How do you move a mountain?‏

Hey everybody!

One shovel at a time! How do you move a frozen mountain? You use a pick first, then a shovel at a time! This week Elder Olsen and I finished a big part of our service project for our Branch President. Unfortunately the big pile of dirt completely froze over this last time around, so we used a pick and finished moving it. It really shows me how much those Young Men projects prepare you for a mission. The projects accomplish a lot more than just achieving the final objective, or building your muscles! It builds you as a person! Boy am I grateful for all of those projects.

 Freezing faces while bonking on doors! yeeah!

Speaking of building you as a person, this whole past week has really done that to me as well! Bonking on doors in -10 degree weather is an invigorating experience. Luckily the moon and stars are absolutely gorgeous, and can keep one entertained for quite some time! I've also really tried to reach out in being grateful for more things. Hopefully you all have read the Ensign/Liahona magazine for December - it's very much focused on gratitude! I took the "gratitude challenge" near the beginning of the issue, and that has really picked me up in these cold times! Everyone should do it!

For example, I am extremely grateful for the warm socks my Mom got for me. There's no other way to survive here! I am also grateful that I learned how to sew a button in Bergen, so that I could adjust my techniques and sew my slacks back together when I busted the derriere seam earlier this week! This last Sunday was also spectacular. When you have a good Sunday, it makes the rest of the week completely refreshing :). I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven who gave us His Son, who thereby gave us the sacrament!

I apologize I don't have very much time to write this week, but we are alive and well :). Please pray for me as I take my driver's test this next week for a Norwegian license - I need as much help as I can get! I love you all - please enjoy the Christmas season, especially with your families and friends close. I have very much come to appreciate my family and friends beyond measure around this time of year while on a mission. Remember that it is only through Christ that we receive true peace, joy and comfort - regardless of our circumstances! "God Jul!"

-Eldste Bryce Thomas Johnson

P.S. If any of you all have funny, uplifting talks (Bro Bytheway, etc) or albums, please send them to me on my email! We could always use a good laugh here!

Yes I do have an iPod. I'll cherish these forever, buddy!

 The Moon in Mo i Rana's Sentrum, with Christmas tree!

Let the Lord Help You‏

Hey everybody!

Do you all have your Christmas decorations up yet? We do! Hopefully you all can see the picture I've

The extent of our Christmas decorations :)

included. Norwegian Christmas decorating is as follows: green leafy shrubs and trees covered in big white lights, garnished with little red gnomes. It's quite beautiful, really! They also all have these Hanukkah-looking lights that they have in their windowsills. I'm really grateful because it makes late-night bonking rather entertaining :).

Earlier this week I was able to take a train northward up to Bodø on splits! To describe the mid-journey scenery in one word: Hoth (the planet from Star Wars). Except darker. However Bodø was a very pleasant place! I was able to work with Elders Isaksen and Tedrow and really improve my abilities talking to people and having fun while working! Elder Isaksen is heading down to Puerto Rico pretty soon, so I was very grateful to work with a true Norwegian for a day! Especially the first Norwegian Elder to go and serve Spanish-speaking!

Johnson & Olsen, Mo i Rana's missionaries! yeeaiah!

This past week I've really learned that it is absolutely essential to have fun while you are on your mission. Whether it's walking in a really straight line, telling crazy life stories to your companion or just laughing about otherwise strange occurrences, all are necessary to work better in your mission. So don't forget to have fun! And chocolate helps. I have finally figured out why Norwegian chocolate is so good: because what else is going to keep them going when it's so dark?!

One interesting thing I learned this past week was from Elder Vanderhooft. He quotes C.S. Lewis pretty much every week, and I love it. C.S. Lewis is one of my heroes. The quote was about repentance. When we repent, are we facing up to the fact that we sinned and we're giving that over to the Lord, or are we trying to rationalize the sin and make excuses so it seems not as bad as it was? Because honestly, making rationalizations and excuses is really a waste of time. Instead, clearly admitting and restituting the sin and giving it to the Lord is repentance. And therefore, once we have done all we can (rationalizations and excuses aside), the Lord forgives us and is willing to comfort us. And then a thought struck me: "But are we allowing ourselves to be forgiven and comforted?" Many times we make mistakes and hold ourselves to them "oh look, I made a mistake, I'm a bad person." But after you repent, the Lord remembers it no more, and we cannot allow that mistake to bother us in terms of our goodness and worthiness. You are whole again! The quote really opened up my mind on how much the Lord is willing to comfort us if we just open our hearts and minds to Him. C.S. Lewis is the man!

Andrew and I in his hybel!

Investigators: My Mom requested I include more information regarding my investigators. I will do my best! We have been teaching Andrew - he is the man! I've never met anyone, especially this young, especially in Norway of all places, have so much faith in Jesus Christ. It's astounding to me! He's a wonderful guy who just ate up the Book of Mormon. That was a really neat experience. We're continuing to meet up with him and bring him closer to Christ through the message of the Restoration! We have also been teaching Elizabeth who has always been friends with the missionaries. Only very recently has Mo i Rana been opened up to missionaries again, so we found her and she is interested in learning more. The Lord has blessed us enormously here in Mo i Rana :D.

So everything is going great here! The Lord is building us immensely here, as well as building the church here in Mo i Rana! I hope you're all doing great as well. Take some time to study the Christmas stories from the scriptures - that is where the true Spirit of Christmas can be felt. I love you all, keep up the good work!

-Eldste Bryce Thomas Johnson

 

Norway's Hurricane!‏

Hallo alle!

        Before Hurricane 

Of all places, I would least expect Norway to receive a hurricane! Us missionaries do not know the extent of damages along the coast, but we in Mo i Rana received the worst of it. Our whole Saturday was foiled! But! Just to be studs, we contacted for 15 minutes; with no one outside of course. Haha! The wind and rain was at least bearable. We received word of 60 ft. waves washing up the shore and mountainsides of the coast. Whew! I really hope those on the coast are OK.

Well, this past week was Thanksgiving! Our Mission President sent out a wonderful letter concerning

After Hurricane

the benefits of gratitude. And with so many things that could, and do, get us down, true gratitude can really pick you up. That is a wonderful trait to have. To paraphrase President Monson: If ingratitude be one of the greatest sins (according to D&C 59:21), then gratitude takes its place next to the greatest of virtues. Gratitude really puts our minds in perspective in our true relationship to God. Gratitude then benefits US more than it benefits God. How much more we should be grateful!

To answer a few questions my Mom sent me:

The language is coming along just fine! Unfortunately, despite amazing language studies in the morning, the extent to which we could speak throughout the day is rarely used past a departing "ha det bra!" or "ha en finn dag!" And so when we do end up speaking with people, I'm confronted with many words that I recognize and understand; yet they don't make sense as a whole. These are just your usual new-language woes I suppose :P.

It's cold!

There are two Norwegian missionaries actually out here in Norway with us. Most the the Norwegian missionaries serve in England, and I know of one other in Washington D.C. Sadly one of our missionaries here will be leaving for Puerto Rico to serve the rest of his mission there! We will only have one pretty soon. But I've met Elder Torjesen and he's one of my favorite people I've thus far met!

Elder Olsen has been here in Mo i Rana for 12 weeks. We're doing everything we can here! The members here are rockstars. Jan-Erik is a convert of many years, who doesn't speak very much English. The funny part is that he has recently remarried a woman from Utah who doesn't speak very much Norwegian. And I thought sustaining relationships was difficult enough without a language barrier! Haha - they're wonderful. Roseane was recently baptized; a wonderful woman who loves the truth that she has found. We're still teaching her and her family.

Is Mo i Rana pretty? Well, according to American

This is how we pray at night - warming our dynes!

standards, yes this place is gorgeous! According to Norwegian standards, yeah this place is fine. hehe! However, do we receive enough sunlight to see it? Hardly. 3 weeks no direct sun so far! Woo! (we do what we can to make things fun here :P) There was
one midafternoon at sunset that Elder Olsen and I just had to look over the fjord. It was an brilliant color of yellow, in the sky and on the water. Gorgeous!

Sorry Dad, no northern lights yet. Especially with how much rain we've received you'd think I'd have brought it with me from Bergen. Sheesh! Hopefully this next week is clear so we can see some northern lights.

Thank you all so so so so much for your love and support! Your prayers keep me going! I am incredibly grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who leads and guides this work both collectively and individually. This gospel is true, and it works! I love you all!

-Eldste Bryce Thomas Johnson

What we were "forced to do" during the hurricane.

Mo i Rana---First Snow!‏

First snow, in front of the local State Church; sorry for the fuzziness!

Hey everyone!

Mo i Rana is wayyyy different from Bergen. Extremely different. Well I can begin with my transfer over here. We flew on a twin-propellor 37 seater plane under the airline "Widerøe" (that information was mainly for my Dad :P). Really cool airline that even serves tiny dark chocolates mid-flight! (you need the chocolate to survive the darkness up here - trust me!). I must say I am very glad that Norwegians are so laid back. Both of my bags are slightly overweight, and my carryon bag is huge. Nope, doesn't cost anything extra - whew! The flight was stunningly gorgeous. I wish my pictures would turn out better (taking pictures through the plane cabin's glass doesn't help at all . . .). I cannot even imagine what this place looks like during the summer - it would be gorgeous!! I arrived on a very foggy day here in Mo i Rana, and met Elder Olsen.

Elder Olsen and I near the coast -
 *note* the sun is NOT over the mountain!

Elder Olsen is the man. First off, he's from Hemet, California (very close to Temecula). He's strong, understanding, and a hard worker. Precisely what I need right now at this time of adjustment! We have quite a bit in common, and have really hit it off well the past few days!

The adjustment from Bergen to Mo i Rana was huge. Bergen, being a big, busy place with a large ward, activities, lots of missionaries and so forth, is very different from Mo i Rana, which is a small town with a branch of 14 people. And it's just me and Elder Olsen. We're all getting to know each other very well. For example, church yesterday consisted of 5 people, including the missionaries, where we played the hymns, blessed and passed the sacrament and I gave a talk. That was all of church. Almost all of our time is spent outside trying to talk with people, or bonking on doors. Very different from Bergen. However this adjustment has really strengthened my dependence upon the Lord, and my sensitivity to the Spirit. We have seen some miracles occur as we have been let in a few times to teach (wonderful!!). One neat thing about being in a small town though, is that you can kinda set up a reputation in the city. Always say Hi, always smile, always ask for opportunities to help, serve, teach, etc. So that is really cool. Everyone is so surprised when we wave at them - it's slightly hilarious :P. Mo i Rana also has not seen the sun for a few weeks! Ahh good ol' Norway. We're just below the Arctic Circle - however I must say that Mo i Rana is colder than other towns up north due to the fact we are much more inland from the ocean! This is a fantastic place to see what us missionaries are made of :D. The Spirit continues to burn within us! And Mom, the Vitamin D is working great. Thank you thank you thank you!

Thanks to Jared I am still a consistent
 journal writer! Despite all opposition
otherwise! Haha

I must also describe the apartment here. From the stories I heard in the MTC, I never thought I'd be in a less-than-ill-repair apartment. Hahaha, how I am wrong! We live in an attic, I mean the upstairs, on the fourth floor of this house. Insulation is nearly non-existent, especially with the hole in the roof we've shoved blankets in. Our bathroom is broken, and so we use the basement (4 floor house, mind you) with a brisk concrete floor. Our kitchen is also in the basement, consisting of one bowl, a few plates and utensils. Haha! At first impression I was a little miffed, but now I kind of enjoy seeing what we can go through and still be truly happy. And hey, if we can survive this, what else is there to stop us?? The second day convinced me that this is certainly a full-body thermal 24/7 kind of a place. Surprisingly enough it hasn't snowed yet, though we have inches of frost on the ground. But we are here for a reason! And we have a great work ahead of us!

Well, tomorrow we leave at 4 am to go to Zone Conference in Trondheim (we may see the sun for a bit!). That'll be exciting. President Johansen can always fire us up properly for the next few months. I'll be honest in saying that the adjustment to Mo i Rana was really tough. Though through studies in the scriptures of happiness and on the blessings of sacrifice, the Spirit is burning brighter within me than before. It is incredibly true that the Gospel brings true happiness and peace, despite the situations we are placed in. It is completely possible to have everything going for us and we can still be unhappy, unsatisfied and have no peace. I see it everyday in Norway. Yet through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, prayer and scripture study and a great deal of effort, you can have happiness, peace and satisfaction. And besides, I've realized that the Holy Ghost literally makes people more attractive. Who wouldn't want to have peace of mind, comfort, satisfaction and a heart full of love?? Those feelings show on your face, as a witness to your testimony.

I love you all so much. I miss you all so much - yet the sacrifice is necessary for the blessings in store for me and you. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Continue to exercise faith in our Savior Jesus Christ - it is through Him that we overcome our circumstances and weaknesses. He takes care of the rest - and He lives and loves you.

-Eldste Bryce Thomas Johnson

At times all that keeps us sane is Norwegian Donald Duck comics, herbal tea and donuts :P.

Packin' my bags, I'm headin' North!‏

The flight over to Mo

Hey everyone!

Transfers are here (every 9 weeks for the Scandinavian missions)! I'm heading up to Mo i Rana for Christmas! It'll be much MUCH colder than Bergen, that's for sure. But Elder Olsen and I will tear the place up. Here's my new address beginning November 9th:

 Eldste Bryce Thomas Johnson

Mobekkgt. 32

8624 Mo i Rana

Norway

Our attic/apartment =)

A little miracle Elder Passey and I experienced this week: after a good solid day of contacting, and much rain, we were on our way back to the church when a random girl came up to us and asked "Hey is that church over there yours? What time does your worship service start?" "Why yes, 11:00, would you like a free tour?" "Sure!" Marthe is from Austria (my Dad's mission!) here on a study-abroad program in Bergen. We gave her a tour and she said she'd come to church! Really neat girl, hopefully she'll keep in contact. But it was incredibly comforting having someone come to US with a question like that. The Lord truly blesses the obedient :D

Home sweet home!

 This past weekend the Thomassen brothers were baptized. Us missionaries kinda took the family and split them up to be taught by different companionships. Jan and Kent are rock stars - solid in this gospel! The Spirit was absolutely wonderful at their baptism. Their family was so happy. Then on Sunday they, as well as George, were ordained to the office of Priest in the Aaronic Priesthood. I was honored, and stunned, to ordain Kent. That was truly special. Moments like that make the whole mission worth it! Everyone was beaming with joy. The way of this Gospel is truly the only and lasting way to peace. Even better, however, was that their little brother Bjørn saw the joy his brothers received and decided immediately to be baptized later this month. Elder Passey and I were teaching Bjørn, and we were consequentially stoked. I am so excited to see where these brothers go in their lives - with God on their side!

Bergen has been an extraordinary experience. Words can't really describe what I've experienced here. Or in the MTC. And probably what I will experience the rest of my mission. But this I know: God does truly support and bless those who ask for His help, and then does something about it. The people here are angels. The love, support and encouragement we received from them are irreplaceable (and at times perfectly timed!). I have grown in love for these people - and it is sad to go! A big thing I learned from Norway thus far is that the adversary is trying to stop us from talking to each other. Whether by technology, pride or discomfort, the adversary convinces us to not talk with each other and give each other strength. Talk with each other! Support each other! Others' problems should bother us! And then help where we can - this is exactly what the Savior would do. And we have a baptismal covenant to do the very same (Mosiah 18:8-10). God's blessings will shed forth as we reach out to others where we can.

All of you are amazing - keep up the good work. I love receiving emails and letters - they really brighten those dark days (and those dark days are meant literally - not just figuratively). Mo i Rana will be VERY dark. I pray for a burning testimony to melt away that darkness. Your prayers support me in this - please don't stop :) thank you thank you all! May God be with you all! 

I've waited years for this day

-Eldste Bryce Thomas Johnson

Edvard Grieg's Home pictures!

Edvard Grieg's home

His work area looking out on the fjord.

Edvard Grieg's view of the fjord

Hills near his home.

Me :)