Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hey everyone how are ya'll?!

So, a couple funny random language thoughts before I get started on the email today. #1- I have noticed lately that I feel the need to use ya'll when talking to people... haha I feel like this is an effect of Swedish because in Swedish there are different words for whether you are talking to one person or multiple. It is "du" and "dig" if it is just one person and it is "ni" and "er" if you are talking to multiple people. Where in English on the other hand, we just say "you" all the time. haha So when I'm talking to multiple people I feel the need to say ya'll since it's plural. haha I thought that was kind of funny. #2 I can totally understand Norweigan and Danish! haha They are so simliar to Swedish that if I listen really hard I can understand most everything. I can read both of them almost as well as I can read swedish! So I thought that was pretty cool :) haha. Anyways...

So this week went by in a blur! Holy cow! haha I can't even really think of where to start. So we ended up having to push back our baptismal date with Nadia :( Mainly because she hasn't been able to make it to church and is still drinking coffee. So that was a bummer, but she is still looking pretty positive. She is trying to drink less coffee so that is good. We continue to teach her about twice a week. Björne, our other baptismal date is still looking super positive! He is so awesome! I need to try and get a picture of him to send you guys. Just in this past week he has gone down from 15 cups of coffee a day to 4-5. So that was pretty impressive! Oh and this weekend was Stockholm stake conference and he came to the whole thing on Sunday and really enjoyed it! So he is looking super positive to be baptized on the 15th of December! Keep him in your thoughts and prayers though along with Nadia. So stake conference was so great! It was at the Gubbängen chappel which is like the south end of Stockholm and it is a huge chapel! And by huge I mean that it is almost the size of a normal chapel back home. haha But that is big for Sweden!  It was really cool to see the whole place packed with members from throughout Stockholm. I got to see Elder Muirbrook there so that was awesome! It was the first time I had seen him since we got to Sweden. I really love that kid. I hope we end up as comps sometime on the mish.

So driving around Stockholm is definitely... stressful... to say the least. Up here in Täby it's not bad at all but once you get down into actual downtown Stockholm it is pretty nuts! Especially in the big mission van. That's why I'm super greatful to be proselyting comps with Elder Lamb because then we take the assistant's car and make the others take the van. haha. Elder Lamb is so awesome! I really am learning a lot from teaching with him so that is great. So there will be some changes going on this week... so we were supposed to be getting a new batch of greenies tomorrow but they are having visa problems just like my group did! I feel so bad for them! I know exactly what they are going through! So right now the mission is kind of on hold waiting for them to get here but in the mean time there will be a small transfer. Elder Kleis will be going home on Thursday, so we will be getting a new AP. It will be Elder Marchant who is one of my favorite missionaries in the mission! He was my ZL in Göteborg for five months so I am so excited for him to come up here! Also Elder Carpenter will be transfering to Hägersten with my dad, Elder Sanders. So it will be Elders Asp, Lamb, Marchant, and myself here in the office until Lamb and Marchant go home on December 18th. Those lucky dogs will be home for Christmas! haha.

So mom I'm excited for the package that is on the way! Thank you so much! I will for sure ask Sister Newell if she know's of anyone who could use a Christmas package in the mission when I see her at office meeting tomorrow and then I'll shoot you an email and let you know! So we are very lucky here in the Täby ward this week! There is an american family in the ward who is having us over for Thanksgiving dinner! All four of us! Their names are the Kendriks and they are so awesome! They moved here because Bro. Kendrik manages a company here or something and they are definitely full bred Americans. haha So we are all so excited to go over and have a real Thanksgiving with them! It will be so great! Tat is definitely a tender mercy of the Lrd that this family is so open and willing to have us in their home on Tanksgiving Iam so greatful for that!

Well I'm sorry the email is a little shorter this week but we are going to head out and do something fun for Elder Kleis' last p-day! Know that I love you all so very much and am so greatful for all of you in my life! Especially during this holiday season. Even though it's hard to be away durring this time of year, I would not trade a second of my time here in Sweden for anything! I love my mission so very much! Time goes way too fast! I know this church is God's kingdom on the earth today and that it is my responsibility and my privilege to help that kingdom grow here in the great land of Sweden. I am so greatful for my opportunity to serve and that I was raised by such amazing and shining examples of not just living the gospel, but loving it! (I'm talking about you mom and dad!!) I love you all so very much and and so thankful again for what a blessing it is to have you each in my life!

I love you all! Have a good week!

Love- Äldste McKay.

 Every sunday night at 8:30 we have what is called RE. haha It means revelatory experience. It's code for go have fika (like Swedish tea/snack time) with the Eriksons. haha It is the best! So each week at 8:30 we go over to the Erikson's apartment and Sis. Erikson has cookies or brownies or something awesome and we all just sit around the table and talk about what happened in the week and stuff. It is so fun! So last night for RE we had pizza and bread sticks as a going away treat for Elder Kleis and then we went into the Erikson's living room and took some "family pictures" haha This seriously is the best way to end the week.