New Beginnings

Sometimes when I sit down to write about my week, I just don't have anything to say because it all seems the same to me. Let's see... we have done a lot of contacting this week, which is alright because I don't mind contacting, but it is tough not to get into a rut where I am just saying the same things and forgetting to speak by the Spirit. So I have been focusing on that lately and we have been praying a lot more while we are out. It helps. I don't remember if I told you this or not, but in the mission we have a kind of slogan that says "Pray all day, save on the way." I have really been able to experience the power that comes when we try to have our hearts "drawn out in prayer all the day long" and try to live in a way so that we always have the influence of the spirit with us. It is great :) Also, the APs were traveling through our area on the way up to Tromsø this week, so they stopped in Saturday night and slept here, which was fun. One of them is Elder Linge who I served around in Oslo, and he is going home on the 14th, so it was good to see him again before that. We have an investigator named Paulina. She is from Lithuania but has great Norwegian and is about 18 years old. We invited her to be baptized on May 3rd, and she almost said yes, but it scares her, so she said she had to think about it. But I think she will be baptized. She read 120 pages of the Book of Mormon between our first and second lessons and loves it. She is so great!

I am going to be traveling to Bodø on Wednesday, Oslo on Thursday, and Harstad on Friday, so pray that everything goes alright. We are having a big leadership meeting in Oslo, so not only do I get to go back to my hometown, but I get to see a lot of people again! It is pretty exciting.

They great thing about this life is that through the atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ, we can overcome any trial, fix any mistake, and start again no matter how many times we fail. And the great thing about the church is that every 6 months we have 15 prophets, seers, and revelators who talk to us and give us a chance to turn over a blank, fresh sheet and keep going on the path to Christ. I don't know why I haven't realized it before this point in my life, but general conference is great! We just had a weekend of being encouraged to be better disciples of Christ, love others more, hold to the standards we believe in, and share the wonderful message we have been blessed to know. I feel so inspired and I am so grateful for the things Heavenly Father puts in our lives to help us on our way.

The only problem is that I have felt this way a lot in my life, but a lot of times, that feeling also disappears pretty quickly. 

So how can we hold on to our resolution to be and do better? How can we actually progress along the path? I think some problems I have had in the past are focusing on too many things at once, a lack of a plan, and a false notion that I could do it all on my own. 

I have a testimony of change through the atonement, but I also have a testimony that we also need to do what we can to qualify ourselves for the blessings of heaven. If we do that, the Lord will bless us with the things that we need. 

Narvik is as beautiful as ever, and as the days get longer and a little bit warmer, the people are also gradually becoming happier, more outgoing, and more willing to talk. It is so interesting what a little sunshine will do to a person. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!