1. don't play soccer with the elders 2. don't do drugs 3. always be a good member missionary

just smelling the flowers

Happy Monday!

I've learned some things this week.

1. don't play soccer with the elders

2. don't do drugs

3. always be a good member missionary

waiting for the bybane after sitting in the hospital 
until 10:30. look at how light it is outside!

On Friday night we have a sports night and all of our investigators and less actives and the missionaries play sports together. The elders have this incredible investigator and she came to play soccer with us on Friday. One of the elders accidentally elbowed her in the nose and she ended up on the ground crying. She was so afraid that it was broken and that it needed to get reset so it would heal right. One of the members had a car and the elders asked us to go with her since they weren't allowed to be in the car with them, so we went to the hospital. We sat in the hospital until 10:30 at night but we got to know her a lot better and she told us all about how much it means to her to have good friends in the church. She was really scared about everything and I asked her if she wanted to say a prayer with us. She really wanted us to pray and she was a lot calmer after. How cool that I get to do things like sitting in the hospital in Norway with a stranger and teach them how powerful and real prayer is! She was a lot calmer afterward and everything went fine. She even came to church yesterday with her black eye! 

Bergen is drug city... I never feel scared, but there are crazy people everywhere. We were walking through the park with Laila, our cute less active girl, and we found a bench to sit down on. These two ladies came walking toward us but they were looking in the bushes and looking at us weird and I couldn't figure out what was going on. Then one of them told us there was a man in the bushes that they thought might be dead. We looked and he looked like a zombie all curled up with garbage all around him. It made me so sad! The lady started to go under the bushes to see if he was alive and he started to move a little. He sat up with garbage stuck to his face and starting spitting a bunch. She came back out a little scared, but then went back in to ask if he needed help. He said no, but I was so impressed with the lady's courage and willingness to help someone that was really scary. She still saw him as a person. It made me think about what Christ would have done. I am grateful that there are still good people in the world. And also that I won't live in Bergen forever.

i'm obsessed with this tree. it looks like 
the tree of life and i think it's so pretty!

Yesterday was a really good Sunday. A couple members bore their testimonies about doing missionary work and how important it is for them to work with us. I can't emphasize it enough! It's all one work-- we're just called to do it full time and every else should help whenever they can and with whatever they can. Especially with inviting friends to hear about the gospel. I challenge all of you to do it. There's only good that can come from it and there is nothing more fulfilling. 

Anyway... we also had a really good spiritual week! We got to meet with Anders and his family on Wednesday night! I love them so much. We talked about the Plan of Salvation and watched "Because of Him." He's really afraid of what happens after this life and we had a powerful discussion about how if you have faith in Jesus Christ and believe that He was resurrected then you don't have to be afraid about what will happen. We had Mina help us draw the Plan of Salvation and bear her testimony to her dad about how they can be together as a family. It's always so neat to be there with them. We're going over again tonight to make a baptismal calendar and talk about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They have been such a blessing for me.

We also met with Else Marie a couple times. She is so funny. She always likes to have food when we meet so we made her tuna fish sandwiches and hot chocolate and she enjoyed herself very much, I think. Haha. We explained baptism and the priesthood in depth and she said, "Oh! That makes a lot more sense now and baptism doesn't sound like such a scary thing. Maybe I need to start coming to church more and see a baptism. But if that's what Jesus wants me to do, then I'll do it." She still won't let us set a date with her, but it's coming! She's the sweetest lady.

that's Anne, from Oslo who came to visit me!

 lunch with Anne.

I got to see one of my member friends from Oslo! 

She came to Bergen and took us to lunch. It made me miss Oslo a lot but it also made me so grateful for the friendships I have made here. They are what are most valuable to me and what I will bring home with me. I love these people for their goodness and desire to do what is right. 

I think that's all? Except for that I'LL SEE YOU IN A FEW DAYS!!! I can't wait. This is a big deal, people. It's going to be so fun! I love you forever. 

Love,

Søster Pyne