Week 21 - Hope

This email is going to be a little short today, we are going to a place called Nimis today for P-day so I don't have much time to email but I promise some awesome pictures next week!

It's been a weird week and almost nothing went according to plan but it's been awesome anyways!

Tuesday we had a lesson with an investigator and right as we were starting his friend walks in who lives with him! So we ended up teaching both of them and getting a return appointment. It was unexpected but cool. I just remember the second guy walking in, Äldste Stapley and I just looked at each other, silently just kind of both went 'aaaalright', turned back to the other people and kept teaching. It was a little funny.

Wednesday we had a member meal with two Phillipino ladies. They are hysterical. They also needed help changing a light bulb but they didn't want Äldste Stapley to get his shirt all dirty so she put an apron on him. The sisters got a picture of it. We also had a really good talk with them about personal revelation.

Thursday we had a zone training. The Church's Easter Initiative goes live April 1st and the video is awesome. They also talked a lot about hope and goals. As Äldste Stapley and I talked about the training that night that hope is a trait of a lot of the people I look at as excellent missionaries.

Preach My Gospel says:

"Hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His
promises to you. It is manifest in confidence, optimism,
enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. It is believing and expecting
that something will occur. When you have hope, you work
through trials and difficulties with the confidence and
assurance that all things will work together for your good.
Hope helps you conquer discouragement."

I love this quote. As missionaries, if we master hope, hope that someone is ready to hear us and we can work patiently to find them, it will help us to go out and talk to everyone we see even if only one person listens to us. I have focused a lot on hope recently and I absolutely love it. It helps to keep me going even when it seems as though nothing is happening.

Friday we had a lesson and then a member meal. We watched a few Mormon Channel videos and some of the new ones right now are fantastic. Just go to the website and start watching. These videos are so well done, invite the spirit and really give you something to ponder for the day, most of them aren't too long either. Imagine your week if you were to watch a five minute video every day that you could think about for that day. Just think about how a little bit of pondering every day could change your perspective in life. It's the same principle behind reading scriptures daily. We gain more understanding and perspective as we review the Gospel everyday.

Saturday we had another lesson and member meal which both went really well.

Sunday we had Ward Council and leaders from the stake came. One of investigators came too! It was awesome! There is a really good video that one of the speakers showed during the third hour. It is Elder Bednar visiting missionaries in England but he describes an experiment he did while president of BYU Idaho. He had 250 student leaders tell 5 friends to come to the next devotional prepared and in their Sunday best and then go get 4 more friends to got get 3 more friends etc... A few days later the entire campus was in suits and nice dresses in preparation for the devotional, over 12,000 students. Elder Bednar's point after the story was that missionary work is all about one person who will find a one, who will find a one, etc... It's a really good video if you can find it. 

[With the magic of having Mom as editor- here is the video!]

We also had a ward lunch after church which was a lot of fun. Later that day on our way home, and we were way off schedule, we ended up talking to people our entire way home. I feel like it wasn't on accident. We were at the right time and place to talk to these people. It lined up to perfectly. It's interesting how the Lord works in mysterious ways, yet somehow it works out. A couple more people had a good experience with missionaries and possibly a growing interest in Christ because of it.

I love this mission and I know that as we open our mouths, the Lord will fill them with what we need to say to others, and the more we do it, the more opportunities there will be to do so. Have hope and press on! I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!

The pictures are of a bunch of us on a bus to the train station after zone training and Elder Stapley in an apron.​ [Mom's Note: there were issues with the second photo, hopefully we will get it next week.]

Week 20 -Two New Companions!

Hello everyone!  This week has been kind of a blur so I'm sorry if this doesn't go into as much detail.  It's been kind of a whirlwind.

Monday we went to the beach and threw a football (American) around and grilled some korv (the closest thing you can get to a hotdog).  It was a lot of fun.  We joined one of the member families that night for Family Home Evening and we watched On the Lord's Errand about President Monson.  It is extraordinary!

Tuesday was Äldste Murtonen's last day here in Helsingborg so tried to do some stuff before he left around the city.  We picked up my new companion that night, Äldste Richardson!

Wednesday morning we saw Äldste Murtonen off at the train station.  Äldste Richardson and I then went out into Helsingborg and talked to people on the street.  I also found out that day that Äldste Richardson had been kind of sick for a while and that he would be going home soon so that he could try to get it all worked out before he went back to school since he's already been out for almost 2 years.  

Thursday we had district meeting and it was on hope.  We had an amazing discussion.  One of the points that was made was about how faith and hope are connected.  I absolutely loved it.  Hope is a prolonged application of faith.  We also talked about the upcoming transfer and we had another great discussion about not only what our expectations were for the transfer, but more importantly what are God's expectations for us and for our area.  We can't expect ourselves to do more than God expects of us.  While it's important to not set the bar too low, it is equally if not more important not to set the bar to high for yourself either. The bar is there to be an achievable goal that you can reach and then reset higher as necessary.  We also figured out that day that Äldste Richardson would be flying home on Tuesday.

Friday we did a lot of work.  We had a lesson as well as we tried to have a few others that fell through.  We got a lot done though.

Saturday we helped a member in the ward move to another apartment.  Äldste Richardson and I actually got lost on the way and we had to have a member come pick us up.  It went really well though and it was a lot of fun to help.  Doing service always gives some of the best feelings.  We also had a lesson and on the way I did my very first bus contact!  I had been to scared to try it before but I went for it and had a really good discussion with a guy about missionaries and the church so that was super exciting!  We also had a member meal that night and we shared a thought out of Alma 32.  It's the chapter where faith is compared to a little seed that grows as we nourish it.  It's an awesome chapter.

Sunday was cool.  I actually got give the Sacrament Prayer in Swedish so that was fun, the microphone didn't work so I just had to talk loud.  Äldste Richardson then had to finish packing last night.

(Bonus photo sent by a ward member on Sunday just before Äldste Richardson returned home.  

May his health return to full strength soon!)

Today I saw Äldste Richardson off at the train station and got my new companion Äldste Stapley!  

I'll add a scripture that really stuck out to me this week. Hebrews 6:10-20 is a great section on hope.  It's phenomenal.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

--Elder Ashford

Picture 1: Äldste Stapley on the left and then Äldste Richardson (they look kind of similar)

Picture 2: The citadel from while we were on a morning run

Week 19 - Transfers!!!

This week was pretty busy so here we go!

On Monday we had our P-day schedule and then went on exchanges with the Halmstad Elders so Äldste Porter and I stayed in Helsingborg.  We went out and contacted people on the street and we actually handed out several Book of Mormons and had some really good conversations with people. 

Tuesday we did some contacting again and then we had a lesson with an investigator that went went pretty well.  We ended up not teaching what we planned but it was still really good.  After that we called people and we made dinner at the church.  Our dinner entertainment ended up being that a tanning salon across the street caught fire!  I don't think anyone was seriously hurt but there were all sorts of emergency vehicles.  So that was interesting.  We then went out and talked to more people on the street before heading back to Landskrona.

Wednesday Äldste Porter and I had couple first lessons with people and did some contacting in Landskrona before meeting our companions in Helsingborg to close our splits.  It was really weird leading the area for 2 days with someone new but it was good practice.  (I'll get into why a little later.)

Thursday we had our district meeting and I got to give the Thought on Christ.  I ended up talking about something that has come up a lot recently.  It was in Mission Tour and from the Brad Wilcox devotional I talked about in a previous email so I decided to talk about how Christ enables change.  He taught us repentance which essentially means to change.  To change ourselves to follow Him and His example.  He also gave us the Atonement which means that we do not need to be defined by our sins and mistakes because He has already paid the price.  What that means is that we have room to grow and improve because as long as we try our hardest to change and be like Him, we can't fail, no matter how many times we stumble.  The point of Christ's teaching and His Atonement for us is to give us the ability and knowledge to change.

We had a great District meeting and then we had lunch.  Äldste Murtonen and I then went to visit a member in the ward.  He also was getting a new bed so we ended up being the ones carrying the old bed out and helping get the new one.  We then went to Landskrona and had a great member meal.  That night after we were done with work we ended up making ice cream and it is super good!  We used mint chocolate and oreos to flavor it so it is delicious!

Friday we had two appointments up in Höganäs so that was cool.  On our way back though we had an interesting time.  There must have been a crash on the highway because it was backed up for at least a mile, possibly several.  The whole area around was also crazy as everyone tried to get off of the highway.  So the bus ride back was interesting. 

Saturday Morning we got transfer calls!  Äldste Murtonen is going to Karlstad so I will be getting Äldste Richardson!  It's going to be interesting to have a new companion, especially since I am going to have to help him learn the area.  Our district is also getting bigger as they just added a new area in Halmstad so that is super cool.  We had some lessons cancel on us but we had a good member meal and read with them out of Alma 36 about Alma the Younger's conversion experience.  It's an amazing chapter!

Yesterday we had fast Sunday because of the conference last week.  In Sunday School we talked about revelation and watched all three parts of the Patterns of Light series with Elder Bednar.  They are awesome in case you were wondering.  We did some contacting and calling after church.  We also found out that the Elders in Halmstad had their baptism and it went well so that was super exciting.  

When I got here there wasn't much going on but our district has been working hard and now it is great to see the progress the Lord has given us.  It's been an awesome week and I hope you all have one as well.

--Elder Ashford

Week 18 - Mission Tour

To start with, sorry to all of you who did not get my email last week.  I tried to send it but maybe it didn't make it.  Go ahead and check the blogspot at the bottom of the email once my mom updates it.

Anyways...  This week was quite interesting.

Tuesday we had two appointments cancel which was unfortunate but we had a great lesson with a member.  At one point we got more Semlor because it was semla day so everybody was getting them.  They are really good!  We did language study and packed our stuff because we had to travel to Göteborg (Gothenburg in English but that sounds really weird to me now).  We had a two hour train ride there and the other missionaries in our zone were all actually on the same train.  We stayed with the zone leaders in Göteborg along with the Vaxjö Elders for the night which was fun.

Wednesday was Mission Tour!  We were there a little early so we got to talk to other missionaries.  Äldste Wilkenson from my group was there so it was great to see him after so long. 

We had President Kearon from the Europe Area Presidency there touring the mission.  He is awesome!  He gave some really great training.  Äldste Murtonen even got to have a short interview with him afterwards.  We then got to take the train all the way back to Landskrona.

(Mom's note: to see more photos and details about the Mission Tour see the Mission Blog http://swedenstockholmldsmission.blogspot.com/2017/03/2017-mission-tour.html)

Thursday we did some contacting.  We tried to swing by an older guy in the ward at an assisted living home but uhhh... we got there and it was a school parking lot...  So that didn't go as planned we're going to try to find his actual address but it was a fun adventure.  We called people and then later that night we had an awesome lesson about the priesthood at a member meal.  It must have been inspired because I didn't remember this analogy until I started sharing it.  Someone who has the Priesthood is like a lightning rod.  They receive power from above.  Lightning only hits the lightning rod and then disperses from there to earth.  The same with Priesthood holders.  They don't control God's power but they provide a point for it to come down to Earth.  The more I think about it that analogy blows my mind!

Friday we had another 2 lessons fall through but we had a good lesson with a member again and then contacted a bit.  We did some family history for an hour which was a lot of fun.  I actually found two children for some of my ancestors that weren't on my records before!

Saturday we had another lesson fall through but we did some language study instead.  We had another member dinner too.

Sunday we had a Stake Conference broadcast so it was awesome to hear from general authorities give council just for the members in Northern Europe.  It was a great conference and it was a lot of fun.

This week was a weird schedule and we had a lot of appointments fall through but the key is to be patient and to keep trying.  Sometimes things don't work out as we planned so just keep trying.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

--Elder Ashford

Photos: 

The first one is us and the Vaxjö elders in Göteborg 

and then the others are from our semlor.

Week 17 - Miracles Do Happen

(Moms Note: for some reason the group email has had trouble sending, so hopefully we have gotten this straightened out now.)

Tuesday was extremely windy here in Skåne.  To give you reference we walked down by the coast in Landskrona and my companion spat into the wind and it went about 20 feet the other direction.  (a little gross I know but I don't have anything else to give for reference, still quite impressive)  It was super pretty outside though and the sun was shining and it was pretty warm so it was a nice day.

Wednesday we went on exchanges with the zone leaders so I stayed in Landskrona with Äldste Nelson.  The man is a master contacter.  In about 3 hours of street contacting throughout the day we talked to 180 people.  It was awesome!  One guy we talked to on the bus.  It turns out he was going to make the same train as us.  We started talking to him and explained a little bit about what we do and a little about what we believe.  We had a 40 minute discussion with him between the bus and train ride.  By the end of the ride he was willing to be baptized!  We got his number and set up an appointment for Saturday before we caught another bus up to Höganäs for a lesson.

Thursday we had district meeting and it was a little crowded.  The assistants were going on splits with the zone leaders right after they went on splits with us so we had an extra 4 people compared to our usual 6.  It was a lot of fun though and it was cool to hear from some other people as well in our discussion.  We all went out for some Kebab afterwards.  Äldste Murtonen and I then had a few members to visit and then called people.  We also made pancakes for dinner, because why not.

Friday we had weekly planning and some other appointments.

Saturday though was interesting.  There was a funeral for a member but her whole family wasn't members so the Bishop wanted us missionaries there.  We helped with what we could and were there to show support but we weren't really sure what we were doing though.  At the end however, the Bishop mentioned to us that a lot of people had asked about us and why we were there so it was a really good experience for those people to have some contact with the church.  We also had a lesson with our investigator and we taught the Restoration, the lesson we usually teach the first time with people because it explains about the Church as well as the Book of Mormon.  It went really well.  It is so exciting to meet someone so willing to learn about the Gospel.  There are people ready to hear about the Gospel and he is definitely one of them.  It's miraculous how we started with talking to a random guy on a bus and within a few days he has a baptismal date.  It's so cool to see people who want to come closer to God and follow Jesus Christ when there are so many people in this world that either don't understand or don't want to understand the Gospel.

On Sunday we had church.  One of the members brought a friend so we actually taught him during Sunday School about the basics of the Church and the Book of Mormon.  After that we also taught in priesthood meeting using Elder Jefferey R. Holland's talk from October about the importance and role of home teachers.  It is an amazing talk.  We also had a dinner with some of the young adults in the ward at the Bishop's house and he showed us a BYU devotional by Brad Wilcox from 2011.  It was about grace and it really helped me understand grace better than ever before.  He described grace like how children get piano lessons.  Mom pays the piano teacher for the lessons for the child.  The child doesn't pay the piano teacher or their mother.  What the child does do, however, is that in return for the lessons they are expected to practice.  They are expected to learn and improve and become better.  To work through mistakes.  They aren't expected to be perfect but they are expected to do something.  The same applies with Christ's Atonement for us.  Christ has already payed the price for our sins.  We are saved by His grace.  In return we try to do our best.  We will stumble, we will not be perfect, but we will change as we strive to follow His example.  I highly recommend you watch it.  It's 20 or 30 minutes but it explains this principle so clearly.

I wish you all a wonderful week!

---Elder Ashford

The pictures are first, all of us after getting kebab, 

and then next is me next to a cannon on the coast of Landskrona.