A Mailing Update

Thu, 27 Aug 2015 10:12:39

Well...we are still moving in...but the big part of the move has happened and we are now in downtown Oslo at the Young Adult Center/Office.

#1.  Let me give you a mailing address update.  First…I goofed the last time and spelled Welhavens gate with 2 L’s….We still get the mail you’re sending but for future, the address is:

Welhavens Gate 2C 1.etg

0166, Oslo

Norway

#.2   Let me encourage you to send packages to the Sandvika postboks address:

Elder or Sister Name

Jesu Kristi Kirke av SDH

Postboks 894

1306  Sandvika

Norway

We pick up mail there on our way in to the city, and I feel more confident at least right now that your packages will arrive if sent there.  I’ll try and drop you a note when they arrive so you’ll know.

We got a package today for Sister Sophie Wood that I will forward later today.

Thanks for your patience in all this crazy mail stuff.

Yesterday we had a great zone conference here in Oslo with President and Sister Hill and our area authority Elder and Sister Johnson.  I got to meet many of your missionaries who up till now have just been voices on the phone!  I have not met a missionary here that I wouldn’t gladly take home and call mine.  You have done well with your parenting!  We have some of the best and hardest working missionaries in the world I’m sure.  They are kind, and polite and loving and thoughtful!  Be proud they carry your last name on their name badges!

Remember, if you have any questions or things you’re concerned about, just email me.  I’m a phone call away from either the President and Sister Hill or your missionary.

Fondly,

Sister Judy Brostrom

Norway Oslo Mission Secretary

Office phone No. +47 67 52 12 70

Organization No:  975 423 353

Address:  Wellhavens Gate 2C 1. Etg

                0166 Oslo, Norway

     Or: Postboks 894 1306 Sandvika, Norway

Email:       2018004@ldschurch.org/:  www.lds.org

So This Has Been A Cool Week!

A view from Borras Vestre from a week ago.

August 25, 2015

Dear Family & Friends,

Me with some horses behind the house.

Hey! So this has been a cool week. We've been trying to find some more people to teach, which has been a bit of a challenge, although it's been really good. We have a referral that we hopefully which we should be teaching soon. We also got to go talk with a lady. She let us in, but she mostly just likes to talk, but that's ok. I believe she'll open up a bit more and more every time we talk with her. She might come to church which is super exciting. We also taught another older lady a little of the Plan of Salvation. We teach her again in about a week, so that's super exciting. She likes having us over (I'm guessing so, she lets us come back ha-ha).

A view from Halide, an old northern lights
observatory that was burned by the
Germans in WW2, they're restoring it
some more now.

We went on two hikes this week with Johan. We get to go over the lessons again now that he's baptized. So we have the discussions on the top of the mountains, so that's been really cool.

Today we went to Nordkapp. It's the most northern part of Norway (excluding Svalbard). It was super cool. It was really foggy but it was still super awesome. It's pretty amazing to be able to be so far north.

This week we have a Zone-Mission Conference in Bergen. I'm super excited. Our area Seventy will be there. I'm excited to be going there. I'll be in Bergen for a couple days.

So to answer some common questions I guess that people would like to know,

1. We have a car for our area (it's great to have one).

2. No, our mission doesn't have ipads, but we might sometime while I'm here in Norway.

3. We have around 70 missionaries in my mission.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask!

Thanks for all of your love, support, and prayers.

Have a great week!

Elder Mickelson

Out by the river near our house.

Me with some sheep on our way down from Haldde.

A view of me at Nordkapp.

It's Been Awesome Here In Alta!

Elder Mickelson at Borras Vestre

August 17, 2015

Hi Family & Friends,

Hey! It's been awesome here in Alta! There have been so many cool experiences!. I went on a hike to a couple mountain tops here and it was soooooo amazing!

While on splits in Storekorsnes

We had splits with Elder Hoopes and Elder Gingrich, the Tromsø Elders, on Thursday. It was so cool. We drove to a couple small towns about an hour away. The view was spectacular! We found out that most people there work with fishing, so most people weren't home. It was still nice to talk to the people we did see.

We've had some really cool experiences this week. We have come across a few people that were busy, but they want us to go back to visit them. A couple people came to us to be taught, which is really strange because most people don't do that here. But I definitely am seeing how things are falling into place for them to be taught the Gospel. It is so wonderful to see people desire to hear the Christ's Gospel. I'm so excited to be teaching them and help them come closer to Christ.

We hiked Skoddevarre!

This week will be super busy. We've been going through our area book to find people that would still want to hear our message, and it has been so wonderful to see all of the blessings that have been occurring. I can't wait to see how it all turns out! Little by little the Lord prepares people to hear His word. It'll be an awesome week!

Love,

Elder Mickelson

I Made It To Norway Finally!

My first companion Elder Cheney

August 10, 2015

Hey Family & Friends!

I made it to Norway finally. I got delayed on Monday so we didn't leave until Wednesday. I got to the mission home in Oslo with all of my bags so that was really awesome. A really cool thing happened at the airport. A Norwegian lady with a couple young kids walked up to me randomly while we were waiting for our bags. Many Norwegians don't approach random people and start talking with them, especially with missionaries. She just started asking a few questions she had about the church. She had seen Meet the Mormons and had many questions about the church. So I got her name and phone number and gave it to the Sister missionaries in Oslo. They teach her and her family tomorrow so it is really exciting.

At the mission home the next morning I met my trainer Elder Cheney from Las Vegas. He's really cool and has been helping me a lot with learning Norwegian. We flew from Oslo to Alta and it is so amazing up here.

My first baptism Johan in the fjord

Saturday, we had a baptism here. Johan got baptized in the fjord and it was such a spectacular experience.  He is such an amazing member.

As far as the language goes, I actually can kind of understand what people are saying. It's not as bad as it was in 'The Best Two Years'. In Alta, they speak a lot slower, which I appreciate... A LOT. They speak around my pace of speech. So that is really nice.

The branch here is very small. We had 16 in church yesterday, but they are so amazing. They are so nice and awesome.

My first Kebab!

I got my first kebab here in Alta (it's tradition that your trainer buys you your first one. so, lucky me) I loved it, and they taste fantastic! I'll include a picture of me with my kebab.

I got to go knock on my first house, that was scary, but really cool. No one let us in but that's ok. Just keep on trying. It's been an awesome week and I'm excited to be a missionary here!

Love,

Elder Mickelson

It Is SOOOOOO Beautiful Here!

The entry hall on Friday morning at mission home.

August 6, 2015

Dear Family & Friends,

Just letting everyone know that I made it to Norway. It is SOOOOOO beautiful here. It was so amazing to fly into Norway and see the countryside below us. I made it to the mission home here in Oslo. I found out that I have been assigned to be in the city of Alta. It is the furthest north area in Norway with missionaries... and the furthest north area with any missionaries in the world. My companion will be Elder Cheney. I'm very excited and I will be flying out tomorrow!
Love,
Elder Mickelson

New missionaries coming in

Elder Cheney & Elder Mickelson
are serving in Alta

Getting ready to leave for areas