Merry Christmas Everyone!

Our district: Me, Elder Hoopes, Sister Dransfield, Sister Cook, Elder Johnson, Elder Jefferies

December 26, 2016

Merry Christmas everyone! Today is Second Christmas Day! or happy Boxing Day if you're into that. We're celebrating the fourth day of Christmas, and that's perfect for me!

This week was a really great. We spent a lot of time visiting people (which for me means meeting a lot of people) and getting to know them. I really enjoyed it.

Yesterday was the beloved day of Christmas!!! It was awesome. We went to this wonderful family's home for the evening and spent Christmas with them. We ate some great food, and played some games also. While I was there I Skyped my family back home and it was wonderful getting to see them and talk to them again!

On Lillejulaften (Dec 23rd), all of us missionaries got together and made a TON of cinnamon rolls (and yes, they were DELICIOUS). We made a bunch up and delivered them to a lot of people. And we did it ding-dong-ditch style (mostly because we aren't good enough at singing to try caroling). But several dozen cinnamon rolls got made, and many got to eat them so that was wonderful!

In Norway, Christmas is celebrated mainly on Christmas Eve. So all of the festivities take place on Christmas Eve. And one cool thing is that it's a big event. When everyone gets together, it's not a pajama event. Practically everyone is in their best clothes. (suits for men, dresses for women). It's just really cool to see how formal it is, because people acknowledge it as such a big day!

Elder Hoopes and I

Here's a list of typical Norwegian Christmas foods (list is variable depending on where you live)

-Ribbe: Pretty much ribs (not barbecued) with extra fat on top and loads of meat. AMAZING STUFF!

-Pinnekjøtt: Dried and salted lamb ribs. It's like steam cooked on top of sticks. It's incredible and basically just falls apart because it's so tender.

-Turkey: Classic turkey cooked up. Like a Thanksgiving turkey, just on Chrsitmas Eve.

-Christmas Ham: Pretty self-explanatory. Tender ham, for Christmas. It's always great.

-Lutefisk (or other fish): Fish jello? well not really, but that's pretty much the closest explanation. Topped off with bacon. Apparently it isn't too bad. I've never eaten it so I couldn't tell you how it is.

I hope you all have an awesome week! Take care!

Merry Christmas!

Sincerely,

Elder Mickelson

The first verse of "Joy to the World"

"Joy to the world! The Lord is come.

Let earth receive her King

Let every heart

Prepare Him room

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven and heaven and nature sing"

Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS THIS WEEK!

Me and one of the youth here in Drammen. Way cool guy!

December 19, 2016

Dear Family & Friends,

Wow! Hectic week, but a great one at that!

After an amazing 6 months in the Arctic circle, I moved back down to Oslofjorden. It was really sad saying bye to everyone up there in Bodø. They are just so incredible up there. They were and still are such great examples of the kind of person I want to be.

After having a great stay in Bodø, I said bye to Elder Dawes. I went through airport security and started the next chapter of my mission here in Norway.

A quick thank you to all of those that I got to get to know in Bodø!

Luckily, all of my luggage made it to Oslo (I'd be really concerned if it didn't). I caught the Flytog (the airport's train system) and started my way through the oh-so-familiar winding hills, through Oslo, through good ol' Sandvika, and continued down to Drammen.

I got off the train, and made my way off the platform and found all of the Drammen Elders. My companion is Elder Hoopes. We came to Norway at the same time (we actually sat right next to each other in class in the MTC in Provo, UT also). So it was exciting seeing him again. He's from California, and loves the beach (a HUGE beach guy). Elder Jefferies is also in our apartment. I served with him at the beginning of my mission up in Alta. He was my second companion. Elder Jefferies is also training a new missionary, Elder Johnson. We have an awesome apartment, and a bunch of great guys. So long story short, it'll be a great time in Drammen!

Drammen is GIANT! Ok, not really. But kind of. There's a lot more people in Drammen than Bodø. Drammen actually is one of the largest cities in Norway. It has one of the biggest congregations too in all of Norway. I showed up to church yesterday and was practically overwhelmed. There had to be over 200 members there! I've been pretty used to about a dozen in church, so it was quite the change. But it's a good one. If there's anything I've learned, it's that all of the members here in Norway are incredible. They are the greatest examples of what I'd like to be one day. There's no doubt about that!

It's interesting moving back down here to Eastern Norway. This is where part of my family actually comes from (like 150 years ago, but still). We drove through this area called Eiker, right outside of Drammen, and it dawned on me I was practically in the same spot that some of my ancestors were from. It was just a real neat experience being where my family used to be.

And last but not least, CHRISTMAS!!!!!!! Ok, so now it's been about a year since I talked much about Christmas traditions in Norway.

Well, to sum it up, it's INCREDIBLE!!!

But I can elaborate a bit. Any time that you have 4 days of Christmas, it HAS to be great. so they have Little Christmas Eve (Lillejulaften) on the 23rd, Christmas Eve (Julaften), which actually is the biggest of the days of Christmas (it's when Santa comes). That's on the 24th. Then you have the Førstejuledag on the 25, the first day of Christmas. and then the second day of Christmas (Andre juledag) on the 26th. It's just a great time to just spend at home with family or at your cabin.

Food at Christmas time is wonderful! There's ribbe, pinnekjøtt, potatoes, kjøttkaker, and tons of baked goods. It's like the greatest assortment of food you can think of!

Well I hope you all have a Merry Christmas! Take care and have a wonderful holiday season coming up!

Sincerely,

Elder Mickelson

Luke 2:11 "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

Merry Christmas! God Jul!

Santa Claus Came To Town!

Our pile of presents this year (All fantastic by the way)

December 28, 2015

Dear Family & Friends,

Christmas in Norway is AWESOME. That really is the best way to describe it. It wasn't a white Christmas, but it was definitely memorable. I think that any Christmas away from home, on a mission or not, is something that is remembered. It's different being away from home, away from family, away from the same traditions through the years. Even though I was halfway around the world, I learned something. We can still have an incredible holiday somewhere else, with other people, doing different things. Through all of the changes, during this Christmas season, I was home, with family, celebrating with many traditions that I've come to cherish.

I had the incredible opportunity to be at home here. The church here in Fredrikstad is amazing. They help me feel at home. They are all family here, related or not, we are all a family here. They just accept everyone and love them as if they've known you their entire lives. This ward made a Christmas away from home feel like a special Christmas at home. I'm really grateful for all they have done for me here.

It ended up snowing yesterday! The snow is everywhere now. Now it feels like Winter. We've been walking in a Winter wonderland the last two days. It's been a nice change. Instead of being rainy all of the time, it's just cloudy and white. It's great that I love the snow!

A picture of the river outside of our house.

This previous week was full of dinner appointments and Christmas celebrations. I have to say, everyone in this ward knows how to make some delicious food. I haven't gone home hungry ever here. It's been incredible. Great food. Even more amazing people. All of which was during my favorite part of the year!

I got to Skype my family on Christmas. It was really great to talk with them, share a ton of laughs, and spend some time together as a family. I loved talking with them and seeing how all of them were doing.

The holiday season is an opportunity for all of us to spend more time with each other, enjoying the company, and creating more memories. I love the words to the Christmas song, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year". One part that sticks out to me is "There'll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago". I love it because I love getting to reminisce during this time of year of all of the fun times I've had throughout the years. We have a great opportunity to share stories, make memories, and enjoy being with each other during this time of year. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all a Happy New Year!

Love,

Elder Mickelson

Me with a cat I found by our house.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Elder Mitchell and I (with Elder Arveseth photobombing) next to our Bishop's Christmas tree we got to help decorate after some REALLY amazing food.

December 21, 2015

Dear Family & Friends,

Merry Christmas everyone!  So I figured I'd start out and explain a little bit about Christmas here in Norway. I guess it'd be awkward for me to randomly explain in July, so I figured now would be a good time.

Christmas in Norway is practically better than sliced bread, which by the way, you slice your own bread at the stores. When you buy a loaf of bread, it's uncut. So there's a bread slicer at the store where you set the loaf inside of it and it comes out sliced. So because of being in Norway, I now understand why we can compare things to sliced bread. But, Christmas. Christmas in the United States lasts for two days, the 24th and 25th of December, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. In Norway, Christmas lasts for four days, December 23rd - December 26. The first day is Lillejulaften (Little Christmas Eve). The second is Julaften (Christmas Eve). The Third is Første juledag (First Christmas Day). The last is Andre juledag (Second Christmas Day).

Part of me feels that they have four days of Christmas so they can celebrate more... Part of me wouldn't actually be surprised. I think it's a genius idea. Who doesn't want Christmas twice as much? I think that all of us ought to begin celebrating Christmas for four days. Norwegians definitely figured out Christmas!

This week was incredible! We were SUPER busy With traveling and appointments and meetings. But, it made for a fantastic week! I want to share one experience we had this week. Elder Mitchell and I were preparing what to teach before we had our appointment. We didn't really know what to teach beforehand, but we just said a prayer and asked for the guidance that we would need to know the needs of those we'd teach. Afterwards, we both felt prompted to teach the same principle. When we finished the lesson, we both just knew that it was exactly what they needed. We had both just felt guided in what to say and what to teach. We just followed the impressions that we felt. Everything just worked perfectly. I don't really know how else to explain it. This week I learned the importance of just following promptings that we feel in our lives. When we do that, everything just works out how it's supposed to.

This last week we had a Zone Conference. We were able to take the train to Oslo and have our Zone Leader Training. It was really amazing to get to see some familiar faces from missionaries that used to serve way up North, and then also to be able to meet new people. It was a TON of fun.

I got to visit the King's Palace and a Christmas market. We got to see a bunch of other sites along the way!

Our Barbershop Quartet... well, quartet, staged in a barbershop

There was a Christmas fireside/talent show after the conference. The Fredrikstad Elders (us) and the Sister missionaries in Sarpsborg (the town next to Fredrikstad) got together for this Christmas program and did a barbershop quartet of Frosty the Snowman! It was fantastic. Well, not our singing, but it was entertaining! We had so much fun and everyone had a lot of laughs.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas! Have an amazing Christmas week everybody!

Love,

Elder Mickelson

I'm Getting Transferred To Fredrikstad!

December 7, 2015

New Address:

Dalkleven 11

1671 Kråkerøy

Norway

Dear Family & Friends,

So this week went really well. Moves call was on Sunday morning and I found out that I'm getting transferred to Fredrikstad! It's way down South and next to Sweden. So from what I've heard, their dialect in Fredrikstad is very similar to those in Southern Sweden (I guess that makes sense considering that it's only a border that is between them). I'll be serving with Elder Mitchell. We were in the MTC at the same time. I'm really excited to go there. I've heard that the Ward there is really awesome! I'm really excited to go serve there.

But with every transfer, we have to say goodbye. These last few days have been full of goodbyes. I've made some really amazing friends here in Alta. I guess if you're in a city for three months you are bound to. So up until I leave, I'll be making my rounds saying bye. I'd really like to come back one day to visit all of them. They have been the best, and I can't really express how much I've appreciated them.

So I got asked what the food is like in Norway. So food here is pretty much like the United States. Traditional food in Norway is basically farm food, which, by the way, tastes amazing. Although, I do have to say, beef here in Norway is not like beef in the U.S. You can still buy it here, just not in great amounts and it's hard to find just slabs of beef. As a whole though, Norway's food selection is really similar. The only difference is that it's really hard to buy anything in bulk here. There's no Walmart here! It's okay though. I only have to feed myself, not an entire family so that works. Oh, and you can't buy milk in huge containers. Milk in gallon jugs don't exist as far as I know. Only 1 liter and 1.75 liter cartons. That's why I just buy a lot of cartons of milk a week! I hope that was a little bit of insight into Norwegian food/selections/stores.

One thing I've been thinking about this week has been what Christmas time means for us. Here in Norway, Christmas is a time for families to come together. It is a time for us to reflect on great times and look forward to the future. It is a time for us to enjoy what we have and enjoy one another's company. As Christmas comes closer, I'd hope all of you think about what Christmas means to you. Think about families and how we can use the Christmas season to help strengthen our family bonds. As always, think of the reason we have Christmas. It's a time for us to reflect on Christ also. Keep these thoughts in mind this week.

Ice Hotel under construction

So Alta has this really "cool" ice hotel! Sorry for the pun. We went and visited it. They're building it still, so I didn't get to go inside and see it. That was sad. But I can say I've been there! They have to rebuild it every year because it's not always cold up here! Every Winter they bring in huge construction machines and rebuild the hotel out of the fresh snow. It was pretty awesome still.

The Northern Lights Cathedral

There's a church here called Nordlyskatedralen (The Northern Lights Cathedral). It's the famous church of Alta. I've been here for four months and had never seen the inside. So we decided to go tour it before I left! It was a really nice church. It's a more abstract style, but still pretty cool.

Love,

Elder Mickelson

My First Thanksgiving In Norway!

Our Thanksgiving dinner

December 2, 2015

Dear Family & Friends,

My first Thanksgiving in Norway! Well Norwegians don't celebrate Thanksgiving... I guess that's for obvious reasons, but we still celebrated it ourselves. So sadly, we didn't have turkey this year for Thanksgiving. I found out that turkeys come in boxes, not wrapped in plastic. So I didn't know I could buy one until after the fact. But that's ok! We ended up cooking up some whale instead. So we had some whale, mashed potatoes, more vegetables, some white gravy (tastes really good on whale by the way), and some rolls (well boller, but it's almost the same thing. I think it has some cinnamon in it though). To top off our feast, we bought ourselves some ice cream. This will definitely be a memorable Thanksgiving.

I got to attend my first District Meeting in person in Tromsø this week! We flew out Monday evening to Tromsø and stayed the night for splits. It was so fun. We had family home evening therein Tromsø with the senior couple and the other missionaries. It was really great to be all together for that. We had District Meeting the next morning. It was about family history. So we got to learn how we could help others start their genealogy work. I was surprised by how simple it is to help someone start their family history! We spent the rest of that day on splits with the Tromsø Elders. It was a lot of fun. We got to contact a ton of people in the streets and go knock on some houses. It was a really great time and I learned a lot more of how I can better teach people.

Alta's Christmas Tree

I will find out on Sunday whether or not I'm staying in Alta. So it's exciting! We'll see soon where I'll be for Christmas!

This week the Church came out with a great Christmas video. I really enjoyed it. The website is christmas.mormon.org It was an awesome video though. Check it out! We've been sharing the website with a lot of people on the streets and it's been working great. Christmas is definitely a time to be with families and enjoy each other's company. It also is a great time for us to think about the Savior and why we even have Christmas.

Have a great week everybody!

Love,

Elder Mickelson

Christmas In Norway - Newsletter from Mission Sister Hill

In Norwegian “Merry Christmas” is translated: “God Jul”.  Happy New Year is: “Godt Nyttår”

A Norwegian Christmas is full of many celebrations and traditions, old and new. Christmas starts early in Norway, as this is the time of the year traditionally set apart to clean the house thoroughly. In England and America, we would call this “Spring-cleaning”. This is a great opportunity for missionaries to ask people if they can help with any cleaning when they are meeting people the week before Christmas – especially those knocking on doors.

Norwegians have many parties at Christmas time. In the Church we have a family party called Juletrefest (Christmas Party) - many actually have this party after Christmas, as we do in the Oslo Ward – normally during the first or second week of January. This is a good time to invite non-members and less-active members. We have a Relief Society Christmas Dinner before Christmas with well over 100 sisters attending, with fabulous food and wonderful entertainment (Oslo Ward). Many Wards have a Christmas workshop where we make decorations and cards and so on. Check with your local Ward for when these activities are because they are also great to bring non-members to.

Advent also starts the Christmas concert season. In every city, practically every choir, band and classical music group have their annual Christmas performances in churches and halls throughout the city. Also in each city a huge Christmas tree stands tall in the centre square. Usually on the first Sunday of Advent, the township gathers together for the Lighting of the Christmas Tree celebration. When the tree is lit the people hold hands and dance around the Christmas tree singing carols. Julenisse (Santa Claus) makes an appearance and hands out gifts to the children. We have a very popular Christmas Choral programme called Jul-i-toner which you should be able to get tickets to. Performances are held in Oslo, Romerike and Drammen.

You may also be able to attend a Saint Lucia celebration on the 13^th December. Although it is more common in Schools, some of the Wards in Norway also do this in Church with the Primary children. Activities include a casual procession of singing children. A child is chosen to lead the procession (traditionally a blonde-haired girl), who represents St Lucia.  They are dressed in white with a red sash and a wreath of candles around their head – today they use electric lights. 

Christmas Eve (Julaften) is only half a normal working-day.  People go about their daily routines, go to work, and finish their shopping. At 4 pm the church bells ring throughout the city, which means Christmas has officially started. This also starts the first Church service for Christmas.  Christmas Eve is the main day of celebration for Norwegians at Christmas and is when presents are exchanged. The gifts are sometimes brought to the house by Santa Claus (“Julenisse”) personally. As Missionaries you will not be expected to buy gifts for members or bring anything with you when you are invited to dinner (at Christmas or any other time). Most Wards collect gifts for the missionaries serving in their Wards and these are given out on Christmas Eve.

Norwegians also have a name for the day before Julaften, which is Lille Julaften. (Little Christmas Eve) This is typically when the decorations are hung and the Christmas tree is lit in the home. Decorations include hand-made heart baskets and paper-chains, pepperkaker (gingerbread) and also a string of little Norwegian flags. Norwegians prefer to use real Christmas trees as they give off a nice smell throughout the house. During Christmas many people visit the graveyards and light candles on their families’ graves – it is a very pretty sight.

Normally “Christmas” starts around 5 pm with a large sumptuous meal of one or more of the following: roasted pork-ribs (ribbe), mutton-ribs (pinnekjøtt), ham (skinke), white Christmas-sausage (julepølser), turkey (kalkun), and served with white sweet cabbage finely chopped and cooked with caraway seeds and vinegar (surkål), vegetables, gravy, cranberry sauce and potatoes. Others may have the traditional fish dish called “lutefisk” eaten with bacon, mushy peas and sauce. It is made from aged stockfish or dried/salted whitefish and lye. It is gelatinous in texture. Its name literally means "lye fish". This dish is more common in the North of Norway. Gløgg, (mulled non-alcoholic wine with spices, nuts and fruit) is a common Christmas drink, along with regular soda. 

Rice porridge (Grøt) is the traditional dessert eaten on Christmas Eve (served with butter, sugar and cinnamon, with whipped cream mixed in!). If you find an almond in your portion you're traditionally given a marzipan pig as a reward. You actually have to show that you have found the white-blanched almond, so don’t eat anything that seems crunchy! Helping clean up in the kitchen afterwards is very much appreciated as the families have often spent all day preparing and cooking the meal.

Dancing around the tree is perhaps the most unusual tradition for foreigners. The tree is pulled out to the middle of the room and whilst singing carols, and holding hands, people “dance” around the tree (really, people walk around the tree, but some songs may include the odd hop or other action!). The favourite song for children is “På låven sitter Nissen” (Santa Claus is sitting on the barn) because when that is sung, Julenissen typically bangs on the door and comes in with lots and lots of presents. Most missionaries enjoy this tradition, and in many families one of the missionaries may also be asked to “be” Santa!

You will enjoy many different types of cakes and biscuits over the Christmas period in Norway, and a large proportion of the population still bake their own. One of the most popular is a special bread called 'Julekake' that has raisins, candied peel and cardamom in it. There are seven different sorts of cookies that are made traditionally (or you can buy them at the local store!).

 

Boxing Day as it is known in England is called “andre juledag” (the second day of Christmas) and is also a public holiday to relax and enjoy family; it is typically a very laid-back day. Some English/American families in Norway choose to celebrate this day rather than Christmas Eve.  The time between Boxing Day and New Years Eve is called “Romjul”. It is the quiet time of Christmas where the streets are bare and the shops have limited hours as Norwegians spend this time with family.  The local sledding hills and parks are filled with families skiing and sledding. If you are allowed, buy a cheap toboggan (akebrett) and enjoy sliding down the hills in winter.

On New Years Eve (nyttårsaften) Norwegians celebrate the new year with fireworks and parties The fireworks can begin quite early, but the standard time for setting them off is about ten minutes to midnight until ten minutes after. New Years Day (Nyttårsdag) is also a public holiday.

On the 13th January Christmas is officially over. Decorations are put away and the Christmas tree is chopped into firewood and used in the fire, or collected by the local commune. However, there is a saying in Norway that “Julen varer helt til Påske”… (Christmas lasts right through to Easter…)