Haven't written a blog in forever, it seems. So here's a basic overview of what we've been up to.
We've got a pretty awesome group of investigators here in Tønsberg right now. They are all pretty positive and it has been really awesome to see their progress over the last month or so. They really are understanding the things we are teaching and that's probably one of the best things as a teacher, is to have someone understand what the heck you're trying to say.
Unfortunately, I won't have the chance for much longer to see their progress in person. I found out yesterday that I will be transferring to Bergen on Wednesday. So after four months in Tønsberg, I'll be moving on =) It's bittersweet, hard to leave the people but excited for a new area and new people.
But the nifty thing about 2011 is that we have awesome ways of keeping in contact with people. As a missionary, I'm basically limited to a letter or a phone call every now and then, but it's still better then nothin haha. I'm excited to hear from Elder Stratford (who will be staying in Tønsberg) how our investigators are doing.
As for me, I'll be moving to the second biggest city in Norway. There's 8 missionaries there total and the ward has about 100-150 people in church every week. That's a far cry from the 25-30 we have in Tønsberg and the two missionaries for an area which covers about 150 kilometers from end to end. So there's some excitement in there. =)
With that said, I've got alot of packing to do haha. I hope everyone's having a good time, I think school starts up again soon, yeah? Good luck with that =) Hope to hear from everyone soon.
Elder Sessions
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
N/A
Sorry no blog input for august 22nd and september 5.
P.S i kept forgetting to post these so the blogs:
"Coincidence? I think, NOT!" is august 15
"let us all press on" is august 9.
This next one is from august 29. (:
P.S i kept forgetting to post these so the blogs:
"Coincidence? I think, NOT!" is august 15
"let us all press on" is august 9.
This next one is from august 29. (:
Coincidence? I think, NOT!
I just wanted to talk a bit about an experience Elder Stratford and I had.
It all started about 3 weeks ago. We were in the church talking to a guy named Henry, a young Norwegian guy that we have been teaching. Henry likes to talk, and so we ended up being at the church for longer then we had planned. We needed to drive to Skien, about an hour and some minutes away, but we were still at the churchhouse around 9:30 pm. As we were sitting there listening to Henry play the guitar (that guy is a beast at guitar just btdubs), two girls just come walking down the hallway in the church.
Let me explain just how unusual that is. First of all, this is Norway. Most people wouldn't be found in a church UNLESS they were dead, or if it were Christmas time. Second of all, we are almost never in the church for more then 10 minutes except for church on Sunday or if we are teaching someone. Third of all, it was 9:30 at night. We. Are. Never. In. The. Church. At. That. Time.
The girls said that they had come into the church looking for "literature"....We asked them what sort of "literature." They said they didn't care. We, of course, recommended the Book of Mormon. We gave them a copy each and they went on their way to catch a train. I brushed this off as just one of those many strange occurences that have happened since I have been on my mission. Little did I know, that was not the end of the story.
Fast forward two weeks later. Elder Stratford gets special permission to travel back to his previous area to help a former investigator who was having some serious issues with their faith. Elder Bischoff, who was his former companion, is currently in Arendal on the other side of the country, and he also gets permission to travel to their previous area. Elder Bischoff takes a 4 hour train ride from Arendal to Drammen, which is where Elder Stratford and I meet up with him. Elder Stratford and Elder Bischoff are continuing on to Hamar, while I'm going back to Tønsberg with Elder Bischoff's companion.
When Elder Stratford and I meet with the other two missionaries in the Drammen train station, they are talking to a young man with freakishly long blonde hair. Apparently this guy was in the same train car as Elder Bischoff and was passing the time reading the Book of Mormon. Again....very unusual thing for someone to do in Norway. Elder Bischoff sees this and sits down next to this man and says, "So.....is that a good book?"
They get to talking and it turns out that this young man received the Book of Mormon about two weeks ago from his sister. He has already read almost the entire thing, as well as done lots of research on the church behind the book.
This is where it gets interesting. The young man's name is Carl. He got the book when his sister walked into a church a couple of weeks before looking for something to read. Carl and his sister are from Tønsberg. Elder Stratford and I were the missionaries who gave the sister the book.
So to sum up: A girl randomly walks into a church at 9:30 pm looking for some literature on this church. She is given the Book of Mormon by the missionaries from Tønsberg. She gives this book to her brother, who for some reason goes to Arendal on the other side on the country. This brother then sits on the exact same train at the exact same time, in the exact same train car, as two missionaries from Arendal who are traveling to Drammen to meet up with the VERY SAME missionaries from Tønsberg who gave that brother's sister the book two weeks before. Throw in the fact that the missionaries from Arendal were on a VERY special trip which we had to receive special permission to embark on, and you've got one heck of an extremely orchestrated plan.
I believe in coincidences, but that's way too many coincidences rolled up into one major-incidence to even be considered a coincidence at all.
Now tell me that God doesn't exist and he didn't want that kid to read that book.
Vi snakkes neste uke! =) (We'll talk next week)
Elder Sessions
It all started about 3 weeks ago. We were in the church talking to a guy named Henry, a young Norwegian guy that we have been teaching. Henry likes to talk, and so we ended up being at the church for longer then we had planned. We needed to drive to Skien, about an hour and some minutes away, but we were still at the churchhouse around 9:30 pm. As we were sitting there listening to Henry play the guitar (that guy is a beast at guitar just btdubs), two girls just come walking down the hallway in the church.
Let me explain just how unusual that is. First of all, this is Norway. Most people wouldn't be found in a church UNLESS they were dead, or if it were Christmas time. Second of all, we are almost never in the church for more then 10 minutes except for church on Sunday or if we are teaching someone. Third of all, it was 9:30 at night. We. Are. Never. In. The. Church. At. That. Time.
The girls said that they had come into the church looking for "literature"....We asked them what sort of "literature." They said they didn't care. We, of course, recommended the Book of Mormon. We gave them a copy each and they went on their way to catch a train. I brushed this off as just one of those many strange occurences that have happened since I have been on my mission. Little did I know, that was not the end of the story.
Fast forward two weeks later. Elder Stratford gets special permission to travel back to his previous area to help a former investigator who was having some serious issues with their faith. Elder Bischoff, who was his former companion, is currently in Arendal on the other side of the country, and he also gets permission to travel to their previous area. Elder Bischoff takes a 4 hour train ride from Arendal to Drammen, which is where Elder Stratford and I meet up with him. Elder Stratford and Elder Bischoff are continuing on to Hamar, while I'm going back to Tønsberg with Elder Bischoff's companion.
When Elder Stratford and I meet with the other two missionaries in the Drammen train station, they are talking to a young man with freakishly long blonde hair. Apparently this guy was in the same train car as Elder Bischoff and was passing the time reading the Book of Mormon. Again....very unusual thing for someone to do in Norway. Elder Bischoff sees this and sits down next to this man and says, "So.....is that a good book?"
They get to talking and it turns out that this young man received the Book of Mormon about two weeks ago from his sister. He has already read almost the entire thing, as well as done lots of research on the church behind the book.
This is where it gets interesting. The young man's name is Carl. He got the book when his sister walked into a church a couple of weeks before looking for something to read. Carl and his sister are from Tønsberg. Elder Stratford and I were the missionaries who gave the sister the book.
So to sum up: A girl randomly walks into a church at 9:30 pm looking for some literature on this church. She is given the Book of Mormon by the missionaries from Tønsberg. She gives this book to her brother, who for some reason goes to Arendal on the other side on the country. This brother then sits on the exact same train at the exact same time, in the exact same train car, as two missionaries from Arendal who are traveling to Drammen to meet up with the VERY SAME missionaries from Tønsberg who gave that brother's sister the book two weeks before. Throw in the fact that the missionaries from Arendal were on a VERY special trip which we had to receive special permission to embark on, and you've got one heck of an extremely orchestrated plan.
I believe in coincidences, but that's way too many coincidences rolled up into one major-incidence to even be considered a coincidence at all.
Now tell me that God doesn't exist and he didn't want that kid to read that book.
Vi snakkes neste uke! =) (We'll talk next week)
Elder Sessions
Let us all press on
I can't believe how fast time is moving. I just hit my 5 month mark on my mission. 5 months, are you kiddin me?? It has NOT felt like 5 months.
It was a little bit cooler this week. I hear we're going to start hitting Autumn here soon, which I am super stoked for. My companion thinks I'm nuts, but I'm stoked for winter. And, I want to go up north for the winter as well. My thing is, it's going to be my first winter in Norway, and if I'm going to have a cold winter, I want it to be a COLD winter. No reason to do this thing halfway haha.
Anyways, missionary work. We're doing really well here in Tønsberg and it's been a lot of fun the last few weeks. We aren't spending a whole lot of time out on the street talking to people, but that's mainly because we have so many appointments. We got two more baptismal dates this week with an older Norwegian couple, which is awesome. We're finally seeing the success that I have felt like we should have been having for a long time. It's really satisfying to not only see our hard work finally pay off, but also to see how much we can change peoples lives, and how much the gospel blesses them.
Makes me wonder how I could have ever taken it for granted.
Have a good week everyone!
Elder Sessions
It was a little bit cooler this week. I hear we're going to start hitting Autumn here soon, which I am super stoked for. My companion thinks I'm nuts, but I'm stoked for winter. And, I want to go up north for the winter as well. My thing is, it's going to be my first winter in Norway, and if I'm going to have a cold winter, I want it to be a COLD winter. No reason to do this thing halfway haha.
Anyways, missionary work. We're doing really well here in Tønsberg and it's been a lot of fun the last few weeks. We aren't spending a whole lot of time out on the street talking to people, but that's mainly because we have so many appointments. We got two more baptismal dates this week with an older Norwegian couple, which is awesome. We're finally seeing the success that I have felt like we should have been having for a long time. It's really satisfying to not only see our hard work finally pay off, but also to see how much we can change peoples lives, and how much the gospel blesses them.
Makes me wonder how I could have ever taken it for granted.
Have a good week everyone!
Elder Sessions
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