LOVE: Love is the ANSWER!…Week 60

Kjære familien og venner,

Hvordan går det alle sammen? Jeg savner dere veldig! Jeg bare savner all min familien i Norge! Jeg savner familien Ravneng veldig mye. De betyr så mye til meg. Jeg savner dere veldig mye!!! Til å vente til Juli er så vaskelig! MEN jeg kan klare det! :)

Hey everyone! This week has been great! We have been trying to focus a lot on finding and teaching people! Its been a rough couple weeks but it is getting better! :) I love being a missionary. Words cannot express how I feel about these amazing people here. Norway is not an easy mission BUT it is so worth it. The prepared people make is worth it! And even those not prepared make it worth it! You just need to love! LOVE! LOVE...LOVE IS THE ANSWER! LOVE! 

We had our moves call this week and my companion Søster Horner is moving to Drammen which is about 2 hours away :(  I will still see her once a month so that’s good! My new companion’s name is Søster Randall! She is such a doll! I have never served with her but I remember when she was a greenie. She is such a sweetheart and I am really looking forward to serving with her :) 

This Sunday President and Søster Hill came down for church and then ate dinner at our apartment. It was SO good to have them there! We talked about the mission and the joys of a mission and so many good things! I love those two so much. They mean the world to me. :) 

I am so sorry my emails are so lame. Hahaha...It just means I will have way more stories to tell when I come home! :) I hope you are ready fro some pretty awesome stories! :) I love you all so much! 

Gud vær med deg til vi sees igjen! 

-Søster Neilson

AUTUMN! :)

Zone Conference! :)

"Just me and my girl Sista J! 

She was helping me glue the 

sole of my shoe back on! Haha!"

-Soster Neilson

Blast the MTC past! 

Eldste Brink and the Sisters! :)

Sports Day! :)

Their Friend Sam! :)

Zone Leaders…Serious Face! :D

Elders smiling! Smile Elders smile! :)

20 minutes later…

Sleepy Elders! Sleep Elders sleep! ;)

Lunch with STLs!

Soster Hoggard and Soster Larsen

aka Havard and Lars! <3

Their darling apartment!

Abide with me (banner)! <3

We sure do LOVE this face and the 

Happy Heart that goes with it! <3

Autumn has found its way to Norway!…Week 59

Hey You Guys!!!

How is everyone doing?! I am doing great! The past couple of weeks have been a little rough but I have decided to give it all to the Lord and get even deeper into the work! I love my mission and the amazing people I have met already and I don’t want that to stop!!! :) Me and Søster Horner have decided to work on being more OBEDIENT! "Obedience brings blessings but EXACT obedience brings miracles!" WAHOOO! I love obedience and I know that even though it is not easy there is so much happiness that comes from it! WHAT a blessing! :) I have to be honest...the work has been slow but I know that as long as Søster Horner and I continue to do our best we will find those people who are ready! That is what we are focusing on. :) 

This week has been very special and I have had some very special and touching experiences. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a missionary and the knowledge that I have an amazing eternal family. :) 

     

There is not a whole lot that has happened this week but please know I am doing well and I love you all so much. I am so looking forward to the future and all that it has to offer! 

Gud vær med deg til vi see sigjen! 

-Søster Neilson

BEAUTIFUL Norway in the Autumn! 

"Oh my! Story time…THERE IS ICE ON THE 

ROADS NOW! SO scary! I can't drive in snow!

We were going up a mountain to a member's

house for dinner and I was driving slow

because of the ice on the road! Hahaha…

I looked behind me and there were 8 cars

waiting for me to speed up! OH MY! The

elders thought it was pretty funny! I pulled 

over so they could pass because there was 

NO WAY I was going to go faster! ;) Hahaha"

-Søster Neilson

"This is the ADORABLE Bjorg! Every

time she's with us she says, 'I just love you two so much!'"

-Søster Neilson

Hey!…Week 58

Hey family!

This week has been a little bit rough. On Tuesday, my mission President came down to do some interviews with the missionaries and also to tell me that my grandaddy had passed away. President Hill is wonderful. He is so kind and it meant the world to me that he came so far to tell me about my grandaddy. It's been pretty rough but I have a great companion who has shown me lots of love!

I don't have much to update about this week. I have found so much comfort in prayer and I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father and His love. I have found a lot of comfort also in the missionaries and members I am surrounded by. The Lord's work must go forward…now I have another spiritual giant by my side! :)

I love you all so much! I know that God is over all things! :) 

Gud vær med deg til vi sees igjen! :) 

-Søster Neilson

Alma 40:11-12

11 Now. concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection- Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

"I found a Dr. Seuss flower! 

Daisies are HAPPY flowers!"  -Søster

Service Day! Waking the Weaves! ;)

Willing Hearts are Happy Hearts! <3

Photo Op! Serious Service moment! ;)

Celebrating Eldste Daly and Eldste Gurr's 

birthdays with a birthday breakfast! :)

…and a birthday dinner! :)

…and a Norwegian birthday cake! :)

…and birthday aprons from Søster Neilson

and Søster Horner! :)

YSA street hockey game! :)

Hahahaha….

She loves this family from England!…

…they fed the sisters Shepard's Pie with and

American flag design! :)

Ase and the girls came for a visit!

They had NO idea they were a tender 

mercy of comfort. Søster Neilson had 

learned of her Grandaddy's passing earlier 

that day. Ase is like her Norwegian Mom. <3

SO GRATEFUL!

HAPPINESS and LOVE!…Week 57

Our darling Norwegian Missionary had a BUNCH of emails to answer today so she didn’t have time for a mass email. BUT...she did send a few photos and I’ve included a few excerpts from her emails to me, her dad and her Grandaddy (please note: my dad is very frail and ill. He’s been in the hospital for weeks now and the doctor’s have confirmed he isn’t going to recover this time. Haylee wanted to write him and have me read her letter to him. Such a tender mercy. She realizes that he will probably no longer be on this earth when she comes home and she is at peace. I am SO grateful for the knowledge that Families are Forever!)

To Mom:
“Oh my! There are so many things happening at home...both sad and happy. That is what life is all about! Feeling and going through sadness so that we can appreciate and understand happiness! Oh boy am I grateful to Adam and Eve for giving us this opportunity! Because of the hardships I have occasionally had on my mission, my capacity to love and be happy is SO much greater! I have recently been reading this book that is teaching me a lot about how I can have more happiness in my life...its called The Book of Mormon! Have you heard about it? Its a best seller! You should give it a read! ;) Mom, I am SO happy! I love being a missionary so much!”

To Dad:
“One thing I have noticed about myself since being on a mission is that I truly love to LOVE! I love these people so much! I can say at this date and at this time and FOREVER that I LOVE THE NORWEGIAN PEOPLE! I will miss them so much. I cannot even think about leaving Norway because it makes me too emotional! Hahaha...oh my!”

To Grandaddy:
“I have prayed for you, I have told stories about you, I have thought of you, and I have cried for you. I love you Grandaddy. I always have and I always will. Something that you have taught me ever since I was small was LOVE. You have such a big heart and so much love for those around you. I love you with all my heart and I know that our family is eternal. I want to promise you that the love you have shown me, I will also show to my children. I know that they are in heaven waiting to come to earth and I am so excited to teach them all the wonderful things that my Grandaddy has taught me. I love you so much! God be with you til we meet again!”

"I prayed to see a kitten! Hahaha!"

-Soster Neilson

Just doing what missionaries do! :)

"We were the only ones on the bus so

we sang primary songs for the bus 

driver! SO fun!" -Soster Neilson

Appreciating some art work in Skien! :)

"We had to navigate through a maze of 'obstacles'

at our District Meeting!" -Soster Neilson

"We had a self reliance lesson at Relief Society

and learned how to grind wheat into flour!" :)

-Soster Neilson

Madeline! <3

These HAPPY Hearts came from Fredrikstad 

for a Sunday visit! <3

Carmen! <3

"Hahaha…I made a scripture case!" -Soster Neilson

"We're READY to preach and teach!" -Soster Neilson

I spy Eldste Gurr! :)

"We watched all sessions of conference at the church 

except the Sunday morning session! All six 

missionaries got to watch it with the Finn Family!

Wahoo! We had a lot of fun with some 

awesome members!" -Soster Neilson

BEAUTIFUL Norway! <3

GLORIOUS!