Vill du bli döpt?

 Hej everybody!

Sorry I didn't get the chance to email last week, but on the bright side, SO MUCH has happened since you last heard from me that this email is about to be loaded. 

First things first, MY SWEDISH DISTRICT CAME LAST WEDNESDAY! I had been doing classes with them online:

--And it was super fun, but being with them in person is FAR better...

(Shout out to Äldste Vander Linden, who brought us all sun tanning glasses so that our mission photos, going forward, can be that much more epic). 

We started learning Swedish, too, which has definitely been a challenge. BUT, we are very determined to get it down, and we have already done not one, but TWO english fasts (we went without speaking english for 8 hours). We did our first one on Saturday, which went horribly--but then did another one yesterday, and we could already see SO MUCH improvement in our Swedish. It's hard to believe that one day, maybe, hopefully, possibly, I will be completely fluent. 

For now though, there are a few key Swedish words that our whole district repeats RELENTLESSLY. One of them is "bra jobbat," (brah yobe-att) which means "good job." It's pretty fun to say in our opinion, haha. 

In other news, my old district (affectionately referred to as The Germans) left on Monday! I can't believe they're out there in the real world, actually DOING the Lord's work now. I miss Sister Dorius and Sister Sorenson, but they are going to do amazing things. 

On Sunday night when I was saying goodbye to them, I accidentally got locked out of my dorm room, where my new companions (Syster Cook and Syster Bryson) were sound asleep already. I knocked on the door a bunch, but they were sleeping like ROCKS, and did not wake up. As a result, Sister Sorenson, Dorius, and I ended up making an impromptu trip to the main building to get me another room key. Funnily enough, it was the perfect goodbye. A very fitting ending to my companionship with them, haha. 

Here's one last mirror selfie of us, taken on our way to the main building:

(Yes, I had to walk there shoeless. It was a dire situation).

In other news--in addition to my two Swedish companions, Syster Bryson and Syster Cook, we got ANOTHER companion on Sunday! Her name is Sister Ng Wun, and she's from Australia, so she's doing her online training at the Provo MTC like I did. She's going to the Adriatic South mission, Albanian speaking, and she's super nice. Plus, we're making history. This is likely one of the first times that there has ever been four people in one companionship. It's a good time. 

Here's a picture of our epic companionship quad at the temple this morning:

All in all, I'm having a great time at the MTC, and I'm excited to really dig in and learn Swedish for these next couple weeks. My love for the scriptures has grown exponentially since I've been here, and lately I've been thinking a lot about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. In Enos, it says: 

4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens. 5 And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. 6 And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away. 7 And I said: Lord, how is it done? 8 And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.

When we have faith in Christ, and pray to Heavenly Father with full purpose of heart--our guilt can truly be swept away. I've seen it in my own life, and I'm so excited to help people experience the joy and relief that comes through repentance. 

Syster Naatjes