#46 20 started out real good!!

Hei Hei fra Drammen!

What can I say...this week has been another incredible week!  I know every single email starts out that way, but it doesn't change much when you are literally in the greatest and prettiest mission in the world!

Monday

Last Monday we ended up going on a hike with the Elders and it ended up being a trip down memory lane!  I got to see all the places that I hiked when I was a kid, and got to hike to the lake that I went swimming in countless times. The weather this week has actually been gorgeous and I've actually gotten tan!  So to all my friends that were laughing at me being white for 18 months...got ya! ;) After the hike we met with a less active and we watched "Mountains to Climb" and she is the coolest lady ever!  She is such a trooper and just meets life head on!  She always tells us that she just needs to do things "the viking way" and that will forever stick with me!

Tuesday

Today we had District Meeting and we were talking about Chapter 1 in Preach My Gospel about what it means to be a successful missionary and how to teach by the Spirit and how the gospel blesses families...it was a great discussion!  Then we had District lunch outside and it was beautiful weather!  My companions have already told me that I'm a sun worshipper but I've come to realize that that is a Norwegian thing...I guess I'm even more Norwegian than I thought haha!  But what can I say...I love the sun!!!  After that we went and pulled weeds for a sweet lady in our ward and we were baking in the sun and it was wonderful!  Then we had a dinner appointment with our investigator and a member in the ward and it was so much fun! We didn't have a chance to teach a lesson because  we had to get to the YSA activity.... but she has been reading in the Book of Mormon so that's awesome because that's the greatest tool of conversion anyway!  We went and played sand volleyball with the YSA down at Elveparken and that was so much fun!  I've gotten better at volleyball...guess all those P Days in Asker paid off! Haha!  But I'm definitley not ready for the Olympics quite yet...need a little bit more training!:)

Wednesday

Today our mission decided to have a selfie day and ask people to take selfies with the missionaries and use the hashtag #bookofmormonoslo, because the musical is coming to Oslo in September and so they wanted to get our faces out there so that people know who the actual missionaries are!  We were scared to death but then we decided to pull the American approach and that went a whole lot better because then they were like, "Oh well they are American...of course they want a selfie"  so we had a lot more success that way!:) It actually turned into a lot of fun even though we weren't a huge fan at the beginning!  We went to our dinner appointment, and they had a BBQ outside because you know...the SUN WAS OUT!!! I love this family and we always have the best time! We also played sand volleyball with the young women which was so much fun!

Thursday

Today we decided that we were going to do weekly planning outside...because THE SUN WAS OUT AGAIN!!! And that was just wonderful!  It was so nice to just be outside all day! The winters here are long and dark, so when the sun comes out you really, really appreciate it!!:))  Then we went to a family in the ward for dinner which was absolutely delicious and we shared the Mormon Message "He Lives" and then committed them to hand out a Book of Mormon!  So that was amazing and then we ended the day as we end every day...12 week!

Friday

Today we were going to have splits because they came Thursday night.. but then one of the sister missionaries had a tooth ache and had to go to the dentist right then... so splits didn't happen:(  So instead we decided to go out and contact and we were going to visit a less active,  but that fell through.  While we were out on the streets contacting we got a potential!!  So that was incredible!  I actually love contacting...sometimes it's a little hard to get going but then once I'm talking to people I absolutely love it!  Weird that I would love just talking to random strangers on the street huh! But then Sister Reid and Sister Sorensen said that my birthday weekend was starting so we had brown sugar and lemon salmon with rice and asparagus and fruit...talk about the most amazing dinner ever!  Wow!!!  So good! 

Saturday

Today we had breakfast with a family in the ward...and it was delicious!  It smelled like we were in America...eggs,bacon, rolls, pancakes!  Then we went to the church to help the ward deep clean the building and we were in charge of washing windows with the window squeegee thing.... and wow that was hard not getting stripes on the window...good  thing I wasn't thinking window washing as my career because that would've been a fail! After that  we had interview with President Hill which went really well!! Then we had studies outside!!!  By the river...wow that was so nice!  Reading the Book of Mormon by the river in Norway when it's all nice and green...that's amazing!! After that we started my celebration!! We met mommo and besse in town...and they took us to Lizzie's pizza!! ....then we had soft is and then went up to Spiralen which was so much fun!!!  I also got to go to the cemetery and put flowers down on my great-grandparens' grave. It was a great way to end the day!

Sunday

MY BIRTHDAY!! I was spoiled today!  My companions wrote a cute note and blew up balloons and then I had a wonderful birthday package from my family!  Every one was telling me happy birthday in church and two of my mom's friends  gave me  Dr. Pepper and chocolate for my birthday with a picture of me when I was little haha!  The ward spoiled me!! It was also fast and testimony meeting today...and besse was the first one to go up!! After that mommo went...then me!! I have to say we represented the family well:)))  After church we went to a family in the ward and they had made a cake for me.... and had candles and sang happy birthday!!! Sweetest thing ever!!  Then I got to talk to all my old companions that have become my best friends and that was a highlight of the day!  It was a wonderful Sunday and I felt so loved all day!  Then my companions told me 20 things they loved about me before I went to bed!! Wow...20 started out real good! 

Today

Today we are going on a hike with some YSA and the Elders!  I'll take pictures!!!

Thank you to everyone that sent birthday wishes!!!  Your love and support means the world to me!!!  Thank you thank you!!!  Love you all lots and miss you tons!!!


Lots of pictures this time!!!