First time translating in church

View out our apartment window.

Thank you so much for sending the butterscotch chips...we immediately made cookies!

Train ride.

Wow. That has been the word of the week. My first full week in Karlskrona has been stressful and amazing. But, I think that is just life in general.

This week we have had semlor (yummy dessert), zone conference, slipped on the ice, amazing teaches with members, miracles in finding people to teach, middags, and translating for the first time in church.

On Tuesday we were on our way to a visit a member and we saw the bus coming so we starting running to catch it. Unfortunately, I did not see the ice and slipped very hard and the next thing I knew my companion was sitting on the ground next to me. She had followed my example and slipped as well. Haha. I really hurt my ankle and have been limping ever since. I ice it every night. No worries. Luckily my companion didn´t hurt herself like I did. We learn from our mistakes.. right? I have now learned to never run for a bus in the winter.

Semlor is an amazing cream puff dessert that starts coming out in Sweden in January and February. I guess they actually have a semlor day on February 12th. We have already had it three times with members. Yum. I am looking forward to semlor day and, don´t worry, I have a recipe to make it when I come home.

We live three hours away from Malmö and that is where our Zone conference was this past week. So, lucky us, we got to wake up at 5am and travel there. We walked in the chapel doors just in time for Zone conference to begin which was 10am. It was an amazing conference. It focused on our mission´s goals and how to have patience with yourself. I have realized that many missionaries don´t think that they are doing a good enough job. It was nice to hear from our Mission President and his wife that we are doing a good job. Our mission had a total of 158 baptisms last year and for this upcoming year we have a goal to get 260 baptisms! When the Area President came and visited our mission he told us that the only thing that we were missing as a mission was faith. So, we re-read Alma 32 together and heard many different success stories. I love hearing success stories because that always boosts up your faith.

Whenever I sit in front of the computer to email home I always seem to forget something.

I will now tell you about an amazing missionary moment that Syster Francis and I experienced last week. We were on our way to visit one of our investigators and we weren´t really sure where she lived, just the general area. While walking around we stopped a girl and asked her if she knew where it was and how to get there. She was very nice and walked us to a spot where she could point it out to us. Then my lovely companion said "well, if you have time maybe you could come with us and we could tell you more about why we are here in Sweden". She was curious as to why we were there. We told her we were missionaries and then she told us that she believes in "science" and not religion. We then started talking about God and how He is our loving Heavenly Father. We then found out that she has lived here for the past ten years with her mom. Once we got to the address she asked us who we were visiting and we told her and she said "I know them! Can I come with you?" My brain was exploding at this point. We said yes and she followed us up. When the family opened the door and saw her with us they could not stop smiling. I guess they have pretty much lost contact with each other and this was the first time they had seen each other in a year! Bonding took place. We then taught a lesson on how families can be together forever and who God is and what our relationship with Him can be. When we left the family invited us back over to have dinner next week and the girl asked us for our number. She thought what we had to say was interesting! Miracles happen.

Another thing that happened this week was translating for the first time. I have not spoken so much Swedish in my whole life. It is really hard to be the Senior missionary who really understands what is happeníng. But, we are both learning together and it´s lovely. I am almost out of time... I will finish later..

Love, Talisa!