June 8th letter

Well, back here in "The States" there has been a lot going on with Elder Arko's family. His niece, Britlee, just had her 2nd birthday and although Elder Arko wasn't there to celebrate, his tape that he sent her and post card were much appreciated. He expressed his desire to be with the whole family like that and looks forward to the next time he is able to be a part of it!

From Britlee: Hey Uncle Jeff! I had the bestest birthday ever! First, I got to go to the Zoo with Mom, Dad, Paizee, Den, and C. It was so much fun!

Then we get to the good stuff...

I got a back-a-pack (that's what I call it) from Ben, Den, Dave, and C (that even holds my wa-wa)A camping chair from Mom & Dad (that also holds my wa-wa)
And a tricycle from Papa and Nana! Now, can you promise to keep a secret? Don't tell anyone else, but my favorite birthday present was hearing your voice on the tape you sent me and the post card from you that Mom read to me. I love you!

Okay on to Elder Arko's Letter! He expressed how weird it is that his cousin, Pat, is graduated from highschool and still thinks that he will be called to serve in Sweden as well. Hmmm, I don't know if any one country can handle 2 Arko missionaries at once, but we'll see.

So Elder Arko has recently tried to step up his boldness and strikes up conversations with people on buses or trains, which people don't usually do in Sweden. Teaching would be better if they could keep appointments though. This past week, they had 4 appointments fall through so that wasn't fun for them at all.

He says the language is getting better for him. They had a fireside on June 7th in Göteberg and after the singing of the missionary choir and the talks they had some food to break ther fast and people just sat around chatting. He even got a few compliments on how good his Swedish is for only being there a month. It's weird and crazy for him to think that he's already been there a month!

He's learning a lot of patience and love for the people that he's serving since most of the time they won't even break their stride when he tries to stop and talk to them. Elder Arko says it's when he just feels like giving up that the Lord throws him a bone and says, 'Hey look, it's really all worth it.'

Lennert, a ward member, is a great blessing to Elder Arko and the other missionaries. He is always ready and willing to help the missionaries in any way he can. If they don't have dinner scheduled with a member one night, he tells them to go to his house and he'll feed them. Thank you Lennert for keeping our son/grandson/brother/cousin/nephew/uncle fed! It's people like you who make it so the Mother's of these missionaries can sleep at night! Elder Arko and Elder Stocks might start teaching Lennert's brother soon, so he's useful for referrals and food. What more could a missionary want?

Now, here are some pictures of Elder Arko in Borås where he went on splits last Thursday with Elder Argyle who arrived in Sweden when Elder Arko did. Two greenies on the loose in Sweden...yikes!

Here are a few horses in the fields as they were heading up to Tröllhatton for a District Meeting

And now some crazy pieces of art

Brilliant!

A bunny that reminds Elder Arko of Pikachu from Pokemon. Yep, he's still a kid at heart!

And finally, a picture of his desk...hasn't changed much in the "tidy" department as you can see

It looks like the companion wins the "whose side is cleaner" game this time!
And finally, Elder Arko enjoys Swedish ice cream as well as Kebabs. He said he's not sure what exactly a kabab is, but knows it's some kind of meat! That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by and SEND ELDER ARKO A LETTER!!