Happiness never decreases from being shared

Dear Family,
I'll invest some Personal Study time this week into looking into Mahonri Moriancumer and Peter! I think I already have some ideas about teaching moments... But I think that's also something that Dad has talked about before. Anyway, I'll go give it a good in-depth study... I am growing to absolutely LOVE my personal study time. It is my favorite hour of the day... Except for maybe the hours in which I'm sleeping... I need those! (They might be tied for favorite...)
Please give Sister Johnson a hug for me... I love Brother and Sister Johnson... I always loved being able to go Home Teach them with the family and then just going to visit them.
No, it's SUPER crazy. We have like light now... and it's just going to keep getting better and better! I'm SO excited for SUMMER! It's going to be sunny and beautiful and wonderful and I can't wait. (Of course, I am enjoying the weather now too... but more about that in a minute.)
And Keana is always in my prayers! I hope you guys can figure out what's going on! Although... I did laugh that her room isn't clean... My room is. :P But congrats on the drumline competition!
And go Taft! Figuring out the Jr. High! I remember Jr. High... that was a long time ago... but not... but yes... Strange. But enjoy this time! (And do your homework...)
So you think you might move this summer? Are you going to try and stay in the same school district?
But now... for the week...
This week... Has been one of THOSE weeks... Actually, that's sort of how my time in Övik has been, so I think I'm starting to get used to it... But, eh.
Let me tell you about it. Monday was a good day... it was a P-day, and those are nearly always good! Sister Pieksma bought a Fjällraven, which is a SUPER nice backpack that apparently last forever, they are pretty popular here in Sweden and people have backpacks that have lasted them 20 years and are still in good condition. They are expensive though so... You'd hope they last a long time!
Then Tuesday... Everyone blåsted us again. We shant talk anymore about that, but we went down to Sundsvall that night and that was super fun, the sisters down there are so fun and it's always enjoyable to be with more Sister Missionaries. I love when we get to get together with other missionaries. There is just something super refreshing about it. It's invigorating.
But we went down to Sundsvall that night so that we could go down to Stockholm the next morning for a Sister Training Conference. I REALLY enjoyed it. We talked about personal study, keeping healthy, and about how we see ourselves...
It was all super interesting, but I just wanted to take a short moment to talk about the last little section.
How do we see ourselves? Is it good? Is it bad? Are we loving ourselves? (Not being vain or selfish, but just appreciating ourselves for what we are...) I think a lot of us struggle with that. I know I do. But something Sister Newell said was profound to me. 'Who made us? Who gave us our talents? Our weaknesses? Our strengths? Who's are we?' We are children of A Heavenly Father, and not just 'A' Heavenly Father... but OUR Heavenly Father. My Heavenly Father... And so while I should always strive to become better, to progress... I shouldn't disregard and hate who I am now. I should be grateful for those things that my Heavenly Father gave me, I should learn to love myself, both for who I am and who I can become. It's something I think we all need to work on. Of course always striving to improve... but realizing that we are also of worth NOW, there are still things we can give NOW, we are NOW a child of our Heavenly Father... He loves us NOW. If we wait to love and appreciate ourselves until we're perfect... well, then we never will... at least not in this life.
But the training was super fun, and I enjoyed it, we got to see all of the Sisters that are in the North (the southern sisters had their training the next day in Göteborg) But it was super fun. I didn't know most of them, having spent most of my time on the mission in the south... that and still being relatively new... Although, I recently hit my six month on the mission mark... so I don't know how much longer I can call myself new... (I'll be a greenie till the day I leave I think... It feels that way anyways... Always so many new experiences...)
But we were either on the train or in the conference ALL that day. It's a long train ride...
And then Thursday... IT SNOWED!!! So much and it was so beautiful and I LOVED it! Loved it loved it loved it! We also had District Meeting, which was fun, I'm getting to know the Elders in our District better... They're all a bunch of fun... We're actually a District with the Elders up in Umeå as well as the Elders here in Övik. We're the only Sisters. But that's ok, it's a lot of fun either way. And we spent the time talking about our investigators, trying to see how we can better help them, sometimes it's nice to have a outsiders opinion, sometimes you just don't know how to help the people you are working with, all you know is that you want too! But it was super good! There are several people that we really want to help... sometimes the hardest part though is when they don't really want to be helped, or they want to be helped... they just don't want to help themselves... It's HARD. And frustrating... I imagine that's what it's like having teenage children. Sorry Mom and Dad!!! I didn't realize how much of a pain I was!
I've learned a lot about myself on the mission... and how much improvement I need to make...
Friday... Was interesting. SO I mentioned that it had snowed right? Well Friday was super warm, like I was outside without a coat warm! (There was a coat in the car in case it got cold, I wasn't completely idiotic...) And we were driving out to visit a less active... and we tried to drive up this hill, and the car sorta got stuck... it couldn't go any higher. So we tried to back down it... but we kept sliding and couldn't get control. So we said a prayer and I got out and backed Sister Pieksma up... and we made it down the hill... But a little later we were walking down the hill, and we were sliding like crazy. I slid like 10 feet at one point (it was kind of fun...) and it was super cool. But once we got down to the bottom I realized something... I had walked down that hill maybe ten minutes before (The less active hadn't been home...) BACKWARDS, and I'd barely slid... And now I was sliding like a pro. And this is a really silly story... But it was one of those small Tender Mercies of the Lord... That he helped me walk down a slippery hill, backwards, without slipping... Silly? Maybe, but Real? Definitely...
But that was a good day... It was beautiful and warm... and even though nothing went to plan it was good. I'm getting used to nothing going as planned.
But we did a lot of tracting this week... and I started laughing SO hard when Dallin mentioned that he didn't get into three homes one day... I've yet to make it into three homes my whole mission. All I can say is that Dallin and I are working with very different cultures... But No, I love Sweden. I'm glad I'm here.
We also went to go help Sirpa, she is a very strong woman. She's the Finnish Gypsy I mentioned. She has inflammation in her bone marrow in her back, two teenage daughters, and her husband died three years ago. She told us about how she got very depressed after that, and thought she couldn't continue living, it was right about then that the inflammation occurred... There is a lot that she's struggling with. But she keeps going... presses onward. I wish there was more I could do to help her. To help ease her pain and her burden. But all I can do is continue to do what I'm doing... and pray for inspiration and for her... She really is such a sweet wonderful person.
An interesting Tracting story... we were tracting... and we knocked on a door... It was an old woman... she wasn't dressed... It was so awkward I had No idea what to do and just sort of stood there looking at the ceiling... We left pretty quickly. Thing is... I knew that that wasn't COMPLETELY our of the ordinary here in Sweden... it's just the first time it's happened to me. Unfortunately I hear the closer to summer it gets the more often it happens. I think I might try and tract a little less during the summer months. But... yeah... interesting experiences one has as a missionary.
Oh, Salima, the niece of one of our investigators came to church on Sunday, her Uncle was out of town but he said that she might want to come, so we went and picked her up and walked with her to church. She's 13, but she is really interested and says she wants to read the Book of Mormon. She's a really smart girl, she's from Africa... Botswana. And only been here for 4 months... so I ended up translating all of Sacrament Meeting for her. That was a little hard at times... because I understand what people are saying now, but switching it into English while still listening to what they are saying so you can translate that into English is actually pretty hard. But it's good practice.
That night after we got home at 9, we had a zone phone call at 9.45... so we were talking and we decided to make popcorn... Well... we made popcorn alright... but we didn't have any butter and so we decided to be a little creative, we split the popcorn in half and in one we put melted nutella and in the other we put jello mix and a little bit of saft (which is something you use to make flavored water...) It was actually really good, if not a little weird. We felt pretty proud of our creations. We also watched the prodigal son together.
This week during church watch Sister Pieksma and I decided to watch a General Conference Talk... We went through and we watch 'Lord, I believe' by Jeffrey R. Holland... And it was so so so good. And it was a good reminder. Sometimes I don't know. Plain and simple. I DON'T know. And sometimes that's hard. I want to know. I want to be able to tell people that I KNOW this, to tell myself that I know something... But I don't. And sometimes that makes me feel weak... But... I can say that I believe. I can say that. I BELIEVE. And so I'll act... I Believe.... and so I'll keep striving... I believe... and maybe that's all I can do right now... but I do... I do believe.
And so sometimes we need to remember, we're not going to know everything, that comes with time and effort... and with the Lord's help... but we can believe. You should all read or watch that talk sometime. It's good... But so are so many other things.
I'm sorry... I really don't have much to say this week... It's been a great week, don't get me wrong... but nothing happened for me to talk about.
It's been a really weird week that way. But... I love you all so so so much! And you are all amazing!
And enjoy your last week of February! The shortest month of the year! (It has literally both flown by and crawled like a snail...) (Time is SO bizarre that way...)
But know that I love you all, and that I hope you are all happy!
Dad I hope that you're leg is ok! And you aren't pushing yourself too hard!
Mom I hope you find some land that you like and that everything will go well! And I'm excited that you got to help the little Orozco boy learn how to pray... It's truly a blessing to be able to pray to our Heavenly Father. I'm glad that you and the whole family care so much about the people that you home and visit teach and just those whose paths you cross. YOU guys are such wonderful examples to me of how to be a Missionary.
Keana, I hope that you feel better and that everything can get figured out. I love you so much...
Taft, Keep having fun and being awesome and turning in your assignments on time! You'll do awesome! I love you Taft!
Anyways, I just love you all and hope that you have a wonderful week of happiness and joy and that only good things will come your way... and if troubles come your way... well,
'I've heard there are troubles of more than one kind, they come from ahead and they come from behind, but I've got a big bat, I'm all ready you see, now my troubles are going to have troubles with me...' (Dr. Seuss) Go buy a bat!
I do have some questions though.
1. I mentioned that Övik was a small branch, so the missionaries have been trying to hold some activities every month to help them be more unified and feel as though they have support. What are some good branch activities that we can hold as missionaries, that aren't super stressful but that are really fun? Any ideas?
2. You want to help someone... and they tell you that they want help... But they aren't being completely truthful with you... and so you don't know how to help? Any ideas as to what one should do? (Ex. I need help to stop smoking!!! Nope, I haven't smoked in a week! A reliable source saw them smoking the day before...)
Anyways, I love you!!!
Love,
Kjanela
Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases from being shared.
That which I have I can easily give you, but that which I am you must obtain for yourself.
God does not begin by asking about our ability, only our availability, then if we prove our dependability he will increase our capability. -Neal A. Maxwell