With the new transfers comes a new companion, Elder Hansen! He's from AF, and actually went on Originations with my cousin Jacob and ward buddy Isaac. He's a really good guy, played basketball, relatively new to Sweden, and works hard. He and I have very different personalities, but I think we'll do great work as we go throughout this transfer :)

General Conference though, that was amazing! We haven't watched Sunday Afternoon yet, but every session has rocked! I had prepared some questions and got an answer to all except one: How can I stop balding? I think I just have to accept the fact that my hair is leaving and there's nothing I can do about it. If it's Gods plan, then it's Gods plan.

But Elder Wilsons talk about receiving help through prayer by acting yourself was probably my favorite. Most of the questions I had were answered in that talk. I'm very exited to put the principles I've learned to use :)

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is led by Christ thorough His prophet on the earth today. I know that as we follow all the teachings of our leaders, even if we don't like it, instead of trying to find out what's doctrine and what's just a personal opinion, we will receive the promised blessings. It's not blind obedience, no more than planting and caring for pumpkin seeds is blindly expecting a pumpkin to grow. The more experiences you have with the Gospel the stronger your own testimony becomes, and the more you can help those around you. For example, we have the 2,000 Strippling Warriors, who knew that "that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it. " (Alma 56:47-48)

This scripture shows that our testimonies can be seeded by our parents, but eventually we all must make the decision to believe for ourselves. Thus, after "the whole army of the Lamanites halted and turned upon Helaman ... I with my two thousand, did surround the Lamanites, and did slay them ... But behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them [2,000 Strippling Warriors] fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength." (Alma 56:52-56) Then, after winning a later battle, Helaman describes them as such: "And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power. Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually." (Alma 57:26-27). As this group of young men gained more and more experience with God, their faith grew. But their faith came from something, they first had been taught by their mothers. How did their mothers know it though? Their mothers are the Anti-Nephi-Lehites, they had experienced God delivering them from bondage to freedom (Alma 25-27). We need to use what we've been taught and test it, as we do so I know that our own testimonies will grow and we will be able to better help those around us. There you have it, my weekly musings. 

Hope y'all have a good week!

Äldste Wilson