Denne uken har vært bedre en forrige uke, i forhold med helsen min. TUSEN HJERTELIG TAKK for bønnene. Dåker har hjulpet mæ så mye!
I hope this week has also been good for you all! HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! Sadly, its not big at all here...haha so we did nothing. But we did get a wave of hotness! Today and yesterday it has been SO warm! It is supposed to be about 73 here. I know that makes me sound so wimpy, but I am dying outside in that heat. There is a reason I didnt get sent to Africa or somewhere hot like that!
Tuesday we got up super early and caught the flybuss to the airport, where we took a plane to Oslo. Missionary Leadership Council meeting was so good as usual. Sister Evans always makes her delicious cinnamon rolls and then a lunch that I could never make. So it was great in that way, but it is also so good to be able to discuss the mission with the other missionaries and President and Sister Evans. The missions goal is 157 baptisms this year. And 8 here in Tromsø. So far we have reached 35 in the mission and 1 in Tromsø. But I know that EVERYTHING is possible with the Lord. It will happen! The thing about MLC is that it is a one day thing. We fly in that morning and then we fly out that night! So we flew back to Tromsø that night. I have been on 9 airplanes in the time I have been here in Tromsø, so about a month and a half! haha and today we are flying to Trondheim to do splits with the sisters. So after this week I will have gone on 11. Its a whole other world being up here in the North! And I love it!
Wednesday we went to the funeral of a lady named Sister Rasmussen. She was baptized when she was 88 and died at age 93. We were asked to sing for her funeral! So we did and it went well :) It was kind of a sad funeral...well of course...but it was the lady priest that spoke most of the time, and it wasnt so personal. I am so thankful for the Plan of Salvation and the knowledge I know about our lives from it. I felt the Spirit as we sang and (one of the members brought two friends to help) one of the friends played the violin. I know that families can be together and that it is true that "death has no sting" with Jesus Christ. The grave has "NO VICTORY." Oh how thankful I am for that. I am thankful that I believe in angels. I know that Grandma Chapman has been with me each day. Shes my guardian angel. And I know that she has gotten to know me better than before this life. Isnt that cool? That our relationships with these people that have passed on grow stronger and stronger, even though they arent physically here? I know its true! And I am so thankful for that.
This week was still a bit slow, due to my health. On Thursday we did Weekly Planning and then had the language class that no one came to! It was the first time that I have been here and no one has come! Oh! Also, there is, well was, a shell gas station right next to our church building. It is how people knew where the church was! But it is ripped down now. Only in Norway would it be allowed for two HUGE claw like machines to tear down the gas station connected to a building that causes it to shake. haha, it was crazy and so loud. Anyways, that night we had a meeting with the missionaries, also our Branch President, who is the senior couple mann, to talk about the branch, and our investigators, etc.
Friday was a way good day. We met with Karoline, an 18 year old investigator that knows its true! She is amazing. And will be going to Denmark this week and will hopefully go to church there! Our other appointments fell through, but that night we went and did service for another investigator, Lena. She was found by the sisters banking on her door! She asked if we could help clean her house. So we dusted, mopped, etc. It was so nice to be able to do service! Norwegians dont ask for much, so it was nice that we were able to do something for her :) She gave us a ride back to the church, and while we were driving she said she might come to church on Sunday! YAY!
Saturday was a warm day! We went and knocked on houses on Kvaløya, and we had good success! We found people that told us we could meet with them later, they were all going on vacation, and so we found one or two people that were really positive! Later that night we sat out, around 7-8ish with the sun shining in our faces, and taught an investigator named Simon about the Plan of Salvation. I know that the Book of Mormon and the Bible support each other. And how I know is because I read them both! And I believe in Joseph Smith because I have prayed about both him and the Book Of Mormon! Thats what we ask others to do too. The teach with Simon wasnt the best. He is from Africa and really believes in the Bible. But the only way for him to find out if they support each other is by reading with a sincere heart and real intent! Anyways, hopefully the next teach goes a little bit better.
Sunday was also good, we taught the cute primary and I butchered the opening song in Sacrament Meeting, but thats just what happens sometimes. It was actually kind of horrible. Haha, we did not have many in church on Sunday. We had 2 investigators (and one of their sons), the new convert, the American family (minus their dad out of town), 2 converts from Africa, the elders investigator, and a less active member, 3 members on Skype, and then all of us missionaries. That counts up to 22 people total. And if you limit that down to who knows the hyms, that is like....10 people. So pretty much it was sister crabtree leading, a couple of voices, and me playing the piano. It was one of those songs that no one is really confident singing out loud because the notes are a little crazy, and guess where I messed up? On those notes. hahaha So sister Crabtree just looked at me and I tried fixing it! Oh it was embarrassing, but...ja vel! haha :) It was Fast and Testimony Meeting, and that means that each of us missionaries bore our testimonies :) (theres not many members to, so we get to every month!) And I just love bearing my testimony. So I am so thankful that I got the opportunity to do that this week. It was also nice to hear from the members that bore their testimonies. I am so thankful for how strong the members are in Norway. This is their lives! I have a lot to learn from them. After church we taught the investigator, Tidros, that was at church! He is from Eritrea, so we speak in English to him, most of the time, and he speaks Norwegian to us. :) we read in 2 Nephi 2 and then taught the Plan of Salvation (seems to be a theme this week) simply. We almost got a baptismal date for the 9th of August, but he needs to talk to his wife first and keep on learning so he can explain it to his wife (who lives in Sudan). It was a great lesson though! We ate dinner, and then went back to Kvaløya, but after walking different directions, decided a different way to go and went up to the cutest neighborhood! Kvaløya is my favorite area of Tromsø! It is adorable. I am glad we got to go up there and bank, and we will be going back again. It was SO hot yesterday too and is the same or even warmer today! SO CRAZY!
I am so thankful that I get to be here in Tromsø though. Oh it is such a good place and that I get to be a missionary! If anyone wants to know what heaven is like, come to Norway! It is heaven on earth!
I hope you all have an amazing week! And even though I am in Norway and love it here more than anything, I still sand this week, "AND IM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! ATLEAST I KNOW IM FREE!" Happy Fourth of July! And...time is flying by because i have 3 months left. Life goes by TOO FAST!
But i love my life, and my mission, and the people here.
LOVE YOU ALL TOO!
Ha en fantastisk uke :)
LOVE, Søster Chapman
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