Cat's Out of The Bag!

Well it looks like you all already know my big news (or at lease mom and dad do) so it won't come as as big of a surprise but yep, I have been transferred. It was a pretty sudden transfer but that is what happens when your mission president doesn't follow any set transfer cycle. ha ha So here I am in the area of Vendelsö, it is in the Stockholm south stake/zone and is a really tiny area, at lease compared to the rest of the areas in the mission. My new companion is named Elder Cheney. He is from Lindon and lives kind of down by Walmart. He got here on December 27th. He was part of that group that got delayed in Virginia for a while. His original dad was Elder Christensen but president needed a new zone leader so he moved Elder Christensen to a zone leader position and brought me in to finish training Elder Cheney since I haven't trained yet. So I am kind of like his step dad... or maybe his weird uncle. ha ha We haven't decided yet. So yeah, Tuesday night is when I found out that I would be transferring and then Thursday morning I was moved. It kinda stunk that it was one day before my birthday and President actually felt kind of bad about transferring me right before my birthday so he told me on the phone when he called to tell me I was going to Vendelsö that I would be allowed to come back in on Friday night to celebrate with the Erickson's and the assistants and everybody at the office since I had gotten to be really close with them there. So that was really nice!


My birthday went really well actually! So Thursday morning we had some specialized training from Sister Newell on planning so we went to that and then headed out to begin proselyting. Well on the train to our area we got a text from the office with a referral. It was for a 21 year old kid named Niklas Molander who had gone onto Mormon.org and had clicked the "meet missionaries" button. So we decided to give him a call right then. So we got a hold of him and met him at the centrum in our area called Brandbergen. So we meet him there and just sat down on this bench in the middle of centrum and started teaching him. As soon as we started to teach him I just felt like we needed to commit him to baptism. The normal pattern is that we invite everyone to be baptized on the first lesson and then on the second lesson we commit them to a specific date. But Elder Cheney and myself both felt good about committing him to a date right then. So in the middle of the lesson we pulled out the phone, looked up what three Saturdays from now would be, which is the 2nd of March, and asked him if he would prepare himself to be baptized on the 2nd of March. and he was just like "yep" ha ha it was seriously the easiest baptismal commitment I have ever given! It felt super good to call the office back and be like, hey you know that referral you guys sent us like two hours ago? Yeah, he now has a baptismal date for the 2nd of March! ha ha It was so awesome! The spirit was just so strong there on that bench as we testified to him about the blessings that will come from his decision to be baptized. It was such a good lesson! (just a side note, he came to church on Sunday and loved it! He just kept saying how much better it was than the Swedish church where he usually goes. ha ha) So after we taught him, we went into the center in Stockholm because we had another YSA aged investigator named Johnathan coming. So we took him there and introduced him to all the YSA's and played some ping pong and stuff with him, it was super fun and he had a great time! I actually ended up ripping my pants playing ping pong.... ha ha Dang Swedish pants are a little too tight some times! It's okay though, it wasn't too big of a rip and I actually did a pretty good job of sewing it up the other day if I do say so myself! I think you'd be proud of me momma! ha ha So then, after the center we took the tunnelbana (subway) in to Täby and then caught a bus to the mission office and had a little party with everyone there. It was so much fun! The Erickson's seriously spoiled me rotten! They had decorated everything and had balloons and all sorts of stuff. So we all ate pizza's and then Sis. Erickson made me a cake from her amazing s'mores bars that she makes. They are so good! So we all ate that and then opened my presents. The Erickson's got me a bag of my favorite Swedish candy bars, Kex, and then they also gave me a book but the book is wrapped up and says do not open until I go home. ha ha So they made me promise to just tuck it into my suitcase and not open it until I'm home. The assistants were so nice and got me these awesome Swedish cuff links that are gold and blue with the Swedish three crown design on them. They are so nice! I wore them to the baptism on Saturday and to church on Sunday and I love them! I miss Elders Hart and Leirimaa so much! They are the best. So then, I saved the best for last, my package from you! Oh man thank you so much for everything! That was like the best package I have ever gotten! You know me too well momma! ha ha everyone laughed so hard when I pulled out those beautiful pictures of me and that wrestling book. ha ha that was a fun little surprise :) Thank you so much for both the ties! I love them! That banana republic one is really good looking and I had really missed my knit tie so I am glad to be able to sport it again:) ha ha and the tie clip is perfect! I love it! It looks so good! Oh and I love the sweater too! I needed a new one because my blue one got a whole in it so that was perfect! Thank you so very much! For everything! This really was an amazing birthday. I was blessed with amazing spiritual and social experiences and am so grateful to have spent that day in the service of the lord!

So yesterday was a great day too. I think I made a good impression on the ward seeing that we had two investigators in church, which isn't very many at all, but I guess most of the ward can't even remember when the last time they had two investigators at church at the same time was. So that was good to see them get excited about that.

Elder Hart, Me, Bell, the member that dop'd her, and Elder Leirimaa

Oh and I almost forgot! Saturday we had another baptism! Bell got baptized! She is the Thai girl that me and Elder Leirimaa found and started teaching at the center about a month and a half ago. She is so solid and her baptismal service was amazing! Seriously probably the best I've been. I was really lucky that I didn't get transferred very far so that I was still able to attend. Seeing that it was myself and Elder Leirimaa that found, taught, and set the baptismal date with her. She was so incredibly prepared! It is the same way with our Niklas. I can't wait to continue to teach Niklas and help him along that same path.

 Picture of Bell with all the YSA's that helped fellowship her.

So you were asking about my mood lately mom because of the darkness and everything. I'm not gonna lie, it is starting to get to me. I don't feel depressed or anything but I am always unbelievably tired and just not as perky I guess you could say. ha ha I am really sick of the constant darkness and freezing cold. Especially now that I don't have a car any more. ha ha. But oh well. It is getting lighter day by day here so that is good. It's not pitch black until about 5:30 now instead of 3:00 so that is nice! ha ha. I feel like I am starting to come down with a cold so that is no good. We actually live with the zone leaders in an apartment in Jordbro and both the zone leaders are really sick right now so I think I got it front them. So that kind of stinks. But hopefully it won't be too bad.

Well that is about all I can think to write about this week. I hope you all have good weeks this week and mom, I will pray you get off the hook for jury duty on Valentines! That would be an awful way to spend Valentines! I love you all so much!

Love- McKay the 20 year old

P.S.- So this week we are having a mission wide SYL(speak your language) week. Since it's Valentines week and we want to show our love for the Swedish language and people. So as a misison we are going to speak Swedish 24/7, all week. ha ha It should be fun, especially seeing that I am with a greenie right now. But yeah so it looks like this is the last English I will use all week. Wish me luck!