Monday, September 29, 2014

Hem, ljuva hem in Borås

Hej hej!

Oh, goodness. Can I say, it feels good to be back in Borås? Seriously, I love it here so much. The ward, the area, it's all so good! It's been really fun to get to come back for a different season (yup, here comes your weather report!). It's just chilly enough that a scarf feels good, and maybe tights too if you feel like it. All of the trees are starting to turn this fiery red and yellow, while we wake up every morning to mist and fog on the hillsides. The piles of crunchy orange leaves are starting to build up on the sidewalks, and you better have believe I'm having a blast crunching as many as I can. 

So, my last few days in Malmö were absolutley insane. We were packing like nuts, and running around saying goodbye. It was hard having to say goodbye to Sanny, but I'm putting my trust in the elders down there that he's well taken care of. 

Wednesday was transfers, and it was crazy. The sweet elders came to our apartment at 5:00 AM to help us get our stuff to central station and onto the train. I spent my first 2 hours or so on the train with Sister Hauglid, Sister Morris, and Sister Taylor on their way to Stockholm, and then after that, I was left on my own to swap to two other trains with 10 minute transfers. I have to say, I consider myself so richly blessed. For my first swap, the train was sitting on the other side of the same platform, so all I had to do was roll my suitcases about five feet, and then some sweet stranger offered to help me get my bags on the train. For my second swap, people helped me get my stuff off the train, and someone helped me lug all of my stuff across to the next platform and then get it up onto the train. I know I couldn't have managed that on my own, and I'm so grateful to all of those people who helped me so much that day. I have also resolved after that that I really need to get rid of a lot of stuff- I'm not sure what yet, but dejunking will be starting soon! Seriously, it was hard getting all my stuff up all those stairs!


As for my new companion, Sister DeMille, she's fantastic. She's very tall, and very blond. She's also pretty new in the mission, and it's so much fun to be with her and see how much energy and love she has for the work we're doing.

So, it's been an awesome few days back. We got to go out to our cute family from Colombia, the Baqueros. Every time I see them, I promise I'll learn a little spanish so they can actually have someone to talk to, and everytime, I come back not knowing much more than I did last time, but they're always so happy to see us. They amaze me so much! They've only been members about 3 years, they don't speak Swedish, and it takes them over an hour to get to church, and they are there just about every week.  They're the best!!

Other news: remember that one time Sister Byrd and I decided to teach a lesson and it happened, and we met the most amazingly positive girl ever? Yup, that was Amanda, and she was baptized on Saturday! It was so amazing to see both the beginning and the end with her, and to see how much the ward here really does care and take care of these new members. There was so much support for her, and it was so great to see the friends she's already made in the ward. 

And there's my week back in Borås! It was so much fun, and I love it. Honestly, lesson to be learned from this: missionary work is fantastic. It is exhausting, it is hard, it will bend and break you more times than you imagine, and it is the best thing that you can ever do. I feel like I've gained so much of a deeper appreciation for my Savior and his Atonement and the role it plays in my life. I couldn't be doing this work if I didn't have the testimony I do that He's there with me every step of the way, and for that, I am SO grateful. 

I love y'all, and I miss you like a fat kid misses cake. Have a great week, and stay classy!

Much love,
Syster Maxwell

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