It is finally warm in Sweden!

Hi everyone! Just so you all know, I haven't had to wear a coat once this week. Sister Hill and I even got really great farmer's tans. #mishlife Summer is finally here in Sweden!

 

Now that it is actually warm, we get invited by members to have barbeques all of the time. I love it. It is usually burgers and korv with this sauce called American dressing. We do not have it in America...but it is super good. Like In-n-Out sauce in a bottle! Everyone in Sweden loves it and is shocked when we say that Americans have never heard of American sauce before. Haha!

Other than like 5 yummy barbeques (not exaggerating. Swedes love to grill), this week was kind of super uneventful. EVERYONE and their dog is on semester. (But literally, Swedes take their pets on vacation all the time. There is even a section of seats on every train specifically set apart for dogs.) Patrick (the guy who is speeding through The Book of Mormon) is on semester, 2 new, positive investigators we got last week are on semester, half the ward is on semester...we get asked all the time by less actives if we get a semester. Lollllllll just in a year and a half;) It's cool!:)

 

Carina, the lady that was just baptized, has been inviting her friend Tony to meet with us. He came to her baptism a few weeks ago and was interested in learning more about the church. We met with him on Wednesday and it went really well! Carina is seriously the best example of how to be a missionary. She casually brings up the church to everyone she meets, whether she is getting an ice cream or walking her dog or whatever! I told her how cool that was one day and she was just like, "I didn't even realize I did that! It is just part of my life now!" I thought that was soooooo cool. She is the best and I love her so much. And I know the Lord loves her too because she is just inviting everyone to learn more about him;)

 

We met a lady on the street from El Salvador, Armeda, who wanted us to bring her a Book of Mormon in Spanish. We dropped by her this week and she was so open to the Restoration and it was so cool...One thing I have learned on my mission is to listen when people talk to you. Whether they are trying to sell you something or tell you their deepest, darkest secret, you need to listen! Even if it is just for 5 minutes! It makes us feel so good as missionaries when someone listens to what we have to say, even if they say no (politely...sometimes I am glad I cannot understand what people say to us when we contact them. Haha!).

 

We accidentally matched!

I honestly just love it here! I know I say that every email but I mean it!! Everyone should come visit Sweden. It is definitely my second favorite country in the whole world (everyone knows--America has my heart:))

 

and now, swede facts:

-If you have a house here (not many people do, mostly apartments), you are supposed to paint it every 10 years. The missionaries learned this week that the paint does not come out of clothes. #stayinfresh

-A lot of kinds of jam come in these squeezy containers like ketchup. I think it is ingenius, especially when eating Swedish pancakes. Which I love.

 

-There are sooooooo many Africans in Sweden.

Real reaction to fufu. Oh brother!

One thing I have learned is that if African food is on the menu, I need to make up some allergies. A really common African food is called fufu. It is some kind of dough and unidentified pieces of meat in a sauce that you eat with your hands. Fufu = hard pass. Don't do it.

-The biggest cars here are like these VW vans...they look so funny and awesome. I love Europe. No SUVs in sight!

 

 

I love you all!!!!! Have a great week:)

sys mod in sweeeeeden :)

ps--Annalil took us to a sightseeing island off the coast of Gävle this week and decided to have a screaming contest with Elder Farnworth while we were there. And she won. Haha!

On the island of Limön--it's so beautiful!

The Gävle missionaries with Annalil