Tønsberg, Norway - 15th Week in Norway

Hey Family!

It was so good to talk with all of you on Christmas. I'm sure grateful for all of you and love you very much! 

Christmas in Norway was great. I loved spending Christmas Eve with the ---s. They are so generous and good. I've eaten a lot of traditional Norwegian Christmas food this last week. We had Ribbe , pinne kjøtt, Jule pølser, ris grøt, ris krem, and many others. Some of the foods are unusual but I love trying new things. 

After we finished skyping on Christmas, the ---s made us some trout, vegetables and potatoes. The fish in Norway is really fresh and tasty. 

On Saturday, we gave our apartment a nice deep clean in the morning, made another batch of sugar cookies and then delivered them to some members in the afternoon. In the evening we went over to --- and --- and watched meet the Mormons with them. --- loved the movie! She is really opening up and it is amazing to watch how the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives and makes people happy and want to be better. --- has a cold and wasn't feeling to well. We are still trying to figure out how we can have him open up. Good news though! They all came to church on Sunday which was fabulous! They are doing well. Saturday was the 2nd day of Christmas.

On Sunday, after church we went to member family's for dinner. They made us lots of christmas food and we read the story in Matthew and Luke together. Sunday was the 3rd day of Christmas. I'm not sure how many days there. 

This Christmas it really dawned on me the power of giving, serving, and loving others. At our Zone Conference a week or so ago, President Hill shared stories of some of his Most memorable Christmases. Over the years he has come to a conclusion as to why certain Christmases were more memorable than others. It was when he was more focused on others than himself. He received his call to serve as mission president when he was serving as a Branch president in the MTC. After he found out he was getting released he decided to go to the talk, Character of Christ, which is shown every week at the MTC. It is from Elder Bednar. It is when we turn outside from ourselves, and put others first that we find joy and satisfaction, and ultimately we find ourselves. Christ came into the world to minister, to serve, and to do the will of The Father.  

There is a quote from the December Liahona that I really like. It is: 

"Christmas is not a day or a season, but a condition of the heart and mind. If we love our neighbors as ourselves; if in our riches we are poor in spirit and in our poverty we are rich in grace; if our charity vaunteth not itself, but suffereth long and is kind; if when our brother asks for a loaf, we give ourselves instead; if each day dawns in opportunity and sets in achievement, however small-- then everyday is Christ's day and Christmas is always near." - James Wallingford

I believe that has a lot of meaning. Each day we have a new opportunity to do something good and when we achieve that then everyday we can have the Spirit of Christmas in our hearts. It doesn't need to be a big thing but a small thing. A smile, or a kind text, or a visit. 

I know the Church is true. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ with all my heart. It is a treasure to me. I love all of you and I pray for you daily.

Have a great New Year!!

Love, 

Elder Witt

PICTURE:

"Verdens Ende"

The end of the world

SUGAR COOKIES

MADE A CHEESECAKE!

NORWAY ADVENTURES

Traditional Cake

Making the Sugar Cookies

Tønsberg, Norway - 14th Week in Norway

Hey Family!

Thanks for all the love and support! You are all the best and I'm so grateful for all of you. 

So the weather here has been super weird! It's been really warm averaging around 8 degrees celcius so unfortunately, I probably won't be having a white christmas. It sounds like it is snowing a lot in Utah. That is good. I guess in Norway it is common for cities along the coast to have pretty mild temperatures with no snow. If you drive an hour inland you will find snow. 

So I saw the Northern lights this last week. It was super cool and also really rare. Usually you don't see them unless you are above the article circle in the North zone. It was like a white wave in the sky, pretty spectacular. I didn't have my camera on me so I wasn't able to get a picture :(

This last week was really good. I forgot my journal at home so I don't remember everything we did so I will just tell you the highlights!

On Tuesday, we were able to teach --- again. It was a great lesson! We taught him the Plan of Salvation. He had a lot of questions and some about life after death. He kept telling us that it makes sense and at the end of the lesson he even said the prayer. Our goal was to help him understand that through prayer he could receive answers and know things are true through the power of the Holy Ghost. It was awesome! 

On Wednesday, we were invited to a Christmas Concert. There is a half American Norwegian family that we met banking and their daughters were having their Highschool Band and Orchestra and Choir Concert They invited us to attend. It was really good. The concert was in the big State Norwegian Church. They ahve these massive Churchs in just about every city. They are pretty.They also invited us over on Christmas morning for brunch but they ahve yet to let us know the time. They are a nonmember family. They are really nice. 

On Thursday, we did some street contacting and weekly planning. That night we went over to the ---'s for dinner. We shared with them a message about the Sacrament. We talked about how important it is to prepare for the Sacrament each week. We talked about how during Christmas we  remember the Saviors birth and how each week we have a special opportunity to remember our Savior's Atonement. It is interesting how we are often told to remember in the Church. We are reminded often about the importance of prayer an Scripture Study. As we remember Jesus more in our lives we are drawn closer to him. We can follow his example and strive to become more like him. 

On Friday, we visited --- and ---. They had their baby a week ago so we stopped by and dropped off some banana bread we baked. They are doing really well. We shared with them the Christmas video, En Frelser er født, or A savior is born. I love that video. It really invites the Christmas spirit. We were also able to teach a man named ---. We met him on the street one time and he gave us his email address. We are meeting with him again tomorrow. We were also able to visit ---. --- has been super busy with his work schedule. They are doing really well though. ---'s mom is visiting for Christmas. --- has such a strong desire to start coming to church again. She is also a good missionary! She asked us to show ---'s mom some mormon messages and then she invited ---'s mom to Church. They were planning on comming but weren't able to make it. But they are doing really well and I'm excited for their progress. 

On Saturday, we had a Christmas Devotional with the Telemark and East zones. It was in Oslo. It was really fun. We had zone leader training for two hours and then lunch. After lunch we had a talent Show and a short Christmas Devotional. I love President and Sister Hill. They are so full of goodness and love. It was great to be with the other missionaries and to spend time all together. After that we went banking aka knocking on doors. We drove out into the Country side to try a area we had never been before. While we were out we saw the Northern lights. They weren't super bright but definitely a sight to behold.

On Sunday, we had a Christmas Sacrament meeting. We had musical numbers mixed with Scripture reading. I sang in the Choir which was fun. There were about 8 of us. After Church we went to the Engstrøms for dinner. They are a family that lives in the Drammen ward but they come to Tønsberg to help strengthen it. It was so fun. They had their son over and his wife and some grand children. The son said that he saw the new Star wars and that it was way good. Definitely looking for to seeing it someday!

Yesterday, we had an appointment with a less active member and after that we taught ---. He is a nice man. He kept wanting us to tell him the historical background and evidence of the Book of Mormon to give him proof. We told him that a witness of the truthfulness of the book of Mormon comes from reading it and praying aobut it. We found a talk, "What is the blue print of Christs Church" by Tad R Calister that we are going to share with him. I think he will like it. It is a really good talk that explains how our Church truly is Christ's Church.  After him, we visited ---. She is so nice. We helped her set up some Christmas decorations and she also made us porridge. It is a Norwegian Christmas tradition to eat Porridge. And part of the tradition is to hide 1 almond in the porridge and whoever gets it in their bowl wins a gift. I won! The gift was a couple Traditional Norwegian Christmas books. Really excited about that. 

Anyway, Things are going well.  Norway is a beautiful Country and the people are good. They love Christmas! In Norway their main Christmas celebration is Christmas Eve. That is when they open the presents together. Christmas also last several days. It Starts on the 23 and goes for several days after Christmas. I don't know all the traditions but it is something I want to learn. 

I know the Church is true. I know Jesus is the Christ. I know God is our Father in Heaven. I know that families can be together forever. This life is a test and with that comes challenges, but every challenge is their so we can learn from it. There is a quote that I will paraphrase. Every trial, challenge, and test we face is for one reason. That is, to give us the opportunity to apply the teachings of the Gosppel of Jesus Christ. When we apply the Gospel in our life, we learn, we grow, we are happy, we are at peace, and our testimony is strengthened. The more we apply the gospel the more we are converted. It is a process. 

I'm excited to talk to you all on Christmas!!!

Have a great week! Sure love you!

Elder Witt

Tønsberg, Norway - 13th Week in Norway

Hey family! Hope you all are doing well. Thanks for the love and support. It was a good week and I truly learned so much.

On Tuesday, we visited --- and ---. They invited us over for lunch to say goodbye to Elder Mckell before he left for transfers. We shared with them the mormon message, "Earthly Father, Heavenly Father". Out of all the titles God could have chosen he asks us to call him Father. I love that so much. He is our Father in Heaven and he loves us. His love for us is powerful. It was a neat experience. --- is really beginning to open up and she is recognizing the spirit and its impact on her life.  After that we had two teaching appointments fall through unfortunately. Then we drove to Sandefjord to teach --- Norwegian. We shared Alma 34 and talked about Prayer. We can pray to our Father in Heaven whenever and He is always listening. After that we went to ---'s house and continued doing service for her. She is so strong and such a good example of positivity and being happy.

On Wednesday, we visited the --- in the morning and shared with them the new Christmas videos. After that we drove to the airport and said goodbye to Elder Mckell. Elder Orr and I drove back to Tønsberg.  We picked up Elder Stephens at the train station and then went out finding. 

On Thursday, we had district meeting with our new district. I love district meeting because it is always a time where you can learn a lot from other missionaries and then just enjoy the time where you can all be together.  We were able to visit a family from Iceland. They were on the member list but only one of the daughters is a member. It was a really nice visit. They came to church for the longest time. Throughout the whole visit they were sharing with us all these old stories of them and the missionaries. I think it brought back a lot of good memories to them. We will visit them again soon. 

On Friday, Elder Beck from Drammen came down to be with us while Elde Orr went up for companion exchanges. It was a good day. We had a couple appointments fall through so we spent most of our day finding and going through the member list visiting inactive members. I had a neat experience while we were out street contacting. Because contacting in a trio can be overwhelming on the street sometimes we split 2 and 1 and just make sure we are close by each other. This time I was the solo. I was able to talk to this guy and teach him a short lesson there on the street. I know that is wasn't me that was able to do that, but that the Norwegian Skills, and everything else are blessings from our Father in Heaven. 

On Saturday, We drove down to Sandefjord. We visited the --- family and had a really good visit with them. Then we visited the --- so they could meet Elder Stephens and then we visited --- to help teach her more Norwegian. After that we went through the member list and visited in actives for the remainder of our day.

On Sunday, we watched the First Presidency Christmas devotional at Church. It was great! After Church we visited --- and ---. We had really nice visit with them and She showed great interest in starting a primary at Church for her son. We watched several Christmas mormon messages with them and it was so good! The spirit was there. --- and --- are so awesome! They are really good people.

It was another great week here in Tønsberg. I love being a missionary and I love all the opportunities it gives to me to serve, to learn and to grow. 

I know that the scriptures are the word of God. I know that God has prepared a plan for us. It is a plan of happiness. It is the way to lasting happiness in this life and in the life to come. I know that central to this plan is our Savior, Jesus Christ. I want everyone to know that I believe in Christ. Only through Christ and his Atonement can we overcome the sting of death and the burden of sin. I'm grateful for the christmas season and that we can celebrate the birth of our Savior. I love the Gospel and I love my Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ.

Have a great week. Love you all!

This blog post is the end of Elder Witt's 18th Week on his mission in total.
He is starting his 19th week 

Tønsberg, Norway - 12th Week in Norway

Hey family! 

We did service for --- and --- this morning and then drove down to Larvik for a District P-day so I'm running short on time. We visited a beach called Mølen. Supposedly, there are ancient viking burials there. It was pretty cool.

First, I'm staying in Tønsberg! Wooo! I'm excited for that. The missionary work is picking up and I think there is a lot of potential here. Eldste Mckell is leaving and going to Haugesund. We are going to still have a trio here so Eldste Stephens is coming. He was also in my MTC group. It will be good. 

On Tuesday, we drove to Skien for district meeting. I always love going to District meeting. It is always so edifying and the other missionaries in my District are so great. In District meeting we talked about the new Christmas Initiative, A savior is born. The Church put out their new Christmas video and they want us to use it in our missionary work. I love the new film and it is something I love sharing with people. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World. He is my savior and your Savior. Many people in the world don't know or understand that they have a Father in Heaven who knows them personally, that they have a savior who died for them and did it all out of love. It truly is glad tidings of great joy. I love the Christmas season and the opportunity we have to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We also were able to visit --- and help move some couches in her house for her. Then we finished the day street contacting and tracting. That night, Elder Hall and Beck from Drammen came down for companion exchanges the next day and Elder Orr went up to Drammen.

On Wednesday, we had companion exchanges. I was with Elder Hall. He was in my MTC group also. It was a great day. We went to the ---'s house for breakfast and we did some scripture studying with them.  After that we went street contacting and taught a new investigator ---. Elder Mckell and I met him on the street. He had talked with the missionaries before but lost contact with them. We are hoping to meet with him again this upcoming week.

On Thursday, it was just Elder Mckell and I in Tønsberg. Elder Orr had a zone leader meeting in Oslo so he was gone for the day. We spent most of our day finding and tried visiting two inactive members. One was busy and one wasn't home. It was a great day. I have absolutely loved working with Elder Mckell. He is a hard worker and so kind.

On Friday, we started the day out with some street contacting and were able to visit ---, ---, and --- in the afternoon. We shared with them the Christmas message and it went really well. Every time we meet with ---, I become more and more impressed with him. You can tell that he loves his family and he is a really funny guy. That night one of the Sisters in the branch took us to a pizza restuarant for dinner. It was way good!

On Saturday, we visited this family that is Thai and the Dad is Norwegian. Elder Orr met him on the street and for the past several weeks we have been teaching His daughter Norwegian. It is a funny story, because when Elder Orr met the Man we thought he invited us over to teach his daughters IN norwegian but when we got there he wanted us to teach his daughters Norwegian. So we have been teaching her and we gave her a Book of Mormon in Thai and in Norwegian and we have been reading a chapter together everytime we visit so we will see where it goes. After that, we went over to the ---'s. It was Sister --- birthday so they had a big party. It was fun. 

On Sunday, we had a good day at Church. An inactive member showed up and there were more people at church than usual which was great. This inactive member who came invited us over later that day to visit him. it went really well. Sunday was the last day of my 2nd transfer and so I finished my first 12 weeks. I'm no longer considered a "greenie"!

We were able to find a lot of postive potential investigators this week in our finding so I'm feeling pretty optimistic about this upcoming week. Tomorrow, our day is packed and we have two lessons planned. One with --- who we met with a week ago, and another with a potential we met on the street. 

I love all of you and I'm grateful for your love and support. I know that Jesus is the Christ. He lives. Come unto Christ, trust in him, lean on him for strength, use the Atonement, partake of His love, and I promise you feel joy and peace. I've been studying the latest General Conference and I love it! Elder Lawrence's talk, "What lack I yet" really impressed me. Part of the purpose of Earth life is to learn, grow and progress. We must always make sure that we are focused on growing spiritually every day. He says, "He [Heavenly Father] rejoices every time we take a step forward. To Him, our direction is ever more important than our speed". That is so true. We must always be faced forward, down the narrow path back to our Father in Heaven. We must press forward feasting upon the words of Christ. Righteous living is the only way to experience real joy and happiness. 

I know the Church is true. Love you all and have a great week! 

Shout out to my bro, Jeff, who is engaged! Love you man!

Elder Witt

Tønsberg, Norway - 11th Week in Norway

Hey Family!

Thanks for all your love and support. My heart is full of love and gratitude for all of you. 

I had another great week in Tønsberg. Today is the start of my 6th week in Tønsberg and it is the last week of the transfer. On Sunday, Dec 6, we will have moves call. It is a huge conference call with all the missionaries where President Hill and the AP's tell us where we are serving for the next transfer. Wednesday, Dec 9 is transfer day, and that is where missionaries travel to their new areas. It is crazy how fast time is flying. I love being a missionary and I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to be in Norway.

On Tuesday, we had district brunch and meeting. The sisters and elders from Porsgrun and Skien came up and we cooked bacon and eggs, and had a great breakfast. It was so fun to be with the district. After that we went over to --- and ---'s house. We helped --- with her Norwegian and --- cooked us dinner. He orignally comes from the Lofoten Islands in Norway so he has a crazy dialect but it is super cool. Lofoten Islands is known for being some of the most beautiful landscape in Norway. They are a really nice family. We invite them to Church every week and they say that they will come but they haven't been for a while. I believe in them and know that as we continue to visit them and serve them they will start to build that desire to come again. --- is not a member and we've talked to him a little about his beliefs but he is not super open and interested. He loves familes so we are giong to share with him the mormon message, Earthly father heavenly Father. It is one of my favorites. I hope it can help him realize his Divine nature. After that we visited a member named ---. We've visited him before and he is the one with the book of mormon with all the missnioaries signatures. He is the nicest guy. He wanted us to come over and sing hymns with him so we sang some christmas songs. It was really nice. After that we drove to the city Drammen for Splits. 

Wednesday, It is Elder Mckell, Beck and I. We are on splits in Drammen. Drammen is a much larger city than Tønsberg. We spent the day contacting in the city which was good. After that we went to a member dinner. It was with a member family and they gave us thanksgiving dinner. It was good. This family is really nice. They have family in America and they have lived there before. 

Thursday, We are back in Tønsberg. In the morning, we went over to ---'s house. We helped her cut onions, celery, smash potatoes, make pumpkin pie in preparation for dinner. She invited us and some other members over for Thanksgiving. Woohoo round two! We also visited --- and his wife ---. He is the professional magician. We read with them the Family Proclomation to the World, because she is about to have a baby. They are really nice. 

On Friday, we spent most of our day street contacting and then we drove to Sandefjord to have Dinner with the ---. I love the ---. They love the missionaries and are so good to us. We had pinna kjøtt which is lamb ribs (i believe). It is a traditional Norwegian dish. They wanted to make sure we liked it because we are going to have that on Christmas with them. it was really good. 

On Saturday, we did a street Stand in the City center. We had a big banner and table. We were able to talk to lots of people but no one who was super interested. Most people were interested in Family History so we are thinking of doing a street stand focusing mostly on Family History. That night a non-member friend we have invited us over to a big thanksgiving party. Woohoo round 3! Her name is ---. Elder Mckell and Elder Orr knocked her door before I came to Tønsberg. Her family is half American. It was awesome! There were about 60 people there at this party and all of them nonmembers. Missionary paridise! Several people came up to us just out of curiousity to learn more about missionaries and our church. It was great!

On Sunday, we had church and afterwards went tracting.  We met 3 potential investigators and set up an appoinment with one of them. It was awesome. After that we met with this guy ---. He is really interested in our message and we had a great lesson with him. Can't wait to meet with him again. 

Missionary work is hard but it is very rewarding. It is tough when those you are working with fail to keep commitments such as coming to church. It can be tough when it is really cold outside, and you are tired and you want to take a break. It is tough to be away from family and friends, but overall, at the end of the day, it is so worth it! I feel like my testimony, my conviction of the reality of God, our Heavenly Father, and the reality of our Savior Jesus Christ has grown so deep. I know they are real and that they love us and know us personally. I know that Christ's Church has been restored. It was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith and it all started because of Joseph's sincere, prayer of faith.  

This week I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting. It was my first talk in Norwegian. Woohoo! I decided to talk on Prayer. Elder Bednar gave a fabulous talk in General Conference several years ago called "Ask in Faith". He talked about how prayer has two parts. We must ask in faith believing that we will receive an answer but we must also ask with real intent. Faith without works is dead. We must be commited to act on the answer we receive. Having meaningful prayers is something I've been trying to work on lately. I'm defintely not perfect at them because it can be easy to get in a routine but I know how important and special prayer is. Prayer is the way by which we can talk to our Heavenly Father. It is a two-way conversation. We just need to listen and say what is in our heart.

I love being a missionary and I'm grateful for all of you and your support to me. 

Have a great week!

Elder Witt

Tønsberg, Norway - 10th Week in Norway

Hey family! I hope you all had a great week!

This last week was really good. 

On Tuesday, we went street contacting during the day. Recently, The mission leaders have introduced a new key indicator, (numbers we record each week that help us set goals and improve), it is gospel conversations. These are basic conversations where we teach a principle, testify, and extend a commitment. It has been reallly helpful because it encourages us to always be aware of unplanned opportunities to share the gospel. We can have basic gospel conversations with people that can grow to lessons, then to new investigators and so on.  After contacting, we drove to Sandefjord and visited the ---- Family. They are awesome. We read 2nd Nephi 32 with them. That night we dropped off Elder Orr at the train station again because he was leaving on companion exchanges in Sandvika.

On Wednesday, Elder Mckell and I spent most of our day finding. We were able to teach a lesson to this oldman out in the city and invite him to church and we had many other great teaching opportunities. It was a wonderful day! I love working with Elder Mckell and Elder Orr.

On Thursday, we went to ----'s house for lunch again. They live far out in the countryside on a beautiful field. They made us delicious lasagna and he showed us some magic tricks. He is soooo good. He does a lot of close card tricks. We read together Lehi's dream and talked about the different groups traveling towards the tree of life. The ones who continually held fast to the iron rod made it to the tree and partook of the fruit. They were filled with joy. It is so crucial that we continually hold fast to the rod or the word of God. After that we drove to the ---'s and had dinner with them. They are so great.

On Friday, we had zone conference in Oslo! We drove to the church in Oslo. It is about a hour and a half drive from Tønsberg. I love snow-covered Norway. In vestfold, there are rolling hills with farms and forests. It is beautiful. Zone conference was amazing! My zone, the Telemark zone, was combined with the østfold zone, (my last zone. Fredrikstad was in it.) I was able to see Elder Nelson adn Elder Tennant again. I have exciting news! ---- , who Elder Nelson and I were working with in Fredrikstad is getting baptized next month! It was great to talk to them. President Hill gave powerful and wise instruction on what it means to be a succesful missionary. He summed it up in 3 characteristic. 1) Unity with your companion, your district, and the Lord. 2) work, work work! and 3) Obedience. I love President and Sister Hill they are so full of love and goodness.

On Saturday, we had another day full of service. We went and helped --- finish moving all his wood into the basement for the winter. Then we went to help the Branch President clean the church. After that we went back to ---'s to finish moving wood. Then we went to a single sister who has some health challenges and continued cleaning her kitchen  again.. After that we went to a single sister in the branch for dinner. She is super nice and always gives us lots of chocolate to take home after church. She made us a delicious traditional Norwegian dish. Potatoes, vegetables, and meat in a gravy. 

On Sunday, it was branch conference so the Stake Presidency from the Drammen Stake came and spoke. There are two stakes in Norway. The drammen stake which covers west Norway and the Oslo stake which covers east Norway. After that we went and delivered the sacrament to our friend who we have been doing some service for her. She is the sweetest. We also cooked her dinner because she was feeling really crummy. After that we went back and had our own dinner and did weekly planning. We have a lot of good things planned this week and I'm really excited. Later today we have a lesson with one of our new investigators. I hope it goes well.

Also, happy thanksgiving everyone. I'm sure grateful for all of you and the support you give me. I wouldn't be where I am today without your examples, love and guidance. 

Recently I finished the Book of Mormon. Everytime I read it it strengthens me and my witness of it grows. Joseph Smith is right when he says it is the most correct of any book and that a man may get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book. I feel in my heart and all my soul that it is true and I can't deny it. It is the word of God and we must always hold continually fast to it. 

Have a great week!!

Love Elder Witt

Tønsberg, Norway - 9th Week in Norway

Hey everyone!

Thank you for all your love and support. I love you all so much and I'm grateful for your examples to me!

It was another great week in Tønsberg with many great experiences. 

Last Monday Night, we drove to Porsgrunn to stay the night with the Porsgrunn elders because on Tuesday morning we were doing a huge church tour and presentation for the high school. It was awesome and I'm grateful we were able to help with it. There were about 200 highschool students, and they were all about my age. 17 or 18. We split them up into 4 groups that rotated. I was in the big presentation room with Elder Gurr from Porsgrunn. Several members from the Skien ward helped out. The members led the presentations in each of the rooms and the missionaries were here to help teach and answer questions. In my room we explained our basic beliefs and the origin of our church. So we pretty much taught a first lesson, the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was a really neat experience. My part in the presentation was Christ's earthly ministry, emphasizing that while he was on the earth, He established His church. In the presentation the member asked me how long I have been here in Norway and when I answered about 2 months the audience gasped and then applauded. Haha it was really encouraging. People are always impressed when they find out how short we have been learning Norwegian and it is always humbling. The only reason I can speak and understand Norwegian is because of Heavenly Father. As we do our part in prayerfully studying and learning He blesses us and helps us. I still have a lot more Norwegian to learn but I know it will come over time. At the end of this big event we had free book of Mormons and Pamphlets for everyone that attended. Maybe about 20 people took Book of Mormons and almost all the pamphlets were gone so i think that it was a huge success. 

After that we had district meeting. In my district, we have the Elders from Porsgrunn and the sisters from Skien. We have district meetings once a week and we usually switch the location every other week. Sometimes it is in Tønsberg and other times in Skien. I love my district! They are awesome! For lunch, we went to a Kebob shop that was super good. Kebob is comparable to a greek gyro. It is super popular in Norway. That evening we went to a member's house and practiced teaching them a lesson. Elder Mckell and I did most of the teaching to practice our Norwegian. We taught them the Plan of Salvation and it was such a great experience.

On Wednesday, I got my Norwegian driving permit. In the next couple months I will need to go to a driving school and take a driving test to get my Norwegian License. Norwegians are safe drivers. There are roundabouts eveywhere and I'm starting to like them a lot. After that we went to a new couple that just moved into the branch. His name is ---, and he is from Brazil. He is a magician and is super talented. He showed us a video of him on Norwegians got talent, (a version of America's got talent.) His wife is not a member and she is about to have a baby. We are really excited to start working with them because they are a young couple that could really help the branch here in Tønsberg. We have planned a day to visit them this week. After that we called a man named ---. We found him while tracting several weeks ago. While we were planning Tuesday night for Wednesday, His name kept popping up in my thoughts so I told the other elders and we planned to call him the next day. We called him and we set up an appointment for later that evening. It was so awesome! God knew that --- would be able to meet Wednesday night so through the Holy Ghost we were inspired to call him. We went to his house and introduced him to the Book of Mormon and invited him to read. He said we could come by another day. 

On Thursday, we visited an older man, ---, who is a member. He currently lives in an assisted living complex. It was such a pleasant visit. He is a really nice man. After that we drove to Sandefjord to visit the --- family again but the mom wasn't home so we talked to the teenage boy for a little bit and then went to street contact in the city.

On Friday, Elder Orr left to Porsgrunn for splits so it was just Elder Mckell and I. We had a lesson with a man named ---. He is a former investigator. We taught him about the Restoration. He accepted our invitation to read Alma 32. Hopefully we can continue to meet with him. That evening we visited a member and Elder Mckell and I practiced our teaching again and taught the Lesson, The Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

On Saturday we were able to do a lot of service. It was awesome! --- called us up and asked us if we could help him move wood for winter. It was so great that --- felt comfortable to call us and ask for help. We spent a couple hours carrying a ton of wood into his storage for the winter. In Norway, a lot of people to wood to heat their homes. After ---, we visited ---. She is a member who has some health Challenges. We helped her clean and organize her kitcken. She is awesome. She has so much faith and never complains. She told us how she has had health challenges since she was a baby and believes that it is all part of God's plan for her. She is inspiring. She invited us over for a Salmon dinner in a week or two which I'm really excited for.

On Sunday we had church. Unfortunately, ---, --- and --- didn't come. --- has been sick so we weren't able to meet with her this week, just service for ---. After church we had planned to visit --- and them because they said they would come to church and that after we could visit them. We called them and said that --- still wasn't feeling well. We prayed about what we should do and decided to go tracting in Barkåker. While tracting we came across a house that is separated into to apartments. We knocked on both doors and both doors said to come back on Wednesday. It was a miracle. One lady said she had met the missionaries several years ago and she even told us there names. That means something. We are going back on wednesday. 

I know that God answers our prayers. He is our loving Heavenly Father and we can communicate with him through prayer. Prayer is two-way communication and so we must take the time to listen. That is something I'm going to focus on more. I encourage all of you to evaluate your prayers and ask yourself if you are just going through the motions? Prayer is a gift from Our Father in Heaven. It is a source of peace and strength. It invites the spirit into our lives. Prayer is also an important aspect of making decisions. Seek the Lord's guidance through prayer. Because when we do the Lord's will everything will work out for the best, guarenteed.

I love you all! Thanks for your prayers. I know the Church is true. Have a great week

Elder Witt

Tønsberg, Norway - 8th Week in Norway

Hey family!

Thank you for your emails and all your love and support. It's so good to hear from you. I always look forward to see how all of you are doing. This last week was a great one and I learned so much! 

On Tuesday, we went to Skien for district meeting. Skien is about an hour drive southwest from Tønsberg. It is a gorgeous drive. It goes through the fall-colored mountains and through large tunnels. After our district meeting we had lunch with the district. The sisters made homemade pizza to celebrate Elder Bjornn's birthday. That was really fun. That evening we drove to Sandefjord to visit the --- Family. they are a less active family and we were able to share with them the scripture, 2nd Nephi 32: 3. "...wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ, for behold the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." It is so importance that we feast upon the words of Christ daily. The scriptures are a gift to us and can truly bring peace, guidance, and joy into our life and that is because they invite the spirit to more fully be with us. The Holy Ghost gives us peace, guidance and joy. After the visit with the --- we went to the ---'s house for dinner. The ---'s are the best. They love the missionaries.

On Wednesday, Elder Orr went to the Mission Home for a Zone leader meeting so it was just Elder Mckell and I in Tønsberg. Unfortunately, we had two lessons fall through. We would try confirming our appointments and were never able to contact them. We had a lot of trouble this week contacting those we were going to teach. It was sad, but it happens. Instead we went contacting in the city sentrum and banking on doors. It was a good experience. since Elder Mckell and I are both so young it can be challenging with the Norwegian but it helps us grow and learn more. We were able to meet two former investigators in the city which was awesome so hopefully we will obtain contact with them in the future. That went to the church to help set up for a Kulturaften or a culture night or talent night for the next day.

On Thursday, we visited a less active, ---. She has two daughters. We helped clean out and organize her garage. After that we went to this Older couple's house for lunch/dinner. Her name is --- and His name is ---. They are so nice! Neither of them are a member of the church. ---'s cousin is a member. We got her number as a referal and she was so happy to hear from us. She loves cooking so she invited us over for a big meal. They gave us a tour of their house and we were able to help them organize their basement and move some heavy things. --- showed us his collection of Whale Teeth. They were so cool! One had engravings on it. They were so nice and they are going to have us over again soon and this time they told us that they wanted us to teach them about our church. So that worked out really well and I can't wait to go back. After that we visited, --- again to help her with Norwegian and share a spiritual thought. She is making good progress. 

On Friday, we visited an Elderly couple in the ward, --- and ---. We did some service for them and trimmed their bushes, and as a result we brought home two small branches for christmas trees. I'll send pictures :) They are the sweetest. They both have some health challenges but they are so faithful. After that we visited ---. She is from Chile where she was baptized but after she moved here to Norway she has been inactive. We met with her and were able to see where she is at and teach her about the Book of Mormon. She just barely moved to the Tønsberg area so we found her as a referall. She is super nice and we are planning to meet with her again soon. That night we had the talent evening at the church. It was way fun. ---, ---, and --- came. and a bunch of members. Elder Orr, Mckell and I did a musical number. I playyed the piano, Elder Orr played the harmonica, and Elder Mckell sang. We did a spoof on Let it Be by the Beatles and changed the lyrics. It was a big hit.

On Saturday, I finished the book, "Our search for Happiness" by the Elder Ballard. It was a great book. As I read his powerful testimony on the truthfulness of the Restoration, and how the Christ's church has been restored I was filled with Joy. It was amazing. I had such a strong desire to share it with people. How could our message not be true? Our message of Jesus Christ is full of goodness and hope. I'm grateful for the knowledge I have the of the Restoration and to be a member of Christ's Church on the earth today. Today, we visited ---. She is a single lady in the branch who has some health challenges so she can't make it to church but she is super nice. We are going back this week to do service for her. After her we visited ---, (a different ---). He is single man who is so good. He is a convert and has a book of mormon, full of missionarys' signatures. I saw Elder Jacob Knudson's signature from two years ago. That was neat. --- is so kind. He gives us soup everytime we visit him to take home. He shakes everyone's hand at church and is always helping. One of the ladies in the branch gave us a big slab of bacon so for dinner we made bacon wrapped pork chops. Yum yum yum!

On Sunday, After church, we visited ---, --- and ---. We helped --- with Norwegian. We had pizza with them. She even made some Brazilian pizza for us. It had peas, green olives, eggs, and other stuff on it. It wouldn't be my first choice of pizza but it wasn't bad. We were able to watch the restoration video with them and invited them to read the book of mormon together. We were able to find out more about --- and his belief. He loves family history which is cool. We are hoping to continue to involve --- more and get to know him better. After the visit with them we drove to Sandefjord to give Brother --- a blessing. He fainted Saturday Night really late and he invited us over to give him a blessing. It was nice to be with them.

Anyway, it was a great week. It was sad that we had several teaching appointments fall through but it was good to visit so many members and less actives. This upcoming week looks really good as well. 

The weekend started off hard for me. I found myself  focusing on me and trying everything to be the best I could be and during all this I found myself still making mistakes. The problem was I was focused on myself. The Savior says, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosover will lose his life for my sake shall find it." When we are focused on following the Savior and serving others we find ourselves. But our motive to serving others can't be just to find ourselves because then we our focused on ourselves again. It can be really challenging to do this and It is something I work at every day. Our motive needs to be charity. We must pray with all the energy of our heart for charity and to love those around us.   This is a lesson I keep relearning on my mission. Humility and Charity are so important. Thankfully, we have our Savior Jesus Christ who is always there to pick us back up and help us. Use the Atonement and it can enable you to be better each day.

I know the church is true! Thanks for your love and support. I hope you have a great week. I'm praying for you.

Love,

Elder Witt

Tønsberg, Norway - 7th Week in Norway

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you had a great week. In Norway, Halloween is a new concept and every year more and more people celebrate it. There are a few kids out trick or treating but not very much compared to the states. It was still fun to see all the costumes. We stopped by a grocery store this week that had candy on sell and bought some for us. It was yummy!

I am loving Tønsberg already. My companions are Elder Orr and Elder Mckell. Elder Orr has been out on the mission for a year and a half. He is from California and attended Utah State for a year before he went on his mission. He is a great guy and I'm excited to learn from him. Elder Mckell was in my same MTC group. He is really nice and really smart. I'm excited for this experience I have to serve with them and I hope I can learn as much as I can.

On Tuesday, my last day in Fredrikstad, we were able to teach --- in Brother ---'s home. It was a sweet blessing to be able to teach her one last time before I left. I believe she will continue to progress.

On Wednesday, we left early to the train station and I rode the First train with Elder Phipps to Oslo. He got off to go to the airport so he could fly to Trondheim. I stayed on until Oslo and switched trains and rode to Tønsberg. That afternoon we had an appointment with a man named ---. His father is Italian and they live in Norway. he is 18 or 19. It was amazing to teach him. It was his first lesson with the missionaries. We taught him bits and pieces from the restoration, to the plan of salvation, and to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We gave him a Book of Mormon and committed him to read and pray with real intent to know if it is true. He is searching for the truth and I know he will find it if he acts on faith. This week I learned more about how important the Book of Mormon really is in our conversion and how important it is to pray with real intent, to have a sincere  and open heart. Praying with real intent means that we will act on whatever answer we receive. --- kept saying over and over, "this makes sense". I loved that because that is how the Gospel is for me. We might not know the answer to every question but when we look at the core of the Gospel, the simple truths such as we have a living God who is our Heavenly Father. His work and glory is for us to be happy and to live with Him again. He created a plan for us to help us grow, overcome trials and challenges and ultimately feel joy. I'm so grateful for my testimony of the Gospel. I know it is true! We were able set up another appointment with him on Wednesday.

On Thursday, we had district meeting. I love my new district. It was fun meeting 6 new missionaries. The district consists of 2 elders in Porsgrunn, and 2 sisters in skien and then us 3 elders in Tønsberg. Elder Orr is our District leader. I've excited to get to know them. Thursday night we tried visiting some potential investigators we have and ended up banking or knocking on doors in the area. One guy let us in and we were able to share our message with him and say a prayer. It was way awesome. He gave us coca cola and chocolate. We are going to try and stop by his house again another time.

On Friday, we visited the --- family. They fed us dinner and we ready Ether 12 with them. They are a recent convert family. they love missionaries and already invited us over for Christmas if we are still in the area. They made us tacos in pita bread and it was way good. They live in Sandefjord. Sandefjord use to have missionaries but there are none there at the moment. We have a car in Tønsberg so I drove for my first time in Norway! This next transfer I will try to get my Norwegian license so I can drive throughout my mission. In Norway the US license only works for your first 3 months here. 

On Saturday, We visited ---, --- and ---. They are a part member family. ---, the mom, and ---, the son, are both members but are inactive. --- is Brazilian. --- is Norwegian and he is not a member. We are helping --- learn Norwegian. The amazing thing is that ---, --- and --- have started coming to Church. They have been for the last several weeks. --- loves church and our goal is to start teaching him. 

On Sunday, we went to church. Tønsberg is a branch and has about 20-25 members every week. It is small but they are strong. I bore my testimony and introduced myself to them. Testimony meeting was wonderful! Atlanta got up and bore her testimony. She said how she loves the church and believes it is the right way for her family. She testified that Jospeph smith was a prophet and that the church is true. It made me so happy to see her faith and act on it by sharing her testimony.

Today, we are going to try to go to a museum here in Tønsberg. There is a lot of History here and it should be fun. I love it here in Tønsberg already and there is a lot of good work going on. Our next week is almost booked with appointments which is incredible. I pray that we may be able to help and strengthen those we visit. 

My ponderizing scripture for the week is Proverbs 3: 5-6. 

5)"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6) In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

I've been thinking a lot about the plan of salvation and our divine nature. I know that God has a plan for us. He knows us personally and He love us. We are all Children of God. Think about that. That is amazing and we all have the potential to be like him. Our Decisions determine our destiny so it is our job to live the Gospel and keep the commandments. We should strive to do God's will. The best way to do that is to Trust in Him. Go to Heavenly Father in Prayer and pray for guidance. I know he will bless those who seek him.

I love you all! Thanks for all your support and prayers. Have a Fabulous week!

Elder Witt

Fortress in Halden

Fredrikstad, Norway - 6th Week in Norway

Hello everyone! 

I've got some big news! My first transfer in the field just ended and I'm moving areas. I'm leaving Fredrikstad and going to Tønsberg! Tønsberg is the Oldest City in Norway and I have heard it is beautiful. It is across the Oslo Fjord from Fredrikstad. I'm taking two trains to get there. It came as a total surprise to me because usually you stay with your trainer and in your first area for 12 weeks. My current companion Elder Nelson is going to be the new district leader and actually start training another Brand new missionary from the MTC. I will be going to Tønsberg to be in a trio. I will be serving with Elder Mckell and Elder Orr. Elder Mckell is one of my friends from the MTC and Elder Orr is an older missionary who has been out over a year. The news made me both sad and excited, a mix of emotions. I have really enjoyed working with Elder Nelson. He taught me many things and he is a great guy. I have come to love Fredrikstad. The ward in Fredrikstad is amazing. It feels like one big happy family. Also this last week was one of my most encouraging and best weeks of the mission. I felt like I was really getting the hangs of things and starting to connect with the ward. However, I know that Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, are in charge. They are leading the Old Ship Zion and they direct the Building of the Kingdom of God on the earth. One verse of scripture that has really come alive for me is Proverbs 3: 5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all thing heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths." I don't know why I'm now on my way to Tønsberg especially when the work was picking up and things were going great in Fredrikstad but I know there is a greater reason and plan for me. God has a plan for each of us that is magnificent and greater than our understanding. We must trust in him and then will things work out for our good. I'm excited to go to Tønsberg. It will be a great opportunity to learn more, meet more people, and serve others! 

Here is just a little more information about the Norway mission. There are 4 zones. 1) North 2) West 3) Telemark and 4)East. Fredrikstad was in the East zone. It included Oslo and all the cities on the east. Tønsberg is in the Telemark zone. It will be fun going to a new zone. I will meet a whole new group of missionaries.

As I said earlier, this last week was Fantastic. We had companion exchanges with the Zone leaders on Tuesday. Elder Jacobs and Elder Skøien came down from Oslo to work with Elder Nelson and I. My companion for the day was Elder Jacobs. He is a stud. Before he came down I was in charge of deciding a "splits focus". Something we would focus on during the day to practice or improve. I chose "Talk with everyone" or opening your mouth. It is amazing. We set a goal to have 10 gospel conversations with people which means we share our testimonies and extend an invitation to someone. We were on the way to the church and we decided to do some Bus contacting. I sat down and said to the guy next to me, "Is it okay if I practice my Norwegian with you. I'm learning Norwegian and it helps talking to people from Norway." Anyway I was able to talk to this guy and then eventually several ladies sitting near joined the conversation. So it was like me and all these Norwegians speaking Norwegian. It came up in the conversation, why am I learning Norwegian, and I was able to tell them that I'm serving a mission for my church and then i was able to bear my testimony. it was so cool and such a confidence booster to me! I know the Lord will put words into our mouth if we just open them and try to share the gospel. It was so fun having the Zone leaders down in Fredrikstad with us. We had 6 elders in that tiny apartment. It was a blast.

We also had Zoneleader training this week. It was Friday in Oslo. The focus of the training was on finding people to teach. It was really great and really fun! The biggest thing I took from it is just how important it is that we "find on the way" and open our mouths. Always be looking for those who are prepared to receive the gospel and the Lord will put them in your path. While traveling home from Oslo, we were able to have two more awesome experiences. The first was right after our training. We were waiting outside the church, ready to go, when one of the sisters said, "Elders go talk to that woman, she needs the gospel." We turned around and went and talked to her. She was super nice and she had her son with her. We told her that the gospel blesses families. She said she was interested in coming to church. We got her number and were able to give it as a referral to the Oslo Elders. The second experience we had was on the train from Oslo to Fredrikstad. Elder Nelson and I talked to this really cool guy who is studying music. He plays a ton of instruments and is studying to be a musician composer or conductor. He was interested in receiving a Book of Mormon. WE got his number and give it to another set of Oslo Elders and told him that they could get him a copy of the Book of Mormon. All these experiences remind me of the many tender mercies of the Lord. If we show faith and act on it, He will bless us.

We weren't able to meet with Nancy this week but we have an appointment with her tomorrow. It is with our ward mission leader and his wife. It is actually a miracle. Because we found out that our Ward mission leader knows nancy from school when he was in high school. It is going to be perfect because him and his wife will be able to welcome nancy into the ward and help her come to church. Nancy is really positive and we have a goal for her to be baptized on December 5th. 

I apologize that my email is so scrambled today. It will be better next week when I get things figured out in Tønsberg. I leave to Tønsberg Wednesday morning.

My ponderizing scripture for this last week was D&C 28:16. It says, "And thou must open thy mouth at all times, declaring my gospel with the sound of rejoicing. Amen." The reason I chose this scripture is the last phrase. "with the sound of rejoicing" We have a loving Heavenly father and a Savior in Jesus Christ and that is something to rejoice in. 

I love you all and I'm grateful for your prayers and support. I know I could not be doing this without you all. I want you all to know that Heavenly Father loves you and he knows you. Sometimes in life we don't know why certain things happen or why we have trials but our Heavenly father does. When we turn to God in prayer and come unto Christ by following him I know we will be blessed. I know things will work out in the end if we put our trust it them. As it is said in the Scriptures many times, Christ's arms are always open and full of mercy and love. 

Have a great week!

Elder Witt

Some ancient viking carvings. They add the red coloring so you can see it.

Some of the people in the Ward. I bore my farewell testimony in Sacrament meeting.

Me playing a really old piano in a members home. Jon Schmidt from the Piano Guys served his mission in Norway and he served in Fredrikstad. He has played on this piano that I'm playing on.

Fredrikstad, Norway - 5th Week in Norway

Hello Family!!!

I hope you are all doing well! Last week was another great one! I love being a missionary. I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father. We are His Children and He loves us. Oh what a good message! .The gospel gives a true purpose to life. We all have divine potential. There is no end because of Christ! 

On Tuesday, we were able to teach our new investigator Nancy! It was so great! This was the first time I met Nancy because last time we were on companion exchanges. Nancy is a really nice Norwegian Lady in her 30's. She has been searching for God but has not known where to find him. For the lesson we talked about the Book of Mormon and Prayer. She is awesome! She kept her commitment by reading Alma 32 and she even started reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning. It is so important that we all come to know the Book of Mormon is true. It is evidence of the Restoration and it contains the fullness of the Gospel. We had Karl Frederik, a priest in the ward, join us for the lesson. He is a cool guy. He loves skiing and music. It was sweet having him there with us. He shared some experiences he has had with the Book of Mormon. The lesson ended up being very open and everyone was sharing experiences. It was great! Our goal is to have her come to Church next Sunday.

On Wednesday, we had our last district meeting of this transfer because this week we are going to Oslo again for Zone leader training. It was a great meeting. We talked about desire/passion, and becoming passionate about our purpose as missionaries. Several things stood out to me. 

First, apply the missionary purpose to yourself first. 

1)Invite your own self to come unto Christ. 

2)Receive the Gospel by study and by hearing the Word. 

3)Desire to obtain faith, have faith and act on it. 

4)Make the necessary changes in your life and use the gift of repentance, strive to become better everyday. 

5)Partake of the Sacrament weekly to renew your baptismal covenant and lastly, 6)Seek guidance from the Holy Ghost and follow it.

By doing this we will deepen our conversion to Jesus Christ. When we are converted we can strengthen those around us.

Second, Fulfilling our missionary purpose starts every time with an invite. One thing I've learned is that we succeed in the invite. It is a principle that everyone can apply. We can all be missionaries and invite those around us to come unto Christ.

On Thursday, we went to Sweden!! We went to familien Isaksen's house and helped brother Isaksen build the upstairs of his house. We put in insulation, and and put in wooden beams. It was really fun! I love the Isaksen family. They have 3 cute little boys and always feed us really well. They are so great. After that, a recent convert Beatrice, had us over for dinner because it was Elder Phipps 1 year mark in the mission. He is the Elder that taught Beatrice. He's been in Fredrikstad for 6 months. She made us bacon cheeseburgeers. It was so good. Bacon is rare here in Norway. First time I have had it here.

On Sunday, Elder Nelson and I taught the Gospel principles class at Church. We taught about the Scriptures. We went organized it into several questions. What are the Scriptures? What is their purpose? Why are they important? How can we use them? What are the blessings of studying from them? We tried to keep it really simple. We shared the story of Lehi's dream of the Tree of Life. We compared two groups of travelers on the way to the tree. One group tried to go without the rod of iron and got lost in the mist of Darkness. Another group continually held fast to the Rod of iron and was able to make it to the Tree of Life. The Rod of Iron that leads to the tree is the Word of God. The Scriptures are the word of God. I love this simple analogy because it is true. The scriptures give us guidance and direction in our life. They fill our life with the spirit when we read from them. I shared my testimony and how they changed my life. I talked about how Bishop Shield's always stressed, Even if you only read 1 verse, make sure you are in the scriptures everyday. That is how it was for me. It built from 1 verse to chapters everyday because I noticed that those days I don't read the scriptures, there is something missing and I am not as happy. Daily Scripture study is crucial to following our Savior and living the Gospel.

One last thought, This week I "ponderized" the scripture: 3 Nephi 13: 4. It says "That thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret, himself shall reward the openly." Sometimes it is the little things that are most important. There are many different small acts of kindness we can do throughout the day. It could be a smile, or it could be a kind text or note.  It's okay if our service goes unnoticed or is not recognized because our Heavenly Father knows all. He recognizes our efforts to be good and do good. He will bless you as you try to serve his Children. I would encourage all of you to pray for opportunities to serve and look for the little things you can do to help other.

Thanks for all your love and support!

Have a great Week!

Elder Witt

Standing in two Countries! Norway and Sweden! 

The river is the border between the two countries. 

Another view at the border!