I Had A Fantastic Week!

We took on the ferry in the middle of the trip from Bodø to Narvik by bus

October 10, 2016

Hey Everyone!

I had a fantastic week. Wow. What can I say? Most of this week has been spent with talking to some really great people on the street and knocking some doors.

Nothing too much has been out of the ordinary, talking with people, teaching some others, and service for those around us. What I would really like to share with you all is a bit of what I've learned in this last week.

These last couple of weeks has allowed me to learn a lot more about myself, and even more about our relationship with God, and more specifically, how we strengthen our relationship with Him.

I believe there are a few key principles that play into how we come closer to Him. Many wonder how it is possible to get to know someone you can't see, and that is where I will agree and say that most likely in our lives here on Earth we won't see God. But, we still get come to understand more about Him. I believe for us to come closer to Him we need a few different things.

Trip from Bodø to Narvik by bus

1) We need to exercise faith in Him. Faith is what drives what we do in life. Everything we do, is done because we believe that we will have a specific end result. We go to school believing we can learn. We go to work believing there will be a paycheck at the end of the week. etc. It is the same with God. We follow Christ's example for us, because we believe that it will allow us to life our lives to the fullest, that it will bring more happiness than we've experienced. By exercising our faith, we come to trust God more and come closer to Him.

2) We need to pray. Prayer should be more than just a repetitive thing we say at the end of our day or when we need some help. Prayer is communicating with our Heavenly Father, a Father who lovingly listens. Prayer helps us open our hearts to Him. It allows us to turn to God and not need to rely purely upon our own strength to take on the world. Prayer helps us feel closer to God, and open up to Him. Prayer makes it easier to trust God.

3) We need to become more in tune with receiving answers from Him. I've learned lately that God speaks to us in A TON of different ways. It is not always so common to hear the voice of God, but He does speak to us. He speaks to us in our hearts and minds. He makes the world around us clearer than before. He illuminates the way before us, guiding us along the path of life. We need to study and ponder and understand greater how God speaks to us, and how we can better listen to what He has to tell us.

Another picture from Bodø to Narvik by bus

Those are just a few thoughts I have on strengthening our relationship with God. One thing that I have come to a greater knowledge is we truly do have a loving Heavenly Father. The lines of communication between man and God are just as open today as they were in the times of the scriptures. He loves us, and wants us to follow the way back to Him. I hope that we all find that way and help each other along the path, not passing by those that need that helping hand up.

I hope you all have a wonderful week. Thanks for all being so great!

I'm typing this in a city North of Bodø called Narvik. We are on our way to Lofoten to visit a member there, so we are mid-trip! Look it up on the internet. It's gorgeous!!!  

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Elder Mickelson