I know that Heavenly Father is in charge and He is guiding this work.

Hey hey!

Ah man. We went hiking today so we don't have very much time so I'm just going to type as fast as I can! 

We met a neat lady named Rita a couple weeks ago and we got to go and visit her the other night. We texted her to confirm and she said it wouldn't work anymore but we both still felt like we needed to go. So we did. And we were standing on her porch really confused because we couldn't figure out which door was hers and her neighbor came up behind us and said, "Hi! Who are you looking for?" We told her and then she said, "Oh yeah! I'll get her for you." So she let us in and Rita didn't say anything about not wanting us there. She let us in and let us talk to her for a long time. It was a very powerful lesson and the Spirit was definitely there. We showed up at her house again last night and she let us in again. She had read Ether 6 and had a bunch of questions about the why we don't drink alcohol and the soul and the body and stuff. She says she's searching for meaning in life and she really wants to know what truth is. It made me so excited! We asked her to pray and ask God if He is even there. So many people here don't even believe in God so we have to start there. It's a really neat thing to help someone discover God in their life.

We also met a man named Hamkam on the street. He took us home to his family and they reminded me of the family on "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." It was hilarious! They are from Palestine and they were so kind to let us come to their home. It was just hard to teach because half of them spoke English and half of them spoke Norwegian but they all wanted to talk at the same time. Oh my! It was fun though. It made me miss you guys like crazy. Family is the most important thing to me.

We also got to meet with Mina (the little girl getting baptized) and talk with her about the temple. Ah man. The temple is so good. I am so grateful for our knowledge of it and for the opportunity we have to live so close to a temple. It makes Heaven feel so close. God really isn't far away from us. We also got to show Mina the font on Sunday after church so she could see what it will be like. She was really cute and it's been fun to teach such a young investigator!

Sister Hunt taught me a really neat thing this week about manna. When the people tried to collect more than just what they needed for the day it would rot. They had to trust that God would give them what they needed every day. I'm always looking at the bigger picture and I get overwhelmed by what I have to overcome and accomplish. But God gives us what we need every day. And that's all we need to worry about. There's lots more I could say about the story too... Read it! It's in Exodus 16 I think.

Our hike today was crazy! Oh my goodness! Norway is just beautiful. We hiked through this waterfall bed and these marshy grassy things and then there was snow and wind like I've never experienced before! It knocked me down a couple times. The view though was beautiful. I will try to send pictures soon.

I know that Heavenly Father is in charge and He is guiding this work. I have this sense of peace and hope and gratitude. Yesterday we sang, "Because I Have Been Given Much" and as I was singing it in Norwegian, I just had this overwhelming gratitude. I have been given so much and I too must give. I want to give. God loves His children and we have to be reminded of it every single day by reading scriptures and praying. I am so grateful to have a loving Heavenly Father. I know that He lives.

I love you so much so much. Reading your emails makes me so happy. I'm praying for you too!!

Love,

Søster Pyne

It's such a blessing to be a missionary.

sis. Petersen. she's great!

Heisann!

This has been a good week. We have been able to meet with some neat people and I have learned a lot just by talking to them.

We spent our Valentine's Day evening with our investigator, Anisha, in her Hindu temple. It was the most interesting thing I have ever been to. We felt like we needed to go with her to really understand her culture and where she is coming from. They had lots of idols in these boxes with curtains and incense burning everywhere and they were ringing bells and playing loud music and chanting and bowing on the ground. The people there were very warm and kind to us even though we were clearly intruders. It was a neat experience that reconfirmed my faith in a living God and my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that they are the only way! It also helped me how to better understand Anisha. She won't be getting baptized next month anymore, but she feels like her time with missionaries has helped her come closer to God.

We have been meeting with Mina, a sweet 9 year old little girl, and her parents. Her mom is a member but her dad isn't. She is going to get baptized on March 29 and she is so excited! I have loved being able to explain things to her in the most simple way because that's how I should be doing it every time I teach someone. Her mom does such a good job of keeping their little family safe and close and you can see in her eyes that she just wants an eternal family. Her dad is such a good person and we're working on him. For right now he needs love and answers to a lot of questions but he'll get there. Families are where it's at. We get to be with them forever!

We went with the elders to one of their investigator's houses this week to do some service. Their investigator handed us a drill and said, "I want these shelves hung up and this picture frame and these blinds." Haha we were so surprised he was handing these two American girls the drill and telling us to make holes in his wall. So... I think he trusts the missionaries. It went great and he and his wife opened up a lot as we helped them. People just need to know that you actually care about them.

Among drilling holes in walls, I also fixed the toilet 12 times in our apartment and cooked a bunch of stuff without recipes so... thanks for the skills you guys have taught me, mom and dad. They're so important. Haha. Including how to really find out if things are true. I have asked God a lot of things and He always reveals truth through the Spirit. 

the Leuschner's house last night. its right on the fjord!

Last night we went to a member's house for dinner. They are from Germany and they are such kind people. Their son has a girlfriend from Portugal and she doesn't speak Norwegian, but they don't speak English so we had 4 languages going on and translation like crazy. The gospel is the same in every language though. It's such a blessing to be a missionary. I am grateful to be here. 

I love you!

Love,

Søster Pyne

i found a pup! he even growls like mac!

Hello Bergen!

Bergen!

Hey!!

It's a miracle that everything got packed up and moved here to this rainy city with me. Norwegians are so efficient and effective so traveling in Norway is really simple. I think it's fun to go to the airport and fly around. Except sometimes it's stressful too. We got to Bergen and it was sunny! What?? And it was like 10 degrees warmer than Oslo and I felt like it was Spring! It's crazy to me what the weather does to you. I didn't realize how much I missed the sun until I felt it on my face in the car. I hope we see it soon again! 

Sister Peterson is an incredible missionary because she is so genuine. It has been my goal my whole mission to just be human with people because the more human you are with them, the more human they are with you. It always reminds me about Alma 7:11-12 because the Savior came to the earth so He could learn how to help us in the flesh. There is something about just being a raw human with people that opens their hearts and helps them to feel the Savior's love. 

our kitchen. look at that stove!

We live with 2 other sisters in this huge apartment. It's called the palace of the mission. It's like a grandma house basically, but it has so much potential! It drives me crazy cause it could be one of those little old houses that you could make modern and then it would be absolutely beautiful. But... you know. That's not really what I'm here for right now. It's fun to live with other sisters though. It's like college only more fun! 

We met with this sweet girl from India this week. Her name is Niveta and she is only 17 but her faith is incredible. We taught her about the Book of Mormon and her eyes just lit up. She got all excited and took it from my hands and said, "So how do I read it?" I really like meeting with her. She reminds me of Sav.

We have another investigator who is getting baptized on March 9. I haven't met her yet, but her name is Anisha. Pray for her! We found 11 new investigators this week! That has never happened before. The mission standard of excellence is 3 each week. Heavenly Father just keeps dropping them in our laps. I think it's Sister Peterson's faith. Miracles happen every week. This is so the Lord's work.

love Sis. Frampton

Changes are always so hard for me and I was really worried about coming here because I knew that it would be hard. Sister Frampton and I are best friends and I was in Oslo for so long and finally starting to feel at home. The first 2 days were definitely killers, but I prayed and prayed and prayed everytime I felt like I couldn't do it and I know that God answers prayers. I can't really explain how He does it, but He has this way of speaking peace to your soul when nothing else can. I know that all of the prayers that are offered in the missionaries' behalf and especially prayers from family and friends are answered. I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father and for my relationships that I have with you guys! I thought a lot about that this morning. The Gospel blesses families. I know that is true.

Listen to some good music, eat some good food, look at the stars, and pray a bunch. I know that God lives and He wants us to have happy lives! I love you!

Love,

Søster Pyne 

ice skating with Monika on our last p day in Oslo

that's Riikka, one of my favorite members in Oslo

I'm flying to Bergen on Wednesday.

my Oslo girls. i'm so sad to be saying goodbye to them.

Hey hey hey from Oslo!

This week has been a crazy one. Lots of crying! But most of it for good reasons. I'm flying to Bergen on Wednesday. My companion will be Sister Peterson. Both the area and the companion are wonderful so I'm really excited. But it's been really hard to say good bye to Oslo and of course I'm never going to want to leave my Sister Frampton. She is an incredible missionary and person. Yesterday all my favoirte people seemed to bear their testimonies in church and then there was hugging and pictures lots of email addresses and phone numbers. I love these people. They have truly blessed my life and I am so grateful that I have been able to be here for the last five and half months. I need to figure out how to stuff everything in my suitcases now... it's dangerous to stay in one area for very long.

Monika has been incredible this week. We just finished ice skating with her and it was so much fun! We met with her a couple times this week and she told us that when she lived in Australia she spent a lot of time at a Mormon family's home. Before she left, the dad gave her a blessing and she said she doesn't really remember what he said, but she just teared up and said she could remember how she felt. We testified to her that that was the Spirit that she felt. I just wish I could get in contact with that family and tell them thank you so much and that they have no idea the impact they made. You never know! Be kind to people and invite them to your home. I never would have thought to offer someone a blessing but what a neat way to allow them to feel the Spirit. Today when she was ice skating with us she said, "Ah man! Why didn't I know you guys sooner?" She loves to be with the missionaries and it's because she feels the Spirit. I love when people are so in tune that they just recognize good things. I can't wait to hear how everything goes with her! Also the ice skating was the best thing I've done! It's this little outdoor frozen pond in the middle of National Theater and you rent skates. The whole rink was empty and they played fun jazz music for us! Who would have thought I'd be ice skating in Olso?

Tonje is back! Haha she's always back. I love her. She is so sincere when she tells us that she knows that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that she knows it. We're working through some of her concerns and she is planning on getting baptized soon. She's afraid of a date. Pray for her that she will be able to commit to one and start working toward it. She needs a date. Sister Frampton has some work in Oslo to get done!

Gustav decided that "being a Mormon" isn't for him, unfortunately, but I know that he'll come back to it someday. He read the whole Book of Mormon and he told us that he felt the Spirit. You can't deny that Spirit.

This morning as a district we watched the "Hastening the Work of Salvation" broadcast and it was so powerful! I hadn't seen it yet. I know that we need our members. I think that's the thing that I am most passionate about with missionary work. Those members. I just hope that you are doing everything you can to help the missionaries. Invite people to your house! Have the missionaries there! Blessings that come from sharing the Gospel are so powerful.

i LOVE Evelyn! she is such a neat person
and has the best story!

saying goodbye to cute Helena!
she always helps us with Norsk.

We are still meeting with Umar and Anton and let's see... who else have I talked about? Svein and we've added a few more-- Jan-Frode and Eric. They all need prayers and patience and fellowshipping. It's exciting to see them grow. I think another one of my favorite things is to just read chapters of the Book of Mormon with them. It is so clear and simple to me and I just want them to understand so badly. Sometimes I get teary-eyed as I read it with them. Oh boy... I'm definitely a missionary.

This is Jesus Christ's true church. Even as a missionary I have questioned if it really is true. And that's good! You should question and figure things out. But I know that when you cling to what you do know and what you have felt and experienced and just stick with it, you know with even more surety and clarity eventually. Never leave it. I am so grateful for your examples and love. I love you so much and I pray for you all the time! Have a very happy week!

Love,

Søster Pyne