Monday, September 4 2017

It has been crazy to see how God really knows what we want..even if we do not pray for it. This week has been nothing but miracles ... and my usual problems haha.

1- Last monday we tried to go to åkra beach. we have knocked doors there before, but we wanted to relax on the sand. We rode a bus for 45 min and then realized we would not have time to even relax before we had to turn around. So we went home, cozied up, and watched a thrilling movie called "The Testaments". I cried the whole time. Reminded me too much of home. Every time the little girl said PaPawna it was like a stab to my heart. Sad. I will not watch that movie ever again until I home.

2- Monday night we knocked on this guys door again for the second time, he let us come back and teach him the next day. It was really a miracle because we were hoping to go to stavanger monday, but our president said we could not. because of that, we had time to knock on his door and we got a lesson out of it!

3- Our branch president's wife brought us AMERICAN FOOD back from sweden when she went. It was awesome. She got us pancake mix, mac and cheese, and soda. Such a tender mercy. Yesterday we had breakfast for dinner. Again, a little too close to home, but it still tasted really good.

4- A sad story: We met this really cool boy who just moved here from houston to play football for a school in norway. He literally just got here. He was so cool. BUT while we were talking to him I saw one of our potential investigators and just like walked away to talk to him instead. WHY DID I DO THAT. He ended up being drunk so I left the boy from houston for no reason (even though i should not have anyway). I felt so bad. I still feel bad. I learned a lesson that day haha - if you are talking to someone..talk to them. I fasted that I would run into that boy again so I could apologize because if anyone needed a friend here, he did. sad.

5- We taught two awesome lessons this week where people said things that really hit us. We taught a girl who works with suicidal kids. After our lesson she said, "You two came to the right place. These people need hope here." Another man we taught talked about how the Book of Mormon has helped him forget all of the pain of his past whenever he reads in it. He looked at us and said, "Every norwegian needs to read this book." WOW. He is right!! When he said that I literally wanted to climb out of his window, stand on his roof and scream about how right he was. That was the first time I have felt like that on my mission.

6- On monday, me and Søster Earl have made our transfer theme: "RADIATE." We try to radiate our message at all times because you never know who is watching. As we went throughout the week people kept telling us "Dere utstråle" we did not know what that meant haha. We had four people tell us it and then in a lesson with the guy who we knocked on his door he said that the reason he let us come back is because we "utstråle". We looked it up, it means RADIATE! Wow. That was cool.

7- God knows me all too well. All week I was so homesick for a roadtrip. I just wanted to drive to California, nap in the car, listen to music, be with family. I did not pray for it, obviously. It just is something that cannot happen.

But Then on saturday the couple in stavanger drove up and we drove 2 hours to teach a man (the book of mormon man). After that, they took us on a road trip across the tundra of norway!! We drove for like 6 hours and saw over 60 waterfalls, 2 rainbows, endless fjordlines, cities on the coast. It was incredible. We saw Låfoten, Langfoss, and Odde. I do not have pics of Odde because our camera died, but google it. It is so beautiful. So I do not know if anyone can be luckier than I am. It was a little frustrating though because I could not just relax. I do not know how to relax anymore haha. I never really have, but now I expecially cant. I was so on the edge of my seat it was unreal how much anxiety i have. sad.

8- Thanks everyone for the letters that came in the mail! That was really fun to recieve all of those :)) 

9- The mission is just so annoying because I KNOW that i am the luckiest person on the planet. and I KNOW that my life is so good. so how is it so hard?? I am so grateful that 1) Heavenly Father was so specific in my patriarchal blessing or else it would be hard to stay out and 2) that I never ever go to bed with anything but an overwhelming love for my mission. I just have been having a hard time being in the moment. I have so much anxiety and anticipation to what we have to do next that it is hard to do what I am supposed to be doing. I love every single thing we do in the mission, all of the activities bring me joy, but the mission as a whole is hard. I have learned so much though. I think most of all I just really want my motives of why I am staying out here to be because I want to serve God. Right now I am just trying to be obedient to his commandment for me to go. So here I am, just like Nephi, going and doing the things that the lord commands me. He will provide a way, he has always provided a way. I have grown so much. AND I HAVE BEEN GONE 3 MONTHS NOW. that is cool. time is slow but fast haha.

I hope everything is good for you all at home. Always in my prayers. Cannot wait to hang with you all again one day. 

Have a good week. I know I will.

Søster Horrocks