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| It's actually a clear day! Hurry, take a picture! |
Hei alle!
Norwegians celebrate their New Year very much like Americans
celebrate the 4th of July: tons and tons of fireworks! It was really
neat for a while, until we had to go to bed trying to sleep through the
ambience of exploding substances the rest of the evening. Really neat
experience though! Isn't it also comforting to know that if the world
ends this year, by timezone (as prophesied by that one guy), that your
missionary in Norway will get the brunt of it firsthand?? Hehe.
As for this week, needless to say, holidays are tough times for
missionaries who don't have many places to go :). But on the other hand,
we're also at times filled to the brim with such exceeding and
exquisite joy that we wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the whole
entire world! Oi, what a roller coaster! I suppose that's all a part of
enduring to the end: being solidly faithful through both the lowest of
lows and most extreme of highs (by the Spirit, mind you!).
I would like to express my gratitude for all of you faithful
members of the church who continue to love and serve one another and are
steadfastly attending church! Us as missionaries adore you and
appreciate you more than we can comfortably express. I suppose we're
slightly biased, however, since other missionaries don't have the same
experiences that we do, here in Mo i Rana. But if they could, they would
appreciate and love you beyond expression! You are all so blessed, and
are indeed a blessing to the community you are in!
Mo i Rana is coming out of the ashes now, after the holidays, so we
are ready to dig deep and hard into the snow this week! One of the best
things about working here in Mo i Rana is the time we have to improve
our storytelling skills. Stories can make the hardest of difficult days a
breeze. Another great thing about Mo i Rana is that we met someone who
actually challenges our beliefs! I was very surprised not very many
people challenge our belief here in Norway, but we did meet someone! And
it has been a simply wonderful experience teaching, directly from the
scriptures, why we believe what we believe. It builds my testimony all
the more that us missionaries are trained in our lessons (Restoration,
Plan of Salvation, Gospel of Christ and Commandments) and in love, and
the rest of study is up to you and the Spirit. The Lord gives us so much
freedom and abilities to choose in that which we study and learn to
best apply the doctrine to the individuals we meet. I love it.
I know this work is God's work. Joseph Smith was God's prophet on
the earth, just as Adam, Abraham and Moses of ancient time, and today we
have Thomas S. Monson who leads this Church as Christ would if He were
on the earth. What a blessing it is that we have that knowledge. I love
you all so very much - continue being awesome!
-Eldste Bryce Thomas Johnson
coooold!
