TECHNOLOGY IS A MIRACULOUS THING!

This week makes me so so Grateful for the technology we have today!!!!!!!!

 So on Monday a member named Ole called Søster Bender and I and we went out and got hamburgers.  He picked the restaurant and let me tell you those hamburgers were the best I have ever eaten, but also the most expensive!!!!! So Søster Bender and I ate at a pretty normal American pace and by the time me and her were both done, Ole hadn't even finished his French fries!!!! hahah we were dying!! So we waited at least 45 minutes after we were done, no joke for him to finish his hamburger and fries.

We met with a way chill and cool guy named Cedrik. Sister Hartley and I had contacted him when we were on splits last week! He is very open and was very interested in what we had to say considering he doesn't really have a religious background and hadn't ever heard about anything we talked about before. He came to the appointment kind of late because he had fallen off his bike and his hand was like way cut up and bleeding bad! However, he wouldn't let us give him a band aid or clean it or anything..... I think he thought it made him look cool and tough.

The Crabtree’s found a new apartment for the Elders to have when they come back hopefully in August, but we will see! It is way nice!! Søster Bender and I wish we could move in hahaha. The only bummer part is we wouldn't be right across the street from the church anymore so that makes it okay. We helped the Crabtree’s move all the things in it and helped Elder Crabtree build the very cheap wood bunk bed.  We did a pretty good job if I do say so myself, but if it breaks while the Elders are sleeping in it, I am taking no credit for helping build it! Some screws were missing so it is just a tad bit wobbly hahaha!!

So, my mattress is terrible - like the springs are coming out, so the Crabtree’s gave me an extra one that was in the Elders apartment and we just put it right on top of my old mattress. I am on the top bunk and now I cannot get into bed unless Sister Bender gives me a boost!! I can't even get my leg up it is so high! However now I sleep like a baby, so it is worth it!)

We met with Dennis this week. He is 17 or 18 and way cool. He is very interested and open as well and we have met with him a couple times before. He is very interested in how missionaries live and asked if Sister Bender and I could hang out with him or go clubbing with him hahaha. He got to learn all about the missionary rules haha!!

We met with the family we met with last week! (Richard and his cute family). Sadly they aren't too interested, but they said we are always welcome to come over and share a message! It was kind of frustrating because he said he was happy with the knowledge he had and didn't want any more... WHY WOULDN’T YOU WANT MORE KNOWLEDGE!?!?!? Come on! We are planting seeds.....Hopefully one day they will be interested!

 

So the Midnight Sun/Summer Solstice/Longest day of the year was this week (June 21^st)!! Our mission President gave us permission to stay up/out until midnight as long as we were with members celebrating! It is a big deal around here! They do huge bonfires and everything! Well since we are in a branch and isolated and don't have that many members, Søster Bender and I called Kelly!  We ended up going over to her house and playing games and hanging out! Around 11:30 Søster Bender and I headed home because we were dead tired! I don't know how I could stay up till 4 am or even past 10:30 at home! Seriously I look forward going to bed at 10:30.

We met a French man on the street last week and we went to his house to give him a French Book of Mormon. Did I mention he doesn't speak like any English at all!! While we are struggling to talk to him, Søster Bender thought he says that he knows how to click (he is an African man) and she starts making these clicking noises and I about died!! She was being dead serious!! He was looking at her like she was crazy, because he had said Greek, not click! How she got those two things mixed up I have no idea..... It made a good laugh though that is for sure! After that little fiasco as we were talking to him or at least trying to, a thought pops into my head that I know someone who knows French! It is Kayleigh Johns who just got home from her mission in France!! One thing leads to another and we had a skype appointment with her to help us teach this man! SHE WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!! I am so so grateful for her willingness to help Søster Bender and I! Even though I had no idea what she was saying, I felt the spirit multiple times as she talked and taught him.

(Not gonna lie, Søster Bender and I think he was a little drunk when we skyped with Kayleigh which made me feel really bad! Walking to the church with him Søster Bender was dying laughing because of how he was acting and I basically saved his life because he tried to go in the street in the middle of traffic and I ran after him and yanked him backwards by his backpack.  All while Søster Bender is just dying laughing.)

THE CROWNING EVENT OF THE WEEK LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!! Okay so as you all know Søster Bender and I are teaching Ramy, who speaks Arabic and we are teaching him English. Ramy is our favorite and the best ever! However, we have been trying to find someone that would be able to help us teach him who knows Arabic because we feel like with the language barrier he doesn't understand everything so well and sometimes we feel we are just going in circles! Well we found someone!! Søster Bender's brother has a friend who is a returned missionary, that grew up in Sudan where Ramy is from and KNOWS ARABIC!! Seriously prayers do come true!!!!!!! Well, Ramy was so excited let me tell you! We set up an appointment and it was game changing!! Atim (the guys name) is awesome!! He did such an awesome job and Søster Bender and I had to try our hardest to not let our mouths hang open when we heard them speak Arabic to each other. It really helped Ramy ALOT!! I know it has made the biggest difference!! We were finally able to help him understand his questions about the Book of Mormon and having a prophet today all thanks to Atim! We look forward to continuing to skype with him and to help Ramy progress and understand much better!

Søster Bender and I are trying to cook and eat better and so far it has been going really good!! Søster Crabtree is so sweet and gives us recipes and teaches us recipes and we always call her if we need help.  She gave us this one recipe and we followed it exactly! Except for the fact that she didn't put - add water on it so we didn't add water..... It was supposed to be a type of gravy/sauce and turned into a mashed potato type substance hahaha. Needless to say we are still learning!

Remember how I said all of Norway leaves for the month of July.... Yeah it has begun...... We said goodbye to Kelly this week and she doesn't come home till the middle of August! It is going to be so lonesome around here pretty soon! Dingaan is gone and now Kelly! And then her parents are leaving soon too!!

I love being in a branch, but one bad thing about it is because we don't have that many members to begin with, with the summer ferie coming up, everyone is leaving!!! Which means this past Sunday we almost didn't even have enough priesthood holders to do the sacrament!! We need elder missionaries to come back fast! However a miracle happened!!! A family who was visiting in Tromsø who are members in Bodø came to church and they made it possible to do sacrament! AND..one of the members who is a male who wasn't supposed to be coming to church came as well, so the day was saved!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK AMERIKA!!!! Norway doesn't celebrate 4th of July.... bummer!! Norway doesn't celebrate a lot of holidays that Amerika does actually.. who would have thought?(; and it is probably a good thing Norway doesn't celebrate it because missionaries aren't allowed to play with fireworks anyways so it makes it a lot easier on us!

The New misison president comes tomorrow!! Bittersweet feelings! So sad to see Sister and President Evans go, but so excited to see and have President and Sister Hill!!

Jordan's Tidbits:

***hopefully my tidbits this week make up for all the terrible previous weeks****

- Norwegian's think cupcakes are muffins........ but I'm not complaining because they are dang good muffins!

- It is almost July and I am wearing a scarf...... A SCARF!!! I am really missing the Texas heat

- Honestly really glad that I am out of the world and don't have to hear or deal with technology, or worry about the next new thing, and the craziness, war, etc... going on in the world today

- Please care about your teeth and dental hygiene!! So many people here do not care and it is so gross!!! Brush your teeth, floss, chew gum, whiten your teeth! No one wants to see gunk in your teeth

- Smoking is a horrid thing.... Søster Bender and I don't appreciate it when people smoke right by us or in front of us and blow it in our faces!! You wouldn't believe the amount of smoking people do here and at such a young age too!! It is insane!

- Our investigator Ramy tells me I look like Barbie hahaha

- The birds here are insane and devils!!! Søster Bender is terrified of them and it is so funny to see her reaction when they come close to us. Seriously the birds here just attack random people and if you have food they swarm you!!!

- It is common for people here to eat anything and everything with a fork and knife in hand and cut everything up!! French fries, sandwiches, everything! It has grown on me! You put the fork in the left hand and knife in the right. I can't eat without those two and I can't eat with a fork in my right hand anymore.

- Norwegians also eat open faced sandwiches and other things open faced. I didn't realize I had adopted this as well until we were eating sloppy joes with the Crabtree’s and I open faced my buns and ate them both separately and Sister Crabtree was just laughing and laughing

- Burger King is like the popular place here.... So weird to me

- My hair is getting longer so that is a plus

- If I keep typing this much I am going to get arthritis...

- Met a man on the street who said he would meet with us than if he agreed with our message he would choose between Søster Bender and I who he would marry.... He wasn't kidding.....

- It got so cold this week, Søster Bender and I had to pull out Our WINTER COATS

Excerpts from my companions email that describes how I feel as well:

“I wish I could say that I ate at Burger King, but one fry costs about 10 dollars! I love eating food here. Sister Peterson likes to cook and get creative with food. Last night we tried making pancakes and they turned out OK when we covered them with Jam and Brown cheese :) Norway doesn't have syrup. Or ranch. Or any salad dressing. I miss cheap, unhealthy, American food.

This week was good! We met with a few interesting people. We met with one kid from Haiti, Claude. Our appointment was supposed to be at 3 so Sister Peterson and I waited outside the church until 3:15, then we just went back inside and came back out only 5 minutes later and he was standing outside the door! We opened the door and said hi and he didn't really say anything except "I have been waiting right here since 3" and we were just like "hahahaha no you weren't." I wish I could explain our meeting just with words on here, but I cant! It was very, very interesting and I couldn't help myself but laugh out loud at one point. I had to cover my face with a pamphlet while Sister Peterson took his attention away from me and talked to him so he wouldn't see me laughing! Let's just say, he likes to talk to himself a lot.

Shout out to Brodie (my brother) for knowing someone who speaks Arabic and can help us with Ramy!! Ramy still doesn't understand why we need the Book of Mormon. We can try to explain it 100 different ways, 100 different times, but it won't mean anything unless he has his mind and his heart open. Though he reads everything we give him, he still doesn't understand. But he was way excited to meet with Atim (Brodie's friend) and I think Atim is really going to help us get to Ramy!

I also don't like when investigators say they will be at church and never show!! It is the worst. I want to tie them up and bring them to church myself. But, everyone has their agency and I only have control over mine.”

Åndelig Tanker:

- In a wicked world today always remember to hold true to your beliefs, standards, and what you know to be true! Cherish your family, loved ones, and friends and hold them dear to you!

- Because of the many events going on in the world today, many times on the street we are asked what the church thinks about gay rights, etc... For those of you who are curious here is where the Church stands:

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acknowledges that following today's ruling by the Supreme Court, same-sex marriages are now legal in the United States. The Court's decision does not alter the Lord's doctrine that marriage is a union between a man and a woman ordained by God. While showing respect for those who think differently, the Church will continue to teach and promote marriage between a man and a woman as a central part of our doctrine and practice.”

Of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion and belief, but as far as the Church goes, this is the standard. The Church will respect those who think differently and it is in no one's place to judge, however the Church will continue to teach and encourage marriage between a man and women

Quote from Grandma Bills: “If you understand the great plan of happiness and follow it, what goes on in the world will not determine your happiness.”  - Boyd K. Packer

Ha en fin uke dere!! Enjoy the sun, be daring and bear your testimony on fast Sunday, read the scriptures, hang out with the fam, BE HAPPY!!!(:

STOR KLEM

xoxo

Søster Peterson

SUMMER IN TROMSø!!

MOVES CALLS ARE IN AND.................. SØSTER BENDER AND I ARE STAYING IN TROMSØ TOGETHER for at least 6 more weeks!! So I will be in Tromsø till at least August 5th, so my address is still the same(: (cough cough)

Highlights, events, grier fra uken:

On Monday a member who lives in Svalbard (her and her husband are the "Bakers" there). They came down to Tromsø! They are the Gerez's and they are so cute! They skype in for church on Sunday’s. Amelia the wife had us, Sis Crabtree, Bianca, and Janne, and our friend Brenda over and they taught us how to make this super yummy 12 layer chocolate cake! It was fun to have Brenda come because she enjoys activities like this!

 

On Tuesday we had our last Zone Conference with President and Sister Evans. We will be getting our new Mission President this week, our new one was my Mission President in the MTC! It was so sad to say goodbye to President and Sister Evans!

The conference was in Trondheim and that was way fun to travel and see other missionaries! The only bummer part was Sister Bender and I had to wake up at 4 in the morning because we had an early morning flight! I finally got to see Sister Firth in Trondheim as well!! That was an exciting reunion!! I haven't seen her since the MTC! I love her! She is so awesome! Now the only sister I have yet to see from my MTC Group is Sister Boud! President and Sister Evans shared a lot of wonderful advice and testimonies - not only about the church, but about the future and life after the mission. Those two will always have a special place in my heart!

In front of the church in Trondheim

 Søster Firth!!!!

 So fun to see my buddy Elder Gingrich

On Wednesday the STL's were here! Sister Hartley and Sister Nielsen! They are awesome! We only had one day with them, but we got so much done! It was nice to go on splits. Sister Nielsen and I went banking and met some of the cutest Norwegian kids and Sister Hartley and I got to kontakt on the street and found a really cool guy that Sister Bender and I are going to be meeting with this week! Sister Bender and I met with Ramy and guess what!!!!!! We got a soft baptism date with him!! We have been praying so much for him!

The milkshakes here are way good and we will sometimes go and get some with one of the less actives, AJ, so we did that this week!

Things are going great with Kelly! We go over once a week and talk with her and do personal progress. She is leaving next week till August so that will be a bummer!! We will definitely miss hanging out and teaching her!

Søster Bender and I were walking home after teaching Ramy and we saw this man on the street and both of us got the thought to stop him. His name is Richard and he was so nice! We talked to him for a bit and then got his number and address and he invited us over to talk to him and his family! Sister Bender and I went to visit them on Saturday and man was it a hike!! Sister Bender was dying! She looked like she had just run a marathon hahaha. His family is so cute! They have twin boys who are 2 or 3 and then an 11 month old and they are from Cameroon. They were very nice and asked a lot of questions. Let me tell you Richard sure does know the Bible! We are hoping we will be able to meet with them again!

Sister Bender and one of the less actives we meet with John, love to make fun of how high my voice gets when I answer the phone..... So now whenever John calls and talks to me he talks in a high squeaky voice hahaha, he cracks me up!
 

Remember Casper from Stavanger??  He is going to the temple in Sweden this week with the ward in Stavanger!! AHHH!! I am so so excited for him!! Missionary work is the best ever!!!  Remember Truls from Bergen?  He got baptized on Saturday!!  I was sad not to be there, but am so happy for him!!

When Sister Bender was on splits with one of the STL's they stopped a man and he was interested in meeting again! We made an appointment and he didn't show...... So just as we were about to leave the Church he called us and said he was outside! So we went outside and he got out of the taxi he was driving and walked up to us and goes “Where's the book?” Luckily Sister Bender had a Book of Mormon in her bag so we gave him the book, talked for a minute; than he left cause he was working. Sister Bender and I laughed afterwards cause we felt like we were doing a drug deal or something! haha

June 21st was summer solstice and the longest day of the year!! Now the sun is slowly going to be not out 24/7 and by October probably late September the darkness will be back........

There was a midnight sun Marathon in the city on Saturday! Apparently it is a big deal and people from all over the world come to run in it! And yes.... it did go until midnight and past midnight because I could still hear people cheering and yelling while I was trying to sleep..... Our apartment is right in the center of town so the race was like right outside our window. That is on my bucket list of things to do when I am home...... Run a fun race or something!

I gave a talk in church on Sunday! It was about talents and using and developing our talents God has given us. It is so important that we use the talents God has given us and that we develop new ones as well! Talents don't have to be being good at a sport, but they are also things such as; being funny, being generous, etc... I wasn't too nervous to give the talk because I didn't have to talk in front of like a normal sized ward, but I was still nervous about the Norwegian, but I think I did pretty well! 

I usually lead the music in church on Sundays and I basically sing a solo because one we don't have a lot of people and two everyone sings so quietly!

So many cruises have been coming in recently and it was way cool because at church on Sunday a couple walked in and they are from England and were on a cruise! It was nice to talk to them and have new faces in Church!

Yesterday (Sunday) we were supposed to go drive out to a less actives house that lives about 2 hours away and visit her with the Crabtree’s, but 10 minutes before we were going to leave she called and canceled..... So the Crabtree’s took Søster Bender and I on a tour of what Tromsø really looks like and to a place called Sommarøy. Man Tromsø and Norway in general are so BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!! It was such a fun day. It totally felt like we were on a road trip with our *grandparents*.  Sister Crabtree even made cookies and everything!! It was a fun little outing and of course we talked about the gospel, church, etc.. in the car(:

*** By August we will have lost 30 elders which is a lot considering at the beginning of the year we started with around 60..... So we have had to close down a lot of elder areas and we won't be getting more until August and I think we are getting 15 in August.

We are only getting one sister in June and then we won't get any more till maybe October or November.... We have around 30 sisters right now.

Needless to say our mission is going to be very young!! By September myself and the other 10 sisters that came out with me will be the second oldest sisters in the mission!! That is crazy!

Jordan's Tidbits:

- Basically all of Norway shuts down and leaves the country for all of July (summer ferie) ..... so that puts a damper on missionary work, so we will be teaching and talking to ALOT of tourists!

- It is almost July and I am still wearing a scarf outside...... so those of you with heat, enjoy it!!

- Norwegians think its okay to wear less clothes and barely any clothes when the sun is out and summer time so this is going to be an interesting couple of months.....

- Always check and make sure your blinds are not open when you are changing..... Our neighbors think we want to see them change....

- Norwegians have the funniest phrases they say when they are cheering people on or chanting and cheering

- Our neighbors have a dog and one morning we were going out to run and the dog was out and Sister Bender opened the door and the dog jumped on her from behind the door and she about had a heart attack hahaaha

- I love Norway and the language (even though it is hard) and the people!! I am so grateful I get to serve here!!(:

- If you are ever trying to Google translate something in Norwegian..... be warned... it isn't always accurate haha

- The American Family in the ward (the only family besides the new converts) went to the temple and Sweden and took a train there!! 20 hours with 4 little kids.... wow they are rock stars! They took a train that is like the one on Harry Potter and now that is on my bucket list! To take a train that has beds in it and is like Harry Potter.

- I got to see the Midnight Sun!!  This picture was taken at midnight outside of my apartment window!!



- One of our investigators saw Sister Bender and I on the street and called and told us he just saw us.... kinda creepy... but it goes to show people know who we are and are always watching us!

Åndelig Tanker:

This week while reading I was in Mosiah Chapter 24. Dang that Chapter is awesome!! I love how it talks about the people crying and praying to the Lord because of their trials, challenges, and hard burdens. The Lord responded by not taking their burdens, challenges, etc.. away, but by making them lighter so that they could make it and manage. I really thought that was interesting. How the Lord loves us so much he won't take the hardships away, but make them lighter for us to get through and still be able to learn and grow.

**Also...... for those that question or wonder if Mormons are Christian..... YES WE ARE!! I mean hello our name is the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints

*Keep your face to the sunshine and you won’t be able to see a shadow*

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

Read a page in the Book of Mormon, go on a walk, bake in the sun, enjoy life!(:

xoxo

Søster Peterson

“BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN GIVEN MUCH, I TOO MUST GIVE”

Wow!! This week was very humbling for Søster Bender and I......

This hymn explains perfectly how I feel after this week!

Hymn #219

Because I have been given much

I too must give

Because of thy great bounty Lord
Each day I live
shall divide gifts from thee
With every brother that see
Who has the need of help from me

Because I have been sheltered, fed

By thy good care
I cannot see another’s lack and I not share
My glowing fire, my loaf of bread,
my roof saved shelter overhead
That he to me be comforted

Because I have been blessed by

thy great love dear Lord
I’ll share thy love again
According to thy word
I shall give love to those in need
I’ll show that love by word and deed
Thus shall my thanks be thanks in deed

Sister Bender and I are teaching a way awesome guy.. Ramy!! I have talked about him before! He is just so good and wants to learn and find the truth so bad! He is the best ever!! After meeting with him one day this week, my life will forever be changed.  Like I said before English isn't his first language and we are beginning to teach him English as well and he decided that he wanted to tell us his life story and why he is in Norway, etc..... Oh my gosh.... His story broke my heart. After he told us everything Søster Bender and I just sat there and were speechless with tears in our eyes. Ramy asked if I would say the closing prayer and through tears doing my best to keep it together until he had left, I said the prayer. Sister Bender and I literally sat down and sobbed.... like ugly cried and everything!! I have never in my life been so humbled or felt that way before. It was an experience I will never forget.  We truly don't realize how good we have it. I have taken so many things for granted even just the simple things of being able to email my family every week and of living in America, a free land and of being a member of the same exact Church that Christ had when he was on the Earth and to know that His Church has been restored again today!

It made me think of a talk from Conference called “Is It Still Wonderful to You?”

To see the Whole talk go to this website!!

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/is-it-still-wonderful-to-you?lang=eng

**“A sister missionary told the story of three men she met during a district conference in Africa. They came from an isolated village far away in the bush where the Church had not yet been organized but where there were 15 faithful members and almost 20 investigators. For over two weeks these men had walked on foot, traveling more than 300 miles (480 km) over paths rendered muddy by the rainy season, so they could attend the conference and bring the tithes from the members of their group. They planned to stay for an entire week so they could enjoy the privilege of partaking of the sacrament‍ the following Sunday and then hoped to set out on the return trip carrying boxes filled with copies of the Book of Mormon on their heads to give to the people of their village.

The missionary testified how touched she was by the sense of wonder these brethren displayed and by their wholehearted sacrifices to obtain things that for her had always been readily available.

She wondered: “If I got up one Sunday morning in Arizona and found that my car wasn’t working, would I walk to my church only a few blocks away from home? Or would I just stay home because it was too far or because it was raining?” These are good questions for all of us to consider.”**

I love this!! It really made me think! We have a member (Zardasht) who walks an hour and a half to come to church, so he can't come every week, but he walks to the church and home. He won't accept a ride or money for the bus. He is a great example to me! He loves this gospel so much that he is willing to walk an hour and a half when all I have to do is literally walk right across the street!

På grunn av (because of) Ramy and Zardasht I really stop and think about things before I complain or things are hard because most of the time in reality they aren't that big of a deal or that hard compared to other people's problems in the world today. I am so grateful for the gospel in my life, for my family, and for how blessed I have been and am. I have really thought about and see life in a whole new meaning and perspective and these two people blessed and changed my life more than they will ever know!

I would like to invite all of you to stop and think and write down all of your blessings big and small! I have done it and when you look back at it, you really have a lot to be grateful for! Even if it is just the fact that the sun is shining!

We met with another one of our favorite investigators this week Jackson!! We had Dingaan on the teach and woah..... DINGAAN IS AWESOME!! He bore solid testimony to Jackson and shared his conversion story and was able to relate and talk to Jackson about what Jackson is going through. He basically taught the whole lesson and it was so powerful!! The spirit was so strong and he was literally glowing!!! Seriously Dingaan needs to go on a mission!! He would be the best missionary ever!! When he talks you can tell how much he loves the gospel and the Church and it is so cool because just 2 months ago he had no idea about the Church and to see how far and fast he has come is so amazing! We are giving him subtle hints before we talk about how real a mission could be for him. We asked him where he sees himself in 10 years and he said as a bishop!! It was super funny and we had a good laugh. He wasn't kidding. Seeing how much happiness the true gospel brings to his life brings so much happiness to me and makes being a missionary so worth it!!!

We were supposed to watch a movie called 17 miracles with Dingaan and the Crabtrees, but apparently we can't get it on Netflix in Norway... lame!! So we just watched a bunch of other random church movies instead! It was a koselig night! I recommend everyone to see 17 miracles!! It is so touching!!

Fast Sunday this week!! Due to Conferences we have been having we had fast Sunday this past Sunday instead of the normal first Sunday of the month. IT WAS THE BEST!!! Fasting isn't as bad or hard as I thought especially when you have a purpose in mind and are actually fasting for a reason or person(: Testimony Meeting was the best! Dingaan bore his testimony and oh my gosh! The spirit was so strong and he is the best!!! AND a less active we have been working with, John came and bore his testimony!! Seriously was the best meeting ever!!

Dingaan got the priesthood this Sunday and passed the sacrament!!!

We also met with a man this week named Pelle who Sister House and I first contacted on the street our first week here in Tromsø in February! We hadn't been able to get contact with him until now! He is great! He asked a lot of questions and seems very interested to find out more!

Old Man Frank!!! hahaha so there is this old man that Sister House and Bender talked to on the street and we see him all the time!! We ran into him the other day and we started up a conversation and next thing I know we are going to a koselig bakery to have coffee and boller with him hahahah. Of course we didn’t get coffee (Word of Wisdom), but we just went along with it. He told us to pick out some boller (we got skoleboller probably my fav) and then he told us to get a drink! We said water is fine and he said oh no! Money is not an issue I have more money than you realize! So trying to stop him from arguing with us Sister Bender and I got juice. He is just the funniest, cutest old man! He told the cashier that “these two ladies are with me!” hahah than we all sat down and talked and talked about the gospel a bit too!! He was very nice and it was a hyggelig time!

In the words of Sister Bender: (she explains it a lot funnier)

“Sister Peterson and I were walking back to the city from a members house and we ran into old-man Frank!! He is seriously so funny. Another man walked past us on the street while we were talking with Frank and the man kind of stops near us and Frank goes "who is this guy? What is this *bad Muslim name I think* guy doing?!" I started talking to the man because it looked like he knew us. He came to church before so we invited him again and gave him a card (his phone rang or I would have talked to him longer). While this was going on, Frank was talking to Sister Peterson and was like "What is she doing? Does she even know this guy? What the heck is she doing?!" Søster Peterson just said "she likes to talk to people" haha. Anyway, Frank invited us to sit with him for a cup of coffee! We walk to the coffee shop (very slowly because he is way old) and he asked what we wanted and we said we could pay but his response was "I have much more money than you two have put together. Have you seen my house? It is much bigger than any house you will see in the U.S." He doesn't dress like he would be wealthy. Neither do his few teeth show wealth. He was a fisherman/military something. I got a boller and it was so good and all the pastries here are so good and I just want to eat them all day. He told us all about his life and his ex-wife and his money. He wheezes when he laughs.

I forgot to mention that Sister House and I (my last companion) taught Frank a few times but quit meeting with him because he just.... wasn't prepared haha. But we love Frank and we love bollers.”

It's that time again.....Moves Call!! I cannot believe it has already been 6 weeks!! Søster Bender and I are banking on staying here together for at least one more transfer, but we will have to wait til Sunday for the phone call!!

Remember Søster Johannessen and I's investigator in Bergen Truls!?!? Well he is getting baptized!!!! (I think it is next week!) I am so excited and happy for him!! Even though I can't be there, I am so grateful I could be a part of his conversion!

Jordan's Tidbits:

-Grateful for my family and friends.  I love hearing from you and getting pictures!!

- When it comes to fasting.... if you can say no to food you can say no to anything!!

- When the adversary goes to bed at night, he checks for Elder Holland under the bed! hahaha thought this was hilarious

- Sister Bender and I are going to be housewife material by the time we come home because of our improving cooking skills!  One of our "snacks"...jam, cheese, and wasa!

***Sorry my tidbits have been lame lately........***

-Often the answer to Our prayers does not come while we are on Our knees, but while we are on our feet serving the Lord and those around us - Dieter F Uchtdorf

Quote of the week:

As I am writing my email Sister Bender goes *I don't even know what tidbits means! It sounds dumb....* You gotta love her!

Glad i dere!!! Ha en fin uke!!! COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!!! Send me pics, go swimming, go on an adventure!

xoxo

Søster Peterson

9 MONTHS/HALVEIS/HALFW​AY THERE.... what...!?

Okay so this email is probably going to be a long one.....

WOW!!!!!!! 9 months already!!! I have done the uphill 9 and now I am on the downhill 9! So crazy!! I cannot believe I am halfway done! These past 9 months have probably been the best 9 months of my entire life! I have grown in ways I never believed possible, I know I have changed for the better, and the experience and challenges and trials I have faced I know are to help me be a better person, missionary, future wife, and mother! I wouldn't trade this opportunity for anything in the world! It is crazy to think that 9 months ago I couldn’t even say “Hi my name is Sister Peterson and I am a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints”, and now I can happily say that and so much more! I know that learning Norwegian and being able to communicate with the people here is all because of God! I would not be able to speak the language or be doing what I am doing without Him! I would like to share my testimony that the work I am doing and this gospel are true!! I know that without a doubt!! We have the same exact Church that Christ had when he was on the earth and we have the same exact priesthood authority that we had! We have a living prophet and 12 apostles today! God has not ceased to communicate with us! My biggest hope would be that people can see Christ's love and light through me and that I can be an instrument in His hands! I hope that when I come home in 9 months, people can see a difference and change in me than 18 months prior. The Gospel is true!!! I am so grateful that I can know that we can live with our families forever and that death isn't the end! We will see our loved ones again because of something called the Plan of Salvation!  I once heard a missionary say “The reason I came out, isn't the reason I stayed...” I feel like this is so true for me! Of course I came out to serve the Lord and to bring others to the truth, and for all the right reasons, but I feel like after being out, being a missionary and being on a mission has made such a deeper meaning and impact on me than I expected it to when I first came out.

If any of you have any questions or are curious or anything please email me! Or check out mormon.org!!!

TO FAMILY, FRIENDS, YOUNG WOMEN AND MEN, PEOPLE OF ALL AGES:

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CONSIDER GOING ON A MISSION ESPECIALLY TO THE GIRLS!!!! I am not just saying this because I am a missionary, but because I know what the mission has done for me and my life and for the life of others and I want everyone to be able to experience the joy and happiness that comes from serving a mission! When the time comes to consider going on a mission please please pray about it and even if you think a mission isn’t for you still pray about it! That is exactly what I did! I was never one who wanted to go on a mission even after the age was changed, but it was because of prayer that I knew it was something I needed to do.

Things that happened this week:

Elder Holland came to Scotland for a European conference yesterday!!! I love every talk he gives, but this one was just so powerful. The whole conference was just the best! Elder Holland talked about the Book of Mormon. I can't even type out the things he said! I can just testify that I know Elder Holland truly is an apostle of Jesus Christ and that we have a living prophet, Thomas S. Monson. The Book of Mormon is true and there is no way that any other man could have written it, or translated it, save it be by the divine power or God. My testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon is stronger right now than it has ever been before and it just brings me so much happiness! Everyone needs to read the Book of Mormon and then read it again and again and again. The Book of Mormon is the greatest thing to happen since the resurrection of Jesus Christ. No wonder it is the keystone to our religion.

“No wicked man could write The Book of Mormon and no good man would write it unless he was commanded by God and had His help!” (cough cough Joseph Smith)

Ramy is legit and the best! He is from Sudan and can kind of speak English, so we use Google translate to help us. His father converted to Christianity in a Muslim community so the only things Ramy knows about Christ and the Bible has been taught to him by his father. He is sweet and just wants to learn about Christ and Heavenly Father. He asks the best questions and I am learning from him as well through the questions he asks and the studying we have to do to help him! He is really cool in person and has never had a Christmas so Søster Bender and I told him to come to the states and we would show him who Santa really is and what Christmas is really like!

We stopped a guy on the street who was eating shrimp and we began talking to him. He was very nice and was in Norway just for a week from Germany. He had us eat shrimp with him and kept giving Søster Bender and I more and more!  The shrimp was really good, except we had to like peel of the head and stuff so that was kinda gross. He had heard of Mormons before and we were able to set some rumors straight about polygamy and agency with him. Just so everyone is clear..... WE DO NOT PRACTICE OR BELIEVE IN POLYGAMY!!!!

Lill who is a member and the sweetest is very good at Norwegian, so she is going to begin to do language study once a week with me and Søster Bender!

So the 9 month burning ceremony...... I had my shirt all ready to go and then it began to pour!! And it has been raining for like the past week soo hopefully we can burn it this week!

So Søster Bender and I went to go visit this family we found in the area book and of course we got lost..... so we decided to bank! OH MY GOSH!!!!!! Banking with this girl is the funniest, but also you never know what to expect!! So we usually take turns first talking to the people when they open the door and it was Søster Bender's turn..... We knocked and the lady opened and Søster Bender DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING!!! So it was an awkward silence for a couple seconds, then I started talking..... Afterwards I was like you were supposed to talk! She goes I know, I just thought it would be funny if I didn't hahahah. uff da!

A MIRACLE HAPPENED!!! So remember Brenda!? Well we called her cause we hadn't had contact with her and she invited us over to eat dinner with her and her family!!! Like what!!! Her husband isn't too fond of her meeting with us, so this was huge!! So Søster Bender and I went over and ate and played monopoly with her and her family and introduced For The Strength of Youth to her and her Family! Brenda really loved that!! Such a miracle!!!

Søster Bender and I were doing weekly planning and we were calling some people in the area book and I was talking to this one guy about the Book of Mormon and he laughed and hung up the phone... rude.... It's okay he is only missing out on ETERNAL SALVATION!! Come on people!

Dingaan!! Well you all know how awesome he is and how much we love him! Seriously he is the best ever!!! We had the coolest and most spiritual experience with him ever this week! I wish everyone could have his reactions and think the way he does! We were talking about the Plan of Salvation and he said that questions he has had his whole life are finally getting answered and he knows without a doubt that this church is true and that he is never going back!! He couldn't stop smiling and was radiating happiness!! It was the coolest thing ever!

Did I mention Dingaan is also like way good at playing the trumpet!? We got to see him play and dang he is like Mozart but for trumpet playing!!

So one of Our investigators, Selvano he is hilarious! When he sees us talking to people on the street he will come up and be like you need to listen to these girls!! and totally talk us up! It is great

****SHOUT OUT to my girl Linn in Stavanger who just got her call to serve in the Utah Salt Lake Temple Square Mission!!!! So so excited for you!!! Can't wait to visit you there and speak Norwegian with you(: You are going to be an amazing missionary!

Jordan's Tidbits:

- I am becoming a better cook and creative with meals all thanks to Søster Crabtree!! Mom you would be so proud!!!

- I can't believe all the rain Texas is getting!! so crazy!!! I saw a flooded picture of a ride in Six Flags in Texas... that stinks!!

-Loved getting my “HUMP DAY” package from my family!!  Lots of great things inside! 

- Søster Bender loves to make me laugh while I am trying to talk to people on the phone, so sometimes I have to mute the phone so they don't hear me laughing!

ha en fin uke dere!!! eat a Popsicle, go outside, read the scriptures, do something crazy!

glad i dere!!

xoxo

Søster Peterson

Quote of the week:

Sister Bender said to me and I quote: “I legit go to bed praying you fall off the bed...”