Jord's Adventures in Norway

Jord's Adventures in Norway

Monday, February 23, 2015

LOOK OUT TROMSØ!!!! HOUSE AND PETERSON ARE BACK IN ACTION!!!!

You heard it right folks!!! Søster House and I are back together as companions again!!!! It's like a dream come true!!!
****Thank you so much everyone for the birthday wishes!!! Ya'll are the best!! It means so much to me!!!****
 
Before I begin here is my NEW ADDRESS:
 
Søster Jordan Peterson
Storgata 12B
9008 Tromsø
Norway
Important mainly because of the people in the conversation.
Click to teach Gmail this conversation is not important.
Wow this week was insane!! I don't even know where to begin!!!

Monday: Celebrated my birthday!!! All the missionaries in my area, my friends from Church, Casper, and my investigator Louis all went out to eat for my birthday!! We went and got Asian Food!! I was soo happy!! I love Asian Food and miss it so much haha. It was such a wonderful day!!! I got sang to in Norwegian by the Norwegian birthday song as well!!! I am so grateful I was able to spend my birthday here in Norway and as a missionary!! Being on a mission has blessed my life so much and I wouldn't want to be doing anything else!!

Tuesday: Last day in Stavanger!!! Today was my last day in Stavanger!!! I cannot believe it!! It doesn't seem real!!! The Gulbrandsen Family threw me a birthday dinner!! That was so much fun!!! I just love that family!! Saying goodbye to everyone was so bittersweet!!! Yes I did cry..... I know I have turned into such a softie!!! What is the deal!!  I am so grateful for the many friendships I made here and for the blessing these people have been in my life!! I cannot wait to come back!!
I left Casper with a little bit of TEXAS!!!
Wednesday: Packing is a nightmare!!!! I have wayyy too much stuff!!! So the outfit I wore to the airport and to travel today consisted of no joke... 5 skirts, 3 shirts, 3 sweaters, 3 jackets, 2 pairs of tights, 2 pairs of socks, 2 scarves, and my big Winter boots!!! So please excuse the fat Søster Peterson in the pictures!! I promise I have not gained that much weight!!! Luckily Elder Gingrich flew with me so he could help me with all of my stuff hahaah.

We flew to Oslo and I waited to take the flight to Tromsø and guess who was on the same flight as me..... SØSTER HOUSE!!!! We were finally reunited again!!! BEST DAY EVER!!!! I just love that girl!!! I am so excited to be serving with her!! We are going to do great things!!! We got settled into our new apartment and I am so excited that it is bigger than the last one haha. I actually can cook food now!!!
 

We have this creepy Norwegian doll named Susan that freaks us out!! Her eyes like follow you everywhere you go!!! The Elders that lived in the apartment before us left her there.  They left a little note for us in her hands!!
Our Apartment only has one heater.... which is a problem considering we are like in ANTARCTICA!!! I have never seen so much snow in my life before!! It is unreal!!
Here we are trying to warm up our toes!!
Thursday, Friday, Saturday:
I have never been so cold in my life!!! Dang it is Cold here!!!! Søster House and I made appointments to meet with two less active ladies in the branch (I don’t say ward because there aren't enough people to have a ward here so it is called a branch) and they are a hoot!! We are making dinner with them this week!! Their names are Linda and Lill!! They are in their 50's and 70's!! We are going to be great friends with them!! They are neighbors and great friends so it works out perfectly!! So these past couple days Søster House and I were out contacting a lot!!! We are in need of people to teach and share the gospel with so we have to go find them!! On Saturday we were out for three and a half hours straight in the snow and freezing cold and had no success at all!!! We were doing our best to stay positive, but were so confused as to why in three hours not one person was interested or anything!! Some of the people here are not very nice let me tell you..... Søster House and I went in and decided to take a break from outside and go through the area book and call people that were in there! We had a little success and have made appointments to meet with former investigators! This is going to be tough, but I am so excited to develop this area especially with my best friend!! We are going to rock it!! Look out Tromsø these two blonde Texas Girls are coming for you!! (Well we used to be blonde, the Winter has been not so nice to our hair...)


Sunday: Wow!! Church here is so different and quite the experience!! They have no youth, and four primary children... and the four children are siblings!! There is one family that is active and comes every week and then there are two or three other people that come. We have 3 or 4 people that skype into Church and Sunday school is taught by a man through skype!! We only have two hours of Church instead of three! Søster House and I had to give talks in sacrament meeting yesterday! It wasn't too scary since there wasn't a lot of people haha!! Søster House's Norwegian is awesome!! It is so fun to see how much she has grown since I was last with her in the MTC!! I am so excited to help build up the Church here!!! This is a picture of a Norsk Church here.  We don't meet in a church building, we meet in an office building.
Today was a day of miracles!!! Søster House and I went out contacting since that's what we have to do a lot because we don't really have any investigators so we have to go out and find people!! Well we were kinda not looking forward to it considering how yesterday went, but we went out with high hopes and faith!! YOU WILL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED!!! The first three people we talked to, we got appointments with!!! One of the guys we stopped asked us if he could buy a Book of Mormon and we said it was free so we gave him one!! Then he asked when he could meet with us!! My mouth almost dropped open!! That was unreal!!! After he walked away Søster House and I started freaking out!! We are so excited to teach him!! It truly was a miracle that we found him!!! We immediately said a prayer of thanks and gratitude!! It was such an amazing thing to experience!!!

The Lord does hear and answer prayers and works in mysterious ways!! Always keep in mind that it is his timing and not ours!!! I know that the Lord is leading us to those that are prepared and need the gospel!!  Søster House and I have been here for about 4 days and we already have 5 new investigators and taught 7 lessons!!! That is not common for Norway folks!!! The Lord has lots of work for us to do here!! I am so excited to build up this area and share the gospel with people!!! Big things will happen in Tromsø!!!!
I know that Søster House and I were called here and together for a reason!! There are people here waiting for us and I can't wait to find them!!! Opening up an area is not easy let me tell you!! We are basically starting from scratch! But I feel so blessed that Søster House and I have been given this responsibility!!! We are so excited to be serving here!!!

Jordan's Tidbits:
- Søster House and I wear two layers of tights and like 3 socks!!! It is seriously so cold here!!! I have never been so cold before!!!!
- I can't wait to see the Northern Lights!!!!

- The dialect here is so different and not very easy to understand!!! It is like learning all over again!!
 
- Never ever give up!!! When the going gets tough, keep pushing!!! Good things will come!!!

- Always remember to have fun and find the positive in every situation!!
- Try every day to be better than the previous!

- Please for the love close your blinds people!!! You don’t understand how much it bothers me that people here do not close their blinds!! Søster House and I have seen too many things already from our neighbors window.......

- Never take the Sunlight for granted!!!!
- If you see missionaries stop and talk to them!!! They will appreciate it so much!!!

*Don't yield to Satan’s lies that you don't have time to study the scriptures. Choose to take time to study them. Feasting on the Word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, TV., or social media. You may need to reorganize your priorities to provide time for the study of the Word of God. If so, do it!!*

*Don't look back, leave the past behind!*

Glad i dere!!!!!
Ha en godt uke!!!!
xoxo
Søster Peterson

check out www.mormom.org

Monday, February 16, 2015

GRATULERE MED DAGEN TIL MEG!!! Happy Birthday to me!!!!

WOW!!!! I cannot believe that I am 20 today!! Dang I feel so old!!! I still feel like I am 16!! Here's to a fabulous year of being 20 in Norway!!!
Shout out to Søster Heywood for making me Vafler this morning!! You are a champion!!! Vafler is Norwegian for waffles!! I know I have said this a million times, BUT….the waffles here are to die for!!!! I am going out to eat for my birthday!! All the missionaries and my friends from the ward and Louis my investigator, and Casper are all going to come!!! I am so excited!! We are getting Chinese food!!!

(My grandma sent me a pearl necklace and earrings; I guess that is a sign that I am now a lady and growing up! Time to trade in the fruit loop necklace for the pearls!)
So this week......
- I got to watch Frozen in Norsk, it was the coolest thing ever!!! I even understood most of it!!! It is way better in Norwegian especially since it takes place in Norway

-We had a Valentines Party with the YSA (Young Single Adult) and missionaries and our investigators!! It was so fun!! Definitely a different way to spend Valentine’s Day, but I loved it!! We made dinner and all hung out!! It was so fun! I love just hanging out with missionaries and the YSA and our investigators! It is awesome to see the YSA befriending our investigators!
- Contacting this week was a little rough at first.  In the beginning of the week it was just like last week! The people were rude, didn't want to talk, and we were not having any success!! Then Søster Nielsen and Sorensen came down and we went on splits and had the best day ever!! We taught so many people on the street and got two new investigators! It was awesome!!! We are supposed to meet with them this week!  I am so grateful for Søster Nielsen and Sorensen and for them taking time to help us! 
 
- I think it is so funny when we ask people if we can pray with them on the street and how they react!! Since the MTC I always pray in Norwegian, so the times I pray in English I stutter and forget the words I want to say and it is so embarrassing! 

- Our investigator Louis taught us how to African dance!! I am not a good dancer!! It was so fun!! He kept telling us to move our whole body and feel the music! Afterwards we taught him and had the most spiritual lesson ever!! It was so awesome!! He has such a strong testimony about Jesus Christ and God!  The spirit was so strong!!
- There is a little boy in the ward named Nathan who is 4! He is the cutest little boy ever and is in love with me!! He gave me a handmade bracelet and heart valentine for Valentine's Day!!! It was the cutest thing ever! I was so sad to say bye to him!! He is a cutie!
- This week I was reminded how important the Holy Ghost is and how we need to always listen to the small promptings!!!
 
- Casper is doing great like always!!!  However saying goodbye to him is going to be so sad!!
 
TRANSFER REPORT!!!!!! I WILL BE GETTING TRANSFERRED TO........
 
 
TROMSØ WITH SØSTER HOUSE!!!!! We are going to be opening the area for sisters there!! Can you believe it!! I about died when I found out!!! I think this is the northernmost area for sisters in the world!!  Pretty awesome! I about died when I found out!!! I’m so excited to have Søster House as my new companion!!  She was my companion in the MTC and is my best friend!!! I have been dying to see her!!! I haven't seen her since the MTC and when I found out we are going to be companions I started to scream and may have teared up a little bit hahaha. We will be starting from scratch up there, but I know we are going to do great things!! I am so excited!!! 
- Tromsø currently has one set of elders and a senior couple
- Tromsø is the second most north mission city in Norway, the highest is Alta
- Tromsø has not had sister missionaries there in a really really long time
- Tromsø has a branch not a ward so there are about 10 members in Tromsø (big difference from Stavanger)
- Tromsø is freezing!!!!!! It is above the Arctic Circle!!
***** I AM GETTING A NEW ADDRESS!!!!! SO PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANYTHING ELSE TO MY CURRENT ADDRESS**** I WILL HAVE MY NEW ADDRESS NEXT WEEK!! SO IF YOU NEED TO SEND SOMETHING AND IT CAN'T WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK SEND IT TO THE MISSION HOME ADDRESS!!!!***** (it should be on my blog)
 
I am so so excited to serve with Søster House and it is such a privilege that we are opening an area!! That is a big deal!! However I am sad to leave Stavanger and the wonderful family and friends I have made here and of course my awesome companion Søster Heywood!! She is an amazing missionary and such a great example to me!! Her language skills are incredible and she has helped me so much!!! I am also sad to leave all of my amazing missionary friends here!! We are like family!!! However we are all needed elsewhere right now! Stavanger is like my home!!! I am so blessed to have served here and for the impact the people had on me! However it isn't a goodbye, but a see you later!!!! 

 
At the Bjergas house eating Yummy Boller with crème in the middle
 
The Meade Family

I was told to always leave an area better than when you arrived! I hope that I was able to do that in Stavanger!! I know that Stavanger has for sure made me better than when I arrived!


Thank you so much everyone for all of the wonderful birthday wishes, letters, and packages!!! It means the world to me!! Ya'll are so thoughtful!!! Thank you, thank you!!! I am so grateful to have such wonderful people like you in my life!!!
 
Have a great week!!!!
xoxo
Søster Peterson

 

 

 

Monday, February 9, 2015

5 MONTHS ALREADY!!

***I hit my 5 month mark this week!!! WOW!!! I cannot believe how fast time is flying!! It is crazy!!**
***This is also my last week of being a teenager!!! WHAT!!! On Monday the 16th I will be 20!! Yes 20!!! That is too old!!! AHH!!!!
 
This week not gonna lie was a tough one.... Søster Heywood and I were contacting a lot on the street and literally the people this week were so rude and not nice at all!! They didn't want to talk to us, would glare and make faces at us, etc.. It was so frustrating!!! However this week is probably my last week in Stavanger because moves calls are on Sunday and I have a feeling that I am getting transferred... so sad!!! I have been lucky and haven't been transferred yet so it is going to be so sad to leave Stavanger!! This place is my home!!! Søster Heywood and I plan to work extra hard this week!! I am determined to get people to talk to us and to do big things here before I leave!!!
So for those of you that don't know missionary rules, you are always within sight or sound of your companion, you are never alone!! So this week we were on a bus and I got off the bus and waited for Søster Heywood to get off, but then the doors closed and she wasn't next to me!! Usually missionaries don't sit by each other on the bus so we can talk to people, so I got off and was waiting for her. I looked in the bus as it started to drive away and saw Søster Heywood sitting in the bus still!!! Hahahaha I immediately began to laugh!! I called our zone leader missionaries and told them we were separated than called Søster Heywood. She was a bit freaked out and scared hahaha.  She got off the bus at the next stop than took a bus back to the stop I was waiting at. It was so weird to be completely alone!! When she got off the bus she ran to me and hugged me!! hahaha you gotta love being a missionary!!
Søster Sorensen and Søster Neilsen do a thing where they tell you what you did good that day and wow they are inspired I tell you!! Things that they tell me are something that I really need to hear!! It means so much to me!! I made it a goal to start doing that with my companions as well!! 

It is so frustrating that the people don't want to believe in God!!

We ate at the Redford’s this week and David loves spicy food and sauces!! Something that I learned is that you never use David's sauces because they are insanely hot!! I forgot to let Søster Heywood in on that secret so she dumped a lot on her food and throughout the whole dinner I could hear her struggling and breathing in and out because her food was so spicy!

Jordan's Tidbits:
- I got ranch dressing!!! A member in the ward gave me some!! Literally made my day!! Norwegians don't use ranch/don't have ranch here!! This member knew I loved and missed it and saw some and got it for me!! They are so sweet!!!
- Burmese food is so good!! A member Su and Daniel had us over to eat and it's always fun going to eat at their place because we get to take a little road trip and it is so beautiful!! They live in Egersund!  She cooks the best Burmese food ever!!! She is so nice and caring towards the missionaries!
 

- I got tendonitis in my foot... So that's no fun!!! But it's not stopping me!!! I am here to work!
-February 8th was Mother’s Day in Norway!  One of my awesome “mom’s” in Stavanger is Joanna Bjerga!
- I have never seen such a huge giraffe!
- I love awesome moments like when I was at a YSA activity and we were watching a devotional being broadcast from BYU Idaho… and I see my cousin, Dominic on TV!!!  I started freaking out!
- I love being a missionary!!
- Louis and Casper are so awesome!! They are like my best friends!! Louis wants me to teach him how to line dance and he said he will teach me how to African dance hahaha
 
- Love the great state of TEXAS!
 
Have a great week!!!
**Take a step back and enjoy the little things!!***

Love ya'll!! Thank you so much for the love, support, and encouragement!!! It means so much to me!! This is the last time you will hear from me as a teenager!!!

xoxo
Søster Peterson





 

Monday, February 2, 2015

EN ANNEN FLOTT UKE I NORGE!!!

(Another great week in the land of Norway!!)

I am happy to report our investigators are progressing so that is really great!!

Mandag:
We went to the Oil Museum with the other missionaries!! It was really neat to learn about how they do the oil here!! They let us put on the suits and those were so heavy!! There was also a model of a room that you could try to find your way out of and it was pitch black, really little, and had the sirens going off in it, and you were timed to see how fast you could get out.... Let me say that I was honestly terrified and claustrophobic!! I started screaming for help! hahahah.
 
We had the weekly young single adult activity tonight and David one of the members taught self-defense! It was so fun and our investigators Pawet and Louis came!! They had a blast and are going to start coming to the activities!!!
Casper, Søster Peterson, Louis, Pawet
Tirsdag:
Every Tuesday Casper teaches tegn språk (Norwegian sign language) for an hour. I am so excited at how many members of the church come to learn!! It makes me so happy!!! Everyone is so great at including Casper!

Søster Heywood and I were contacting in the city and we stopped a man and talked with him for a bit then he said that if we both went to the bar and drank two beers each with him, he would come to church and meet with us again...... I was like duh tuller med meg!!! Like are you kidding me!! We are missionaries!! Did you not pay attention to anything we just talked to you about?? We declined and then walked away.  
Torsdag:
On Thursday the Sister Training Leaders came for the day!! I love Søster Hartley and Campell!! They are the best!!! It was fun to go on splits with them and see how they do things! I really learned a lot!! Søster Hartley has no fear and literally talks to anyone and everyone!! When I was with Søster Campell, she used an example of having the guy describe to her what salt is and what it tastes like and she acted like she had never tasted it before.  She used that example because he kept asking us how we knew God was real, how we knew the Book of Mormon was true, and questions like that.  While he was trying to describe what salt is to her, he finally got the point she was trying to make and we ended up giving him a Book of Mormon!! It was so cool!! Something I had never thought of before!!

Fredag:
Every Friday we visit a less active member named Juni! She is in her 50’s and is the cutest and so sweet!! We are going to start doing personal progress with her and she got really excited!! Juni really lights up when we visit her and is getting more interested in reading the Book of Mormon with us!! She told Søster Heywood and I that we literally glow!! That was the nicest thing ever!!! It meant so much to me!!

Casper couldn't come to the skype appointment with the deaf man that is getting taught in Bergen, so Søster Heywood and I had to teach him ourselves!! I was a little worried because he signs a little differently, but it went great!!!

***Casper gets to go to the temple for the first time in June to do baptisms!!! I am so so so excited for him!! The ward is going on a temple trip and the Meads (an amazing family who I love!! They are such good member missionaries!!) They invited Casper to ride with them!! The closest temple is in Stockholm, Sweden.  It was an answer to my prayers because I was worried about Casper not being able to go and about the communication barrier, but the Meads are trying to learn sign language so they can talk with Casper!! They are so awesome!!!
Today (Mandag):
We went to the three swords today!! It is so beautiful!  I can’t believe I live 2o minutes from this!! I love seeing the sights of Norway!  I and the other missionaries rode a bus there.  The place is actually called Sverd i fjell (English: Swords in Rock) it is a commemorative monument located at the Hafrsfjord fjord, just outside the city of Stavanger. 
 
Here is a little history about it: (from wikipedia)
The monument was created by sculptor Fritz Røed from Bryne and was unveiled by king Olav V of Norway in 1983. The three swords stand 10 metres tall and are planted into the rock of a small hill next to the fjord. They commemorate the historic Battle of Hafrsfjord that took place there in the year 872, when King Harald Fairhair gathered all of Norway under one crown.
The largest sword represents the victorious Harald, and the two smaller swords represent the defeated petty kings. The monument also represents peace, since the swords are planted into solid rock, whence they may never be removed.

Jordan's Tidbits:
- I know I say this all the time but seriously….Norwegian waffles are to die for!!!
- I love Norwegian styles!!!
- Louis told me he liked my dialect when I speak Norwegian!! That made my day!! He likes my Texas twist of Norwegian!!! hahaha
- I love the people here!! They are like my family and best friends!! Our investigators are so cool!!! 
-Beautiful! Just Beautiful!  My view from the church building!

 
*Don't wait to make a difference!! Start now!!!*

*The Lord doesn't always take our problems away, sometimes he strengthens us to be able to bear our burdens.*

Have a great week!!! 
xoxo
Søster Peterson

check out www.mormon.org