36 Countries

I know you just heard from me four days ago but here I am again, to tell you about my journey here in Sweden.

Highlights of the past couple of days:
- We went to a beautiful art museum last Thursday on our P day
- Morgan quit smoking! He is so awesome. He just accepts everything that we teach and is changing his life.
- Your Christmas package found its way to me!! I was shocked and sooo happy!  But it was not one of the ones that got shipped to Germany so I am guessing that it was the Christmas tree one and another one that are in Germany. I don't know what the other one would have been... BUT I AM SO HAPPY THAT IT CAME!!! Thank you thank you thank you. I loved the gluten free treats, scarves, tights, candy, etc. You are so thoughtful. I especially loved the letters and the little leather journal. You know me so well.

I was also so excited to get the postcard of the painting of Jesus with the angel. Both mom, dad, and Camille wrote me about that painting that came from Denmark to BYU's art exhibit. It is such a beautiful painting and the way that all three of you described its' magnificence made it even more beautiful, because it was so personal to each of you. I love that short scripture in Luke 22:

 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

That is a verse that I had not noticed before but it is so powerful because even Christ needed an angel to comfort him in his time of despair.

I love your ideas (mom&dad) of positive thinking and writing down your positive thoughts of what you want to happen in your lives. I too have started doing this and it has helped me to be happier and have more hope in the work and in my life. I wrote down a list of things that WILL happen this month and as I go through this list each morning as I and tell Heavenly Father my thoughts, I realize that positive thinking is setting goals with faith. And from the words of Roald Dahl "If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely."

baby Matilda

Yesterday when I bore my testimony in relief society, I got a little choked up when I was talking about WHY I get up every morning at 6:30 to do the same work everyday. And WHY I not only wake up, but I jump out of bed with a smile on my face as I get on my knees in gratitude for the chance to share the gospel again. Everyday is a good day. I am so blessed to have this time in my life to just focus on serving. I love my mom's little reminders that I will never have this time again, because it. is. true. I will never have this time again to focus all of my thoughts, actions, and energy to serving and loving. Which scares me but also helps me to appreciate every single day.

A heated chair in the middle of Halmstad. #soartsy

I have been writing down all of the countries where people I have taught come from and this is my list from the past nine months.
- Sweden
- Albania
- Greece
- Ghana
- Syria
- Turkey
- Iraq
- Iran
- America
- Spain
- Chile
- Columbia
- France
- Nigeria
- The Congo
- Ecuador
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Morocco
- Uganda
- Barbados
- Philippines
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Bulgaria
- Serbia
- Germany
- Russia
- Finland
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Brazil
- China
- India

How cool is that? I have learned so much about the world and about other cultures as I have been here and as I look at each of these places, I can think of specific people that have come from each of these amazing countries with such different backgrounds, and I have had the opportunity to share our message with them. I am so lucky.

elder zaugg . . . my district leader again

Have a wonderful week! Happy 24 years of marriage to my beautiful parents.

Love me

I know I look really scared in the jumping picture its because a car was coming right at me hahahaha