January 14, 2019

Hey Mom and Dad,

I am emailing you a day early because I will be getting transferred early tomorrow morning to go back to Oslo and be an assistant.  My new address is: 

Pilestredet Park 34 #99

0176 Oslo

I don't have a ton of time today to email but the Baptism of Reino was amazing.  I am so sad to leave this area as it has been such an amazing part of my mission.  I love the people here in Stavanger.   I am excited though because it will be a blast to return to an old area.  

I also bought a new suit and shoes this week.  Sorry about the price.  

Love you and talk to you next week.  EE

Reino - age 14,  is such a stud (with Elder Ewell)

January 12, 2019

Hi Mom,

The baptism is on for Saturday at 4.  He asked his grandpa to baptize him and for me to give him the Holy Ghost.  The grandpa has a bad knee so he told us this morning that one of us needs to do it so my companion will be baptizing him. I am really excited.  This will be my first time giving someone the Holy Ghost.  And the miracle of it all is that I got in contact with the American kid who dropped us and he is coming to the baptism.  I have tried to be in contact with him since he dropped us but he would never answer or respond but the one time this week when I asked him to come to the baptism he answered and said he would be there.  It's all such a huge blessing and I couldn't be more excited.  

I wont know if I am getting transferred until Monday morning next week.  So I will let you know on Tuesday and then if I move, I will leave on Wednesday.  

2 hour church was awesome and felt super short.  I do wish as a missionary that I could walk around ever class and take away cell phones when I have non members present.  It drives me nuts.  I hate cell phones in church.

This week was full of lots of kontakting and we had the chance to be on splits with the assistants.  It is weird that I am starting to feel like an older missionary in the mission.  I guess that happens when you've been out 18 months. The sisters that entered the MTC on the same day I did all went home this last week.  

This week will be amazing.  I will send you pictures of the baptism.  I would be just fine staying in this area and ward. I have decided that I would rather come here than go to Fredrikstad for church when we come back.  I would still love to visit Fredrikstad but I think I would want to come to church here.  But let us also see what happens next week with moves.  

Thanks for everything mom.  

Love you

Eldste Egan

I was able to take a boat tour up the Lysefjord.  The Lysefjord ranks among the worlds most beautiful fjords.  On this ride we could see Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock).  As you can tell, this isn't a popular activity to do during the winter months.  We were the only "tourists" on this particular boat. 

ALL OF DECEMBER 2018 Letters

December 4, 2018 

Hi mom,

First thing is that I WILL BE STAYING IN STAVANGER!!!  I am so happy about this!  My new companions name is Eldste Ewell and he is a stud!  You get lucky being a zone leader because your companions are always awesome!

Your package did show up.  Thank you for that!  And I would love it if you sent me a jazz shirt in a size adult small.  Just send it to my house address because it is small enough to go in the mailbox.  Thank you!

Teaching the 14 year old couldn't be better.  It is such a blessing and this kid is such a stud.  His grandparents are members and are fully active and his mom is a member but completely inactive.  The rest of his family is not members and not a fan of the church at all but he went on a trip with the youth to Sweden and went to see the temple and after that he was all in.  He is only 14 and he has read a ton in the book of Mormon.  He plays for the professional youth soccer team here.  After our lessons we play him in chess because he loves to get competitive!  He looked devastated when we told him that one of us was going to leave on Wednesday.  We will now be spending Christmas day with the grandparents and him and I think the rest of his family.  It is going to be amazing!  I just love that guy!

I don't have a ton of daylight right now.  I don't know how much but it gets dark around 4

Today I will be taking a boat through the fjord where Preikestolen is.

Love you

Elder Egan

December 11, 2018
This week was great.

Moves have happened and things are busy.  I have been in Oslo the past 2 days and will be flying to Bergen on Thursday and then in Haugesund the next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and then fly back to Oslo that evening.  So really busy next 2 weeks and then the week of Christmas. This will be the fastest 6 weeks of my mission for sure!

I don't know about anything yet on calling home for Christmas but will let you know next week hopefully.  

Everything is going great.  The 14 year old is still doing great.  I will be spending Christmas day with him and his Grandparents.  Really excited.  

I will try and send you pictures from last p-day because holy crap it was so cool.  

Love you

Eldste Egan

December 18, 2018

Kjære venner,

Hello everyone.  I am sorry it has been so long since I have sent an email out.  

I am currently serving in Stavanger Norway and it has been an absolute blast.  It is one of the warmest areas in Norway so I it hasn't been the full Norwegian winter like it was last year.

This week I got to travel to the beautiful city of Bergen.  It is an amazing area and really fun to do missionary work in.  I always thought taking a propeller plane would be fun but I learned real quick that it is not that much fun because your carry on has to go under your feet the entire time.  I then tried to eat a 3 foot kebab and failed miserably to finish it.  

Christmas is so close and the Christmas food here is really good. Christmas is such a big deal in Norway.  This transfer is going by so fast and I'm enjoying it.  

My mission has been amazing.  I am grateful to work in an amazing ward.  I have been reading in The Doctrine and Covenants and in Section 16.  It is a great section that talks about what is of great worth and value to us.  

Merry Christmas (GOD JUL)

-- 

Eldste Egan

November 29, 2018

Hi Family -

This week was good. I went on splits to Sandnes.  Just the area south of me but in the same ward.  Time is going by fast here.  I can't believe I was serving in Oslo at this time last year.  Luckily I haven't gotten sick on my mission at all.  I get a little cold here and there because it is cold but other than that it has been good. And it is finally getting dark!  This morning was -5 C  and the humidity here makes it feels so much colder.  I have never seen such thick frost on the ground in my life.  

President Tew is awesome.  I will be flying to Oslo tomorrow for splits. Should be a blast and really cold with snow. Oslo is so fun to visit during the month of December.  Everything is decked out with Christmas lights and decorations.  I fly back late Thursday night.  

The 14 year old we are teaching is absolutely killing it!  We try and teach him on Sundays at his grandparents house and this time they ordered pizza and we just hung out with them after the lesson.  It was perfect and now the grandpa wants to do it more often.  I'm loving it.  

Everything is good. I will most likely be staying in Stavanger through Christmas and I so hope I don't move areas.  Stavanger is awesome and I'm enjoying the ward.

We did have a Thanksgiving dinner last Friday - the day after Thanksgiving - at the church with all the Americans in the ward.    

Love you - Hope you have a great week. Talk to you soon.

Eldste Egan

Beautiful view of Stavanger, Norway

November 8, 2015

More Pictures from the "Fairy Tale" Night at the church. 

November 6, 2018

Hello Mom and Dad,

Sorry I am so bad at giving information about things going on here in Stavanger. To be honest I don't really know what to talk about some weeks.  

But luckily I do have some things to talk about this week. Well nothing really happened throughout the week until Saturday when we had an Eventyrkveld (fairy tale night)

We have some professional artists in the ward and they decided to have like a haunted house thing in the church's gym but it was for fairy tales so not that scary.   But we had some non members there and I had to dress up like a troll and be one of the people who scares the kids.  So it was a fun evening.  Yes, that's me bottom left.  I make a good troll.  

Come the next morning, I am sitting in Sacrament meeting seeing once again a week of 0's as for people to teach and in church.  Before the opening song while they are just opening, I was praying pretty hard as in what I can do or change to get someone to come to church or to start being taught.  ha ha I was feeling pretty sorry for myself when the back door of the chapel opens and it is Nawl.  An 19 year old guy who we taught twice a long time ago who we have lost contact with.  He just shows up!  Says sorry his phone is broken but I couldn't believe that he came.  And the spirit was so strong during the meeting.  Miracle #1

Miracle #2, We got invited over for dinner.  For the size of the ward, we never get invited over for dinner so it was awesome.  Maybe once every 2 weeks.  Sometimes more.  

Miracle #3,  We have taught this 14 year old twice who is the grandson of a member.  The teaches really haven't gone great.  He is on track to play professional soccer for a Norwegian team so he is super busy and says that he has training and practices on Sunday so he can't come to church.  We have taught him twice in the past month, so not very often.  But we taught him on Sunday with the goal of getting him in church.  Expected it to be difficult but he was 100% willing.  He said yeah its mandatory that he's at practice on Sunday but I will just talk to my coach and be there next Sunday!  

So even though it sounds like not a ton of things are happening, I feel very blessed and lucky to be able to serve here in Norway!  

Finally finished all of my Visa things this week.  

Have an amazing week!

Happy Birthday Dad!  Thanks for all you do and for your emails every week.  42 is dang old!

How beautiful is Bergen!

October 30, 2018

Hi Mom, 

Things are going great in Stavanger besides the rain.  Always rain.  The Stavanger ward is great!  It is bigger than Fredrikstad ward and has more youth which is fun.  We get fed maybe once a week. I was in Oslo yesterday for a leadership conference and it started snowing.  Tons of fun.  So fun to see my buds from the MTC and other old companions.  President Tew is still amazing.  I really look up to that guy.  

This week was really busy with random things as in planning splits and working on some training things.  We got to teach once on Monday I think.  

My companion is great.  Going on 3 transfers together.  I'm guessing I'm staying In Stavanger through the holidays but I'll let you know.  Have a great week.  Love you.

Eldste Egan

MTC pals all together

Leadership conference - the Tew's are hilarious

Pulpit Rock now that all the tourists are gone!