Week14

Hi Family!!!

 

I love and miss you so very much! I hope all is going well for you! Just know you are always in my prayers!!!

 

So this week in Norway has been crazy! We are so very busy all of the time! We spend a lot of time talking to people on buses and subways and the trikk (tracks in SLC, remember?) That's where we find a lot of people to teach. We also walk through the streets and talk to EVERYONE. :) People see us coming and avoid us like the plague! It's so funny! I smile at everyone and they look at me like I'm crazy- it is hilarious!!! And people think it is so weird when we just randomly start talking to them... What a weird culture! I love it!

 

Weather- It has been SOOOO HOT here! I hate it because it is super humid too! Ugh! But yesterday it poured rain, then it misted... It was so weird! Like you could see drops in the air, but you couldn't feel them hit you- like there was no need for an umbrella because we just got soaked from this mist! Awesome! I've never seen anything like it.

 

Well something that I've known for a while, but am still not used to is that everyone here (pretty much) is atheist. It is so very sad to me. No one thinks they need God and a lot of them freak out at us when we mention Him. I am trying to think of a cool Norsk line that will make them re-think their strategy a little bit, but it's not going well. If you think of a short powerful statement that can nail an atheist to the wall in a kind and Christ-like manner, please let me know! :)

 

So this week, we worked with this member from Albania. His name is Arben and he is super funny. He is kinda short and he is always commenting on my height. ha ha! Well he went out contacting with us in the park, but he had an appointment and said he would come back to meet us. Well when he came back he had 2 gifts- one for each of us. We were so flattered! He had bought us perfume... like full bottles! That's so expensive here! I got calvin klein and Sister Stevens got... some other kind. I can't remember. Ha ha!

 

Saturday was a super cool day because we had a miracle happen. :) We have a goal to get at least 21 teaches per week. Well we needed 3 more and it was like 8pm ish. We were heading home because we were quite a ways away, and BAM- we found a man who liked what we said (but he didn't like my Norwegian and only wanted to hear sister Stevens. I was so mad. Whenever I tried to talk he would just cut me off. MEANIE!!!) Oh well. Then right after that, a girl from Belgium walked out of a store and BAM- she was super interested! Then as she walked away, we saw an african couple and BAM- they invited us to their house and let us teach them! 3 teaches in like 30 minutes!

 

Funny story about the last couple- they lived on the 4th floor so we got in the elevator, but something stunk in there SO BAD! So we all gasped and plugged our noses. Well the man had his fingers up his nostrils try to clog them up. It was SO funny! It looked like he was digging for gold! :)

 

I'm so very excited- we have a baptism on Saturday!! It's for Mia. She is one of the coolest people I have ever met! She bore her testimony yesterday and it was incredible! She is so ready to be baptized and the cool thing about it is that she wants the whole program to be in English (yay for me!) and she is inviting her whole nonmember family to come- MISSIONARY WORK!!! :) It's funny because when we go to teach her, she usually ends up teaching us and it is so sweet! She is having a hard time sleeping and it's messing with her health so we fasted for her yesterday. I hope she gets feeling better soon!!

 

So my companion is so inspired! She is doing such a good job with helping me learn what I need to and I am so grateful for her. (She is from Colorado) This week, she started testimony week. She made us little cards with gospel topics on them and randomly we would ask eachother to bear testimony on one of them. It was so fun! Last night, we had a testimony meeting after watching the Restoration video on our roof. (We just climb out our window and we're there. :) ) So awesome!!! I just love her so much!

 

Well I shed my first tears today. The language barrier finally got to me and we had a super rough teach last night. I know I've only been here for a little over a week, but I just feel so stupid sometimes and that I'm not improving. Plus it doesn't help that EVERYONE speaks english... Blast! Oh well. Ha ha! I know I'm here for a reason and I know the gift of tongues is real. I just gotta have faith and work my tail off! But that's how we gotta handle all challenges in life- have total trust and faith in the Lord and then work out our own salvation. If we don't do those 2 things, then Heavenly Father has nothing to work with! :) But no worries- I am SOOO Happy!!!!

 

No fish yet, but we have our first member dinner, so maybe tonight will be the first! I'll let you all know! We're going island hopping today so I'll send pics next week. (Sorry- I forgot my camera cord so I can't send you any today :( Next week for sure!) Good luck with everything this week! You're in my prayers. I love you all so very much!!!

 

Vi snakkes!

 

Love,

Sister Jessica Taylor