Oct 21

Family and Friends,

It’s been a really great week here! It is actually snowing right now for the first time this year, and it’s awesome! I don't know how cold it’s getting back there, but man, it’s cold here! But I didn't expect anything different so it's all good:)

My Norwegian is getting better and I am able to talk a little bit more with investigators and members, which feels really REALLY nice. Most of the time I’m just way awkward and don’t say much, but I've been doing better!  The Lord DEFINITELY is helping me, and I can feel it big time.

The members here in Drammen are so awesome. The ward here is actually pretty big, and we barely have enough room in the church, so it's awesome. I never realized how important members were to missionary work. It’s hard to even explain how important they are! Really important! Probably why the church has focused so much on members and missionaries working together:) So when I hear " The greatest generation of missionaries", I think of the full time missionaries, but I also include the members! Because without members doing their part, missionary work wouldn't be nearly as strong.

As for people we see in the streets and stuff, man Norwegians are so grumpy sometimes! They think it’s so weird when people they don't know try and talk to them or something. Like we when try and talk to someone that is walking by; they look up and just look so surprised that someone is actually trying to talk to them. So they will either just say no or they won’t even look up at us and just keep walking. So, rude... haha it’s funny though. Sometimes I’m just like, “come on, you live in the most beautiful place in the world, why you gotta be so grumpy!” haha 

We have had a lot of progress with some of our investigators, and some really neat experiences. The family that we have been working with just takes in everything we teach them. We were just teaching the parents and the two younger kids, but now the 20 year old daughter comes to the lessons and the whole family came to church! But they really just take in everything we say. We taught them about the word of wisdom this week, and we knew they drank coffee and tea and stuff, so we were a little worried how they would react to that, but when we mentioned that we don't drink that stuff it didn't even phase them. They just kept nodding their heads. They didn't even ask why! And then they just told us why they think it’s so important that we keep our bodies clean. So ya, it was a pretty awesome lesson; and they couldn't have been more prepared by The Lord. 

We have been doing a ton of service stuff lately. I feel like every single person we know is moving! haha so we have been helping move a lot of stuff, so that’s been good. And then there is this one family who decided to tear down their whole vacation house to build a new one, but they are doing it pretty much all by themselves. The tearing down part at least. So we got there and there was just a huge pile of wood. And for the next 5 hours we were just loading up wood into a trailer and then unloading it at some recycling place. So that was fun haha. Norwegians are so strict about recycling though. We have like 5 different garbage cans in our apartment that we have to sort our garbage into. 

Missionary work here in Drammen is going crazy right now. We have been noticing so many small, and big miracles happening. Whether it’s just being led to a random house to knock on or an investigator progressing a lot, or receiving an awesome referral from a member, miracles are happening all over the place. My companion just keeps telling me how spoiled I am, ‘cause this is the best "success" he's seen on his mission, or even heard of on his mission. And I know it’s not because of us haha the Lord is just preparing so many people. The work is hastening, that’s for sure!

It's awesome that I get to be a full time missionary right now, and I feel so privileged, but really we are ALL a part of it, and we are all blessed and privileged to be missionaries right now! At least that’s how I look at it:)  a Its exciting!

That’s all for this week

Love you all!

Elder Nilsson 

Oh and P.S.

The northern lights were BLAZING over Drammen a few nights ago!!!! Too bad they started about 15 minutes after we went to bed.... I am really, really upset about it. And I probably will be until I see them... anyways, here's some pics!