Jord's Adventures in Norway

Jord's Adventures in Norway

Monday, February 29, 2016

Mitt hjerte vil alltid være i Norge

 
Wow.... I can't believe this is it....This is my last email home.... After 18 months of emailing every week, this is my last one!! This is so crazy and unreal! I feel numb.....

“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!!!
 Said goodbye to Jecon and Angi.... They are awesome and we are working with Jecon to getting him to start reading the Book of Mormon from beginning to end starting with the picture book. He is so good and he has so much potential!
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!
 Visited Ella! We had a great discussion with her and she isn't interested in learning more, but they do want to keep in touch and have the missionaries over for dinner and things like that! They are such amazing, sweet, and such down to earth people. I am so grateful I was able to befriend them before I left. Ella taught me how to juggle scarves! So you could say I am a juggling pro now.
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....

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

21 år (21 years)


I'm coming home, I'm coming home....Alrighty folkens this is it! This is my last week in Norway and I can't believe it!! I fly home Thursday March 3rd and will arrive in the DFW Airport at 7:30 pm! My homecoming talk and open house will be Sunday March 20th!! For more specific details ask my mom haha. I would love for all those that are able to be there, I can’t wait to see you!!! Thank you so much for the continuous love and support you have shown me throughout my mission! It has meant the world to me!
**Also thank you so so much for the birthday emails, letters, packages, etc..... I appreciated it so much!! I am so sorry if you don't get a response from me, I have like no time to email, but just know that I read them and I loved them!***

Mandag:
The missionaries celebrated Elder Rappleye's and my birthday today. We have the same birthday! We went out to Peppe's Pizza and then went back to the Rappleyes to hang out and play card games. The Elders were way nice and bought my lunch for me and Elder Dalton bought me an oreo milkshake. Then Sister Rappleye made us all these way yummy valentine cookies!! She is awesome!

 
Elder Dalton, Phipps and Sister Gates and I had dinner with the Dunn Family. Thank goodness she made a light dinner because we were all so full from lunch! She made this yummy fish. Their family is so cute!
Tirsdag: MY BIRTHDAY:
Wow, I can't believe I am 21.... I feel like I am 16... My birthday was a way awesome day! Sister Gates made me french toast for breakfast and then Majken had us over for a birthday treat, then Sister Rappleye made Elder Rappleye and I fruit pizza so we all ate that, and then Elin had us over for birthday dinner!! I am so grateful for all the love and the kindness of the members, the missionaries, and my family and friends! Thank you all so much for making my day a special day(:

 
Onsdag:
A member in the ward signed us missionaries up to do service by teaching an English class to the community for all of the refugees who are coming here. We aren't really sure what we are doing, but it was so fun and there were 12 people that came! We got like this fancy badge to get into the building so we feel pretty official haha
Krystle had us over and it felt like a tea party! Majken was also there! Those two I just love! Krystle being from Texas reminds me so much of home and I just love her two boys!
Torsdag:
Zone Conference!! It was my last Zone Conference.... which means all the departing missionaries do a final testimony.....It used to be called a burnamony, but now it is changed to a launchamony haha. Like launching into the future. I am proud of myself that I didn't cry even when we sang the mission song for the last time too!



 We had zone splits after that and I was with Sister Bender! It was so great to be with her again, just like old times!
All the missionaries for dinner went and got kebabs and dang those things are good, but you get regrets pretty quickly after eating one of those.
The Tromsø and Ålesund sisters spent the night and it seriously was like a sleepover party! We had candy and talked and laughed and just had a grand ol time! I love being with other sisters!

Fredag:
Sister Bender and her companion had to wake up at 3:30 in the morning to catch the bus to the airport.... I woke up with Bender to say goodbye and dang that was a sad and tender moment......

We went to the nursing home like always and Ivar was pretty interesting today haha. He wouldn't let me leave his side! I would try to go to talk to some other elderly folk and he would yell at me to come back! And then one of the elders was talking to me and Ivar told him that if he took me from him he would shoot him....... After the nursing home Sister Gates and I played “where's the elders” because they needed a key and didn't have a phone, so we were trying to find them throughout the city! Luckily we found them and everything worked out!
We visited a member named Ingebrigt! Ironically he has the same birthday as Elder Rappleye and me, so he had a cake and we celebrated while we talked about preparing him for going to the temple!
Sister Gates talked to a man on the bus and he agreed to meet with us that night! Apparently he had met with missionaries before. He was very nice and had very interesting views on religion. His name was Håvard. Not sure how things are going to go with him, but he was very nice and asked good questions and liked learning about what we believed.
Lørdag:
Instead of volleyball we played chair soccer and dang is that a workout! It was way fun, however Elder Carver and Arnold had an advantage because they actually are way good at soccer.....

THE STREET STAND WAS AMAZING!!! The best one I have had since I have been in Trondheim. Well first off Sister Gates stopped this group of Americans because she heard them talking English and then she called me over and my first thought was that someone was deaf haha, but two were from Texas! When I said what city I was from one of them (Colton Davis) started freaking out! He was like I am from Lovejoy!! Which is pretty close to where I live and I asked him if he knew my two friends from Lovejoy and he did!!! What are the odds!? They were way nice and hopefully will stop by next week because they didn't have a lot of time to talk, but one of them took a Book of Mormon. It was the best thing ever to ask them if they believed in God and they said *Absolutely!!!* Dang I miss Americana and America where it is the norm to believe in God.  So this next thing is what made the street stand so awesome!! I was standing by a bench and Elder Dalton told me to go talk to the man who was behind me sitting on it. I shrugged my shoulders and was like okay why not? So I started out asking him if he believed in Christ and he wasn't being very nice and like mocking me and stuff, but I sat down next to him and continued to talk to him and then I started to ask him about himself, etc... and when I began to get to know him the atmosphere changed completely. I truly felt God's love for him and felt the strongest desire to help him. It was the craziest thing ever. The spirit was strong and I probably sat there and talked to him for a good 20 minutes or so all by myself. I even walked over to the stand, grabbed a Mormons Bok, came back, and read him some scriptures. His name was Roy. Roy was so humble and he said he was willing to try because anything new was better than the situation he currently was in and he gave me his number and said *well I've experimented with drugs, so why not this?* I said a prayer with him before he left and hopefully we will be able to meet with him. Afterwards I just wanted to cry! I had the strongest feeling that I am in Trondheim for that man. Even if it doesn't go anywhere, I can't deny the feeling that he was someone I needed to talk to. That makes this among all of the other miracles and tender mercies over the past 18 months totally worth it. Words can't describe how I felt while talking with him, but I truly felt like an instrument in the Lord's hands.
On the way home from the street stand, we saw the deaf girl we had talked to a couple weeks ago! We hadn't been able to get ahold of her so it was perfect!! We were able to set up an appointment and even better Casper is going to skype in and help us teach her!! I am super pumped to sign again and see Casper! I haven't seen him since I left Stavanger about a year ago!

Pelle a member who I consider my uncle had us missionaries over for my birthday! He made way yummy Norwegian style hot dogs and a beautiful delicious cake!! Pelle is known for the yummy cakes he makes! I am so grateful for all he does for us and the kindness he shows us!
Søndag:
Sister Gates and I sang in sacrament meeting! We sang Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing and Elder Carver played the piano for us. Sister Gates is way good at singing. It turned out so good! Our MMK's daughter who is three said she felt all warm inside when we sang and said it was the Holy Ghost. That made me want to cry!
Enoch and Vita
Sister Gates and I had two people in church, so that was way exciting! Adam came again and a man that was in our English class who we saw on the street came to church too!

We had dinner with Ella and her family!! Oh my goodness they are the sweetest and warmest people I have ever met! Their home is filled with so much love and they are so respectful and kind. We had dinner, she made this yummy soup and then we talked about the plan of salvation. Their grandma even sat in and talked with us. They were so kind and asked great questions and it was just so cool!
Jordan's Tidbits:
- single digits...... where has the time gone.... 9 more days.... This is a dream!

- Doctrine and Covenants section 9 verse 14: *Stand fast in the work where with I have called you, and a hair of your head shall not be lost.....* Sister Bender sent this scripture to me and we were talking and we are a little confused.... We must be doing something wrong because at least the sister missionaries that I know have lost so much hair throughout their missions!!!

- Quote from a country song that describes how I feel
You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are the good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this
- It amazes me how when we are running on the ice to catch a bus, I never slip or fall, but when I am just walking I always fall! The Lord works in mysterious ways.....

- It is interesting how as a missionary it doesn't matter who the person is or what they look like, we talk to them. Whereas before there are some people that I know I would have never stopped to talk to. It is crazy how you truly feel God's love for all his children!! No matter who they are or what they look like or if they may seem scary or not

Scripture of the week:
3 Nephi chapter 11 verse 14 and 15 (when Chirst visited the people in the American Continents after he was resurrected)

Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.

And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.

Åndelig Tanker:
- When the Nephites were righteous, the Lord blessed them. When they were proud and forgot the Lord, he gave them problems to help them remember him

- The irony of the Atonement is that it is infinite and eternal, yet it is applied individually, one person at a time

- Doctrine and Covenants section 18 verse 15: *For precious unto him is the ONE*

- Something that people often forget is that Jesus suffered WILLINGLY! He could have loosened the pain, He could have stopped it, but He didn't.

- Patience is the capacity to endure delay, trouble, opposition, or suffering without becoming angry, frustrated, or anxious. It is the ability to do God's will and accept His timing

- You must be patient with yourself as you work to overcome faults and weaknesses

- Life is full of difficulties, some minor and others of a more serious nature. There seems to be an unending supply of challenges for one and all. Our problem is that we often expect instantaneous solutions to such challenges, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required - Thomas S Monson

A poem sent from my Aunt Sharon
Let your wish become a prayer
There is no problem too big and no question too small
Just ask God in faith and he'll answer them all
Not always at once
So be patient and wait
For God never comes too soon or too late
So trust in His wisdom and believe in His word
For no prayers are unanswered and no prayer is unheard

link to one of my favorite talks ever!!! Talking all about faith and how it doesn't come by chance, but by choice!
glad i dere!!! ha en fin uke!! vi sees om 9 dager!!! ahh!!!
xoxo
søster jordan peterson