Monday, July 24 2017

Hei Hei!

Finally arrived in norway and it has been so fun. The country is BEAUTIFUL. The people are so awesome. The language is amazing. The food is delicious. Everything is a dream. I am definitely in the most beautiful mission. But to break it down.

1- My concussion made the plane flights killer, but luckily Elsdte Garlick stayed up and played tic tac toe with me for 10 hours haha. But it has not really bugged me since so I consider myself blessed. Just one baby migraine so far so it is a good time.

2- My area is beautiful. It is surrounded by fjords so there are bridges everywhere and it smells like the sea. The city is like one long strip and it is fun to kontakt on it. Everyone shops and shops and shops. The dialect here is beautiful. It is hard to learn norwegian in it because it is so heavy, but the Ward Mission Leader told me that he would raise me Haugesensk so I do not speak ugly eastern norwegian haha. I am not mad. I love it. It was funny though because when I spoke on sunday, people were correcting me from the congregation. I just smiled. I am grateful to have a branch who loves me so much. At first I felt really stupid and inadequate because everyone kept saying, "Who is this?

She can not speak norwegain? Why did SHE replace sister Whited?" I guess Søster Earls last comp was amazing and at first people did not really like me because I could not speak. Even an investigator stopped responding haha. So i felt so stupid and it was really hard. But I just had to keep reminding myself that Haugesund does not need a Søster Whited anymore, they need a Søster Horrocks. ALSO everyone always tells me that i am so tall. whoever said that norwegians were tall and blonde are liars!! People always have to look up to me rip. But our branch president is so cool. His name is Ismo and he is from finland. He is tall like me so i like him.

3- I need to learn how to eat slower. In our branch of about 6 famillies (which are mostly just couples), we are invited to eat like once a week with all of them. Ish. But the food is so yummy. OUr ward is like half norwegian half philipino.

But despite the ethnicity, no matter where you go they expect you to eat for about an hour and a half. Since I cannot understand the table conversation i usually just eat but then since i eat so fast they tell me to get more and by the time we are done i am about to explode. that is what I am going to practice this week.

4- My first full day we taught a lesson, I asssumed that was how it would always be. We kontakted and people were super receptive. It was awesome. LOL IT WAS MISLEADING. We have not had a day like that since. AT ALL. no one really cares about the gospel. it is frustrating. I cry once in the morning, once in the shower, and sometimes if i am lucky i can cry again at night before bed. Part of the reason is because i am just so homesick ALL THE TIME. But the other part is because missionary work is so simple and so easy. All you do is talk to people and then if they want to listen you share something worth more than anything anyone can offer.

But because people here do not see the need for the gospel, it makes it pretty unfullfilling. I do not go to bed at night thinking that I made a difference in anyone's life or that I made norway a better place. There really is no way to measure your success in my mission. I just pray for Heavenly Father to help me feel joy and peace. It also has been hard to fall asleep. I will be ssooooooo tired all day long but then the second my head hits the pillow my mind speeds up 1000 mph and it is frustrating. I get so much energy and I just buzz. I have so much anxiety for the next day even though it is so easy. IDK. i need to figure out a solution. "They in the Last Wagon" (a liahona article) pretty much describes what it is like for me and Søster Earl in Haugesund. We are completely alone out here. We get to skype into District Meetings and stuff like that.

5- Even though I cannot speak norwegian and the mission has been challenging. It still is the dream life. There are always little tender mercies if you look for them. Exhibit a. We have sport every week instead of mutual. What a dream. We went bowling this week and that was so fun. I was awful. But me and Søster Earl got a strike at the exact same time which was funny. b. at dinner on sunday we were eating with a part member family and we had the senior missionaries with us. the elder exploded the soda all over the dining room and i felt so embarrassed but it still was funny hahah.

c. we were walking on an island yesterday and this lady was outside. Her name is nina. We approached her and she said she loved how modest we were. She began looking us over and noticed i had earing holes. She proceeded to massage my ear lobes for a good three minutes while she told me how beautiful I am and how she thinks we need to not wear watches to let the time come to us. HAHA. We sat down outside and she began to smoke as we talked about our gospel. We asked if we could give her a book of mormon. She said no. So we read part of the introduction with her. She stopped us, looked us in the eye, and said that as we read she could feel a heart shaped bubble around all three of us. She said she knew we were gods messengers and prayed for us that we would be safe. We told her the book was free and she was so grateful. She kept it. We will see what happens. She is really cool but is reallly into spirits and stories and knows a lot about every religion. 

6- Søster Earl is the coolest. She is from california and is such a sweetie. She is so fun. She takes the sun with her wherever she goes (even though we have only seen the sun twice in the past week). She is so sincere and has beautiful norwegian. She helps me a lot. She is honestly the perfect companion and perfect friend. I am so lucky to have her. God has really given me the perfect mission. I just need to figure out how to be happy and sleep and not get homesick lol.

7-Also Søster Nielsen wrote a poem about me and gave it to me before we split with our district (saying goodby to sister wheeler hurt so bad RIP) But it is cool.. 

"Blessed to be the certain one, 

No marksman is as fixed as she. 

Ambition drives her honest heart, 

which she bears so openly. 

On the tip of the glass does she peacefully rest. 

Trailing her hand through the waters of life. 

Up and Down the levels may go, 

but enough is enough for a dive. 

Of the infinite shallows spans an infinite puzzle. 

Pieces drift then fall into place. 

Never a question of where it should settle. 

Only queeries of what it will make. 

I predict only the greatest of things, 

as she traverses the eternal sea. 

Talents sail with her, to guide her, support her, 

as she ventures through uncertainty."

8-IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY ADVICE ON WHAT GOT YOU THROUGH YOUR MISSION LMK. Also i know letters are far and costly but i would love some. soooo much. 

pics-

this is our home. the one with the finger pointing has our finger right over our apartment. what a dream. also the bowling picture is bad sorry. big group. lol