This week has been another MIRACLE week! As always, GOD IS GOOD and I have seen so many tender mercies and it's been a good last week in Bergen! I'll let you know what's happening at the end of the email since I had to wait all week too:)
Monday
So last Monday we took a ferry that only took 15 minutes from the city of Bergen... and it went to who knows where:)) We took pictures and then came back haha! Then we walked in the souvenir shops and that was nice because they have so much Christmas stuff up now.... so it's fun walking around! Plus it keeps us from freezing! We taught a lesson with our investigator and the elders came with! We were going to teach her 12 year old son but he was feeling sick so didn't come out during the lesson... and so we just taught our investigator about the Plan of Salvation and it was incredible! It really hit her and we asked her to read Mormon 9 and then to pray about the Book of Mormon and she said that she would! The Spirit was so strong in that lesson and it was like I could literally feel my heart warming! It was an awesome lesson!
Tuesday
Today we had District Meeting and we talked about knowledge and virtue and then we practiced teaching Elder Jenson for our practical! We had to teach our investigator the law of chastity after District Meeting so that's why we practiced teaching:) It's so helpful to practice teaching because then you know exactly what you are doing when you are actually teaching the lesson! After that we watched the Christmas initiative and then it was time to teach our investigator! We taught him the law of chastity with Elder and Sister Jenson and it went super well actually! So that was a good thing! He is progressing towards baptism real nice! He is still working on not smoking but is down to just nicotine gum that he uses and he has been reading the Book of Mormon every single day!!! YESSSS!!!!! Then it was time for Sister Stolp and I to head to Ålesund! So we got some food and then took the plane to Ålesund! That was a sketchy little plane that we needed to take...I was thinking that those propellers were not getting us in the air but we made it even though I was a little scared! But we got to Ålesund and the Ålesund sisters picked us up from the airport and we drove to their apartment! They live in the middle of the city and it was so cute!!!
Wednesday
Today was a mission wide finding day! We were out for about 6 hours just banking or contacting on the street. I was with Sister Ogletree for the first part of the day and it was freezing cold... and we were hailed on like 3 different times... but it was beautiful and we were having great conversations and handing out Book of Mormons! Miracle story though...this is actually just really funny! So we were talking to this guy from Scotland and he was pretty positive but we can't teach him because he lives in Scotland:) Then there was this sign that says 10 kroner chocolate... so of course we go into the store! We talked to someone people at the store and then when we walked out of the store, we met this girl..and she had the Book of Mormon in Polish and totally knew where the church was and said that maybe she would come to church and so on! We wouldn't have met her if we hadn't gone into the store to get the chocolate! God knew that I would go into the store to get the chocolate and because we did... we met a prepared soul! God works in mysterious ways haha! After that I was with Sister Tew and we were getting appointments and handing out Book of Mormons and getting potentials!! We drove out to this city called Moa in Ålesund and knocked doors over there and it was awesome! Seriously so many miracles I can't even go into all of them!
Thursday
It was time to head back to Bergen so we got back to Bergen in the afternoon and then we went and visited a less active. On the way I talked to this girl on the bybane and introduced the Book of Mormon and then she took that and said that we could meet with her! Miracle find! Then we sat on the bus and we talked to another lady and her niece was a Mormon and she asked us if we could mark a page that would be important for her to read! Miracle Find! After that we had dinner with the less active and then we shared the Mormon Message about the sacrament and how important church attendance really is... and she was telling us about all of these "reasons" that she couldn't come to church and I was thinking about how absolutely nothing should keep us from church. Yes Heavenly Father of course understands us but that doesn't mean that He expects any less of us. I just love the parable of the rich man when Christ asks him to sell everything that he has and then he doesn't do it and then Christ says that there is not a single person that would give up everything and not be blessed in ten fold. It's the same thing with keeping His commandments, when we keep His commandments then we will be blessed ten fold. We went to visit another less active and we got there a little early...so we knocked on a few doors and we got let in!! This guy was actually a religion teacher and he had heard a lot about our church and we were able to introduce the Book of Mormon and just bear testimony of it.... and I think that is something that I will miss the most about my mission. Is being able to bear testimony in the way that I do on a mission. Of course I can still bear testimony at home, but it's not quite the same. We went and visited the less actives that we had an appointment with and we taught them about the life of Christ and the scriptures and they are literally so cool! He was having a rough day at work so he just started reading the Book of Mormon during work because he knew it would make a difference! WHAT FAITH!!! I have literally learned so much from the people that I teach and try to strengthen! I owe the strengthening of my testimony to a lot of the people that I have met here in Norway!
Friday
Today we were out contacting and we had given out 3 Book of Mormons in literally 20 minutes! I could go into detail about each one of those situations and what happened with it but I'll just share the last one because it's the coolest! He was an atheist and told me that if I could give him evidence that God existed then he would believe in God...so I just handed him the Book of Mormon:) He looked at me like I was crazy and I started bearing testimony about the book. I then told him that if he would read the book from cover to cover then he would know that there is a God... and he took the book and then might be contacting the missionaries in Oslo! Which is where he lives! But isn't that so cool!!! I literally love the power that testimony has! WOW! Then we went and visited another less active and it was actually really sad because she has lost all of her faith...we were teaching the Restoration and it was like teaching an investigator. But she had started laughing at the Plan of Salvation because it had been brought up and just saying that she had didn't believe certain things. It's so sad to see people that were once strong in their testimonies feed their doubt and become so lost. Hopefully we can help her find her faith again. Then we played sport at the church!
Saturday
Today we were out contacting and we handed out another 3 Book of Mormons! Again there were way cool stories but one of them I think had seen us earlier and was waiting for us. He waited for us to come up to him and he asked us what the book of mormon was and said that it was difficult to be a believer and to stand alone. He took the Book of Mormon and then said that he might be coming to church! He didn't really want to meet with us but no effort is wasted! It was super cool! We also met another guy that was literally ridiculing us on the street because we were Americans and then proceeded to tell us that if he saw something bad happen then he would go and help them instead of "sit here and preach our word" and that made me pretty frustrated. But then I was thinking about it and I'm acting on exactly what I believe. The Lord has asked us to preach His word and if I truly believe that, then I ought to go and preach His word. Then we did weekly planning and then had studies!
Sunday
Today we had church and it was great! After that we went to a dinner appointment with an old couple in our ward and another member and it was so much fun! We were just chatting and then we had a spiritual thought from Alma 26:16 about rejoicing in the Lord and being grateful! But before we went to his appointment we contacted and we met this lady who was just laughing at us. I asked if I could ask her a question and she said can't you give me money instead, I'm hungry. I told her that I had candy and I gave it to her and then she listened to our message about the Book of Mormon. But it was a testimony that service can really soften any heart and that being able to brighten someone's day is truly what gives us happiness. Then we had a skype session and went to the Jensons and then finished up the day with studies! Also, our investigator called us just to tell us how much he loved reading the Book of Mormon! He has been reading like crazy and tells us that he isn't sure how to describe it but that he just wants more and more! Literally, the Book of Mormon changes lives!!!! It is incredible! It made me think of the scripture in D&C about how great our joy shall be in bringing souls unto Him! Oh how great that joy truly is!
Today
Today we found out about moves! I will be moving to Romerike! I will finish training a sister in the mission who has been out for 6 weeks named Sister Madsen! I'm super excited for the miracles that I will be seeing in Romerike! So next week then I'll be emailing from there!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING! This year I am incredibly grateful for my mission and being able to spend another Thanksgiving here in Norway! I am so incredibly grateful that I have the chance to share the gospel with so many people here and I am grateful that I can rejoice in my God because of the gospel that I have been blessed with which really I owe every other blessing to! Love you lots and miss you tons!
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