HELLO TO ALL!!!

Here another week has ended.  We went to Oslo on Friday for a zone conference.  We get up at 4:30am, take the bus to the airport at 5:40 and leave for Oslo at 7.  We were the first ones to arrive.  We all go to Oslo as our zone covers from Alesund to Alta--about 12 hour drive in between.  We would all have to fly thru Oslo to get anywhere else, so they just have the meeting there.  We practiced door approaches, "teaches" about baptism, and helping investigators make a commitment.  There is always room for improvement.  

Last week we told you about the mission fast for 40 days.  Monday was our district's day to fast.  The mission has some lofty goals for this year and the Lord is helping us.  The elders have two men to baptize in the next couple of weeks.  It always amazes me what the people know and what they have learned.  They are both from Africa.  One is a student and one is a refuge.  Their faith is so strong.

We had a sister and her four children come to church today.  We have visited them twice and also attended a showing of her sculptures.  She brought the children to the Juletrefest and was at church again today. YEH!!  She asked Gerald to bless her little girl that is almost three years old.  So that will happen one of these first Sundays.

Last Sunday we had an appointment with a less active member and discovered that he was also has a wife.  While we were there his step brother came to visit with his wife and child.  So we visited two less active members.  When their schedules can work, we will meet with them again.  How did that happen?

Thursday night we visited two of our members who live in different directions from Trondheim.  We went to one at 4:30 pm and the other at 6:30.  The first one speaks English and the second one scolded me (Nancy) for not speaking Norwegian.  I am understanding more, but Norwegians talk fast and run all their words together.

Last night we went to dinner at a member's home.  There were six missionaries, her four sons, and a few other friends.  She is from the Philippines and we had an excellent dinner.  After one of the elders gave a message about the Book of Mormon in Norwegian which they all understood--I understood some.  Then the sister gave a testimony about the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  I asked the elder what she talked about.  He said she spoke in Tagolag--news to me.  But I knew what she was talking about.  I have learned to "read" the gestures when people are talking--it doesn't tell me everything, but it gives me a clue as to the subject.

The weather has warmed  up this week.  We were at 0 degrees Centigrade.  The Norwegians say it hasn't been this cold in 50 years.  Well, welcome to Norway!  -23 is about 14 degrees F.  We had about two weeks of that kind of weather.  Last night the wind blew and the snow drifted to different places, but there is still plenty on the ground.  The roads and streets are well plowed.  Also sidewalks are plowed.  They do have good equipment to keep people going.  The weather doesn't seem to slow many people down.

The missionaries do a lot of street contacting, but not many want to talk with them the last few weeks.  They ride the bus and contact there.  Trondheim has a great bus system.  The missionaries are all over town riding the bus.  

Here are a couple of pictures.  One is a sunrise out our apartment window (this is in the previous post).  The other is our Trondheim missionaries at the airport in Oslo waiting to return to Trondheim after zone conference..  From left to right:  Nancy, Elder Henshaw, Sister Molholt in front, Elder Richardson and Sister Engebretsen.

Our love to all,

MOM and DAD, Gerald and Nancy, Elder and Sister Sorensen, grandma and grandpa