September 7, 2018

Hi Mom and Dad-

Busy Week...

Tuesday, it was raining so nothing too fun on p-day. Hopefully it stops raining because it literally never stops! We just contacted in the city that evening.

Wednesday, we had district council and then waited with this recent convert member to help us on a teach. Well the random dude we found out of the area book never showed up..... Not Surprised..... Well the recent convert asked what we are doing for the next hour, we told him that we would just go into the city and talk to people. He then said to come in his car and he can show us some good places to bank on doors. Well an hour later and a ton of rock music and showing us these beautiful places and ice cream. Honestly such a great hour of my life! We then went and banked on doors and had some interesting conversations. People sometimes (they just don't make sense!) Well we had a dinner at a members house. He is 28 years old and was baptized maybe 2 years ago. He is so funny and we had Pannekaker for dinner. Took the bus back to Sentrum and talked with people until the night was over.

Thursday, we spent many hours dealing with the stupid government to get permission to set up a street stand. The same office referred us to 10 different people on the phone and every person we talked to had no idea where to go. We then had an interesting teach with a guy who we met 2 weeks ago while contacting. He believes that because he believes in Christ, all of his sins are washed away. He didn't like how many things we could compare it to. Overall terrible lesson but I walk away looking at the commandments and the gospel at a different level of Just Making Sense! We hope to meet with him again. We will see how it goes. Contacted for a couple of hours and then had a dinner with a less active guy from the Philippines. I have learned to love Filipino food on my mission. Europe has started a 21 day challenge, I don't know if this is going on in the states but it is marketing genius!!! But we have been trying to go to everyone with these new cards that has 21 questions and 21 days with 21 scriptures.

Friday/Saturday An early day as I head to the airport early to catch a flight to Oslo. It takes about 50 to get to Oslo. I land and then take the flytog (super fast train that can get you into Oslo in about 20 minutes) Walk to the center and start splits with the AP's. Well President and Sister Tew invite us to come to dinner that night (Blessing on blessing) but before this I take a box of BOM's with my companion down to the busier part of Oslo and just split up and did our thing! I felt like I was serving back in my old area again and had so much fun. Drove to the Tews and has an amazing dinner! Wow they cook good and healthy food! Drive back and have a late night at the musical! I miss it so much! So I get to bed at about 12 ish and I get woken up at 6:30 by one of the AP's saying that I needed to go with one of them to drive President and Sister Tew to the airport. Well it takes about 45 minutes to get there so I knew it would be fun. We drove them in the huge mission van. I then drove it home and on the way home we stopped by McDonalds and I dropped over 13 dollars in Mcdonalds on myself. It tasted so good! I haven't had a egg mcmuffin since I was home! I then run into Elder Hansen even though he isn't serving in Oslo and that was fun. We then had a street stand with the Book of Mormon challenge for hours in the heart of Oslo and I was in heaven. Oslo will forever be the place where I felt like I served my mission and my favorite place in Norway. I would go back and serve there in a heartbeat. Took the flytog back to the airport and ran into some members from the states in the airport. I have now taken 7 flights in the past 4 weeks and many more are on the way. Security in Norway is the best. Wouldn't say the safest bust the longest I have waited in security is about 5 minutes. You don't have to show ID here to get on a plane.

Sunday, Had dinner with the new bishop after church and he fed us cheese burgers. So good. Then just spent time in the city contacting people for the rest of the evening. The more time I spend on my mission, the more fun it is to go out for hours on end and contact literally everyone.

Monday, Spent a ton of the day on the streets again using the Book of Mormon challenge. I never want to use any other card from the church to give to people with or without a book. I have realized how important the look of and the substance of a good card or idea! We then helped a inactive member put together a couch from ikea. Nice couch, 1000 pieces. We then got asked by the senior couple that they needed all missionaries at the church to help out with YSA for the night because only 2 people showed up. Traveled home. I love sleep with all of my heart.

Today... Well I found out about this thing called ikea breakfast, and let me say it is the best money spent on food on my mission. For only 9 dollars( around 72 kroner) I can get a buffet breakfast. The first one I have seen and it has good food. I will be making more trips to ikea to eat food. And then I went and hiked Dalsnuten! Just look up pictures of it. But it was an amazing Hike. You could see everything!

Again, This kind of email is a once a area that I serve in kind of thing! So the next one might be in 5 months.

The mission has about 64 missionaries. Maybe a little more but it is very small. I don't blame the church for it. I don't have a car in this area. I haven't had a car since my first area that I served in. Honestly I don't like having the responsibility of a car. I don't like cleaning it, filling it with gas and reporting all of our receipts. As a missionary, public transportation is the way to go. You get some pretty funny conversations going on the bus.

I suprisingly don't see many americans. We have about 3 families that are american in this ward. But you can pick out american english in a heartbeat and it is an amazing thing to hear.

I am using all of my weekly allowance on food every week. Prices have gone up and honestly we don't eat that well but fruit prices and meat prices are so expensive. But they make a meal a meal. So I use all of it that I can. Plus I just don't want to make food when I come home at night. Luckily Ikea is only a 30 minute bus ride away!

The mission is great. Nothing happening work wise. I want to get someone progressing and someone willing to meet again so badly. We have one potential who is an 18 year old kid of a member but he is impossible to get ahold of. Luckily there are so many random things that happen that make the day so fun. Its all worth it in the end. My companion is great. I tease him a lot but it is a lot of fun! My district that I am serving in is a blast.

Again don't expect this again. Maybe this counts as my Christmas Present to you mom?

Eldste Egan