Christmas and New Years!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

 well its starts tomorrow but i just wanted to say how great of a year it has been! there has been some incredible things that have happened and not to mention all the good times i have had! there are miracles happening in Norway! i cant say i have not had fun because i have fun everyday and probably to much especially when my companion is always slipping on the ice....that is always a good laugh!;) well this week has actually been pretty laid back with a great time in Romerike for our training meeting with all the missionaries in Norway! i had been looking forward to those three days! having so many of your good friends and yet never getting sleep because you have 8 missionaries in one appartment and you just talk....so little sleep in two days wears on you a ton but it was so spiritual and incredible! well and any other days that we had open we tried to get appointments but if not we were with members and strengthening them! i love the members here in Fredrikstad and i dont think that will ever change!:) you become so close to them and they really have a special place in your heart i would believe! it was great to talk with the family on christmas day and to see how they have all grown so much! i dont even know what to say other than that tears fill your eyes as yousee your loved ones growing right before your eyes! family is so key in this life and i love the family i have!:) well ill keep this one short but i love you all so much and i hope you have a great new years!:)

Eldste Farnsworth

My Last Christmas in Norway

GOD JUL ALLE SAMMEN!!

 MERRY CHRISTMAS!! its crazy that this time of the year is already here! i feel that last year was just ending and i remember what it was like to think...wow only one more chirstmas....and now that time has come! seeing as norway celebrates on the 24th today is christmas for me and we will open presents tonight! i am so blessed to be in a ward that really takes care of the missionaries as good as they did last year!:) i have been so blessed in the time i have been in Fredrikstad! i have seen miracles after miracles and sometimes i dont think i really deserved them but the lord has other plans sometimes right?:) as i look back at this past year i am so greatful for the knowledge i have received from studies and how much i have learned in this time! there is so much to be greatful for as you serve a mission and especially a loving family who support you! thats probably the biggest but like i said i am not going to name everyting! I love norway during christmas time even though it seems that people are even harder in their hearts sometime haha! its so interesting! I LOVE NORWAY! there is just so much difference here that you have to love it! after a 1y 6m i would say that my heart has changed in many ways! i am not a perfect missionary and i could deffinitely work harder but i will say that my heart is in the right place when it comes to helping others and sharing the best messege every! i just want to thank you all for your amazing love and prayers! i love you guys so much! i cant wait to talk to you tomorrow! i hope you all have a great christmas! LOVE YOU ALL!!

eldste Farnsworth!

Snow has come

HEY fam and friends!

 

 well i had a lot written and some how i deleted the whole thing....so i dont really have so much time now....but i will say that my comp has been sick this week and so we took a day for him to recharge his batteries and i was kind of excited to study all day but after 2 and a half hours i was done haha! so i found other ways to entertain myself! he slept all day with out waking up! he woke up at 6 and got ready since we had an appointment! poor guy was so dead tired! well we got about 4 or 5 inches of snow on friday and its been a little warmer than usual! its some what warm today so thats a nice change i believe!:) well i want to say that we are making progress in our area with our once investigator and then still on the search for the others...so slow but surely we are going to find another awesome norwegian to share our incredible messege with! i want you to all know the personal love i have felt and continue to feel during this christmas season! we recieve a challenge to read the 4 gospels and 3rd nephi which i wont finish since i have become a super slow detailed reader on my mission but i have been reading everyday! and to help my comp and i read 3rd nephi in norwegain for studies! the trials of christ resemeble so much of our own trials that we face in this life! we just have to make the connection sometimes! thanks for all the encouragement that you all give me! i love you all so much and i hope you all have a super christmas! i love you!!

 

eldste Farnsworth

A Very Good Week

ITS BEEN A WEEK!!

 weeks are fast and days are slow but my desires are getting higher by the day! ITS CHRISTMAS TIME! the last christmas in norway! we got snow this past week that has stayed since it has been -17 all week so it stuck but it was less that an inch since i am down so low in norway! Its been nice as well not having to travel to oslo once a week and it has made it way easier on our pockets....if you know what i mean! we had a tank of gas last 5 days! first time in over10 weeks! i would say that this week has been a great one for sure! i would have to say that the lord answered my prayers in helping me have a stronger desire to serve! sometimes its not as easy to have the desire but i would say we had a `killer`districtmeeting so it was super great! its crazy to think about the way the lord answers our prayers! i would say that it is truly incredible how it works out! one thing that i have always been strong at on my mission is a desire to pray and to stay close to my father in heaven! its true how they say you pray over 50x aday ona mission and hopefully just as much at home! it is truly a blessing and its a killer on the knees as well haha!:)

 Well this week has been good! we have really made progress with our investigator that came to church this past week and who came this week as well! he is such a humble guy and he told me straight up in church that this is where he belongs! he feels good in church and it was great that we had the stake presidency talk and even though we had to leave and teach the youth during sunday school he stayed there and talked with members and BOY does he actively pay attention and listen! i am always astounded how he listens! we also had a ward dinner after church and i thinkt that was just part of the sealing deal! we talked after and he was like...."so you guys are having church on christmas right" and answered in the affirmative and he was excited! even though we could only meet with him once this past week you can see how he is progressing! he is a REAL STUD!

 We have kept our focus on our less actives and they are doing well! we set a hefty goal of getting three less actives active again and i think it will go well! we have 2 that really want to come but health holds them back and the other is warming up i would say:) Its really just finding the key in each person and the lord knows how to help us find them! but its the wards job of holding them once we get them back and the ward is taking full charge of that which i am so greatful for! Thank you FSTAD! well once sad thing to say is that we have yet to receive the liahona....so thats a sad day but it always takes us forever to get it her in norway! but instead we took sometime and downloaded them in norwegian to listen to in the car! we finished the first session and have listened to our favorites.....the first and greatest commandment by jeffery R Holland....! well i love you guys and i want you know that Norway is doing great and its freezing cold but i still think utah can be colder but the cold is super different! but its cold all year round... so we push forward! i love you so much and have a superduper week everyone!

love Eldste Farnsworth

From the Land of the North

HEIA:)

 well as another week has gone by the weather has now gone into the negatives! its been a cold week with weather in the minus -10-15`s! well its time to bust out the big jacket and not freeze and start using the awesome gloves and hat that a less active gave me:):) home made wool gloves are THE BEST! well this week as the rest have been super busy and we have deffinitly had a hard week as well and been challenging! we have are getting awesome progress with some of our less actives and we even got to perform service this week which was so great! as seeing that norwegians dont like asking for help and even when offered is not always easy for them to accept but we stacked a huge pile of wood for the winter season! talk about good ol fashioned when it comes to wood burning stoves and wood but there are not to many that have electricity that covers the whole house and every house has a wood burning stove and it just makes everything way more cozy!

  well even with progress i guess i dont have to much to say except we got a hold of a person that we contacted a couple weeks ago and we met him for the first time and we took a member and that was such a good idea even though sometimes i flirt with that idea of taking members on the first teach but i would say that strengthened my testimony of taking them along! they connected and even though we didnt finish our lesson he liked what he heard and showed up at church yesterday as well! he was very impressed and to my suprise (even though i have had it before) he loved the lesson on hometeaching and was very impressed with that! he said he had seen people try and only fail in his church and or there were only a few who would do it once a year or so! he even said he wants to bring friends next week!:) so i would say that was a great answer to my prayers of finding a NORWEGIAN that will accept the gospel so i just hope everything continues with him:)

 i cant say that i havent experienced miracles on my mission because that would be a massive lie! sometimes we do have to look at the small helps we get everyday though to realize the other ones! my desire to be better as a missionary becomes stronger everyday and i really am a weak missionary and have so many lessons to learn. all i know is that the lord is on my side helping me and pushing me(especially in this cold weather) to keep pressing forward! i love you all so much and i hope to hear from you all soon! i love you!:):)

 eldste farnsworth