"I can fix it!"🔨

 Heia alle sammen!

We got desks this week from IKEA! So we got to spend some time one day putting them together and it made me so happy:). We also got to then break a bowl and glue back together for a lesson haha so lots of repairing and putting things together this week:). Well, here's the week!

- Zone Conference! We had Elder Whiting from the area presidency come and visit us in Norway and it was super fun! We got to combine with some of the other areas in the mission which was great to see some missionaries that I've haven't seen in a while. Elder Whiting had lots of good insights and I learned a lot and it helped me also have good reflection on all I've done on my mission so, all in all, good conference:).

- MIRAKLER SKJER! Ok, last week we met a lady and her daughter on the street who ended up inviting us over to their home last Saturday. So we went and had dinner with their family and it was awesome! This doesn't happen very often and we got to share about what we do as missionaries, what we believe, and then invited them to church! They said that they would love to come and would like to have us over again! Woot woot! I literally can not describe how happy we were on the drive home:).

- Met a guy on the street who had lots of questions and ended up talking to him for 2 hours and then met up again today for another 2 hours. He definitely had a lot of life experiences that made it hard to have hope, but also believes strongly in God and in the Bible. So, we were able to have a good discussion, he didn't agree with everything we believe, but was very respectful to what we had to share. He wasn't interested in learning more, but liked talking to us and definitely felt like we were at least able to make a good impression and give a spark of hope:).

This week I was asked to give a talk in church and I just wanted to share a little of what I talked about because it had a little to do with what we discussed with that guy on the street. In the Book of Mormon there are accounts of many wars and many are lost and it was very easy to lose hope. However, at one of these times of conflict that I read about this week, the people were able to find hope. 

Alma 27:12"While many thousands of others truly mourn for the loss of their kindred, yet they rejoice and exult in the hope, and even know, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are raised to dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never-ending happiness."

Our faith in Christ is what makes the difference between despair and hope. That guy we talked to had lost that hope. He forgot how infinite and all-encompassing our Savior's atonement is. There's a reason why the Book of Mormon says the word "remember" so much. Remember that Christ suffered specifically for your circumstances so that no matter what happened, no matter how much worse it got, there would always be hope. There would always be a way back to pure joy and it's all through Christ.

Glad i dere! 

Hope you all have a great week!

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede

Pday hike

Got to break a plate for our lesson on Sunday

Zone Conference

We got desks!

Getting ready to knock doors in the rain

"Squishy!"

 Heia alle sammen!  

Who knew that there were jellyfish in Norway! Definitely was not expecting that one, but we saw a lot of them this week while walking by the docks and it was so fun! With that, here's the week!

- Bikes! This week we got bikes because our car got taken (not stolen) and have been sharing with the elders. It has been fine except for when walking distances become 3 hours and both of us need the car haha. So we got bikes this week and I am sooo excited because I haven't been on a bike in so long!

- Were out on the streets a lot this week and had lots of good conversations with people. One of which we talked to this guy for a long while and got to explain the Book of Mormon and the Plan of Salvation. At first he was not wanting to talk but as he expressed some questions and we begun to explain he slowly started to consider more and was much more open by the end. We felt very happy after that conversation:). We also got talking to this other lady who we ended up getting her Facebook and then she invited us to come and visit her and her family at their home! Woot woot! (This never happens so we are very happy:)

- Had a lesson with one of our friends this week that went pretty well. This friend has had a hard time believing that God is all powerful, so we sent her a talk by Elder Uchtdorf, "God Among Us", and it was perfect! This friend is not always the easiest to teach so we were very relieved that it went well:).

I actually wanted to share some thoughts related to the talk we shared with our friend because I thought it was very applicable. I've probably already said this, but here in Norway there are a lot of refugees from Ukraine, Africa, Middle East, etc. And so when we get talking to them about God, there's either two extremes: they do believe in God because He is their source of hope or they don't because how could there be with all the bad in the world. This talk explains perfectly the second belief. He explains after experiencing WWII, he saw that there was a God because of the good that was still in the world. That fact that there is opposition to all bad things shows that there is a loving Heavenly Father still fighting for our good. 

He says, "Yes, the world is in turmoil. And yes, we have weaknesses. But, we do not need to hang our heads in despair, because we can trust God, we can trust His Son, Jesus Christ, and we can accept the gift of the Spirit to guide us on this path toward a life filled with joy and divine happiness."

He sent His son, Jesus Christ, so that the bad would never even have a chance to win. Jesus Christ and all His disciples are living evidence that God not only exists but is very involved in the world today. There is always hope.

Glad i dere! 
Hope you all have a great week!
Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede

Sunny weather by the docks

Got drenched in the rain

Sunny weather by the docks

We got new mugs this week:)

Lunch after buying our new bikes!

"Wouldn't It Be Loverly!"🌸

 Heia alle sammen!

Ok, for those of you who don't not know, one of my favorite movies is "My Fair Lady". Now the reason why I mention this is because our ward put on a spring concert and a lady sang the song "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" from My Fair Lady and I had the biggest smile on my face after not having heard that song in a while:). Anyways here's the week!

- We spent lots of time on the streets this week talking to people and had lots of good conversations. No one was quite interested in learning more right then but it felt so good to just have lots of good conversations about what we believe and it's really nice to have people who are willing to stop and talk and listen. Basically, we felt that we planted a lot of seeds for future growth:).

- Church was awesome! One of the inactive members came to church with her two friends. We had visited her not too long ago and her friend who was with her when we visited was actually the one to suggest that they go to church so it was so great to see them there:)!

- As mentioned earlier, the ward put on a spring concert on Sunday and it was so fun! We got to sing some Norwegian songs and they had a choir and other musical arrangements. One of our new friends actually came and that was actually the first time we saw her in person so that was awesome!

This week I was reading in the Book of Mormon about Ammon and how he was able to help the Lamanites learn more about Christ. At the point of the story where Ammon was with the servants of the king, their sheep had just been scattered, and all the servants were worried about being slayed,  Ammon rejoiced and said "be of good cheer." Now we may not be where we are worried for our lives, but we definitely have those times where we pay more attention to what is wrong and let that discourage us. But here Ammon decided to see the greater perspective, he recognized the trial and scary situation as an opportunity to spread the light of Christ, and he did. It may be easier said than done, but through Christ any negative situation can be given a positive light. There is always a way to find hope through Christ.

Glad i dere! 
Hope you all have a great week!
Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede

Dead after a full day of walking because we don't have a car anymore.

Drove by a pretty field of flowers

Pretty evening by the docks

Walked home in the rain

The candle stayed alive in the rain

Ja vi elsker dette landet!

 Heia alle sammen!

- Gratulerer med dagen Norge!! We had Norway's Independence Day this week, 17. mai!! Crazy that it's been a year since last 17 mai! This year I got to spend it again in Oslo and it was so fun:). We got to watch the parade, take pictures, eat ice cream (required on 17 mai), have dinner at the mission home, and play lots of ultimate frisbee. Basically it's just one of the best days of the year:).

- Søster Whitehead is in Moss! I've now got my new companion and she is so fun! She is from England! She definitely has been helping me with my British accent which has been kind of funny because now when I do the accent I have the biggest tendency to speak Norwegian haha:). So my brain is going crazy, but we are already having a great time and working hard:).

- We moved! Finally got an apartment in Moss and don't have to drive 40 min there and back from Ski anymore, woot woot! 

This week before Søster Pedersen left we had a lesson with one of our friends. Due to some special circumstances with our friend we had to have a very hard conversation with her. Thinking I knew the God's Plan of Happiness, after this lesson I definitely gained a whole other perspective and learned so much more about His plan and His love and mercy. I don't know if I can fully explain what I learned in a small space but I will say that the whole point of the plan is that all can be happy after this life. It does not matter how complicated, hard, frustrating, or hopeless life can get, there is ALWAYS a way to happiness in the next life.

2 Nephi 2:25 says, "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."

And that is all made possible because of one who, because of His pure love and mercy, willingly suffered all possible pains, unfairnesses, sins, and afflictions in this life so that whatever the difference there is between us and happiness, He is there. Christ our loving Savior makes up all the difference so that one day we can find eternal joy in our Heavenly Father's great plan of happiness. 

Glad i dere! Have an amazing week!

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede

Morning Street Contacting

Group pic

Comp photo

Group pic

Group pic

Barnetoget (17 mai parade)

Barnetoget (17 mai parade)

"It's a jar of dirt"

 Heia alle sammen!

Transfer news! I'm staying in Moss! Unfortunately, Søster Pedersen is leaving but she's going to Stavanger which is so fun! My new companion will be Søster Whitehead who is coming from Bergen! I've never met her, but apparently she's from England and I'm super excited to get to know her:). Anyways here's the week!

- Apricots! So there was a guy who is Muslim that we talked to on the street a little while back and since then we've just seen him around. He's super nice and first time tried giving us food haha. But this last week we ran into him on the street and he stopped and pulled out two apricots for us and said, "It's what Jesus would do!" I cannot tell you how much that made us smile:).

- Got to participate in a little mini local concert that one of the members put on because she volunteers at a community center for refugees. It was a little hectic, but it was still fun and turned out well:).

- Didn't get a jar of dirt, but had a lesson with one of our friends this week. She is an old lady and is starting to ask those questions about what's going to happen after this life. So we've met with her a few times now and this last time she told us about how her husband visited Israel years and years ago and had gotten a little flask of water from the River Jordan. She then went and got said flask and gave it to us as a gift! Definitely was not expecting that haha:)

This week we got to share a spiritual thought with some of the members and it came from 3 Nephi 11:15. It described how the people in the Americas touched the nail prints in Christ's hands and feet after He was resurrected. In the hymn "This is the Christ" ir describes this very moment and how because of that those people were able to testify that this was the Christ. Now the hymn also states:

"I read His words, the words He prayed

While bearing sorrow in Gethsemane.

I feel His love, the price He paid.

How many drops of blood were spilled for me?

With Saints of old in joyful cry

I too can testify: This is the Christ."

We may not have seen, heard, and experienced what the people in the Book of Mormon did, BUT that doesn't mean we can't still feel His love through the Holy Ghost, see He hand work miracles in our lives, and hear His voice whisper truth through scriptures, prophets, etc. And because of that, we too can testify with true sincerity that this is the Christ.

Glad i dere! Hope you all have a great week!

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede

Pday hike

Pday hike

Comp pic

Pretty view of a church on the way home

Apricots from our friends

Frozen yogurt was on sale

"Knife!"🗡

 Heia alle sammen!

Last pday my comp found an old rusty pocket knife on a hike we were on and decided to try and renew it. So this week our evenings have been spent trying to scrub rust off an old knife haha:). Anyway, here's how the week went!

- On the way home one day we were walking into our apartment building and were in the elevator with a young Norwegian couple. The guy saw our tags and asked about the name of the church and then what we do as missionaries. So we got to explain what we do and ask them if they were religious. They said no, but were open to those kind of things. So, we asked them if they would want to learn more. They said yes! They also asked to get our number (best question a missionary could get:), mirakler skjer!

- Had Zone conference and Stake conference this week and it was so fun! I got to see members from Oslo and Trondheim which made me so happy! I hadn't seen some of them in a while and so it was awesome to catch up:). 

- Had another lesson with one of our friends about baptism. They aren't necessarily ready for baptism but we were able to explain the difference between baptism with our church and other churches and why it's important. It went pretty well and they seem to understand it a little better. They don't necessarily want to be baptized right now but they are willing to learn more which is good.

Ok this week has been a week of learning and especially after an experience I had on Saturday. I was asked to play a musical number for the adult session at Stake Conference and unfortunately, after driving an hour to the conference, I realized right before the meeting started that I had forgotten my music. Yep, panic mode. I ended up playing a completely different piece that I hadn't played in months and let's just say there were many prayers said. It ended up being enough, but of course I was not happy and felt really bad. Right then I asked Heavenly Father what I needed to learn. Well, after the meeting ended, a member came up to me thanking me and telling me that it was exactly what he needed and felt the Spirit so strong. He said that it didn't matter that it wasn't perfect, but it was that I had the Spirit and people could feel that. Right then I knew that I was never supposed to play the piece before. I was meant to play the other one because I had no choice but to rely on the Spirit for help to play it. At zone conference we learned that we are always learning. This experience testified to me that I still have so much more to learn. Can't say that I would always like to learn in a stressful way, but if that's what it takes to help become even more closer to my Savior, no matter what it is, it is worth it. 

Glad i dere! Hope you all have a great week!

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede 

Pday hike!

Got to hold chickens while visiting members

Knife renewing project

"Honey I'm still free, take a chance on me!" 🎵

 Heia alle sammen!

Don't have a whole lot of time so we are going to get right into it!

- This week on Sunday we visited a referral that we hadn't gotten very much contact with and we weren't sure how interested they and their family were in being taught. So we visited them and had a mini lesson and they said they would like to learn more! Woot woot! One of the daughter's names is Chance so on the way home we were singing that song in the car haha:).

- Got to help out with a primary activity which was super fun! The little kids were super cute and fun to interact with:).

- Had another lesson with our other friend which went pretty well. There are some things that they have struggled with through their whole life and it's going to be kind of hard to figure out how to best help them through Christ. So, lots of prayers.

- Ate dinner with some members this week and one of them took us on a little walk to see the sheep farm by their house and then on a little nature walk and it was so fun!

This past couple weeks I have come to appreciate the Plan of Salvation more and more. So, I would just like to bear testimony that it really all is through Christ that all things are made right. The world is getting more and more crazy and, at times, confusing each day. That has become more apparent to me these last few weeks and I don't think I've ever felt the comfort of how Christ's atonement makes all things right as much as now. I know that He suffered all so that one day we wouldn't have to be confused or lost, but would know what is true and what truly allows us to find joy. I know that through Christ all things will be made right and in the meantime we just have to trust Him and take it one day at a time.

Glad i dere! Hope you all have a great week!

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:).

- Søster Twede 

God Påske! 🌸☀️

 Heia alle sammen!

God Påske! Happy Easter! 🌸🐣Lots of people like to go to their cabins for Easter in Norway, so the streets were a little dead this week. But, that's just kind of how it goes with Easter I guess. But here was the week!

- Easter egg hunt! One of the members this week put together a little mini Easter egg scavenger hunt in the church for us missionaries and it was so fun. I even got some push ups out of it (can't say my form was great haha:). We all then got our own Norwegian Easter egg at the end woot woot!

- Had another lesson with one of our friends that went relatively well. We talked about faith and repentance and used Alma the younger's conversion story. Right now we are trying to help them gain a testimony of Jesus Christ which we thought was perfect with Easter season around! But then she couldn't come to church, which was unfortunate but just how it goes sometimes.

- Exchanges! Got to spend the day with Søster Beck in Oslo which was super fun! Oslo in the spring is so pretty! We did some street contacting by the palace which was fun. I actually met a guy from Spain who has friends that are members and is interested in learning more woot woot! He was just in Norway on visit, but gave him our church information so prayers that all turns out. This week I was studying Sister Runia's talk from General Conference which was really nice while heading into Easter. One thing she says that I had never thought of was how the Lord says, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." She goes on to explain how sometimes that may feel overwhelming and hopeless when we keep messing up. But we need to remember that one of those commandments is to repent as well. Going into Easter this helped me think a lot about the love expressed by our Heavenly Father. He was willing to sacrifice His son and by Jesus Christ laying down everything for us so that we could repent and have to the chance to express our love as well. We were never meant to never mess up, but we were meant to try again. Christ suffered it all so that we could try again and again and again. He was terrified to suffer all that He did but He was even more terrified to see us be lost in this world with no hope. His love for us is what helped give him strength to endure all and it can help us too. Through Christ we can show love by repenting and find hope in trying again.

Glad i dere! Hope you all had a great Easter and will have a great week!

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede

Spring in Oslo

Glasses swap with Søster Beck

Trying to go out and talk to people on empty streets

More empty streets

Trying to talk to people in the forest instead

Morning run with the Lillestrøm sisters

"I don't think we are in [Norway] anymore" 🌪

 Heia alle sammen! 

Ok, crazy last two weeks! Pday also got changed to Wednesday this week because we got to help out at a youth conference on Monday and Tuesday and it was so fun! Anyways here's the update! 

- GENERAL CONFERENCE! It was so fun to watch conference! Had a little bit of a watch party for a session with one of our members and it was a good time. Looking forward to studying all the new talks now:).

- Accidentally drove into Sweden. On pday we decided to go to the Norway-Sweden border and well Google Maps decided to take us a different way and next thing we know we are illegally in Sweden. Luckily, all was good and no one got deported haha. I guess now I can say I've been to Sweden:).

- Baliaden! This is the big Norway youth conference and let's just say it is a party. For the dance, they go all out and get very dressed up. They have a formal dinner and it basically felt like a mini prom with all the guys in suits and girls in formal dresses. I felt very underdressed haha but it was super fun:).

- Met a guy on the street who already had a Book if Mormon and knew quite a bit about the church. So we had a good conversation with him and by the end we were able to invite him to church in Fredrikstad (he was just visiting Moss)!:)

- Our friend came to church again this week but did not faint, woot woot! We also had another lesson with her and a member from the ward which went well:).

Well, this week I wanted to talk about one of my favorite talks from conference. There were a few I really liked and one of them was "Spiritually Whole in Him" by Sister Johnson. I had always heard the phrase, "Thy faith hath made thee whole" but I always had thought about it in a physical and spiritual sense together, not necessarily how she described it as just being spiritually whole. "I can be whole while I wait for healing if I am wholehearted in my relationship with Him." There is a person that we have met recently and they have been struggling to be made whole for a long time. Unfortunately, this "wholeness" may not come in this life and it's heartbreaking. I don't think I've ever prayed more for one person and how we as missionaries can help them because it can be really hard to feel whole when you still struggle in a more physical sense. But luckily Sister Johnson helped give some guidance. "All will be physically and emotionally healed in the Resurrection. But will you choose now to be whole in Him?" That's all it takes. It's always been the simple but powerful principle of faith. We can still find wholeness despite not being all physically put together and that is because of Jesus Christ. He has always been the answer to every question, concern, doubt, fear, etc. No matter how hopeless or complicated things may get, all will be made whole through Him. 

Glad i dere! Hope you all have a great week! 

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede

District Photo

General Conference kits for the Young Women

The border!

Some rocks-I think they are graves from a reeeeaaalllly long time ago.

Conference Party!

Serving food at Baliaden

"Love is an open door!" ❄️

 Heia alle sammen!

Ok, so it's been a couple weeks so we are just going to get right to business!

- Someone opened the door to the love of Christ!! That was probably a little cheesy, but I will say for the first time this week, I was let in the door! We were out door knocking and there was a family moving a big box of furniture outside their house, so we helped them. Afterwards, we told them we were missionaries and asked if we could share a message and they said we could come back in 30 min! So we did and we ended up having a full lesson and gave them a Book of Mormon and our number woot woot! Doesn't always happen that often but super happy when it does:).

- Got to help film a music video for Easter which was an adventure :).

- Our friend that we met for the first time this week came to church and ended up fainting in the hallway (crazy day at church).

- Saw a giant group of teenage girls dressed up as nuns run through the streets advertising for the Sister Act play haha.

Ok, so lately my comp and I have been asking people how they find peace and comfort in their lives. With many refugees from Ukraine, Middle East, Africa, etc. it has been very interesting to hear some people's responses. one of which I would like to tell about. We were door knocking and a man opens the door and as usual we say that we are missionaries and we ask him this question. The man went very quiet and then said that he couldn't answer. We then said that as missionaries we like to help others find peace through a message of Jesus Christ. Turns out this man had been looking for peace for 4 years and had no hope in finding it and still had very little hope as we talked with him. We ended up giving him the Book of Mormon promising that it will help. He took it and thanked us sincerely. We have not seen him since but I've thought a lot about that interaction. This is was one of the very few times that someone actually had said that they needed help finding peace. As I've been reading in the Book of Mormon and have learned more about Christ, it has helped me know that He really is the Prince of Peace. He suffered all amounts of chaos and contention so that we could have eternal peace. It is through Him that we can always find stillness whether after the storm or during.

Glad i dere! Hope you all have a great week!

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede

Music video-behind the scenes

Studies at the library

Early morning car service-so breakfast at the grocery store

Out doing member visits

Pretty golden hour

Pretty golden hour

Zone pday