Oh How Swede It Is!: The Week We Contacted 210 People

Hello hello hello!!! Okay so first emailing was sketch today so if I haven't emailed you back yet, I am gonna try to tonight....haha life is NUTS! We are going on a big old district field trip to what I think is the southernmost tip of Sweden....a super cool viking place called Ales Stenar!! Everyone knows how much I love vikings. It's creepy. But I am so excited!!

THIS WEEK! It was weird. Haha. I don't even know how to describe it. I guess we could start with contacting....Literally all Syster Beckstrom and I do is contact. Every day, without fail. The standard of excellence (Pres Beckstrand would say "standard of hastening the work" instead) is 105 street contacts in a week, which equals out to about 15 contacts a day. Our ward mission leader decided that Lund is going to take it to the next level, so our new standard of excellence specific to Lund is 210 contacts, which is 30 people a day. That is a lot. Haha! Beckstrom and I tried our very hardest this week and went out of our way to make sure to talk to a ton of people, and we ended up getting the 210! The sad part of the 210 people that we talked to is that we got just one phone number, who hasn't answered our calls and texts so far..so. I feel like this week describes my entire mission. I cannot tell you how many blank days I have had without a single appointment, or cancellations, or baptismal dates falling through.... It kinda makes you think about yourself as a missionary, and what being a successful missionary is, because by the numbers I have not been a successful missionary at all.

Syster Mod, King, Sandberg & Beckstrom

But I was thinking. I have a folder on my email that is called "Friends from Sweden" that is full of emails from members and investigators from other areas. I have been so incredibly blessed with friends. I have had more than one person tell me that I have affected them in some way. I really don't even care for a minute if they remember my name the week after I transfer, but I feel like I have made a big difference here in Sweden. I have a strong testimony that people are called to specific places for a reason. I know I needed to be here, if not for anyone else but me. All my mission has been is a learning experience :)

Aaaaannnywayyyyy. Sorry for the missionary thing haha but on the touristy side of things. I finally checked off all of my Sweden bucket list!! I have been dying to go to a city called Göteborg since day one. And we just conveniently had a zone conference there on Friday :) I got to sleep over with my bestie Syster King and it was a super great conference on how we can become better Preach My Gospel missionaries! I love Preach My Gospel. So much genius in one book :) It is always so wonderful to hear from President and Syster Beckstrand and get some help with the work :)

So green and beautiful!

Other than that, we have had a pretty uneventful week. We are teaching a new lady named Jacqueline who is so sweet! She always tells us how impressed she is by missionaries. She also thought it was pretty impressive when she talked to the elders on Sunday and realized they wore a shirt and tie every single day. Hahaha. But she is really positive!

Forever friends!

We get transfer calls this week, and Beckstrom and I are absolutely devastated. This has been the fastest 12 weeks in history......oh. So sad. So if next week's email is pretty miserable, you guys will know why....I have the best comps EVER.

I love you all!!! Have the best week ever!!

xoxox Erin