on to new adventures

The transition from the mission to home life is an interesting one.

i miss the mission

&

i miss sweden

…And I think its okay for me to admit that. I know that there will not be a day that goes by without me thinking about it… But I also know that for the past 18 months, I have been missing my family and friends and home…

So there is a lesson that I obviously need to keep learning over and over and over again: TO LIVE IN THE PRESENT.

I think that the best thing I have learned from returning home is to not FORCE myself into living in the world or to being different. The transition should be natural. And as I have let it be more of a natural process, it has helped me to enjoy and appreciate each day.

There were many reminders this week of how wonderful it is to be home, (till exempel…)

doing errands with my mama.

driving around with my dad and having amazing conversations about life- the ones that we used to have through letters but can now have in person.

visiting my grandpa at the hospital and singing hymns to him in Swedish with dad.

watching my moms dad- papa, play softball at age 78 and win.

being able to run at whatever time and for however long I want.

watching my aunt martha coach volleyball.

trying on bridesmaids dresses for two of my best friends.

going to the salt lake temple with mom.

helping out my aunt tausha with her kiddos.

moms dinners.

staring at the beautiful mountains all day long. 

road tripping it down to st. george, singing my favorite songs with the family.

first bike ride with dad.

watching conference in my pajamas.

and last but not least, being able to drive to the airport to see my darling brother who I hadn't seen for 18 months and won't see for two more years… after I talked with Henry on the phone the day before, his companion said to him, "she is your best friend, huh?" and henry replied "yes, yes she is." he told me he got teary eyed- I don't believe him. but I am so grateful for our friendship. I LOVE THIS BOY.

SO it turns out that life at home is good.

Elder Holland once said "don't you dare come home from your mission and be who you were before… that is not you anymore." I am trying to do this and its hard. But I don't want to be who I was before... and that doesn't mean that I can't be ME. I am still Adelide… I still love handstands and peanut butter and sandals and mountains. But I am not the same person because I HAVE A TESTIMONY of the gospel and I have a desire to continue to be more like my Savior everyday. That is something that I did not have before. 

And I needed 18 months to figure it out.

...

lastly,

I LOVED CONFERENCE WEEKEND. 

I am so grateful for the inspired speakers that know just what we need to hear. 

& that encourage us to stand a little taller. 

I have only been home for a little over a week and already- it is so easy to fall out of the habits that I have made. But I know that if we just try little by little- we will do the things we need to do to become closer to God. 

I loved Elder Klebingat's talk- it was cool to hear from him because I went to elementary with his daughter when they first moved to Utah. His talk focused on us being in charge of our own spiritual well-being. We can't depend on others to give us a testimony and we can't blame others for our individual weaknesses. I love how he said "acknowledge your weaknesses but don't let them immobilize you."

I love that we are agents of our own lives. And I am also grateful that our weaknesses CAN be strengthened through Jesus Christ. But we need allow HIM to help us overcome. 

This week I was not a perfect scripture reader or conference watcher. I get distracted ALOT... but I am trying. And I felt like what I put forth was ENOUGH… I am grateful that all God asks of us is to do our best and we will always be enough to Him. 

~lide.

coming home- homecoming talk.

Hello Brothers and Sisters- it feels so good to be with you today. I think this is culture shock number one for me- to see so many members gathered together. We are so blessed and I feel the spirit so strongly. For the past 18 months I have been walking the streets of Sweden, speaking the beautiful Swedish language. I love the Swedes and their unique culture and traditions. They are very simple and quiet people- They are down to Earth and I loved their slow pace of life because it taught me to be more appreciative. But one of my favorite parts about serving in Sweden was that I got to know about 40 different countries and cultures. I was very humbled from the stories of these different people and from the unique lives that they lived.

As I prepared to come home, I thought back on the past 18 months and about the changes I have gone through and also the changes that will be taking place in my life now. It was an adjustment to leave home and wander in a strange land with a new language and culture for 18 months. But for some reason it has been harder- and almost always is harder for return missionaries to adapt being home. I keep putting my hand over my heart to feel where my tag used to be- only to find that it isn't there. And I think it hit me pretty hard when we passed two Sisters out walking in the rain yesterday. While I've been gone, my sister has gotten married, my family has moved to a new home and home ward. My baby sister, Lillie, is now on her second year of high school- so old, and my brother and best friend, Henry, has left for his own mission to Taiwan (or Idaho for now). It is easy to say that I am feeling a little bit out of place.

When I came home just a couple of days ago, I was welcomed home from my journey in Sweden by my loving friends and family... and by a big sign that said WELCOME HOME, made by my wonderful mother which reminded me of a letter my mom wrote to me about how the words "welcome home or welcome back", are the central messages of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I had the opportunity of teaching a Swede named Gabriella just three weeks ago. She is dating a member of the church and had tried learning about the church once before but only wanted to meet with the missionaries to get information- she said that it was hard to accept because it went against everything her parents had taught her. But after many months, she decided she would give it another try, so she prayed to a God that she didn't believe in for a week and then messaged us and said she would like to meet. 

My companion and I loved this girl from the first time we met her- and we could already see that her eyes and her heart had been opened. She would meet with us whenever she could, she would keep all of the commitments we gave her, she would take notes during our lessons... she wanted an answer- she wanted to know if there was a God and if there was a deeper meaning to her life.

Like most Swedes, Gabriella had a good life. Everything was going good for her- she was a good girl and she grew up in a good family but also a family that taught her that she was independent and she could do everything on her own- that there was no need for religion because the government takes care of them. But as we taught her, and as she read and prayed and searched with real intent- she discovered that everything we believe in is good and that she felt good and happy when she allowed the spirit to testify truths that she once knew, and had forgotten for a time. I believe that she felt like she was "coming home" even though she didn't know she had been lost. 

There is a profound metaphor found in the scriptures about the idea of "coming home" that is particularly illustrated in Luke 15 where we read of three parables. These parables or stories are given by Jesus to the Pharisees and scribes who murmur because He "eats with the sinners". The first story is about a lost sheep, the second; a lost coin, and the third; a lost son. The third parable- The Prodigal Son, is a story of a boy who leaves home and takes his portion of his fathers money and goes into the world. He spends all of his money and has no where to go. So, he comes up with a confession that he thinks will help him obtain mercy from his father. His confession is this: He will return back home and work for his father so that he can earn back the money on his own. In verse 18-19, he says, "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: Make me as one of thy hired servants." And in Verse 20, "...he arose, and came to his Father..."

In Sweden we taught many Muslims and other non-Christians who believed that this story proves that we can make it home(back to God) without a Savior because the prodigal son "came to himself and came to his father"- on his own he returned home. In the words of a New Testament scholar, Kenneth E. Bailey, those people believe "that [we] are not prevented by original sin or depraved wills and can by [our] own effort, without divine grace, take steps towards salvation." But is this really what happened? 

In the rest of Luke 15: 20 it says, "And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." This verse shows us that the Father had been waiting. Anxiously waiting for his son to come home. He saw him at the end of the road and he did not wait for the son to get there, he got up and ran and hugged his son and welcomed him home. And as the father runs to his son and embraces him, the sons confession has a new meaning. In verse 21, it says, "and the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." His sentence changed. He confesses to sinning and not being worthy but he changes his mind about needing to earn back the money on his own, and in a moment of genuine repentance, he accepts to be found. The miracle of this story is not that the Prodigal returns home but that the father welcomes him in and then celebrates him being found. The father does not say in verse 24 that the son "was lost and has come home" but rather he says "he was lost and is found." 

The three parables in Luke 15, are all about our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the Sheppard who searches for the lost sheep, the woman who gets on her hands and knees to search for the lost coin, and the Father who embraces his lost son. He doesn't just eat with the sinners- he searches for them, he runs down the road, showers them with kisses and pulls them in. Shouldn't we as members of the church do the same? On a cold spring day in May, my companion and I sat at a table with a woman named Frida who looked at us with teary eyes and said "I've done everything bad that you could possibly do... What would your church think of me?" 

As my dad said in his letter to me a couple of weeks ago, "Isn't it our job as Latter Day Saints to put welcome home signs up for all of our prodigal brothers and sisters? But to put those signs up not to communicate that they were lost and are now found, but to put them up all the time, to always have the vacancy sign flashing for the passer by, to always be ready to welcome the stranger, the weary traveler, and the lost soul. That we make sure that they know they are always welcome home." Our answer to Frida and to everyone should be these words spoken by President Uchtdorf, "Regardless of your circumstances, your personal history, or the strength of your testimony, there is room for you in this church."

In 3 Nephi 9:14, it reads, "Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me." In the words of our beloved Prophet, President Monson, "Our Heavenly Father rejoices for those who keep His commandments. He is concerned also for the lost child, the tardy teenager, the wayward youth, the delinquent parent. Tenderly the master speaks to these and indeed to all: come back. come up. come in. come home. come unto me." 

Brothers and Sisters, coming home is not a small endeavor. It is a big deal and it's something we have to do over and over and over again... and we cannot do it alone. We cannot make it home without the love and grace of the Savior. He is begging for us to come to him. I am grateful for the people that I taught and grew to love on my mission who helped me to see that I was in just as much need of repentance as they were. It helped me understand that we are all wanderers. We are all imperfect. We would all return home, unwelcome, if it were not for our Savior- because "no unclean thing can dwell with God (1 Ne 10:21)." I love the words in Alma 34:9, "For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which is expedient should be made." 

Return missionaries are typically known for "getting lost" after returning home, because they come from a structured setting of edifying others and they have to now concentrate on their own affairs and not lose grip of what they have gained on a life of altruism and service and sharing and developing spiritual roots. As I flew home, I thought of how I will keep from getting lost. I read notes in my journal that I had taken from my Mission Presidents wife, Sister Newell, who taught me how important it is to do the simple things. She said "These are the things that will get us home: reading from the Book of Mormon everyday- even if it's just one verse, praying, attending the temple regularly, having a gospel conversation everyday, and serving others." 

I have a testimony that these simple things are the things that will bring us home. These are the things that remind us to put God first and remind us of our baptismal and temple covenants- to "...stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that we may be in (Mosiah 18:9)." We come home as we turn our hearts to our Father by turning our hearts to our brothers and sisters. I have a testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ. I am so grateful that as a sinner myself, He allows me to have another chance and allows me to return home. I love the words He speaks in the old testament, "return unto me and I will return unto you. Turn to me and I will turn to you. Take one step towards me and I will take two steps towards you." 

I love the scriptures. I love the stories that are told. I believe that the Book of Mormon is true and I believe with all of my heart that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God and that this is the restored Gospel on the earth today. I am grateful for Gods plan. I am grateful for missionary work and I am so grateful for my mission. I am grateful for all of you. For your examples and support and love. And I am grateful to be home. 

In the Sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

home

So... the day came and now I am home. Its 4 am in Utah and I am exhausted, but I can’t stop thinking about what I would be doing at 12 pm in Sweden right now. I am happy to be home of course but it already feels as though it was all a dream which kind of scares me.

My last week as a missionary is one that I will never forget. We had a good last couple of days- tracting, contacting, packing, laughing, crying... sitting on my last bus and train rides, looking out of the windows at the beautiful city that I love... saying goodbyes, attending the Stockholm Temple, bearing testimonies, having my last interview with President Beckstrand, and waking up at 4:30 am to get to the airport. I felt content but also unsure and a bit nervous... 

The morning at the airport was stressful because our flight got changed last minute- But everything worked out and on our first 9 hour flight from Sweden to Chicago, I think we were all a little “slap happy” and I didn’t really have any emotions/couldn’t comprehend what was happening. We landed in America and one of the Sister Missionaries without thinking said “hej hej” to a flight attendant who answered back “hello” in the most American accent I have heard for a while and we all looked at each other in shock and a bit teary eyed realizing that we were not in Sweden any more... The airport was so loud and everyone seemed so rushed and that is when the emotions hit me... that this is all really over- that there were no more lessons to be taught in Swedish and that my missionary tag would soon be coming off. 

We boarded the plane to fly from Chicago to Arizona and I sat next to a man to the left of me and my MTC companion, Syster Hauglid on the right- It was fun to be with her on the flight home. I noticed the man sitting next to me, put a thing of mints called “Läkrol” on his table, which is a Swedish brand. I immediately knew that he was from Sweden so I began talking to him- he just so happened to be a professor from the Uppsala University and was attending a conference in Arizona. I knew at that moment that it was no coincidence that our flight plans had changed that day. I told him that I just lived in Uppsala and was given the most amazing opportunity to teach one last lesson in Swedish to a Swede. He took a Book of Mormon and we ended up talking about it for the next 3 hours. I opened up my scriptures to read for the next thirty minutes we had left and read this scripture in 3 Nephi 5:13- “I AM A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST, the son of God. I have been called of him to declare this word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.” 

It was a peaceful confirmation that my mission is not over. I will always be a disciple of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for a thoughtful and loving Heavenly Father who knew that I needed this experience. To be able to teach one more lesson as a missionary to a Swede who lives in the same city that I lived in. 

I am filled with so much gratitude. 

I love missionary work.

I love the gospel.

I loved my mission and I know that it will forever be a part of me and that I will continue to think of my experiences and feel the blessings from it everyday for the rest of my life. 

I am so grateful that I was welcomed home by my wonderful friends and family. 

It feels good to be here. It is going to be hard- I can already feel that but I know that it will be awesome. 

My cute mom and dad went to some serious work on my new room and I love it. I think that is what actually woke me up this morning- I just started bawling because I am so grateful for them and all that they have done for me over the past 18 months. And I don’t think that they are wanting me to be moving out any time soon :). It feels at home in this new house that I have never been to. It was so fun to sit with my little Lillie and sissy Hannah and just hold them. I love them so much. And it was so fun to sit in my room and talk face to face with my parents for hours. They are incredible people. 

Life is wonderful and filled with so many happy endings and beginnings- I know that this is where I am supposed to be. 

- l i d e. 

looks like i'm being transferred home

Our amazing investigator Gabriella

Wow. What a wonderful week to end on. We have been so busy- trying to get everything done and ready for transfers. We had a group of about 12 students come to church yesterday which was soooo cool! I gave my last testimony and said a lot of goodbyes- which are always hard. I have met the best and sweetest people who have influenced and blessed my life and I am going to miss them. 

I tried my hardest everyday this week to just ENJOY every single moment- the good and the bad. I have had so many thoughts and emotions running though me as I tried giving my last week my all and also as I have been preparing to come home. I have been overcome with the spirit again and again this week that I have done all that I needed to do... and I am so grateful for that. I was not a perfect missionary- in fact I know that I did a lot of things wrong but I was learning along the way and I was trying my best... and I do not have one regret. 

Awet

It is interesting that even though there are not very many things that are "comfortable" on the mission, I feel comfortable and look forward everyday to being here. Everyday I have to stretch outside of my comfort zone... it has never gotten easier for me- and yet I know that I am going to miss it with all of my heart.

SO...

Thank you for allowing me to be here.

Thank you for your letters- I couldn't have made it through some days without your inspired words and love and prayers. I will miss this time that we get each Monday to write home and to read letters from home. It has been spiritually uplifting and very fun for me.

emelie

There were beautiful moments this week that caused me to pause, smile, and offer a prayer of gratitude for the opportunity that I have had to be a missionary in Sweden... Here are a few of those things... Having an hour every morning to study the scriptures. Singing Swedish hymns with my companion. Taking buses and trains. Going up to strangers on the street to invite them to learn about the gospel. 

Taking a plane to the top of Sweden and looking out the window at the beautiful world that God has created- and having a confirmation that God is real and that he loves us. 

Luleå- splits with sis eborn

Going on splits with the AMAZING sisters on this mission. Teaching the Restoration. Bearing testimony countless times during the day. Laughing with Sister Anderson about everything. 

Gabriella at church

Eating food that I would NEVER eat at home. Looking for ways to serve others all day everyday. Speaking Swedish. Running in the fog before the rest of the world has woken up. Being surrounded by inspiring members of the church. Listening to people tell us about their adventures and their struggles. and last but not least, admiring the forests, lakes and huge skies. SWEDEN IS BEAUTIFUL and my mission has been INCREDIBLE. I have been so so blessed. 

We were invited over for dinner or lunch almost twice a day everyday this week. Everyone has been so sweet to me and I am so happy that I got to know this ward so well in the past 10 weeks. I love them and can't wait to visit next summer. 

dinner at my favorite family!!

I read an awesome talk this week while preparing to come home. It is called "Get On with Our Lives." :) In the talk, Elder Steven E. Snow says,  
"Most of us do not seek or even welcome dramatic changes. But change is an essential part of life's experiences. Many of these changes come as we naturally make our way though our earthly journey. Our lives change as we progress from childhood through youth and on into adulthood and finally old age. Schooling, missions, marriage, employment, and retirement are all examples of milestones of change." 

We were at the Swedish Church with a less active and these people asked me if they could film me with the King's crown on top of my head hahahaha. It was hilarious.

Although I know that coming home is not going to be easy- I am so excited to get on with my life. I am excited to hold you all in my arms and to continue to learn about the gospel and do the things that I have learned how to do on my mission. I look forward to learning and working and fulfilling the rest of my goals and plans and dreams. 

baby milla

Elder Snow also says that our answers to how we should deal with any type of change is by listening to the prophets, keeping an eternal perspective, having faith, and being of good cheer. I have a testimony that we can accomplish any change in our lives if we do those things. Those are the things that helped me adapt to being a missionary and they are the things that will help me when I'm home. 

my favorite girlies

painting our favorite family's fence

I love you all. I WISH LILLIE THE HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY OF ALL!! I canNOT believe she is 17. She was 15 when I left!! So crazy. I look forward to squeezing her guts out in a few short days. :)
We are going to the temple with everyone who is going home on Wednesday, sleeping at the mission home and then heading out on Thursday morning. C U SOON.

Puss puss och MÅNGA KRAMAR-

love, Sister Christensen ~for the last time.

hahaha mohammad's texts

Mohammad made dinner for us on the beach!

Elder Bednar spoke to our mission!

embrace who you are!

sunflower field

Käre familj och vänner! 

HI. 

This week, I received the nicest letter and package from cute Shauna Benee, and letters from Steve Christensen, Papa and mom!! THANK YOU!! I can't believe I am still getting spoiled! I am so so so grateful. THANK YOU FOR THE CUTEST RING MOM! I love it. And Happy Birthday to TRUMAN!! I love you little buddy!

sister bass and allred

This week was so busy and so fun. We had splits with the Täby Sisters- Sister Bass who is training Sister Allred who just arrived last week. It was fun to be with someone who is just starting their journey here. She is a hard worker and is working really hard on Swedish. It is always fun to be around greenies because they have such a strong desire to work and they are so humble and just want to learn. Sister Allred was telling me about weird things that people are saying at home now- like phrases from songs or something and I was so confused. hahaha I am going to be so out of the loop. She said that people make a clicking noise with their mouth and then say "or na"??? I don't get it. hahaha. Do you know what I am talking about?

bednar conference

We had an awesome Mission Leadership Conference this week as well. It was my last one- which is weird. President Beckstrand asked for those going home to please stand up. It was me, Sister Richins, Taylor, Morris, and Klingler. It was a tender moment for all of us. They are going to be losing 17 Sisters when my group goes home next week! I am guessing that a lot of Sister areas will be closing down. Our conference was on the importance of faith. We focused on these scriptures: Mark 11:22-23 

"And Jesus answering saith unto them, HAVE FAITH IN GOD. For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith." 

our generation pic (I trained hosie and hosie is training Sandberg) :)

We talked about mountains being symbolic of traditions and beliefs. We went through and listed what the different mountains are in the Stockholm Sweden Mission- And I wrote down that the biggest mountain for me is actually feeling like I do have faith and that I have tried to be positive but still haven't seen a lot of success... So the mountain has been that I have needed to CONTINUE to have faith and CONTINUE to be positive even when (or maybe especially when) times are the hardest. But I have also found on my mission that we determine or own success. And I am grateful for that- because I truly feel like I have been given more success than I deserve. 

Sister Beckstrand gave an awesome presentation about our individual gifts and strengths. She asked us to write them down and then she talked about the reason we are given specific strengths- and that is so we can give to the Lords storehouse (D&C 82:18-19). So that we can help those around us. We watched an awesome video of a farmer who has no arms or legs and he said that his parents raised him like they would have raised a child who HAD arms and legs. They taught him that he had the potential to do anything- he had no limitations. He said that it is not EASY to be a farmer- in fact he has to put in 400% instead of 100%... but he can do it. I love that. 

We were ALSO treated to an amazing conference with Elder Bednar. I learned so much from him and felt the spirit so strongly as I sat on the first row right in front of him-- I could just feel and see that he is just a normal person with strengths and weaknesses but that he is an apostle of the Lord. I think what I got the most out of his presentation is how the spirit speaks to me personally. He didn't stand up and give a talk- he asked us to stand up and ask him questions that we have, and as we did that, I felt the spirit answering my individual questions that I had in my heart as I listened to his words and the words of the missionaries around me. One impression that came to me was that I love the Holy Ghost. And that I want it to always be with me so that others can learn- not from me but from the spirit THROUGH me. And the spirit comes through personal testimony and through our worthiness.

our investigator moses

We taught the girl (TWICE) that I wrote about last week, Gabriella... and she is AMAZING. I will tell you about her more in a week! We are so so blessed. Mohamad is the biggest sweetheart and he just wants to share the gospel with all of his family and friends. He had his sister invite us over to her house for dinner this week so that we could teach her family and he bore the sweetest testimony. And then he turned to me and said "I used to love to drink alcohol and do all things bad but the Holy Ghost help me so much and I don't want do those things anymore and I am so happy." :) 

our sunday school class :)

I loved this quote that Shauna sent to me: "Authenticity is a daily practice. Choosing authenticity means: cultivating the COURAGE to be emotionally honest, to set boundaries, and to allow ourselves to be vulnerable; exercising the COMPASSION that comes from knowing that we are all made of strength and struggle and connected to each other through a loving and resilient human spirit; nurturing the CONNECTION and sense of belonging that can only happen when we let go of what we are supposed to be and embrace WHO WE ARE. 

Authenticity demands WHOLEHEARTED living and loving- even when it's hard, even when we're wrestling with the shame and fear of not being good enough, and especially when the joy is so intense that we're afraid to let ourselves feel it. Mindfully practicing authenticity during our most soul-searching struggles is how we invite GRACE, JOY, and GRATITUDE into our lives."- Brené Brown. 

doris and olle took us to lunch this week and watched us get on the bus hahaha they are like our parents. :)

I especially love how it says that we feel that sense of belonging when we let go of what we are supposed to be and embrace who we are. This is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us. This is what our Heavenly Father and Savior are trying to teach us over and over again everyday. I have really come to love myself on my mission for who I truly am as I allowed the gospel to come into my life and as I pushed away all that the world wants me to be. Yesterday in our Sunday school lesson, we wrote a list of values that we have in the church and we talked about how Satan and the world is asking the exact opposite of those values. It is hard, but as we live the values of the gospel, we will learn that we are meant to have different strengths to add to the Lords storehouse, we are meant to be unique and authentic. We are meant to feel like we belong when we are doing things that are right- not when we are doing the things of the world. 

SO... Embrace who you are. Invite grace, joy and gratitude into your lives as you practice being authentic. Because as we embrace who we really are, we will embrace being members of this amazing church- because the gospel and its values are what shape us into being who we are. WE ARE UNIQUE and WE ARE AWESOME!

we walk through forests to get to our lessons :)

I will be writing home for the last time next week. I am excited to work hard for one more week! We are doing our last sister exchanges in Luleå tomorrow and Wednesday and we have a full week planned with members and investigators so I can say my goodbyes. It will be awesome! 

I LOVE YOU ALL-- have a happy and good week. Thank you for the letters and love and prayers and kindness and goodness. Tell cute Truman Happy Birthday for me! I love that boy!!

-Adelide

OH YA: And a member from Gubbängen called me this week and said that he ran into a less active and they started talking and she is also related to Peter Forsgren! He knew I was serving here and called me and gave me her number to call her- he said that she was excited to talk to me. So that was pretty cool! 

AND I found Ulla Birgitta- the lady that dad taught for 6 months and she got baptized but has been less active for some years now. I found her address and called the Elders in Hägersten and they went by her and she said that she loves dad and our family and was excited to meet with them! I told them to tell her that we would love to meet up with her next summer when we come :)

ANNND I am happy that Henry is out in the field! Even if it is in Idaho! I am totally road tripping it up there to see him hahahaha just kidding but really.