USA USA USA!

Hej jo! 

On monday we did the usual p-day stuff then at night we went to a free soccer game at the local stadium, there were probably 3000 people there and it was way fun! We got a lot of weird looks of course cause we were in missionary clothes and sat on the front row but you just gotta embrace it!

Elder Erikson have it as a goal every week to try and get one crazy contact a day, one contact where you're apprehensive cause it'd be so weird or awkward and you just go for it, so on tuesday there was a lady sitting out on her patio smoking and reading the newspaper minding her own business so we just went up and started talking to her and it went a lot better than expected! Being bold and putting myself out there is never something I regret, I just feel happier and excited to talk to more people. We met up with a less active at night who had SUCH a crazy life story, he's stuck here in Sweden cause his kids live here with his ex-wife and he was even homeless for a couple weeks last year, so humbling to listen to him and what he's been through. I had no idea what I could personally say or do to help him but I know the Savior does. After this less active we went and taught Ann-Marie, our old investigator, about the Plan of Salvation. She said she'd never even considered that there's something before this life, just something after. So cool that I get to introduce that concept to an 80 something year old Swedish women for the first time. 

Wednesday we mowed a lawn for a member and had open church and it was overall a good day! 

Thursday we had a good district meeting about improving companionship study to help us in the rest of our day. Thursday night was the branch activity and Pontus one of our investigators came by in the beginning for 10 minutes then had to leave. I'll take it! Sadly some of our other investigators couldn't make it but we had some good bonding with the members, I feel like I bonded with everyone there. We played kubb, bocce ball, had some korv and I shared an improptu spiritual thought as requested by the mission leader.

The last half of the week just felt like the longest couple days ever, no idea why! On friday we went and swung by lots of people in our neighborhood (by the way when I say swing by's it usually means going by a potential investigator who has said to us or missionaries before us that we can come back another time) and contacted lots of people on their way to and from the mosque, of course. We met a great family who said we could come back and teach them, they're Protestant but hey Joseph Smith's family was Protestant too! After that we did some weekly planning then met up with Jonny and walked to Ann-Maries to teach her. We finished going through the Plan of Salvation and drew it all out for her which seemed to help with her talking and getting off topic. We had to explain why she needed to be baptized again, it all comes back to the Restoration and knowing if the Book of Mormon is true, always! On the way home that night a group of teenagers chanted USA USA USA as we walked by. 

Saturday we had open church and were getting tired of no one coming in so we decided to mix it up. We had cinnamon buns and juice set out on the table and put a smaller sign on our big sign that said "Fika with Americans" (Fika is like Sweden's afternoon tea or coffee time but we did juice instead, it can be both a verb and a noun, to fika or to have a fika). We sat ourselves in chairs so people could see us as they walked by as well. We got much better responses from those that walked by, lots of people smiled and laughed when they read the sign but still no one came in!! What will it take to get these people to come check out our super humble but super cool church?! 

On sunday we had church then branch council meeting then set up a new printer in the church then got some stuff done at the church, calling people and planning stuff. Our old investigator Corina surprisingly showed up, she was talking in the back with two members after sacrament meeting and the members said "Elders Corina wants to be baptized! You guys should plan a date for satuday and she can be baptized!". They didn't understand the whole picture and how much we'd worked with her and tried to help her, this might be the only time on my mission when someone wants to be baptized and we as the missionaries aren't letting them. She has some concerns that need to be taken care of before we but especially the mission president will allow it. 

A member said something in church that really stuck out to me, "It's not about living by the letter of the law but by the spirit of the law". This is something we can apply to all aspects of our lives. Like Elder Nelson said, we need to think about what sign we want to give God by our actions, not just constantly referring to a list of do's and don'ts to decide our morals from day to day. As we live with this outlook, we'll find it easier to choose the right and will be blessed! 

Much love,

Äldste Hainsworth

 Elder Neihbur trying to cut off the lock to one of our bikes, no cops even showed up! 

Waiting for people to come in

 Open church!

Växjö main square with a quilting project going on

 "How do I work this thing?"

Clearly I don't know what I'm doing

Branch activity at the Caballero's, playing kubb

here's all the butter's at one of the grocery stores we shop at, haven't seen any lurpak but I can ask my branch president, he's danish! The butter we usually get is called lätta, it's cheap and has a great taste

(from Sherri (mom),  when we lived in Denmark, they had the best butter called LurPak.  They sell it in the states, too, but it doesn't taste quite the same.)