July 28, 2014

To start out this email i'm going to first address this whole summer weather situation. It sucked. There is a reason why i'm not in brazil or one of the hot areas around the world. I'm not sure if there were any records set but this is definitely an abnormal summer here in drammen at least. I'm getting the sickest tan lines you could imagine though. Been taking advantage of the tasty Norwegian water and produce. Yesterday at sacrament meeting we had some gnarly thunder storms and lightning strikes literally right outside the church. It was interesting because the second the primary kids went up to sing, it stopped completely and then immediately resumed afterwards for the next speaker. Weather is fun and keeps things interesting. 

Its been a pretty tough week though around the mission. Hopefully people will start coming back from vacation so we can build up some more momentum that we've been trying so hard to hang on to.

 Focusing on the positives though, We had one of our investigators decide they wanted to get baptized in September. So as of right now, we have 4 who are lined up to get baptized in august and September. We're really blessed and working on getting more but we really need to do our best to help these people who are committed to be fully ready for it. We'll be having a baptism this Saturday (assuming everything works out) with our liberian guy. He's a humble, sincere and honest guy and he really appreciated the help moving this week. We're stressing a little because we're not able to meet with him as much as we'd like to because of his busy work schedule. We'll have to wait until the day before the baptism before we find out if its actually going to happen. So we'll just be praying like crazy that all the planning we're going to have to put into the baptismal meeting will make for a solid baptismal meeting with him actually being baptized. Fun stuff! I have faith that everything will work out.

Homeboy Holden is gone and so its been a pain to get adjusted to the change. The good thing though is that Elder Halvorsen and I work equally as hard. Hopefully we'll get to see the same sort of dream team magic here in Drammen and the Telemark zone. Halvorsen and I are way too much a like though, its almost like we're brothers. Always thinking the same thoughts. I like working with him because we can joke around with each other even when we're stressed out of our minds wondering why in the world nobody wants to listen to us! 

I'm so happy to hear about all the cool things going on at home.  Sounds like a lot of friends and family are having really cool missionary experiences and I hope you guys are too. Did you invite the cholos over yet? haha. Great to hear that you're getting that new job-opp! You'll do great but if you're anything like me then you're probably questioning and doubting that haha. Just pray sincerely and constantly and even on your knees when you can. I promise you'll know what you have to do and then be blessed with the focus and energy to do it. Create a vision and then some plans on how you can achieve it. Short term and long term goals and all that good stuff. Its exciting to have change come around so that you can repent and start new habits. Missionary work really isn't all that different from any other type of work. Instead of money though you get some sort of weird satisfaction and joy that isn't explainable yet far better. Love you! have a great week! snakkes neste uke

Eldste Skinner

July 21, 2014

Hey!

Sounds like you guys had a fun week! Its super fun to hang out with extended family. One of the downsides to the mission but its worth the temporary sacrifice. Sorry to hear that Annika lost her hamster... If it makes you guys feel any better i'm losing elder Holden. He's out of here on Wednesday. Heading to the office for some general authority training haha. Holden is a legit missionary and its been way fun to absolutely tear it up here in Drammen. We've put everything we had into this area for the past two transfers and have not experienced any sort of loss in energy or determination. The older we're getting on the mission, the more passionate we get for the work here. We are eternal homies. d oyou think they do bro-sealings in the temple?? 

I'm stoked for this next transfer though because of the hard work thats been put in and the fact that I still get to be a part of this incredible ward. This area is totally shaping me. My next comp is someone who I already love and I've probably mentioned to you guys before. His name is Elder Halvorsen. His grandpa and Grandma Joyce served in norway at the same time. He was my District leader in Trondheim. We get along way well and he's super fun to be around and he loves to work hard like I do. I'm still expecting to see some amazing things here. Heavenly Father never has stopped blessing me because I've never stopped showing my faith through my actions. Key principle in life that gets pounded in my head over and over again. Halversen and I will do our best here in the Telemark Zone to keep the momentum going. We need to start baptizing like crazy this next couple of months if we want to reach our yearly goal. Families are the key and it makes me so happy to here that one family like the Jacobson can fill up four rows in church! I hope I can start teaching a family that can replicate that here in Drammen. 

Its been another week with a lot of teaching situations. Obviously not everyone's interested but its fun to know that I'm fulfilling my purpose to invite others to come unto Christ and recieve the restored gospel. We did find quite a lot of people again. Had some interesting experienced with some full blown muslims. They're everywhere here. We talked to about 8 at a time one night this week. This muslim Moses dude with a beautiful white long beard tried to convert us to islam. He spoke english in book of mormon language saying things like "and remember my son," and "Wo unto them.." Took it as another sign that the Book of Mormon is true. They also offered me a 2 month trial of the quaran and the islamic religion. "just try it for two months and it will change you!" I quickly responded, "I've been doing this missionary work thing in the name of Christ for 18 months and its changed me forever." I love this work and all the awesome lessons I learn. Its a lot of fun and definitely a cultural experience as well. I'm taking full advantage of all the berries and fruits to keep me going throughout the day and drinking a bunch of water. I don't remember it being this hot last summer but I'm not going to complain about it. Its not fun to be hot or cold so you kinda just have to be grateful and take advantage of the circumstances you're in. 

We have lots of plans for this next week that i'm excited about! We've been working with the elders quorum to try and help our investigator move stressfree. He's stilll coming to church and looking to get baptized on the 2nd. The highlight of the week was teaching his 18 year old daughter about the restoration and then inviting her to be baptized as well. She is planning on being baptized 2 weeks after her father if she gets an answer from god that its true. I love people who are sincere and prepared by heavenly father. I can't control who's ready to receive the gospel but I can do my best to invite everyone and its all worth it when you find the ones who are ready. We had a buzzer beater like find yesterday. We were about to go home but we figured that we'd just finish the day off in the streets even though they were pretty dead due to summer. At 8:50 we contacted this norwegain kid who quickly opened up to us that he really believes in god but isn't too sure about what to do about it. He's experienced miracles that have kept him alive from certain sicknesses growing up. We shared a quick lesson with him about Joseph Smith and invited him to read a pamphlet and pray to know that the things we're sharing are true. We'll be meeting with him Saturday to teach him more about Christ's  original church and that its been restored today. As we were teaching him on the street, I felt super strongly that we really needed to talk to this kid so I'm glad we stayed dedicated until that last minute. Relentlessness!

We were also on a desperate hunt to come into contact with this lady we taught last week. She randomly disappeared and we were praying that we'd find her. So we obviously began with a prayer and then after about thirty minutes or so we found her house with her name on the doorbell. Heavenly Father knows when we need his help. He taught me again that he always has my back especially when I'm humbled enough to admit it.Another cool experience this week also happened yesterday. We planned on having a dinner with a member about an hour after church. It was so cool because they also asked us if there were any investigators we could bring with. It was awesome becasue they aren't your average super missionary member family. We ended up taking one of our investigators from Burundi and a new convert from Uganda with us. IN no way whatsoever would you think that this sweet norwegain family history lady and her son mix with these two homies of ours, but it ended up being incredible. It was a fun dinner and afterwards our investigator started expressing that he wants to be baptized sooner rather than later. Members and missionaries need to do stuff like this more often. Invite the missionaries in R-town to bring some of their cholo investigators over for dinner!! (take pictures too please) Easy and fun way to help out with missionary work! Do it!

All sorts of amazing things happen each week. Sorry I can't share them all. Its a beautiful day here in Drammen and its our last P-day together so we'll probably go on a district hike or something. Have an awesome week. I'll try to send some pictures later on! Love you!

Eldste Skinner

July 14, 2014

I'm so exhausted my eye's been twitching since I woke up this morning. We had an unreal week last week. Pretty sure mission records were broken. We were super blessed this week and obviously a lot happened that i'm now not even able to remember. Ended up teaching a lot of new people who couldn't say know to our boldness and confidence in the message and the spirit that came with. 

What made this week intense was the amount out lessons we were able to teach and the new investigators we were able to find. We slightly changed the way we went out to go talk with people on their doors and in the streets and it made a pretty drastic difference. Our fine tuning was mostly sparked by some of the thoughts we had at president house in the beginning of the month and then this whole training meeting we did on the 4th of july. We've really started applying these things in our area and we've been blessed with some crazy results. Its satisfying to see that some other areas in the zone have as well. The frustrating thing is that not everyone is applying what they learned from the meeting into their areas and so they're just chilling. I can't tell you how annoying that can be. We were all a part of that same training meeting.  We were all taking notes specifically on the principles learned as well as the promptings recieved from the spirit. Its clear as day who's applying and not applying the principles into their own area. I'll admit that I get worked up sometimes about the decisions of other people. Nothing wrecks me more than Idleness and and wasted time. But I know that's dumb and I should personally just try my best, make sure that I'm doing all the right things, then be a positive christlike example for others.

This week has strengthened my testimony of the importance of faith and works. I know and have experienced over and over again that Heavenly Father will find people for me to teach as long as I'm trying to build up this area in the way that He wants it built up. Our balanced attack of helping the members get involved and using the extra time to find on our own has proven to be the way to go. I know that Heavenly Father is blessing me with the spirit because He "looks upon my heart" and knows that I'm here to WORK. Consequently he keeps putting all these people in our path. I'm trying my best to show charity to everyone I meet so that then can recognize us as servants for Christ and not just robots hungry to force christianity down some throats. Charity is crucial for this work and its the only thing that will empower me overcome my disappointments and frustrations. I'm super grateful that Holden and I are equally as passionate for the work here. Its nice to be able to cruise around in the car from appointment to appointment and just vent if we need to. We're not perfect but I can honestly say we couldn't be more satisfied with the efforts we're putting in right now. We had a great experience with one of our investigators from Liberia. We've had a baptismal date with him before but certain challenges popped up. We've never stopped meeting with him though and his testimony has been getting stronger and stronger. He's a beast and getting guidance from God simply because he's prays sincerely, he reads the Book of Mormon and he comes to church. He's been having a stressful time with family, work and finding a new place to live so its been hard for him to get baptized and make those necessary covenants.  We fasted and prayed with him to help him find out when he should be  baptized. We went into his house with a member on tuesday and he whipped out piece of paper and wrote down three dates: July 30, August 8, and August 2. He then explained.. I'm moving just down the road on the 30th, my birthday is on the 8th and I'm getting baptized on the 2nd. We were pumped that everything just worked out that easily for him. He's ready to start his new life. It was also pretty cool because his 18 year old daughter and her friend were there to and they wanted to learn about the church. Our investigator then helped us teach and the daughter came to church this week. She loved it. All sorts of cool things are happening over here in drammen and we're still seeing some growth towards this areas full potential. Its great to be a part of it event though it leaves me exhausted spiritually and physically. It will all be worth the peace of mind later on in life and the eternities.  I seriously appreciate all the awesome members here who are helping us out in the work.

Please have a fun and exciting week and be grateful in your circumstances! 

Love,

Eldste Niklas Skinner

June 7, 2014

For the 4th of July here in Norway was legit.. actually it wasn't all that different from any other day. good thing every day is awesome on the mission because we make it awesome. We spent the majority of the day friday in an intense training meeting with the zone. We hit on various skills needed to be able to find and teach people. We've noticed that this mission is still young and we still need to pound on some basic skills in order for us to be able to fulfill our purpose with a greater number of people. We're trying to get the missionaries to be bold and christlike teachers. Sometimes we may feel hesitant to teach people right away and really get this message out to people; giving them an opportunity to chose for themselves and act on it. With this training we did, I feel like we'll be more urgent and excited to open up our mouths and teach people about the restored gospel.

During the training meeting we were also being pulled aside by president and sister evans for interviews. They went prettty good and it was fun to talk with them one on one. Helps me to know if I'm on the right track. I'm way pleased with the way things have been going and I feel comfortable saying that I'm putting my heart into this work. I'm super grateful for all the little miracles that happen every day here in this awesome country. It's impossible for me to deny that God loves his children and he guides us to people who are prepared. Something I've been thinking of lately is how many things happen each day and throughout the course of the week. I just don't think I 'll ever be able to really vocalize these events. Its kind of frusrating because I know people will want to hear all these amazing stories about serving in Norway but i'm not sure if I'll be able to come up with a specific story that would be interesting for anyone to hear. No one likes that guy that goes blabbing on and on about the mission anyways, right? All I can say is that this mission is super challenging but super rewarding and fun at the same time. I'm learning a lot about myself and how Heavenly Father works. I'm solidifying my testimony of the gospel. I'm super grateful that I've been sent to where I've been sent. 

When we were out the other day we set apart some time to go visit some members that we didn't have too much information about. We kinda just wanted to stop by and visit them if they still lived there( at the very least and see if they had moved). We also are passionate about finding on the way so we figured we talk to people outside and  knock on some random doors as we went from one place to the other. For the second time this week, the very first door we knock on let us in to teach them. The first time this happened was on Monday night with this guy who seemed pretty prepared to learn about the book of mormon and its ability to answer questions. This time it was a family who had never heard about the Book of Mormon or what the Mormons believed. Both of these first lessons we were able to teach were a direct result of Elder Holden and I showing our faith and acting on what we've been practicing and thinking about lately. We have a desire to work with members, so we go try to visit them. We want to teach the gospel so we stop and talk to everyone, making things happen right then and there. We know this message is true and we need to do our best to show this conviction by our urgency and boldness. We also have to be an example to other missionaries. I can just go on for days but I'm sure none of this is that interesting to read. 

I love serving as a missionary. I love getting things done in an efficient organized manner. I love to work on skills and and then see the difference adjustments can make. I love to see people be affected by the spirit as we stop them, introduce ourselves, and then introduce the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm grateful that I've chosen to be dedicated and passionate, its been super fun. I just pray that I can help more people to get baptized. I'm expecting some amazing things to keep happening here in drammen. Don't think the "dream team" has too much time left but the passion will never stop. Have an awesome week! Work hard and have fun:)

Love, 

Eldste Skinner 

June 30, 2014

Yo Yo Yo!

Another crazy week! We had an awesome zone conference totally focused on the Book of Mormon and how much of a role it plays in our work. Anyone that wants to deny the fact of the church being true and the gospel being restored has to somehow get around the fact that the book is the word of god. The reason why the Book of Mormon and the Bible are used in our church is because they both were written by inspired men for the purpose of teaching us the truth of the relationship between us and God. Questions can be answered and concerns can easily be resolved because of the book of mormon. I started reading it again form the beginning and am highlighting all the references to Christ and His nature and the different things He promised and said. Its blown my mind how much the book witnesses of the Savior. No one can  just say that farmer boy Joe Smith just made that book up and started a church that perfectly matches Christ's original church as explained in the Bible. Especially a church that exists and grows today. I get completely fired up the more I study the gospel and recognize how plain and precious and clear it is. The best part of the day is knowing that at the very least Elder Holden and I are on the same page about the Church being true. The gospel is obviously true too.. if you have any questions, again, just go out and people watch. Its pretty obvious for me at least. I understand the need for me to live up to my potential and be an example at all times. 

We had a magical day yesterday. We had this family come as well as some others. It was a huge blessing to have 6 investigators in church! We've been on fire lately but its sad to see that this fire isn't spreading too far. I know we have some great missionaries here and that our success is in no way contributed to the fact that we're more skilled or better looking or whatever than anyone else. Our secess is coming from on high. We're simply putting our faith into action and being absolutely as relentless as possible. This is the Lord's work and we need to make a difference here our part of the "vineyard". I wish I could plant dedication and passion and desire to succeed in every single person but I know that's not possible. So right now I'm really just trying to live up to my potential and figure out how I can be a better teacher. We've been using members on our teaches and I've been blown away at how well some of the leaders here can teach the gospel. Bishop is insane and so now I have this burning desire to understand the gospel and teach it in the way that he can but with (my own little style on it of course). I'm grateful for all the awesome examples around me that help me to realize that I can be so much better. It gives me a nice healthy push and I feels great when I'm in the right direction. 

More specifically this week we've been blessed to get a referall from this member. we immediately taught this guy from Iran who is really interested in religion and the english language. He's never heard about the restoration but he seemed super curious when we kind of summarized it as we ate some fruit and nuts that his wife gave us. when we finally share the message of the restoration and the plan of salvation, his mind will be blown. People from the middle east are the nicest whenever it comes to hospitality. Best hosts ever, they never fail to serve you. We also had this awesome experience helping this philipino lady move her stuff from her friends house to her new apartment in drammen. It was so simple for us to drive here stuff from one house to another in our sweet little opel. She was so grateful though and after were finished and started talking to her she was in tears super grateful for how much heavenly father has blessed her lately. It was amazing to see that love of god working through us. I love serving others and making their little annoying problems (like how in the world am I going to get my belongings across the city alone and with out a car?) go away in a matter of an hour. She is just one of our many new investigators from the past couple of weeks. All these people we're meeting are so awesome and I just want them so badly to experience the happiness that comes from living the gospel. We also find this sweet couple who's expecting a baby in November. They're getting ready for their baptismal date and we're hoping we can find more who will have real intent to act when the spirit confirms for them that this is the truth. I'm loving the misison and especially the summer time. I'm getting more familiar with the youth here and I think they're all awesome. Everyone's crazy about the World Cup though so that's kinda lame but at least markus is down to talk about snowboarding and watches and kebabs. Hope you are all enjoying summer and being grateful for all the amazing things that we get to experience during our lives. 

Love you all! 

Eldste Skinner