T-Minus 4 weeks... Service and Easter

The week started out by helping a good man in our congregation here move. He lived in an old cabin out in the countryside that was build 200 years back, it kinda reminded me of something you'd see from the Series of Unfortunate Events movie ha ha (see pics of old red cabin) especially having to take the big bed and furniture from the 2nd story loft out the window. But after helping him move he treated us to the classic IKEA meatballs and lingon jam lunch😖 God bless Ludvig🙌 

As a general conference tradition, we headed to the recommended godis shop (candy) called Sega Gubben and bought 2 kilograms of godis each... don't worry, this time we gave a lot of it to the teens here to help them focus during the different meetings. Lös godis are one thing I'll miss about Sweden though. You basically go around the store with a scoop and load up your bag with candy (which sits in bins as bulk) and leave there with twice as much as you plan. 

One thing I got to see this week is just how God makes good things happen when we are willing to take a step of action. Several times on the tram or waiting at a bus stop we have walked up or sat down, and the thought goes through your mind to start chatting with someone. Usually you kinda feel too tired to do it but the moment you decide to just start getting to know that person, the conversation gets easier and leads to us either giving them a Book of Mormon or meeting up with them. Especially these last few weeks that's been the case. We met this guy at ICA (local supermarket) at the cash register and started talking with him. Turns out he lived in Texas for a year with a family who was in the Church of Jesus Christ. He went to church each Sunday, all church activities, and then at the end of his stay he moved back to Sweden and with moving back, his prayers or church activity stopped. A year later, two american missionaries walk into the supermarket to treat themselves to candy after a solid teaching appointment and that's when he connected with us. We've gotten to meet him already and plan to meet him this week again. God prepares people through life experiences. 

It's finally up in the low 60's here and sunny. Flowers are blooming and Göteborg is coming to life. Sunny, warm weather makes being a missionary even more enjoyable, especially when the convenience store on every block sells ice cream bars half price 😖  

Swedes celebrate, what seems like, most holidays on the Eve. Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve and so it Easter. Easter Eve we got invited to a family outing at the park and played some fotboll (soccer), classic relay games and then an egg hunt. One I thought was funny was the game where you run to a bat/stick, put your forehead on it and spin around a certain number of times and then comeback. It's called Irlandsk Julafton, or Irish Christmas Eve here. Swedes mainly celebrate Easter with egg hunts, and you really don't see anything with the Easter Bunny. Church attendance doesn't go up either because it's Sweden and most people don't associate Easter with Christ. 

Helping  a member move into town

Yay! Treated us to IKEA meatballs

Service...yardwork

General Conference goodies!

Taking a ferry to a local island 

Twinners

We met up with Bird Man 

A member's Harley Davidson

A lady that answered the door offered us Surstromming,
canned rotten fish.

Skansen Kronan Castle 

Old church converted to a fish market

Easter eve picnic and games