Hey everyone. Hope you are all doing well. It has been another hardworking and fun last week here in Katrineholm. We received transfer called on Saturday and I found out I am going to be leaving Katrineholm. On Wednesday I will move up to a city a little bit above Stockholm called Uppsala. It is a branch of about 60 active members. About four times the size of the branch here! I will also be in a four-man aparment which I think will be fun! I am also doubling into the area, which means that there were no missionaries there before us. There is actually a pair of sisters there and one set of elders there as well. One sister and One elder from each of those companionships are going to stay in Uppsala, so two people will know a little bit about the area which is good. I am really excited to get to work there and meet the people there. It is a pretty big city because of a university that is there. So there will be a lot of young people, which is good for the work because the older people don't usually listen. I am also very sad to leave Katrineholm. It is going to be so hard to leave this place. I have put my blood sweat and tears into this city. I have made friendships that are going to last eternity. I have also learned many lessons that will effect the rest of my life. Katrineholm has been a wonderful, hard working, humbling experience. I am so grateful for the people I have met here and all they have done for me. I am going to miss this city and the people here. But right now the Lord needs me somewhere else. I am excited to work hard in my next area and show the Lord I mean business.
This week was actually really good and we have had lots of lessons and amazing experiences. I won't be able to write about them all! On Tuesday, we went out to a town called Valla to teach Lement. Except he wasn't home when we got there. Because of that, we figured there was another reason we were here. So we went to work and started knocking doors. In the second apartment building we were knocking in, a swedish woman opened the door and we told her who we were and what we were doing and she said "come in!". Elder Johanson and I were caught a little bit off guard because very rarely are missionaries let into doors when tracting. We went in and we taught her the restoration. It was a really good lesson and the spirit was definitely there, something just felt a little off. This woman, Helena, was just a little different. But the spirit was there, and we gave her a Book of Mormon, and she said she would read and pray about it! She also said she would be baptized if she found it to be true.
Tuesday night, we visited a member who hasn't been to church in a while named Per. He is older and has some health problems and said he just hasn't had the energy and just hasn't felt like coming to church. Per really enjoyed our visit. He lives alone and seems pretty lonely and sad. He just had really sad eyes and it made me sad and made me want to cheer him up. He has been through a lot. We had a really good chat before the lesson. And then when we started teaching the spirit was so strong. We felt like we should talk about adversity and trials with him. And how advesity and pain and trials are all about of Heavenly Fathers plan for us. We talked about how dissapointments, sadness, sickness, and heartache are a hard part of life, but they can lead to spiritual growth and progress as we turn to the Lord. It was a really good lesson and the spirit was really strong.
On Thursday, we met up with a potential investigator that we contacted on the street last week. Her name is Macy and she is from Nigeria. We planned a really good restoration lesson to share with her. The lesson went so good and the spirit was present. Macy said she would read and pray about the Book of Mormon and it was so awesome! I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to help spread this gospel over the whole world!
On Friday, we met up with Pia at the church and answered some of the questions she had. We taught her also a little bit about the parable of the prodigal son. There was something that stuck out to me that I wanted to share. When the prodigal son came to himself, he decided to go back to his father. And the father saw the returning son "when he was a great way off", implying that the father had regularly been watching the horizon, hoping to see the his son come back. He had not given up on his son. Then, instead of waiting for his son to come up to him and beg for forgiveness, he "had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." I think that this shows us the attributes of our Heavenly Father. Like the father in the parable, God is not going to control us, keep us from staying, or keep us from making mistakes. But he always loves us. He is so anxious to have us return that he will run to us when we are still "a great way off". He really does want us back. Also, it shows us what the Savior does for us when we turn away from sin and return back to him. Through the Atonement, he runs to us and doesn't make us take the journey of repentence back alone. I love my Savior and the Atonement and I am thankful that I can use it everyday to become clean, to receive strength and to show my love for my Savior. There is so much we can learn from that parable. I love it so much!
On Friday, we were going to met up with a Eritrean investigator for the first time outside the church. But she brought 2 friends with her. So that was good. Then as we were about to go in, 2 more walked by and they said something in Eritrean to eachother and then they wanted to come. We said why not and then we started to head up the stairs and right as I was about to shut the door, 2 more walked by and stopped and looked in, and I just gave them the gesture to come on in as well. There were already 5 Eritreans here so what is two more haha. So we ended up teaching a class kind of a thing to 7 Ertitreans in the the chapel of the church and only one could speak english and that was the only way of communication we had. It was actually really funny. They all loved it. We taught them about the Book of Mormon and then out of the blue they kinda all got up and left. But it was a fun experience trying to communicate with these people. They were all super funny. But one thing was kinda cool. When we started to tell them about Joseph Smith, the lady translated for all the other guys and they all just started speaking to eachother in Eritrean and you would just hear "Joseph Smith" in the middle of the sentences. I thought of a quote from someone but I cant remember who it is and it's making me mad but he said that every nation will hear Joseph Smith's name. It was so cool hearing these people from some african country in a different language that we couldn't understand discuss about the prophet Joseph Smith.
Sunday was my last Sunday in Katrineholm. It was pretty emotional. Sadly, only like 7 people showed up, but I was still able to give my farewell testimony. I felt the spirit so strong as I stood before these people I have become so close with the last 3 months. I love each of them so much and I am going to miss them a lot. They have taught me so much and blessed my life incredibly. As I was sharing my testimony, the spirit just came over me and I just began to say what was in my heart. I wasn't worried about the language at all and it just flowed. I felt the sprit so strong and I began to cry and it was the first time I have cried talking infront of people during sacrament meeting on my mission. It was because I didn't worry about the language or if I was saying anything wrong. I just let the spirit take over and it felt amazing. I love this gospel with all my heart. I know it is true!
Well I am totally out of time. I want you all to know that I am doing great and loving every second of my mission. I am so lucky to be a representative of my Savior and serve him with my whole heart each day. Thank you so much for all your thoughts and prayers. They mean the world to me and are much appreciated. I hope you all have a great week!
“Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come.” -Jeffrey R. Holland
Know that I love you and your Father in Heaven loves you.
Med vänlig häslning,
Äldste Bailey
Im so glad for you to continue your adventure and to work in Uppsala. But i am so sad that you're leaving Katrineholm. I will miss you like crazy. Cant wait to go up to Uppsala to see you. And i know our friendship will last for eternity. Love you so much! Thanks for all you do for me.
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