Water Lacrosse

Hoppas allt är braw! (Från Skåne)

Hey everyone, the quote of the week goes to some new sisters that are now in the Täby ward.

"Yeah, I don't know too much about lacrosse besides the movie, Forever
Strong."

My reply, "That's rugby."

"Oh yeah I'm an idiot that's the one they play in the water right?"

Let's just say Sister Missionaries are just great... Haha

This week has been crazy, at the beginning of this week we got the chance to pick up the new crop of greenies, that is always fun it was a large group of 18. It always brings me back to the feelings I had when I first came to Sweden, I was absolutely terrified! Not being able to speak the language and leaving the United States was a little out of my comfort zone. But I remember well when we all were able to go after we got off the airplane to go out and contact people on the streets of Stockholm I was
petrified. But I was with one of the Assistants to the President and he
just got me pumped and really helped me see what kind of missionary I should become.

So that was something that I was able to do as well. I took one of those scared greenies and took them out into the big bad streets of Stockholm which I had been serving in in the last 17 months, and show him how it is done. (Gave out some Books of Mormon too.) Which was a cool experience, I hope I could make and impact on that kid’s mission as the one that went with me 19 months ago.

This week had a really good ending as well, we had a baptism with our good friend Jeremie! It was fantastic and had a funny little hick up though. The whole time I was joking with him that I was going to mess up his name and we would have to do it over and over until I said his name right. He even took my name tag as hostage if I did it wrong. Well, we finally get to the moment that where I would be able to baptize him, and it went well. I baptized him it felt pretty good (and also kind of weird,) and then I look up everyone seemed that it was right.

So we got out and started to change back into our normal clothes. As I am changing, (in the girls’ side,) the door opens….. And I was an elder
missionary who says, “Sorry but I think you are going to do it again.”

And then I hear from the other side of the baptismal font from Jeremie,
”THERE YOU GO ELDER HADDON YOU ACTUALLY DID MESS IT UP!!! YOU’LL NEVER GET THIS BACK!” (With a huge smile on his face. As he is waving my nametag in
the air.) I was then able to baptize him again, and he insisted that
everyone came back to watch my mistake. (He thought it was hilarious.)

But one thing that was actually really cool about this embarrassing
experience was that the second time that I did it and when it was correct,
you could actually feel a difference. It was noticeably different. It really helped me realize what we are doing is true, and it is real and is what the Lord wants us to be doing. He said that he’s going to keep the nametag….. But he wants to give it to his son when he goes on a mission.

I’m so thankful to be a missionary and grateful to serve here in Sweden.

I hope you know that I love you all!

Sköt om er!

Äldste Haddon

PS:I was able to have some adventures in Denmark, but you’ll hear about
that next week!

*Pictures:*

1) New Missionaries

2) Departing Missionary fest

3) Jeremie

4) Tolley's helping us get rid of the bed bugs

5) Got some attitude.

6-7) Baptismal pictures

Broken Chains

什么是达人！

Howdy!

This week has just flown on by, this last Tuesday we were able to make the long voyage to Umeå up north, where I was able to do some work out there. We got the short stick and had to ride bikes the whole day, (See piano picture.) which wasn’t so bad besides the fact that it was a down poor and the only thing we did all day was knock doors and swing by old investigators.

It was night time and we were needed to ride our bikes to the apartment and about 5 Km of our 20 Km voyage, Elder Barker’s bike chain snaps. (Classic.) So I was able to give him a ride on the back of my back for the rest of the ride home. It was a rough day, but also one of the most fun just going around and doing the nitty gritty stuff!

This week we have been teaching our friend Jeremie as well and it has been absolutely fantastic he has been studying by himself and “frankly speaking” teaching us. We taught him about all of the commandments and he had already
been following them. We were able to just talk to him about how he is
feeling with the church and the last couple of weeks and he just told us so sincerely, “Frankly speaking, I have felt absolutely lost for the last 7 years of my life. I needed help, I prayed. I meet you guys. I just want to thank you and God for being here for me, really!” (He says “frankly
speaking,” and “Really” a lot.) It is just one of those many fantastic
moments where you just get to feel so happy that the Lord had entrusted me to take care of him. (And I was able to teach him with Elder Faylor which felt super good to spend a day with one of my best friends. Love you man!)

This week has flown by it is nuts! This upcoming week is going to be even crazier! We have a group of 18 coming this week, so I’ll let you know how the new crop is doing next week!

Love you all,

Elder Haddon

*Pictures:*
1) Look at the Ride!!
2) Don't ask me how that happened.
3) New greenie!
4) Fan mail! (From a crazy dude.)
5) Justhin Jeremie's kid!
6) Biking in Umeå
7) Friendship brushing..... (never again)

--

Bed bugs!!!!

Moi ihmiset!!!(Finnish not Swedish.)

This week’s quote of the week goes to a returned missionary named David, “Wow, sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite has a whole new meaning now.”

So I got the excellent news that, my bed and none of the others is infested with bed bugs. The mission has had only a couple outbreaks, and little did I know a couple months ago the bed I am now sleeping with had that problem.
But no one decided to pass that information down to me.

Some fun facts about bed bugs:

   1. They feed from 3-4 o’clock every morning. (Which Psychologically messes with you pretty bad.)
   2. Their bite has a ridiculous itching effect, because of an anesthetic they give to you when they bite at night so that it numbs where they feed so the host doesn’t wake up.(Also messes you up, you think at any time they can be on you.)
   3. They can live up to a year without feeding on a host. (Invincible)
   4. They only way to kill them is to spray, and to be a human sacrifice
until they have all died because of the poison. (I thought we didn't do
sacrifices anymore!)
   5. They seem to only like Elder Haddon’s blood. (#thedevilsinsect)

  But other than getting eaten alive by hundreds of insects every night, it
was a fairly decent week. We had our first “Mission Leadership Council,” with our new Mission President. Being that he had never done one of those and doesn't even know what it is, we really had to backpack him on that one. But it went well.

The work has been going super well here, the investigator that I told you
about last week, that I started playing basketball with is doing fabulous, he his telling everyone about his baptismal date, and that he wants to 3 weeks after go to the temple and baptize himself for his deceased  family.

It’s difficult to teach him sometimes, because I just gets it. We’ll explain something then he will start teaching us about it and then it’s
more of him teaching us then us teaching him. He is just so sick!

On Thursday, we had a Zone training that was fantastic! Elder Jones,
actually is my Zone leader and we did “The Amazing Harvest.” So we had to run through Stockholm, do tasks and go to different parts of the city. Elder Mangum and I thought we would just go kinda slow and have a fun time, until we saw Elder Moe and Nieminem take off sprinting.(Old Companions who were also Assistants.) Then we just knew, it’s go time. So it literally was us 4 sprinting to the subway, then to the King’s palace, and then to the
Nobel Peace Prize center, and throughout Gamla Stan. Throughout we had to do tasks like, give out a Book of Mormon, or contact 15 people/ get a number. It was sick! The finish line was at the temple. But it was super fun and we got to do missionary work. (We probably looked ridiculous as missionaries on a full sprint everywhere. (See unattractive picture.))

Lastly Saturday, I had a fantastic experience, I was able to go to the
temple with a man I baptized in Jakobsberg, Lennart Nyblom, and do baptisms with him there. It was so cool to see the change he has made and go do that with him to help others was fantastic. Right after I was able to watch a wedding of one of my best friends I had met here in Sweden, Pontus. It was something that I really realized very strongly at that time, was the Temple really is “The House of the Lord.” I just knew that everything that we had did had literally help those people on the other side. I am so thankful for
that.

I love you all and really do appreciate the emails and pictures you send, but just like Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Just do a little more, just a little better.” ;)

Love,

Elder Haddon

PICTURES:
1) Some of those bites on my arm.
2-3) The Amazing Harvest We literally sprinted to that building and back.
4-7) Helped out at the Stockholm Archives look at those books!!! (One is from the 1700's)
8) Faylor and I didn't plan that out.... i swear.
9) To avoid the bed bugs i slept on the roof a couple of nights
10) Pontus getting married!
11) Bedbug proofed myself. (try to eat me now!)
12) Sister Beckstrand or should you say Äldste Haddon?????? (She forgot her name tag.)

Dream Team

Hello!!!!

The quote of the week goes to our new dear and beloved Mission President, President Beckstrand, ”Well, look on the bright side, if we mess up we'll all go home together!”

This week has been an interesting one. On Monday night, we were able to pick up the Beckstrands. I was absolutely nervous, I had thought that there is no way that the Beckstrands could be as loving or as spiritual as the Newells. I thought it was going to be a disaster! That was until we saw them walk out of those terminal gates. As soon as we shook their hands and welcomed them to Sweden, I just knew that they were called to be our Missionary Leadership. It just felt completely right, and they are absolutely fantastic.

On Tuesday-Wednesday something magical happened here in Täby, "The Dream Team" was an assembled again. Elder Haddon and Elder Allsop, hit the streets again showing the streets of Stockholm what we are made of. We were able to get 2 new investigators, teach several lessons, and have a dang good time doing it.

After, our exchanges Allsop had set up and appointment with one of my first converts here in Sweden. I was able to go back with him to the city of Södertälje and actually get to visit and teach Lennart! I was able to find
out that he is getting ready at his year mark to go to the temple for
himself. I was so happy to learn that news and I will be able to be there
for that which is incredible. Getting to see him progress in the gospel and endure to the end is what it is all about.

Thursday through Friday, we had been traveling all over the place to give the chance for all of the missionaries over Sweden to get to meet President and Sister Beckstrand. It took a lot of planning and work but it was defiantly worth it. We had two large conferences, one in Göteborg and the other in Stockholm. Where they were able to explain a little bit who they are and what their vision is with the Sweden Stockholm Mission.

Saturday, I had a fantastic experience. We were playing football (European Style) with the ward, people brought friends who weren't members and just had a good time and did some missionary work.

After, a couple of us went to
fill up our water bottles. As we started to go over to where the water
spout was, I saw a man playing basketball by himself. I had the strongest feeling ever that I needed to go talk to him maybe just play around with him a bit.  As I did that, I told him I was from the US, and he switched to English. He was from Central Africa, and his name was Jeremie. He asked why I was here in Sweden, I told him I am a missionary for our Church. His face
started to glow, he said and I quote, “This morning I prayed and after told
my 4 year old son, we need to find a church. My son told me “we play basket first.” Now I am here, and I know God has sent you here to get me to come back to church. ”

I was shocked, I don’t believe I had ever gotten that response from someone after I told them I was a missionary. He was able to come to church with his cute little 4 year old. He loves it and is going to be getting baptized in 3 weeks on the 26th of July. Not only that he is going to be invitinghis family and friends, to come and hear the message.

There are no words that can describe how amazing missionary work can be. When we just go out with the guidance of the Spirit and do everything in our power to listen and to follow those promptings, the Lord will use us as tools to help His work go forward.

I love this work, I love Sweden, and I love you all.

(Jag älskar detta verk, jag älskar detta land, och älskar er alla.)

Äldste Haddon