Getting ready for winter! My new companion Elder Tomlinson

Elder Tomlinson and myself

Hovsjö area

Hej mina nära och kära.

  Well, the colds back.  The past three mornings we've woken up there has been frost everywhere and all three days have been around 0 degrees, which is around thirty in Fahrenheit.  So, its definitely getting colder. It's time to buy a good scarf, hat and everythingto stay warm through the long winter.  Although it's cold and cloudy everything still looks pretty in the fall colors.  I really do love being here.  Every day is getting darker sooner and sooner, I feel like there was no fall this year.  Everyone has been saying that we have had an unusually long summer and now it feels like winter is starting.

   But enough about the weather.  The work is going really well, we are seeing miracles here in Södertälje and all over Sweden.  This week we taught someone else who has a strong will to follow Christ and they will be baptized soon.  We are currently working with four people who are very excited about being baptized and we have tons of other friends who are close.  This last week we were in Stockholm four days so we didn't get to spend as much time working in our area as we would have liked but it was worth it.

    This last Saturday and Sunday was stake conference so everyone from the Stockholm South stake who could make it was there.  This meant that I got to see a lot of people from both Eskilstuna and Vendelsö.  I love seeing those old friends who I haven't seen in a while but it's always good as well to make new friends and meet others.  A very strong theme of conference was Building Zion.  This is the ultimate goal we all should have as members.  to build Zion where we are.  Sweden a hundred years ago had a large wave of immigration to the United States, many were members, going there to build/join Zion.  We know that today our job as members is to build Zion where we are.  And whether in New York City or Sweden I will always be working towards that goal.  In faith we need to share the gospel, serve actively in our callings, and be an example of followers of Jesus Christ.  Seeing so many Swedes and other members gather is inspiring.

    I love being here in Sweden and having the opportunity to build Zion here.  Maybe as the weather gets cold and the sky darkens the gospel will just become that much warmer and it's light that much brighter.  I am looking forward to all that is ahead.

MVH,

   Äldste Moe

Teaching family history in our area.

Driving in our car and the beautiful Sweden countryside.

Fall colors

Sweden is so beautiful in the fall, with the changing of the colors the Swedish forests are beginning to match the Swedish sunsets with bright reds, oranges, and yellows.  With the change of the seasons that means a change of weather.  This last week, has been pretty warm but its been getting darker faster, and colder every day.  Winter is coming fast and you can see everyone preparing for it.  I heard someone say that the first snow should come soon.   

    These last couple weeks have been stress full and busy but I have seen miracles from them.  One of these is from last Sunday night.  We called a friend to see if we could still come over and talk. He said he could not meet with us because he was sick, and so we offered to give him a blessing.  We got to his house and he was laying on the living room floor.  He had a bad cough and had no energy, it wasn't anything life threatening but he couldn't move around that much, and he had been inside all week.  We explained the priesthood to him, how the priesthood we have today is the same priesthood authority that Peter, James, and John had.  As well as, all the Prophets of old.  We told him that we knew a priesthood blessing could heal, but it was contingent on faith.  We told him that power comes from faith, and that if he had the faith he could be healed.  We gave him the blessing and told him to get some rest.  We saw him the next morning walking through the centrum (town center).  He came up to us and told us that he was finally able to get to sleep, and stay asleep, but also that when he woke up he didn't feel tired, or sick at all.  This experience was significant and really shows us and him that this is Gods work, the same work which prophets and disciples of old were engaged in.  Therefore it will be followed by the same miracles and blessing of old. Also, Heavenly Father really cares individually for each of us.  He knows our needs and we just need to remember him and to ask for his help.

      Recently, there's been an increased emphasis on Family History work in Sweden and using family history as missionaries.  Not our own, but helping others with their family history.  Just the other day, I was sitting on the train and had a conversation with the man next to me. We talked about quite a bit of different things, but like most Swedes whenever religion gets brought up the topic either changes or conversation ends.  But then we began talking about family history, and doing our family history. I referred him to the Church's website familysearch.org.  He said he would definitely be using it.  From there a discussion of eternal families came almost naturally.  There is a real Spirit of Elijah covering the Earth.  The Earth has the biggest family history database ever.  Getting people in touch with their roots is itself a blessing.

   The work is going really well, we are working with a few people who have a desire to follow Christ and to be baptized.  And as always we are Preaching the Gospel. Things are going good here.  I LOVE Sweden and the people!

Love to everyone back home,

 

MVH;

Leaving Stockholm on the train at sunset.

   Äldste Jonathan Moe

Södertälje in the fall!

Södertälje centrum with clouds and fall colors

This month, I've been working on having the Christlike attribute of humility.  While studying in Preach My Gospel on this topic, I came to a big realization about asking for blessings in humble prayer.  Even asking for things is an expression of both faith and humility.  It shows faith because we know that by asking the Lord will bless us.  It shows our humility because it shows that we cannot do it ourselves and that we know this, and that we are humbly coming to the Lord for his divine aide. 

Paella is yummy!

We have a family in our ward that feeds us quite frequently and this week they made us paella.  It looked good but tasted even better.  I'm in a very diverse area with members from all over Europe, Africa, Middle East, Russia and a lot of native Swedes.  I love my area and the work is going good.
      This next week we will be training in Linköping.  Elder Tomlinson and I worked as hard as we could, we were tired every night, hungry, exhausted, but very happy.  We felt joy as we worked hard. I am very proud of the entire zone and I know the day is soon when Södertälje zone will be experiencing the blessings of the second harvest.  We have many progressing investigators and a few with baptismal dates.  Hard work is paying off.  Thanks for the prayers and letters.  Keep the letters coming.  I love to hear from home and especially to hear from friends since I hear from my parents weekly.  

Love to all,
   Äldste Jonathan Moe

A week of Miracles!

Swedish Sport of Innebandy

 Hi all,

Just a short experience this week.  Elder Leirimaa and I were driving to a lesson and when we got there, the lady we were suppose to teach said she couldn't meet with us.   So we went to teach a different investigator and taught very powerfully about the role of Jesus Christ in our lives. This person felt the spirit so strong they should be baptized in the coming weeks.  But, the miracle of the day started after that.  It was 8:30 at night so we should have went home.  But we felt as if it would be really good to go to the church.  The Bishop was there in a meeting and shortly after we walked in so did a lady named, Aissata.  Aissata came in and shared with us about how she had walked by the church building for a couple months now and felt as if she should come in a couple times.  On Friday she listened to that spirit and came in, saying she was looking for a church.  We told her she found the one for her, to which she explained that she is looking for a true church.  We taught her how the Gospel was restored through Joseph Smith the living Prophet and how the Book of Mormon is a divine witness of this Church.  Now with a book of mormon in French she said she will be reading as much as she can.  She is a true seeker of the truth, and we were there to help.  She lives on the other side of Södertälje.  So yesterday, in Church we introduced her to the sisters so they can continue to teach her.  For me it is a fulfillment of Gods promise to us, as we search diligently for people to teach we will be lead to them or they will be led to us.

    This last week has likely been one of the greatest on my mission.  We found others as well to help introduce the gospel to and to invite to follow its teachings.  We had a record in the lessons that we taught.  I'm seeing daily miracles and we are finding a lot of people that will listen to what we have to teach.  My heart is full of hope.

   For the first time on my mission, I got to play the Swedish Sport called Innebandy.  It is like floor hockey but with very small goals and a wiffle ball.  It's fun but really technical and hard to get the hang of.  Swedes are quite good at it though. 

Love to all,

Aldste Moe

   

Having small successes every day!

Hej allihopa,

  This last week has been pretty cool.  We had another person join the ward through baptism here in Södertälje.  Someone who the sister missionaries had been working with. The ward is rapidly growing.  We are seeing missionaries in the members.  That's how it should be, the gospel should seep through every bone and bit of our body until sharing it becomes just as natural as opening the door for someone with their hands full. 

   At the baptism on Friday we had one of our investigators there.  He happens to be a friend of the woman who was being baptized.  So we started talking to him about baptism and he said, "you know what, your right".  He then went up to the bishop and asked to have a meeting with him, they came out of the meeting with the plan for him to be baptized on the twelfth of October.   It is a good goal that they set and we hope to help him make it.

   Probably my biggest inspiration of the week came from Preach my Gospel. I was studying again about patience and really learned about problems we face in life. When everything is storming against us and we seem to have these giant obstacles in life and we get frustrated and feel defeated it is not these obstacles or the storm that is our problem. Instead it is our short-sightedness, it is our desire for a quick painless solution that is our problem. That is where the pain is derived. With patience our quote on quote "problems" are not even problems, they are just experiences which might have been hard but we learned from. I love the perspective the gospel puts on our lives and the peace we can find in it.

   Sometimes it does not feel as if we, as missionaries, see the results of the work we do, but every time we do, its worth it.  We had a member who hadn't been to the ward since they moved in a while before.  We were praying over who to go by one time and felt as if it would be good to try and find that person.  After hunting them down (there was a wrong number and address on the list) they said they would come to church.  Since then they've come every Sunday and been very helpful to us as missionaries.  Just yesterday they told us, "Thank you, thanks for seeing my name on the list".  The person was extremely grateful for the love we extended.  That is what we do as missionaries we only extend Gods love he has for everyone.

Hej då Kött och Blåbär,

Äldste Jon Moe

BLOG,

Hej family, I love all of you so much.  I hope everything is going really well.

love,

  Jonathan Moe

My life isn't complicated by trivial things!

 Early morning fog on the tracks in Södertälje

A dock near Hovsjö

This last week was AMAZING!  We saw some real miracles happen.  Not only in our area but in the entire mission.  Yesterday, in Church the Chapel was almost filled.  We thought we were going to have to stand but there was barely enough room.  So many people who we have been visiting are now starting to come to church regularly.  We have also made plans for Hawas daughter to be baptized soon.  Hopefully it won't be long. I'm really excited for her and her entire family. 

    Personally, the thing I have been working on is diligence.  Already I work hard and come home tired.  But even when home there is more to be done then sitting on the couch and relaxing/reflecting on the day.  There is always something to be done and I just need to make sure I am trying really hard to always do something productive. My life isn't complicated by trivial things.  I have one purpose and I'm trying very diligently to do that one thing and that is to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ.  To do as Jesus would do.

    The church is growing here in Sweden.  Things are moving and soon we will likely have stakes covering all of Sweden.  That will be a major prophecy fulfilled for this country.  Not only is Sweden seeing a lot of people converted to the Church but a lot of people coming back to activity.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to be here during this time and have the blessing to help the church in this country grow.  Right now there are close to 170 missionaries in Sweden.  God wouldn't send so many if there wasn't something big to be done. The church has a debt to Sweden in a way, since so many of the early converts to the church originated in Sweden and sacrificed so much for the early church. 

   The area I'm currently in, I feel as if I speak more English with Investigators then Swedish right now.  The area has a large African and Middle Eastern population.  Because Sweden accepts so many refugees I really do meet people from all over the World.  It is a unique experience.  It is also very humbling seeing these people who come from their homes and do their best to build a life here in a country a lot colder then their's and a language quite foreign to their own.  My companion and I speak Swedish to each other and throughout the rest of the day though.  

    This last week we had a member come with us to an Investigators house to help talk about the Book of Mormon.  This Investigator in the past has never seen the real importance of the Book of Mormon.  We taught him and we testified of the power the Book of Mormon has but also of the reason we have it.  We have it for a few reasons and we talked about all of them.  He began to connect the dots and as the member testified and they shared why the Book of Mormon is so important to him the spirit came in and testified of all that had been said.  Afterwards the man said, yes I see why it is important, but I have to find out for myself if it is true.  He is reading furiously to try and receive his answer.  I know God well enough to know that he will answer.  I've learned to trust in God in all things.

Love,

   Äldste Moe

 Me on a horribly rusted car.

Beautiful Sweden!

It's been an amazing week!

View from a hill near Sodertalje.

Planning our schedules

Hawa from Liberia got baptized!

Hej alla,

   This last week has been quite amazing.  Someone we've been working with for a while was baptized.  We had Elder Lowry the senior couple Elder in our ward baptize her.  The Sodertalje font hasn't really been working so we only had cold water.  We were really trying to make it warmer but the cold water just had to do. 

    Another really cool part of the story is when we were over at our investigators house for the Baptismal interview.  Her husband has been studying with another church group and is okay with her being baptized but hasn't ever given us attention.  While the interview was going he asked a little about baptism and about the church.  Just yesterday we were talking with our bishop and he asked about the whole family and we said that we haven't had an opportunity to talk with the entire family.  The Bishop said that he wanted to come to their house next time so that he could help make sure the entire family is taught.

     We are working really close with our Bishop right now and he really is a blessing from God.  We are working with him and the ward mission leaders to really create good relations all throughout the ward, between members, missionaries, and non-members in our area, that includes just about everyone.  President Hinckley said, one time that anyone associated with missionary work knows there is a better way then knocking doors, and that is through the members.  I  know his prophetic advice to be true.  It is only when members and missionaries come together that we see miracles in the work. 

   The baptism was the perfect example of members and missionaries coming together and bringing to pass great things.  I'm so happy for her and her family.

 MVH,

     Äldste Moe