Week 95 - Surströmming

Week 95 - Surströmming

I crossed off one of my bucket list items this week and ate surströmming. We had a guy offer to eat it with us and help us prepare it the way you're supposed to eat it. He and his mom both love it and both ate with us. We started with the whole fish and had to cut a nice filé before putting it on some thin bread with potatoes, onions, and sour cream.  The smell is much worse than the taste, but the taste ain't too great either. Basically surströmming is just fermented herring (herring is a type of fish) and the reason it started was to preserve the herring to last through the off-season. Not many people actually like it, but it seems like a lot of people have tried it. Now I'm one of them.

We also had zone conference this week and it was a little surreal. We had it in the same chapel in Stockholm where I found out who my trainer was and where my first area would be. I remember standing up to give my testimony in broken Swedish at that meeting with my whole mission in front of me. Now I got to stand and give my testimony again with all but a couple weeks behind me. What an awesome feeling.

Today for p-day we took a ferry out to an island with a little summer town on it. It was pretty fun. On the way back, it got windy and cold and the only seats were outside so we got pretty cold. We sat in a spot where we started getting pretty wet from the waves and everyone thought it was pretty funny. It was like the splash zone at Sea World. We survived though and it was super fun. Pictures of that trip below.

Well, hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Äldste Denton

Week 94 - I'm On Top of the World (eh!) - Imagine Dragons

Week 94 - I'm On Top of the World (eh!) - Imagine Dragons

Wow what a week!

I hit a new record this week and traveled the furthest north I've ever been for workovers in Skellefteå. (64°46'02 N) It was great to be with Elder Ahonen. He's an awesome friend. We got some work in and ate good food thanks to Elder Ahonen's mad cooking skills. 

We also caught a a guy that we've been swinging by forever at a perfect moment this week and he finally give us his number and talked to us a little longer. He's a really awesome guy and he and his family have a ton of potential.

We also saw a guy that feeds a limp fox. He says she's not a pet, just a friend. Super cool. We also went to a cave today. The entrance was really narrow and it felt like you were going to get squished by the rocks.

That's it for me this week :)

Love, 

Äldste Denton 

Week 93 - Icebreakers

Week 93 - Icebreakers

It's been a great week. We had our live district council for the transfer and the sisters from Umeå and Sundsvall came and visited. Övik is such a pretty town. It's really growing on me. 

We met some awesome sailor guys Saturday night and become real chums with them. They were here with a giant icebreaker on it's way up north. The next day they opened up the ship for people to come aboard. We got to talk to them again and we got to meet a bunch of other really nice crew members. We had a great conversation with a curious military recruiter lady about God and our church. It was super cool. 

Not a ton of time this week but here's some pictures!

Have a great week!

Äldste Denton

Week 92 - Fwd: Robin Hood

Week 92 - Fwd: Robin Hood

"Sherwood, like the forest in Robin Hood."

My new companion says this whenever someone has a hard time pronouncing his name. It works every time. Apparently his nick name back home was Robin Hood too.

We've been having a super fun time together and getting a lot done. From helping the branch start with ministering, to playing volley ball or soccer with the youth, to just plain old knocking on doors, it's been a fun week.

Today for p-day we decided to check out an old church that is apparently one of the most beautiful churches in Sweden. We got close and read that it was only open from Tuesday-Friday. But we tried the door anyways and it opened! So we checked it out and it was pretty nice. Then there was a lady there who actually happened to be in charge of tours that was training some youth to give tours or something. We asked if we could go up to the top and she said yeah! So she took us through the organ (like literally through it... there were pipes on either side of us) and up all the way to the bell tower. There was a sweet view. 

We also went up to the top of a mountain in town yesterday where we found that there was a huge concert going on down in town. We could kind of hear it so we listened from a distance and made some friends who were up there. It turned out to be really awesome actually. Apparently there is a free concert in Örnsköldsvik the 7th of July every year at 7:00 P.M... In case you ever end up in Ö-vik in July, now you know. 

Well that's been my week,

Hope you have a good one!

Äldste Denton

Your missionary's new leadership assignment - July 5th - zone Leader

Your missionary's new leadership assignment - July 5th - zone Leader

Dear Brother & Sister Denton,

 

We are grateful for the service of your son, Äldste Carter William Denton, in the Sweden Stockholm Mission.  Recently Äldste Denton has been assigned to serve as a zone leader in the Örnköldsvik I area.  He is an exemplary missionary, demonstrating the work and faith which have earned the respect and trust of the mission.

As a zone leader he is in a position of sacred stewardship in the Sweden Stockholm Mission and can have a tremendous impact on the culture of the mission and the missionaries themselves. Thank you for your efforts in preparing Äldste Denton for this assignment.

Thank you for your continued love, support, and prayer on behalf of your missionary and the Sweden Stockholm Mission.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Youngberg

Michael J. Youngberg, President

SWEDEN STOCKHOLM MISSION

New leadership assignment for your missionary - May 26th - District Leader

New leadership assignment for your missionary - May 26th - District Leader

Dear Brother and Sister Denton,

We are writing to express our appreciation for your son, Äldste Carter William Denton.  Äldste Denton has been assigned to serve as a district leader in the Umeå Örnsköldsvik District of the Sweden Stockholm Mission. He is a wonderful and well-prepared missionary, and this added leadership responsibility will be a blessing to him and to the mission.

A district leader is a position of sacred stewardship in the Sweden Stockholm Mission as it can have a tremendous impact on the culture of the mission and the missionaries themselves.

Thank you for your continued love, support, and prayer on behalf of your missionary and the Sweden Stockholm Mission.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Youngberg

Michael J. Youngberg, President

SWEDEN STOCKHOLM MISSION

Week 91 - The Last Transfer

Week 91 - The Last Transfer

Well here it is. My last companion. My last area. My last transfer. I'll be staying put in Övik and Elder Gilson is out of here. He's been an awesome comp and I'm sad to see him go. I'll be getting Elder Sherwood and I'm excited. He sounds like an awesome guy.

We had a great week meeting with returning members and non-members. I really feel like I'm getting to know the members of our branch and it's starting to feel like home here. We helped our branch president move a bunch of wood out at his little farm. It was fun.

We also had a youth night where we played badminton and drove other sports. That was pretty fun. I love spending time with the youth. They are awesome.

Well that's it for me.

Love you all!

Äldste Denton

Elder Gilson got a big American flag and sunflower seeds from home. She's a grand old flag.

And here's us stuffing our faces with soft serve ice cream :) 

Week 90 - Midsommer

Week 90 - Midsommer

Hej hej,

What a spectacular week. We had a lovely midsommar celebration in a little village out in the country. Some people from our branch were there. We also got to go over to the branch president's house and grill with them. Pretty fun. They put us in charge of the grilling part and then they went into the kitchen. We did a pretty good job I think. It started pouring rain us while we were out there so they gave me a jacket to wear. It didn't have a hood... or sleeves... haha it was so much fun though.

We had some visitors in church from Saratoga Springs, Utah. The daughter of some people in our branch who now lives in Utah with her family came for a visit and made us all really happy to see some more people in church :) 

I also did splits in Umeå this week with Elder Ahonen. We went to the MTC together so it was so awesome to be back together with him. We had a great time and gave Book of Mormons out like candy. 

Well that'e been my week!

Hope you have a good one,

Äldste Denton

Here's some midsummer pictures, us painting as volunteers at the Red Cross, and me singing the Sound of Music because these hills are alive if you know what I mean.