We Got Snow!

hello hello family:):)

 well as i have been sitting here reading through all the emails i have gotten and the main question is always about the weather? let me be quite blunt with you its freaking hot here! i have been lying to you and its way hot......OK that's just the biggest lie!! this week had a new experience with this white stuff that falls from the sky....SNOW!!! we got three inches i think on Tuesday? then again on thrusday! that was so so cool! as my last companion explained it to me he said its like wooville from the Grinch! my oh my was he right! seriously snow here is just different here and it truly is magical! its so cool! well with snow comes cold weather but it really didn't effect me! i couldn't get over the fact of how amazing snow in Norway was and it kept my spirits high while contacting! what better thing to do then go out contacting in snow and show that we are committed and see the lord work miracles right before us and blessed us with two new investigators!! one is a guy from IRAN who is a newly baptized christian and the other a J DUB but yet the nicest one i have ever met! doesn't argue with us but has quite enough to say about 7th day Adventists....its actually quite funny, he seriously dogs on them! hopefully all will go well with them and i know that it will as we follow the spirit:) i will say i hope you all can come here and see the snow and be here for Christmas!

  To answer the last question is what is Christmas in Norway like? well its a party of course! there are way more days to celebrate and it is really going to be interesting to see what its going to be like! so tomorrow is the 13th and has something to do with Sweden and Norway and so we are waking up early and going to the state church to see what the commotion is all about:) then also JUL which is Christmas here is celebrated on the 24th! but they celebrate 23th so the EVE of JUL also the 24th 25th which is the first day of JUL also they celebrate the 26th the second day of christmas and then they have the in between time til new years which is also celebrated but not quite sure how yet ill let you know as i celebrate it:) then they celebrate new years of course and then they celebrate the 4th of Jan which is called Juletre which is literally means christmas tree and its a big family event and really big in the church as well:) Norwegian JUL food is amazing! we have been eating it lately and it is quite good! along with chocolate which i need to send to you all:) so that's basically what its like here in Norway just a party:) from what i am told i am not sure how it works but we will be with members on 24th and 25th and probably the 26th i am not sure if we go out or what not because its only a time to be with family? i am not fully aware of what is going to happen!

   well this week has definably been a good week and we have been having our time filled up more than we know some how and then its hard to get to all our appointments on time! its funny we start our day off with almost nothing and figure we are going to be finding all day but people call us and meet or need help with something so we are always busy! Although since last week we lost most of our investigators we still have a lot of finding to do! we are working hard though me and my companion and everything will work out as long as we strive to work harder everyday and make good goals that will help us to achieve our goals! now to mention goals... we found out our mission goals for this next year well one of them anyway! our baptismal goal is 100 before July!! now keep in mind how big of goal this is seeing that our final numbers will be around 130 for this whole year! we have been promised that we can make this goal and i fully agree! The lords light is over Norway! as we push for this we can do miracles and we need miracles as missionaries everyday! we are so blessed to have most of our whole society in the church of jesus christ of latter day saints that pray for us! we have basically one chance in life to be prayed for this much and i have said it before but its a HUGE blessing!:) i love being a missionary its so fun and by no small mean is it easy! trust me i struggle everyday! i know i am here for a reason! that reason i am not always so sure about but i keep looking for it everyday:) its so disappointing when investigators just dont see the point in getting baptized no matter how you try to help them they see no problem with living there life how it is because they are necessarily doing anthing wrong!  its so hard! as we keep loving them and trying to figure out to help them find one point that will apply to them its not an easy task but there is a way:)!

    One thing i decided to study this week thanks to MOM was something we all have to much of which is charity....ok false i deffinitely could use some help on it:) so i devoted a day to helping me study charity and love! one thing i have been good at i think is loving people around me! i get along with basically everyone and can talk to anyone! which is why i have no problem going door to door and telling people about the messege we share...on the other hand my companion hates that!:) but as i have studied and learned its not only loving them but its what else we can offer them! its finding the meaning of charity to ourselfs and what we have to offer others in helping our father in heaven`s children find there way to him once more! i have a golden oppurtunity everyday to give this to everyone and its my duty to give of myself a little more to achieve this goal! charity is not easy but as said in moroni 7 that it will be well with him who has it in the last day!

   well disappointment comes and goes on a mission and as far as baptisms i have had none yet but i dont see that as anything to big i have been here for three months! its no mexican mission where you baptize and forget all the people you baptize......just kidding calm down:) but its deffinably just different! but once you make a friend here they will be friends for life! that is true! i am so thankful to be here in norway and to serve the lord our God! i love being a missionary and i have gained a great love for the scriptures as i learn more and more everyday i learn to love them more and more:) i have a strong testimony on prayer and answers! HE WILL ANSWER YOUR PRAYERS WHEN YOU PUT FORTH THE EFFORT AND LISTEN! i know that Jesus Christ is our savior and redeemer and through him we can be saved through his mercy and by our own works! i love this gospel with all my heart and i hope you all have a great week! my love and prayers go out to all of you:)'

ELDSTE FARNSWORTH