Yes, We Do Have Snow!

Syster Mod & Syster Bolton. New comps!

Hi everyone!! After a grand total of around 30 travel hours this week, I am finally settled into life in Luleå :) My Polar Express ride from Halmstad to Luleå, that I thought would be so wonderful, was 19 hours straight. I had a lot of fun looking out the window and seeing Sweden change from fall to snowy winter as we went into Norrland! However, needless to say, the first day in Luleå I was not lookin' so hot. Haha! This week, we have been traveling around to members, to Umeå for zone conference, etc etc, and I think I would be okay if I didn't get on a train for a while. But you can only get these experiences in Sweden!;)

My new companion is SO cute! Her name is Sister Bolton, and she is from Layton, UT. We met when we were at BYU together last year, so we have had so much fun reminiscing about the good old college days :) She is my first younger companion in the mission! I am greenie breaking her, which means I am the first companion she has had after her trainer. Big shoes to fill! But I really just love her and we are already having a ton of fun together. :)

Luleå.....Luleå is just a wow. It is absolutely beautiful. Winter has already started here. It snowed all day yesterday, and stuck! The lakes and ocean here are already freezing over. I am wearing my winter coat and starting to collect beanies and gloves. Yay. October. Haha! But I really do love it. The branch here is AMAZING! I am so excited to get to know everyone here. And the work...also a wow! We got a baptismal date with our investigator, Ehsan, at church on Sunday, and we have a lesson with him tonight to make sure of everything:) We have another cute 12 year old investigator, Stefan, who will be setting his date for the end of this month. I am just blown away by all of the prepared people here! I am having SO much fun working with all of them. People here are so nice and welcoming, even if we are strangers. It really cannot get better:)

My favorite experience so far was probably yesterday. We had an awesome time at church (s/o to Syster Mod for translating all of Relief Society, which turned into a lesson about how to protect yourself from Ebola...#gettingcreative) and got a baptismal date for Ehsan! After church, we didn't have any set plans, so we planned in faith for 5 lessons and went out and did swing bys. 5 lessons + swing bys = should be impossible. Just so you guys know. But we ended up getting all 5 lessons and met some really cool people. Faith!! It totally works!

I am so glad I can finally (hopefully) settle into an area and stay here for a while. I have this feeling that I am going to love Luleå. :) Thank you for all of the love and support all of you have shown me! Coming on a mission has made me realize how blessed I am with amazing family and friends :) I love you all! Have a good week!!

xoxoxo Syster Mod

also fun facts:

60 miles from the arctic circle. holla.

they have reindeer crossing signs here. lol.

we have a car!! I drove for the first time in 6 months...in snow.  no one died. ;)

church! not ours unfortunately haha!

Brrrrrrrrr.......

jag ska till luleå! (I'm going to Luleå!)

Hi everyone! This week was just proof of why I like missions so much. You never know what is going to happen! It has been a fun three weeks in Halmstad, but I am transferring again to LULEÅ this week! I am so glad I got to experience the south for a little bit before going up to the freezing north :) Luleå is the furthest north city in Sweden that has missionaries...I am so stoked :) Um hi real Swedish winter. I checked the weather forecast for this week up there, and it is already supposed to snow twice...One of my other companions, Syster Ludwig, was there for 5 months during winter, and she told me all about the Arctic Circle and driving on a bridge made out of ice (and having a car!!). I could not be more excited. If you are gonna live in Sweden during the winter, live in REAL Sweden ;)

But. I am so sad to be leaving Halmstad! I absolutely loved my time here, and was expecting to stay for a lot longer. The ward is so cool and our investigators are the best. I will especially miss Trang more than anything! She says she feels like my mom, telling me to eat better and be more ethically aware of the animals. Haha I think I am a converted vegan! Not a strict one (example A--we had a ward party on Sunday and I totally ate meatballs and loved it), but still :) I am so grateful I was able to meet her! She and her husband are the best. Her husband, Lasse, prayed for the first time ever yesterday when we ate at their house! It was cool. I love these people :)

Eating healthy at Trang's house :)

This week has just been crazy trying to squeeze all the goodbyes in. I am so sad I did not get to know these people super well! I wish I could have stayed for longer. However, on the (kind of) bright side, Syster Dawson is transferring out with me as well! They are putting elders here instead. And Dawson will be training in Gävle, my greenie area!! It has been so fun to tell her about everyone there and how much she will love it. She will be an awesome trainer :)

Life is so good! I will let you guys know how I am doing in the literal North Pole next week :) #hejSanta

Facts:

-Last Tuesday, we were in Helsingborg for district meeting. There was a huge world fair out in the town selling all different kinds of food (but not American...the heck. I guess McDonald's cuts it for Europeans). Our entire district split a kangaroo burger from Australia, just to try it! Verdict: It tasted like beef jerky, and I really am a terrible vegan. Haha!

-I am an awesome packer now...3 areas in less than 6 months. Holla.

-Taking a night train to Luleå. IT IS THE POLAR EXPRESS PEOPLE <3<3<3

and s/o to McCall getting home!! Way to beeee ex-Soeur Mod :) And then there were 3 Sister Mods... :)

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!! Have an awesome week!

xoxox Syster Mod i Sverige

In Helsingborg with her district

In Helsingborg---Denmark is just past the fog line! They are so close!

Syster Dawson and Syster Mod. Only companions for three weeks. :(

Such cute sister missionaries!

Americans think this is so funny. Utfart= exit, Infart = entry. At least that's what Google Translate says. :)

Some of the amazing members that Erin will miss!

One last dinner at the Lindahl's before they leave. They are treated so well in Halmstad!

Trang even painted Erin's nails. See? Spoiled! :)

Erin at Tylösand. Beautiful beaches and a beautiful girl.

Fall is Here!

Hiiiii! Can anyone believe it is October? Time FLIES. I feel like missionaries are always counting time...how long they have been out, how long they have been in the mission field, how long they have left...we were talking to the elders in Helsingborg last night, and they have been counting how long it has been since they last kissed a girl...obviously elders and sisters are a little different. Haha! #nodatingforme

So remember how Syster Dawson and I became vegetarians for a week because of our cute investigator Trang? I am happy to report that I am not withering away and it was super fun:) I even ate brussel sprouts this week. What's worse is I liked them! We made homemade sushi and ate vegan substitute chicken (don't ask me what is in it because I don't know). Just call me a granola :)

We made this!!

 Speaking of Trang, we have had such a good week teaching her! It has been kind of hard to set a dop date (baptismal date....dop is Swedish and it is a lot more fun to say than baptism) with her, and this week we have been trying to figure out why and how we can help her. Trang has a few theories that are ...out there, such as aliens and enlightenment and so on and so forth, and she opened up and told us all about them. She was scared to get the Holy Ghost because she thought it might be an alien taking over her brain, etc etc. During that lesson, the only thing going through my head was, "I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY SO MUCH!" You just don't get these experiences anywhere else. :) We have explained a lot and the Holy Ghost has really helped her understand the principles we are teaching. We taught about the Atonement this week as well, and it was amazing. I had no idea that is was a foreign concept for some people! Christ really did love us enough to die for our sins. He made everything we do now possible.

This weekend was AWESOME with Conference! Saturday was Sweden's national cinnamon roll day, so we grabbed some cinnamon rolls from a bakery with an investigator and headed to the church to watch Conference:) The ward set up one room with Conference in English and one room for the Swedish translation. Most of the ward watched it in English....everyone in Europe is so good at languages. What the heck. I loved Conference so much and learned a ton! We are so blessed to hear from our prophet and apostles every six months:) I loved all of the talks on the sacrament and Elder Robbins talk in one of the Saturday sessions! But really, I just loved it all. Doesn't get better than that:)

Syster Mod and Syster Dawson watching General Conference in the English room.

Facts of Sweden:

-bikes get stolen. it's fine. i didn't need it anyway....oh wait.

-when Swedes get drunk, they get REALLY drunk. and that is the only time they are loud. haha!

-fall is BEAUTIFUL!

Love you all!!! Have a great week!!

xoxoxo Syster Mod

Reading books between Conference sessions.

It must be a great book! Their faces are adorable!

Little Lukas was at Conference too. He is the sweetest baby!

Making cookies and then the oven door falls off! What?

Beautiful Halmstad.

It's definitely fall.

Halmstad at night.

This is a castle in Helsingborg, where we have district meeting every week!

Doing dishes = daily grind. :)

Halmstad Week 1!

New companions!

Hi everyone! I hope you all are good! I am here and alive in Halmstad:) It is great! My new companion is Syster Dawson. She is from Cedar City, UT, and goes home in December! We have had sooo much fun together. She is so genuine and a crazy hard worker. Love her! Everyone here, including Syster Dawson and the ward, has been so welcoming to me! I already love it :) The only issue is the language...it is a lot different here than it was in Gävle. No one can understand me because I have Norrland Swedish, and I can't understand them because they have a little bit of Skånish Swedish, which sounds like Danish. Oh the joys of this country! You just gotta love it ;) #relearningswedish

Leaving Gävle and Syster Ludwig on Wednesday was so sad! I miss that branch and Syster Ludwig so much already! It is crazy how you can feel like people are family in such a short amount of time. We left the elders with a packed schedule and lots of investigators, so that felt good. :)

It has been rainy and cloudy ever since I came to Halmstad, but it is still warmer than Gävle. Haha! We live a 5 minute walk from a big bakery, so the air always smells like fresh bread and cinnamon rolls. AKA we live in heaven. :) The town is little and cute and has awesome shopping, so there is really nothing else a girl needs in life;) When I first got here, we didn't have a phone...#stoneages Haha it had broken the week before and was waiting to get shipped to us! Let me tell you people. Life is not impossible without a phone. It kinda really sucks, but you live anyway. Just in case you were wondering;)

Our investigators are great!! We have 2 with baptismal dates later in the year and quite a few other investigators progressing. One of my favorite investigators that I have met is Trang! She is from Vietnam, and you pronounce her name like Chang. She married a Swede and moved to Halmstad a couple of years ago! Trang is amazing at English and loves to talk. A lot. Haha I LOVE her! She adores the Book of Mormon. Seriously loves it! Every time we go over, she says the opening and closing prayers without ever being asked. Then we read a chapter in the Book of Mormon and she just dies over it! We read Jacob 3 with her and she thought it was the most amazing thing ever. Trang believes in Jesus, Buddha, and a whole bunch of other things, but she loves Jesus. And we do too so it works:) She made us the most amazing Vietnamese vegan food on Saturday! Sushi and peanut sauce and vegetables and happiness:) She is so sweet and made me feel right at home when I got here! Syster Dawson and I are going to try to be vegetarian this week because of her. Wish me luck (cause I am gonna really need it...haha)!

It has just been a super good week. I got all 3 of my crazy big suitcases across a country on trains with no problems, we got banana chicken curry pizza again, we had an investigator and her son come to church, I gave a little talk in Swedish at church and didn't die/pass out, etc etc :) Blessings!! I love being a missionary!

Facts of Sweden:

-Gypsies exist. Don't give them money if you can see an iPhone in their pocket. Haha!:)

-Halmstad has the prettiest library EVER. It is made of glass and hangs over a river that goes straight to the ocean. Libraries are like a huge deal in Sweden. We meet there all the time to teach people!

-The ward here has around 20 active members. This is a big change for this Utah born and bred girl. Where are the other 500 members of the ward?:)

Love you all!! Xoxox miss you and have a great week!

Syster Modersitzki

Beautiful Syster Mod at a bus stop

At a church in Halmstad...with Book of Mormon in hand!

Having fun!

The Day Syster Mod Leaves Gävle

All of the missionary emails I got this week from friends: "Ahh! It is getting so cold! I am over it. I do not want winter to start!"

Me: "Lol guys, been wearing a coat since August, get on Sweden's level" ;)

Just so you all know, it is still cold. I am buying tights. And I got a huge, puffy winter coat. I am more than ready for a real Swedish winter :)

But anyway! Where do I even start this week!? I guess the biggest news is that I am transferring to Halmstad! Halmstad is a little beach town on the west coast of Sweden. It is supposed to be absolutely beautiful, and I am so excited. There are a lot of good things going on there right now! I am also really excited to go to the southern part of Sweden, because it is warmer. Granted I still live in Sweden...but the more south the better. Haha! It feels so weird to be transferring....A mission seriously does fly by. Next week, I hit my 5 month mark. Can anyone believe that I have been gone 5 months? It does not feel real. How can I possibly be leaving my greenie area already?! Where is my whole mission going!!?? Ahh!! I just have to do every Swedish thing possible in the next year. It's a big bucket list :)

Taking the train

These are the trains we take everywhere

Syster Ludwig is also getting transferred (for her last 3 weeks. What!?) to Västra Frölunda. Which means they are pulling sisters out of Gävle :( The whole branch is so sad, and I am too. Gävle is the best. I think I would be great with staying here forever. But we have had an awesome last week together, and have lots of investigators for the elders, who are taking over our area! I guess if we have to end, at least it is on a good note:) I am going to miss this branch so much though! Gävle absolutely feels like home. I know this town like the back of my hand:) The people are so amazing here and I just can't imagine a better area to start my mission.

We were counting yesterday, and in the past 3 weeks we have been together, Syster Ludwig and I have found 8 new investigators. We also have a ton of phone numbers and addresses for the elders to call and go by for potential investigators. We have had the best time together and I love it! I have also never taught the Restoration so much in my life. I think it is so fun to teach. Africans love it, Swedes look at you like you are absolutely insane, and people with a Muslim background are just like "Bro. Have you heard of Muhammed." Haha :)

We have one investigator named Bobsoa who I think is the greatest person ever. He is going to university right now in Gävle, and is from Sierra Leone in Africa. We have had a couple lessons with him, and he has come to church once. He loves telling his friends about us, and every time we leave after a lesson he is like "Go preach the word of God!". He has given us 3 referrals, who are all super positive, awesome guys. The moral of the story is go give the missionaries a referral. They will absolutely love you. :)

Things that are fun this week:

-We are bringing the Canadians with us to a real Swedish dinner tonight at the Sjökvist's, one of my favorite families in the branch. I hope the Sjökvists make them try salted black licorice too. #ew

-I am obsessed with herbal tea now. There is this blueberry tea here that I'm pretty sure could heal every sickness in the world it is so healthy and yummy. (Maybe not on the healing thing with the amount of sugar and honey I put in it, but you know whatever)

-A member told Syster Ludwig and I that you can tell if people like family history by a look in their eye. "Syster Mod, you are just going to be a great mom here on earth and do lots of things for people here, but you don't like family history. Syster Ludwig, you are saving people on the other side." Last time I checked I enjoyed family history, but apparently I need some help. Haha!:)

I love you all sooooooooooooo much and miss you lots! Have a good week!

Lots of love,

Syster Mod who is heading to the beach :)

Erin with one of her favorite people in Gävle, Annicka.

Saying goodbye to Carina.

Lots of lingonberries!

Lingonberry fields? I'm not sure what to call them.