Getting the Dop in Stockholm!!

New Years Fireworks!

Tjabba familjen! How are you all doing?!

This week was an awesome week here in Sweden! So we started off the week with our New Years celebration at the Whimmer's and it was so fun! We went to the Whimmer's house and the the Kendrick's were there and then the Karlsson's were there too. They are the family that we were with for Christmas eve that knows the Taylor's really well. So we had an awesome spread of buffalo wings and chips and dip and all the classics and we all just hung around and talked and played board games and then, when it was midnight, we went out onto the balcony and watched the fireworks go up all around us! It was so amazing! The Whimmers live just at the edge of the Baltic sea and so they have an amazing view and then if you look to the left you see Täby and if you look to the right you see Stockholm. So we were just surrounded by fireworks! It was super cool. So the next morning we were allowed to sleep in just a little bit to re-cooperate and then in was back to the daily grind. So on Tuesday we went to the Horia family and taught the whole family (except the mother) again and it went really well! At the end of the lesson we ended up setting a baptismal date with the 13 year old son, Zaya, for the 2nd of February the rest of the family has expressed a desire to be baptized also and we are confident that they will follow, that is why we put the date a month into the future. Because even though Zaya is ready to be baptized now, we want to do all we can to get the rest of the family in the water on the same day. So pray for them! Then, on Thursday, we had our monthly zone meeting called zone sharpening. It's like a mini zone conference that we all have each month after the zone leaders come back from zone leader council with president and the assistants (that was on Wednesday) and in zone sharpening we talked about having a real love for the work and for what we are doing with these amazing people here in Sweden and we discussed the importance of the baptismal commitment and it was just super good and got everyone really pumped up to go out and get the dop! ha ha So you know what me and Elder Leirimaa did? We went out the next day and got two more baptismal dates! We met Bell and Titti on Friday and taught them for the second time and we committed them both to be baptized on the ninth of February! We got the coolest text from Titti on Saturday night telling us that she had read in the book of Mormon and that she had gotten an answer that it was true! How awesome is that?! The Lord is really blessing us here in the mission right now and I know it is because of the renewed faith that the mission has for the new year. As a mission we have a goal of 260++ baptisms in the mission for the year of 2013 and I don't have a doubt in my mind that we will reach that! Last week we had 19 baptismal dates and this week we currently have 37! There is something really awesome happening in the mission right now and I am so excited and so thankful to be here and to be a part of it!

So it sounds like you all had an exciting New Years Eve full of fire! ha ha I'm really glad to hear Scotty was able to scurry up the neighbors tree and but out the fire that bottle rocket made before things got too out of control! ha ha Oh man, there really is never a dull moment at the Keetch/Draper New Years Eve bash! ha ha. Tell Sami congratulations on getting her endowments out! How cool is that, that mom and dad got to be the witness couple!? That is really cool! I remember it meant so much to me to have Cody and Aubry be the witness couple when I got my endowments out and I'm sure it meant just as much to Sami to have her two mammas on each side of her:) Mom, I am so excited for you to start working at the temple! And I'm not going to lie, I'm a little jealous! ha ha I miss the temple a lot. We will go lots together once I get home. Let Sami know that I will look for her friends! I have seen them in the computer and seen their pictures and things.  I actually could have a chance of training Elder Mangum in March when he gets here because I have been told that I will be leaving the office in March either to train or to go zone leader so we'll see what happens!

So that is super scary about Kyle Tuecher! Bolivia is that last place I would want to be bed ridden with infected appendix (or lack there of!) I hope everything goes well and that he can heal up! I will definitely pray for him. It is stuff like that that makes me very thankful to be in Sweden and not some third world country.

Well dad, as far as the national championship goes... as much as it pains me to say this... I think I'm going to be rooting for Notre Dame too. ha ha Ever since having to deal with coach Boban through jr. high and football I have never been a big fan of the fighting Irish. ha ha but I will definitely take them over 'bama. So let me know how it goes!

So I almost forgot to tell you guys! Earlier this morning we get a call from President Newell and he wants to take the assistants, Elder Asp, and myself out to lunch since his grand kids have been visiting over Christmas and they are leaving tomorrow and really love the missionaries and wanted to have lunch with us. So president said he would pick us up around 11,30 and we would go to max (like MacDonald's but 100 times better) or something. So 11,30 rolls around and president comes and picks us up and says we are going into Stockholm to eat at Saluhallen and we are all just like holy crap.... ha ha Saluhallen is this awesome market/restaurant in Stockholm that was built back in the 1800's and it is sooo nice! Its where the royal palace comes and buys all the food for the king and the royal family! ha ha So, we go there and walk through and look at all the different booths set up, some selling fish, some selling cheese, others selling meat or fresh produce, and then once we had walked though and looked at things president just hands us 1500 crowns and says eat where we want and then meet back up after, and off he goes with his grand kids to find them something to eat. ha ha So we all had some amazing classic Swedish dishes at one of the booths and just stared in awe at the 1000 crown bill President Newell had handed us to pay for our lunches! (1000 crown bills are only available if you go to a bank and specifically ask for them. that is probably the first and last time any of us will see one) ha ha it was so crazy! It was a really neat experience and the grand kids really liked it. They are all so cute and will be such awesome missionaries one day!

Well I think I am going to head for now but I love you all so very much and hope you all have awesome weeks!

Love,

Äldste Keetch

President and his Grandson