Goodbye Syster Maxwell!

Erin loves Stockholm!

Dear faaaaam & vänner (friends)

Hi! This has been a super good week! I can’t believe I have been here in Uppsala for a transfer. Time flies. I’m saying goodbye to Syster Maxwell this week, which is a major bummer. I'll miss her tons!! But my new companion is coming straight from Gävle, which means I automatically am going to love her!! Yay greenie area :) Her name is Syster King, and she is one transfer younger than me in the mission! I think we are going to have a lot of fun :)

So we did a lot of service this week! It was technically service, but it was more fun because we got to have a bonfire. :) We helped a lady in the ward whose husband just passed away clean out her yard and burn all of the extra dead grass and wood and branches. It took forever and I sprained my wrist and it was SO fun. Haha! The lady we helped was super grateful. She made us brownies, and then before we were all about to leave she asked if we could say a prayer. She said it, and mentioned how this was missionary work because her neighbor called to ask who we were and if we needed help with the project. I think it was missionary work even if her neighbor had not have ended up calling. Missionaries are just here to do what Christ would do! We’re not perfect, but we are trying ;)

We have also picked up the cutest new investigator named Kim! She is 19, and half American, but she has grown up in Sweden all her life so she is pretty much Swedish. (She loves speaking English with us though. Haha they all do!) Kim has investigated the church before, but her life got crazy and she just fell out of contact with the church. Last week, she just showed up at Family Home Evening, and she has come to every single activity we have had since, including all 3 hours of church. She is so awesome!! She says she thinks she is ready to take the steps that she wasn’t before. I just love her and I’m so excited to keep working with her :)

We got to show Meet the Mormons on Saturday as one of our activities, and that was really cool! It was the second time I have seen it (we got to watch it at zone conference in February) and I still love it. We had Helena, our less active, and Kim, our investigator, there to watch, and they both cried. Sometimes I just love the Spirit ;) It makes me happy to see the Church get the needed publicity! Missionaries can’t do it all!

I am sooooo excited for General Conference this coming weekend. FINALLY! We are basically sitting in the church all weekend and watching people talk. At home, I was always excited for conference weekend pajamas and food, but now it’s the talks...hahah oh how a mission changes you. We haven’t been able to watch the women’s session either yet and I am just dying to get there. I know, I know. Who am I!?!? Haha :) juuuust a spiritual giant it’s fine

Påskris (Swedish Easter Trees)

Fun facts:

-Myldsmail has not been working very well and I am flustered. That is the explanation if none of this email makes sense...hahah

-It hasn’t stopped raining like all week. But it makes me SO happy. Because it’s not snow :)

-Swedes decorate trees for Easter (called Påskris) by attaching colorful feathers to twigs. Americans should totally do this. It's so cute!

okay have the best week ever xoxoxo!

Syster Modersitzki

Erin & Emily got to go see the 1628 Swedish warship, the Vasa, (which sank after sailing only 1,400 yards).

The detail on the Vasa is amazing!

Erin loves Sweden. How could you not? Look at this!

The Mission Leadership Council (MLC)

Everyone needs an MLC selfie!

Elder Tolley posted this pic to Facebook saying that Syster Mod said her mom would hate to see her posture at the piano. Haha! Have I really taught this girl nothing?

Farewell dinner for Syster Maxwell with the Tolleys and the Uppsala missionaries.

Goodbye Syster Maxwell!

THE ICE HOTEL

The Northern Lights! Soooo beautiful!

hej på er

So this has been the coolest week of my life. I realize that I have said this in like....every email concerning the Arctic Circle, but this one took the cake. For reals. I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!!

On Tuesday, we got to go to the Stockholm temple with the MLC (mission leadership council, so all the STLs and Zone Leaders). I love the temple and my friends! It was really nice just to sit down and feel at home for a second. We did a session in English, and I literally felt like I was in Provo and would go out to 70 degree weather. It was like 55 when we went out, so I was still happy, but it was an awesome day! There is a Viking graveyard really close to the temple, so after we got to walk around there and eat lunch. Nothing like eating by my Viking homies ;) 

 

Syster Mod, Syster Spencer & Syster Powell at the Stockholm temple

Then we flew straight from the temple to LULEÅ! I love that place :) I had a little bit of PTSD when we got off the plane because there was snow and it was dark, and I had flashbacks of the coldest winter of my life....but then we saw Stet and things were good :) It was so fun to hang out with Stetler again!! I love her soooo much!

Erin and her companion, Syster Maxwell

We woke up early Wednesday morning and drove with the Tolleys and the elders alllllll the way up to Kiruna! It's like a 4 hour drive, and worth every minute. We made a quick stop at the Arctic Circle sign (#round3holla) and went straight to the Ice Hotel!! I think the guide told us it was the first ice hotel to ever be built? We got to go in every room and take lots of pictures and watch ice get harvested from the river...I was dying. The whole time. IT WAS AWESOME. We drank out of cups made of ice, and I felt so cool. Like seriously. Everyone put Kiruna on your bucket list. Worth every second!! We had so much fun, and we got to see the Northern Lights really well both nights we were in Luleå too. It was the best I have ever seen them! Green and blue and completely covering the sky!

Harvesting ice. This really is like the movie Frozen!

Everything in this hotel is made out of ice! Even the chandeliers!

You really can spend the night here for about $480 US/night. Anyone?

Drinking out of glasses made of ice.......of course!

The doors are made with reindeer fur and antlers!

More Northern Lights. The lights were so bright because there was a huge geomagnetic storm.

And on Thursday we came home and did missionary work. Haha I swear I do that stuff too! We actually had a really cool experience with a less active. Her name is Helena, and she was baptized about a year and a half ago. We taught her on Friday morning, and she talked all about her doubts about the church and her struggle to come. We brought Sister Hawley, one of the senior missionaries in our ward, and she was very firm about how Helena needed to come back to church. I was worried we were scaring her, but on Sunday Helena was there and ready to listen! We had a super good sacrament meeting, and then she asked if she could talk to us and Sister Hawley after. She told us that she "had a revelation" during sacrament that all of these trials and doubts are for her good in the long run, and Heavenly Father is watching out for her. I just kind of looked at her dumbfounded....usually less actives are so hard to work with, but all we had to do with Helena was get her to church once! She said she wanted to keep meeting and now has the temple as a goal. It was so cool!! Sometimes you just come in at the right time as missionaries. It feeeeeels good :)

We've also been meeting with Sireh, who is praying about baptism now! She has only missed one week of church since we started meeting with her. She is just my bestie now haha and she is so smart. She is doing like this saving mission in Rwanda or Uganda....I get African countries missions mixed up. But she has an internship with the UN or something like that to bring peace to African countries. Sireh is just Christlike without even knowing she is. Haha I wish I was more like that!

Fun facts:

-people actually sleep in the ice hotel. #wut

-we are going to stockholm for pday today and eating at the only mexican restaurant in sweden that is actually good. cherish cafe rio for me you guys

-i got to teach young womens by myself yesterday (we went on splits with ward members) and it was TERRIFYING. i can't do anything by myself anymore...hahah. but the lesson was good!

looooooove you guys :) have a good week!!!

xoxoxox syster mod

 

More Ice Hotel pictures

 

 

 

 

Hahahahaha!

 

 

 

Kiruna is the blue dot at the top of Sweden.

The luckiest missionaries ever! Thank you Elder and Sister Tolley!

 

 

Third time for Erin at the Arctic Circle. :)

Erin and Syster Stetler, her previous companion

Apparently Erin needed to get closer to the moose. Why am I not surprised?! :) I love her!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sundsvall = Check!

This is an old Viking rune stone. Erin could not get enough of these!

Helloooo everyone!!

This has been a really good week. I have finally made it to every sister area from Stockholm to Luleå (plus Halmstad), and I'm really proud of myself :) We did workovers in Sundsvall Tuesday and Wednesday, which means we went up and slept over and both worked with the Sundsvall sisters. It was so much fun!! I really liked Sundsvall. It felt good to finally get back to Norrland. :) This week we are doing workovers in Luleå and taking a side trip to Kiruna with the Tolley's to see the ice hotel. I AM SO EXCITED. This will be my third trip to the Arctic Circle. Elder Tolley said they are going to dub me Erin Kiruna Modersitzki when we get up there. Haha! We were out of the area so much this week, and next week is going to be even worse, but again...WORTH IT. Haha. I love this country!!

I had a really good time on splits and learned a lot. I was with Syster Johanson, who is almost 6 months younger than me in the mission, but older than me in real life. I am still one of the youngest sisters, but one of the oldest in the mission. Holla at my birthday next month though (just so you all know ;)). Syster Johanson told me the most awful thing I have ever heard about a mission ending. When you get home, you hug the fam and whatever, but then you head over to your stake president's house to get released. There will be a point he asks you to take off your tag, and as you put the magnets back together, it makes a loud click sound. And that's it. Your mission is over in one click. I FREAKED OUT. AWFUL. I love my mission and the only things that will ever get me to leave are complete exhaustion and missing my family. Haha. Cherish every second of your life right now. I am learning that the hard way. Time is going by way too fast!!!

"I live in Frozen! It's awesome!"

Even though we were out of the area a lot, we were able to meet with a lot of new people this week. I have spent like 6 hours calling lists of potential investigators and trying to set up appointments in the past two weeks. Out of calling 9 pages of potential investigators, we have like 8 people interested in meeting. Haha. But on the bright side, I am definitely improving my phone Swedish. ;) We were able to meet with a guy from Ukraine, and man from Afghanistan, a woman from Iran, and another woman from Mexico. Not one actual Swede. #diversity haha it was really cool! The woman from Mexico, Grisel, asked for a blessing, so the elders came with us. That was a cool experience. I hadn't heard a blessing given in Swedish before, and the Spirit was really strong.

We just had a really good week together! I am sad Maxwell is headed home so soon, I've grown attached to her...haha. I have had the best companions. #blessedddddd But yeah. Life is good over here :)

Fun facts:

-Swedes are like sunflowers. As soon as the sun comes out, they all follow it around. I thought it was really weird last summer, but now I completely get it. Sorry for judging you Swedes

-Sweden is one of the most expensive countries in the world, so we get a lot of MSF (money from the church we use to buy groceries and stuff). And yet, I still run out every month without fail....maybe I should slow down on the Swedish treats? Nahhhhhh

-My comp wrote the funniest email about things that are Swedish or not. Please go read. It clearly explains the differences between Switzerland and Sweden and is hilarious. My favorite one: Swiss is not a language. I speak Swedish, not Swiss :) (This is Marci: Here is the link to the blog Erin is talking about. http://systermaxwell.blogspot.com/2015/03/swedish-or-not.html)

Love you all!!!! Have an awesome week!! I will think about each and every one of you at the ice hotel ;) xoxoxo!

Erin

 

Runes, runes and more runes

Beautiful Uppsala

Uppsala

Domkyrkan......such a beautiful church!

Erin is proud that she could read Old Swedish on this tomb in the church.