We Had Such An Action Packed Week!

April 18, 2016

Hello everyone!

We had such an action packed week! Transfers occurred this week, which includes a lot of goodbyes and packing and preparation and whatnot, basically it is a lot going on. Elder Kemp moved to Oslo, so that was sad to see him go, but he's only a half an hour away, and I'll be seeing him on Sunday because of Stake Conference! Elder Tangen came and is my new companion. He's from Meridian, Idaho. He just has been in Hamar and now he's moved here to Sandvika! Elder Tangen is a really awesome guy. We were in the MTC at the same time before we came to Norway. He's quite the Lord of the Rings fan (I've seen all of them so I totally understand why he loves it so much). He's also really smart. He's a science guy so we get along great!

There were a lot of people we visited this week. In combination of Elder Kemp saying bye to everyone and Elder Tangen meeting many of the members in the ward, I've seen a lot of people in quite the short amount of time!

We were able to talk with quite a few people this week while proselyting. Many people were home and open to talking. It was a great experience to talk with them and share our beliefs with them. There are so many wonderful people in this country, it's quite amazing to get to know them and to learn more about them.

While we were out this week we randomly came across this place called Tanum Kirke. It's just a small local church that is a few hundred years old. Anyways, while we were walking up to it, I realized what it was. I knew about this church because I had studied a little bit of my family history, and it happened to be the same church that one of my ancestors had been christened in when he was a baby! It was just so cool to be at the same place as where my ancestors have walked. It was quite an experience to have.

On Saturday, there had been a couple baptisms in the ward. The other Elders had been teaching two incredible guys, who happen to be brothers, and they were baptized on Saturday. It was so amazing to watch their baptism and have seen their progress in the last couple months. They are such awesome guys, and it just was so wonderful to watch them follow the example of Christ.

A view from the cemetery at Tanum Kirke

Yesterday in church we had talked about how we can share the gospel more in our lives. A common theme that came was how important our example to others is. As members of Christ's church we are to always have His name written on our hearts. I believe that means more than just remembering Christ. I believe it means trying our best to be more like Christ, striving to act as He would act, say and do what He would say and do. So when it comes to sharing the Gospel, a huge aspect is just trying to follow Christ. Others notice what we say and do, and many notice how we are different than a lot of others. We are unique, and because people are curious, they want to know what makes us different. We won't have opportunities to share the gospel every moment of every day, but we share a message without words by our examples.

I hope everyone has an incredible week! Thanks for being awesome!

Sincerely,

Eldste Mickelson

Transfers Week! Moved To Sandvika, Oslo

All of the Fredrikstad ward's missionaries before transfers.

March 7, 2016

Dear Family & Friends,

Transfers week! This week has been so busy with transfers. I have been moved to Sandvika, a large city just on the outskirts of Oslo. One cool thing about the city is that it has the largest shopping center in all of Scandinavia (it's quite large to put it lightly). It's very easy to get lost in there haha.

With every transfer comes the sad goodbyes. I said goodbye to everyone in Fredrikstad. The ward in Fredrikstad has been so kind to me. They take really great care of the missionaries. The ward will do anything for the missionaries, and the missionaries will do anything for the ward. I really appreciated having the opportunity to be a part of it. I made a ton of friends, and I am grateful that friendships last even after missionary service. They are incredible there. It's going to be so awesome to see so many of them at stake conference here in a few weeks!

I moved here to Sandvika and dove into meeting the ward. The ward here is quite large (in relation to where I've been so far), so I'm trying to learn who everyone is and get everything figured out. This ward is just as incredible here. There are so many strong members who are willing to work with the missionaries. While I've been here in Norway, it has been very interesting to see how important it is for the ward and the missionaries to work together bring people to a greater knowledge of Christ's gospel. It's been even greater to see it happen. The ward reaches out in love to help those that are new, and continue to support each other. I'm really excited to be serving here!

After walking in the front door to the apartment, I was excited. The apartment is so huge! Well, huge in relation to where I've been. With each new area, I've been getting into larger and larger apartments. It's quite awesome. It's a great place with incredible water pressure in the bathroom! haha It's definitely another upside to serving here!

I'm serving with Elder Kemp, a way cool missionary who's been out for around 14 months or so. He's a really cool skier from Burley, Idaho. He's way awesome. His Optimus Prime impression is quite spot on too. I'm really excited for a great transfer with him!

Love,

Elder Mickelson

I Will Be Getting Transferred To Sandvika!

Amazing picture of Norway

February 29, 2016

Dear Family & Friends,

Crazy week! Yesterday we had moves call. We were just expecting Elder Mitchell move, and that I would stay. We learned that BOTH of us were moving! Elder Mitchell is getting transferred to Tønsberg and I will be getting transferred to Sandvika. I'll be serving with Elder Kemp, the man with the million dollar voice. Seriously though, he sounds like Johnny Cash. It's quite impressive.

It'll be really great to see what this next week holds in store!

-Eldste Mickelson

Epic picture of my name tag