Helping Hands

We have a new investigator! His name is Daniel and he is from Africa! I committed him to be baptized and he accepted. It was like my dream lesson. We watched the Restoration film with him and I asked him how he felt. I told him that it was the Holy Ghost. The spirit was soo strong. 

We meet with Leif this week and we taught him the Word of Wisdom and guess what.... he doesn't drink coffee or tea! Miracle!! It was such a good lesson and we had an awesome member on the teach, which made it even better. We love Leif!

We had a service project this week with the ward. We helped clean up trash around a lake and we wore Helping Hands vests. It was my dream to wear one of those yellow vests haha. Good times with the ward and missionaries. 

Drago is doing good! We had stake conference in another city yesterday and so we showed him how to get there by bus.. we were worried he would get lost, but no... he made it and was early!! what a guy. 

When I was on splits with Sister Gates we didn't know what to do one night. We had a Book of Mormon we have been meaning to give to this Thai lady so I said lets go give it to her. It was perfect! We taught her about the Book of Mormon in her Thai restaurant and she gave us food. She is the cutest and a new investigator!

I am so grateful to be here in Norway and to serve with Sister Hartley and Sister Gates. I have been learning a lot about myself and accepting myself for who I am. God made us who we are for a reason. Use the talents and strengths God has given you and magnify them. Be happy for others and don't compare. God has a plan for you and wants to help you find who you truly are and know it. It is between you and the Lord. 

Love you!!

-Søster Allen

Note from Jenn:
Just a quick note from Jenn:  Jessica didn't send a group email last week.  She just didn't have a lot of new stuff to report.  She mentioned that she may not send a group email every week.  Sometimes she sends pictures that I will put up on her blog, but don't worry if you don't get a group email each week.  She is doing awesome and loving every minute it.   She did send one this week. 

God exists! I Know it & I'm Not Afraid to Tell People

I love Sister Hartley! She is the bomb. We got 4 new investigators this week. So that was pretty sweet. 

We are meeting with Leif tonight and hope we can meet with him again this week. I still feel inadequate about the language, but yesterday in church was the first time I felt like I understood what they were saying in norsk .. it was awesome! 

Drago came to church and will be receiving the Aaronic priesthood next week. What a guy. 

So one of the new investigators we found was actually a street contact right in front of our house in Nordstrand. She was walking her dog and said that she was taught the missionary lessons when she was 13 in Chile. So we met with her twice last week. We will see her again this week. So that's pretty sweet. 

We contacted another girl in the city and she came with two other friends to the lesson. They all became new investigators and we were able to give them all Book of Mormons in Spanish, Russian, and Ukrainian. It is a melting pot here, I tell ya! It is rare to teach a Norwegian in Oslo. 

Another cool story..

At the beginning of last week me and Sister Hartley were taking the Trykk home and a 17 year old norwegian boy comes and sits right across from me and starts talking to me. He asked me what it was like to be a missionary in Norway. He was soo interested in what I do and why I believe in God and how I find out there is a God. It was soo cool. I asked him for his number, but he said he wanted mine.. ah man! I hope so badly he calls. It was such a sweet experience. I have never been approached by a norwegian.

I love being a missionary. I care about the people we find and teach. I study for them in the morning and hope I can be able to help them come unto Christ in some way. It truly brings me so much happiness. I love and hate when we talk on the streets to people who do NOT believe in God and then God always shows me a sign that he is real. Like last night.. we were getting "you are crazy to believe in God" and then we contacted a lady that was once a member of the church. That doesn't just happen! God puts certain people in our life for a reason! The world is beautiful! We have a prophet! We have the Book of Mormon! We have families! Why not believe! Why not hope!? Why doubt?! Why live with no purpose? I don't get it. I know that God exists! I know it and I am not afraid to tell people and make them realize it through my eyes.

Norway is the bomb and we hiked a pretty sweet mountain today. I saw all of Oslo and some other cities at the top.

Love you all and I appreciate all the support and prayers!

Love,

Sister Allen

I Cried Like a Mom.

Dragi Drago got baptized on Saturday! It was such a good day!! Ah the spirit was so strong and 4 different languages were spoken at his baptism. We had the meeting conducted in English, we had a talk on baptism given by a member in Croatia via skype (the whole ward in Croatia skyped in!!), I sang, "I Need Thee Every Hour," the baptism prayer was given in Russian, and a lady spoke on the Gift of the Holy Ghost in Russian. We had a testimony meeting too and so of course some Norwegian was spoken. It was an amazing experience and Drago is soo happy! He was confirmed yesterday in church. What a guy! I cried like a mom.

Our investigator, Leif, came to the baptism and church! He is the best! He texts us all the time to tell us about daylight savings, and tells us to have a good weekend. Such a hyggelig man! 

We had a huge blizzard on Thursday! It was nuts! We had to take the Trykk(train) and it took 2 hours to get to the center when it normally takes 30 minutes! It was fun, though! That night me and Søster Robbins went out shoveling for people and we had a good time. 

Søster Robbins leaves on Wednesday. This has been an awesome transfer! We have been so busy! I will miss her! We are going to make today a good P-day! 

My new companion comes in Wednesday night. Her name is Søster Hartley! She was companions with Søster Leland in Trondheim! I have meet her before and he is awesome. She also a Sister Training Leader, so I will be on splits with another Søster every week for at least two days. The other søster that is coming is Søster Gates! She was just ahead of me in the MTC. She is awesome as well! I am feel like Heavenly Father is taking good care of me and I feel lucky to work with such amazing missionaries! 

I just found out that I can't send pictures at the center because it creates viruses on the computers! Ah! So I will have to go to a library next p-day to send pics. I have soo many good pictures! Of the baptism and the blizzard.. ah man! Next week!

This week I encourage you all to watch #becausehelives on lds.org. Also, to watch General Conference!! It is Easter week and we get to hear from a living prophet and apostles this weekend! I am sooo stoked! We will be watching conference at the center this weekend. We are so lucky! The church is true! I know that my Savior and Redeemer Lives!

Love you all!

Love,

Søster Allen

Farewell Dinner for 4 of our wonderful missionaries

Missions are Good - People are Good

Hei sann!

First off, I just heard some sad news from Sister Mulivai in Texas.. Stacy, my investigator with the baptismal date passed away two weeks ago.  I am so sad, but I know he is at peace and his testimony of the gospel was strong. He had such a submissive, willing, and loving heart. The Lord has a plan for him and he will continue to do so much good. Oh Stacy, I hope to see him again.

So Drago is getting baptized! :) He is getting baptized this Saturday! Søster Robbins and I are preparing the program and we cleaned the font last week. It is so exciting. The Croatian missionaries are going to skype in with us for the baptism. Drago ended up on the same Trykk as all the missionaries going to church yesterday and said, "it is a special time." haha what a guy! 

We have an awesome new investigator. His name is Leif, norwegian, and he is 80 yrs. old! Ah good story to how we met. We found him outside of the center about two weeks ago. He agreed to meet again. Our first meeting with him he brought us chocolates and brought the book, "A Marvelous Work and A Wonder" given to him by a mormon lady. So he has already had contact with members of the church. He said that it is crazy how we met because he never takes that way home and he recognized it as a miracle from God. He is sooo good! He loves reading and loves the Book of Mormon. He feels he needs time to prepare for baptism though. We will continue to meet with him! We already love him!

I wanted to talk you about my favorite Norwegian.. Astrid. :)


She is 94 yrs. old! People! She is as sharp as a tact! She has taught me so much and is a perfect example of how to Endure to the End well. We help her organize her house because she is almost blind. She told us that she plans out her day the night before. The first thing she does when she wakes up is checks to see if everything is in its place, greets and talks to the plants, and then it is time to exercise! She exercises on a little bike pedal thing. She is the cutest, happiest, flink lady ever! She can speaks so many different languages and plays the piano by memory. She told me one time, "Never say you can't do something-- you can do whatever you want if you keep trying everyday." What a great attitude! She is my inspiration on how to live life! She truly finds joy in the simple things!

Oh missions are so good and people are so good! Søster Robbins is leaving in like a week.. I am sad for her to go! She is awesome and has taught me so much. The language is coming.. I just need patience. I feel I am improving and then some days I don't. I will just have to remember the wise words from Astrid. Keep Trying! You can do it!

Hope you are all doing well! Remember to enjoy the simple and little things in life!

Love you all!

Love,

Søster Allen