Transition COMPLETE

Wow, there has been so much happening this week! Where to start... The baptisms of Emma and Adam! It was a success! We had 2 Chinese investigators there and 1 korean father of 3 kids. They loved the service a lot. The Korean dad texted us yesterday and asked us if we had another service that he could watch! (Of course, to ourselves we thought "if it was YOURS!") So he is very positive. President Anderson had his first and last 2 baptisms while here in Sweden in the Täby chapel on the 29th of June! But as soon as we get these very positive investigators, Elder Jorgensen and I get transferred to the Stockholm (Inner-city) Ward! We are very excited to see what will be happening there. So we found out this week officially that Elder Jorgensen and I will be spending the last 6 months of our missions as companions. To change things up the assistants now serve in a different ward! So that is a good change! We met with the Bishop because that is the number 1 stop to go to when you get transferred! And it was really positive. The ward has just gotten a new bishop and ward mission leader 3 weeks ago so we thought it was an opportune time to help them carry out their vision! At first we asked him what his Vision was and he told us that the ward was very tired... and they needed some energizing into the ward. For transfers the most energized elder in the mission was sent to the ward and he was so excited to see that there would be 4 missionaries in his ward now! He also said that he wants to put a big focus on keeping new converts active and fellowshipping the investigators. We had a feeling that he was saying that to just please us. So we continued talking and eventually the conversation led to Home Teaching and rescuing the less-active and part-member families! It went so well and the bishop is REALLY excited to see what's about to happen! As soon as President Newell got here, he has changed me so much. The family is all just so spiritual! They came with their 18 yr old son Thomas! He is amazing! The first two days they wanted to bring ALL the missionaries in from Norrland and Stockholm North and South Zones and do a little conference. So that was very neat. We had a message out Moses and Joshua and how Israel was in a period of transition... and in Joshua 1:16-17

"16And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. 17 According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses."

We gave a little comparison to Moses as President Anderson and Joshua as President Newell! It was pretty cool actually! He is the one that will bring us to the promised land and across the river jordan! IT was awesome!

The following day we traveled to Göteborg and right after the conference I was able to baptize Kleber Fernandes Alves from Sorocaba, SP Brazil! (I think that's where Sam's mission is) MY very first in Portuguese! It was really cool actually! My whole mission as I had tried to speak portuguese, I kept blending it with Swedish. But once the baptismal service had finished I talked to a swedish man and blended in portuguese with it! Crazy how the mind works!

After this, the following week was transfers! And it went great! Elder Stoddard (my first-born in the wilderness) is now gone from the office. But we got an Elder TAK from West Bountiful in the office with us! He knows Bryson Miles! They were in the same choir together or something so that is exciting! Also... he is a U fan! You gotta love it. Speaking of which, the Newells are BIG BYU fans so that is unfortunate but I'll forgive them in the long run! Hehe

So the first night that we had to contact the in downtown stockholm we found an AMAZING PERUVIAN family (CONGRATS to B-man for serving an amazing mission! Tell him he owes me a letter! Make sure you take pictures and record his talk or something! It will be cool to hear him!) it was a mother and three daughters VERY attached to her. So we talked to them about Families and one of the daughters told us she was getting lessons from Jehovah's Witnesses and the other two were Catholic, after we got an appointment with them we found out our mission leader is from Peru as well and the mother told us that her brother was Mormon as well! Would not be surprised if this family were to join the church! So we will meet them on saturday!

There is just so much going on, but I am loving my new area, my companion, my president and the family and the WEATHER! I am so grateful to be serving the Lord at this time! It is an exciting one! I am thankful for MY family and how much all of you mean to me and the spirit that the Lord provides testifying OF families. I have felt recently of the importance of families for the swedish people. There are so many that are broken up, and it is because of the lack of living the Gospel in their lives!

Anywho,

I love you all! Upcoming this week: President & sister Newell head to Germany for the weekend, and then Zone Leader Council and the following week is Zone Conferences. After that, President Newell wants to embark on the journey of visiting all 40+ units in Sweden BEFORE we go home. Yikes! Keeping Busy! Effectively too...

Love,

Äldste Webster