Week 32 - Another week in the books!

Hej allihopa!

Pretty good week this week! Pretty normal, nothing too out of the ordinary. I'm sorry, I know these emails are super sorry every week. I just don't really know what you peeps want to hear. haha But 'm trying, so cut me some slack.

This past week, we have been pretty busy! But nothing too out of the ordinary. We did some service at a members house which is always fun! It's nice to get out of proselyting clothes and just do some physical labor every once in a while! :) We also had interviews with President Youngberg this week! This is the first opportunity that I have had to sit down with him one on one and it was awesome! It is always so spiritually uplifting to sit down with the mission president. I can tell that they will do amazing things with this mission!

Cool story from this week, we were heading home after FHE on Friday night and we were waiting for a bus when this guy came up to us and asked "Are you guys the Americans" and i proudly replied "Yes sir, where are you from?" He went on to tell us that he is from Kentucky and is a United States Marine! We talked about religion, and the Bible, and families. He recited a scripture from the Bible about families and the Spirit told me to share Alma 43:47 with him. So I did, and he took a Book of Mormon and told us we should go out for some American food sometime! It was such a cool experience. Not only because we got to talk to a true American (which I dearly miss by the way) but that I actually saw the fruits of listening to the Spirit!

This week I have been reading a lot in Jesus the Christ. One thing that stuck out to me was the section on relative perfection. Matthew 5:48 "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." JST Matt. 5:50 Ye are therefore commanded to be perfect … 

and in 1 Nephi 3:7"...for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." God would not command us to be perfect if he knew we could not accomplish it! I know we will not be perfect today, tomorrow, or even in 100 years, but we can strive for that today!

I love you all and hope you have a splendid week! Keep the Faith! :)

Love,

Elder Baggett

Super dark & blurry.But, The Swedish Air Force museum. Left to right, Elders Petersen, Waters, Domino and of course me.

Äldste Waters and me. (We went to High School together) he is also in my district.

Sister Hansson-Palo and Hampus.

Hampus and I. Hampus is going on a mission and will be serving in Sweden.  He will go to the MTC in England and come back to Sweden to serve.

Some missionaries from the Light of the World church. Fabian in the red and David to his right.

Building a shed. Didn't even hit my finger.

lolololol

Week 31 - Tri-Pan Magic!

Hello everybody! 

Really awesome week this week! It was transfers, and I am now in my 3rd area! It was really weird to leave Jönköping after only 6 weeks, but I am excited for bigger and better things! I took a 2 hour train was all and my new and old area touch so I'm not too far away! Linköping is an awesome place! I love it here already. We are a branch of about 20 active members. So it was really weird going to church yesterday, but it was a cool change. My companions are Elder Domino and Elder Gentry. They are super awesome! Cool guys. Elder Gentry goes home in 3 weeks. Should be a way cool transfer!

Cool story from this week, we met with an new investigator named Johnny from the Congo. He is such a stud! But he told us that he would love to come to church. One thing you learn on your mission is that it is really hard to get an African brother to church. But sure enough, he came and on 2 hours of sleep! He really wants to learn more and he is excited to meet with us. So that was a tender mercy. We also had a nice lady named Gennie that we called up and she came to church as well! She wasn't able to stay, but she now knows where the church is. We will be meeting her this week. :) So, successful week this week! 

Just as President Monson said, if you are not already reading the Book of Mormon everyday, please do so. I can testify that is really does help! There have been days when I forget, or I don't have time and I can tell the difference. I know it can help.

Hope you all have a wonderful week! I love you and don't forget to keep the faith!

Love,

Elder Baggett

It looks like Charlie found Samoa in Sweden!

Week 30 -Who needs subject lines?

Hey everyone! 

Crazy week this week! So Elder Blattman is getting ready to go home. He has been an awesome companion and I have loved serving with him! But this past Saturday, we received transfer calls! So knew I would be at least be getting a new companion. But I found out that I will be moving to Linköping and I will be in a tri-pan with Elder Domino and Elder Gentry! So that will be super fun! Elder Gentry will be going home in a transfer, so I will be sending home 3 companions in a row... So that will be fun! haha 

But this past week, has been a pretty normal one. Lots of good missionary work! The zone leaders came and did work overs here in Jönköping. So that was really fun! Elder Murtonen and I went on splits and did some work here. We broke out the bikes because he didn't have a bus card. So we biked like 5 km to the hospital to visit a less active then like 3 km back to the church. On the way back, Elder Murtonen popped the tire on his bike, so we had to walk the last little bit. It felt like I was finally a real missionary! haha We then skyped some on the missionaries in the MTC! That was really fun. I'm glad to see that my Swedish has come very from that. Nothing too crazy this week. But all good things here in Sweden. :) 

This week I have been reading a few older talks and I came across Joseph B. Wirthlin's last talk he gave it was in the October 2008 General Conference. It was titled, "Come what may and love it" Amazing talk. He gave us 4 ways to help us cope with hard times. They are to, 1. Learn to Laugh, 2, Seek for the Eternal, 3, Principle of Compensation and 4, Trust the Father and the Son. The one that I have found helps me the most, is learning to laugh! We can completely change our attitude about things be just stepping back for a second and laughing. :) I would invite you all this week, that even through the hard times look for those times to laugh. It will help, I can promise you that.

I love you all and I hope you have a fantastic week! :) Like always, Keep the Faith!

Love,

Elder Baggett

Elder Murtonen and I on splits in Jönköping.  He is one of the ZL's in Utby.

Elder Murtonen and I on splits in Jönköping.

Week 29 - New Mission President!

Hey everyone! How are things? 

Sweden is just great! This week has been an eventful one! So as you know last Tuesday was the 4th of July, and there is an American family in our ward that invited us over for a party! It was really fun. We played American history Jeopardy which was super hard. I haven't been in history class for a while. But It felt like I was home in the USofA. We went on splits which is always fun! And then we had Zone Conference in Göteborg! The night before, we all traveled and stayed in the apartment and we had 14 elders! It was crazy. So much fun! This was President and Sister Youngberg's first Zone Conference and they did a wonderful job! I know that the Lord plays a very big role in calling missionaries and mission presidents. They are going to do amazing things here in this mission! 

Cool story from this week, we were able to meet with a Self-referral from church headquarters this past Saturday. He is a really cool guy! So the sister from Salt Lake called us and told us about him. Said that he was a older guy and such. So when we knocked on the door and saw a 6'7'' giant, we were a little surprised. haha but he let us right in and we started talking about why he wanted to meet with us. He told us about how 17 years ago, missionaries knocked on his door. He said that he was not interested and closed the door. then 7 years after that, he became Christian. But that experience with the Missionaries never left his mind. So that is why he called us up. He told us that they planted seeds. Those missionaries have no idea the impact they had on this man. Elder Blattman and I were talking about it after, saying that think about all the people we have talked to that had that same response that Daniel had 17 years ago. But I am grateful that I can see the fruits of someone else's labor. Hopefully one day someone can see the results of mine.

This week, I read a talk that was in the 1983 Ensign titled "The Candle of the Lord" by President Packer. It is an amazing talk about the Holy Ghost. One thing I loved from it was a story about him and a man on a plane. Long story short, Elder Packer asks him to explain what salt tastes like. Obviously, he couldn't do it. He related it to sharing out testimonies. We can say all we want, but we cannot explain those feelings we have in words alone. But this week, I would invite you all to print out this talk and read it. This about how you can become closer and more in tune to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Love you all and hope you have a fantastic week this week! Don't forget to Keep the Faith!

Love,

Elder Baggett

Friday July 7 - Göteborg Zone Conference

Friday, July 07, 2017, we had a Meet and Greet with our new mission president and his lovely wife. President Michael and Sister Lana Youngberg met with the missionaries. They introduced themselves with a slideshow and then the assistants, Elders Jämsä and Benson taught us about serving as the Savior would. Their theme was “You Are My Hands.” Elders Baquedano and Barnes sang a beautiful song as Elder Duke accompanied them. 

Elder Baggett is always ready to help. We surely do love him. (Sister Tafta Watson)

Week 28 - Happy Birthday to the Best Country on Earth!

Hej alihoppa! 
(Hello everyone!)

Hope everything is going well for all of you! This week was a good one for sure! Nothing too out of the ordinary. But sometimes that's nice! So, highlights this week, we had district meeting in Skövde on Thursday. It was really weird that was the first district meeting that I actually had to travel to. Usually it's at my chapel. haha My trainer Elder Nielsen was there, and it was super good to see him! He is the best. We met with Agatha this week. She is awesome! She lives about 2 hours away.. So that makes it a little difficult, but we make it work. She wasn't able to come to church yesterday.. She was really excited to come, but then something came up and it didn't end up working out. Bummer. But there is always next week! 

Cool story from this week, so about 2 weeks ago, we were out in a place called Bankaryd for a member meal. After the meal we had a feeling to swing by a few less-actives. So we did that to no prevail. So it was kind of disappointing. But we left a card like usual and went on our way. Then on Friday, we get a text from this guy named Roger and it ended up being the person we swung by! He is a little mentally handicapped but he said that he has been praying that he could get back in touch with the missionaries because he lost our number. I'm glad that we were able to be in tune enough with the Spirit to be able to swing by him and leave him that card. :) 

So this past week in District Meeting, we talked about enduring to the end. Specifically, the end of our missions. One thing that really stuck out to me, is that we should always play as is you are a point down. Or in mission terms, we need to serve as if we have been out a year. I loved that. If you are always striving to be that missionary, you will be blessed for it! So this week, I challenge you all that no matter what you are doing, give it your all! I know that you will be blessed for that. :)

I hope you all have a fantastic week and 4th of July. Make sure to light off some fireworks for me :,) 

Cheers,

Elder Baggett

We sent him a fidgit spinner for his B-Day. Not sure if they have these in Sweden but Charlie figured out how to use it. haha

Kangaroo Burgers

My buddy Noah!

Swedes love their tacos!!

Dutch food market

Giant ebelskiver pan!