I Got to Mow!

Jennifer Juker jennifer.juker@myldsmail.net	May 7
to me, john                                                                                                                                 May 7

Nära och Kära!

Well this week was an interesting adventure! I was in Karlskrona for part of it and it just was an experience all its own. 

I måndags we celebrated Valborgsmässoafton, pretty much the celebration of spring coming. It was a great experience with the YSA. I was able to translate a bit for the Reynolds as they don't know swedish. Then Syster Pool and I talked with the YSA's during the celebration and we got a couple referalls to go stop by. We will see how that goes. They had an acapella choir and a cool band there to play as well. The evening ended with Fireworks and with us being home on time thanks to a ride from the Reynolds. It was a really typical swedish event. There was music that people could dance too, but no one did. The only ones that did were the YSA. It was interesting. Not many people talked to one another, only those they knew. Äldste Reynolds talked to a few people and I helped translate. It was quite an experience. 

I tisdags we had some study time that went really well and we were able to work on our Twelve Week program. It takes a lot of time but I feel like we are both learning a lot and becoming better missionaries because of it. We met with Marcos at the church. He was the miracle from last week. When we met he had already read the introduction and the testimonies in the front of the Book of Mormon. We took some time to get to know him and heard is really cool story. He was abandoned in Peru when he was little. (He and his little sister) He was adopted by a swedish home and separated from his sister. Though he has a great attitude about it. He really has strong beliefs in the family and in many of the principles that is known as Chirsts Gospel. It was a great lesson where we just talked about his concerns and tied it to the restoration. He wants to learn more and prepare to be baptised on the 26. Its a great experience to meet someone who is so prepared for the gospel. Even though he may not know it quite yet. We then made our travel time to Karlskrona. It took forever it seemed but we were able to get some ideas for the week out. I met up with Syster Ridl in Alvesta and we made our way back to Karlskrona. It seemed to be a double booked train. On trains there are open spaces where they connect where usually baggage and things can be and if you need to stretch you can stand. We were the lucky few who got to stand in there. It was entertaining to get on in sardine formation. I was the lucky one to stand dead center in the empty space. As the train took off I quickly realized why no one stood there. I was train surfing for quite a while. Got a great work out on my legs though. We got home in time to eat dinner and plan. Karlskrona seems like a nice area.

I onsdags was an interesting experience as our plans changed a whole lot throughout the day. We ended up riding the bikes up to the school and checking on their Swedish Class flyers and running into a lot of their investigators. It was pretty funny. We didn't have any solid plans for the day so I thought we would try to teach them but it didn't end up that way. We did some following up and a few were worried that Syster Winterton had left but we reassured them that it was just temporary. We did some organizing of the ward list so that they can know who they can visit in the areas that they are in. It really worked out well and we got it applied here in Jönköping too. Im excited to put it into action this next week. We had a lesson with Sharif and Hamid. They are great people and Hamid seems to really understand the gospel. He knows how to teach Sharif. They are great. We taught about commandments and it went really well and Sharif is living them all already. 

I törsdags we made our way back to Jönköping and it worked out really well, never missed anything. It was great. We got back at about 1pm and had our district meeting with Börås, It was about using the scriptures in lessons. It was something we are working on this week. We want to use them more then just quote them. So it is really applicable to us and our goal right now. We had a meeting with Bröder Salo (Niklas, our ward mission leader) It was a great experience. We brought up our idea for our ward activity. It was brought about by the increased interest in jumproping the other monday before the Rasmussens left. We are going to make it happen. Niklas is behind us and all of the leaders of the other organizations are as well. Its going to be a great activity! We begin with the YSA tonight actually and the primary on wednesday. Its going to be great! We ate dinner with the YSA  before teaching Johannes about fasting. He really wants to do it but isn't sure if he can  because of the medications he is taking for his heart. (turns out the doctor said it didn't matter, but then he fainted and couldnt make it to church. But he is ok now.)

I fredags we met with Marcos again and he had a few more questions about his baptism and then we taught him about the återställesen. It went well and he is reading in the Book of Mormon. At the end of his lesson he told us how he was sure that he couldn't make it to church this sunday but that he would be next sunday. About 2 hours later he called and said he had his schedule mixed up and that he would be able to come. He is really enjoying learning so much about the church. Syster Wiklöf, her husband is again in the hospital and she is having troubles with it. We went over and she shared with me something that helped her while I was away. She told me that she missed me and that just made my heart melt. She is such a sweet lady. We helped clean and she fed us lunch. She really is a great woman of faith. I have learned a whole lot just from her diligence and faith. Its great! We did a bit of apartment renovation and took out a bunch of clutter that has been around our apartment and now it feels much more like home. 

I lördags we had plans fall through but were able to do weekly planning and finish our new ward list. Its working pretty great for us. We worked on our ward activity and did some really great planning. I really have learned to enjoy making plans and setting goals. Its a great way be be productive. 

Igår We had a great attendance at church. We were able to meet Syster Pools 2nd cousin once removed. He was really nice. We had Marcos come for all three hours of church as well. Our ward has changed a lot since I first came here. It seems like before it was the ward and the missionaries on oppositie teams. Now its like we are one super team. They are always looking for ways to help and are watching out for us. Its a great feeling to have the support of the ward finally. It took some time but I think we are getting a better grip on it. After the meetings we were able to help the bishops wife figure out our dinner list and help a few other members figure things out. It was great. Then the Robayos had us over for dinner again because they are going to Columbia and will be gone and wanted to be sure they said goodbye to us for the time being. That family is such a powerhouse of faith. It feels close to a second home. We love seeing them.

Today we were able to go secondhand shopping and to write emails. Its been a chill day but we needed it. Oh I was able to mow the lawn of the church a little. (it was a little bit of a goal for me and Juan helped me accomplish it!)

So this weeks challenge is to go to church! Its the best way to recharge those spiritual batteries that are always running low by the end of the week. I have seen how much church attendance means to those investigators and even just with me. No matter how bad the week seems to have gone. It always gets better if I attend church. Its the way Heavenly Father can show you his love and that you can show him your own love for him. I am so thankful for the opportunity we have to go to church. I feel at the top of the world in the beginning of each week and I know its because we have Heavenly Father on our side more fully when we do what He says. Its a great feeling!

I hope you have a great week! I love you all!

Love,

Syster Juker

One for the Books

Jennifer Juker jennifer.juker@myldsmail.net	Apr 30
to john, me

Nära och Kära!

I really am so thankful for each and every one of you. I hope you know that. No matter the situation I am in I can always think of the examples you have set for me as I have grown up. You made your way and made the best decisions you could do at the time you were given. Its a pretty cool thing that people around us can learn so much from the decisions we make in our own lives. You may not ever really recognize those who follow your life. (like twitter=)) I have learned so much from those people I have been around (aka you) SO thank you so much for being the example for me. You rock!

This week was an emotionally and physically drainning week. We went through lots of problems and difficulties, sad times and happy times. It was just a rollercoaster I guess you could say. But we made it out alive and a whole lot stronger then before!

I måndags wow last monday was great! We had a surprise farewell party for the Rasmussens planned. It was great! We were finishing our emails as the ward members were in the cultural hall getting ready. We then were to join the meeting the Rasmussens were in. So we asked how long they needed us to take. They said 15 minutes. Our part usually only takes 5. It was great to let the spirit work and get some really good ideas from them as we just asked a lot of questions about how we can help here in Jönköping. We left first from the meeting and grabbed Sabrina and we went in the cultural hall. We got the music started and we waited. It was a great experience to see the ward come together to show their apprication for them. They have forever changed our ward! We played games and we enjoyed ourselves. They had forgotten their camera so I used mine and got a bunch of great pictures for them. It was fun! Syster Rasmussen wanted to see Syster Pools jump rope skills. When it seemed like everyone left she changed her clothes and began to jump. It was pretty crazy how quick the gym filled up again with practically our whole ward. It was great! It was like an inpromptu ward activity. Everyone got in on it, from the bishop to the little kids people had to hold to jump with. It was great. Now the ward wants us to teach the Young Women and the Relief Society. Its great. The Bishops wife came up to me as Syster Pool was rocking it and asked, "Vad kan du göra?" It was funny, I couldnt think of anything so impressive so it was good to laugh and say, "inte detta". 

I tisdags. I was sick, I felt horrible had a great headache and stomach ache. I got up and did studies but couldnt do anything else. I felt sick. We stayed in the apartment, we had Pauline (one of our less actives) call and ask how I was doing. It was great because we were not sure how she was. She is a nurse and offered her ideas on how to get be to be doing better. She says small meals often. So Im working on it and carrying food with me. So far so good. Syster Pool was able to prepare some lesson plans that she hadnt had time to figure out. So she felt accomplished and then that evening Äldste Rasmussen came and gave me a blessing before I went to sleep for the evening. 

I onsdags, I still wasnt feeling top notch but I felt a whole lot better then on tuesday. We had a lunch with the Wallgrens. They are super fun to be around. We had stinging neddle soup again. It really is delicioius but just different. We had a great discussion about the Book of Mormon. Then Syster Wallgren showed us what age we need to get the stinging neddle at in order for it to taste the best. It was cool. They really have to be babyplants. We then were heading to Råslätt to visit our Chinese friends. Äldste and Syster Rasmussen were driving us to the bus stop so we could catch the bus but as we rounded the corner the bus was just arriving. So Äldste Rasmussen took us to the next bus stop. It was pretty interesting. We practically fell out of the car at a corner to catch the bus. We ran out and tried to wave them down but he didnt notice us. So the Rasmussens were kind enough to lend us a ride and took us there. We were able to meet with Shell a less active and got her another Book of Mormon. Then Wilson, who is making lots of progress in his testimony. Then with Julia and got her another Book of Mormon. Its great to just have appointments back to back in the same area. It was rainy so it was a blessing that we could be in so often as well. As we were waiting for the bus back to town. The timer things both showed 1 minute. We had never taken the green line before so we decided to do it. After a few minutes we realized why we didnt take that line. It took us through the other side of town. Luckily we were going to eat so it was just our dinner time that was infringed upon. We got to then meet with our ward mission leader and get ideas on what we can do. Our ward counsel meeting is coming up so he is ready to share our ideas again. 

I torsdags We had our district meeting with Börås and the Zone leaders. It took a while for everyone to gather but we had already decided where we were going to eat. So It saved a good amount of time. We tested out a new greek restaurant. It was a recommendation from a member and it was cheap and delicious and healthy. It was a cool experience too. The Elders decided it was even better then Kebab pizza. Which really says a lot! We had a great lesson of Äldste Rautio on hope and he shared a song that really was powerful. The Rasmussens came late but we were able to share the song with them as well before Li came. Last time we taught him he told us he wanted to learn more about the prophet. So we read an article out of the Liahona about President Monson. It was a great spiritual experience to see him be able to see the prophet as a real person striving to do the best he can. We had dinner with the YSAs and the Rasmussens for the last time. It was really a fun time. Johannes came and we were able to talk to him about Tithing and then the conversation went to Adam and Eve somehow. He has a hard time believing that we all came from 2 people. Especially without defects and things. He says science has proved that there are 7 female dna pools that explains a whole lot of people and differences but thats not what it says in the BIble. It was an interesting experience just sharing our testimonies about what we do know. He is going to research it with the church and try to find an answer to it. We hope it will all work out.

I fredags The Rasmussens invited us over to have breakfast with them. It was interesting to see how stressed they were and try to offer help. We helped start some laundry and got some food from the store with Syster Rasmussen. They are awesome missionaries and have really helped us so much! She needed some recipes typed up for the YSAs so we helped get that done before heading out to the Wiklöfs to help clean. Ulla asked if we could take a 2 week pause from meeting again so we are praying for her as well. The Wiklöfs had lunch prepared when we arrived. She grabbed some weeds that were sitting on the counter and explained that we were going to have a little different kind of salad today. She explained the different types of weeds and handed it to me telling me to share it with my companion. I was glad to do so. We ate a couple leaves of different weeds, one was sour and the other tasted like grass. We literally ate a weed salad. It reminded me of the salad that Dad likes that pretty much looks like weeds. It was good anyway. We cleaned there apartment and then did some weekly planning before catching a bus out to Bottnaryd to meet with Pauline. She has a testimony of the gospel and its great but sometimes lets others get in the way of it. So we talked about the sacrament and invited her to come to church. 

I lördags we had some great studies before doing some work in our area book and finishing weekly planning. We had companionship inventory and some tears were shed as we opened up to eachother. It was a good experience. We then met with Sabrina. She decided that our purpose was complete when it came to her. She wants to be friends but doesnt need the spiritual stuff anymore. We bore testimony and the spirit was strong. Then it would seem out of no where something would happen and her concentration was comprimised. She choked and coughed, someone walked in the room, her phone. All signs pointed to the adversary trying to diminish the spirit. We talked about reading the Book of Mormon and how she now has the proof that will change the world. We read Moronis challenge with her and commited her to praying more often and reading. She says she really wants too. After the lesson we were having a difficulty seeing the bright side of things. So we got the train tickets set up for our exchanges next week. The lady with SJ was great and got it all perfectly. She questioned as one of the bookings said that one person was only going to be in their destination for 10 minutes before going back to their area. Its going to be great. We are all looking forward to it. We went home and I made dinner, I made homemade maccaroni and cheese for the first time so it was cool. It was a difficult day to say the least.

Igår there were some major miracles in the ward of Jönköping yesterday! We came early to the church to greet our members. They really seem to like seeing us as they arrive at the building. As it was nearing the beginning of the meeting Wilson arrived (he had a personal goal to attend all three hours of church!) then a member told us, "There is a nonmember in the back you should go see," So we did. It turns out that a member gave him a Book of Mormon 15 years ago and invited him to church but nothing ever happened with it. He then was asked another time by that persons son and he came and stayed the whole time! We had 5 less actives at church whom we have been working with! As we turned at the end of the meeting to talk with Markus I noticed someone else who was not a member. Syster Pool was with Anita who was talking with Markus so she was in capable hands. I went to introduce myself to the other person. It ended up being our less active members husband, who wants him to become a part of the church! It was great! Not only did we have all of these less active members and new people there but our ward opened up and took care of a lot of things. In the first meeting we didnt have translation available for some reason. I sat next to Markus to answer his questions with Syster Pool of course. Then she asked Lars to translate for Wilson. Our new pair Äldste and Syster Reynolds came and were announced and as soon as they were a ysa went and translated for them. It was great to see the ward come together to help eachother out. We then had an amazing dinner with the Robayos and a fantastic lesson with Johannes and his mom Marie. She is great! We are going to try to set up something so we can help her out in her garden and get to know her better so we can teach her without him because its difficult to keep the spirit sometimes with him around. 

As a challenge this week Id like you all to count your blessings. Keep track of the things you are grateful for and then make the appropriate person know that you are thankful. We learned that it helps your ammune system to be grateful. Try it out! Let me know how it goes! 

Love you and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Syster Juker

We are Here to Have JOY!

Jennifer Juker jennifer.juker@myldsmail.net	Apr 23
to me, john

Nära Och Kära,

Hello Family and Friends! This week has been an interesting week. Lots of fun things, different things, and difficult things. I guess thats this thing we call life though right?! I love life! No matter the situation, it takes but seconds for everything to change! Im sure glad that I am not responsible in keeping track of all those probabilities and that Heavenly Father knows what He is doing! Aren't you?

I måndags we had our zone pday! It was a lot of fun. We were able to go to Göteborg and play some sports with the missionaries in our zone. Syster Pool took a couple of her jump ropes. It was great because I am not so skilled with the art of ultimate frisbee. So Syster Pool taught be some of her skills and we were able to play around with them. People came up and asked if they could jump with us. It was cool! It gave us an idea for contacting people in our own area on a sunny day. We will see what happens with that. While we were jumping rope it began snowing-I called the game for me as my fingers were turning white. We needed to eat before catching our train it was a great test of faith as we changed super fast grabbed some food and practically sprinted to the train. Heavenly Father answered our prayers and we were able to make the train on time. We made it back to have FHE with the YSA. Lois Herrey came and talked about happiness and how to achieve it. The lesson was really good. Even though we were really tired, he inspired the YSA to follow their dreams and to work hard for them. He shared his experience as he and his brothers won a competition here in sweden and how that was their goal. It was cool. We were able to talk with Juan for a while and got him feeling better about his day and remembering his testimony. It was great

I tisdags, this was an incredible day. We were a bit sore from jump rope on monday but we were determined to find some of our lost members in Huskvarna. We went to that part of town with many names of less actives and old investigators to get ahold of. We headed out the door with a sunny day ahead of us. We hopped on the bus and could see a weather change in the air as the clouds rolled in. As we walked to find a member it began to rain. I didnt have my raincoat so it was a bit damp. We got to what we thought was his house, and he hasnt lived there for two years. I felt said that no one knew that he had moved. But we were able to talk to a man who ran the apartment building. He wasn't too interested but welcomed us to Sweden as we were outside looking at the map and the weather changed once again but this time hail. Yup hail in april- It just makes sense doesn't it? Ok not really to me but its what happened. We then continued to find other people. At one point we both mentioned how we were a little sore. As we looked at the street signs to compare it with the map and where we needed to be it seemed that all the streets lead downhill except one. It was a pretty steep incline too. We didnt want to take the hill, but it was the only way so in the rain we headed up the hill. We talked with a few people on the way and couldnt find the addresses or people who knew who we were looking for. It was a bummer. We needed to head back because we were having a lunch with a member and I wanted a waterproof jacket. We picked it up on the way to the Nilssons. They fed us stinging neddle soup. It sounds gross, (well at least to me it did) but it tastes delicious and is full of iron. So it will help Mom! We challenged our members to give away a Book of Mormon to which they excitedly agreed. We then had a language lesson with Leif. He really knows his languages. We shared a thought about service because he spends most of his time in the service of others. We are super thankful for him and wanted him to know.

I onsdags we had a great day in Råslätt! We first had an early lunch with Annalisa. She is a great missionary herself and is working on all of those around her. I wish every member could be so active in sharing their testimonies! We then went to Råslätt where we met with Julia. She is working on becoming more active in church. She seems to really enjoy when we are able to come and visit her at her apartment. We are not sure whats holding her back yet but we are closer to figuring it out. We then taught Li on a bench outside. The weather calmed down a bit. We went through the baptismal questions with him. It was a random idea that Syster Pool had, it went really well. We just asked him what each thing meant and how he felt about it. We determined where we are lacking a little bit and now we know how to help more specifically. We then came back to the church to get our report copied for Niklas. Sabrina was there and we were able to talk with her. Since her wallet incident she is a little more hesitent to talk with us. It really is a bummer. She is going to pray to know if she wants to continue to meet and learn more. So we are really praying for her. We then met with Niklas and got some ideas running about our investigators. He wants to help more so we have asked him to contact those who would like to be in on teaches. He is great.

I torsdags we pretty much switched our thursday and friday because friday was zone conference. We spent the morning serving the Wiklöfs. They are great, Torstan made jokes about how close he is to death. He just has faced it it seems. He made fun of my name. "Det är Juker liksom ett skoj?" It was really funny. He asked for help on his computer and we were able to help him. Then we made our way back home for lunch and to finish our studies. We got them done and did weekly planning to prepare for next week. We had Shell (a less actve) cancel on us so we were able to do more of our planning session. We then headed to the church to have dinner with the YSA. It went well and we were able to hear a few bear their testimonies about things. It was cool. We spoke with the Rasmussens about the plans for travelling to conference and then a few ideas to help us out.

I fredags was our zone conference! It was great! The theme was The Plan of Salvation and I learned so much it was great. We were asked to read through the Plan of Salvation and come with questions that we had about it. No matter what they were. It was pretty funny because we did something like that for district meeting with the Rasmussens but about Preconceptions of the swedish people. We just threw them away and talked about how to forget them. It was cool but I sort of thought that thats what was goign to happen there. Instead President and Syster Newell had a great presentation where pretty much all of my questions were either answered or clarified to where it doesnt matter so much to me anymore. I had a really great interview with President Newell where he really helped me to see things differently. He really is great!

I lördags we had a lunch with the Malms. They are a great family and I enjoy hearing their testimonies. Suprisingly they had some children home and so they were with as we shared our spiritual thought. We were able to give a couple Mormons Boks out and they have two weeks to give them away. Its pretty awesome. We taught Wilson and invited him to Conference, he is working on his thesis so he wasnt able to attend that evening. It really was great though, I learned a lot and Syster Pool had a great two hour language study!

Igår We had our stake conference and the speakers were great and I really learned a lot. Sadly I left my study journal at home so I can't share the insights now but I will at another time. The best was a story of a business call to a man at home. You know one of those of the hurried sort. A little boy answers the phone, the business man asks, "Can I talk to your Dad?" the boy says "No". "How about your Mom?" "No," says the boy, "shes talking to the fireman and the police." The business man begins to think Whats going on there? When he hears this huge sound, "Whats happening?" He questions the boy. "Its the helicopter, they are looking for me!" He talked about how sometimes this is how we act. We try to hide ourselves until the whole force is after us. It was great. We then ate lunch with the Thörns. They are going to give away Books of Mormons as well. We are excited to see how it goes with the members sharing their testimonies with those around them. We finished studies and had a family home evening with the Robayos about the Restoration. They are a great family and always willing to participate in anything we do. They are like our home away from home. They are working on becoming Member missionaries as well. The program is working well!

Challenge Time- This weeks challenge comes from a random thought I had recently. The best thing is that Prayer is available even more often than seven eleven Thats the only way I have been able to make it through my mission. Without prayer I feel so alone and worthless. (all because of satan) but with prayer and scripture study I learn of my true identity and are able to rememeber who I am in Gods eyes not through my own eyes. Think about how you have been doing with your prayers. Is there room for improvement? What can you do? I know that as our prayers become more regular and more sincere the blessings from Heaven become more recognizable to us and we feel more whole.

I hope you all have a great week! Love you all!

Love

Syster Juker

Quotes Help Life

Jennifer Juker jennifer.juker@myldsmail.net	Apr 16
to john, me

Nära och Kära,

This week was pretty different. We had some difficulties but we have overcome them and look forward to starting a new week! Heavenly Father assures us this week will be better, We´ve got a feelin'!

I måndags we had an accident with alarm clocks and none went off. I got up and began to clean a bit while Syster Pool slept. I still dont like waking other people up. We got a late start but luckily it didn't matter so much we just did studies later which ran into pday time a little but it all worked out in the end. We wrote some letters at home and were able to get our shopping done. I got to shoot some hoops before deciding to go and get emails done. I really do miss playing basketball or volleyball! Ive got to bring those sports here and see what happens. They really like innebandy here. Its pretty fun but Im not so coordinated with a stick. We then met with Maggis and had our counsel meeting which went really well before being asked to give the lesson in FHE. We had about 5 minutes to prepare it was pretty intense. We luckily had both read an article from the Liahona and it worked out well. Syster Pool led the discussion and did it really well. We felt a little overwhelmed and talked things over that night. It went well

I tisdags we got to meet with our Chinese members. Li and wilson came to the church. We taught them individually and we really enjoyed talking with them and explaining a little more in depth the lessons they had before they were baptised. They asked some really good questions and we were able to answer them. They are making progress in a big way! They passed the sacrament and want to do it again and more regularly. Its really a special experience to see the growth in members as the spirit is able to help us explain things in such a way that they understand it and want to make a change. Ive  been able to appriciate the time when we can see so much growth and to point it out. Sometimes its hard to see it in yourself and thats why we should pay attention to those around us so that we can give them recognition to the things that they have done right. We were going through our area book the other day and I placed some calls. It was looking kind of bleak when all of a sudden in the middle of our old investigator section there was actually a less active member. I found her number, called her and set up an appointment. We met today and it was pretty great. Her name is Shell, she is chinese and has been on exchange in Norway. She is super nice and right away said something about the building feeling like home and that she had finally come back. It was cool. We asked her if she would like to meet and get back active in church and that really is her desire. Its super great!

I onsdags we met in the morning with Sabrina and Syster Rasmussen. We talked about the Word of Wisdom. She is pretty much living it 99% just has a problem with it being so strict with graduation coming up. She really takes care of herself otherwise. She has really grown spiritually since we first began meeting with her. She knows what she is here to do and practically no one can get in the way of her and her aspirations. We then went home and prepped for our meeting with our bishop. We were meeting with him after our ward activity. I felt really sick so I was laying down as Syster Pool was writing stuff down we were talking about. All of a sudden I was waking up! I had accidently fallen asleep and she had let me. I think I needed it but it was definitely a weird feeling. We then were blessed with a lesson with a referral named Li. We went with Syster Rasmussen to his appartment and were able to go in and teach. It was in swedish because I still cannot speak chinese (despite so many we have in this ward, im working on it!) He spoke fast and with a chinese accent so it was really difficult for Syster Pool to understand so I got to do about an hour of speaking. It was great! But my voice could feel it afterwards. He wants to read the Book of Mormon so we got him one in Chinese and our plan is to come back with someone who speaks chinese because when we challenged him to baptism he just said, "Ja, Ja, Ja, Bra!" just like he wasnt understanding. Luckily though we have two coming back less active members who both speak his language and live in his area so we just have to get the timing right. We then went to the church seeing as we were asked to be the judges of the Scouts and Ladybug talent show. It was super cute and entertaining to see all the different acts. From dancing to sword fighting to magic and oragami, our ward had it all! We rated with a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 being the best. Part way through we realized that not all the judges were using that same scale. So we all had a good laugh and did some fixing of our numbers. We really had fun participating and the primary children really seemed to enjoy having us be apart of it. They all talk with us now and one of them is willing to help us with our swedish whenever we see him. Its going to be great! Afterwards we met with the bishop to be sure we were on the same page. We talked about Ward missionaries, less actives, part members and really got a lot accomplished that we can do for next week. We want to get a ward activity going on this spring that will involve the whole ward. We talked about a Play in a Day or a Cultural Olympics. Our ward Mission leader is on board and wants to get it going as well. Its going to be cool to see what happens!

I torsdags we had our district meeting with our new district leader Äldste Rautio. He told us a few days earlier that it would be on Celestial Marriage. We laughed at it at first, then a couple nights later Äldste Norr told us of how serious his companion was about it and how he had been studying. So we decided we should probable prepare a little as well. It went really well and we all learned a lot. We were working on talking about our investigators to get help when Sabrina walked it. It was incredibly bad timing but it ended up working ok as she went directly to play piano. We chatted a bit, got ideas and ended the meeting so they could catch their bus. We had a meeting scheduled with Niklas but had some time before that. We asked Sabrina if we could teach her and she agreed. We had a great lesson on fasting. (we had fast sunday this last sunday) the spirit was strong it was great! We then had dinner with the ysa! It was tacos. Tacos at home when we all get back are going to be different. We have lots of different things Swedes eat on their tacos like, peppers, pinapple corn etc its pretty delicious! We then taught Johannes and it was an interesting lesson. He is super funny (a stand-up comedian) I can hardly ever control the laughter. We taught Word of wisdom and Law of Chastity he kept cracking jokes. It was pretty funny. He got the point and we all got to laugh a bit as all the difficult paragraphs with negative things about it came to Syster Pool to read and I got all the promised blessings it was pretty great!

I fredags we were blessed with a new teaching scedule with an old investigator that our member has kept track of. It went alright and we are going to meet again. It looks promising. We then had planning and English Night with the YSA. We realized why we try to not be out late on a friday night because of the amount of alcohol intake lots of people have late at night. Sadly, some how someone stole Sabrinas wallet and its looking pretty dark for her reaction to the church.

I lördags we were able to have a great brunch with the Hegyessys. Like real American style! It was delicious! We then went out to the island again and were able to visit the Walls. The spiritual thought went well and we were pretty happy that they were accepting of what we had to say.

Igår we had a great fast and testimony meeting and we were able to feel the spirit strongly as the missionary moms in our ward all bore their testimonies in sacrament meeting. It was great! I felt my batteries recharged! Im so thankful for church! It always helps me feel better after a long tough week! I am so thankful for our membership in this church and am so excited to help everyone come closer to Christ!.

This weeks challenge- Think about this "You may be the only Book of Mormon someone gets to read." I love it!

Have a great week! 
Love 
Syster Juker

A Chilly Time Again?!

April 9, 2012

Nära och Kära

Well my friends and family members, I thought spring was coming but this week was a big old mixture of all sorts of weather. We had sunshine, where we didnt need our coats. To Rain and cloudy the next day. Woke up to snow with snow flurries throughout the day. Now its overcast and rainy! I guess my meterology skills are slacking here. But rumor has it that its going to be warmer and that spring is on its way. Let's keep our fingers crossed for this one!

I måndags we took some time to write letters as usual, did some shopping and found a cheap skirt for Syster Pool from a Red Cross. I didnt really find anything. We had dinner at the church after emailing and had our counsel meeting with Maggis and the Rasmussens. They have great ideas and really help the work get moving in the ward. Its going to be different when they head home. They are great with the YSA and everyone loves them. For FHE we had a couple less active members come and participate in a game where they took old cliche phrases and then you had to act it out in a picture so that everyone else could figure out what it was. We hadnt ever heard of that before but they all enjoyed it. We got some time to talk with our members and get them excited about working with us. 

I tisdags we had a great lesson with Emmanuel. We taught him before but we were not sure that he would keep commitments. We sent a text message to our investigators a few weeks back to remind them to come to church and he showed up to surprise us. During Priesthood they talked about the Plan of Salvation and he got hooked. He wanted to know more. So we asked him if hed like to meet and we could teach him. He has strong faith in the Bible and knows his stuff. So we helped him see the plan through the Bible and how it is clarified in the Book of Mormon. We were so thankful that Niklas was with and was able to clarify and answer some more deep questions using scriptures. It was a testimony to us about the importance of having members in our lessons. They add something completely different to the table. I love it! We then went to Råslätt to have lessons with some members there. Li and Wilson who were both less active both asked if they could pass the sacrament on sunday. After watching conference they heard a talk about not waiting to be asked to do something and just asking to do it. So they applied it and we got the ball rolling for them. Its great to see them become more excited about church. 

I onsdags we had an amazing lesson with Sabrina. We were worried that we would have to stop meeting with her because she wasn't progressing much. We explained the Plan of Salvation and Syster Pool lead. It was a great experience to be able to testify about the truths as Syster Pool taught. She did a great job and explained many things in a simple way that Sabrina could understand. She has told us multiple times that she just doesnt feel anything for baptism. She feels a need to have faith and repent but doesnt feel anything about baptism. So we explained the sacrament and how that is also like baptism. It seemed to click with her. It was great to see Syster Pool able to control the lesson and teach clearly with not so much of my help. I think this 12 week program really gives each missionary opportunity to grow in different ways. Especially in leading lessons so early on in your mission. Its great. We ended up explaining how setting a date to be baptised is like working on your thesis. You have a due date but you have things you have to get done before its due to be prepared. She understood that and was ready to make the plan and take it to Heavenly Father. It was a great testimony to me on how we are able to pray for our companions during lessons and know that Heavenly Father can guide our thoughts and help us teach to their needs. The spirit was present and it was great to feel!  We were then able to do our report for our meeting with our ward mission leader and get some input from him. We found out about our ward mission plan, the one we had as missionaries was pretty old. We stopped my Emelie's house and she was there so we got to share with her a talk from the Liahona that I really enjoyed. We got a quote from Bednar's talk " The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality" (http://www.lds.org/liahona/2012/04/the-atonement-and-the-journey-of-mortality?lang=eng) She let us talk a little spiritual stuff and it went well. We visited the Hegyessy's and they told us of a neighbor who is having a difficult time that we could go and stop by soon. We then recieved a referral from Luleå for a man who moved here to Jönköping. Syster Pool called and spoke english, he asked her if she could speak swedish, she said,"Nej, men min komrat kan." and handed me the phone. It was a different feeling being on that side of the coin. I was able to talk with him and get a time to meet. So now we have a new person to begin meeting with. Heavenly Father is really taking care of us here. We had our language study with Leif and we spoke with him about serving a mission and being apart of that dream of the stone cut away with no hands. It was great! We were waiting in the church building for Niklas to come. When I realized we usually meet at his house. We called and he didnt answer, we smsed and still no answer. I just had an idea we needed to go to his house. We got there and he had forgotten about meeting with us but was really glad that we remembered. We updated our records about our ward mission plan and got some ideas to work with for weekly planning.

I torsdags We had our last district meeting with Äldste Rice as our district leader. Hes heading home! It was a great lesson about working with members. We were able to do some egg tradition thing from africa or south america. It was a lot of fun. Our member didnt think we needed her so she just left. Which was funny. But we were able to get lots of ideas to work with them. We want to work on showing love, helping those who want to serve missions to get there, and to get some less actives active again. We are working well towards all of them and we got even more ideas to get it done. We stopped by some less actives appartments before heading home for dinner. Left a message about the Atonement and kept on our way. We ended the evening with a lesson with Johannes. He is making real progress and we are really enjoying seeing him open up more. We taught about the ten commandments and were able to learn different things about it. He had some questions we were able to find the answers to on lds.org. Its such a great resource for those difficult questions. 

I fredags we went early to the Wiklöfs because they were going out of town for the weekend to be with family. We forgot about the holiday bus schedule and had to wait in the rain for a while but we got there just shortly after we were expected. We got to help her clean everything and she made us dinner. Her two grandchildren came to pick her up. One returned missionary and one working on his papers. It was good to talk with them and strengthen eachothers testimony of the Savior as we talked about Bednars talk. We then were able to make it home and do our studies and make some phone calls to prepare for next week. We got a hold of some less active members that we have been asked about from the members and they want to meet with us. We are looking at getting the ward more involved in missionary work with a ward activity. We did some planning about different activities that could involve the whole ward and be a missionary opportunity for the ward as well. We came up with the Cultural Olympics and a Play in a Day. We did them at home before and they went well. We are going to talk with the ward and see what they think. Hopefully it will be good.

I lördags we were invited to spend påsk afton with a family in our ward. They encouraged us to invite people. The Rasmussens invited Sabrina and Johannes came too. It was a great day. We had food. Then we were split up into teams to be apart of a traditional Easter quiz. It was super good. We could only use our scriptures and no topical guide. It was great. The family is great! We really enjoyed it and felt the spirit. Sabrina learned a lot as well. We were then driven to the traditional bonfire in Ekhagen. It was cool to be apart of. Sabrina felt a part of the family and is being fellowshipped well. We asked if we'd see her in church and she said Yes, for a while. We were excited

I söndags, the spirit was strong! We had a great program for sunday with lots of music and Sabrina enjoyed it. I was able to translate relief society for Sabrina and Syster Rasmussen. It was really interesting because they kept using "tvivla" and I couldnt remember how to translate it into english. So I had to go about describing what it meant and then they understood. It was interesting to feel that I am losing pieces of my english. We got a meeting set up with our Bishop and helped take down chairs because a ward member was going to do it by themselves. It felt good to serve. We helped an older lady get to her wheel chair because the member who usually takes care of her was not here. It was funny, we couldnt get the wheel chair going, (the brakes were engaged). They helped us get it going and then left. We wheeled her to where she needed to go and helped her get her coat on. She is a sweet woman. Shes difficult to understand but you could see that she appriciated it. We had a dinner with the Robayos and we began our member program with them. They are excited and ready to work with us to get people interested in the Gospel.

Idag we have had an interesting day as our alarms didnt go off. We woke up late but still got everything done we needed to. Luckily its pday. I havent really thought about a challenge for this week. This week you can all read this awesome talk that we have learned so much form this last week. http://www.lds.org/liahona/2012/04/the-atonement-and-the-journey-of-mortality?lang=eng I hope you can have a great time and tell me what you learn. I really decided to change my out look about how life is and how I can pray better and improve myself. I know that that is all part of this wonderful plan written by our loving Heavenly Father! Im so thankful for the blessing that we have known as the gospel. If you think about it a bit. Your decision to be baptised as a member of the church is the greatest decision and most important decision in your life that you can make. All other decisions hang off of that promise to follow the Savior. I am so thankful that I have made that decision and I strive to hold up my end of the bargin each and everyday. I hope you all can strive to do that as well. 

Have a great week! Know that I love you all and that I pray for you too! 

Love,

Syster Juker