May 5^th 2014

It has been an amazing work week this week. Elder G, who has now only 5 weeks left, is one of the best missionaries I have ever worked with or have heard of. He lives very close to Bourmemouth England. It is in the south by South Hampton? So that reminds me..where did Dad serve exactly for his mission?

Like I said this week has been just incredible! We have been working like crazy! We are now working with a lot of new families & investigators. We have two investigators that are pretty solid working towards baptism on the 31st of May. Kapka& a man named Romelo. So it has been really exciting working with them! I am learning how to be a much better leader from Elder G. which has been very fun!

It truly has been a testimony of the power of faith & action (working hard). The power is in us all! I testify that everything is in our power, we simply need to act & work hard!

I have Elder S. info, so I will get it to you so you can see him & his family. They truly are amazing! I am so excited for you! He will return home in 5 weeks.

Elder G.& I have been loving the peanut butter haha we mix it with Nutella & put it in the fridge..very tasty & death!

I lost my voice this week, that was an adventure haha but it has come back:)

I have been diving into the scriptures more & more. I LOVE THE SCRIPTURES haha I love seeing the doctrine & studying &comparing:) I testify that as we read from the scriptures our testimonies are strengthened! Which is funny because Elder S. loves praying so we are like the perfect pair! Best friends forever:)

I am so excited to see you all Sunday morning:) On Mother’s Day!! I know it is early but it is the best time that works.

I love you all:) We will baptize! The church is true! The Book of Mormon is the foundation of our religion & it is true! Joseph Smith is a prophet of God!

Love your son:) He loves you! God loves you! Christ is our Savior, our Rock, & Redeemer!

May 19^th 2014

I thank you for your well thought out letter:)

It has been a very good week, a lot of things happened which were very interesting & I am continuing to learn & grow from the experiences:)

On Tuesday we had zone training & Elder G.&myself led, planned, & taught it, because that is our duty as zone leaders. A major focus was on the Book of Mormon & how we can use it more in our daily work. It was a very powerful experience:) We also discussed the needs of the zone & the most potential candidates for baptism in the month of May. Overall it was a very spiritual experience which I thoroughly enjoyed:)

We have been working very closely with Kapka. She came to church! & we had a wonderful lesson on the restoration by watching the short restoration video. We brought a lot of members to help out (positive peer pressure:)) & it seemed to be a success! She is very positive, quick, & she even prayed for the whole group! (There were 4 members helping us:)) so that was a huge step! She is making great strides towards her baptism on the 31st. Please continue praying for her specifically that she may continue to work towards her baptism & receive a strong testimony. 

Elder G.& I are putting are nose to the grind & just working haha he is quite exhausting! He is the hardest working missionary in the mission I believe. I have learned a LOT from him. We always talk & laugh & share stories. He is an interesting character 

We met with a lot of less-active-part-member families this week. These people are sooo amazing & so strong! Especially with the surrounding conditions, I know it is not easy & it has helped me become more grateful & humble. I should be more humble & grateful. 

I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon, without it, the restoration, & everything which came because of the restoration. We would be soo lost. Everything is so clear & simple. I testify that the Book of Mormon is the complete word of God. It contains the fullness of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ & is indeed the keystone of our religion. As I have searched through it & have prayed about it, I have received many witnesses of its' divinity. 

We need to read the scriptures more. I think too little of us can say "I read too much from the scriptures" haha. We should set at least 15 minutes every day to read from the scriptures & ponder the messages we read. It would change our lives. It has changed mine. 

I love you Mom:) I still have a lot I can improve on personally! But I am grateful I have each day to change, grow, & choose to follow Christ & help others. 

Keep the faith & hope in Jesus Christ! 

Love, your son, Elder Gustafsson:)

ps. Concerning the package: Just remember to be simple. I don't need a lot of food or candies but handwritten letters, testimonies, photos, & other special items are just enough:). Thank you for all you do:) I love you!

May 26^th 2014

Thank you for the wonderful email:) It is so exciting to hear about all of the great things happening back home with our family & other members of the ward.

My week has just flown by as normal haha it is tough for me to keep track of everything that happens in the week, it is a big blur but this week we had a special opportunity:)

5 Elders from Ukraine came down to do passport work. 3 of them came to work at stay with me & Elder G.& it was super! The great benefit was that I was sucking all the Russian I could get out of them:) During language studies I would ask about Russian grammar & such it was really fun:) I know some Russian now & it is not that tough but we didn't get a chance to discuss the case system which is the most complicated part of the language but oh well. It was a blast like I said & we worked really hard:)

We planned to teach Kapka this week & prepare her for her interview that she may get baptized on May 31st but on Friday, before Saturday, the day of her interview, she got sick & she has been in the hospital for the last 3 days & we have had no contact with her. So please keep her in your prayers, be specific! So we hope to hear from her soon.

We are working with another guy named Bobi. He is the father of a part-member family & he is continuing to progress towards his baptismal date on June 14th. We will continue to work closely with him.

Overall the week has been very good:) We also did an exchange in Blagoevgrad, which is beautiful! I would really love to serve in Blagoevgrad, Plovdiv, Burgas, & Varna. So if I ever get the chance that would be great haha:) They are all such beautiful cities:)

Our work is continuing forward! There is sooo much to do & not enough time. Truly the laborers are few.

My testimony has been increased! There are challenges all around us but as we humbly pray & search the scriptures we will not be deceived but we will know the truth.

True principles understood change behavior.

I love you Mom:) & I can tell you the lamb was NOT delicious haha I hope to not do it again soon!

Always is an adventure in the Bulgaria Sofia Mission!:)

Love your son, Elder Gustafsson