Living After the Manner of Happiness

Kjære familie og venner,

Some of this week's highlights:

"Burned spots". Related a story a visiting general authority told to a family we visited this week. When his grandson would not try chocolate chip pancakes because he thought they were "burned spots", Elder Sabin told his grandson to trust him. Sure enough, he tasted the pancakes and realized the "burned spots" were actually the best part of the pancakes! In our lives, we have "burned spots" , or challenges, that turn out to be the sweetest part of our lives. We learn so much and draw closer to our Savior Jesus Christ.
Visit from the stake. Brother Davik from the stake high council, visited us on Sunday during church. There were 4 other members there too! That made us 10 total! I felt blessed.
Stig, a recent convert, received the Aaronic Priesthood!
Ferry ride to visit a member in Volda. Another member visit in Vestnes. I tried dried cod and brown cheese chocolate for the first time!
High school students. We also contacted local high schools to come and present information about the Church. High school is three years here, usually from 17-19 years old. They can choose a line of study and specialize in that. There are students who take religion classes and need to do a project on a denomination (including a visit to the church), so our offer was catered to those schools. We were there today, inside a hallway outside bathrooms and vending machines, and gave out brochures, copies of the Book of Mormon, and invitations to the Open House. Of the few students that engaged in a conversation with us, my favorite was a boy who is taking a research line of study. He said he was open that there might be a God. I told him if he wants to know of the truth of something spiritual, he would need to use a spiritual method of finding out. If he liked experiments and wanted to know if there is a God, then he'd better read Alma 32, which explains exactly how he'd conduct his experiment! He took the Book of Mormon and said he'd look at it! :)
Demi. Norwegian, 19 years old. Works in kindergarten. Arkeen, whom we taught in Asker, told me her friend lives here and should try her! We've taught her twice and she came to FHE last night. She grew up Christian but doesn't know who God is. She said she has prayed and definitely gotten answers before, but isn't sure if God is a person or just an energy. We watched the Mormon Message "Earthly Father Heavenly Father" and read Alma 22 where King Lamoni's father prays for the first time if there is a God. We invited her to do the same! She said the video made a really good impression on her. She also started reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning! She is really good about responding timely and keeping appointments and being punctual. People like her are refreshing! :)
Annelise. She is also Norwegian and a former person taught in her 60's. We met her for the first time and got to know her and "define the teaching relationship". We had planned on teaching the Plan of Salvation but she asked some questions and we ended up teaching her the Word of Wisdom. She said this week she is going to try to drink 1 cup of coffee/day instead of two. She has pain and limited movement in her hip. We promised her that if she would live the Word of Wisdom, Heavenly Father would bless her hip to improve. That miracle would be based on her faith, her faith to live the Word of Wisdom. It is powerful to promise someone specific blessings as a representative of Jesus Christ.
Tore. He is Norwegian, a YSA and works 4 weeks on a boat and oil rig ad 4 weeks off at home. He just got home this week and we had a lesson! We had kept in touch over the last couple weeks. He has read the Book of Mormon up through Helaman! When he read the story of the stripling warriors in Alma 56-57 he told us "When I read the Book of Mormon, I feel that God is near me." When we asked him what he thought that feeling meant he said "I think it's a sign I should come to church when I get back to Ålesund". He has never been in church during sacrament meeting before, so that was a BIG DEAL! We're hoping he comes to the open house we're hosting at church this Sunday. We're using it as a special opportunity to invite the people we're teaching, members, and people from the community to come to the church building, learn more about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, and meet President and Søster Tew while they're here that weekend!

I know that the greatest key to happiness in this life (and the next!), is by keeping the commandments of God. He blesses us not only spiritually, but remembers the practical & temporal things too (Mosiah 2:41). After all, it's Heavenly Father's plan for happiness. The sacrifice is worth every bit of it!

Have a great week!

Love,

Søster Jessica Brimhall

Pictures: Geiranger fjord and lighthouse in Alnes P-days.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8RgZXBMknLg9YgvC9