Happy Midsommar June 21st, 2013

Happy Midsommar!  Here Midsummer is celebrated on the Summer Solstice (the 21st of June).  Although once again, like almost all Swedish holidays the actual celebration happens the day before.  This is the lightest day of the year.  For Midsommars this year we went into Stockholm to celebrate it with all of the missionaries in a big Midsummers festival that the Church helps to organize.  This year there were over 2000 people.  So it was quite large.  The missionaries helped with parking and creating the Maypole.  The maypole is usually a cross heavily decorated with green branches and flowers with two large wreathes hanging from the horizontal beam of the cross.  After the Maypole is set up everyone gets in circles around it holding hands and they sing traditional Swedish songs while a band plays live music.  

   The Midsummer celebration was really fun and before it started we were able to play some American Football (Elder Judd needless to say was quite good).  It was good seeing so many missionaries and so many members at one place.  The longer I am here during the summer the more and more I love the kingdom of Sweden, it is really beautiful.   And I guess it just gets darker and darker from here on out.  

   Back in Eskilstuna all is well.  I gave a talk yesterday in Church on fruit.  And the fruit of the church, how someone has to taste the fruit of the tree in order to know it is a good tree.  In the same way someone has to read the Book of Mormon in order to know that the Church is true.  As members we have a responsibility to share the fruit and to taste of it ourselves in order to become better missionaries.  It was not until Lehi tasted of the tree of Life (1 Nephi 8) that he was filled with an overwhelming desire that others should also taste of it.  

   Our Investigator currently has a baptismal date for the 6th of July.  I think he is being baptized then.  He is ready for it.  Unfortunately, I will not be in Eskilstuna to see it.  I am being transferred to the Vendelsö area.  It's an area in the southern part of Stockholm.  The area is the second smallest in all of Europe apparently (the smallest being Handen, the area right next to it).  I am very excited to serve there but this means I have to leave Eskilstuna and those I love here.  Next week I'll write from a new area.  

love to all,

   Äldste Jonathan Moe