My Name is Syster Maxwell and I am a Closet Nutella Eater

Hey family! So, this past week was super great! It finally cooled down a lot, and guess what- wind is really cold when it blows in off the ocean a kilometer away when the temperature drops to under 70 and it's raining. Just for those of you who weren't aware.





Speaking of the ocean, it's absolutely beautiful. Last week for P-Day, we went out to Alles Stenar, which is essentially a Swedish stonehenge. The rocks aren't as big, but overall, it was one of my favorite p-days so far. We had fun with the rocks, but I think being so absolutely close to the ocean was the best part. Alles Stenar is one of the southernmost points of Sweden, and it is so beautiful. The rocks were up on an enormous ridge, where the wind blew so unbelievably hard it felt like I was in a wind-tunnel.  We got the chance to climb down the ridge to the beach, and it was so much fun just to be so near to the water. Seriously, it was just so beautiful and calm (except for the wind) that I'm not really sure how to describe it.

As for the rest of the week... let's see, what adventures have I had? Well, to begin with, I cut hair for the first time this week. Apparently the elders got desperate, because they asked Syster Ludwig and I for haircuts. Overall, I think it turned out okay. No one's bald just yet, so we'll take that as a sign of success!

Also of worth to mention is my recent nutella addiction. I had successfully avoided nutella my entire mission, and then when I got down here to Malmö, they had a jar of it in the pantry. I was doomed. I've already finished off one big jar of it, and I'm a good way into the next one. I think the best is that Syster Ludwig has a habit of finding me scooping out just a little bit when I want just a few carbs before bed- essentially hiding in the closet as I eat nutella straight out of the jar, smears of it still all over my face. I'm a classy chick, okay?

As for the work, it's going. Things are still progressing with Sanny, and we're still working towards mid-September. I think between the changes he's been making and some other things going on in his life, he's been struggling a little bit, but he's always so willing to do whatever we ask him for a commitment, and he's so concerned for us and the elders. He really is so amazing. We've also met with a few other investigators, including an African woman named Chika who's super sweet, and a Korean woman who is trying to prove that Mormon's don't believe in the Bible. While she definitely knows her Bible, she hasn't stumped us yet!

A major blessing of this week was realizing the worth of gratitude. I mentioned almost a year ago that I'd had a habit of keeping a gratitutde journal. For space reasons, I'd decided not to pack my gratitude journal and just to write it in my normal journal, but eventually even that died out.  And then my mission got hard. And then it got better, but I still felt like I wasn't anywhere near the missionary I wanted to be- and SHOULD be- after 10 months out in the field. I'd been wondering for  a while what I could do to change my attitude and to find new energy. And as crazy as it may or may not sound, the thought that came to me in the middle of my personal study was to start writing down the things I'm grateful for again. Now, I'm by no means saying everyone needs to go out and buy a small notebook to write down the things they're grateful for again, but I can say that it's amazing even the last week to see how big an impact being grateful for the blessings we recieve can have on missionary work. I am so extremley blessed in so many ways, and  I really am so grateful for the time I have out here to learn and to grow, and to bring myself and others closer to my Savior, Jesus Christ.

I love you all; miss you like a fat kid misses cake, and have a great week!

Puss puss and love y'all!

Syster Maxwell