A Week of Miracles

From: Jennifer Juker <jennifer.juker@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Nov 7, 2011 at 4:19 AM
Subject: A Week of Miracles


Family and Friends! How goes it?

Miracles happen, even if we don't recognize it. This week has been a week of miracles! How was your week? I know that these seem like rhetorical questions but I promise they aren't. I really would like to hear whats going on with you all. Your struggles your successes. I still love you guys and want to help in anyway that is possible. So respond every once in a while! =)

Last Monday, we went on a picture adventure for pday. I did a photo shoot! Just like I used to do at home! It was a lot of fun. I got to use my talents as well as have a lot of fun with Mette, Maria, and Talitha! It was a lot of fun. Ill send a few of these pictures attached here. After Pday we had a good chat with a new member and learned more about his conversion. After FHE I was able to talk with a girl who comes to practically every activity here but doesn't meet with the missionaries at all. We talked for 2 hours! It was so cool! We cried, hugged, and she opened up a lot to me about her situation. We switched back and forth between Swedish and English. She is a great woman of faith and has lots of experience of following the holy ghost.

Tuesday we had a great member teach with one of our investigators who wants to be baptized! He has a hard time sometimes understanding our accents in Swedish so our member was able to explain more what we were teaching. Right now we have an investigator who cant read, and speaks Portuguese and is learning Swedish! Its crazy difficult to teach but with the Spirit and the help of a translator we are able to help him understand more of Christs doctrine. We had a great member dinner! I love going to families with kids for dinner. Lots of families don't have kids and invite us over but the kids always make it more fun. We talked about prayer and the importance of it. We gave a commitment to say personal prayer as well as their family prayer together. Their son reported back on Sunday that he had prayed by himself every night as well as with the family. It was cool to be a part of just a little testimony builder for a young man. 

Wednesday was crazy busy. We set up a schedule to teach regularly our baptismal date! We made a choice to be more obedient and the Lord provided lots of ways! We woke up with one plan for the day, because of weekly planning and by companionship study we had a whole completely different one! Busy Busy Busy! We had Syster Vistaunet and Syster Kaiser here from Stockholm for an hour so we went on splits for a teach. It was so awesome to see Syster Vistaunet again, I miss her a lot! Then since everyone else had been with Syster Kaiser besides me I decided to take the dive. We did some study after walking around for a while. It was a pretty interesting. Not so much the normal routine of going and going! We got to meet with our chinese investigator from about a month ago. He got busy and we couldn't meet, but because of our obedience we were able to meet with him again. He never had a belief in God and since meeting with us he has developed just that! He is awesome. We then had a meeting with a new investigator who is having a difficulty comprehending that God is her Father in Heaven not just her creator. Anybody have any suggestions? We then had a good dinner with the Holdaways. They are an amazing family! We joked with Sisla on how she is "in sweden but not of sweden" like in the world but not of the world because she is practically American =)

Thursday, I had a flash back to home stuff! It was awesome! We had a great district meeting on our goal about 90 baptisms before Christmas. Made lots of good goals to help us on the way! But the flash back from home came as we all (Äldste Smith, DeLeuw, Sprague Jenson and I) Were on our way to our service project. There is a family here, who while his wife was away he decided to redo the house. She was on the way home from Stockholm. I was super surprised what he did! We walked in and there was a hole in the ceiling, wood shavings everywhere, nails and wood everywhere. Just like when building our house in Utah! It was super awesome! We worked hard for a couple hours and got lots done, but not all of it! We took out the floor, took nails out of the ceiling, fixed the hole, and then we offered to come back when they are ready for drywall. I sure hope we are able to! Its crazy how many different things I have learned to do from my parents. Not many other missionaries and  members know how to do so many things. 

Friday we did a crazy schedule that didnt make sense but we did it! Had a great teach and a good chill with the YSAs!

Saturday We got to meet with an awesome 18 year old. She is awesome and we really enjoyed talking with her! We had lunch at the center before Swedish class. With Swedish class we had four new people come who could already speak Swedish but just wanted a place that they could just speak Swedish in a safe environment. After our class we did some language study as we waited for our Elders to get out of a teach. We then planned with more detail our plan for our mission fireside. Since that day was a holiday we all went to the kyrkagård to sing. (graveyard) It was super cool to stand singing as people walked to different graves to light candles. The spirit was so strong. I got a bit teary eyed a few times as I thought of different things. It was awesome to know that we will see our loved ones again! We made it late home but it was well worth it. 

Sunday we had studies, church and had an awesome fireside with the YSAs. We talked of the two kinds of conversion (as mentioned in last email from Diana) The social and spiritual conversion. How much more willing we are willing to invite people to an activity instead of teaching them about the law of chastity. Its really awesome! That talk is great The Missionary Nextdoor. Way worth finding and listening too. =) They all felt like missionary work is something that they can do and that they had a misconception of what missionary work is. It was awesome!

So this week has been a testimony to me of the importance of doing what the Lord requires of us so that we can have success. When we do what He has asked us to do we have bound Him to bless us. Isn't that a pretty cool situation. He wants to bless us so he has given us commandments so that we can use our agency and follow His way and receive His blessings. When we don't do what he wants us to do we have no promise! So how can you do this in your own life? My challenge this week, is to make a decision to follow Him more closely to receive His blessings! I know that we can all work on these things. In PMG there is a section on Christlike Attributes, pick one and work on it. I know that even if you don't think you do have something to work on PMG has an activity at the end of the chapter that will help you narrow it down. Heavenly Father loves us enough to give us ways to improve take those moments and show Him that you are serious! 

I love you all and are so thankful for all the love and support you all have given me!

Love

Syster Juker