Godt nyttår!
Kjære familie og venner,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Here is a little taste of my second Norwegian Christmas!
Lillejulaften (23. des): We had a really nice service at church, all focused around the Savior. Arkeen was there also! Traditionally, Norwegians eat risgrøt with a hidden almond inside! It's savory rice pudding, with added cinnamon and sugar on top. Whoever finds the almond in their risgrøt gets a marsipan pig! I found the almond in my risgrøt and got the julegrissen! That was fun. We spent the evening with the Brother & Sister Thomas and Sølvi Johansen in Hønefoss. They have three adult children and his mother was there also. Sarah, one of their children had turned her hair into a Christmas tree! She dyed it green and decorated it.
Julaften (24. des): Our ward put on a Christmas Eve service at church. It was not sacrament meeting, but more a devotional and Christmas music service. Most Norwegians who are Christian go to church one day each year: on Christmas Eve. Our ward provided a service that members could invite their nonmember family and friends to. We were able to meet a lot of new people! It was a great missionary opportunity. So many members were wearing their bunnad, the traditional Norwegian costume. Christmas Eve is the biggest day to celebrate Christmas in Norway, kind of like we celebrate Christmas on the 25th. We experienced a very traditional Norwegian Christmas Eve. We were at Brother and Sister Gunleiv and Inger Andersens home. Their son is doing a student exchange in England and was home for Christmas, and Søster Andersen's mother was also with us! We ate ribbe (pork ribs), kjøttkaker (beef meatballs), rødkål (red cabbage), sauerkraut, and poteter (potatoes). With all the leftovers of risgrøt from the day before, Norwegians use it to make riskrem, a more creamy and sweet dessert. It's common with a red berry sauce on top. We read the nativity story from Luke 2 and sang Christmas songs around the Christmas tree. Everyone holds hands around the Christmas tree while we walk in a circle and sing Christmas songs, "Whoo-ville" style! My favorite is called the "Enebærbusk" which is a song that we do actions to. On the last verse, we ran around the Christmas tree. Julenissen (Santa) comes on Christmas Eve, so their family opened some gifts and we got some Swedish mint hot chocolate mix! Søster Madsen's family sent us matching pajamas, and they're really comfy!
Første juledag (25. des): Woke up and went to Elder and Sister Jensen's home for Christmas breakfast! The ward put together a box of gifts for each of our companionships. I am so grateful for our ward. They're really good to us. Of course, I skyped my FAVORITE people that day! :) That night, we ate Christmas dinner with our ward mission leader's family. They rented a few rooms at the Holmenkollen hotel for their family, which is where we ate with them. The last people in that room were actually the king and queen of Norway! We ate pinnekjøtt, salty lamb ribs which is popular on the west coast and julepølse, which is sausage. Our ward mission leader was a convert in 1990. He was a member of the Norwegian Church and believed in Jesus Christ, but didn't know who God was. They're taught God is a more omnipresent spirit than being. He got married to his wife Wenche (pronounced Vengkeh) who was a member, and just a few years after, he was baptized. His conversion story was amazing.
Inside scoop of the miracles that happen in Asker: Søster Madsen and another sister on splits met a really interested girl, Anja, on the bus but for some reason we lost her phone number. We were so sad! There was one day at the church getting ready to go, that I told Søster Madsen we needed to go because the bus was coming. I didn't know the exact time the bus was coming, but felt it was soon and we needed to hurry. So, we ran out to the bus stop, and lo and behold. The bus came! Søster Madsen sat next to a lady and began to talk with her. Can you guess who it was? It was Anja! We got (and saved!) her phone number this time. She invited us to see her Christmas concert and wants to hold contact. What a miracle!
I know that with a new year comes new opportunities. As we act as an agent unto ourselves and do good of our own free will (D&C 58:27-28), we become a conduit to make possible our own dreams and blessings. Jesus Christ has already suffered for all of our sins and pains. So, repent, let things go, forgive, and move on! We choose to become the person that we want to become. The power is in us!
Have a great week!
Love,
Søster Jessica Brimhall
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/9JjT6UkuVhTwmkPD9
Anja's train station concert!
Street stand in Oslo, singing hymns and giving out wrapped copies of the Book of Mormon
Søster Høgset, S., me, her friend, and Søster Madsen, whom we're teaching! We referred her friend to missionaries in her area after the lesson.
S. and I!
Julekake and brown cheese (Christmas cake is sweet bread with raisins)
Lillejulaften with the Johansens
Christmas Eve at the church with Sarah Røsaker, her older sister, and Anna Wyssenbach
Christmas Eve with Søster Tew
Christmas Eve at the Andersens (Brother and Sister Andersen)
Christmas Day with the other Johansens (Brother and Sister Johansen, our ward mission leader and his wife).
Kransekake. Traditional marsipan/sugar based cake eaten at Christmas and 17th of May!
26th at the Wyssenbachs home. They are so missionary-minded!