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| Syster Fawcett with companion Syster Richins and District Leaders |
Happy Fathers Day!
I know what you're thinking (actually I don't... since I don't read minds), Father's day is not in November Kjanela, that's June. And right you are! But you would also be wrong, because I am currently residing in Sweden, where Father's day IS in November. A.K.A. Yesterday. So Happy Fathers Day Dad! I love you so much!
Thank you so much for, well everything. Last week... was not easy, the little sleep sometimes made me more prone to feeling emotional. It's been something I've had to keep very careful control of this week, more so than normal anyways. I actually went to the Doctor's this morning, and sad fact, he wouldn't prescribe me Melatonin... Instead I've been prescribed sleeping pills. I hope you know I dislike pills in the general sense... I just dislike pills. So this should be interesting. But thank you for the suggestions and for, well again, everything. Sometimes when I start to feel overwhelmed I just remember that you're over there in America and you've got my back. And I just remember that you are praying for me, and who's prayers mean more than those of a loving Family? I can't think of any.
I also got a blessing this week, Tommy Eriksson and Jacob Larsson gave it to me. It was just what I needed. It's kind of funny, I got the blessing because I wasn't sleeping, but the first thing that was said during the blessing was that My Heavenly Father was pleased that I was on a mission and that there were people here that I could bless. It's hard to admit that despite the fact that I've only been here a month, that with everything, the getting sick, the exhaustion, the overabundance of time to think about everything... I was starting to wonder what I thought I was doing. Little Kjanela Fawcett serving a mission, who does she think she's kidding. It was... hard. I had forgotten to doubt my doubts before I doubted my faith. But, I was very kindly reminded why I was here, and I'm doing better now. The sleep is still being elusive, but that's ok. With all of the help that everyone is offering me I'll be dreaming of... something fun and wonderful in no time.
Anyway's that sounds SO exciting to get together with all of your siblings Mom! Like WAY exciting. It should also be fun to go shooting. I hope your targets come out riddled with holes! (Even better though is if you only had two holes, one entrance and one exit, and EVERY single bullet went through those holes... but... that seems pretty crazy....) And you should have a lot of fun with G&G for Thanksgiving!
Our Thanksgiving Plans... Well, This Wednesday the Relief Society is having a Thanksgiving dinner that we have been invited to and some of our investigators will be there! Bonnie will be in America during Thanksgiving, but we might actually go to the Larssons for dinner on actual Thanksgiving. They're... part American... Except I'm a little confused on the invite. Details just seem to fly over my head... I'm too short.
I can't believe that Dallin is going to Samoa! Except I so can... but I can't! Aaaah!!! This is SO exciting! Aaaah! I'm sorry Dallin won't be able to email you. I've enjoyed his emails but nothing compared to how you must love them. He is definitely in my prayers, I'm so glad that he's serving a mission! He's going to change people's lives. And... I'm so happy!
Funny story about Dallin... Strange right, that here in Sweden I'm still getting to find stories to tell about my siblings. I was talking to one of the YW here, and I mentioned my brother, and that he was 18, and on a mission. Well, there's this strange thing that people sometimes do, it's called Facebook stalking. Yes, Dallin got facebook stalked. And she looks at his profile picture and says... 'Rats, he has a girl...' I was a little confused... i thought to myself, wait, he has a girl? So I asked to see the picture... yeah, it would be that beautiful picture of Dallin and Mom...
So Mom, you're looking pretty young!
It was hilarious.
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| Nana's Baptism |
Oh my! I haven't mentioned the biggest most important news! NANA GOT BAPTIZED!!!! Isn't that wonderful! Ah, it is! I don't think there are words to describe how exciting that is! Ah!!!! It was... AH!!! Sometimes words just don't cut it. No, he was so ready, and he wanted to do the right thing so bad, and he just really wants to follow the Savior. There's such humility in that, such strength in that desire. It's truly magnificent. There were also several investigators who came to the baptism, which is always super exciting. (Actually, this is my first baptism, so I don't know if it Always is, I can't imagine how it wouldn't be though...) Afterward he sent us a text saying 'Even the angels in Heaven are rejoicing over me.' And it's so true! The Angels in Heaven are probably so ecstatic when we choose to follow the savior.
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| Nana's Baptism with Nana and Syster Richins |
Two awesome scriptures D&C 62:3 and Acts 22:16 (The first was shared by Sister Richins yesterday when we were talking to Nana and the second was shared by Jakob Larrson in his short talk that he gave for Nana's baptism.)
Which leads me to something else, the members of our branch are all SO supportive, it's pretty much amazing! They just welcome people in with open arms and bring people, and set up opportunities! They are AMAZING!
Which actually leads me to my next little bit. We went to the Sandelins for dinner, and Sister Nancy Sandelin had brought her friend (who has the two most adorable little children) and her friend is from Ecuador and speaks a little Swedish and Spanish... And I admit, that I was a coward and was to afraid to pull out some Spanish. (My Swedish has DESTROYED it... and it wasn't that good to begin with... :( ...) But, we shared the Restoration film, in Spanish, and after we were talking, and finally, I just took a deep breath... A very deep breath... And I bore a short testimony in Spanish. It was a little hard, because my mind doesn't want to look at languages that aren't Swedish or English right now. But I just wanted Maria to hear my testimony in her language from me. Nancy translated what Maria didn't understand... but... I wanted her to hear it from me straight to her. It was... good. When I get back from Sweden 18 monthsish from now I want to work on my Spanish and German. And then eventually learn Sign Language... I'm going to be busy. And Confused.
Oh, want to hear something amazing! So we were on the train, and we were chatting, and this woman asks us where we are from, which is a little bizarre, the Swedes aren't huge fans of starting conversations, they are after all a very reserved people. And we went on and we started talking and it got to why we were here in Sweden, and then... wait for it, she SWITCHED seats to make the conversation easier. Wait! This is not normal! But it definitely is awesome. So we tell her that we are here as missionaries sharing a message about Christ. She nods and says 'That's really cool, I think it's amazing that you're doing that. It's sad that so many people don't have faith in anything anymore.' So we asked her what she believes, she sort of sighed, 'I want to have faith, I just haven't found that right thing to have faith in yet.' Of course we offered to share what we believe with her, so that she could find for herself whether what we believe is what she's looking for. She said that she could tell that there was something about us though, that there was a peace in our eyes that spoke of having found faith. She was wonderful, so we're super excited to meet Mariana again. An ironic fact... we would not have met Mariana had we not gone to the Vårdcentral that morning, and we would not have gone to the vårdcentral if I had been sleeping like a normal human being. Do you think the Lord likes to work in mysterious ways? I do.
Ah, the fun we have in life.
Ah, thought, I remember last week I said I would send pictures to you... Well... That's not happening this week because we ran out the door this morning and I couldn't find my cord... I'm not actually sure that the cord really exists... At least I don't think I brought it with me... I shall be looking closer! But not today. Sorry! But I will send you a picture of me in my warm looking winter clothing, which leads to an interesting observation. We bought my winter coat, and I remember quite distinctly looking at it and thinking... Ah, what a pretty purple coat... So, Sister Richins and I were talking about my coat and Sister Richins said something about my big brown coat. And I went... 'Wait... I thought it was Purple!' Sister Richins, 'Uh, no, that'd be brown...' I'll leave it for you to decide who actually knows their colors... (Not me... probably...) But I like to say that I have a pretty purple coat... :D
Er, as for a Christmas package... You know I'm not very good at those things... I don't know what would be the best thing for me to get! Eek! As always I just sort of trust in your judgment. Um, what sort of things come in packages? I think... And I feel weird saying this, because this is still me talking, that depending on what goes in packages, and what you put in, I might like another Cardigan... (Ah! I can't believe I just admitted to like something that has long sleeves!) I have a blue and cream one already, and I quite like them... It's kind of funny, sometimes I wake up and I'm getting ready and I just think to myself... You know, today's just one of those days when I want to wear a cardigan. It's utterly bizarre.
Ah, as for our investigators, Lyla is out of the hospital, we wanted to go by to visit but she wasn't home, so we left her cake. We're going to try and go by this week.
I wrote a paragraph here, but Sister Richins asked me to delete it so we can surpise you with it on Monday. But we are comforted by the fact that we are in your prayers.
Emy came to Nana's baptism, sort of, he showed up after it was over. (We did tell him that it started at 6 and that it wouldn't be longer than an hour... he showed up at 7 something) He enjoyed the desserts though. And then Nana came with us to have a lesson! (Isn't Nana great!) I think it's great for Emy to see Nana because I feel as though Emy feels as though as two white girls from America we can't completely understand, so listening to Nana, who's from Ghana helps him feel like this isn't completely crazy. And Emy told us that his curiosity had been rekindled and that he'd try better to read in the Book of Mormon. Hopefully he follows through. We challenged him to read just 1 verse a day. That's not very much, but still, it so makes a difference.
We taught Najib, we hadn't taught him for a while because we were having a difficult time language barrier wise, he speaks very little English and no Swedish, instead he speaks Persian, but he has been coming to church every Sunday despite that. But we found a translator and we had a really good lesson, at the end he said he wanted to meet with us more often and when we extended the baptismal invitation he said, Yes, he was interested in being baptized. We don't have a date set. But that shall be happening soon.
We're still teaching Henrik, and he's not sure he wants to be baptized, but he said that when he comes to our appointments he feels at peace and comfortable. And then he said that there was something in our eyes that spoke of an inner peace that he wanted to find. And in his prayer he said that he wanted 'help finding that peace that my friends in this church have found.' It was sweet, simple, and sincere. This gospel does bring such peace into our lives if we but invite it in and let it.
Ah, this has been such a good week! I have loved it. Some of it has been... hard, most of it has been wonderful... and all of it has been a little crazy. I sometimes think that I'm a little crazy. (There may or may not have been one night during planning that I laughed for like 5 minutes about nothing... There was some very literal Rolling On the Floor Laughing... to be fair I had been sitting on the floor, so that's not Quite as weird... I might have been a little tired.)
In the Spirit of November (Or more specifically in the Spirit of Thanksgiving... but I feel like we should just extend to the whole month or more) I just want to say that I am so thankful to be out here on a mission, to have a family that loves and supports me, to have this gospel in my life, to be able to laugh and dream, to be able to know that no matter what I am loved by a loving Heavenly Father.
Ah, I love all of you SO much!
I hope you have a wonderful week.
Oh, yes, again, THANK YOU for all of your help and prayers, inspirational emails and advice. Thank you so much for... just always being there.
Since it was Fathers Day in Sweden yesterday I was thinking about Dad, and I remembered how sometimes I would just wander it to your room while Dad was on the computer writing, and I'd sit there on the bed for a while, and then Dad would finish his paragraph or thought or sentence or whatever and then he would just give me some of his time, to listen to me chatter, to answer questions, to talk. Just everything. And he was never to busy to give me a hug. (I love Dad hugs)
And how even when Mom was super busy with PhD craziness she always found time for us to answer questions and what not, we were probably super distracting, but she had her office right there near the kitchen so we always knew she was there. (We had to be smart about it of course, she was writing a dissertation and getting a PhD and what not. But she's a mom, which is pretty much the equivalent to a super hero.)
Ah, I love you all so much! I hope school is going well for Keana and Taft! (You thought I'd forgotten about you... think again!)
(For the record... neither have I forgotten about Tannen... I actually think about all of the emails he sent home with wonderful missionary advice littered throughout quite often...)
Kay, so I really should end this now. I just feel as though I have so much to say! (Not an unusual thing for me...)
And that's all I have to say this week, for real this time.
I love you all so much!
Have a wonderful week!
Jag Älskar Dig!
Med Kärlek,
Syster Kjanela Fawcett
'The first rule to getting what you want in life is to decide what you want. If you don't ask the answer is no. And if you don't move forward you'll always be stuck where you are.'
'Souls in the wind must learn how to bend. Seek for a star hold on to the end.'
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