Pride week

I saw that you all were at Mantua yesterday from Nelson News so I assume the reason ya'll didn't write is because of that. No problem! So this past week has been pretty cool. The first highlight would definitely be the baptism of Marcus Joakim Isaksson. A while back Elder Jorgensen and I were contacting in downtown Stockholm and we were impressed to talk to this man. He was swedish, he was passing out scientology brochures, and so in exchange with his brochures we gave him a book of mormon and he wanted to meet with the missionaries. This last saturday we attended that mans baptism and confirmation. After his baptism, he bore testimony of the reality of the spirit in his conversion process and the power of the book of mormon. I was so thankful to see but a part of what that man is going to become! It actually brought tears to my eyes the power of his testimony. Because this overwhelming feeling came upon me on how quick the Lord can change someones heart and give them a tesimony! The Gospel is real. Steffany, our Peruvian investigator, got to attend the baptism along with her sister. So she was able to feel of the special spirit there. During the week we were able to teach her with the Elders that we will be giving her to, which I am excited for because the ward she is going to has a bunch of peruvians and chileans. I am so thankful to be a part of this work. Proselyting in stockholm is the ultimate referring work. a couple of baptisms are on way by people that we have found. And it still makes me happy even though they don't join the ward i'm in, they still are brought into the fold and have the blessing of the gospel in their lives! Johan, luckily, is in Stockholm ward's boundaries and he wants to be baptized on September 3rd. He was able to come to church, loved sacrament meeting, and could very likely be moved up to August 20th or something as long as he keeps commitments! Emma and Adam in Täby are doing fantastic. We were able to go by them and give them a Book of Mormon and FHE guide book to them and they appreciated it so much! I love that family, and am so excited for Mom and Dad to meet them! Sunday night was also a cool experience where we were able to do a fireside in the Södertälje ward COMBINED with a baptism. This father was being baptized by his son and they both came from a city north of Londrina, Brazil! So I spoke portuguese with them and caught up on good memories of brazil so it was a great experience! This week has been a pretty crazy week because we happened to have a lot of time to contact and proselyte WHICH IS A BLESSING! but when it is also Gay Pride Festival the same week, it makes things a little complicated. I would compare it to Carnaval in brazil, but gay... but it strengthened my testimony that you can find the prepared NO MATTER the environment. As we were contacting people on the street, the parade was coming. And so it seemed to me as if the (straight) people were walking away and the other were walking towards. So we walked on the side streets where people were walking away and we found this 22 yr old swede from congo who said he was in the direction of where we would be going. So we took him to the Institute center, away from all those abominations. We taught him about the Plan of Salvation and he told us a very personal experience about how he knows there would be life after death. He told us that after his father had passed away he had a dream and in the dream his dad was wearing a white suit, tie and shirt (coincidence?) He said he was in a cafeteria with his dad and his dad headed into another room and said "jag kommer snart" which means i'm coming soon. Interesting because the way he described it was exactly how the stockholm temple is arranged! Hmm... And so we taught right then and there about the Temple and it just clicked for him. So we look forward to seeing how he progresses in the gospel. We contacted this man last night from Dominican Republic. As we approached him he said he was hungry and tired and didn't have time. As the conversation carried on he told us that He has a strong belief in Christ but will never join ANY church. He said he was sick of being so easily tempted and wished that he would have more strength. He said "last time I helped the mormons they build me up a lot" It happened to be FHE in the Institute that night so we brought him there and there was a couple of people who spoke spanish there, played guitar with him and just welcomed him as one among the rest. It was AMAZING!

I know that the lord has his eye on all of us! He knows his sheep and it is ours to be worthy to be guided to the ones we can help! I love you all! Thanks for your prayers and support!

Love,

Äldste Webster (Wad)

P.S. I got my flight itinerary today... gross!

Mission Flesh Press 1

Well here we are mid-way through this wonderful week and we are BUSY as ever! So a while back, President Newell felt that he, along with us and his wife would visit each of the units in Sweden (40-43) by the time I go home. Each of these will consist of a talk/testimony given by the Newells and it would either be a Fireside (during the week) or during sacrament meetings. And also it would consist of a music number (given by us two). So just this last sunday, the games began. Just this last sunday we went around to 5 different wards / branches. You know, the smart thing to do would have been to take pictures at each of these places... but I'm not! HAIGH.

We got up early sunday morning and our first stop was a ward where Elder Jorgensen had served. Immediately following we went to the Stockholm ward where we had some investigators coming so it was a little stressful but it ended up working out! Elder Jorgensen went with Thomas to pick up the investigators at the train station and I was in sacrament meeting. The saacrament rolls around, then presdient newell's talk, and then up comes mine and Elder Jorgensen's duet... was he there yet? no! So I go out of the church to see if he was coming and he was no where to be found. So I walk back in, they turn the time over to us. I walk up to the stage, syster Newell asks me "are you going to do a solo?" Seeing how they couldn't just skip the number... and I don't back down.... I got up there and sang a solo for a long 3 verses to Joseph Smith's first vision! Man that was scary! But it was fun! half way through the song he walks in with both of our investigators... it made me happy! The following meeting we a place called Jakobsberg and that ward was amazing! Half of the members came from Chile so it was really cool to see and feel like I was in Brazil! Also, I'm pretty sure I can understand spanish 90% now. My plan is to study Spanish, Portuguese and swedish while I am here because the Lord provides a way to learn really fast here! Then on the following monday we spent booking train and flight and hotel to travel around the south this week, and also prepare for Zone Conference which would happen on the FOLLOWING DAY! So we did that and woke up early the next morning for a flight to Göteborg! we were about to print out the tickets and then it machine told us that we were too late to print them out so we had to go to the service desk (ironic right?!) so we got our tickets, ran to the plane and as soon as we got in our seats, the plane was off! Thank goodness! Zone Conference went really well! It is always so good to be back in the Göteborg Zone in the summer! It reminds me of Borås! Loved it. Our message ended up being about Strengthening the church. It was a message about how as we go to the bishop... we don't say "How can we help?" thats just the attitude we have. We gave a comparison to how the bishop has so much on his plate! So we had someone hold a jug of water, and then told some bread (food), and then have a blanket over their heads (shelter), going to the temple (picture of the temple)... and then we had an elder come up and put 4 books on his hands as well. And it said "HOW" "Can" "We" "Help?" To compare to the fact that sometime the bishop doesn't really know what the missionaries could to... so to ask him that type of a question would be putting more on his plate. So throughout the mission we are putting an emphasis on home teaching and how strengthening the members by "lifting the load" would enable trust with missionaries. After that we took a train half way down to Malmö to a place called Halmstad. So that's where I am today because we have a fireside here tonight. So Elder Jorgensen and I stayed in a Hotel (classy.. i know..) last night because we would usually stay with the missionaries here... but they are sisters... so thats a no go!

Anyways... one really good thing that happened during the week is that just before we had to leave, we got to teach out investigator from Peru and she is awesome! We brought her to a Peruvian family's house and just had a great time there. Her only concern before baptism is the Word of Wisdom and so we had a Famly Home Evening with another Peruvian family and it went incredibly well! Every member of the family ad a very strong testimony of it so it was perfect!

Thank you all so much for your Love and Letters and look forward to hearing from you all! I love being here and can't wait to report to you all about this coming week! It will be exciting!

Love,

Äldste Webster

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

Change.

I have got 2 very busy weeks ahead of me! Today my companion was asked to give an interview for a baptismal candidate in our ward (the secretaries investigator). And so his service will be tonight! We have invited a couple of our investigators to come and then we have Adam and Emma set for tomorrow night at 7pm! This is really exciting! the ward hasn't had 3 baptisms in the same week for over a decade. So the bishop will be baptizing a man named Jan Nyd today and then President will be baptizing both Adam and Emma! His first and his last baptisms in Sweden! It is really cool. This past week has been really cool to see their Faith in Christ really strengthen. My personal favorite has been to hear their amazing prayers! It has taught me an amazing lesson on heart-felt prayers. They have been "Dear Heavenly Father, thanks for this meeting.... in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." or "Dear Heavenly Father, we are so thankful that we can be baptized on Wednesday, it will be a great day! Please bless Adam Michael Jorgensen, and Adam Michael Webster. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

Yesterday we were able to have our interviews with President Anderson. And since HE was going home he gave us OUR finishers interviews (not cool). But he talked about Institute and the Temple and how much I need to keep that personal study after the mission! Before he gave us both our interviews we talked to him about how the Assistants roll had changed since we had been there. We have done a lot more of a proselyting focus. And since our area that we are in (not big) has had 4 missionaries for the past... 30 years maybe.... and so he decided to put us in DOWNTOWN STOCKHOLM! We got a letter from President Newell and he said that he wanted to have us two as his assistants for the remainder of our missions. I am looking forward to being a missionary in downtown stockholm where we have the YSA Center and another pair of elders along with the Stockholm Zone Leaders in the same church building! So that is excitng! The only downside to it all is the following: training new mission president, working with a new ward and just BEING in downtown Stockholm, and having monthly Zone Leader Råd along with Zone Conference. All before my last days... time will go by WAY too fast. But I guess it is meant to be!

So in summary, Today we have a baptism, tomorrow we have a baptism, thursday we pick up President Newell, Friday we have a coordination meeting with Pres. Newell, a conference with Norrland Stockholm and Stockholm South zones. Saturday we have a flight for a conference with Göteborg and Malmö Zones and baptizing Kleber from Brazil right after and a train ride back. Sunday we have Adam and Emma's confirmation. Not bad right?

Well... just know that I love you all and I have a CD that I will be sending ya'll this WEEK!

Love,

Äldste Webster

I am released at 8a.m. on September 9th so ya'll can come anytime after that! I love you all so much! I actually spoke with the WML in Borås and promised him I would be there on September 11th for that sunday. So I was hoping that we chill in Stockolm for the weekend and then on Sunday we can drive/fly?(cheaper) to Borås. and then be there monday as well. Then we can do whatever ya'll want! I'm all yours after that!

Love,

Wad

Closing time...‏

Hej!

There has been a lot going on but I have little time and a headache and allergies from an adventure we went on last night. You all might know that yesterday was the LONGEST DAY in Sweden. Which means that the sun set for 30 seconds? So the office elders decided to put a tarp out on the front yard of the office and camp outside! It was a blast! Elder Overstreet took pictures throughout the night so I will get those to ya'll!

This week has been amazing! Adam is up two ______ in the book of mormon! (Oh no, I didn't mispell two... He has read through the Book of Mormon TWICE!) What a kid! He has been reading through Gospel Principles now and getting the real doctrine (not the kind from the internet) in his mind! So that is a blessing! We took Emma and Adam to the temple after the Stake Conference broadcast and it was AMAZING! As we taught about the Plan of Salvation she thought the doctrine of the family was very "attractive" to her. So showing her the temple was great! We had the privilege to see that Elder Olsson was there! So Margaretha, Emma, and Adam took a short lesson from him! It was amazing!

We were also able to teach Pansy (also from China) and as we walked in we just said hello. As we began teaching we expained that we were going to teach about how she could have the Holy Ghost more in her life. We opened up to Moroni 10:5 and she just started crying! And she just told us, sometimes the truth is too hard to accept! She wasn't talking about the truthfulness of the Gospel, but she commented about things that were happening in her life. And then we were able to testify that no matter what would happen to her Jesus Christ and his Gospel, would help her. Because of these humbling circumstances she has been a lot more open to our message. At the end of the lesson she told us that she has a friend who wants to learn about Jesus Christ as well! Miracles are happening! We are trying our best with the members, and the Lord has blessed us as we do go out and continue to find someone to baptize! We ran into this man who is from Kazakstan (added that one to my list) named Slava and he is awesome. We contacted him on the street, and I think it was the first contact of my mission where we contacted, he said yes and walked us to his house to teach him. He wanted his life changed and corrected. What better than the Atonement and all that accompanies IT?! He is great and prepared! the stake conference broadcast was amazing where we were able to hear from Syster Beck, Per G Malm, Elder Bednar and President Eyring! What a spiritual feast, in summary they had about 3 main ideas, Protect the Family, Follow the prophet, and don't let your wealth prevent your spiritual growth. they were AMAZING message. Elder Bednar said Now is the Time about 7 times in his talk (referring to follow the prophet) and that has been a motto in the mission as a testimony of the second harvest, that thousands of swedes will come into the church! What more of a witness need we? I look forward to see the changed President and Syster Newell will bring to the mission and see this mission explode because of the many "hook-ups" he has here in Sweden. We gave our message and showed our video at the adult session before the broadcast and people were in tears! Today we learned how to make some juice out of flowers... it's called "flädder saft" So I might be bringing some seeds home so we can grow a tree to make this juice! I love this work! And I love you all!

Love,

Elder Webster

(P.S. "Closing time" because of the Anderson's last week with us!)

Also send the Miles and Irion family my love and congrats for JOININg me in the GREATEST WORK EVER! I hope dad and David had fun on their trip, and for some reason I came in contact with my ward mission leader in Borås and I told him we planned on being there on September 11th! (Hope that's a part of the plan)

I love you all!

ONE MORE THING! Remember how I went to teach the brazilian guy (Kleber)? We taught him with a brazilian member (it was a blast) and he decided to be baptized! On July 2nd! That day happens to be the day we will be in town with the new mission president and he asked if I could baptize him! A brazilian convert!!!! What a blessing!

Love you momma!

Äldste Webster