Hei Hei Alle Sammen!
Another week has come and gone, and I
literally feel like it was just P-Day yesterday! Time on the mission is
crazy...the days can feel like they are really long but the weeks fly by!
Not quite sure that that's how the time goes at home, but time just flies and
it's insane!
Monday
So we played volleyball last P-day after
e-mailing and you're probably guessing that I wasn't playing too great because
you know how I can't play volleyball, but I was killing it! And it was
probably only because I was being told by the other team I couldn't do
something and was getting sassed the whole way through so my companions and I
destroyed them:) Then after that we went to an appointment with a new
investigator. She gave us eplekake (apple cake), ice cream and solo (her
favorite soda) and we started talking about church. She was asking questions so
we explained what church was, meetings, what happens in the meetings, and by
the time we were done she was asking what else we could teach her! She
committed to try and come to church on Sunday so she is really
positive!
Tuesday
So we have to sing in church on Sunday...so
we practiced our song this morning and then ate lunch with the elders. We
are singing "Savior, Redeemer of My Soul" which is sort of a tricky
song, so we were hoping for the best! We then had an appointment with a
girl that we haven't met with in forever, so we were really excited to meet
with her!! We decided to give her a church tour and watch the Restoration
film. We started on the church
tour and when we got to the baptismal font she asked us what we wear when we
are baptized so we pulled out a baptismal suit from the closet and showed it to
her. Then we went into the chapel and the Spirit was so strong, I could
see in her face that she felt the Spirit. My companion played the violin
while I played I Am A Child of God on the piano while she sat in the chapel.
She absolutely loves music so that brought the Spirit as well! Also,
earlier when we gave her the church tour, she specifically asked us to teach
her the Plan of Salvation! So of course we taught it to her and she was
asking questions and it was such a good lesson! She even opened up about
her family which was huge! But this is the best part, we had mentioned
that we would be singing in church and she committed herself to come to
church! She is coming to church on Sunday! Also, a few weeks
ago we had given her a gold feather charm (she loves feathers) that I had found
in my black jacket and she has it on a bracelet and told us that she wears it
all the time which I just thought was cool!:)
This girl is just the greatest!
Wednesday
Today we had splits once again because they
wanted to have the companions of STL's be able to go on splits with another STL
so we had a new sister come to us while one of my companions went to
Oslo. We had two people cancel on us today and every one we tried to call
couldn't meet or didn't answer, so we were just taking one step at a
time. We did our studies and then went to the church to do family
history! And guess what family!? We're related to someone that was in the
Revolutionary War and Scottish Royalty! That Scottish Royalty is the
coolest thing! Now we can all wear kilts and play bagpipes because our
roots from Dad's side is from there!:)) Then we did 12 week which is my
training and we talked about the Book of Mormon and then it led into how to
connect with investigators and it was a really good lesson! Then we had
splits review!
Thursday
ZONE CONFERENCE! We had it in Oslo with
my zone and the zone that Oslo is in that I can't remember the name of! But it
was so much fun and it was fun meeting all the other missionaries! We
talked about members and missionaries and how we need to be equally yoked which
is so true! When I was at home I never even thought about how the ward
and its members played such a huge part in the missionary work. I never
thought to ask missionaries about who they were teaching or how I could help. Now
being a missionary, I see just how much we need members to help us whether it
be fellowshipping in church, coming on a teach, giving a referral, or simply
asking how they can help us. We talked about how it doesn't matter which
one pulls the most or who pulls the quickest, but that when we both pull
together is when we make the most progress. Then we had lunch and went over reminders for the mission.
After zone conference we had a Telemark Zone meeting where the zone leaders
told us about the Zone Goals for the rest of the year. 120 new investigators,
80 people in church, 20 baptismal dates and 5 baptisms. Those are lofty
goals but with faith in the Lord and hard work then why wouldn't it be
possible!? We came home and found out
our stove doesn't work so it was hashbrown mix in the oven!:))
Friday
Today we had a "Finne Fest" with our
District where we go contacting for an hour and the elders said they wanted to
go in the same spot and wanted us all to be in the Sandvika Sentrum. So the
elders rode with us to sentrum (they were on splits) and when we got to sentrum
they went left, we went right and off we went. The first person we talked
to told us that he felt bad for people like us, that we need to remove our
names from the church, that what we're doing isn't right and that we needed to
get on board with what he was doing and that we didn't actually believe what we
were saying. So what did I do?:)) Testified that the church is true and
that it is our job to invite because we know the joy the gospel brings, but
that we respect his decision. The rest of the time contacting we were
getting hit with how religions are man made, how God doesn't need us, how
parents shouldn't be teaching their kids religion, etc. We had a few nice
people and one even came up to us and we were so shocked that we didn't even
know what to do!:)) We also taught a guy who we are giving to the Elders.
He is 17 and really religious. We talked about the Book of Mormon and it
went really really well! He was asking questions, intently listening and
it was awesome!
Saturday
Today
we played soccer and it was actually so much fun because the people who really
know how to play didn't come:))) Then after dinner we went to the chapel
to watch the broadcast of Dieter F. Uchtdorf. We didn’t get to go to Romerike
because it was so packed. So Eldste Johnson who is over the Europe Region
spoke, Sister Uchtdorf spoke about the Holy Ghost and how it's the greatest
gift you can have. That receiving the Holy Ghost is like receiving a
compass or a tool and how we need to discipline ourselves to listen to the
Spirit. Then President Uchtdorf spoke and talked about gratitude at the
very beginning and if we are grateful then it will give back ten fold but then
he talked about....MISSIONARY WORK! Love that topic! It was perfect
because we needed help with member missionary work so now all the members are
ready to go because of President Uchtdorf! He said a TON of things that I
was scrambling to write down but a few of my favorite things were: "Be
strong and confident in your testimony...we don't force it on anyone, but we
don't keep it away from anyone", "Just continue on and do it joyfully",
"God takes the improbable and helps us reach the impossible" and he
continued talking about how the gospel is who we are! So good! But
my favorite part was at the very end when he just went through the pews and
shook hands/hugged everyone, talked to them and just lifted and helped in any
way he could. It made me think of Christ and how he took the time to talk
to, lift, and help everyone individually. Plus, the girl that I talked
about last week, that really wanted to see him.. got to hug him and that was
the greatest feeling ever...knowing that she was able to be there and talk to
him! That was worth me sitting in another building
watching a screen just so that she could be there! It was priceless!!
Sunday
Today we practiced our song before MMK because
we had to sing in church today! Then we went to MMK and then anxiously
waited at the door for the girl that promised to come to church to come
in. I was a little nervous that she wasn't going to show up, so when she
walked in the door I had to contain my excitement! One of my companions
and I sat next to her because my other companion had to give a talk, but the
girl was awesome! She was opened up to every hymn and read the words as
we sang the songs, and listened to the talks and then she loved our musical
number! Many people in the ward came up to us and thanked us for the
music, told us that it sounded like an EFY CD, haha:)) and that it was sung
with the power of the Spirit because almost the whole congregation was in
tears! You never thought I would sing in church!! I do all kinds of things on
my mission:)) After sacrament meeting I asked the girl if she liked the
meeting and she had told me that she felt something different, and I identified
that as the Spirit confirming truth and she said that maybe that was it!
She's making progress! Then she went home after sacrament meeting but
that was a start! Then we went to Sunday School and there were
students who were there to do a report for school, so there was a presentation
about what the church was. Then in Relief Society I sat next to this lady
and she pulled out a box of cookies and told me to eat them and put them in my
lap, so cookies for Relief Society!!:) There is a lady in our ward that
is American and she gave us a box filled with American food like Mac &
Cheese, Devil's Food Cake, Maple Syrup, Bisquick, etc.!!!! She is the greatest!!! After
dinner we tried to find this one person that we can’t get a hold of. We don’t
know what street this person lives on, but we do know the neighborhood, so we
prayed and looked at a map and decided which streets to go to. We didn't
find this person but we found someone that told us that we could come back!! And we found a potential investigator that
accepted a Book of Mormon and gave us her phone number! So even though we
didn't find the one we were looking for, we found a potential investigator and
the Lord knows where we needed to be at what time and who would be prepared,so
that was a really cool experience! I'm so grateful that I have the chance
to recognize the Lord's hands every day!
Monday
Today we did the
usual...shop for food and e-mail and our stove got fixed today so that is
really exciting! We're playing volleyball again today so I'll be ready
for the Olympics when I come home! Thanks again for all your letters…they
are like gold because we get them in the middle of the week! I'm happy
happy happy and loving every single second of my mission!
Love you all lots and
lots and miss you tons!
1-4 From our Zone Conference
5-6 Our sand volleyball court
7 Trying to catch a spider with the vacuum
8-9 New T-shirts from one of my companions mom!!
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