Time seems to be flying right by here in Oslo! The weather has been beautiful all week and I think winter may be finished early for the year! It's kind of funny because all the Norwegians are embarrassed by how lame this winter was. Not very cold, not much snow, etc. Counting down the days til General Conference when we get to take our suit coats off!We met with A. quite a few times this week and he has been doing incredible! It is so cool to watch the spirit teach him each and every lesson. I look forward to our lessons with him, because I feel like he teaches me more than I teach him! On Saturday he headed back to Poland for a few week vacation, but we will be trying to keep contact with him via skype, email, phone. We also got in touch with the Polish missionaries so they could meet with him in Poland and I was shocked to find out that the missionary serving in A.'s area is originally from Drammen, Norway! I knew his family when I was serving in Kongsberg so it was a way cool connection and showed me how much God is watching out for him. It was funny to speak norwegian on the phone to another missionary serving in Poland. Not sure why, but it really strengthened my testimony of this work and got me pumped!! Flooding the earth.Another cool connection this week. On Monday we ate dinner with at a member's house with several other members. K is from Taiwan, teaches the investigator class and assisted us in making our own sushi! It was way good! On Sunday during Sunday School he mentioned that he posted a picture from Monday night on Facebook and Stephen Patterson commented on the photo! Apparently they were in the same choir at BYU. Small world, eh?The Saturday night activities have been going great! Last Saturday we watched the movie "The other side of Heaven" and had a bunch of investigators/less active members that came! It was a pretty powerful movie. One of the guys that was there was someone that had come the week before to "game night." He was a way good pool player. Shark status. He loves the Saturday activities and has started reading in the Book of Mormon as well! It's really helped me understand how important it is to build real relationships with the people we teach. A problem we can often have as missionaries is when we simply play the role of "missionary" instead of opening up and being a real person! Being personal and spiritual is a deadly combo especially when you remember that It was expedient unto God to be sent where we are, to find specific people that are prepared to receive the message from us.One last cool little story. On the way to church today we were sitting on the trick. I was staring at this person across from me, knowing that I should talked to him. Unfortunately, I waited to long and he got up after a few stops and left, leaving me alone and feeling kind of down. I looked over across the aisle and this cute little 1 year old was staring at me. I started making goofy faces at him and he was cracking up! The parents started laughing too, which made it easy to start talking to the mom. She way nice and had apparently met with missionaries before and knows a bishop in Argentina or something! They said they would like to have us over and I was able to get a phone number right before getting off! This taught me the importance of going about and doing good! I honestly hardly had to say anything, because they were already interested! All we have to do as missionaries/members/anyone is open up our mouths. It takes courage and often doesn't end as you'd like, but the one time it does work makes it all worth it.Have a great week! Glad you are enjoying your call, Dad! Be the change!Love,Eldste Parkinson
