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Message from the Assistants

Elders and Sisters!

Weve reached a very exciting time in our mission!!! More and more miracleskeep happening all around us every day. We both feel that it was definitely inspired forus to start a 40 day fast as a mission. I hope you were all able to feel of the Spirit asPresident shared with us the successes we are having, and the blessings the Lord isbestowing upon us. So what is it that will help us to maintain, as well as increase thesemiracles? How do we keep something like this up???

Were not going to be able to teach you all a new principle, nor share a secret onhow to do this. In fact, after much prayerful thought and consideration, we have feltthat what we all need to focus on, hone and strengthen is something we all have in us.It is something we choose to have, and something that no one on earth can take away.Its not complicated it is the first principle of the Gospel. It is faith.

Faith is an interesting thing. We all have it to some degree, or none of us wouldbe here. We often dont let ourselves believe we have enough faith to accomplish greatthings, but Alma 32 tells us that all we need is a particle of faith and thats enough.

What gets in our way however, is what we DO with that particle of faith. Theres a verygood quote from the Restoration DVD said by one of the Priests who helped Joseph onhis search for truth. He asks the congregation, Brothers and Sisters, do you have faith?And are you willing to show the Lord the evidence of your faith?

In order for our faith to contribute to what happens in this work, we must learnexactly what it means to exercise faith. It is not enough to say a prayer, hoping thatsomething might happen, and give it a try that day. Its not enough to just skip twomeals to make up for what the adversary will try to convince us is a lack of faith. Faithisnt just going out and doing the work, just so we know were doing it, nor is it sitting

at home and praying all day.

Every single missionary in this mission has ENOUGH faith to witness miracles.What we need to do is show the Lord the evidence of our faith. One way we can dothis is through prayer. Most blessings we receive through prayer are conditional. Ourdiligence, along with our faith, can fulfill many of these conditions. Saying a powerfulprayer, and focusing on living up to it will ensure that we are doing all we can, and thatthe rest is up to the Lord.

As we go forth with increased efforts, along with 40 days of fasting, and much

prayer, we will be doing all we can as a mission, and the Lord will fulfill His promises tous, and make up for the rest. We invite you all to join us in this effort. EldersGilbert and Miller

August

Message from the PresidentDear Elders and Sisters,

The new year has brought incredible blessings for our mission. With 40investigators in the baptismal zone the Lord is blessing the efforts of themission collectively in an unprecedented way. I know as we seek to do His

will and do all in our power He will continue to bless us that we may nowbaptize these investigators.

This message is an appeal that all missionaries may be a part of the greatblessings that the Lord is pouring out upon our mission.

The end of one year and the beginning of another is traditionally a time of introspection of ones efforts and an evaluation of how we can be moreeffective. Many people establish New Years resolutions as a way of accomplishing more than we have, or attaining a goal previouslyunreached.

Your missionary call letter states: You will also be expected to devote allyour time and attention to serving the Lord, leaving behind all otherpersonal affairs. As you do these things the Lord will bless you and you willbecome an effective advocate and messenger of the truth. We place in youour confidence and pray that the Lord will help you meet yourresponsibilities in fulfilling this sacred assignment. May we evaluate ouruse of time with the phrase devoting all of our time and attention to

serving the Lord. For some, being on a mission away from all otherpursuits meets the standard set in the call letter. For some there is nourgency as long as we are leaving behind all other personal affairs. If onegoes from one appointment at one end of town, and then visits someone atthe other end of town in a gross inefficient use of time it is of noconsequence as long as we are leaving behind all other personal affairs.With this logic a missionary can view himself as obedient because in hisown estimation he is meeting the letter of the law. An employee using thislogic could be rightly accused of stealing time from his employer and firedfrom his employment.

To those of you who see a mission in this way I say to you, you are stealingfrom the Lord. You are stealing His time and the means being expended tokeep you on a mission. As long as you occupy the position you have, no

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Message from the President Continued from page 1Some may view their purpose as getting through each day until themission is finished. We have only one purpose and that is to, Inviteothers to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospelthrough 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 thatdaily planning is an act of love and faith. The more efficient our day is asa result of our planning the more we show our love for the people andshow our faith that the Lord will magnify us to lead us to those whom Hehas prepared.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence or mediocrity, then, are notacts but habits (Will Durant). As missionaries we are establishing habitsthat will be with be with us throughout our lives. Perhaps the greatestthief the world has ever seen is the attitude of just getting by. It hasstolen more ideas and accomplishments than all the others combined.

In D&C 9:7 the Lord said to Oliver Cowdery, Behold, you have notunderstood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when youtook no thought save it was to ask me. We all ask the Lord for Hisblessings in this work and while this is the work of the Lord and He willprepare a way that we may accomplish this His work, it is incumbent uponus to do all in our power to use all of our strength and knowledge andefficient use of time. May we say as Nephi of old, As the Lord liveth, andas we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until wehave accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us. Asthe Lord lived we will not let up or quit or take the easy road until wehave accomplished our purpose, which is to invite the Norwegian peopleto come unto Christ.

May we evaluate our lives and see where we can be more efficient, thatexcellence will be a way of life, that we may accomplish what the Lordhas sent us here to do.

Love, President and Sister Johansen

January 2010

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Baptism Goal 2010 120Look for Januarys baptisms in Februarys Issue

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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 their labors!

Elder Matthew Wright & Elder JasonBartholomew

Congratulations to 2 nd place winners!

The Lord asks us to be

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clean and organized, physically and spiritually!

First Place Winners

Celestial Next Time!Missionaries in Norway Strife to be Celestial

Deep Cleaning Reports are past due. Mail completedforms ASAP to the office. The following reports areneeded:

Severson and Jones Hunsaker and Harris Burnsand BuckleyMaxwell and Crandall Henshaw and RichardsonAlexander and Christensen

Engebretsen and Molhlt Liddle and Gardner Carlsonand Hill

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Lewis and Farrer Eagar and SmithWallace and EmeryHess, Carr and Johnson Jaffa and Whitehead

Elder and Sister Arnesen Oslo Norway Mission Office

NOTICEBeginning 1 Feb 2010 monthly MSF

transportation and gasolineexpenses will be up-front areaadditives not reimbursements!!

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January 2010

Our Miracle ColumnA few weeks ago my companion and I were sitting on a bus on the way

to teach one of our investigators. The day really hadnt gone that great.We were really trying our best to just put our shoulder to the wheel andkeep working hard. I noticed a couple of people getting on the bus. Theycame and sat down next to us. My companion and I looked at each otherand then looked at these people, we gave each other the nod and beganspeaking with them. The man I had been speaking with was 20 years oldand had been in Norway for only two months. He and his Mom had beenseparated eight years ago and they just recently regained contact witheach other. Later I found out both had thought the other was dead. Iinvited him to come to church the next day and he came! In fact he cameto the church seven of the next eight days. He told us later that he went tothe Baptist church with his Mom but didnt feel like it was right. So heprayed to know what church to go to in Norway. The very next day he satnext 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 itwas a very emotional experience for him and us too. He felt the Spirit sostrongly. He has such great faith and humility! He has made a commitmentto 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 weweren't seeing any real results. We only had 1 investigator and not manyopportunities 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 crossedpaths with. We got a few positive people that we got appointments withand it seemed like the flood gates opened. Everyone we talked to wasaccepting our invitation to meet. We all became very excited and beforewe knew it we were running after people crossing roads to get to peoplewithin sight. I can't say that we did anything differently than what wenormally do, but that day we received 23 potential investigators with 10first appointments. These have turned into 12 new investigators one week,with many more of those potential investigators willing to meet in the nextweek.

The Lord truly blessed our area that day by placing many of his electchildren in our path. We don't know why we were able to get so many