Monday, January 2, 2012

Godt Nytt År!‏


 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!



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