Week 55 - Transfers

Week 55 - Transfers

We received this notice of transfer from Äldste Denton's Mission President this week

Dear Brother and Sister Denton,

What a pleasure it is to have your son, Äldste Carter William Denton, in the Sweden Stockholm Mission.  He has recently been assigned to serve as a senior companion in the Linköping area. 

He has demonstrated a willngness to be an example of gospel living and of devoted, selfless service to the Lord, the members, fellow missionaries, and the people of Sweden.

Thank you for your sacrifice in supporting your son in this sacred service.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Youngberg, President

Sweden Stockholm Mission

*       *       *       *        *

Carter's Email - Transfers
Hey everybody I'm moving to Linköping (if we say ö makes approximately the 'oo' as in b'oo'k sound, then it's pronounced something like LEEN-CHÖP-ing). It's just a hop skip and a train ride away from Borås. I'm leaving Wednesday afternoon to get there in the evening. It will be the shortest distance I've transferred so far at about 140 miles. I'm going to be with Elder Bjornn from Snowflake, AZ. Psyched for our time together.

I'm going to miss Borås. It's a good place. Also Elder Hambrick. Good guy. Also the ward. Good people. 😥😭 But yeah it was a blast being here and I'm so grateful for the lessons learned and memories made.

It was a good week. Trying to live it all up before I head out. We also had stake conference in Gothenburg. Good time.

Hope you all have a good one :)

Äldste Denton 

Let's see, we've got me water bending

 Me, outside of a stone house ruin (if you look closely my jeans are tucked into my socks... gotta keep those ticks out)

                                         Äldste Hambrick
                                       

 A couple of us at stake conference,

 Elder Hambrick catching me licking my fingers after putting a chocolate doughnut in my cart (supposed to be eating healthy for the gains)

                                        A pretty lake.

Swedish Missionaries Mom's Facebook post - Oct 1

These pictures were posted on the Swedish Mom's Facebook page 

by Aldste Hambrick's (Carter's Companion) Mom

Must have been a long journey

        Posted on "Mom's of Stockholm Sweden Missionaries" Face book page by Camilla Norin
          Aldste Norin's Mom

                           Northern Lights in Umea, Sweden

Week 54 - Good News

Week 54 - Good News

Ready for some good news?

We had a baptism! A woman who had written herself out of the church has been making steps back since about June. After receiving approval from church headquarters, she was rebaptized by her father and received into full fellowship again on Saturday. For those of you who don't know, after being rebaptized, it's as if you were never were out of the church. Your date of baptism on the church records shows your original date of baptism and all other covenants you have made and blessings you've received are restored once you are confirmed as a member of the church. What a beautiful example of the Savior's attitude regarding repentance reflected in his own words:

"Behold, [she] who has repented of [her] sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more."

That's the real good news. The good news or 'gospel' of Jesus Christ. Redemption from past mistakes is available to all who exercise faith unto repentance, are baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and continue faithfully following the Savior. Freed from guilt and and pain, we can "walk in newness of life" looking to "Jesus the author and finisher of our faith". 

We are so happy for this faithful woman and her decision to be baptized again. 

That's the news this week! 

Äldste Denton 

P.S. In cases of rebaptism, we have been asked to refrain from including names, or pictures in emails home to protect privacy, but you can imagine it in your head. She was wearing white :) 

Elder Hambrick in the font we just got done sucking dry with a 'vattensugare' which directly translates to 'water sucker'. This serves as the relief society room after we put a cover over the font. 

Sunrise from our balcony, which is happening around 7:30 AM these days instead of 3:00 AM.

Gothenburg by night with a try-hard-model-pose. We were there for Zone Conference this week. 

Week 53 - Iv'e Seen Fire and Rain

Week 53 - "Iv'e seen fire and rain"

It was about this time last year I left the MTC for Sweden. We left early in the morning on the 9th of October and got here early in the morning on the 10th. So I've officially seen the beginning and end of each season in Sweden. From about 2 meters of snow, Northern lights and a few hours of sunlight each day in a small northern town to spring in Stockholm burning away winter with Valborg, riding subways, running to catch busses, beautiful architecture, and rich history to sunset at 11:00 P.M, wild fires, and the driest, warmest summer Sweden has seen in over a hundred years in one of the rainiest city in Sweden where I am now enjoying beautiful fall colors.

A classic western/folk song sums it all up. 

"I've seen fire and I've seen rain,

I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end

I've seen lonely days when I could not find a friend

But I always thought that I'd see you again"

Anyone? 

Okay so the part about the friend is maybe not so applicable... I've always had my companion... Sight and sound 24/7... I knew I'd see him again. But the first two lines speak to me on a personal level. 

Conference was great. I saw a few familiar faces in the MTC choir. That was exciting. Also two hour church. Haven't watched Sunday afternoon yet since it happened past our bedtime... But I heard there were a lot of temples announced. 

I loved the scripture Elder Holland used in his talk about if you want to come closer to Christ, you have to forgive your neighbor first. That talk hit me in the feels. 

We have an ad on Facebook market place for a Book of Mormon for sell (free of course). Well somebody messaged us about it this week. Woo hoo! We'll see where it goes. 

Hope you all have a great week,

Äldste Denton 

Switching for exchanges with the district leader aka my trainer and pal Äldste Cook. We took some pictures at this nice church. 

Current Companion Elder Hambrick on the far right and former companion, trainer, and  District Leader, Elder Cook middle right.

Week 52 - Isaiah the Savage

Week 52  - Isaiah the Savage

We spent a ton of time with members this week. From digging ditches, to a young single adult fireside about sexual purity, to helping ministering, to member meals, to visiting less active members and giving a blessing, to teaching a couple with the members that referred them present, to visiting a member getting ready to be rebaptized and teaching her daughter... And the list goes on.

Here's one kinda dorky thing we did this week. We had a super long bus ride to go teach the previously mentioned returning member and her daughter. 57 kilometers away as the crow flies. Unfortunately, busses don't travel quite as straight as crows. Since this particular journey is not too popular by bus, we were pretty much alone the whole time. So we decided to make a short film with our limited resources. It's all on one video and we just paused it and restarted it for new scenes. We got a little carried away and it ended up being over 7 minutes long... (in our defense, that's 57 kilometers as the crow flies, in both directions. The amount we traveled that day could have almost gotten us from Pocatello to Bear Lake) Wish I could send it, but it's over a gig... And also very bad. But yeah we had a ton of fun with it. Staring Elder Hambrick. Produced, filmed, and directed by Elder Denton. It's going to make us money one of these days.

We were asked Saturday to speak in sacrament meeting yesterday. We were also already planning to do a musical number. So like half the meeting was the missionary show. Then during Sunday school, we were all delving into Isaiah and came across a scripture that made everyone kinda chuckle. They read it aloud and explained that it was a prophesy for missionaries: "For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people." Then everyone turned to us and started laughing like "Haha roasted by Isaiah, let's all dab on the missionaries." It really hit close to home since we had both just given talks. It was pretty funny. We had a few people come up to us after and just say stuff like "Don't worry you guys have very good Swedish" and stuff to try to mend our broken hearts 😭💔 Isaiah is such a savage that he roasted us 2,750 years in advance, give or take. 

And here's just some thoughts from the talk/testimony I gave. 

Jesus Christ knows and loves each one of us. As our favorite prophet Isaiah also said "Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." 

I love the simplicity of the gospel. Jesus Christ sacrificed everything for us. His sacrifice enables us to gain everlasting life. With his stripes we are healed. 

That's about it for this week! 

Hope you all have a good one,

Äldste Denton 

                 While I was writing this, a double rainbow appeared outside our window

Here's a lake by where we live in Sjöbo. Really puts the 'sjö' in 'Sjöbo'. 

We bought a second hand popcorn machine off a friend. Now we are living lavish.

                                          Game Night?