Blessings of Freedom

This week, Aldste Haddon got another new greenie fresh off of the plane. He said he's a super smart, talented missionary so he is very hopeful that the two of them will be able to work together well and be successful companions.

They have been working with an investigator who recently moved from another country. The man told the story that he was on a train in his home land and was wearing a cross necklace. When the police saw it and asked why he was wearing it, they asked him what is was for. When he responded it was because he loves the Savior they took him to the back of the train and began to beat him. It became clear that he wasn't going to survive the ordeal when they grabbed a gun to shoot him, so he jumped off of the back of the train. He shattered his legs and bashed in his skull but he survived. He was rushed to the hospital and then told of a place where he could believe how he wished. He was put on the next plane to Sweden. A couple of weeks later, the missionaries contacted him and began to teach him the lessons. After awhile, they lost contact of him. But, recently he called them at 1am and said that he had been roaming around Sweden in search of a job and had found one and was ready to receive the gospel. Aldste Haddon and his companion have been teaching him and he is getting baptized on Sunday after church.

This story reminds me of how blessed I am to be able to live the gospel and profess my beliefs as I wish. We are so blessed to have the freedoms that we do, sometimes I take it for granted and this has reminded me to try to live everyday with a more thankful heart. 

I pray that I will always have the courage that this man had, that no matter what, I will stand up for what I believe. He is already such an amazing example and disciple of Christ.

 Both of the companions Ty had trained

Thank you for all of your prayers for Grandpa Larry Haddon. His health has declined significantly and it doesn't look like our time left with him will be much longer. We appreciate your love and support.

Expecting...again!

Aldste Haddon is doing well! The man they baptized last week was given the Aaronic Priesthood this week and has been doing his family history work to prepare to take the names to the temple to do baptisms for the dead.  Aldste Haddon is so excited to see him so eager to learn about the gospel and already begin temple work. It's one of those moments that really make all the sacrifices of missionary work worth it!

This week, they also continued to teach two other investigators who have scheduled baptism dates! They of course are working hard with these individuals to try to ensure that these dates stay firm.

Aldste Haddon has enjoyed working with is greenie. He is learning the language very quickly and is a steller missionary. But, this week he is being moved to the northern part of the city they are currently serving in and  Aldste Haddon will receive a new greenie fresh off of the plane and get to stay where he is currently located. He's thrilled to meet a new young man willing to serve and to be able to keep working with the investigators and members he has grown to love so much in the area!

Thank you for all of your prayers and support! We are happy to report another great week from Stockholm, Sweden mission!

Thank you everyone for your prayers and thoughts in Grandpa Haddon's behalf. He is being sent home this week and being set up with hospice care. We don't know how much longer he will have with us here on the earth, but we do know that we have learned so much from him and are grateful for his example and testimony that he has used to strengthen our lives. It is times like these that really remind us of how thankful we are for eternal families and the blessings that come from being sealed for eternity. This is why missionaries give so much, so that everyone has the opportunity to learn about eternal families!

Also, look for the new links on blog posts that will take you to LDS.org to explain the terms! I'll try to keep that feature updated from week to week!

This has been a pretty awesome week for Aldste Haddon and his companion!

They have been working with a sister who recently started coming back to church, his quote of the week is from her: “My life was a mess, I had nothing to turn too. When I came to Sweden I thought my life would get better but it has only gotten worse, My sons have a better life here but other then that I was miserable. So I finally had enough and thought about just giving up. But I had a strong feeling that I must go on my knees and pray. So that is exactly what I did, I prayed and as I was praying I couldn't stop crying. I felt so helpless and lost, I had nothing. Then I heard something I don't know if it was a voice in my head or what it was but it said to me, Calm down, it is going to be fine. I felt so much peace and warmth in my heart, then about 2 seconds later the phone rang. It was the Missionaries. They asked if they could come by and give a message about Jesus Christ. I most definitely agreed to it. I know now that my life does have meaning.”

 They had their first baptism on Saturday and confirmed him a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (www.lds.org, www.mormon.org) the following day in sacrament meeting. The spirit was so strong, the man was introduced to the idea of the church when he was down in the dumps and his friend told him to look up the Mormons. (he thought that Mormons were a strange animal he had never heard of....maybe he was more right than we want to believe) He looked up Mormon.org and asked to receive more information, two days later Aldste Haddon and a previous companion showed up at his door and the rest is history. He was desirous to bare his testimony of the gospel but was nervous to do it on his own so he asked Aldste Haddon and his companion to stand on either side of him. As he bore his testimony, he said he couldn't have done any of it without his two angels standing next to him.

Aldste Haddon feels so grateful to have been able to be a tool in the Lord's hand to lift one another's burdens and find the lost sheep. (Luke 15) He knows that without Heavenly Father, none of this would be possible.

His testimony of this principle has rung true to me, and I am grateful of his example. I know that as we  earnestly seek out opportunities to share our testimonies and serve one another, even in small and simple ways, we will be provided with direction on how we can, in our own way, help gather His sheep and help others feel the love of their Heavenly Father through our actions. It doesn't take much to help another person feel loved and important, and sometimes, that is all it takes. I hope I can be better at that and learn from Aldste Haddon.

Dop (baptism) is in the air

As you might remember, Aldste Haddon and his companion had a baptism planned for this weekend, unfortunately, that baptism date fell through. They were meeting with their investigator who doesn't speak English or Swedish with a translator and part of the way through the lesson, the translator and the investigator appeared to be in an argument and from that time on, they haven't been able to reach him to continue teaching more. Of course, this is very upsetting but they are continuing to work toward getting back in contact with him. They think he is an amazing man who is very strong and they really hope to be able to resolve the concerns that arose.

This week, they are also working with another man who plans to be baptized this weekend. He is awesome according to Aldste Haddon. They took him to church on Sunday and an area Seventy was there (a general authority who is over specific areas in the world, they report back to the Prophet and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on their area's successes and concerns) speaking in church. Afterward, he came up to Aldste Haddon, his companion and their investigator and asked the man if he liked these young men, he answered saying they are his dearest friends. He then asked if he believe in the Savior, and the restoration of His gospel on the earth. The man replied that he had a testimony. He then asked why he wasn't getting baptized tomorrow then. When the investigator responded that he didn't feel he knew enough, the area Seventy said, it sounds like you know as much as I do.

This story was touching because it reminded me of the importance of the simple things. Our Savior lives and loves each and every one of us and he does all he does just so we can live with Him again. This is His gospel, and I feel grateful to be able to live it and share my testimony of it. 

Aldste Haddon feels the same way, he is a great example to our family of the blessings that come from sincere sacrifice and hard work and how we can be blessed from giving all we have to Heavenly Father.

Thank you for your love, prayers and support. It means the world to us.

Also, Grandpa Larry is struggling to gain strength and motivation to overcome this huge trial and illness in his life. Our Dad Charlie and Hunter were able to go spend the week with him and family in Oregon, we are unsure of what the future holds but are thankful for the love and support.