“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened!”
These past 18 months have
been the hardest, best, and happiest times of my life! Coming on a mission was
not something I had always planned or wanted to do, but boy am I glad that
Heavenly Father has a plan for me and that he wanted me to serve a mission. My
life has forever changed and I am so grateful for this opportunity I have had
to be a missionary and not only change the lives of others, but along the way
change myself(: I have a million thoughts going through my head and I know I am
not going to be able to get them all down...... This email is going to be a
little different than usual and I first wanted to start off by writing a little
something to Norway....
Kjære Norge,
I still remember
perfectly stepping off the plane into your foreign land, being dead tired, not
knowing what was going on, and wondering what I had just gotten myself into....
I remember my awesome trainer Søster Frampton at the airport welcoming me with
a warm hug and I still had no idea what to do.... getting on the public bus for
the first time I wanted to cry... Hearing Norwegian to my left and right and
having it hit me that I was a missionary in real life and that it wasn't a
dream. Banking and kontakting in the rain and snow, going to bed exhausted,
teaching people about God, helping others feel God's love, serving people,
slipping and falling, laughing at the good and the bad, freezing to death,
going out of my comfort zone, being bold, standing up for what I believe in,
coming closer to Christ, etc...However flash forward 18 months later and my
heart is breaking in two. I never thought I would love this land and people so
much. Thank you for taking care of me, for sharing your beautiful land,
culture, language, and amazing people with me. GUD VÆR MED DEG TIL VI SEES
IGJEN!!! Tusen hjertelig takk for alt!!
Mitt Vitnesbyrd: (My testimony)
Doctrine and Covenants
section 18 verse 15: *And if is so be that you should labor all your days in
crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be ONE soul unto me, how
great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my father* I love this
scripture and to me, that defines a successful missionary. That one soul is
yourself. It doesn't matter about the numbers or the amount of baptisms you
had, what matters most is… did you learn and grow and change into what your
Heavenly Father wants you and knows you can be? Did you come closer to him? I
can surely say that I know that I brought my soul unto him and how great it is
and at peace I feel to know that I can say that without any doubt.
I know that the work I
have been doing is of God. I am so grateful I have been able to wear Christ's
name on my chest on a badge for these past 18 months and represent Jesus
Christ. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to feel God's love for
these people and see them as he sees them.
I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the same
exact church that Christ established when He was on the earth. Just like in
Christ's days, we have a living prophet and 12 apostles who lead and guide His
church. I am so grateful that God is the same, today, and forever and that he
still continues to speak to us through not only personal revelation, but
through a prophet as well. I am so grateful for Joseph Smith and his work to
restore Christ's church and to translate, not write, but translate the Book of
Mormon for us to have today. I know that the Book of Mormon as well as the
Bible are from God. I know that the Book of Mormon and the Bible complete each
other and that we need the Book of Mormon just as much as we need the Bible. If
you haven't read the Book of Mormon, I would strongly encourage you to give it
a try! What do you have to lose? I promise you that if you read it with an open
mind and heart, that you will come to feel and know that it is true just like I
have. Even though I won't have an official badge anymore, I can't wait to
continue to still be a missionary in any way that I can at home. *If you're not
a full time missionary with a missionary badge pinned on your coat, now is the
time to paint one on your heart- painted, as Paul said, *not with ink, but with
the Spirit of the living God...* Being a missionary hasn't always been the
easiest thing, but every minute has been worth it! I wouldn't trade this
experience for anything in the world.
To all the boys and girls
out there young or old struggling with their testimony, I invite you to go
forward with faith! Don't dig up in doubt, what you planted in faith. Go back
to the basics and begin again. If you are having a hard time, I invite you to
lean on my testimony until you can develop your own.
To all the boys and girls
out there unsure about going on a mission or thinking that a mission isn't for
them, or for those who are saying “no way Jose!!” I was once like that too....
However as a representative of Jesus Christ I can promise you that you will not
regret going on a mission!!! I would recommend a mission to everyone boys and
girls!! And I am not just saying this because I am a missionary. I have learned
and grown so much in ways that would have never been possible if I hadn't gone
on a mission. I have learned what this gospel actually is all about and how
important the gospel actually is. A mission has better prepared me to be a wife
and mother and to raise my children strong in the gospel. This decision will
not affect the rest of your life and your generations to come, but also those
and the generations of those that you meet, talk to, plant seeds with, and
teach. Please please please when the time is right pray about a mission and
really be open to the idea of going on one! Do not close the door without even
giving it a chance and praying about it! Who knows maybe God will tell you a
mission is for you and maybe he will tell you that a mission is not for you,
but you must first try and see what he says!
18 months or 2 years sounds like a long time, but in the grand scheme of
things, it flies by! This isn't our time, but the Lord's. He has given us so
much, so giving up that time for him doesn't even do it justice.
An amazing talk that
changed my mission is by Jeffry R Holland called The Miracle of a Mission! I
would invite ALL missionaries to read this talk!! It changed my mission and I
know it will change yours. It gave me the motivation and encouragement I needed
when I read it as a new missionary.
***This week was full of
goodbyes and a lot of the last time...... It is still not real to me that I am
actually leaving!**** It's not a goodbye, but a see you later!
Mandag:
I can't really remember
what we did... so much has happened since then.
Tirsdag:
Last District
meeting......
I checked out of the city
Majken and Aaron had the
missionaries over for hot dogs! Hot dogs in Norway are seriously the best!! I
hope I can make them in America. They use like this potato salad and special tortilla
looking bread
Onsdag:
Taught the English class
again!! It is a real success! I never really thought how hard it is to learn
English from someone who knows absolutely nothing about English.....
Went to the nursing home
like usual! Søster Gates and her violin are a real hit! We even sang the song
we sang in church
We had a relief society
activity about motherhood and man I lost it.... The first video they showed I
started bawling because it made me think of my mom..... They should not show
that video to people who haven't seen their mom in a year and a half.... It was
a way awesome activity and very cool to hear stories from different
perspectives of mother's
Torsdag:
The STL's came!! Sister
Wood and Leland, those two are awesome!
Said goodbye to Maria....
She had us over for a skikkelig norsk lunsj! smør brød og vafler!! Det smakte
veldig godt! Maria is so cute!! We also helped her take her picture for her
mission papers!! So exciting!!!!
Visited Majken and Aaron
and shared a way awesome scripture and thought about prayer and how when we get
answers we shouldn't doubt them (Doctrine and Covenants section 6 verse 23)
Said goodbye to Evalina,
Lars, and Jackson and while we were in Hell we got our pass port stamped saying
we have been to Hell
It's a small world after
all..... So when I was in high school there was a missionary that my family
became good friends with (Eric Wood). Well it turns out he has family in
Trondheim!! I got to meet up with his cousin and we went to dinner!! It was way
awesome! She was so nice and it was so cool that we were just talking in
Norwegian and eating dinner. I had one of those moments where I was like....
*woah, I'm speaking Norwegian and having conversations and I know what is going
on!!*
Fredag:
Last time at the nursing
home... Our ending song was Gud Vær Med Deg Til Vi Sees Igjen and I lost
it..... Especially when I was saying goodbye to all of them and they told me to
come back soon.... These people are like my family!!
Said goodbye to bestemor
and far
Said goodbye to Elin.....
she was so nice and gave me some way awesome lotion for home!
On the way to Elin's I
sat by this girl and started to talk with her and she was so cute and nice! We
got to talking about why I was in Norway and how I was a missionary and how she
hoped that there was something there, but wasn't sure and I began to talk with
her a bit about God and asked if we could meet with her and tell her more and
she said yes! Her name was Signa Elisabeth and I got her number and we are
going to meet with her on Tuesday!!
Søster Gates and I made “operation
go big and go home” goals for my final days as a missionary and dang it has
been working so good!! It got us so pumped and motivated and miracles have been
happening! We have had a lot of findings this week and have come in contact with
so many awesome potentials.
Lørdag:
Last volleyball......
The street stand was
canceled due to weather, but last week was such a great one to end on!
Last weekly planning...
It was kinda weird because I basically acted like a new missionary to help
Søster Gates prepare for the new missionary she will be training
Said goodbye to Ingebrigt
I SAW CASPER!!!!!! IT WAS
SO AWESOME!!!!!! I haven't seen him since I left Stavanger a year ago!! So
Søster Gates and I had an appointment with a deaf girl we had met on the street
and had asked Casper to skype in and help us on the teach.... I feel terrible
to say my tegn språk isn't what it used to be.... It turns out the girl didn't
show up, but I did get to see Casper, so that was awesome!! He has just turned
in his mission papers!!!
Søndag:
Well this is it folks....
I gave my farewell testimony in sacrament meeting. I was able to compose myself
without crying until I sat back down..... This is Biskop Paulsen and his mom.
Ole was so nice and
offered to make us dinner! He is way good at cooking and it was so nice of him.
It is funny because usually we do salmon Sundays and whenever I remember to thaw
the salmon out before church we always have someone invite us over and when I
forget we have to try to defrost it in the microwave.....
Said goodbye to Målfrid
and Ivar... Ivar started crying and told me “don't go!!” and said “I'm am
coming with you!” Seeing that old man cry just broke my heart and made me tear
up! Man I am going to miss these people!
We had Moves call.... and
I am getting transferred to.... TEXAS!!
Scripture of the week:
Enos chapter 1 verse 26:
*And I saw that I must
soon go down to (Texas my homeland),
(after) having been (called) upon by the power of God that
I must preach and prophesy unto this people (the Norwegians), and declare the word according to the truth which
is in Christ. And I have declared it in all my (18 months), and have rejoiced in it above that of the world.*
(I added some words into
the verse to make it more personal to me)
Jordan's Tidbits:
- Enjoy every day!! Each
day is a new day, so don’t dwell on what happened yesterday! Try to do and be
better today(:
- Don't live with
regrets! Be bold, be fearless!
- Don't worry about what others think or will say... do what make YOU happy!
- If you ever have the
chance to go to Norway, DO IT!!
- Packing is a
nightmare..... I wish I could just snap my fingers and be done...
-my goodbye lunch.. can’t
beat this view of Trondheim
Tusen hjertelig takk for
all of you who have supported me throughout this wonderful and amazing journey
and for keeping up with my blog and following my adventures in Norway. Your
love and encouragement has meant the world to me and words cannot describe how
truly grateful I am! I love you all and as much as I am so sad to close this
chapter of my life, I am looking forward to starting the next!! GLAD I DERE!!!
SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE TERMINAL!!!!!! LOOK OUT AMERICA THIS GIRL IS COMING FOR YA!
xoxoxo
Søster Jordan Dawn
Peterson
(for the last
time....over and out)
p.s. to all my Norway
peeps.... I will be coming back in May with my fam!!!! So I will be back!!! You
haven't gotten rid of me that quickly....
