ONE MONTH DOWN

Hello everyone! 

Can you believe that this is going to be my FIFTH Wednesday? I can't even believe how fast time flies. EXCITING NEWS: I get my travel plans this Friday!!!!!! I cannot even wait. Here is the thing though, the Danish missionaries in our zone got their travel plans a few days ago and only ONE of them got their visa. AH! So, they are all getting temporarily reassigned state side. I could really use your prayers that I get my visa. I do not want to do the reassignment thing. I leave in 14 DAYS! I am so excited to get out of this place and over to Norge! 

Another exciting thing to look forward to is the general relief society broadcast, Saturday the 28th. I WILL BE SINGING IN THE MTC CHOIR! I am so excited. I am not too much of a choir singer, but to get out and drive to salt lake with be worth the singing. Most sisters can read music and harmonize with ease. Unfortunately my qualifications only include practicing in the shower and in the car. Oh well. All the sister missionaries in the mtc will hopefully get to go and be the choir for the broadcast. Look for me on the jumbo-tron, people. If you don't go to the broadcast for the spiritual enlightenment, go to look for Sister Frampton on the screen. 

I am learning more and more about Norway from my teachers and it gets me so excited to arrive. We are learning Bokmal Norwegian which is what the kids in school learn, but a lot of people speack NyNorsk which is totally a different language. I am so nervous about getting there and not being able to understand anyone! Not to mention, in every city there is a different dialect. Oh boy! Norway also has an open immigration policy so there are people from all around the world living there. One of my teachers told us that he met people from over 80 countries while serving there. Crazy! I think I will be speaking a lot of English. Also, missionaries on their P-days do nothing but hike... I am so incredibly excited about that. Thinking about actually being outdoors right now gives me butterflies of excitement. I have also learned about the FREEZING conditions. I knew all along about the weather but hearing someone talk about it that has actually experienced it is pretty intimidating. I've heard everything from hair freezing and breaking off, spit freezing before it hits the ground, mouths freezing to the point where you cannot talk, and hot chocolate freezing in the first 15 minutes of being outside. I am so excited! When I get there in a couple of weeks the days will be close to 6 hours long with sunlight. It will be a whole new world!

 

So here are a few things that just seem normal since being here at the MTC. Short-sleeved dress shirts are just second nature now. I have always hated the short-sleeves with a tie but hey, now I wouldn't even expect anything else. My name tag. It is like my cell phone, except for the fact that I cannot check instagram, send a text or call anyone. I just feel naked without my cute, little, black name tag. I never thought I would say this but how did I even spend so much time on my phone? Where did I even put it? What are phones even good for? I am also used to the judgement looks from surrounding sisters. Every time our two Norwegian districts walk anywhere the elders count the number of glares from sisters towards me. One sister with 12 elders is something you don't see everyday. I wish I could tattoo SOLO on my forehead so they would know I am not actually breaking any rules. The last thing that is just completely normal now is that I get church songs stuck in my head all day every day. Last night I was trying to remember words to an Adele song and I COULDN'T! They were literally lost from my mind. 

So this week I really focused on my goals as a missionary and as a person. "Through goals and plans, our hopes are transformed into action. Goal setting and planning are acts of faith." Thanks Preach My Gospel. I love this quote from Elder M. Russell Ballard, "I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don't set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in his life." We should always have personal goals, but also have goals to continue progressing to become like the savior. When studying the scriptures or even thinking about how you could be better, we should pick one Christ-like characteristic to work on. Such as being more charitable, more prayerful, hopeful, patient, obedient, diligent or humble. If we choose one to focus on for a week, write it down and evaluate your progress everyday. It makes a HUGE difference. 

Thanks for all that you guys are doing for me. I can feel your prayers and support every single day. Keep up the good work at whatever you are doing! Pray everyday, the outcome is so worth it. 

"Jesus Christ is the bread of eternal life. By following Him, remembering Him, and having faith in Him we can change and become what we aspire to become" -D. Todd Christofferson

Love you guys,

Sister Frampton