January

August 2010
Message from the Assistants

Elders and Sisters!

Dear
D&C101:63 -4. . . I
We’ve reached a very exciting time in our mission!!! More and more miracles
keep happening all around
Elders and
Message
Sisters,
us every from
day. We the President
both feel that it was definitely inspired for
us to start a 40 day fast as a mission. I hope you were all able to feel of the Spirit as

theyarewillingtobe
President
The sharedhas
new year withbrought
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incredible weblessings
are having,forandourthemission.
blessings the Lord
With 40is
bestowing upon
investigators inus.
theSo‘baptismal
what is it that will help
zone’ the us to maintain,
Lord is blessingas well
theasefforts
increase
of these
the
miracles? How do we keep something like this up???
mission collectively in an unprecedented way. I know as we seek to do His
will and do all
We’re not in ourtopower
going be ableHe will continue
to teach to bless
you all a new us that
principle, we may
nor share now
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together of mysaint
baptize these investigators.
how to do this. In fact, after much prayerful thought and consideration, we have felt
that what we all need to focus on, hone and strengthen is something we all have in us.
This message is an appeal that all missionaries may be a part of the great
It is something we choose to have, and something that no one on earth can take away.
blessings that the Lord is pouring out upon our mission.
It’s not complicated – it is the first principle of the Gospel. It is faith.
The end of one year and the beginning of another is traditionally a time of
Faith is an interesting thing. We all have it to some degree, or none of us would
introspection of one’s efforts and an evaluation of how we can be more
be here. We often don’t let ourselves believe we have enough faith to accomplish great
effective. Many people establish New Year’s resolutions as a way of
things, but Alma 32 tells us that all we need is “a particle of faith” and that’s enough.
accomplishing more than we have, or attaining a goal previously
What gets in our way however, is what we DO with that particle of faith. There’s a very
unreached.
good quote from the Restoration DVD said by one of the Priests who helped Joseph on
Your missionary
his search call
for truth. He letter states:
asks the “You will
congregation, also be
“Brothers andexpected
Sisters, doto
youdevote all
have faith?
And are you willing to show the Lord the evidence of your faith?”
your time and attention to serving the Lord, leaving behind all other
personal affairs. As you do these things the Lord will bless you and you will
In order for our faith to contribute to what happens in this work, we must learn
become an effective advocate and messenger of the truth. We place in you
exactly what it means to “exercise faith”. It is not enough to say a prayer, hoping that
our confidence and pray that the Lord will help you meet your
something might happen, and “give it a try” that day. It’s not enough to just skip two
responsibilities in fulfilling this sacred assignment.” May we evaluate our
meals to make up for what the adversary will try to convince us is a lack of faith. Faith
use of time with the phrase “devoting all of our time and attention to
isn’t just going out and doing the work, just so we know we’re doing it, nor is it sitting
serving the Lord”. For some, being on a mission away from all other
at home and praying all day.
pursuits meets the standard set in the call letter. For some there is no
urgency as long
Every singleasmissionary
we are ‘leaving behindhas
in this mission all ENOUGH
other personal
faith to affairs’. If one
witness miracles.
goes
Whatfrom one to
we need appointment
do is “show the at one
Lord end of town,ofand
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faith.”visits someone
One way we canat do
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is through of townMost in a gross
blessings inefficient
we receive useprayer
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are conditional. Our
consequence
diligence, along aswith
long ourasfaith,
we can are fulfill
‘leaving
manybehind
of theseall other personal
conditions. Saying aaffairs’.
powerful
With this
prayer, andlogic a missionary
focusing on living up can view
to it will himself
ensure as are
that we obedient
doing allbecause in his
we can, and that
own estimation
the rest he Lord.
is up to the January 2010
is meeting the letter of the law. An employee using this
logic could be rightly accused of stealing time from his employer and fired
As we go forth with increased efforts, along with 40 days of fasting, and much
from his employment.
prayer, we will be doing all we can as a mission, and the Lord will fulfill His promises to
Tous,those of you
and make up who see
for the a We
rest. mission
invite in this
you way
all to joinI us
sayin to
thisyou, you are stealing
effort. Elders
from the Lord. You are stealing His time and the means being expended to
Gilbert
keep you and
on aMiller
mission. As long as you occupy the position you have, no
one else can occupy it. You are the one to contact and teach those
 January 2010

Message from the President Continued from page 1

Some may view their purpose as getting through each day until the
mission is finished. We have only one purpose and that is to, “Invite
others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel
through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism,
receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end” PMG p.1.
As we evaluate last year and look to the new year, let us remember that
daily planning is an act of love and faith. The more efficient our day is as
a result of our planning the more we show our love for the people and
show our faith that the Lord will magnify us to lead us to those whom He
has prepared.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence or mediocrity, then, are not
acts but habits (Will Durant). As missionaries we are establishing habits
that will be with be with us throughout our lives. Perhaps the greatest
thief the world has ever seen is the attitude of ‘just getting by’. It has
stolen more ideas and accomplishments than all the others combined.
In D&C 9:7 the Lord said to Oliver Cowdery, “Behold, you have not
understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you
took no thought save it was to ask me.” We all ask the Lord for His
blessings in this work and while this is the work of the Lord and He will
prepare a way that we may accomplish this His work, it is incumbent upon
us to do all in our power to use all of our strength and knowledge and
efficient use of time. May we say as Nephi of old, “As the Lord liveth, and
as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we
have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us.” As
the Lord lived we will not let up or quit or take the easy road until we
have accomplished our purpose, which is to invite the Norwegian people
to come unto Christ.
May we evaluate our lives and see where we can be more efficient, that
excellence will be a way of life, that we may accomplish what the Lord
has sent us here to do.

Love, President and Sister Johansen

Baptism Goal 2010 120
Look for January’s baptisms in February’s Issue
 January 2010
Notes from the Office

Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing;

and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of
fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of
glory, a house of order, a house of God;
D&C 88:110

Elder Daven Brush and Parker Pratt enjoying the fruits of

Congratulations to 2
nd
place winners!
their labors!

The Lord asks us to be

Elder Matthew Wright & Elder Jason

Bartholomew
 clean and organized, physically and spiritually!

January 2010
First Place Winners

Celestial Next Time!

Missionaries in Norway Strife to be Celestial
Deep Cleaning Reports are past due. Mail completed
forms ASAP to the office. The following reports are
needed:
Severson and Jones Hunsaker and Harris Burns
and Buckley
Maxwell and Crandall Henshaw and Richardson
Alexander and Christensen
Engebretsen and Molhølt Liddle and Gardner Carlson
and Hill
Lewis and Farrer Eagar and Smith
Wallace and Emery
Hess, Carr and Johnson Jaffa and Whitehead

Elder and Sister Arnesen Oslo Norway Mission Office

NOTICE
Beginning 1 Feb 2010 monthly MSF
transportation and gasoline
expenses will be up-front area
additives – not reimbursements!!
 January 2010

Our Miracle Column

A few weeks ago my companion and I were sitting on a bus on the way
to teach one of our investigators. The day really hadn’t gone that great.
We were really trying our best to just put our shoulder to the wheel and
keep working hard. I noticed a couple of people getting on the bus. They
came and sat down next to us. My companion and I looked at each other
and then looked at these people, we gave each other the nod and began
speaking with them. The man I had been speaking with was 20 years old
and had been in Norway for only two months. He and his Mom had been
separated eight years ago and they just recently regained contact with
each other. Later I found out both had thought the other was dead. I
invited him to come to church the next day and he came! In fact he came
to the church seven of the next eight days. He told us later that he went to
the Baptist church with his Mom but didn’t feel like it was right. So he
prayed to know what church to go to in Norway. The very next day he sat
next to me on the bus. The Lord prepared him and sent him into our path.
Just two days ago we showed him “Finding Faith in Jesus Christ” DVD and it
was a very emotional experience for him and us too. He felt the Spirit so
strongly. He has such great faith and humility! He has made a commitment
to the Lord to be baptized in February.
∞∞∞
Things had been moving really slow in our area. We had been working
hard and heard of all the success that other areas were having but we
weren't seeing any real results. We only had 1 investigator and not many
opportunities were presenting themselves.
We had a great opportunity to have two sets of missionaries for one day.
We had a lot of time set aside to try and find people that we could teach.
We started by contacting normally trying to speak to everyone we crossed
paths with. We got a few positive people that we got appointments with
and it seemed like the flood gates opened. Everyone we talked to was
accepting our invitation to meet. We all became very excited and before
we knew it we were running after people crossing roads to get to people
within sight. I can't say that we did anything differently than what we
normally do, but that day we received 23 potential investigators with 10
first appointments. These have turned into 12 new investigators one week,
with many more of those potential investigators willing to meet in the next
week.
The Lord truly blessed our area that day by placing many of his elect
children in our path. We don't know why we were able to get so many
positive people that day or why all the success came in such a rush like it