Travels and Life in Alta, Norway

This week was very solid!  A lot of good experience, tons of flights, and a lot of exhaustion!  On Monday morning, we flew to Trondheim for a Mission Conference with Elder Kearon.  He was extremely funny and the spirit was absolutely powerful.  I don't think I've ever felt the spirit for such an extended period of time in my life.  It was very much needed and very much appreciated.  During the meeting, it was pretty crazy because he brought up a topic of discussion with us about 'being real' as a missionary . . . not as a robotic person going around and not speaking from the heart about the conviction you have about the message.  The interesting part was when he pointed to me and said something to the effect that "you have something to say about this."  To which I stood up and the many feelings and thoughts I have had about 'being real' came rushing to me.  I was pretty overcome, as 'being real' is what I have pondered on my whole life.  I couldn't hold back my emotion, but only to say that I knew that we need to be real.  As I have grown up in an area where I was one of few members of the church, the most real thing that existed was the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  To be a light in a dark world is something that is empowering . . . especially in a country such as Norway - one of the most prominent 'atheist' countries.  It is a blessing to be a missionary bearing truth of the love our Heavenly Father has for us as His children.  He wants us to be happy and successful.  He just asks us to exercise a portion of faith to bring about blessings and often miracles.  I know that miracles do not cease to exist, and that there is a God who loves each and every one of us.  I am grateful to bear this message of truth.

Another experience I had this week, is when I went on splits with another missionary.  I flew to Tromsø early on Thursday meeting to conduct an interview for a baptism.  The young man was so full of faith and understanding, it was an excellent privilege to be part of.  This young man is from the Congo, he has been living in Norway for about 5 years and the stories I have heard about him are incredible.  He was told as a young man that one day he would find that truth and was advised to take it.  He believes he found the truth, and it brought the two of us together.  I shared with him experiences of the missionary work my family has had the opportunity of being part of in a tribe in Congo.  Many people are hearing the message of the Restoration of the Gospel from connections which were made over the past few years.  As I began telling him the story of the tribe, it brought a spirit which was very unique.  He was baptised this past Sunday in Tromsø.  He in fact did find the truth.

Here in Alta, the branch is small.  About 15 are in attendance each week (including the missionaries).  We have some investigators - the area was white-washed, so it's been difficult to get to know the investigators initially.  The people here are so nice when we knock on their doors.  We have had some positive success here in Alta.  Last night, we met with a man from Iceland who admires Mormons for their good work ethic and family values.  We were able to share with him the message of the Restoration and why our families are so important.  We scheduled to teach him the Plan of Salvation (my favorite teach) in a couple weeks, so we look forward to that.

A little bit about Alta . . . We are living on a farm with a family - a woman and her son, from the branch.  The son has a form of autism - but also has a perfect pitch in his musical abilities.  My trainee is pretty amazing at the piano, so they love to play the song 'Entertainer' at every chance they get!  It definitely makes for great experiences living here.  In the MTC, I'll be honest. . . I said specifically that I did not want to serve in Alta.  Of course, the Lord sends me up here!  But it's been an amazing experience thus far.  I am very grateful for it and it is a beautiful place!  I just did not want to be in the dark and cold at the time, but I am growing into my new calling!  It's the North!

I hope everyone has a great week!

1st Transfer to Alta, Norway

Hello everyone!

Yesterday was our moves call, and I knew I would be moving for the first time in my mission experience!  I went to attend a couple training meetings on Wednesday.  We woke up at 4 AM to take a bus to the airport.  We flew into Oslo that morning and had about 5-6 hours of meetings.  It was great to see the Elders from my district in the MTC!  It was the first time I have seen them since being in the field!  I have missed them a ton, so it was so fun to see them again and share some experiences.

As for the moves call.... I will be training a missionary from Hawaii!  And we will be moving up to.... Alta, Norway!  Unreal.  When I was in the MTC, I said that that was not where I wanted to go, but I have been being prepared, because I'm actually really excited to go now!  It's a great new adventure.  Something pretty cool.... it is the furthest North a missionary serves in the entire world.  So, I will be serving in the furthest north area anyone can go.  I will be training a missionary from Hawaii and I can't wait!  Wednesday we will be flying up there for the move!  Just in time for the cold season to start approaching fast . . . we'll see how long I will stay up there!

This week seems to have been a bit long . . . due to knowing that I was going to move and approach a new area, new calling, new companion, training.  I'm not nervous at all about it, more so very anxious and excited to see what we've got ahead of us!  I've heard the branch there has about 15 solid people showing up weekly.  I would love to add to that!  I love challenges and cannot wait to get started working at another.

An awesome story that happened from this week - I have been serving in this area for 20+ weeks.  I have been visiting a less-active couple for nearly every week since I have been here, and have been inviting them to come to church with never any success.  Finally, the last talk... about 15 minutes left in sacrament meeting they came to the last talk at sacrament meeting!  Unreal!  What a blessing that was.... it was all worth it!  They mentioned that as they woke up in the morning that they had no energy and had to force themselves up saying they had made a promise to us and could not break it.  They came!  Then, the best part was that they asked us to send the next missionaries who would be in our area to meet them.  They told us we had made a great impact on their lives and really appreciated it.  That was so satisfying!  I am so grateful for that experience and the feeling of accomplishment of seeing them at church on Sunday!

I know the smallest progress towards following the Savior and His teachings bring the greatest satisfaction to Him.  I know the Gospel blesses every single person who gives ear to it.  It is the most fulfilling work to be a part of as a missionary for Christ.  I am grateful for the challenges that lay ahead of us.  I know many great things are about to come from this mission.  I just love to be the Lord's servant!

I hope everyone has an excellent week!

Lots of Exciting Things to Share!

Hello everyone!!

I am so grateful this week! Tons of exciting updates!

First, my sister Stephanie is officially pregnant with TWINS!  After her IVF cycle, she is now pregnant with 2 little people!  I get to come home to amazing blessings after this great experience!

Second, I passed my driving test here in Norway!  This allows me to drive here throughout the mission.  It also means that I can drive anywhere in Europe!  I currently have dual-citizenship (US & French citizenship)!  So, now I will have a driver's license, and I'll get to take that just about everywhere I go!

Third, the work is so great!  We had many great teaches this week.  Great progress . . . people coming to church.  I taught a simple lesson at church on Sunday - glad that is over with (it was about work and personal responsibility)!  We also have a baptismal date with one of our investigators.  This man is an alcoholic.  A few weeks ago he told us, "I drink and drink and drink because I feel empty."  So, of course the gospel can fill that.  Just look up 3 Nephi 27:16 - "Whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled."  I know this gospel will fill his life, I just hope he continues to invite the Spirit into his life.

Fourth, I was told this past week that I will be transfered to a new area in the coming transfer.  I will be training a new missionary coming in and also assuming a leadership role.  I wish not to include the titles of my calling though.  I don't feel that it is something to post in a blog . . . but I am extremely excited for my new callings!  I continue to be prepared by the Lord.  He has helped me tremendously!

I love the miracles that I get to see.  I love sharing the gospel with others - helping them receive the message of the Restoration.  Joseph Smith was called to reestablish a perfect work.  I have the privilege to share that message with others and nothing has brought me more satisfaction than to invite others to build their relationship with a loving Heavenly Father.  I am grateful for my relationship with my Father in Heaven and I am so grateful for the work He has called me to perform.

I hope everyone has an excellent week!

There is Much Progress All Around

Today, is my brother Marc's Birthday!!  I just wanted to say I miss my family!  My brother Marc, will be turning 27 today and I am so grateful for him in my life!  He and his wife Kristen brought my little baby niece, Elise, into this world over a year ago.  I get to see the most amazing pictures of her every week.  I am so grateful for my brother and his family.  The example he is to me!  I am extremely blessed in every aspect of life!

This week was very rewarding!  It is such a blessing to be a missionary (it can be tough at times) but when you are blessed with miracles it makes it all worth.  We had only a few teaches this week, but what we did teach was great.  One teach was with a young Vietnamese woman.  We had not had contact with her in a while, but when we did reach her she was very positive.  She admires the work of the missionaries and enjoys learning about the gospel.  We encouraged her to continue to read from the Book of Mormon, so that she could come to find out that the church is true. We will be meeting with her this week.  As we got up from teaching her, we headed over to the 'gågate' (it is the city's main street where most of the shops are, so sort of like a strip mall down a main street, where we do most of our contacting).  As we were just walking up to the gågate, we stopped a woman to ask her if she's heard about the Book of Mormon.  I don't know exactly why, but my companion and I were especially smiling as we encountered this woman.  We usually smile, but this time it was so much she actually asked us why we were smiling so much.  We didn't really even know, but asked her if she had heard of the BoM.  She said she had the exact same book at her house!  We were definitely surprised, then she told us that she had found the book on a ledge while she was walking on the street.  She took the book home with her and it's now laying next to her Bible.  We were stunned!  Then we asked if we could meet her to explain the book, she said we could but not until September because she will be on vacation.  Amazing!  People are definitely being prepared to hear about this message.  Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to teach her, I could be leaving soon.

Another teach we had, we taught 3 elderly people that are around the age of 80.  We taught the Plan of Salvation to them and it was a well received lesson.  What a great experience!  One of the women had lived in the states, so I asked her where. She said, "a small city outside of Chicago - Dekalb, IL."  I was stunned. They even brought up Sycamore and I told them that that is where I had been set apart as a missionary!  It was pretty cool.  We will be teaching them again next week.

Another teach we had was with a mother and a daughter who had been on vacation for abot a month, so there was no time to meet!  The mother was actually the first person ever, where I had been present at a teach.  The daughter has more recently been involved in the lessons, but she seems to like what we share.  We started watching some of the Joseph Smith Prophet of the Restoration film, but only were able to get half-way through it.  We invited her to come to church and she accepted!  So she was at church with us yesterday!

Yesterday, church was pretty special as well.  Many of the youth went up to bear their testimonies about their experiences they have had going out with the missionaries on teaches.  The spirit was unique.  We have been striving to bring youth on teaches with us, even dedicated a Sunday to teach them a 'mini-MTC' and now they are all catching fire.  It's incredible to be a part of the work.  The best part, there is a girl, Mina, who will be going on a mission.  She will be putting her papers in today!  It's unbelievable to see how the Lord works.  She bore her testimony yesterday, and it is so apparent that the Lord prepares people to serve Him.  I know in my own experiences I was prepared in a special way.  Now, I get to be an instrument and see how He prepares others. I also had to get up and bear my testimony.  There is a possibility I could be moving from this area in a few weeks, so I had to get up and let the people know in this good ward - that I appreciated the examples that they were to me.  I also added that I am grateful to the missionaries who taught my mom, so that I can also be an instrument and a missionary to teach others who have been prepared as my mom.

This is a special experience to be here.  To be a part of miracles and to inspire others to receive their own as well.  I am grateful for my family, for the gospel, for scriptures, and for the many examples I have had throughout my life.  I am grateful for the Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement.  I hope everyone has an excellent week!!

Good vs. Evil

This week has been another sort of difficult one.  The work is hard and the appointments are not always followed through.  We do our part to set it up, show up, plan.  However, the adversary works hard to accomplish his work.  That, he accomplishes as well.  This message of the gospel brings peace in this life.  It is what we have to offer people.  Confidence in oneself, that a Heavenly Father loves each one of us and looks down on us every day, and tries to help us as best as He can.  I am grateful for Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.  I am grateful for my knowledge of this gospel that has brought an extremely different dynamic to my life.  My life and this message feel like gifts to me, and I am grateful for the opportunities that I have through them.

This past week, we met with a woman who was prepared to hear this message.  This woman has no religious background. Her name is Elisabet.  We randomly met her on the street one day as she basically asked us what we could teach her about Christ - that was months ago, and now we finally met with her.  With her no religious background, she has been prepared by our Heavenly Father.  She told us that she believes that her life has been guided by God through many experiences.  She mentioned that she sees this life and good vs. evil.  Not to mention a whole lot about it, but she believes there to be angels of God and spirits of the adversary fighting against each other on this Earth.  Such can be learned.

I know that there are people all around us who are ready and willing to learn.  We, as messengers of Jesus Christ, have the opportunity to piece together the puzzle that many of these prepared people have been learning throughout their life.  It's a unique blessing that I do not take for granted.  It's a testimony to me that this work is real.  We're not out wasting time pretending to accomplish things for an unseen being.  There is a God, He does love each one of us, and He wants us to be happy and successful.  The best way we can be most happy is by following His commandments - they are a framework and a guide to help us live happy, successful lives.

My Relationship With The Book of Mormon

This week was a bit of a difficult one!  We had appointments with investigators and some of them didn't show up!  However, we were blessed, nonetheless.  We went out and contacted and knocked on doors.  We did our part to invite others.  We knocked on a door this week of a Filipino woman who had just moved here about a month ago with her family. We were able to return later in the week to share a bit of the Restoration of the Gospel and to give her a Book of Mormon in her native language.  What a blessing it is to be able to reach languages from all over the world.  The Book of Mormon being translated so that all can come closer to Christ, learn of Him and His restored gospel.  We were able to get some new investigators and we are hoping that in the weeks to come, those new investigators will blossom into a more promising role.

As a missionary, you go through hard times.  You can have much success - family at home being blessed, learning a new language, new culture, learning yourself to a greater degree.  However, through all of it, there are still hardships that come. The only hardship I speak of is the let down that comes as people miss their appointments.  You have this amazing plan to teach people.  It gives guidance, assurance, peace, happiness, everything - but people forget about it because the business that life brings.  If we take a small portion of our day just to read, pray, and listen to the promptings we receive - life will be more simple, and more peaceful.

I know that this Restored Gospel is truth.  I know that miracles have not ceased to exist on this Earth.  I know that as we exercise faith and hope, greater things can come into fruition in our lives.  I am 2 chapters away from finishing the Book of Mormon again!  What a blessing it is.  The first time that I read the book, I was 15 years old in France.  One summer, we were there for a month visiting family, and I thought to myself "what can I do to fill my time?" I read the whole Book of Mormon that summer.  My 15-year old mind could not comprehend what it was even about.  I just knew I felt a spiritual strength and a desire to be better.  Since  that experience, I have read that book - I continue to read it.  Before my mission, I made a commitment to myself that I would read a portion of the book every day; whether it was a good day or a bad day.  It has brought consistency.  Now I find myself as a missionary, in Norway, inviting others to experience the same consistency and blessings that come from that book.  I know it is powerful.  I know it is true.  I am so grateful for it in my life and I hope that others will come to find the same happiness I have experienced through it.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Livet er Vakkert

Hello everyone!!

What an amazing week it is!!!  I will first start with an amazing missionary story.  Last Sunday, a family in the ward made an appointment for us to invite an investigator of ours to dinner. The family and this 21-year old guy have been friends for quite some time.  We hadn't had dinner at their home yet, it was actually through another member in the ward how we found this guy.  Maybe a little complicated, but two families in the ward know this investigator, which it results in the best missionary success.  So we had dinner with the family (parents are converts in their youth) and the investigator.  After the dinner, we invited him to learn about the Plan of Salvation.  After the first part, in which we tell that we actually lived with our Heavenly Father before this life, he responded with, "this sounds familiar" and that he had already believed that.  It sort of caught us off-guard.  They talk about 'people being prepared' but this much . . . So we continued through the Plan and answered many questions.  At the end of it, we shared with him 'his potential' as a Son of God.  He had already had the belief that we teach.  He was literally prepared.

So, our investigator went home that night.  Apparently, he talked about our church the rest of the night with his friend.  The next day, we had a sport activity in which he attended.  The following Sunday, he brought his best friend to Sacrament Meeting.  Of course, the talks were all based on nothing other than the Plan of Salvation.  The friend of his who originally referred us to him - gave a talk on that subject.  It was unbelievable, just to see the hand of the Lord in the work!  It is such an uplifting feeling to know that people are prepared.  They are our friends and neighbors.  We just need to have the faith to invite them, then miracles can happen.

Speaking of miracles to happen . . . My sister who was going through IVF, is pregnant.  I came on my mission to be an instrument in the Lord's hands and also to witness miracles.  That I am doing.  I am a witness to everyone that my Heavenly Father lives.  He knows us.  He loves us. He wants us to be happy and to have success.  We just need to exercise our faith in Him.  However big or small that will be, He will reward us for that.

Another amazing thing to report on is the engagement of two of my amazing friends!  Jessica Pool and Richard Mulnix!  That is another miracle which has come to pass.  I knew that it would happen, I just didn't know how.  Just as I didn't exactly know when my Heavenly Father wanted me to be a missionary; I started getting unmistakable impressions and now I am here.  I witness that our Heavenly Father only wants the best for us.  We will never go through trials that are big enough for us to overcome.  A scripture that has taken a lot of meaning to me comes in Luke 22:31-32. "After we have become converted to the Lord, he desires us to strengthen our brethren."  That is what I am here to do as a missionary.  I have been converted.  I know that my Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us.  If we exercise faith in Him and His Son Jesus Christ, we can become instruments in His hands and witness unbelievable miracles!