Monday, October 10, 2016

#16 I should be on a cooking show!





Hei Hei Alle Sammen! 
So this week was quite the week!  Trying to be a full time missionary and move apartments is not exactly what I would say an easy task, but my companion and I made it out alive so all is well! 
Monday
So guess what family and friends!? I MADE SALMON!  Yep!  I had no idea what in the world I was doing so I just kind of winged it, and ta dah!! the salmon was delicious!  So we had salmon, rice and cooked carrots!  I should basically be on a cooking show because I was killing it!  Then after dinner we spent the rest of the day trying to call people to set up appointments for the week and trying to get members to come with us on teaches! So that was that!
Tuesday
Today we had District Meeting and we talked about listening and what an important role that plays in our missionary work, whether it's listening to our companions as they are teaching or our investigators.  Listening is key!  Then we had District lunch and then we went and visited my favorite person!  I talked about her last week as well, she is just incredibly strong and knows what it means to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  We decided to share Alma 26:12 with her, and as soon as she read it she just broke down and cried and started explaining to us how much she loves the gospel!  She is incredibly passionate about the gospel and any time she begins talking about the gospel in any aspect, she begins to cry because she is just so grateful!  I have never met anyone that dedicated to the gospel and it blows me away every single time we visit her!  I wish you all could meet her!  Then we went and visited another lady and it was a shorter visit, but we decided to also share Alma 26:12 with her!  It was a good visit and we are excited to meet with her again this coming week!   
Wednesday
The first part of the day we were moving things into our new apartment and trying to unpack as we wen,t so by the time the beds and desks got there then everything else would be settled in!  So then we had a dinner appointment with another incredible investigator, and we brought eplekake (apple cake) that I made!  Mom, you would've been so proud!  It was BEAUTIFUL! I didn't have time to take a picture of it because we were trying to get out the door:)  But even our investigator was saying that you would be proud because it tasted delicious too!  There you go Mom!  But anyway, our investigator made us some Greek food that was actually delicious!  It was potatoes, meat, and it was in a casserole type thing and salad!  So good!  We decided to teach her a little bit about prayer so we started off by sharing Alma 37:37 which is one of my favorite scriptures!  I read it once and the minute I was done she asked if I could read it again because she thought it was so beautiful, and that really stuck out to me!  How often are we reading our scriptures and just reading to read or to check it off for the day? The Book of Mormon wasn't written for the Nephites or the Lamanites, or the Jaredites, or the Ammonites, or the Amulekites, or any other ite but for us!  Next time you're reading the scriptures, imagine it being the first time...pretend that you have never read it before and you just now stumbled upon the words that are written.  Let it fill you up, truly feast!  We continued to teach her about prayer and we had shared some experiences that we had had in our lives about prayer and she was asking questions and it was great!  Then she had asked me a question and I had broken it down into a simple way of explaining it which is usually what I end up doing in all my lessons...but when I was done she gave the greatest compliment ever! I was so touched! She told me that I had a way of teaching things that just made it sound so simple, and that it was so easy to understand. The gospel isn't complicated, it doesn't need to be and it shouldn't.  Nephi says multiple times in the scriptures that, " I delight in the plainness" so we shouldn't be trying to make it the hardest, most complex thing that it just far too difficult for anyone to understand. It is simple and I love it!
Thursday
3 MONTH MARK!!!  I've been on my mission for 3 months!!  Is that not the craziest thing!?! Time literally just flies and I'm not even sure I even know what time is anymore.  I'm pretty sure it doesn't even exist on a mission!  The days are long, but the weeks fly and that doesn't even make logical sense but you know..it happens!  We had a few investigators cancel on us today so we spent a few hours trying to pack,unpack, clean and move the last few things over before the big things got moved over on Friday!  But while we were unpacking, cleaning, etc. a miracle happened!  One of our investigators texted us!  We haven't heard from this person in a month and a half and she texted us!  We have contact again!!!!!  That is so, so, so exciting!! Then we went and taught our cute 10 year old about the prophets and commandments.  We were trying to help her to make the commitment to pray and read her scriptures so what do you do when a 10 year old needs help making a commitment...tell her that if she does it we will have candy for her next time!  Bingo!  So we told her that that's what we would do and then we will play soccer with her for a little bit after our lesson!  She is so excited and we love teaching her!  Then we taught another investigator with a member and we went over Family History!  He was so excited to do the work and had already started gathering information about his family before our lesson, which was awesome!  There is nothing better than seeing your investigators progressing!  Every little thing, and every big thing is so exciting!  
Friday
Today was moving day and also the craziest day ever!  We got help from the AP's, the Elders, and the missionary couple, and we were done with moving stuff to and from by 11:30!  So then we changed into our church clothes and drove to a town up north to have a lesson with an investigator.  She was so sweet and made us lunch and then we finished up the Plan of Salvation!  She is still such a positive investigator and is still pressing forward to her baptismal date!!  We then drove back home and went to go pick up a member to come on a teach with us to go and teach the girl that texted us!  We taught her the Plan of Salvation!  It was probably the best lesson we have ever had with her!  She was opening up and talking to us, and every single time our member friend began talking or bearing her testimony, our investigator was fully focused and intently listening!  Having members present for lessons is so powerful,l so if the missionaries need you...please, please, go help them!  You have no idea what it does for the investigators and for the missionaries!  Such a great lesson!  Then after that lesson, we dropped our member friend off, and went to pick up the Elders to go do service. We carried wood from the parking garage  up to her 4th floor apartment!  That was quite the workout!  But service is always so much fun...even if it is just carrying wood!!  
Saturday
So today we played soccer as usual and you know...I'm still absolutely terrible at it, but it's still a lot of fun!  Then we went and got ready to go to Drammen!  So first off, there is a girl that knows my companion that lives in Ålesund…and she came down to Drammen to give a talk at the stake conference. So we met up with them and talked to her and her mom and then we went over to mommo and besse’s (grandma and grandpa’s)house. I had to go take pictures of the playground that I literally was at every single day when we visited..so I will be sending those!  But we went and had dinner with them and it was delicious!!!   Then we went to stake conference and I saw so many people that all knew me! It was so, so fun to talk to them all!!  Besse’s  talk was phenomenal!! It was so, so, so good and I'm so grateful that I had the chance to go!! (Her grandpa got baptized four months ago)  I couldn't even hold the tears in so I was a cry baby...you know I think that's a thing that comes with being a sister missionary..you just cry!  But it was so good!  
Sunday
Today we had church and guess who had to translate? Yep, me!  And do you think the headset worked? No. So do you think I had to go sit behind the people and translate for them? Yep! Talk about a little nerve racking.. I was able to do it but it was definitely tricky!  It's a little bit of a challenge to listen to Norwegian and have to switch it to English quickly.. and there were plenty of times when I caught myself saying a word in Norwegian and then realized that they wouldn't have a clue what that was...but I survived!  Then we had choir practice and then ate at the missionary couple’s house and made cod!  They taught us how to make everything! I was actually cooking some food! The dinner was delicious!
Today
Today we have eaten lunch yet, and now we're emailing!  We're going to go to Sandvika sentrum later and then play ping pong after that!  We also have a Family Home Evening appointment tonight which I'm so excited for!

Love you all so much and miss you tons!! I look forward to hear from you all!! 








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