The Second-to-Last Door

Hello everyone!

This past week was another one of those fun missionary weeks!  As Elder Skinner and I were knocking doors last night, he kept asking, "How many last-door stories have you heard?" and we kept knocking the last door.  It was just fun being out and doing some good work.

Something we recognize, is that the smartest way to do missionary work is through the members.  We hope to have as many opportunities as possible to work alongside the members.  When we don't have that chance, we have to go 'old-fashioned' style and knock doors.  Not the most fun, but of course we make it fun!

A cool experience we had just last night.  We were led to an apartment building - as we approached the door we saw a man who was picking up trash on the floor in the pitch dark.  We asked him if we could help him, he said, "No" but told us that he would let us into the apartment building door.  Nice guy!

We got into the apartment building and knocked all the doors until the second to last door... how many second to last door stories have you heard?  Here's one:

The man who opened the door told us that he was just turning on the TV to watch a rabbi give a sermon.  We told him about the Book of Mormon and he told us that he had a lot to think about at that moment.  He told us that he had gone to church that day and that he had a lot going on in his life.  We told him we would come back and share our message with him.  He asked us, "Is it difficult doing what you're doing?"  It was the end of the night, one would imagine that it is difficult, but when you're on the Lord's errand - it's really not.  It's the most rewarding thing you could ever imagine, especially when you're led to a man like him.

We will go back to that man and teach him more about the gospel.  It's incredible when you're led 'not knowing beforehand what you should do' but the Lord always takes care of you.  To be honest, I chuckled to myself thinking, "Why on earth are we led to this apartment building?" But of course, Heavenly Father's ways are higher than my own.  I'm just grateful that I'm able to be led by Him.  It's the greatest blessing I've ever experienced - to serve the Lord!

This week I get to go to Stavanger and be part of a very special convert's baptism!  I have been in contact with her for over a year now!  She is so amazing!  I hope that everyone has a great week!

The Work Continues to Grow

Hello everyone!

This week starts another week of serving with Elder Skinner!  It's always been so much fun serving with him.  It never happens that a couple missionaries serve together three separate times on a mission, but we both prayed about it and Heavenly Father definitely answers prayers!!

We've already had some great experiences together.  We were knocking on doors and eventually found a family from Poland that we will be teaching the gospel to in the next couple weeks.  Saturday, we were able to attend a baptism in Drammen.  The next day, we received word that two of our converts we worked with in Drammen had both received the priesthood.  One received a calling in church and the young man who was just baptized was confirmed as a member of the church.  This work really is exciting!!

On October 29th, we will be heading west for Zone Conference.  That night, there will be another baptismal meeting with a woman who I have taught/been in contact with for the past year!  It's been such a blessing to know her and to see her faith grow!  This work is so incredible!

In our mission this week, we have had 16 new missionaries come.  We had 11 of our sisters leave to go back to their homes (their group was nicknamed the 17 miracles - the next 6 sisters go home in a month).  It was sad to see them go, because they came into the field when I was pretty new, and now they leave.  It's just another way of showing me that my mission won't last forever and that it's soon coming to an end. 

I've been so grateful to give this experience absolutely everything that I have.  I have been blessed tremendously, along with my family!  I'm grateful that I have been able to keep a blog, so that I can share experiences of the miracles and blessings that have come in serving the Lord.  There are so many opportunities to learn, grow, and refine oneself.  I've just been so grateful to learn for myself all of these valuable lessons that apply to my life - the gospel really does change us!

I hope that everyone can experience that change and hope that comes through living the gospel!

Room in Our Hearts

What a week!  The time is flying by once again.  We had a 'Moves Call' yesterday - all the missionaries call into a conference call and we announce where the missionaries will be serving, their callings, and their companions. So that was yesterday, and this Wednesday we will have moves.  I will receive my new companion, Elder Skinner.  He isn't quite a "new companion" but more of a "3-Peat".  We were companions in the MTC, companions in Drammen, and now will be here in Sandvika!  It's quite exciting - he will definitely be a lifelong friend!

Elder Jones and I served our last full week in our proselyting area, he will be serving as a traveling assistant - meaning that he will travel to all areas in Norway and train the missionaries.  It'll be an exciting way for him to end his mission!

As for the week of proselyting, we spent a lot of days knocking on doors - some positive and some not interested.  We had the opportunity to spend some time in Stavanger, teaching a woman who should be getting baptized by the end of the month.  I have known her for close to a year now, and have kept in contact with her.    

She is an incredible woman who has had a powerful experience in coming to know the power of God, she knows that He knows her individually.

It has been possibly the most rewarding experience to watch her growth along the journey to baptism.  It is such an incredible blessing to be a missionary.  The Spirit helps to change the hearts of our Heavenly Father's children.  Our very own hearts can be changed if we allow them to be.  My testimony that this is real, is one that has come firsthand.  If we give room in our hearts, it will happen.  It happens in His time and in His way, but it happens!

During the teach we had with her, I felt prompted that we needed to share this very powerful movie with her:

The John Tanner Story

It's incredible to know that these miracles are real.  I know that they are.  I have been both on the receiving end as well as the giving end of them.  I am grateful that our loving Heavenly Father desires that we know of His love and concern for us.  I continue to hope that all will come to know of these things - they are real!

Have a great week!

"Come and See"

Hello everyone!!

Another great week here in Norway.  The leaves are beginning to change color and fall drastically here. The weather is beginning to turn colder and it just goes to show there are many "lasts" that I am experiencing while here in Norway.  One of those lasts, I experienced this past weekend - my last General Conference as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  The leadership of the church instructed us with incredible messages that help us seek correction and guidance in our lives.  They are absolutely fulfilling talks.

One of my favorite talks given from the conference was by Elder David A. Bednar - he was the apostle who just recently visited our mission here in Norway.  I am attaching the link to the talk so that all can see Elder Bednar describe why we are missionaries in this church:

"Come and See"

This is the very reason that I have decided to dedicate 2-years of my life to this work.  I have experienced first-hand the cleansing and healing effect of the Savior and His Atonement.  I recognized that the only way to really reach one's full potential is by living the laws and commandments given by our Savior and His prophets and apostles.  As we listen to the conference talks, there comes new goals and a vision of how we can improve as a child of God.

In the overview of our week, I'd like to share a story that helped build my testimony in the power of fasting:

Last Sunday, my companion and I decided that we needed to fast in order to help the progress of our area to go forward.  As the 'leaders' of the mission, we understand that the importance of our calling is to lead by example.  Our purpose as missionaries is to "invite others to come unto Christ...through...baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost."  Baptism is a very essential ordinance that we all must take part in.  Jesus Christ Himself, taught the importance in John 3:5 "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."  My companion and I decided we needed to fast that we would have a baptism.

We visited a family this past week whose children have not yet been baptized.  At the conclusion of our lesson, the father of the home said, "The children have an announcement to make...they have decided that they would like to be baptized."  It was a complete shock to me and my companion!  That week we had fasted so that the Lord would help us fulfill our purpose.  He did so by immediately answering our faith.

I have experienced throughout my life that my Heavenly Father knows me as an individual.  He knew me before I was a missionary, and He knows me as I have become the type of servant He would like me to be.  It is by submitting our will to the Father's that we find the most happiness.  He knows what is best for us and He will do everything in His power to bless us if we are willing to obey Him.  My hope is that everyone can experience the joy in knowing that we are individual children of our Heavenly Father.

"Flecks of Gold"

I really enjoy writing these weekly updates, because I get to look back on a week that is packed with hard work and pick out the nuggets of blessings that exist.  It brings to thought a Mormon Message titled, "Flecks of Gold" in which I'll attach the link:

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1157711224001

This past week, my "Flecks of Gold" came in rather large nuggets, actually.  We went on splits with the elders here in Sandvika.  I was paired up with Elder Crook and we had a great day!  At one point, Elder Crook and I went to a different part of the city to contact people on the street in the city center.  We saw a family walking in the opposite direction and so we decided to try to speak to them.  Immediately, we stopped the first boy on the way back.  This young Norwegian teenager told us that he had never heard of the Book of Mormon - so, we asked him if we could sit down on a bench with him and teach him about it.  He told us that his mother had passed away several years before.  He told us that he had had a dream that she was great and that life was better.  He told us that he grew up in a Christian home, but at times still doubted.  We testified to him that the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is a book that could help him strengthen his faith in Christ.

In this church, we are not trying to change anything.  We are only helping to strengthen people's faith in Christ.  At times, it is difficult finding people who will listen to the message.  As we patiently and persistently go about finding people who will receive us, we continue to accumulate these "Flecks of Gold", which help us know that God really does care about each and every one of us.

We were having a tough week - a lot of work but no results.  Yesterday, we decided to fast about our area.  We ended up getting two baptismal dates for a father and his son, and found four new people to teach.  It was incredible how the Lord knew what we needed and how to help us accomplish His work. He really is involved in the details of our lives.  It is most important that we trust in and have faith in Him.  I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father.

"Splits Magic"

Hello everyone!

This past week was capped off by the report we receive every Monday morning.  We get to see the results from the prior week, and this past week our mission had some of the best results we've ever seen!  It's so satisfying to see that the missionaries are catching the fire and that they 'get it' earlier and earlier on their missions.  We have some of the greatest missionaries here in the Norway Oslo mission!  It's been so satisfying to serve here and work with all of them!

This past Tuesday, my companion Elder Jones and I, went on splits with the missionaries down in Drammen. Two of my favorites, Elders Skinner and Halverson are down there.  It was a beautiful day in Drammen - we planned for a packed day.  As we were done planning, we realized that we hadn't even planned for lunch or dinner!  Our focus was entirely on the work and what we could do that day as a team!  Instead of making time for it, I just wrote down 'dinner' in my daily things to accomplish.  I was able to grab some quick food, so it all worked out.

The results of that day were incredible!  As we came back together at the end of the night, we were all pumped to have served together!  We had found new families, new investigators, taught new converts, done service for members, taught investigators in members' homes.  It was a full day of straight missionary work at it's finest.  In total, we taught thirteen lessons between the two companionships, and found six new people to teach!  You can never expect anything less when you're in Drammen and with those two missionaries.

It was the highlight of my week - we like to call it "splits magic" when we go to an area and light it up together.  It really is what makes it all worth coming out here and giving it your all!  I know that this is the Lord's work and that He provides when we show our faith.

I'm so grateful for every opportunity to serve in any capacity!  This week, we'll be heading to Trondheim for some splits with those missionaries - onto another great week in the Norslo mission!

By Faith of a New Member

Hello everyone!!

I had one of the most incredible experiences of my life this past weekend - I was able to baptize a man who Elder Skinner and I worked with down in Drammen.  He asked that I come down and perform the ordinance, which I was so grateful to do!  It was certainly a miracle and a mercy from Heavenly Father.  I'll write a little about his story.

The first time I called him down in Drammen, he told me, "you don't know me bro" and hung up the phone on me.  Obviously, he was not very open to speak with us missionaries (common).  What eventually happened, was there was a member from the church in Drammen who told us about his friend he wanted us to meet.  We went to this man's home - the same man.  This member told him, "I brought them to you because I know how important their message is."  From then on we began to teach him.

He eventually came to church, wearing street clothes (the equivalent of training clothes).  He has one of the greatest smiles you can imagine, and loved the members at the church.  He came back several times.  A few weeks after the initial time he came to church, he came wearing a suit.

We eventually began bringing members to the teaches with him.  He was not desirous to be baptized. As he continued to meet with us and the members, even eat dinners in members' homes, he became more and more open to learning about the Gospel.  The last week I was in Drammen, he was sad that I was leaving.  He told me "vi er sammen"... "we are together" I assured him that we are together.  During last teach, he accepted a date to be baptized - September 13th.

In accepting the invitation to be baptized, he had problems with paying rent.  He wasn't receiving help to pay for his situation.  He was struggling and was stressed.  We assured him that as he showed his faith, everything would work out.  This lasted for several months.  The day came for his baptism and still, nothing had been resolved.  I baptized him on September 13th, that very day he went home and found in his mailbox, a check to help him pay for his rent.  He shared his testimony immediately after receiving the Holy Ghost during Sacrament meeting.

When he was taught about the Word of Wisdom, he told me that he knew that our church was the true church of God.  It was through the Spirit and the light of the members that helped open him to this understanding.  He is completely a changed man.

I shared with him also the testimony of a humble member from my home ward in Rockford.  He is originally from the Congo and wrote a powerful testimony in Swahili for me to share with the people here.  I shared that testimony and this man said, "hilse på mannen som ga deg vitnesbyrdet." - "Say hi to the man who gave you the testimony."

This church is The Church of Jesus Christ.  I continue to learn that for myself.  I continue to see that the Lord's blessings are poured out unto His children so that we may know that He lives and knows us individually.  He loves us and He wants the best for us. It all occurs "one by one".