Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Transferring to Stockholm!

Entrance to a mall in Malmo.  Sweden has interesting architecture.
Me and Aldste Muirbrook
I love these guys that I get to serve with.
Family Wilkstrom from Helsingborg
Hej everyone,

   This week is going to be my last one down in the south for now.  On Wednesday, I am moving up to be in Täby, an area in Stockholm.  I have heard the ward is great and loving, but I am as always, going to miss the people I am leaving here in Helsingborg.  It has been sunny for a while now but up in Stockholm its going to snow again today and it's still a bit darker.  So I get to go back into winter.  I am very excited though.  I will once again be companions with Elder Tomlinson and we got a lot done together back in Södertälje.  I haven't been in Helsingborg very long but the best part about leaving an area is thinking about the changes that happened while you were there, in yourself and in the ward, and in the people you knew.  Doing this I have been able to recognize growth in every area, in myself and in the work.  
  This last week, we had a conference in Göteborg and we talked quite a bit about the lessons we are teaching.  As missionaries a quality lesson is not necessarily a lesson where we present as much as we can, but rather when we have helped them come closer to Christ.  The assistants challenged us to find ways to teach more meaningful condensed lessons.  We were also reminded about the large help we can be in the wards we serve in, how we are still members and still part of our ward families, even if we are just there temporarily.  Also, this last week the entire mission received iPhone 5c.  The phones have already been helping us greatly.  They're going to continue to help the work go forward.  With all of these technologies and new duties the work isn't necessarily changing, just how we do it is changing a bit.  
     This last week, we were teaching someone again who is really coming to learn about Christ for the first time.  She learned about baptism and talked about how that is something she would love to do but she does not feel like her faith is there yet.  She spoke about how she wants to develop that faith to the point where baptism would have that sacred meaning it's supposed to have.  Her concern about baptism showed us just how much this meant to her and just how important she was taking it.  I know this is the gospel that can help people find peace.  I feel as if I often forget that myself.  
  One thing I really admire about the people in Helsingborg is the joy they have.  The members in Helsingborg are a happy people.  And their happiness does not come from the world but from Christ.  After having gotten to know them I realized that I have learned a lot from them and could learn quite a bit more from them.  They are perfect examples of 2 Nephi 27: 30.  When we base our joy and our happiness in Christ then as the wave of life take us for a journey we will continually have peace because Christ is immovable, and perfect.  When we ground ourselves in him we receive that sure foundation.  

Love,

   Äldste Jonathan Moe






Wednesday, March 12, 2014

A week of tragedy

 Hello all, 

Sorry for the short post last week.  This week there's been a lot of good, and a lot of tragedy.  
Towards the beginning of the week my companion and I had to travel to Stockholm for a leadership training.  To save money we drove the car all the way there.  I got to see some of the beautiful scenery of Sweden and drive through some of my old areas.  At the training we spoke a lot about progression and how missionaries are only really helpful when we invite others to act and make progression towards Christ.  
   A couple days after the training we lost the car.  We didn't misplace the car but rather they needed a car up near Stockholm so we gave ours away.  This means that we have to get real familiar with the Helsingborg bus system, fast.  We won't be able to get around as fast, but hopefully we'll able to keep our effective schedules.    
  Also, this last week we had two very cool spiritual experiences I would like to share.  The first was with an investigator who has not been Christian before.  We read in Alma chapter seven about the atonement of Jesus Christ.  There was a long silence after she finished pronouncing the last words of verse 13 in Arabic.  I then asked her what it meant to her that Christ had done that for us.  She immediately began crying but spoke of her thankfulness for Jesus Christ as her savior.  
  The second experience was with someone who has investigated the church for a while and right now is going through a really hard time.  We were offering our help in anyway we could be of service but then I felt the spirit tell me that I had to testify of the peace the gospel brings.  I shared again that we were willing to help the best that we knew how but the best way we could help was in sharing the gospel knowledge we had and helping her act on it.  She agreed and said that is what she needed the most, Peace, the peace the gospel could bring.
   This morning we received a text from the mission office, just last night a missionary here in the mission passed away.  He was hit by a car as he was returning home from his last appointment. It's not something easy to hear or to talk about.  I didn't know him very well personally, but it hurts knowing he was here fighting the good fight and now he's gone.  I would like to ask anyone who reads of this to pray for the family of Elder Bailey.  Elder Bailey was a wonderful missionary.   It is moments like this that the faith and knowledge we have are to be put into practice.  Like all of those that pass he is now in a state of peace.  A place where he can rest from sorrows and worries.  But not rest from doing good.  The restored gospel stands alone in the glory given to the righteous dead.  The unembodied are not dead, they may be more living then we are.  There is work to be done on both sides of the veil.  It brings me peace and happiness to know that we can be a force of good no matter where we are.  And the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring us happiness in every point of our existence. 

much love,

   Äldste Jonathan Moe