February 23

What a good week! The weather has been really warm the whole week and we were able to do really good work the whole week. We also didn't travel anywhere, so we have gotten a couple weeks of relaxing before we are at it again next week.

Some things that happened this week were that we worked really hard and found some new investigators (Bjørnar, Renata, and Anurag).  We taught Henrik twice and it went really well.

We had an open house at the church and one of the members invited his friend! It was awesome :) So hopefully we will be able to start meeting with him. And I got a phone call this week.... do you remember Pauline from Narvik? She is getting baptized in a couple of weeks! And I get to go :) When they told me I was soooo excited :)

A new transfer is here, and that means a fresh batch of new missionaries as well. They all came to Norway on Tuesday, and as we picked them up from the airport and drove them back to the mission home, I reminisced of my days as a new missionary and all the things I have learned since then. Here is a quick list of some of those very important things:

• I have learned to be bold in the testimony of Christ no matter who attempts to deny His divinity. I know that He lives and I am not afraid to say it! I am proud to be counted among the believers.
• I have learned to plan and to be organized. I don't know how I got through life before my mission, because I never planned anything. But here I have come to understand the importance of planning and using time wisely, as well as how to do it.
• I have learned the power of prayerfully setting goals and then going out and working with real intent until we have achieved them. There is no excuse for coming short of our hopes, desires, and dreams. Failure is an event, and not a condition, and it is always an option to get up and carry on. Success is within my reach.
• I have learned to be humble and accept correction. To accept repentance as the only way and to be able to think of others before myself. I have learned what it means to serve someone with one's whole soul and to desire nothing but their happiness.
• I have learned to communicate effectively and that no relationship is perfect. Through effective communication, however, we can overcome all differences and develop love between us. Thank goodness for companionship inventory :) 
• I have learned that there is fun to be had no matter what the circumstances or situation. That life is about enjoying the journey and that there is no trial or adversity so great that we cannot face it with a smile and say, "Ok, God, I know what this is. I know that this is a chance for me to prove I'm worthy."
• Above all else, I have learned that God my Father lives and loves me and that I truly have the capacity and potential to come back to him one day. What knowledge gives greater joy than this?

I have experienced a lot of hard times up to this point on my mission, but when I looked into the eyes of those new missionaries, I saw myself. August 2013. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. And boy have I come a long way. I am so excited to see the growth and the blessings to come as the Lord continues to shape me as His servant, and I am so grateful I have time left on my mission.

I am in a good place, and I know it is only through the Lord Jesus Christ that I am able to say that. He lives, I know he does. And He loves us. Go tell somebody about it :)

I love you all! Have a great week.

Pday Pictures: