Hi Family!
MIRACLES HAPPEN ONCE IN A WHILE; WHEN YOU BELIEVE!!!
Agnes was baptized yesterday morning before church! We just had a baptism!!!! YAHOO- the church is true! :)
It was such a miracle! We woke up on Wednesday morning to a text from Agnes saying that she had thought a lot about what we had said and had decided to put God before her exams and be baptized. We danced around our apartment all morning and thanked Heavenly Father for such an amazing miracle! So we planned the whole program, got her interviewed, and just did it! I am so incredibly HAPPY!
It was an amazing program. The baptismal room was overflowing with people coming to support her. The program went off without a hitch. She was so peaceful and happy. She just knew she was doing the right thing. In Sacrament meeting, she received the gift of the Holy Ghost and the blessing was beautiful! She had with her the Book of Mormon that was given to her 25 years ago. Much to our surprise, when she was sustained as a member of the branch, they gave her a calling as well! She will be a counselor in the Relief society! Isn't that just amazing! The woman was glowing!!! :)
Family, this truly was a miracle and the greatest blessing. God lives and loves each one of His children. I am so grateful for this amazing gospel and how it helps people feel of that love! I could just cry! :)
It was so amazing that President and Sister Johansen even called us to congratulate us on the baptism. They are so proud of us- their little missionaries! :) We are on FIRE!!!
We have some other really positive people right now. Charles is from Africa and will be baptized on the 23 of June. Brit, the one who dropped us, yeah, she came to the baptism and we taught her during church again. She is totally getting baptized in the near future. Juliana, our other Easter miracle, came to church again. She has been really hard to meet with but we will be meeting with her this week. Ellen and James are relatively new and will be progressing very soon! I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK! :)
Sister Butterfield and I have been getting along really well lately and the weather is FANTASTIC! Everything is wonderful!... now as long as we can stay humble, these blessings will keep coming... Ha ha!
I feel so bad that this email is so short... I can't even begin to put into words how wonderful this week has been and how perfect Agnes' baptism was! I guess you'll just have to trust me ;) Ha ha!
I love you all so very much! Sorry for 0 individual emails! I am such a bad person, I know... But I still love you! :)
Have a great week! :)
♥- Søster Jessica Taylor
P.S. Another amazing miracle... I ate salmon... and LIKED IT! :) Ha ha!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
Week 55
Hello Family!
How are you doing? I hope all is well with you! :) Thanks for the awesome pictures... they were very entertaining! Ha ha!
The weather in Trondheim is absolutely AMAZING today! (knock on wood) Sister B and I went on a hike this morning along a creek and all the way up the side of a mountain... where we found the Trondheim folk museum which we visited. It has been one of the most amazing p-days EVER! Things in Norway are wonderful - I love it!
So... I feel really bad, but I have nothing really to say. Since I just emailed you on Thursday nothing too exciting has happened since. Ha ha! So just be aware... this is going to be very boring.
Well... We have found many of our long lost investigators in the last few days and I am so grateful for it!
- Ellen (I don't remember if I have mentioned her before, but I found her on the street a few months ago and we gave her a Book of Mormon and invited her to read it. After that we were never able to get a hold of her. Then we found her again on the street and she said that she had felt something special while reading and said she would call us... but never did...) is coming to Family Home Evening with us tonight and we are going to teach her right before! So exciting!!! :)
- Juliana, our miracle from Easter time, is still living. She just has a lot on her plate right now, but is still interested in the Church. That is so happy!
- Brit, or referral from forever ago that didn't want to be baptized because of coffee came to church on Sunday and we taught her during Sunday School- AMAZING!! She is totally coming back next week too. It's just a matter of time before she is baptized. :)
Agnes is still getting baptized. She was supposed to come to church with us yesterday, but couldn't because she was too "in the zone" with her studies. That was upsetting... We are super worried about Satan getting to her and none of the members are willing to help because they don't see the danger... It is so frustrating!!! Anyways... I am not going to even start on that issue... This is a happy email! :)
Birget, our member of whom I have seen a lot of, if you know what I mean... ha ha!, has officially adopted us as her American grandchildren. We have painted her patio, her garage door, and our latest service project was hanging up some wooden horses on her wall... I will have to take a pic and send it to you. It is... interesting! Ha ha! She just loves us though. We love her too. :)
Oh yeah, so we met this girl from California who is Jehovah Witness last week and she wanted to get together and chat. She invited us to the cutest little cafe I have ever seen - Fairytale Cupcakes. It was like a little bite of America and it was WONDERFUL! I got a red velvet cupcake; it was delicious! It had little pearl sprinkles on it. Heavenly! :) But yeah, we had a nice chat about religion and how it has helped us. They have a lot of similar views as we do. They are good people. But the whole time we were talking, I just couldn't help but think how true our church is. We are so blessed to have the whole truth and the priesthood... I love the Gospel! :)
Well... I've got nothing left. :) I hope you have a wonderful week! Love and miss you all! You are the bestest! :)
♥- Søster Jessica Taylor
P.S. I found out my release date. It is November 21...
How are you doing? I hope all is well with you! :) Thanks for the awesome pictures... they were very entertaining! Ha ha!
The weather in Trondheim is absolutely AMAZING today! (knock on wood) Sister B and I went on a hike this morning along a creek and all the way up the side of a mountain... where we found the Trondheim folk museum which we visited. It has been one of the most amazing p-days EVER! Things in Norway are wonderful - I love it!
So... I feel really bad, but I have nothing really to say. Since I just emailed you on Thursday nothing too exciting has happened since. Ha ha! So just be aware... this is going to be very boring.
Well... We have found many of our long lost investigators in the last few days and I am so grateful for it!
- Ellen (I don't remember if I have mentioned her before, but I found her on the street a few months ago and we gave her a Book of Mormon and invited her to read it. After that we were never able to get a hold of her. Then we found her again on the street and she said that she had felt something special while reading and said she would call us... but never did...) is coming to Family Home Evening with us tonight and we are going to teach her right before! So exciting!!! :)
- Juliana, our miracle from Easter time, is still living. She just has a lot on her plate right now, but is still interested in the Church. That is so happy!
- Brit, or referral from forever ago that didn't want to be baptized because of coffee came to church on Sunday and we taught her during Sunday School- AMAZING!! She is totally coming back next week too. It's just a matter of time before she is baptized. :)
Agnes is still getting baptized. She was supposed to come to church with us yesterday, but couldn't because she was too "in the zone" with her studies. That was upsetting... We are super worried about Satan getting to her and none of the members are willing to help because they don't see the danger... It is so frustrating!!! Anyways... I am not going to even start on that issue... This is a happy email! :)
Birget, our member of whom I have seen a lot of, if you know what I mean... ha ha!, has officially adopted us as her American grandchildren. We have painted her patio, her garage door, and our latest service project was hanging up some wooden horses on her wall... I will have to take a pic and send it to you. It is... interesting! Ha ha! She just loves us though. We love her too. :)
Oh yeah, so we met this girl from California who is Jehovah Witness last week and she wanted to get together and chat. She invited us to the cutest little cafe I have ever seen - Fairytale Cupcakes. It was like a little bite of America and it was WONDERFUL! I got a red velvet cupcake; it was delicious! It had little pearl sprinkles on it. Heavenly! :) But yeah, we had a nice chat about religion and how it has helped us. They have a lot of similar views as we do. They are good people. But the whole time we were talking, I just couldn't help but think how true our church is. We are so blessed to have the whole truth and the priesthood... I love the Gospel! :)
Well... I've got nothing left. :) I hope you have a wonderful week! Love and miss you all! You are the bestest! :)
♥- Søster Jessica Taylor
P.S. I found out my release date. It is November 21...
Friday, May 18, 2012
Week 54
Hi Family!
Oh my goodness, it was so good to see you all on Sunday! You are the best family ever and I love each of you so very much! :)
This week has been super crazy! We have seen many miracles and we are so grateful for them! For example, yesterday was the last day of the play and we had some great success- we gave out a few copies of the Book of Mormon and were able to teach a few people as well. That was awesome! Agnes, our 49 year-old Norwegian investigator has given us quite the roller coaster ride this week. On Monday, she told us that she had received a crystal clear answer that she needed to be baptized on the 26 of may. Her date was originally set for the 9 of June so of course we were estatic! We told her to watch out for Satan because he would tell her that she wasn't ready. She told us she would be fine.... well, yesterday, she text us and told us that she was moving her date back and that we were not going to meet with her or see her at church before that date (she has some exams she has to take). WHAT???? She called the branch missionary leader and told him to tell us to lay off of her. We warned her that Satan would try to get to her and he did! We are so worried! Luckily, she has a really good relationship with missionary leader and has had contact with him. We also called the relief society president (who has come on teaches with Agnes) to keep in contact with her as well. We are trying to just keep her warm because we can't force her to be baptized on the day she received an answer to be baptized on. This is so frustrating! I am so sad and angry and hurt. No one is bullet proof when it comes to Satan! I just hope we don't lose her... We are fasting and praying that Satan doesn't get to her more than he already has and we will do anything to keep that from happening...
Well, that wasn't very happy, but that's life! Today was wonderful though! :) It is the Norwegian version of the 4th of July. Flags were everywhere and everyone was in traditional Norwegian clothing. It was awesome! We ate pastries and ice cream and watched parades in the rain. (Norwegian parades are nothing like American ones... their's consist of bands and random people walking down the street yelling "hip hip hoorah" with a Norwegian accent... Oh and guys in Starwars outfits! Ha ha!) After the parade, we went to dinner with Mali, Daniel, and their parents in the most beautiful place ever! I will send pictures on Monday. We ate all of the Norwegian food we could fit into ourselves. Then we went back to their house after a scenic drive and knitted together and pet cats (I didn't of course... Ha ha!) and read books about the history of the traditional Norwegian dress, called a bunad. They are different depending on where in the country one comes from. It was amazing! I loved every minute of today! I love this country. I love this culture. I love this language. I love this people. I love this work! :)
You are all wonderful! I love and miss you tons! Have a great week and vi snakkes! :)
♥- Søster Jessica Taylor
Oh my goodness, it was so good to see you all on Sunday! You are the best family ever and I love each of you so very much! :)
This week has been super crazy! We have seen many miracles and we are so grateful for them! For example, yesterday was the last day of the play and we had some great success- we gave out a few copies of the Book of Mormon and were able to teach a few people as well. That was awesome! Agnes, our 49 year-old Norwegian investigator has given us quite the roller coaster ride this week. On Monday, she told us that she had received a crystal clear answer that she needed to be baptized on the 26 of may. Her date was originally set for the 9 of June so of course we were estatic! We told her to watch out for Satan because he would tell her that she wasn't ready. She told us she would be fine.... well, yesterday, she text us and told us that she was moving her date back and that we were not going to meet with her or see her at church before that date (she has some exams she has to take). WHAT???? She called the branch missionary leader and told him to tell us to lay off of her. We warned her that Satan would try to get to her and he did! We are so worried! Luckily, she has a really good relationship with missionary leader and has had contact with him. We also called the relief society president (who has come on teaches with Agnes) to keep in contact with her as well. We are trying to just keep her warm because we can't force her to be baptized on the day she received an answer to be baptized on. This is so frustrating! I am so sad and angry and hurt. No one is bullet proof when it comes to Satan! I just hope we don't lose her... We are fasting and praying that Satan doesn't get to her more than he already has and we will do anything to keep that from happening...
Well, that wasn't very happy, but that's life! Today was wonderful though! :) It is the Norwegian version of the 4th of July. Flags were everywhere and everyone was in traditional Norwegian clothing. It was awesome! We ate pastries and ice cream and watched parades in the rain. (Norwegian parades are nothing like American ones... their's consist of bands and random people walking down the street yelling "hip hip hoorah" with a Norwegian accent... Oh and guys in Starwars outfits! Ha ha!) After the parade, we went to dinner with Mali, Daniel, and their parents in the most beautiful place ever! I will send pictures on Monday. We ate all of the Norwegian food we could fit into ourselves. Then we went back to their house after a scenic drive and knitted together and pet cats (I didn't of course... Ha ha!) and read books about the history of the traditional Norwegian dress, called a bunad. They are different depending on where in the country one comes from. It was amazing! I loved every minute of today! I love this country. I love this culture. I love this language. I love this people. I love this work! :)
You are all wonderful! I love and miss you tons! Have a great week and vi snakkes! :)
♥- Søster Jessica Taylor
Monday, May 7, 2012
Week 53
How are you all doing? Ok, so for skype (just so I don't forget) Is 7 am ok for you? We are only allowed 40 minutes because Sunday is still a regular proselyting day. Sorry... Anyways, I am super duper excited for Sunday!!! :) It is going to be so great to see you all! I love you tons.
So the weather in Trondheim is pretty bipolar. Today, for example, we went out running (because I got the package with the boots and shoes- thanks! I love them so much! :)) and it was beautiful. Went to the giant cathedral and it was beautiful. Went to get some lunch and it started pouring rain and then it snowed... Craziness!
Well family, you should be proud... I made the cover of a magazine! :) So people are out on the streets selling them- I see my face everywhere! Ha ha! The article turned out really nice. I'll send a book home and maybe I'll translate the article for you. :) No one has said anything about it yet, but we are expecting big results.
The church is really getting highlighted here in Trondheim... We were asked to participate in the intermission of a play at a local theater. The play is all about world religions and so they wanted to have some one who was very religious come and speak between acts... so of course, they ask the Mormon missionaries! It is pretty cool. They allowed us to sit through on of the practice runs so that we could check the content of the play to see if it was something we would want to be a part of. It is pretty humorous! So while one of the actors speaks between acts, we are supposed to interrupt him from the audience and then go up on stage and teach a 5 minute lesson on the restoration of the gospel! It goes until the 16 of May, so all the missionary companionships are taking turns each night. It's pretty cool, but super scary. Sister Butterfield and I are doing it for the first time tonight... I might get stage fright!
Well, Juliana probably won't be getting baptized this weekend. She has to work! Darn it... We are going to just try to push it back one week. She loves the church and wants to get baptized, so it's all good! :)
Agnes is on fire! She is doing so well. She really is an instant Mormon, just add water! :) It is so weird teaching an older woman... I don't know why- I'm just used to the youngin's. Most of the time, older people are just so set in their ways and they are not willing to change. But she is just the opposite! Her date is set for the 9th of June.
We are finding more and more positive people... I will keep you posted on their progress once we meet with them. :)
Well, I will be staying in Trondheim for the next 2 months and I am so happy about it! I guess that is not 100% sure, but President told me so... Ha ha! :) I love it here so very much! I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK!!! :)
Well family, I love you tons and tons and I can't wait to see you all in 6 days. Have a great week! :)
♥- Søster Taylor
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)