TODAY I HIT MY 10TH MONTH MARK ON MY MISSION!!!!
Time has gone too fast!!! I cannot believe that Bry is home, that Will was born, etc. etc. When I read the "No Greater Joy" email that mom sent, I started crying! I have had 2 nightmares the past week that I went home. I dont know how Bry did it. Im sure his heart was just ripped out. So really quickly, SUPER weird dream I had a couple nights ago! It was actually a nightmare. It doesnt have to do with anything, but I thougth it was weird. Long story short, at the beginnign of the dream, I was with a bunch of missionaries. We saw three deer and they ended up turning into 3 lions. Warewolf like lions...haha Anyways, we ended up in this house and all of a sudden Az was with me and another missionary. We were ont he top floor of the house and there was a man downstairs having a party. We looked out the back window and there was one of the lions, black werewolf, that dug up a cat! (this was in the Sitka house) I figured out a way to escape, because the guy downstairs was bad. and So we were going to get out the window and all of a sudden I heard, "We could jsut open the door for you." From the man!!!!!!!!! Oh it was terrifying!!! I woke up kind of scared to go back to sleep! Anyways, there is a point to telling you this! The next morning (this is real life now) Sister Trydal and I went outside to run. And there was a fluffy cat right outside our door!!! That creeped me out. And then when we were running guess what we saw!? THREE DEER! Oh it was scary! Anyone know what that means? hahaha, I know that was really random. But I wanted to write it!
Anyways, this week was good!
After emailing last pday, I got on the train with Aida to come here to Drammen. Aida packed LOTS of food and gave me a lot to bring here. (including lots of chocolate) :) I was so nervous to come here. I didnt talk much and I didnt really have an appetite. I was physically making myself sick because of how nervous I was and I dont know why! But I arrived here, Aida had to run to her other train to catch it in time back to Kristiansand before it left, and then I was left with my 3 suitcases, 2 bags of food, and my backpack. A nice muslim man helped me carry them to where my companions were! Sister Landrey and Sister Trydal and I rode with the Elders to our apparment! They spent the night calling people, while I looked through formers to see who we should contact. Sister Landrey was gettting ready to leave (go home) and so we had a lot of stuff out! I am actually finishing up unpacking today :) haha
Anyways, the appartment is ADORABLE!!! We have a fireplace, heated bathroom floors, and it is huge! (compared to Kristiansand.) We live under a house, so it isnt in an appartment complex :) I will send some pictures of it home!
Then on tuesday I got picked up by the Sandvika District because my companions had an appointmetn they wanted to go to. SO I went with the other district to Zone Leader Training. I got to share my experience with the baptism the last week and that was great :) I got to see Sister Mourik and other missionaries I LOVE too! Then I came back to Drammen (the meeting was in Tønsberg) and we contacted a little :) Drammen is pretty much two mountains. One on one side of the river, and the other (that we live on) on the other side! Its gorgeous! It looks like a "Norway Las Vegas" with so many lights, but classy - not like Las Vegas. haha :) That night we met with a less active named Stephanie, from St. George, who recently married a norwegian man who isnt a member. So we are teaching her husband! That was so koselig :)
On Wednesday we had lunch with a member, the only active member in her family. It was so norwegian - open faced sandwiches! It was way good and she lived at the top of a hill (mountain) so we could see Lots of Drammen!! We knocked on some doors and then later in the day met with more people. This day was actually SUPER busy! We met with a man named Martin. He is a buddhist norwegian man. And his islam friend was there too. After we prayed Martin did this meditation thing with his hands....(a circle around his belly button and then up like the sun salutation and back down). Good thing neither of my companions have too bad of a laughing problem hahaha! That teach was so hard. Because the Islam friend asked question after question but would rarely let us answer! Oi it was hard. Then on the way to the church, Sister Landrey found a man on the bus. She invited him to come see the church and so we showed it to him and shared a message with him! He has been looking for a church and so this was an answer to his prayers :) He is African and speaks english and his name is Dennis. That went amazing!!! Then we met with a man named Medhannie, also from Africa I thinik. Then we met with a man named Halvor! He is norwegian and probably in his 60s? Then we met with a lady named Debby. She is norwegian but was born in New York. Oh I already love her! she is an artist and loves the church :) It was a SUPER packed day!!! Oh! That night when we were at the church I was able to meet some of the YSA and youth, THERE ARE SO MANY AND I LOVE IT!!!!! :) It is my goal to know every member in the church (this is the biggest ward in Norway, and maybe Scandinavia) so thats exciting! :)
Then on Thursday we dropped Sister Landrey off on the train! And then that night we met with Dennis again! He told us that when he reads MB, he feels hope. It gives him hope. That was so cool to hear. He had heard from a priest earlier in his life that after someone dies you ahve to burn all of their things. They are dead so you have to forget them. But we taught him the Plan of Salvation and I could see that he just loved that. He asked if it was okay to pray for those that have died. It was so tender to tell him that we can. That there is a life after this. :) Later in the week he told us that he had told a bunch of his friends about the Book Of Mormon and how they need to read it. And he actually brought one friend to a teach on Saturday. :) That nigth there was a Relief Society Activity and I was able to talk to a few of them! THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS WARD!! haha!
On Frieday we did a lot of planning. We did weekly planning and I got to know the area little better! We met with an investigator named John that night, that comes from Africa also! He has a baptismal date for the 8th of March! So that is way exciting!!! :)
Then on Saturday we came to the church for a Carnaval (I CANNOT spell today. haha I hope that that was spelt right) anyways, there was a primary activity (we thougth it was for the whole ward!) so we invited Dennis! haha, luckily he came late and we were able to teach him and his friend that was visiting Drammen for a couple of days! Dennis wants to share the message with all of his friends - HOW COOL!!! :) When someone really has a testimony, I feel like that is what happens. The more we learn about Christ, the more we want to tell people about Him. Afterwards we taught a lesson to a Lithuanian lady named Ramintha, then we got kebabed. OHHH...I am now remembering more about this day. My feet were COMPLETELY SOAKED. It was so slushy on Saturday and my shoes are just being annoying. So my feet were wet, I was FREEZING, i was so wet it went through my coat a little bit. Oh i was miserable. Anyways, we ate dinner at the church and i took off my shoes, my foot was turnign a little bit blue! They were so cold they hurt. Oh it was horrible! But afterwards we went to an Indian ladies house, a lady that Sister Landry found on the train (when she was leaving - she is an AMAZING missionary!) and this lady said we could come give her the Book Of Mormon. She wasnt too interested to change. But it was still good to talk about it with her :) Then we went home and did some calling!
Then it was Sunday! We walked to church (no busses come early enough in the morning), and I layered myself - I was NOT going to be cold! haha, and I got so warm while walking there! I wore other boots, that I forgot had a hole in it. We brought some breakfast to an investigator, Debby, who lives really close to the church. She invited us in, and the boot with the hole in it, WOULDNT COME OFF!!! SO she tried helping me with the zipper, but I ended up just having to go in with one boot on. How AWKWARD! We had MMK, then church :) I sat next to the elders investigator from Greece, who speaks some Norsk. So when she needed help with what they were saying, I tried helping her. But TENDER MERCY! The person that taught Relief Society was the Kristiansand bishops wifes sister!! So she had a Southern Norwegian dialect, it was like music to my ears :) Oh it was great!! haha, the dialect here is what I learned in the MTC, and it seems harder for me to understand that Kristiansand, which is totally differnt! But I am excited, because I know my norwegian is going to get better, being able to copy the people here now :)
Sacrament meeting I was asked to introduce myself to the ward! I was SO nervous but it went well!! I sat by an old lady named Astrid and then a lady named Vivian sat behind me and when I came down they both put their hands on my shoulds and arm to tell me I did good :) It was so sweet! It was my goal to meet, 10 people and know their names yesterday and I kind of did it! I know I met more than 10 people haha, but it was a little hard to remember some names. The ward is SO great though and I LOVE it! It is HUGE!!! (I like smaller wards, but this one is just so koselig!) We ate dinner with the Kongsberg Elders (in our ward. There are 6 elders and us 2 sisters in our district! Well - in our ward too!) and with the Kapstad family! We had an investigator there too, så koselig :) We had a meeting with the MMK and the missionaries, and then we came home and called people!
So, theres my week for you all!!! Today is the most sun I am seen in a while, SUPER SUNNY! I kind of miss it, kind of dont :) hahaha
Anyways, I love you all so much and hope you have an amazing week!!!
Next Pday I wont be able to write as much because we are doing something as a distrikt, but I will try my best to write as much as I can!
LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!!! :)
Love, Søster Chapman :)
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