"There you go"

 Heia alle sammen!

Ok, I don't have a whole lot of time so we are going to do a quick version this week!

- Birthday party with a family in the ward who is from Spain and we had quite a crazy time involving Spanish songs karaoke, Just Dance, and Greek dances because another member that was there was from Greece! I just kept thinking of Big Fat Greek Wedding as we all stood in a circle and danced around haha:).

- Zone conference was awesome! President's cousin, Pete, came to teach us more about how we can best interact with people and notice social cues which was super cool. Overall was a great conference!

- Was doing some door knocking and 2 families said we could come back! Woot woot!

Ok, this week I was studying a little bit more on 2 Nephi 9:39 where is says "spiritually minded is life eternal." SMILE:). When we are spiritually minded, it allows us to think of the big picture. It has been said that happier people live longer. Now just regular happiness can add on some years, but celestial joy can add on eternity.  There is power in remembering that everything will and is working out for our eternal joy. Never estimate that power of not just any smile but a smile that allows us to see the hand of Christ in our lives:).

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

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede

"Ok what's the plan what's the plan???" "Ummmm" "You don't have a plan?!?!" 🐉

 Heia alle sammen!

Mushu basically described my life this week (haha) so here's how it all turned out!

- Mirakler skjer! Ok long story we'll try to make short, but basically when we first got to Moss, there was an inactive member in the ward that we were told to visit. Her family had very little contact with her, so we didn't have a whole lot of info other than to go by the spirit:). So we tried visiting her and she wasn't there, so we tried again another day and she was literally sitting right on the porch steps. We ended up talking to her for a little while and by the end she was saying that she would like to come to church, woot woot! So we arranged a ride for her and she came! Apparently, she hadn't been to church in 40 years and members and especially her family were shocked, but so happy to see her:). There was definitely a lot more that went into this miracle, but just know that we got to witness a big one in Moss on Sunday:).

- Exchanges! Got to spend the day with Søster Fischer in Lillestrøm on Friday and it was so fun! We did some spontaneous acts of service on the street and some door knocking in the rain:). I just love Søster Fischer and it was so fun to go on exchanges with her:).

- This week we also got to meet up with a girl we met on the street which was super fun. She asked a lot of questions about what we do as missionaries and thought it was very interesting. We asked if she was religious and she wasn't too much, but is pretty open to other things. We ended up inviting her to church and she said might come sometime so that was good! 

This week, I already mentioned our huge miracle on Sunday.  Like I said, there was a lot more that went into it, but there is one aspect that I wanted to talk about. We really had no idea what we were going to do or say when we went to visit her. The only information/advice we had was to go by the Spirit. It reminded me of when Nephi went to go get the plates from Laban. He had already failed twice and had no idea how things were going to work out now, but he knew that they would turn out. One member at church said that there is a saying in German that essentially means that all things end well and if it's not well, it's not done. From what it sounds like, this lady's family situation has been a little complicated in the past and not always great. But I cannot tell you how happy she and her family were to see each other at church on Sunday. How much do we feel like Nephi where maybe you go into sticky situations not knowing what you're going to do, but at the same time you know you have to do something? The key is to remember that through Christ all things will end well. Hope is never lost because of Christ. Families can and will be united because of Him. We just have to keep taking that step of faith, one at a time, and remember that all will be well. 

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

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede

Exchanges with Søster Fischer

It's been really foggy lately

Random pretty spot in Moss

Car wash

"You have to get a hair." "A hair???" "Yeah...an elephant hair." 🐘

 Heia alle sammen!

Well, I did not get an elephant hair like Tarzan but we did find one in Moss this week which was kind of fun haha:). Here's the week!

- This week we had dinner with a family friend, Kjell also known as Eddie! He is in the ward that I serve in now, so it was super fun to see and catch up with him:). I also got to see some more familiar faces at church which was also super fun! The branch president and his wife from Bodø were in Moss and so I got to see them and then also one of the young adults that I served around when I was in Oslo:). So it was a fun week seeing some people again:).

- We were out talking to someone on the street this week and this one guy we started talking to actually had met missionaries a while back and gotten a Book of Mormon from them. We asked him what He thought and he said he hadn't read it in a while, but thought he probably should after meeting us so I guess we'll see how that goes:).

- Got to join a lesson with one of the Elder's friends on Sunday which went really well! She is super sweet and we ended up talking about baptism towards the end and she seemed very open to the idea so I guess we will see what happens at our next lesson:).

This week my comp and I were approached by a man who had some questions about our church. We did our best to answer his questions but by the end he was not convinced of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. I've realized more and more that it's not always easy for people to just simply believe that Joseph was a prophet and that through God's power he was able to translate the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. With that in mind, I was reading in 2 Nephi 31-33 this week and in chapter 33 it mentions so much about Christ and that these are His words. 

"If ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good." (Verse 10) 

When it comes down to it, the only question that matters is if you believe in Christ. If one does, that is what allows us to believe in His words whether they come from one part of the world or the other, nevertheless with both we can know that He is the Christ. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and translated the Book of Mormon through God's power and because of that we can learn even more about Christ.

Glad i dere! Have a great week!

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede

Missionary cars are all very similar

Moose warning sign on our pday hike

Silver elephant we found

Same silver elephant

Another day in Moss!

No one on the street to talk to...

"Blood blood blood blood! And death." 🐰

 Heia alle sammen!

This week I had the pleasure to taste blood pancakes and they were very interesting haha:). They mostly just looked like chocolate crepes but taste salty sooooo fun! And just like that, here's the week!

- I have now officially departed Bodø and I don't think I will be going back this time. There were definitely tears when I said goodbye to Søster Cox, I'm going to miss her so much! I also said goodbye to members which again was hard, but it's just how it goes I guess. Bodø has taught me many things and I'm very grateful for the time I spent there:).

- Now I'm in Moss! I've also got a new companion, Søster Pedersen, and she is amazing! She was just serving in Montana while waiting for her visa so now she's here in Norway! It honestly has been kind of crazy since my comp and I are both new to the area but we're just taking it as it goes:). Sunday was fun and the members were super excited to have sisters in the ward. I also got to see some members that I had known before and that was super fun:). They also let us spontaneously join the musical number in church with the young women haha:).

Not a whole lot has happened this week other than goodbyes and new beginnings, but among it all there is a hymn that has stuck out to me a little extra. It's Come, Come Ye Saints and I just wanted to share what it says:

Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear;
But with joy wend your way.
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
Grace shall be as your day.
’Tis better far for us to strive
Our useless cares from us to drive;
Do this, and joy your hearts will swell—All is well! All is well!

Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?
’Tis not so; all is right.
Why should we think to earn a great reward
If we now shun the fight?
Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.
Our God will never us forsake;
And soon we’ll have this tale to tell—All is well! All is well!

I love this hymn and the rest of it is amazing as well. But I don't have much more to add other than yes, life (as Norwegians would say) is not always a dance on roses, but no matter what, gird up your loins and endure. He is there enduring it with us. With Christ, all is well!

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

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede

Blood pancakes

Apartment decor left from the elders

Flight from Bodø

Beautiful drive to a member's house

Søster Pedersen!

Got to sign the Bodø table again!

"You kind of set off an eternal winter everywhere" 😬❄️

 Heia alle sammen!

So this week I found out that I'm actually getting transfered. I'm going to be heading down to Moss and opening up a new area for sisters, crazy! It's kind of hard to imagine that I finally leaving the north. I absolutely love it here and I'm going to miss being comps with Søster Cox. But, I'm excited for the opportunities in Moss:). So, always a new adventure! Here was the one from this last week:):

- Mo i Rana! This week we drove to Mo i Rana and on the way we passed the Artic Circle center! It literally looked like the artic there and it was so cool! (Definitely eternal winter:) We met up with our whole district in Mo i Rana and that was fun too! Søster Cox and I stayed in a hotel which was the first time in a really long time and we just were cracking up about being there😅. We got to visit some members there and that was really good! One of them said I looked like her grandaughter haha:). 

- Had a lesson with one of our friends who is super fun! She is very outgoing and bubbly which is not the usually how goes with people here so it's always super fun meeting with her:). We actually talked to her about baptism and asked her if that is something she would consider. She essentially said no in a way, but still wants to learn more, soooo we'll take that as a win:).

- Crazy miracle happened where we ran into a guy that I had only met once when I was in Bodø in the summer. I had just been messaging on Facebook trying to invite him to church. There are many details that go into this miracle, but that would take lots of explaining. So, just know that it was a miracle how we ran into him and he recognized me which was also crazy. Definitely a tender mercy there:).

This week I was reading in Doctrine and Covenants and it was in chapter 11 verse 10:

"Behold, thou hast a gift, or thou shalt have a gift if thou wilt desire of me in faith, with an honest heart, believing in the power of Jesus Christ, or in my power which speaketh unto thee;"

It reminded me of Ether 12:27 of how it says that through Christ our weaknesses can become our strengths. Now, we are all born with strengths that just come naturally; however, we are also born with weaknesses that come very naturally as well, unfortunately. But I loved how it said that we have a gift and we can obtain it if we desire it. Our weaknesses don't have to be our downfall but our even more precious gifts in disguise waiting to be discovered. It's the things that we have to work most hard for that are the greatest. Our weaknesses can be our best opportunities to come closer to Christ because it is only through Him that they can become our strengths.

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

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede

Pday Hike

Artic Circle

An elder taking a pic of our district

Pday Hike

Arctic Circle

District Photo

Making friends with a cat while knocking doors

"We going on a trip with our favorite airline!" 🛩

 Heia alle sammen!

Ok this week was kind of crazy, so I'm going to just get right into it:).

- Exchanges with Lillestrøm! So fun to have Søster Fischer and Søster Richards here in Bodø especially when they both served here before. I just love those two! While we were on exchanges though, right before we all had to fly to Oslo, Søster Cox accidently dropped her phone in the ocean haha:). Don't worry, she already has a new one actually but that was just the start of a series of unfortunate events. Our flight ended up getting delayed and so we didn't get to Oslo until 12:30am ish and we didn't get our luggage until 2am. At that time we realized that our train does not come for another 3 1/2 hours so what did we do? We brushed our teeth in a bathroom and then slept on the airport bench until our train came. We didn't get to the apartment until like 6:15am and by that time we were dead. Luckily, we did get to sleep a bit extra, but that day was a little rough haha:). And there were no complications on the way back home, so that was good. Just another story for the books:).

- Had a lesson with a guy who only really speaks Spanish, which was interesting. Luckily, one of the Elders in the mission can speak Spanish. So, we called him and he talked with our friend. We ended up giving him a Book of Mormon and having a conversation through Google Translate after the lesson which was kind of funny and interesting:).

This week, Søster Cox and I were reading a talk by Elder Andersen called "Spiritually Defining Memories" and in there he explains how life is not always going to be a walk in the park. We aren't always going to feel 100% confidence in our testimony. That is when we need to remember our spiritually defining moments. When did the Holy Ghost clearly speak truth to you? When did you make a decision that led you to have a even deeper relationship with your Savior? When could you not deny that God knew exactly who you were and what you needed? There's a reason why they use the word remember so much in the scriptures because if we didn't, it would be a lot harder to stay strong in the faith of Christ. We are given experiences, good or bad, to help us spiritually define ourselves and become more like Christ. So, anytime we feel weak, we can rely on those spiritually defining moments where you made the decision to turn to Christ. Because He is the one that will never let us down.

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

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

-Søster Twede

Hike with members

Hike with members

Visiting our cute neighbor on exchanges

We were tired waiting for our bags

Brushing our teeth in the airport

We just got off our flight in Oslo

"The sky's awake Svenn!"🦌🌌

 Heia alle sammen!

The Northern Lights greeted us again this week! And we decided to name our car Svenn:). So here's the week!

- Zone Conference! As always, zone conference was super fun! It's always great seeing all the other missionaries and learning from things presented. We had zone pday the day before and went on a little hike which was super fun:). It was a little slick because of the snow, so on the way down we decided to just slide down on our butts haha:). I miss sledding!

- Church! So our friend that we met on the bus last week came to church! We decided to invite her and it was awesome because all the members bore amazing testimonies and she stayed for both hours plus the ligger longer afterwards and seemed to really enjoy it:), woot woot!

- Fauske! Well... we tried to go visit this little town about an hour away in our area and I think that will be the last time for a while. What started as a fun trip turned into just a weird one. We tried talking to people and knocking on doors, but no one answered despite being home. And when we tried to talk to people, they did not want to. Maybe it was a weird day, but I guess that's how it goes sometimes.

This week at church we got to help out and teach Sunday school so my comp and I got to study Doctrine and Covenants 3-5 this week. One of my big takeaways was when the Lord said in D&C 3 that his work cannot be disturbed. There have definitely been many times where I mess up (many times) and I give myself way too much credit for messing up the whole spiritual progression of others. Obviously, that's not the case and in verse 1 and 3 it clearly states that His will will be done no matter what. One girl in a town in northern Norway is not going to mess that up. However, that doesn't mean that what we do doesn't matter. It does, but what matters even more is how we choose to react when we make mistakes. Christ suffered eternally for a reason, it was so no matter what there would always be a way back for everyone. He is why the work will never be disturbed and He will always be there to cheer us on to the end.

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

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede

"And at last I see the light!" 🎵☀️

 Heia alle sammen!

Guess what! We saw the sun for the first time in weeks!! Woot woot!! The dark times weren't terrible, they were actually really cool to experience, but I think by the end Søster Cox and I were ready to see the sun again:). And just like that we had a great start to the week!

- Harstad! So we got to take a little road trip to Harstad/Narvik for a visa appointment and the drive was absolutely beautiful. Did I take pictures? Not really, because any time I tried, they looked terrible on my phone and it wasn't even worth it so it just became one of those things I had to embrace and remember. We stayed at a cute member's house who was not home so it kind of felt like an air bnb haha:). But the visa appointment was a success and right before we got back to Bodø we saw the northern lights:).

- Exchanges! The Tromsø sisters, Søster Beck and Søster Kmetz, came down to Bodø for exchanges and it was so fun! I was with Søster Beck and oh my goodness that sister is incredible! We were out talking to people on the street and she ended up talking to this guy and explaining the whole restoration and Book of Mormon and then proceeded to give him the book, woot woot!

- Crazy miracle! So Søster Cox and I are on the bus trying to talk to people and as we are heading back to the city, this girl comes and sits in front of me. At first I thought that it would be way too awkward to get up and go talk to her. But then Søster Cox and I have been experimenting with the idea of 20 seconds of courage. So right then, I decided to get up and I moved seats and started talking to her. Turns out she was from the US living in Bodø! She is half Norwegian and can speak Norweigan fluently. So crazy! We both got so excited and she asked for my number to meet up later, woot woot! 

To kind of continue the thoughts behind that miracle, I really was about to just not go and talk to her and sit for the rest of the ride. I think more and more about if I hadn't and what also helped me have the courage to get up and move. In the scriptures there are many instances of when people take 20 seconds of courage to have faith in the Lord (Ester, stripling warriors, Nephi, Joseph Smith, etc.). Did they know what would happen? Nope! But the courage and confidence that comes from faith in the Lord always outweighs the fear of what could be. It may not always be in the situation of talking to a random person, but it could look like reaching out to a family member or friend, forgiving someone, saying sorry, etc. Christ is the ultimate example of how we can take 20 seconds of courage to share His light. His whole life was 20 seconds of courage on repeat and He did it all for us:). And as we try to follow His example, we will see His light more prominently in our lives.

Glad i dere! 

Hope you have a great week!

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede

Northern Lights

Ferry ride to Harstad

The sun!!!!!!

"Speed I am speed" 🚘

Heia alle sammen! 

Ok, not a lot of time this week, so this is going to be a speed run of an update!

1. Another trip to Oslo! We had a meeting there which went really well and I got to see some of the other missionaries, which is always a party! I got to see Søster Washburn, my old comp and Søster Richards who was also in my mtc group:). 

2. Exchanges with Trondheim sisters! Oh my goodness, it was so fun! We had Søster Nartker and Søster Harmer here in Bodø and it was awesome! It was fun to catch up with them and see how they were doing and how things are in Trondheim:). Søster Harmer and I got to go around talking to people which was so fun, because she has improved so much with Norwegian:).

3. Door knocking on Sunday went a little crazy with a guy trying to bible bash us a little. But, we felt a lot better after a lady's dog was so cute and sweet when we knocked on her door. She wasn't interested, but was just super nice and let us pet her dog:).

This week I read a scripture in 2 Nephi 1 and it was verse 23. Lehi is telling Laman and Lemuel to take off the chains and put on the armour of God instead. It made me think that the armour of God may not be any lighter. Both the chains and armour are heavy, but the difference is that the armour strengthens and protects. It may not always be easy to stand as a witness of God, but nevertheless, it is strengthening and by doing so, He will always protect us:).

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

Kia Kaha and just keep swimming:)

- Søster Twede