Week 27 - Post Birthday - Pictures

Week 27 - Post Birthday - Pictures

Thank you to everyone who sent Birthday Wishes to Äldste Denton. He was thrilled to say the least. Hope you got a reply. He looks good. Have a fabulous week!!!

This is what he sent me to share...
Aldste Denton: I'm going to not write a weekly email this week since I have way too many personal emails to respond to. People have been treating me really good here. I'm going to the Stegeby's house tonight for dinner (you know... doctor Jones's sister? The guy that delivered me?) Haha what better place to celebrate my birthday? Seriously such a small world. They're feeding us haystacks. 🙏 I'm just going to send you pictures now so hope you're ready!

Love you mom! 

Äldste Denton

Two Tai investigators. They're called Noi and Veiwbee. They are brand new.They made us such good Tai food. It was awesome. 

                                  I am not sure what this picture is supposed to show?

                          This is me and one of the assistants who's going home. What a homie. 

                                    Norrland Zone Conference - Can you find Äldste Denton?

Week 26 - Snow Thanks I've had Enough

Week 26 - Snow Thanks I've had Enough

**This coming Sunday March 18th is Carter's (Elder Denton) Birthday. He will be turning 19. Here is his email address carter.denton@myldsmail.net  Please take the time (by Sunday evening) to send him an email with a Happy Birthday message, Spiritual thoughts, Words of encouragement , a note to say hello, or a quick hey, and reach out to him.  He will enjoy hearing from any and in fact all of you...for that will make his week to know that you are thinking of him.
Best wishes
Gelynn

*****************
Hey everybody!

It's been a fun-filled week full of adventure and this transfer is slipping away faster and faster! Where is my time in Sundsvall going? 

I went to Östersund to bring the sacrament to some saints out there. Long bumpy car ride. Worth it though. We were so close to Norway we could have thrown a stone over there. I even met a guy from Norway. 

Also our investigator Mikael came to church and loved it! We're meeting with him again tonight. 

Also more and more and more snow. I think our car has gotten stuck like seven or eight times this winter but we've always been able to get out with a little bit of prayer and a lot of shoveling. This time was different though. We got stuck in a big pile and there was a hill we couldn't see hidden underneath the snow. Our car wasn't going anywhere. The fender was high centered and everything. It was at our investigators' house and they were super nice about it. Also, turns out , we have towing insurance. We were even able to teach the word of wisdom while we waited for the tow truck. So that was an adventure for sure. 

Hope you all have a great week!

Love you all!

Äldste Denton

                                             Still lots of snow. "Surprise!"

                                                Oops.

                              Fancy Pantsy hotel on top of a mountain? Yes please.

                              Like seriously fancy. 

                                View from said hotel.

                              Elder McCarl 

Six Months - Week 25

Six Months - Week 25

Hey!

      So I officially celebrated six months as a missionary this week! Feels weird to have a quarter done! Especially since I'm still in my first area! Also check out this cool miracle that happened! 

        After a long morning yesterday of trying to find a ride for John and finally finding someone who would have to drive thirty minutes out of their way to pick him up, I started thinking about the branch and how the weight of responsibility for the branch really rests of just a few faithful families. They already even drive half of the branch to church and now we are asking them to drive our investigators who for the most part have very modest resources. I could imagine how the members might be feeling a little overwhelmed. So one of the things I asked for that morning as I opened my fast was that we would find a family this week, that would all be baptized, become stalwart in the gospel, and be an asset spiritually and temporally to the branch. The kind of family that will raise burdens off the shoulders of their fellow saints, and not add more to their already overwhelming task list. I also prayed for the other Elders in Sundsvall. I had seen their schedule for the next week and the fact that their one investigator was unable to meet was pretty evident. They would be doing a whole lot of contacting and whole lot of tracting. I prayed that they would have real progress and success in their area. So that night, we are getting close to the time to break our fast. We're about to drive home. It's about 7:00. As we get in the car, the other elders call us just to tell us that they had found a family of five from Iraq, all above the age of eight, who were all very positive and very interested. They invited them in, fed them, and even got rid of their tea after a brief discussion about the word of wisdom. They were able to teach the entire restoration and were invited to come back. The family is also fluent in Swedish, English, and Arabic, which apart from being rare is exactly what we need for some of our Arabic speaking members who don't understand anything in church. 
As we made the drive home, I thought about what I had fasted for. God had answered every detail of my prayers! Including the ones in behalf of the other Elders and their area. I was so impressed by this experience. Then I thought about my prayers that this family to be found would become an asset to the branch both temporally and spiritually. Although usually filled with faith and devotion, it's pretty uncommon for refugee converts to have a car or be financially sound. Still, I had a feeling in my heart that this family had a car and that they would be financially able to lift the branch temporally. When we got home, Elder Wolff confirmed my suspicion. They did have a car, and they all had smart phones and appeared very financially stable, even wealthy. 
I believe in the power of fasting and paying a generous fast offering. This was a super sweet experience reminding me that God loves us and answers our prayers. 

Have a great week!

Äldste Denton

Week 24 - The Life

Week 24 - The life

Hey Everyone!

     So my companion and I went tracting in this place called Spikarna. It's a town on the island right next to Sundsvall called Alnö. Actually it's a tiny island off the coast of Alnö. We don't really know what to to expect, but when we get there it's absolutely beautiful. We have to park our car right outside because there isn't enough room on the little island for us to park. There's a little sign explaining this for us. Then we get out and walk across this tiny bridge to this tiny island. As we're crossing, we see this scene to our right: the ocean which is grey with mist hanging so low it's touching the water, a snowy shoreline, and right where a single sunbeam is touching the water, four geese in a perfect line are flying with there feet in the water all maybe two stone tosses away. So as we're talking about how we just saw a scene from animal planet, we turn the corner and see a reindeer fifteen feet in front of us. Then after taking a picture, we look back to the bridge and see two more walking on the frozen canal between Alnö and the little island we're on. It was incredible. 

      

      I'm so grateful God gives us moments like that in life. Seeing the beautiful world He has created always gives me more trust in His wisdom, power, and love. It's easier to trust someone when you can tell their qualified for their job. The Earth with all its majesty and beautiful intricacies is like God's credentials for His divine Fatherhood over us. It's here for us to explore and examine, and to testify that God lives, that He is the God of Glory, and that He loves. 

      

      What else... Oh yeah! Golden investigator Mikael said he would read and pray! He's read the entire Bible and believes in God and is very sensitive to the Spirit. He said felt it when we prayed. 

     

      Also we ate this bomb Iraqi meal last night with our good friend Benjamin. Pictures below.

                                                Just a little comp inventory...

                                         There's a reindeer in this picture

                                                    Also this one

                                         Two in this one!

                                                   This one has Arabic food.

                                              This one doesn't because we ate it all.