Week 55 - Short on Time

Elder Baggett was short on time today and didn't send a group email.  Each week he sends us an audio recording and I took a few things from that for this week.

Tuesday was transfer day. Elder Hansen took me to the train station and I pretty much just hung out for 4 hours. I got some good sleep in. I slept a lot on that train. It's really nice transferring actually because you get a little catch up on your sleep which was good. I then got here to Stockholm and I met my new companion at the Central his name is Elder Nelson he's super cool. And then we met all the new sisters that came in.  There weren't any Elders that came into the mission but there was a ton sisters and we were able to welcome them. Then we headed back to the apartment and unpacked my bags. Our apartment is super nice and super small!
We met with a recent convert from San Salvador and he will be receiving the priesthood next week. We had lunch with a man from Egypt.  He is way cool we taught him and it was kind of hard to teach him without a translator and so we gave him a book of Mormon in Egyptian and invited him to Read it.  We had a lesson with a man from Albania.  Met with another guy from China who told me that he would help me with my Chinese.
On Sunday we had a country wide fast for the missionary work in Sweden which is really cool I'm really excited to see what comes out of it. All the members were talking about it and they're all really excited. Stockholm is pretty awesome with a lot of stuff going on. You know how much I love the big city and be in the middle of things.
So I am assigned as  a YSA missionary. We're in charge of going to events and going to Institute and going to family home evening and just stuff like that. We are there to be a support for the young single adults so that's really fun. We live in a really nice apartment. Super nice and everything is automatic. The mission home is probably like maybe 20 minutes away but if I were to take the public transportation it would probably take me about an hour. Stockholm is a smaller ward  but half the ward is American because the US Embassy is here in Stockholm so a lot of people speak English. There was a couple people that bore their testimony in English and Elder's Quorum was in English but then like everything else was in Swedish it was really weird because I don't really know who to speak English or Swedish to . There are also a lot of Chinese members here. I did take Chinese in high school that will help me a lot.
Have a great week!

Week 54 - Gott Nytt År!!!

Hey Everyone! 

Happy New year! Big week this week, and we don't have a ton of time, so lets get to it! NEWS: transfer calls were last night and I will be moving again back to the heart of the country, the homeland, Stockholm! :) I am super excited! Sad to leave Alingsås, but it will be good. :) Other highlights: we got a baptismal date with our boy Alex!!!!! We are so excited for him! He is really progressing and super excited to be baptized and go to the temple. :) We had New Years which of course is fun! It was weird to not really be a part of it but cool to kinda take a back seat. I read the whole Book of Mormon in one week and it was super cool experience. :) Talk about that later. We had a few lessons this week and overall just an awesome week! 

But, cool experience that went along with reading the Book of Mormon. I have a really hard time just sitting down and focusing for long periods of time. So I know it was going to be tough when the mission President challenged us to do it. But it seemed like every time I was getting tired or losing focus, there was a verse in there just for me, that "Struck me to my very soul" and that is what was able to keep me going thought the whole thing! It was so awesome, The Lord works is mysterious ways. :)

So as you know, it's New Years and well I'm sure you all made some resolutions. But I would challenge you to make one that helps you to become more like Christ. Anywhere from saying hi to someone everyday to developing a specific Christlike attribute. Because that really is the goal of this life: to become more like Christ, and what a better time to start than New Years. :)

I love you all so much and I hope you all have a good week and a wonderful year! I will see you all later this year. :) Don't forget to Keep the Faith!

Much Love,

Elder Baggett

How many missionaries does it take to do a puzzle?

Book of Mormon Read a Thon!

Thanks Mom!

Frozennnnn!!

Typical Dad move...always snoozin!!

Yea for early sunsets. (3:25 pm)

This is how we do it in the 801!

Robin Hood!

Week 53 - Hallååååååå!

Hallååååååå!
I hope you have all had a great week and a very Merry Christmas! This will be a little short this week, we kinda got cut on our p day since Christmas was on a Monday.. Anyways! Highlights from this week! Nothing too crazy until this weekend, but we had a few awesome lessons this week! Met with some new people as well as the regulars. :) we talked to tons of people about #Lighttheworld because it was our last chance! Cool story about that stay tuned. The obviously we had CHRISTMAS!! Here in Sweden it's a little weird, the celebrate holiday the day before. So we actually celebrated 2 Christmases we were with a Swedish family Sunday night then the Americans Monday night. So that was super fun! We had massive feasts of food. Tons of fish and meatballs and all that good stuff. :) we also got to watch Disney movies!! Little weird. But super fun. :) the member here are also THE BOMB. So generous to give us gifts. Mostly candy to make us fat.. then to finish it off I got to chat with the fam which which was awesome! Biggest highlight for sure. :)

So! About the Light the World thing. At the beginning of the month, President gave us a bunch of cards. Like 500 I think. And told us last week that he wanted them ALL given away. So we accepted the challenge. We got to the last day which was Saturday and we still had 80 left. I thought oh boy. Let's see if we can do this. Haha so we got going as nobody was having it and I got a little bummed but we kept on going! At the end of the night we ended up being able to give everyone of them away which felt super good! Just to talk to tons of people about finding happiness and Sharing it with others. :)

Super simple thought for the week, one of my favorite scriptures, Moroni 10:32, "Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God." Moroni is inviting ALL of us to come into Christ. Because that is where we will find true joy and happiness in this life and the one to come. :) the church is so true and I am so happy to be serving a mission right now. I know it where I'm supposed to be. :)

I love you all and thanks for your love and your prayers. :) and those of you that made videos to send me thanksssss! Those were so fun best present I got. :) I hope you have a great week and you hear from me next year! ) as always, keep the faith!

Love,
Elder Baggett

Week 52 - 356 Days?? Checkkkkkk

Hej på er!

First off, HOW CRAY IS THAT THAT I HAVE BEEN GONE FOR A YEAR. haha It's really weird to think that I have been a missionary for a year now. I have loved it sooo much. Anyways, highlights! This week we had zone conference. I will talk about that later. We had splits this week. I split pair of pants too! haha Taught a few lessons and  it was only negative 5 all week so that was nice too. :) not too much going on this week.

But! Zone Conference was AWESOME! We had a good training about developing Christlike Attributes. Then we had lunch then celebrated a "Youngberg Christmas" we included watching "It's a Wonderful Life" #lit Didn't even cry. First time ever. haha We sang songs and just had a good time. It was so great. :) Then after that, we were getting ready to head home, and some other missionaries had an idea to go caroling in the city center! So there were 5 companionship and we sang and passed out cards. So that was tons of fun and super effective too! 

Cool story, so yesterday, we had been collecting some "pant" which is bottles you can return for money and we decided to take them and cash them in. While at the store, we had about 50   which is like 6 dollars. Not a ton, but we were in line behind this family. I received this distinct prompting to give it to them. So I handed the receipt to the cashier and said put this on theirs. It wasn't a ton, but who knows it could have made a bit difference. :) #LightTheWorld

This week, I was thinking about what I could share with you as a spiritual thought, I didn't really want to do the typical "Remember the real meaning of Christmas" even though that's important, I thought of something else. I have noticed the times I am the most happy are when I am not worried about myself. I know that true happiness come from turning outward not inward. So this week. Go out of your way to  #LightTheWorld Doesn't even have to be something on the calendar. Just do something. I know the Lord will bless you!

Love you all and hope you have a Very Merry Christmas! :) Dont forget to Keep The Faith!

Love,

Elder Baggett

Caroling in Stockholm

Week 51 - God morgon allihopa!

God morgon allihopa!
Good morning everyone!

Super good week this week! Found some cool people. Working hard like usual :) highlights from this week! It snowed yesterday!!! We got like an inch just in the hour we were out contacting so that was super fun. :) we tracted a bunch of houses, not too much success but it was really fun to be out in the cold pounding some doors! I finished the book of Alma! We had the opportunity to check out the first presidency Christmas devotional. Which was awesome! If you haven't checked that out yet, do that! :) Our ward had a Christmas concert and last but not least we got a baptismal date!!!! Whoop whoop! :) so that it super exciting to see our hard efforts finally paying off. :)

This week, we had a lesson planned and a member meal right after. Little background I HATE being late to things especially when other people have to wait on me. Honestly gives me anxiety. Haha but we had a lesson planned with this part member family and it went way longer than we planned on and we were in the middle of this lesson, the spirit was suuuuper strong and everyone was super into it. I checked my watch and realized we missed the train to get to the members house. Usually I would have just said we gotta go and peace out. But the spirit was able to just say chill. It will be okay. And it was! We were able to finish the lesson and it went really well. Then we got to the members 45 minutes late.... but it worked out. :) I love all of the different ways the spirit can talk to us and help us!

This week I was reading in the book of Helaman in chapter 3 and I came across one of my favorite verses. Verse 35 reads, "Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God." It reminds me to stay humble because none of us has "arrived" no matter what stage we are at in life we can always become better! This week look how you can improve yourself in a few little things because through small and simple things, great things come to pass. :)

I hope you all have a great week! Thanks for all the love, prayers and support from all of you. It truly makes a difference. :) Love you all and don't forget to Keep the Faith! :)

Love,
Elder Baggett

Week 50 - Happy December

Tjena mina vänner! How is it going? This week was a pretty good one! We got a lot done, met with some cool people and found some more cool people! :) let's start off with some highlightssss! It's now December, so obviously. It was 1st advent yesterday. We tracted in the boonies. And it is officially winter. We now have to tract with flashlights is gets so dark. Hahah we had interviews with president, we Skyped into district meeting. we had a part member family come to church. I would say it was a pretty good week this week! :) 

Funny story from this week. Elder Hansen and I were working out this past Thursday, and we were going hard on some abs. And after wards I was flexing and all of sudden I felt my stomach and there was a good sized lump right under my ribs. I thought well this can't be good. So I want to bed. Hahah the next day it hurt super bad. So I gave the mission doc a call and the prognosis is popped blood vessel under my abs. #lit. So now I can't work out for a few days. :)

Cool story from this week, so we were out in a city called Floda on Saturday to have a big reacting session. We were just getting going and we found this dirt road looked like it lead to nowhere. But Elder Hansen and I decided why not? So we went for it. We walked for about a kilometer and we came to this super big neighbor in literally the middle of nowhere but we were about to find and talk to some really awesome people and it was really fun. :) I was cool to see the Holy Ghost showing us where to go without us even realizing it! 

Spiritual thought from this week, I was reading in the book of Alma chapter 48 and came across a super cool verse in verse 17. "Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." Let us all be liken ourselves unto Moroni. :) I know that as we keep trying to become better the adversary will become weaker and weaker against us! 

Thanks for tuning in once again. :) I hope you all have a wonderful week! And you will hopefully hear from me next week. Don't forget to Keep the Faith! :) 

Love, 
Elder Baggett--