Another quick swishes by in the amazing city of Stavanger :). And boy has the rain and darkness begun picking up . . . .
Stavanger
apparently has the best oil museum in Europe (if not the whole entire
world), so we went and visited it with one of our members! Bro L. was
one of the chiefs in charge of an oil rig out on the North Sea for much
oil harvesting back in the day. Oil in Norway is what makes Norway one
of the richest, and well-off countries in Europe. So, shortly said, the
oil museum rocked! Sadly, we only had an hour left before it closed (at
4 pm . . . I'm still not used to Norwegian stores closing extremely
early.) Can you imagine being in one of those thick orange suits on a
hot summer day? WHEW! During the winter, though, it's literally saving
your life.
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| Sandes and us in our rockin' oil suits! |
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| I can't imagine trying to put this thing on everyday . . . . |
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Bro L. and I outside the "Christmas Tree" oil unit
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On Tuesday, a new Ward Mission Leader was called! As
my Mom said, there's always growth in changes in leadership - and we
are so stoked for our new ward mission leader! He fights our causes
valiantly in Ward Council :). Being a part of Ward Council is also a
special privilege us missionaries are provided here in Stavanger! It's a
very growing experience watching how the ward functions as a council in
order to problem-solve, progress and obtain the Lord's will for the
ward here in Western Norway. I am so honored to just observe it! I'm
taking a lot of mental notes as to how these principles will apply in
the future. The Lord provides opportunities for learning very early in
our developmental process in order to prepare us for future callings and
possibilities. For He will not require anything of us that we are not
prepared to handle (Look at Moses and Enoch for example: Moses felt
unprepared to lead the children of Israel because he was slow of tongue
(Exodus 4:10). And now looking back, he was one of the greatest leaders
this world has ever seen! Enoch was afraid of this very same problem
(Moses 6:31). Yet he trusted in the Lord, and soon his words wrought
some of the most amazing miracles known to happen (Moses 7:13). The
power of language is one of the most powerful tools God has given us!
Our investigator R.A. called her family this week to
talk about her becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. Her Mom
responded: "You're CRAZY! . . . but you're an adult and can make your
own decisions. We support you in whatever you decide." That was a tender
mercy from the Lord for R.A. We are very excited for this week :).
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| Gorgeous early morning in the Stavanger Airport! |
On Wednesday we had a conference in Oslo! We've
recognized that as a mission we need to work on teaching skills, as well
as using district meetings more effectively to train the influx of new
missionaries we've received recently. Talk about working in council :).
The Lord DOES inspire councils to bring for His will. We can see this in
Acts 15. And the new Leadership Training Library on lds.org goes into detail regarding this subject: https://www.lds.org/
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| We dropped in the Oslo "Quiet Room" for a peek - and what do you know - there are inspirational books on the table! What could be more inspirational than the most correct book on earth? |
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| Outside the St. Petri Kirke |
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| Christus Statue in the St. Petri Kirke :) |
Also, we went past the St. Petri Kirke and it was
ACTUALLY open! This church has one of three Christus statues made by one
artist (I have forgotten the name of the artist . . .). One is here in
St. Petri, the second is in a church in Denmark, and the third, of
course, is in the Visitor's Center in Salt Lake Temple Square! Neat,
right?? We hopped in, asked if we could take pictures, and tried not to
bother everyone else around. They were preparing for an organ
performance of Mozart, Bach and Liszt. The temptation to stay was
extremely present.
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| S., F. and their little boy :] |
Last, but not least S. and F. were baptized this
weekend! The husband was the man found by one of our district members
sitting by him on a bus. And look at him and his family now! They are
preparing themselves for the temple as we speak through daily prayer,
scripture study and church attendance. The Lord's Spirit was very strong
throughout the meeting - a confirming witness of the ordinance's
importance and verity. Baptism is the Lord's prepared way back to Him
through daily striving and overcoming.
We are not here on earth to "earn" heaven - but
rather to "learn" heaven! Christ provided the sacrifice in order for us
to escape the consequences of justice upon the conditions of obedience.
The Spirit is the daily guide to help us make the right decisions. It is
by personal prayer and study that we invite the Spirit to lead us
throughout each day. May the Lord's Spirit and blessings be poured out
upon you all - by the fulfilling of the Lord's commandments!
I love this!
-Eldste Bryce Thomas Johnson
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| Kveldsmat at the R. Family's home. Apparently it's very "swedish" to dip your bread and cheese in hot cocoa. I'm always willing to dive into my ancestry anywhere, anytime :) |
