Joining the Ranks, Departure, and Germany

Another Couple Join the Force here in the Sweden Stockholm Mission!!!!

Tuesday, April 12, 2016, we traveled to Arlanda Airport to greet our newest couple, Elder and Sister Mitchell, from the Cache Valley area near Logan, Utah.  The Mitchells arrived looking great and fresh from such a long flight.  They were supposed to be on the same flight with three new Sister missionaries, but due to Visa delays, the Sisters were reassigned to the Las Vegas West Mission for the next six weeks.  We will be so excited to finally get them here toward the end of May.  Pictured below, from left to right are:  President and Sister Beckstrand, Sister and Elder Clouse, Elder Hemmingsen, Sister and Elder Mitchell, Elder Archibald, Elder Weaver, Elder Bradshaw, Elder Kendall, and Elder and Sister Koyle.

Elder and Sister Mitchell will be serving in Örnsköldsvik, with special assignment of Branch support for the Branch there.  We are so excited to have the Mitchells with us here in Sweden and look forward to great things from them as they work closely with the members in Örnsköldsvik.

Departures are so hard!!!!

WEll, Wednesday, April 13, 2016, the missionaries who will be flying home arrived at the temple for their good-bye session.  Pictured below are: Elder Sweat, Elder Pearson, Sister Stetler, Sister Nielsen, Sister Griffes, and Sister and President Beckstrand.

 

A big shout out for a job well done for these wonderful missionaries.  We will miss them!

Final dinner for this great group of missionaries.  Pictured are Elder and Sister Clouse, Sister and Elder Koyle, Elder Pearson, Elder Sweat, Sister Stetler, Sister Griffes, Sister Nielsen, and Sister Beckstrand.

Well, after a no-show for the flight home, we brought 4 of the missionaries back to the mission home for an extra night with us.  Sister Griffes managed to book a later flight to Detroit and was able to fly home today, but these four weren't so lucky.  So, movies, games, and popcorn were on the schedule for them as they awaited an early 6:10 AM flight home to the USA.  Here they are enjoying a few fun moments together.  Sister Nielsen, Sister Stetler, Elder Pearson, and Elder Sweat.

 

Mission Leadership Council!!!!!!!

Due to the upcoming Mission President's Seminar in Germany next week, we held our MLC on Friday, April 15, 2016.  We started off with lunch form Pizza Hut and green salad, along with Ice Cream Sandwiches for desert.  Here we have Elder and Sister Wood, Sister Gardner, Sister Bateman, Sister Harkness, Elder Hemmingsen, Elder Johanson, Elder Payne, Sister Brink, Sister Banks, and Sister Crawford.

 Elder Bradshaw, Elder Carrigan, Elder Heiner, Elder Halterman, Elder Bradley, Elder Svensson, Elder Luke, Elder Liddle, Elder Larson, Elder Johnson, Elder Bailey, Elder Burton, and Elder Kendall.

More fun at lunch time.......

 Our theme for MLC this transfer is, "Keep the Commandments."  Our goal is to make sure that our missionaries are teaching the commandments for understanding to our investigators in order to allow them to fully take advantage of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  Our assistants, Elder Bradshaw and Elder Hemmingsen did a masterful job in teaching the "what and how" of the commandments.

We are always so pleased with our leaders here in the Sweden Stockholm Mission.  They are always attentive and so in tune with the spirit.  We are so blessed to have these great young leaders to help us in the Lord's work.  We truly love each one of them.

Mission President's Seminar in Frankfurt, Germany!!!!!

We were so blessed to be able to attend the Mission President's Seminar held in Frankfurt, Germany, April 19-21, 2016.  This was a great opportunity to be taught by our wonderful Europe Area Presidency.  These three gentlemen are so great and it is always a treat to be able to be with them.  Pictured from left to right are:  Elder Paul V. Johnson, 1st Quorum of the Seventy and 1st Councilor, Elder Patrick Kearon, 1st Quorum of the Seventy and Area President, and Elder Timothy J. Dyches, 2nd Quorum of the Seventy and 2nd Councilor.



Elder Johnson providing some training and teaching during the seminar.

This group of Mission Presidents and their wives are now preparing to be the Senior Class of the Europe Area Missions.  These ten couples first came together in June 2014 at the Provo MTC to receive instruction and be taught by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  We are still learning every day and are humbled by love, faith, and trust our Heavenly Father has in us to carry out His work in Europe.  Pictured left to right are:  President and Sister Ulrich, England Manchester Mission; President and Sister Ivory, Romania Moldova Mission; President and Sister Mathews, Cape Verde Praia Mission; President and Sister Weidmann, Adriatic South Mission; President and Sister Kohler, Alpine German-Speaking Mission; President and Sister Watson, Finland Helsinki Mission; President and Sister Babin, France Paris Mission; President and Sister Stoddard, Germany Frankfurt Mission; President and Sister Grant, Adriatic North Mission; and President and Sister Beckstrand, Sweden Stockholm Mission.

A couple of pictures of Bad Homburg, where the Mission President's Seminar was held.  Such a beautiful area of Germany.  We love being able to meet with all of the Europe Area Mission Presidents and their wives for a few days.  We always come away with renewed spirits and a determination to do our very best to help our Swedish Missionaries be successful in their work.  We truly are so blessed and so thankful for this calling the Lord has entrusted us with.  We will always stand with our Savior and testify of Him and His glorious gospel!