This week was all about The Fire. It's a term I'm sure I've used before. The Greenie Fire. It's one everybody knows, at least in this mission field. It's when you come out to the field and you're stoked out of you're mind to go to work, to read a hundred chapters a day, to go all out.
Back to Umeå. We had our monthly zone meeting there, and I saw some old MTC friends.. and we had a good time reacquainting. But then the meeting began.
Our wonderful Zone Leaders, Larson and Norr, started talking. The entire time, I was just awe-struck at how everytime they shared a scripture, or told us about the months numbers, I was hit by the spirit. Hard. It literally lit the fire in me that was beginning to go dim. They talked about this year. What Sweden Stockholm mission is going to be, where we're going to go.
Elder Jensen was next to me, and he was almost yelling he was so excited. Me too! People were laughing because half of us were just absolutely stoked to go to work and couldn't contain it. I think all in the room had that feeling though. This fire was lit! It was an indescribable experience. It goes a lot further than just numbers too. It's people, and prophecies.
The Second Harvest is a prophecy, specifically for Sweden, that thousands of Swedes will join the church in a year. A year. With the numbers of missionaries coming, zones, and our current standards of excellence. That prophecy is being fulfilled in 2013. Here we go. I've thought about this a lot, and I'm sure if some people heard this they would scoff. They would look down, and think it's weird we get so excited about such a ''minute'' thing. But it's not minute, being out here I've seen the difference of the truth that we have, and what it does to people. This is more important, than any of us really fathom. It's happening here in Sweden, I'm stoked to go forward. . I'm sure it's happening over the whole world. We literally live in the last days, and it's time. I read Jacob 5 yesterday. This is the last time he's gathering his vineyard. And I'm right in the middle of it.
How lucky am I?
Well I found this fire, friends. I found out a bit of what I need to do.. who I need to be.. and how I am going to get there. And you have no idea how excited that makes me.
It continued on Sunday, as we had 30 people in church! I've been committing people left and right to take this less active with you to church.. you guys are friends. Bring them to English class, help us do this and that. Because this work moves forward with the branch, the ward... not with missionaries knocking on doors.
Anywho, this week was great. A bit slow at times, but we worked diligently.. and I believe it paid off. . and is paying off.
The next test is to see if fasting for the Northern Lights paid off. Prayers for that are definitely welcome.
Sounds like life is awesome there, sounds like it's colder too. We've been hovering at -6. :) Still with tons, and tons, and tons of snow.
Keep on keeping on, family.
-Äldste Sargent