Chopped My Hair

Letter sent February 26, 2017:

This week I was so so looking forward to going to Jakobsberg on splits but then our train in Stockholm decided to never leave the station and take a year and a half and they had a member dinner to get to so we just rescheduled for tomorrow so I am currently in excited mode. 

Highlights of this week were, number 1, Marimba and co. We went and visited her and her two daughters, Susanna and Angela, and did a family home evening with them and it was so cute and perfect and I am just obsessed in every way with them. They have a little bunny. Actually his name is Stefo and he's pretty chub. But so soft. And both little girls have the most adorable little lisps I could just die. 

Susanna, Marimba, Syster Davis, Angela

Stefo the bunny

We also went and helped Azam clean out stuff at her house. She also made us Persian food which was the yummiest. She heaped our plates full of food. She was like, "Can you handle this much?" We were like do we have a choice? It's already on our plates in front of us. Sister Davis took a pic of her mound. I will attach it. There were also plates of chicken and salad not pictured. We were so full. 

Mountains of rice

We met with Mustafa this week and he decided that he needs to figure out some things in life first before he'll be ready for the gospel. So we won't be meeting with him anymore which was really really sad. But he said he'll still come to church when he can. I know his time will come. The gospel is the best thing in my life and I know it can be the same for everyone else. It's like Joseph says in the restoration video "But shouldn't there be one church that's right for everyone?" There is! The gospel of Jesus Christ is the same for everyone. You don't have to search and put together your own belief system of all the things that you think are good and positive about all the religions. God has already created the perfect plan. 

The best human, Mustafa

We went on splits with the Västerhaninge sisters. Sister Hale came to Täby with me and we had so much fun running around to less active peoples houses to teach them and serve them. I ironed a bunch of shirts for one lady, Sofia, and the whole time I just flashbacked to my young women days and one activity when Sister Wardle taught me how to iron a button up. 

Splits with Sister Hale

We tried to teach this guy, Gere, this week. He only speaks Tigrigna. He learned nothing. It was just funny mostly. I wish the church had the book of mormon in Tigrigna because it would be SO POPULAR here in Sweden. But alas, it's every missionaries eternal hunt to find a Tigrigna translator. They don't exist. Everyone who speaks Tigrigna, speaks only Tigrigna. 

On Saturday cute Margereta got baptized. She's an old lady that the elders have been teaching. It was cute. 

Täby Relief Society

On Sunday we took the bus all the way up to Norrtälje and over to Rimbo which are forever away because Jai is back in Sweden! She's a less active that Sister Davis and I both met with a lot in Jakobsberg but she has moved into the Täby ward boundaries. It was so great to get to see her again. 

Jai and Kenneth's house in the middle of nowhere. It was built in the 1800's, but the 

outside has been repainted and the inside is remodeled but wow it was so old!

Then Sunday after church the Pettits came and picked Sister Davis and I up and took us down to Södertälje to visit Barbro and Roland and their daughter Eva-Lena. It was so cool to get to see them. I've only seen the pictures of when mom came and visited Sweden and grandma tells me to visit them all the time so it was great to actually see them in person. I asked if they would like us to come back and actually teach them and they said no. But then a little bit later Barbro texted Sister Pettit (that was the only number they had) and said that her other daughter, Cecilia, would like us to come teach her!! I called president today and he said that that would be okay if we go down there again. So that will be really neat! I know that the spirit can touch anybody who is open to learn so I hope that Cecilia is open. That would just be the absolute best. 

Eva-Lena, Roland, Barbro (and the new pups: Stina and Bonnie)

Hej på er!

Syster May 

Tjena

Letter sent February 21, 2017:

Splitsies with Sister Hansen

This week was basically the same as all the other weeks have been. And I loved it. We met with a few less active members who are just the cutest ever. We also met with Mustafa and talked about prophets; how it's a pattern that God works through and how we have a living prophet today. Mustafa is the best. We love him. 

We also met with Jing. A lady in our ward's husband. He was incredible. He says the best prayers and I just know that he's going to find out soon that this church is Gods church. 

We also went on splits with the Hägersten sisters! Hägersten is the ghetto. Haha I stayed in Täby with Sister Hansen. She's the cutest tiniest little ball of energy and hard work ever. We had so fun fun talking to people in the regular location: Täby C. We just motivated each other to go above and beyond and it was a blast. 

Pontus, Sussi and Us

Last Monday after we emailed Pontus called us and asked us if we wanted a tour of Täby. We accepted. He drove us all around and showed us everything and then took us to Stockholm's godaste glass (Stockholm's best ice cream). It was good. We got pepparkaka flavor and man, America is missing out. 

I love my life. I hope you all love yours too. 

Ha det fint. 

Syster May

Täääääby

Letter sent February 6, 2017:

New/Old Comp

My oh my I am just loving it here in Täby. It's so tiny and cute and little and just ahh. 

Okay, let's just start off with last Monday night. We went over to May-Elin's for family home evening with all the girls and it was so fun. I don't know if I've said, but she makes cakes. And cupcakes. Galore. For birthday, weddings, you name it. She's a pro. Anyway, she made me a going away cake and it was ADORABLE. It was teeny and had a bear on top with all these flowers and I was just dying that someone made me a little personalized cake. Plus it tasted like heaven so that was a definite bonus. 

On Tuesday we went and had lunch with Rosa and taught her. I LOVE ROSA. She is my little mamita here. When we were saying goodbye she teared up and looked away and my heart just shattered. I already miss my Malmö people so much. Then Tuesday night we went and taught the sweetest old lady. Remember our "fourth floor last door" lady. This was her. The lesson was so good and spirit led and she talked about how much guilt she feels from things she did when she was younger and how no matter what she's done she can't get rid of it. So we talked a lot about Jesus Christ and how the fullness of the gospel is back on the earth. And that baptism and the sacrament finns and it was just so good. Then at the end she said she didn't want to own the Book of Mormon so that was a major disappointment. But we still felt so good about the lesson. After the lesson we had dinner at Bellevue Pizzeria. Bellevues is the best pizza joint in sweden. hands down. Little pizzerias are Swedens thing. They are EVERYWHERE. They're all owned and run by immigrants and there's at least one on every street in Sweden.

Wednesday morning per request Syster McClatchie and I went on a run through Kungsparken. Kungsparken was my life there in Malmö those first few months and I have so many good memories there. Turns out I had already packed my running shoes so while Syster McClatchie ran I just took a walk down memory lane. And cried. And remembered all the funny and weird things that happened there. Obsessed.

I am a miracle worker and packed all my stuff into my three suitcases. And they were even liftable. Still feeling very proud about this. My train left at about one in the afternoon so I headed up to Stockholm. Sister Wilson and Sister Shin were there to meet Syster Davis and I at the station. Our trains got in at like the exact same time at the same platform so it was just ideal. Then we started traveling to Täby. On the first tunnelbana our phone died. Then the tunnelbana hit some strange bump and everyone got jostled and some lady kind of fell on Syster Davis and then when we stood back up a bunch of stuff was out of sister Davis's purse and the phone was gone. So. We got off to a good start. Luckily we had been in Täby a few times before so we knew how to get to Täby centrum. Then we were stranded. Haha. We asked this guy to borrow his phone and called the elders in Täby (they are the office elders and the assistants to president so they have cars hollah) and they came and picked us up and brought us to our apartment. But hey, that guy who we borrowed the phone from, his name is Muse and he came to church yesterday and we're meeting with him tonight. So like, God works in mysterious ways ya?

Anyways, we got to the apartment building and really thought our apartment was on the 3rd floor. Tried to unlock it. Definitely the 4th floor. Sorry if we scared you, neighbors. 

So we went phoneless for a couple days. Found out täby is the size of a shoebox and had district meeting. Then we got a phone and things really got started. We met with a couple of the old sisters investigators and they are awesome! One is named Mustafa and we're going to meet with him again tonight. He's great. 

We had church on Sunday and it was just strong. The ward here is strong. You can feel it when you come in. It was great. There is the sweetest new member, Marimba. Basically everyone on the mission has heard of her and I get to serve in her ward now! She taught her first ever relief society lesson yesterday and it was PERFECT. Oh my. She is so sweet and small. I already love her. I wish everyone could have been there. The way the whole relief society was just there for her even though she was so nervous. It was beautiful. 

Täby chapel

So yeah. I love Täby. I love Syster Davis. We're having so much fun being reunited.

My nights are spent cleaning the Täby apartment and I LOVE it. I get to just organize everything and chuck so much stuff out. It's so much better already. I feel like I should have a tv show or something. 

Also it is currently snowing. It's beautiful.

Life is so good.

Syster May