St. Han's Aften (St. Han's Eve)

Streets of Oslo! Toward National Theater

 Norwegian clouds - need I say more??

Heisann dere!

Whew, it sure has been an interesting week!

It rained last P-Day, so we borrowed the senior couple's car to go and check out some outlet malls near Moss. They reminded me of the malls over in Lake Elsinore. However, I never saw a price tag of 3000 kroner ($600 USD) for a simple rain-jacket back home. Whew! The brands here in Norway are really cool, but extremely pricey. Bergan's, Norrøna, Moods of Norway, Helly Hansen - super cool! I got a 10 dollar bright orange Helly Hansen running coat.

Langøyene

R., since she was baptized, decided to move into a completely new apartment. We helped her build her bed, chairs, tables and drawers from Ikea. Ikea's great! It's a lot like building legos back at home :)

 Streets of Oslo! And the Tram system.

I saw a wild jellyfish for my first time in my life this week! I just wish I had a net to go jellyfishin' with.

A wild jellyfish!

The biggest part of this week was St. Han's Aften. To you Americans, it's the summer solstice. The longest day of daylight of the year. And here in Norway, it doesn't get dark at all! Us missionaries were allowed to stay up until past midnight to enjoy the sun :). Yet, of course, we must wake up at 6:30 am regardless. So this is what we did for St. Han's Aften!:

The weather was very off and on throughout the day (as usual in Norway), and so the Elders' Quorum canceled the activity over at Ekeberg park (quite far from Oslo's center).

 Ekeberg Park and the ever-changing weather!

However, one member still wanted to go with us and get as many people as possible. We brought our one-time grills and grilled some vegetables and meats - and it turned out nicely! Our member wisely turned to us and said "I don't think anyone's coming. We should check the next time the bus goes by." So we did, and we only had 3 minutes until the final bus would drive back to the city center! We sprinted back, cleaned up everything and barely made the bus :)

For the evening, the sisters and we had a fantastic idea to take ferries to the islands all night and watch the bonfires along the beaches.

On the ferry!

Elder Godfrey and I :)

THAT was a fantastic idea. We were bummed that no one else could come - because it was beautiful!!

Bonfires

Even extremely late at night, it was still rather light. I can only imagine how bright it was up in Mo i Rana! I called them up, and they were hiking a mountain in full sunlight, at 11 pm! So cool!! Then we took a walk around Oslo in the height of its night-life on Saturday night. We could probably talk with more people at night! There were many people out. We even ran into some exchange students from SDSU, one of them being from Murrieta (next to my hometown), so we had a nice conversation! "You guys are SO social." said the sisters. Haha.

Bonfires!

Bonfires!

After all of that excitement, it was rather painful waking up early on Sunday morning! But Sunday's meetings were uplifting and refreshing. The Holy Ghost is always available to those who look for it in our church services. And what a refreshing experience it is. A wonderful family had all of the missionaries and new converts over for a barbecue, then Elder Godfrey and I ran an errand up to Hamar!

Up in Hamar, we spent the night and took care of a few things. I really like that quaint, little town! It's apparently the coldest city in Norway to serve in, due to how far inland it is located.

Stange kebab!

The legendary "Stange" kebab is located only near Hamar's area, so we took a little detour over to the best kebab in all of Norway (according to any missionary who has tried it). I'll be honest, it was fantastic! 

Another big part of this week was our final interviews with President Johansen before he returns home. There was specific advice for life and future service in the Lord's hands specifically given to me in that interview. I have been so incredibly blessed by the example of President Johansen. He has transformed Norway. The members are now much more motivated to take part in the conversion process of investigators, our relationships as missionaries and members are strengthened, and the numbers of those converted have literally doubled since President Johansen has put forth his efforts into this mission. He truly received and acted on revelation for this mission. And this week we'll meet our new mission president: President Evans! We are ready and excited to see the wonderful miracles, as well as re-transformation, of the Norway Mission these coming months.

One point of doctrine that I would like to make absolutely clear before I end my letter: the true priesthood authority of God can only be found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After Christ and the Apostles died, the priesthood authority was not able to be passed on to succeeding generations by the laying on of hands due to many reasons. The presiding priesthood authority was absent. Revelation ceased, doctrinal misunderstanding arose and led to corruption. We see great men in history who tried to reform the church, but none had that authority to restore it anew. That is why our loving Heavenly Father reached out again by calling, once again, a prophet, Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith had God's authority given to him by Peter, James and John - some of Christ's original apostles. Ordained men in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can trace their authority back to Joseph Smith, and thus back to Jesus Christ. Therefore, the authority is conferred upon us. And it is up to us to receive power within the priesthood by righteous living. http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/the-powers-of-heaven?lang=eng - An Apostle of the Lord can explain it better than I can.

The Lord loves us, and is willing to help us. Through prayer, you can know this too!

-Eldste Bryce Thomas Johnson

Me and the Stortinget which is literally "The Big Thing" but is actually the Parliament building

 Streets of Oslo! And the King's Castle.

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Cruise ship on the Oslo bay :)

Gratulerer med farsdagen! (Happy Father's Day!)

Hei!

It was Father's Day on Sunday, right? The thought just occurred to me that I may be completely off. Haha. Regardless, happy Father's Day all you awesome fathers out there! Including my own, as well as my awesome brothers :). You are all great examples to me of fathers who provide, protect, preside and play with your families. Those are the 4 P's of fatherhood - don't any of you forget 'em!

Last week after emails we took a little hike up to a lake near Sognsvann.

The lake

And we found a BAT! It was lying on the ground. It made me really sad. So I took a picture of it.

The bat!

It reminded me of Carissa and Tommy's cool stories hiking in the mountain ranges of Northern Utah studying bats. Quickly after reminiscing a few moments, it flew right off over the lake. And I was sad no longer. After which we made it to a nice rock, and set up camp with our one-time grills, hot dogs and Fantas. Mmm. We even had Doncho join us - our fellow Bulgarian friend who happens to know Tim Hope from the Meadowview ward back home! Cool stuff! We had a wonderful time.

Our awesome Oslo District - and Doncho :)

Once we arrived back at the center, Vere (the other Elders' investigator) told us he was leaving back home for Ecuador. I really hope Elder Putnam can find him there in Ecuador! He is a man with a strong testimony of the eternal truths he has found!

Godfrey, Vere and I!

Elder Heimdal and I!

The next day was splits with Skien! Elder Heimdal from Iceland joined me for a day! We had a simply wonderful time tearin' up the streets of Oslo. We were even referred to an Icelandic woman to go and share the gospel with! What a cool experience sharing the gospel in Icelandic! I could even understand two or three words!

A., our new convert joined us for a rockin' dinner at a member's home. They are vegans.  I never thought cauliflower, avocado and water soup could taste so good! Dessert consisted of rhubarb, agave, apples and pears. The dinner reminded me very much of my Mom's vegetable nights - where we ate nothing except 7 different kinds of vegetables. Elder Godfrey's bowels suffered, but mine have been well-seasoned over many years of exposure :D. 

Knekkebrød and my favorite tie! (Not Vegan)

Speaking of A. and B., they both brought friends to church - weeks after they had been baptized! That is how missionary work is done, my friends! Please follow the example of these awesome people, and bring friends to church! 

On Friday, we had our final Zone Conference with President Johansen. He shared with us his final, departure interview advice for missionaries headed home. That was a very powerful talk - I'll send it to my parents. Everyone else survived through our presentations - and our provided lunch. Zone Conference turned out pretty well by the end!

On Saturday we had a baptism for R.. Elder Vanderhooft (my old District Leader from Bodø!) flew down to baptize her. She didn't want it to be a big meeting, so we had a small get together for her baptism. That was one of the most powerful baptismal meetings I've attended.

The small baptismal meeting for R.!

As she explained it (and I paraphrase): "I was super nervous, and then I went under the water and it seriously hurt! I felt like I was under there forever! But then I felt this stream of electricity rush through the center of my body and I felt lighter than I ever have in my life. I was so shocked that I walked out of the baptismal font and just cried because I felt so good. Light, airy and soft are only a few of the words I can use to describe my feelings. I didn't expect the baptism to actually affect me physically!" She has a sound understanding of this gospel, and it was a delight to see her make that first step on the way back to our Father in Heaven and exaltation.

And then it was church, we planned and slept and now here I am writing my email to you all. Haha, I feel so strange writing these emails. I can't describe the feelings that exist while on a mission - it's just a rush of ups and downs, highs and lows, and every little color and texture in between. These two years are surely the best two years for the rest of my life - my life is forever changed and held in perspective because of the experiences I have had here! 

The true gospel of Jesus Christ is restored. Our Heavenly Father has called the Prophet Thomas S. Monson to lead and guide this living church under His (God's) own hand, just as He (God) has done throughout the history of the world. And I get to tell the country of Norway all about it. I love you, Norway!

-Eldste Bryce Thomas Johnson

Drammen og Mirakler (Drammen and Miracles)

E. Godfrey and I!

Hallo alle sammen!

This week has been extremely busy and extremely amazing! I can't keep my head on straight because of everything that has happened - has it really been only a week??

In less important news, this past week in Oslo we've had Metallica, Justin Bieber and Hillary Clinton.

A.'s baptism!

In more important news, A. was baptized this week! I don't think I've ever felt the Spirit stronger in any baptismal service than that one with A.. I feel like it was his attitude towards baptism, his surrendering of his will to the Lord's that truly brought the Spirit in a great degree. He is a stunning example to me. When we taught him the commandments, he would testify to US of the truthfulness of the principles we taught him. He is awesome! I am in awe seeing our investigators exercise so much faith in their Savior Jesus Christ. I just hope I can have that same faith someday :). And you know what he did this past Sunday? Invited his friend to church. What a stud!

Sandvika, Norway

Earlier this week,  we had a little meeting in Sandvika with President Johansen to address the needs of the mission. The Spirit was strong, and led our meeting. It was also very inspiring hearing from President Johansen as to how we can become better as individuals. If you all didn't know, President Johansen will be leaving the mission on June 30th, and then our new mission president will arrive. President Johansen really emphasized the importance of gaining knowledge in order to better evaluate, assess, understand and enjoy the world around you. He used to go to sleep at 12 or 1 am, and wake up at 5 am every day with work, family, and service in the church just so he could study his scriptures! "And that's why I look the way I do." he says. Hahah. He's a remarkable example to all of us missionaries. We are excited for the transition we'll make this next month. Always for the better :) always!

 

Drammen, Norway

After our little conference, E. Godfrey and I took splits down to Drammen - I was honored enough to make the trip. Sadly enough, I didn't take any pictures! But Drammen is a beautiful little city. E. Anderson is doing a wonderful job down there. On one of our little breaks, we bought some cheap strawberries and bananas and sat out by the river. 4 hours of straight sun burned me a bit, but it was well worth it :). We really are in the best mission in the world! :P

One of the biggest miracles we had this week was a referral we received from Kristiansand. This girl wanted to know more about what we believed. When we called she asked "is it alright if I bring my friends?" That is one of the best things you can say to a missionary. They will beam from ear to ear. Once we got the address of where to meet them, we realized that she lived about an hour way on an island. Whoa! Borrowing the senior couple's car, we took a road trip to this school way out in the middle of nowhere! Rolling green hills, cows, sun, raspberry bush orchards, I am in heaven here! Pictures can't nearly do it justice, but I try anyway.

Stunningly gorgeous home on the way to our appointment!

Moo!

My dream home with raspberry bush orchards lining the front yard :)

Once we arrived, we walked into a room of 12 people eager and waiting to hear our message. We taught one of our best lessons of all time in that little room. The Lord surely prepared us for that moment - the questions asked, the Norwegian spoken and the spiritual capacity. At the end, we learned that they are all Seventh-day Adventists. I am really surprised how close our doctrines are with what they believe. One of them prayed at the end of our discussion saying "please help us to know the truth when it is presented to us . . ." and he stopped for a few seconds. E. Godfrey and I swear that kid got a confirmation by the Holy Ghost right then and there! They all took copies of the Book of Mormon, along with a few pamphlets. That was an amazing experience. These kids were all students of a religious school - and I am amazed at their faith in God - and in the standards they uphold. E. Godfrey and I have rarely felt so wonderful just being with people who believe strongly in God! I hope and pray these wonderful students read and pray to God that the Book of Mormon is true. Because it is - I've asked Him! And thereby, we have knowledge that God is restored His true church, wholly and completely anew upon the earth.

An idea that has been with me this past week is the constant abiding of the Holy Ghost. If we are quiet enough, and sensitive enough, and we ask for God to be with us, He will send His Spirit to be with us. That Spirit is one of the best feelings that exist. A feeling of comfort and security beyond description. I've been trying to hold myself sensitive enough this whole week so I can always think to myself "Yup, I feel the Spirit is with me." And because of that, I feel led when I find people, talk with them, and build others up. Every member of the church is entitled to that feeling and direction.

The Lord is much more willing to help us and strengthen us than we usually let ourselves believe :)

-Eldste Bryce Thomas Johnson

The Oslo Domkirke (big state church in the center of the city). Gorgeous insides. But not even close to the Salt Lake Temple. By a long shot.

The Oslo Opera House. Talk about modern style!

The military fortress!

Me and the guard - can you see the other guys in the windows? Man, those Norwegians surprise me more every day!

A military fortress in Oslo

Kristne konserter (Christian Concerts)

Tønsberg

Hallo hallo!

Hey everybody! Did you all feel that heat-wave last week? Whew, now it's finally back into the 60's - perfect for power-contacting out on the street.

Well, for exciting things that happened this week I would say that I got a few letters - thank you parents and Hillary! Great to hear from you all. I am exceedingly blessed to still get letters once in a while :).

Tønsberg - out for a lunch trip!

                                  


On Saturday we took a train to Tønsberg to go and strengthen the district down there.What an awesome time to be with missionaries! There is truly something special about missionaries gathering, discussing the doctrine of Jesus Christ. We discussed how we can improve ourselves and better help those around us learn about Christ's gospel. -

                                                                                                       

The train ride over was also gorgeous - Norway is paradise during the summer. Rolling green hills, puffy white clouds, beautiful little red houses - I really am in Norway :)

I wish I could have captured the true beauty of Norway, but train windows don't work very well to take a picture through

The APs called us up on Friday night saying they had an appointment in Oslo, and they couldn't make it. So instead, they called and asked us to see if we could make the appointment instead. "Sure thing!" we responded. Turns out the appointment was at another church, for their worship services. We met Erik - their contact - and walked on in. Fog, lights, rockin' music, people painting on canvas', and sing-a-long lyrics about Jesus Christ as our Savior and how through Him we can become cleansed and transformed into better beings! Hey - that was neat! Lots of people came up to us to talk with us. Christians are just so good at fellowshipping and being friends with you! We truly can communicate on common ground of faith in our Savior Jesus Christ! 

The neat experience, though, was after the concert when we met a kid who was just at the concert. We ended up talking with him for one and a half hours about faith in Jesus Christ and the necessity of the Book of Mormon. Here's a few questions he posed to us:

1. You guys believe in a different Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Umm . . . do we? I was pretty sure Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End was quite clearly stated in 3 Nephi 27:13-21. Is that not the Gospel of Jesus Christ as expressed in the Bible? It truly is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16).

2. You guys believe that you can become like God.

This truth is clearly stated within the Bible: Psalms 82:6, John 10:33-35, Acts 17:29, Romans 8:17, Galatians 4:7, Ephesians 4:13, 1 John 3:2, 2 Timothy 2:10-12. Did Jesus Christ not command us to become like God when He said: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48)? 

3. God and Jesus Christ are one.

Yes, they are one in purpose, just as Christ commanded His disciples to be one in John 17:19-23. Otherwise, who does Christ pray to? Himself?

After speaking with him, he invited us to his worship services on Sunday. So Sunday came along and we attended yet another rockin' worship service. I was really surprised to even hear some dubstep in the middle of the prayer. Wow. The group then all studied Acts 22 - which is a wonderful chapter covering Saul's conversion. It reminds me of Alma's conversion story in the Book of Mormon - see Mosiah 27:8-33. We met with a few people and they just flooded us with questions regarding the Book of Mormon. The white handbook says we're not allowed to proselyte around other churches, but it doesn't include them asking us questions! Hehe. All I can say is that we have been exceedingly blessed with random, neat opportunities to share the gospel :).

First and foremost it is an exceedingly great blessing that God continues to speak to us today through a living prophet! The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's true, restored church through a prophet - just as God has done in Biblical times! (Amos 3:7!)

May God's blessings be with you all! And as our new awesome Christian friends would say: "Takk Jesus!"

-Eldste Bryce Thomas Johnson

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a YM/YW activity at a member's home!

p.s. My Mom has pointed out to me that my grammar has recently plummeted. I agree. It's the Norwegian, as well as the haste in which I must write these emails - sorry everybody!

Note added later in the day:I would like you to add to my big email:

I would like to excuse myself in saying that since I wrote my email this morning, I have learned a great deal. My weaknesses are great. And at times I am led to boasting and pride, rather than truly seeking the will of God. With regards to that kid we met on the street: sure I can throw scriptures down his throat all I want, but that will bring no true progress. We must always remember that it is only the Spirit that can preach the gospel. It is not the philosophy of man, or our understandings of the scriptures, that will bring us closer to Christ. It is the Spirit of revelation that brings us closer to Christ. As missionaries, we must be tools in order to initiate the spirit of revelation in our lessons, not just teach rote lessons. Anyone can read a book aloud. But it takes the Spirit in order to drive the message into the heart, and change that heart. I am not nearly perfect. I pray I can excuse and overcome my prideful moments. Are we not all learning and growing together? :) Thanks for being there during one of my growing moments :)