KEBABS ON KEBABS

So this week was frustrating.  As you can see from the title we had ALOT of KEBABS

(a kebab is what we call when someone stands us up for an appointment) we had probably about 15 of those this week......... so that was a bummer and really frustrating.... like come on people just call us and tell us you aren't coming! Or if you don't want to meet just say so!! ughh!! Sorry I am done venting now....

Søster Bender and I are starting to go running in the morning now that it is sunshine all the time!! We went running down by the fjord and it was so beautiful!! Norway is just unreal!! Søster Bender wanted to get a closer look at the water so we were going down some rocks and of course I pulled a classic Søster Peterson and slipped and fell..... No I did not fall in the water; I just fell onto moss, mud, and cut my hand. But all is well!

We had ZLT (zone leader training) this week and that was way fun to see and be around other missionaries!! ZLT was great and I learned a lot about how I can be a better missionary and it was really cool to see changes and things that I can use to be a better and more efficient missionary! I met one Elder - Elder Hinton and he is from Ft. Worth!! Finally a Texan I can talk to and he can relate and know what I am talking about when it comes to TEXAS things!! So that was fun!

We have one investigator, Ramy and he is just the best!! He is so eager to learn and due to his background where he grew up, he wasn't able to learn about God or Christianity, so we are starting from the basics with him! It is so cool to see him make connections! English isn't his main language, it is Arabic, so we have Google translate to help us when we need clarification with each other, but he is so awesome! He will come with questions from his reading in the Bible or Book of Mormon and we will go over them with him and explain them to him and it is such a great learning opportunity for me as well! He is just so good and wants to know all he can! We recently helped answer his question of the God head and used scriptural references from the Bible and Book of Mormon to help him understand that God, Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings, but one in purpose.

The First Article of Faith states, “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” These three beings make up the Godhead. They preside over this world and all other creations of our Father in Heaven.

The true doctrine of the Godhead was lost in the apostasy that followed the Savior’s mortal ministry and the deaths of His Apostles. This doctrine began to be restored when 14-year-old Joseph Smith received his First Vision (see Joseph Smith—History 1:17). From the Prophet’s account of the First Vision and from his other teachings; we know that the members of the Godhead are three separate beings. The Father and the Son have tangible bodies of flesh and bones, and the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit (see D&C 130:22).

Although the members of the Godhead are distinct beings with distinct roles, they are one in purpose and doctrine. They are perfectly united in bringing to pass Heavenly Father’s divine plan of salvation.

Additional scriptural references: Matthew 3:13–17; John 14:6–10; 17:6–23; Acts 7:55–56; 2 Nephi 31:18; Mormon 7:5–7; D&C 76:20–24

Søster Bender and I really focused on asking people to be baptized this week! We did really well! Even though we didn't get set dates, we still were able to talk to some of our investigators about it! It was so cool!! They both said that they would get baptized if they found out that our message and the Book of Mormon is true!! We are so excited to continue to work with them and help them find the answers they are searching for and to bring them closer to Christ!

So on Sunday Søster Crabtree (ektepar) gave a talk in Church and she did it in English and she was supposed to have someone translate in Norwegian for her, but the person got sick.... So guess who she asked literally 5 minutes before her talk..... ME!! Yeah I was terrified! Søster Bender went before her and I mouthed to her to talk slow as I was frantically looking over Søster Crabtree's talk and using my Pocket sized Dictionary to figure out the words I didn't know. Which btw Søster Bender did amazing at her first talk in Norwegian!! She was so great!! You couldn't even tell she just got to the land! Translating went better than I thought it would and I know it is because I have the Lord on my side!! It amazes me how I didn't even really need the dictionary and for the most part I could figure out what I needed to say in Norwegian!

The man that Søster House and Søster Bender baptized right before I came is awesome!!! His name is Dingaan!  I love him!! He is the coolest and at church he came looking all spiffy in a nice suit and tie and briefcase for his scriptures!! Ahh man I just love the people here!! Søster Bender and I gave Dingaan his own set of scriptures and his reaction was priceless!! He was like a kid on Christmas morning!! It was seriously so cute to see his face light up and how grateful he was!!

We were talking with Dingaan and his reaction to something we said was “I'm going to pray and ask God tonight about what you told me!” I love that! I need to be more like that!! He has the strongest faith that God will answer him and that he immediately goes to God when he has a question or wants to know if something is right! I would encourage us all to be more like that! Whenever we have a question, thought, decision, choice, need clarity, need truth, etc... GO TO GOD!!!

Dingaan at Church walked up to me and said I was glowing! I was surprised, but it made me feel so good! I don't know what the reason for the glow was for, but it was such a cool thing, that people can see the light of Christ through me(:

I am recently realizing how far I have come in the language and it is so cool!! The gift of tongues is real ladies and gentlemen!

I have to give a shout out to Tyler Hill for receiving his mission call to the PORTLAND OREGON Mission!! So so excited and happy for you!!!(: Great things are in store for you!!! You are going to be an amazing missionary!

Jordan's Tidbits:

- If you say you are going to do something, follow through and do it!

- Be courteous of others!

 - The sun is out all the time - this is a picture of how light it is at 10:00 at night!!

- Treat others the way you would want to be treated

- Norwegian meat stinks!!!! Like it smells like it is expired even if you just got it from the store!

INTERESTING FACT:

As of last week in the Provo MTC, for the first time ever in MTC history there are more SISTER missionaries than Elders in the MTC!

Åndelig Tanker:

It is so amazing to me to think that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the same exact church and organization that Christ had when he was on the Earth! We having a living prophet today and his name is Thomas S Monson and we have 12 apostles! God has not stopped communicating with us! He continues to give us guidance! I know without a doubt that Thomas S Monson is called of God and not just someone who says he is “the prophet”. If you want to hear the prophet or apostles talk you can go to lds.org!

Glad i dere!! Ha en fin uke!! xoxo

MVH

Søster Peterson

P.S. I am almost halfway! I know crazy right!! But some of the sisters and I were wondering what sisters do on their halfway mark? I know elders burn a tie or a shirt or something like that, but what do sisters do??  Burn a dress? haha If you know please email me ASAP!! Tusen takk!!

SYTTEN DE MAI!!! Gratulere Med Dagen Norge!!! HIP HIP HURRA!

Okay wow this week has been so crazy and amazing!! I feel like I have so much to say and don't even know how to get it all done in words!!!

So this week was transfers and I am back in Tromsø!!! Who would have thought!? Not me! BUT I am so so happy to be back!!!

Tuesday:

Søster Johannessen, me, and Elder Dalton and Rial went to eat at member's house; Tricia. Before we left she wanted to do and style all of our hair.... man was that interesting!! It was a lot of fun though! It is fun to be able to be spiritual with the members, but also have a good time afterwards!

 

Wednesday:

TRANSFERS!!!! I made it safely to Tromsø!! Man flying in was a new experience! I didn't even recognize the place!

THE SUNSHINE HERE IS INSANE!!! I thought Bergen was bright and sunny, but Tromsø beats it by a long shot!!! Seriously I don't even recognize this place! I leave for 6 weeks and all the snow is gone and it is sunny all day long!! We go to sleep and it is legit sunshine outside!! It is so crazy and kind of hard to go to sleep! It is like 11:00 at night and total sunshine! We have foil over the windows in our bedroom so we can sleep without having a lot of light in our room!

Søster House got to stay here for the baptism so she was here for a week with me and Søster Bender!! That was a party let me tell you!! We are all like the same person! It was so great being with the two of them! We are like the Three Musketeers!!  Søster Bender is from Nevada and went to BYI Idaho before coming on her mission.  I am so glad I had the chance to be with Søster House again and Søster Bender is a hoot!! I LOVE HER!!! We are going to be so great together!!!

Friday:

KELLY'S BAPTISM!!! Ahhh!! So the daughter of the couple that got baptized when I first got to Tromsø got baptized!! Søster House and I had started to teach her before I left and it was a miracle and blessing that I got to be here for her baptism!! It was the coolest thing ever!! The spirit was so strong and she was glowing and just so happy!! I love that girl!! She is the cutest!!

Sunday:

So the 17th of May is a BIG DEAL here! It is like their 4th of July, but bigger! Everyone was dressed in their bunads and fancy/stylish Norwegian/European clothes and it killed me!!! The bunads are so pretty!!! I love them!! There was sooo many people!! They had parades and music and the sentrum was packed!!! Norway even had church only for an hour so everyone could celebrate and be in the city! Kelly wore her bunad to church. 

Today was an experience that was once in a lifetime that is for sure!! It was the coolest thing ever!!! Norwegians are very proud that is for sure! The parades were so much fun!! They had a little kids parade, the Russ parade(man that was interesting), like a community parade and just so much going on!! It was so fun!!

The investigators we have here are the coolest!! Since the Elders left, we got their investigators too and that is so fun!! The people we are working with are the best! I am so excited to see what happens with them!

Søster House and Bender just baptized a man named Dingaan about a week ago and he is the coolest!!!

FUNNY STORY:

So Søster Bender pulled a typical greenie move...... We were all eating after Kelly's Baptism and she went to pour herself a drink.... Well in Norway they have this stuff called *Soft* that you pour a tiny bit of in water and it makes like a flavor. However you only need a tiny tiny bit or else it is way strong! Søster Bender hasn't been educated about soft so she just dumped the whole soft in her cup no water or anything! She thought it was juice! Søster House and I of course were watching this process happen and were just dying!!! She drank it and we lost control and were basically on the ground dying laughing!! She kept drinking her drink and we were just laughing and laughing and she was so confused! I finally asked her how her drink was and she goes it is bad!! I just felt bad dumping it out! Hahaha so we finally told her what she was actually drinking and she dumped it out

Jordan's Tidbits:

- When I heard it was going to be light all day and all night I didn't believe it..... but man is that a real thing!!

- I never thought I would come back to Tromsø, but I can honestly say I am so happy to be back! I love it here and I love being in a small branch! Tromsø is probably one of my favorite places! Especially not in the winter time haha. It's going to be a little weird not having any other missionaries with us including elders, but I have no worries for me and Søster Bender! We can handle it no problem!  I love the members in the branch!  This is me and John.

- Miracles are happening in Tromsø!! It is a magical place!! There are just prepared people here for us!

 - Insert from mom:  the CTR ring in the previous post was not actually Søster Peterson's... it is the CTR right she would like!!  (I thought it was hers!!  And yes, she does love it!)

Åndelig Tanker:

So we had an investigator this week and we got to talking and he is from a country in the Middle East, and he asked why he had never heard of the Book of Mormon before, why missionaries weren't where he was from, etc... We had to explain to him that there are some places missionaries aren't allowed to go because it isn't safe. Telling him this and talking to him about this broke my heart! It hit me hard at how lucky and how blessed I have it! How lucky I am to be able to have grown up with the Church and gospel in my life and how I am so blessed to have grown up in a place that has freedom! Never take for granted Your Family, friends, freedom of religion, and how good you have it!

-A scripture while Reading this week that I love!! It is in 2 Nephi Chapter 10 verse 23;

*Cheer up Your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves....*

Glad i dere!!!

xoxo

Søster Peterson

LOOK OUT TROMSØ THIS MISSIONARY IS COMING BACK FOR YOU!! You can't get rid of me yet!

Yep you read it right folks!! My short time in Bergen is coming to an end. Moves call was yesterday and I will be going BACK TO TROMSØ! That was a surprise for sure! At least in my mission it is not common or normal for someone to go back to an area that they have already served in! I will be going to finish training Søster Bender. (Søster House was training her this transfer and now I am going up there to finish training her! How lucky is she!? She got me and Sister House as her 'moms'!) They are also taking out the Elders up there, so it will be just me and Søster Bender and the senior couple and our little branch.  That is going to be an adventure for sure!!

I have many mixed feelings about going back, especially considering the new circumstances, but I have faith and trust in the Lord! If I am going back, He must need me there!

(Insert from Mom)

It will be interesting while back in Tromsø.  The time for the Northern Lights has most likely ended and Søster Peterson will be entering the season of the “Midnight Sun.”  The term "midnight sun" refers to the phenomenon of 24 consecutive hours of sunlight north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle.  The sun remains visible at the local midnight. Around the summer solstice (approximately June 21 in the north and December 22 in the south) the sun is visible for the full 24 hours, given fair weather.  In Svalbard, Norway, the northernmost inhabited region of Europe, there is no sunset from approximately 19 April to 23 August. This picture of the Midnight Sun was taken in Alta, Norway. (North of Tromsø.) 

NEW ADDRESS!!!!

Søster Jordan Peterson

Storgata 12B

9008 Tromsø

Norway



This week was kind of a blur!! I don't have too much to say especially since yesterday was Mother's Day and I feel like I told my family everything already!  I do have to say, I will miss the city of Bergen, my companion and all the great people I have met here in Bergen.

Ayla and Me!!

The Bybane Stop

My House!



Wednesday we were able to help around the community and pick up trash and do Mormon Helping Hands!! I was so excited and not gonna lie I was way excited to wear the vests too! It was fun to be able to see people watching us and trying to figure out what we were doing and who we were.

Thursday we visited with Frank and Maybritt.  They are awesome!  We had a good talk about making a plan to get them to the temple at the end of the year.

Saturday, A lady in the ward got married at the church, and we were able to attend! It was so beautiful! It was so cool and made me think of all my friends who are getting married! It was really neat because it was all in Norwegian!

Søster J and I met a man on the street who was a miracle!!! We really wanted to find a new investigator and teach someone on the street. A man who was doing some sale thing on the street tried to talk to us and we told him we weren't interested and explained we were missionaries and began to make small talk. Than out of nowhere he goes I get off work in 20 minutes can we meet after? Søster J and I were like yes!! So we met with him and taught him and it was so cool!! He asked way awesome questions are we were able to explain and talk about the Book of Mormon.

 

Søster J and I *Heart Attacked* Sister Allphin, the senior couple's door for Mother's Day! Søster J and I couldn't decorate for our own moms and she was the best thing we have to a mom! I love the Allpins they are the best!! I am so sad to leave them!

 

Søster J and I had an appointment with a man from our area book who was a former. We met with him and turned out he was Romanian and spoke no English or Norwegian.... So we ended up having to go back and forth on google translate! That was interesting.... We ended up calling missionaries in Romania and will skype with them next time we teach him. What a relief!

MOTHER*S DAY WAS SUNDAY!!!!!!!!! BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!!!!! Man oh man did Sunday seem to take forever!! I could not wait to skype my family!! That was the best thing ever!! I am so happy I could see and talk to everyone! I am so grateful for my family and their unconditional love and support!! They are the best!

Jordan's Tidbits:

- I have never ever liked watermelon before. I have tried it multiple times in the past, but never liked it! and then this week I tried some and fell in love!!! Who would have thunk!?

- It is beginning to be sunny in the mornings so we have been going onto the balcony to do studies! That is way nice!

- Started my #6 planner! Which is my halfway planner! I will have 12 on my mission! Can't believe this upcoming transfer I will hit my halfway mark!

-Check out my comfy missionary shoes!!  YES - I am wearing nylons!!! YUCK!

- When you email me, I would really love to see pics!

- Really sad I won't be in Bergen for the 17th of Mai (Norway’s Independence Day) because Bergen is the place to be for that! However I look forward to partying it up in Tromsø!

- We found a giant bunny and climbed it! That was a struggle!!! Ironic how the bus stop that the bunny is on is called hop! hahaha

Åndelig Tanker:

- By small means the Lord can bring about GREAT things!

- When life gets good many tend to forget the Lord and His hand in it all. Are you like that? Always remember to give thanks to the Lord in the small and big things!

- Life is about moments of impacts and how they change our lives forever!

-If you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat!

I love my CTR ring!!

 

Glad i dere! Ha en fin uke!!! (Do something different this week!)

xoxo

Søster Peterson

I'm on a BOAT! and..... 8 MONTHS!!! WHAT!?!?

I hit my 8 month mark this week!! What!!! Where has the time gone!!?? I can't believe next month is my halfway!! So crazy!!

Highlight of the week!!!

We got to go on a boat!! Elder Dalton has been dying to go on this Fjord Cruise so we all went! It toured around the Fjord and Bergen and oh my goodness it was unbelievable!! Pictures do not do it justice! Actually pictures never do Norway justice!! It was incredible!! It was very windy, but the sun was shining and that was a miracle!

 

Søster J and I went to visit this cute couple, Frank and Maybritts. They are so sweet and so funny! They are hoping to get married in the temple in the fall, so we are helping them prepare and get ready for that! They live kinda far away, but it is a beautiful ride to get there! However on the way home there were no buses going back to the city for 4 hours, so we luckily found a train we could get on! Søster J and I get on the train, hand them our cards to pay and they were rejected!! Apparently they don't take debit and the cards we have been given are debit!! Luckily my wonderful parents had given me a credit card for emergencies!! This was an emergency so we paid with that and were not kicked off the train in the middle of nowhere! Hallelujah!! After that we had dinner with the other missionaries so that was a grand ole time! hahaha Søster Muren thought it would be funny to put the left over veggies in Søster J's bed...... Yeah I have learned NEVER to mess with her!

On Sunday some reporters came to church and interviewed us and wanted to know more about missionaries, what we do, etc.. So that was fun! Sunday was also Testimony meeting and it was really cool to see the reporter’s reactions and how I could tell that they felt the Spirit! The ward is way big here, but for the first time when I got up to bear my testimony I was calm! It was the coolest thing! Usually I am terrified, don't get me wrong I still was, but this time it was different. I love the church and this gospel! I am so grateful for my savior Jesus Christ and all he has done for me personally! I am so grateful to know that I am a daughter of God and that He knows me personally! The church is true everyone!!

Søster J and I met with 2 awesome guys this week! One has heard about the church before and is super nice and open to meeting with us (jan olav)! The other already had a Book of Mormon and he is really positive and loves meeting with us! Hopefully he will come to church with us this Sunday! He is very open and loves learning (trulls)!

Friday was a sunny day filled with lots and lots of service. We started out pretty early and went over to this old lady's house. She's moving like.. 3 doors down in her apartment complex, so luckily we didn't have to move her stuff very far and it was inside! We lucked out! It was fun, especially since she let us use her extra wheelchairs to carry things and of course each other! So after that we went out to eat pizza at Pepe's. It was so yummy! After that we hopped on a bus and went to visit a lady in the ward, Tricia with the elders! I may or may not have gotten us lost along the way haha but we got some good exercise! We helped her clean up her yard than she BBQ'd for us! She was so sweet and it was a lot of fun!! hahaha her little girl had some friends over and they cornered me, Søster J, Elder Dalton, and Elder Rial in a corner with water guns! That was a sight! We were literally huddled in a corner, scared for our lives!! hahah 20 and 19 year old's were terrified of three 10 year old girls.

Jordan's Tidbits:

- Groceries..... It is funny because no one really drives here; they all take public transportation or walk. So when we go grocery shopping we walk with all of our groceries! It will be so weird to drive with them when I am back in Amerika!

-Russ!! Where to begin.... Russ is a thing that the “seniors” here do, but schooling here is different and they are 19 when they are done with school and school here isn't like America. Russ is basically where they can party and go crazy and do whatever they want and it is beginning now!! They do all sorts of crazy things to get pins and wear these red overalls every day all day till the 17th of Mai which is Norway Day!! It is really big around here! Let me say I have never been more scared of Russ kids before in my life because they have pins they can get that involve doing things to missionaries.... Hopefully I don't have to be a part of that!

-Cobblestones!!!! The cobblestones and I are bittersweet friends... I love them and think they are so pretty! But... They make me trip and fall ALL the time!! Søster J acts like she doesn't know me when that happens...

- I saw Meet the Mormons for the first time!! I encourage everyone to watch it!! It is so great!!

- Norwegians love wearing New York Yankee ball caps, but they have no interest in the baseball team itself......

- The Bunad's are coming out!! Norwegians have these traditional beautiful outfits they wear on special occasions and on the 17th of Mai!! People are beginning to wear them in the city!! I am so excited to see them all in a couple of weeks!

- American bad words (cuss words) are not the same in Norway.... hahaha so it is very weird and I am still not used to hearing Norwegians drop words that are considered cuss words in America like it is a normal everyday word!

- In the words of Søster J “TIME FLIES. Whether you're having fun or not. It's insane. I was just in the MTC last week, right?!”

***Moves calls are on sunday!! I hope I am staying in Bergen!!!*** I cannot believe I have already been here for 6 weeks!! No way!!

MOTHER'S DAY IS THIS WEEK and to a missionary that is a very special day because...... I GET TO SKYPE HOME!!!! I AM SO EXCITED I CAN'T WAIT!!!!
 

Åndelig Tanker:

*When in doubt, confusion, hard times, good times, etc... Inquire of the Lord!! Talk to Him and tell Him and ask Him about what is on your mind! *Ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments and surely these things shall be made known unto you!** (1 Nephi)

**You don't always have to pray when things are rough or bad, you can pray and just talk to Him when things are going good!

Ha en fin uke!! Glad I dere!!!

xoxo

Søster Peterson