September 23, 2017

Downtown Porsgrunn

Oslo Fjord Zone/ Drammen

Zone Conference

Elders in the Oslo Fjord Zone/ Drammen

Package from home

Taking a Ferry

Hi Mom - I might buy my winter coat today.  The coats are a lot cheaper than they say but I will probably buy my coat today and then maybe an ATM withdrawal and maybe some other small clothing items.  My goal is to spend as little as possible.  

I got the candy package on Monday after I emailed you. Thank you for that. The beef jerky was the best part.  And I don't have to pay anything to get them. If they are small enough they just put it in my mailbox but if not they put a slip in the mailbox and then I just go and pick it up.  I have not gotten any others yet so hopefully nothing went wrong.

I head to Oslo today, it is not a fun train ride because it takes forever. But I am lucky enough to get to stay in the mission home.  I leave Oslo Wednesday afternoon and I couldn't be more excited to see Eldste Hansen and Welch.  

Most weird thing I’ve eaten here is probably this lamb and cabbage stew.(just make sure you don't bite the bones) We eat a lot of lamb here. It's pretty good!  I just miss having the pantry and fridge that was so filled at home.  That's probably the food thing I miss.  Best food I have had was this Salmon soup! It was so good!

I have a lot of respect for Jake, 9 weeks learning a language in the MTC will be the longest thing he has ever done.  It never ends!  Let me put it this way. While you are in the MTC, it is not fun, but when you leave the MTC, you look back and it was so fun and amazing.  I didn't like the MTC so much while I was there but now I look back I am so grateful for the experience!

I do get to watch conference next weekend.  We only watch the Saturday morning session on Saturday night and then a ton of it on Sunday and then finish the rest another time.  

It feels like Alaska here but with a little more of a city feel when you are in the towns.  I am having a hard time of remembering everything that happened this week.  

First great thing was Zone Conference up in Drammen.  It was so fun to see President and Sister Hill and to be around all of the other missionaries. 

Next big thing is that I got let into someone’s house for the first time this week!  It was someone we gave a Mormons Bok to a week earlier and he said we could come back. We talked with him for about an hour and it was great.  We are going back this week and we are planning on teaching the first lesson!

Another fun thing was getting to teach Sunday school yesterday.  Once again the members here are so amazing.  I love getting to have dinner with some of them throughout the week.  

Finished up 3rd Nephi this week.  It is an amazing part of the Book of Mormon.  

The language is coming slow, but I learned that my English is getting worse as we were bonking yesterday and a guy opened the door who was from Turkey and he could only speak English and whatever other language he speaks.  We started trying to explain the Book of Mormon in English and it was almost harder than Norwegian.

I head up to Oslo tonight and will be there until Wednesday.  I am so excited to see my MTC group and to just be in Oslo.  It's a long train ride but I'm way excited.

Have a great week everyone! -               Eldste Egan

September 18, 2017

Mom!                                                                                                              

Another great week. Sorry this will be short we decided to go on a really long hike so my time is very short.  I will answer your questions and then send a group email.  Splits went awesome and I'll talk about it in my group email. I feel like I’ve gotten the routine down.  A lot of people can speak English but they do everything in Norwegian so it's just when I don't understand they speak English.  But I would say anyone under the age of 55 can speak decent English but all the kids can’t yet.  I get to go to the mission home next week and I am so excited to see everyone.  We will just take a really long train to get there.  I have not gotten your package yet but I think it will come.

Love you, 

Eldste Egan

             

Splits in Tonsberg

A view from a members home

Hiking in Gygrestolen

www.visitnorway.com/listings/gygrestolen/3714

At the top.

                                          

Hello everyone!

Another amazing week!  It all started off with heading up to Tønsberg to go on splits for 2 days.  They always talk about how awesome things happen on splits and let me tell you it is true.  Not much happened the first day but the second day I was with Eldste Johnson and within the first 5 people we talked to, we had already given out a Book of Mormon and a ton of pamphlets and people would actually talk to us for a solid 10-15 minutes.  It even gets better. The first door we knock on this lady answers the door. We talk with her for a second and she says that she doesn't believe in anything. We explained the promise that is in the back of the Book of Mormon and she was willing and said that she would read and pray and that we could come back.  We walked away so shocked and happy. Too bad it wasn't in my area.

Next the Drammen Eldsters came down to Porsgrunn and went on splits with us.  Within the first 3 people we talked to we already handed out 2 Books of Mormon and a pamphlet.  Through this process we have 6 potential investigators and we are just hoping one becomes an investigator.  This makes this week a big and crazy one.  

We also got to help out with a lot of service this week and we got to do a lot with all of the members.  

 One story from splits we were talking with this guy about the Book of Mormon and all he wanted to talk about is how revelation doesn't happen anymore and that there is no need to do anything. He was very polite and we asked if we could share a scripture with him and we shared Moroni's promise and the spirit was so strong and you could see that he was feeling it.  After we read it he said "it's true" and then instantly went back into all of this stuff.  We were disappointed but at least we tried.

We got to go on an amazing hike today called Gygrestolen, I'll send pictures!

Eldste Egan

At the top of Gygrestolen

The best chocolate ever!  Melkesjokolade!

September 11, 2017

Hello everyone!

Another great week here in Porsgrunn/Skien.  It has rained every day this week which has made contacting fun.  No news on new investigators this week, but we had 3 people say that they couldn't talk that second but that we could come back so we are looking forward to doing that.

On Monday we mowed this old lady's lawn while the sisters tried to teach her because the Elders already have and they didn't get anywhere.  Sadly the sisters didn't get anywhere but she fed us waffles so that was a bonus.

We had a Mormons Bok open house on Thursday and only one person showed up but it went really well and hopefully he becomes interested in the future.

I learned this week that when you are Bonking on people’s homes that you can run into some fun/crazy situations.  Some people just get mad and then refer us to their friends and when we get there they end up being Jehovah’s Witnesses.  

I also learned this week that walking an hour is nothing to the Norwegian people. They are so dedicated and once again this ward is amazing. It is a small ward but this ward is so dedicated to the gospel.  I am so lucky and blessed to be able to interact with them.

We had the opportunity to help move furniture with some members at their Hytte (cabin) and it was the coolest place with the most amazing view I have ever seen for a cabin.  It was on this cliff that led to this huge lake and it is so green here.

I get to go on splits twice this week. Once up in Tønsberg for a couple of days and then the Drammen Eldstes are coming down so it should be a great week!

Hope you all have another amazing week. 

Eldste Egan

September 4, 2017 - First week in the Mission field

Hello Everyone!                                                                               First P Day in the Mission field.

I finally made it to Norway and it is so amazing.  It was a lot of travel but we had an amazing welcome by our Mission President and his wife.  We spent the night in downtown Oslo and had a little training the next day and then they shipped us off to our areas.  

My first area is Porsgrunn, but I spend most of my time in Skien.  I was on the train and they come around and check tickets and the officer asks me something and I just respond in Norwegian (Mine Norst er ikke bra)  ( My Norwegian is not good) But it was fun.    We have a little blue car and my license is actually good for about 3 months so it's been fun to be able to drive but crazy getting used to the new rules.

It was a really busy week but the first day I will always remember the first house I knocked on the guy came to the door and looked at us through the window on the door and just turned away and never answered.  I thought it was a great and funny way to start the mission.

The ward here is so amazing.  We get fed about every other night and then we share a quick spiritual thought with the family and leave.  Yesterday I thought it would be a great idea to want to take the lead on the spiritual thought and my comp let me and let’s just say my Norwegian has got a long way to go but it is fun to try and the members are helping me with it a ton.

We don't have any new investigators as of right now.  The work here is really slow but it's amazing to be a part of.  Yesterday the Bishop asked me to give the opening prayer and then the first testimony in sacrament meeting.  When I got to the stand I think all of the Norwegian I have ever learned left my mind and they were 2 very short and sweet prayer and testimony.

My companions name is Elder Burgoyne, he is from Bountiful and he has been out for about 13 months.  I am lucky and blessed to have him as my companion.

It doesn't rain too much but it is pretty chilly in the morning and evening.  It also is getting darker faster and faster in the past couple of days. I am way excited for winter.

The food here is actually really good.  I've had Norwegian hot dogs and Kebabs and the best is the Norwegian desserts. The Norwegian waffles are the best things in the world and also the chocolate that they have here is so good.  

The big news here this week is that the Book of Mormon Musical is going on right now in Oslo and it's all the talk and we are really pushing it and we are trying to get a night at the church set up that will be a night just to explain what the Book of Mormon really is.  

Love,

Eldste Egan

Eating Kebabs with Elder Burgoyne (from Bountiful)

First trainer - Elder Burgoyne

2/3 of our zone - the sisters we share a car with

hiking on my first P day

August 29, 2017 -Meeting President and Sister Hill

Oslo Airport - We Made it!

Loading all the luggage

Games at the mission home (Trying to keep us awake after almost 24 hrs of travel)

Picking out our bedding in a bag in the basement of the mission home

Finding out our companions and where we will serve first

Getting instructions from Elder and Sister Robinson

and President Hill

Musical number in the mission home

Excited to be in Norway

President Hill and Sister Hill

Heading to the train station to Porsgrunn