards of excellence for the mission and changed a few things. Should be good! It was fun to see old companions and elders that I've served with. One goal that got changed was to have 4 member present lessons (a member there with us on lessons with investigators). We blew that out of the water this week with 7 woohoo! It was a miracle, but super cool.

The old Södertälje crew!

VH crew minus Syster Poulson

Sacrament meeting was amazing yesterday! The whole focus was on the Restoration. My companion Syster Nielsen spoke and talked about a story of a girl that had grown up and raised her siblings because her parents were often gone for work. She had an incredible amount of responsibilities for a young teen starting at age 15. When a mission came into the picture, she discounted it, thinking that she had way too much to do at home and that they really wouldn't get by without her. Then she read in the scriptures in D and C that says "If ye have desires to serve God, ye are called to the work". She got an answer from the scriptures that changed her life. She then talked about the story of Joseph Smith. She related them SO well. It was the perfect lead in for the next speaker who talked about how the Restoration came to be and about doubts that some people have. IT WAS JUST PERFECT. And it was the best Sunday to have lots of investigators in church! Between the 6 proselyting missionaries we had 9 investigators. It was super cool! And Katherine came! For the first time ever!! (She's the one that wanted to be a nun. Side note, in her closing prayer in our lesson this week, she thanked God for us nuns...cough missionaries but close enough haha :) )

We went and helped out a lady in the ward named Olga. She is super awesome. She was closing her second hand store so we went and helped! Olga's husband, Torbjörn, was super impressed with how much we got done and how efficiently we worked in just 1 hour! Our dads must have raised us right ;)

We had Zone Training and Syster Nielsen and I were able to do about a 20 minute presentation on following the Spirit and hearkening to the promptings we receive and the ones our companions receive as well. Seemed to go pretty well!

We met a really nice girl named Roba on the street this week. She said that she would absolutely come to church and she did! She loved loved LOVED it and wants to come back next week. Well, turns out we are going to take her to Family Home Evening in Stockholm with the YSA tonight and she is super excited for that too! Super positive.

That is all I can remember for right now, if I left anything important out, I'll include it next week :)

Thank you for all the support! Love you!!

Love,

Syster Jordan Lund