December 16, 2013

This week was full of being sick and sleeping the whole day. Eating advent chocolates everyday. This week was pretty much full of me being sick and my companion doing hardcore studying about  the ark of the covenant in the bathroom.

Miracles

We after an appointment fell through met someone that we had met and received her number before. We scheduled a time to meet with her. We drove to her house and she wasn't home. We went to another potentials house. This is where the miracle happened. We went to her house we had a teach with her. It turns out her sister is in salt lake city and is married to  a man who is Mormon and she goes to church every week.  The lady we were talking to had a bunch of questions about Mormons. She is super positive and is going to church next week. She then invited us to a party she had later that day. We went to the party because it was tons of referrals. It turns out one of her friends is a girl that my companion talked to on the bus when our car was not working. My companion was not able to get any of her contact information. But we met her again at the party and will have another party with her and the Phillipinos in our ward. I know the Lord plans out everything to a t and it is amazing to see the Lords plan fold out while you are on a mission. It is so obvious what He wants to happen and it is amazing to see. I love it!  The way the Lord works is incredible. He just works in such little tiny ways to create a huge picture.

Spiritual Thought

Brethren , our destiny is not determined by the number of times we stumble but by the number of times we rise up, dust ourselves off, and move forward, President Dieter F Uchtdorf

I know that the way we can return to our Heavenly Fathers love is by continuing everyday to be unspotted from the world and obtaining again the knowledge and pureness we had in our first estate with Him.

Sister Shaw

December 2, 2013 - Kjærlighet (Love)

mine kjære søsken, (My dear brothers and sisters,)

Alright this week was a blast. It has been full of listening to the Lower Lights in our car. Driving to a city thirty minutes away from Sweden. Seeing Sweden. Getting free Christmas food at the grocery store. Meeting random golden investigators. Car problems, crazy dogs, and parades through the town of Sarpsborg. The sun starts rising at about 8 and goes down at 4. It is not too bad. The sky is so beautiful and there are amazing star gazing times when we go from door to door banking on peoples doors. Also a person we taught  in Oslo got baptized this week! That was awesome!

The Christmas traditions here are awesome it is a whole town ordeal!

Miracles:

This week as we were on our way to an appointment we stopped and talked to this man. We decided to meet with him later that day. We met with him and went over the plan of salvation. He took a picture of the plan. We told him he would get answers to his questions when he read the Book of Mormon. He said he would read the Book of Mormon. We met with him later this week and he told us he wants to do everything he can to get to the celestial kingdom. He is going on vacation for awhile. We will see him in a month. I know the Lord puts people in our path and there are people with open hearts here.

We could not find a place to park so we went to this completely random place to park. We went contacting on our way to our appointment and told this lady she could be with her husband forever. She started breaking down and crying and we told her we would meet with her. I know that nothing is an accident ever.

We met with our progessor g and she is really close to setting a baptismal date she just wants to know for her self that Joseph Smith is a prophet. That is really cool. She is way cool and is an honest seeker of truth.

Funny moments:

This week we watched the restoration film with one of our investigators, He has a dog that is super loud. So while he was watching it me and my companion were doing a bunch of different things to get him to be quiet. Like we would hold the dog down. We would throw the ball. We would pet the dog. All things possible. It was hilarious and we could not help busting up all the time.

Spiritual thought:

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.

I know that we can chose fear or faith. Our path will always be secure and safe, it will never be more than we can handle. But we can choose to have faith in the Lord and trust in Him that it will be safe or we can not. We can choose to live in our own state of fear or we can choose to live in reality. In a state of faith.

St John 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in Him.

This week I had an "aha" moment. Where I realized when we partake of the sacrament we literally are taking into us Christs flesh and His blood. To know this is to realize that I literally have the power of Christ within me because I partook of the sacrament this week. It gave a whole different meaning to the sacrament.

I know in the end the most important thing is how our souls interact with each other. In the end the appearance of what we look like will no longer matter and the worldly things we once treasured will become corroded. The thing we will have left is our personal souls relationship with other souls and our souls relationship with the soul of God. This is the most important thing on earth.

With that note, I love you all dearly, I hope you all have an amazing week. Remember how much our Father loves each one of you personally. I forget all the time, and it is easy to forget.  But I love you all.

Sister shaw 

November 25, 2013 - Joint Heirs With Christ

Kjære alle sammen

Ok another amazing week. This week was full of grabbing bread and cheese on the go. Eating kebabs with the sister trining leaders. My companions birthday. Eating cheetos because my companion got a package. Accidentally staying to long at members houses. Not getting weekly planning done  because we are too busy. And hearing what did the fox say at the ward party for the first time. btws the band is from norway and the band name is the band members last names. Everyone in norway is obsessed with this band. 

Miracles.

An incredible miracle took place this week. I was contacting (talking to people on the streets) with one of the sister training leaders this week. As we were walking I saw this bright blue puffy jacket in my head and knewe that when we went around the corener we would see someone with that blue puffy jacket on and they needed this. I told sister landry to come with me as she tried to contact someone else. But then I realized this would happen naturally. So we talked to a couple more people and low and behold. There is a man walking his dog with a bright blue puffy jacket right as we turned around the corner. We started to talk to him and he has had some interesting experiences and really crazy hard trials in his life. We set up an appointment and have met with him a couple times since. He is very cool and seriously needs this message. He buitl a room for his son out of his ownm room. He gave his son a mansion room and for his son and gave himself no room for his own room. He was really proud of that and showed me and my companion. We have had some awesome memebrs on that teach with us. It was really touching. 

Me and my companion had the rellief society lesson and we did not plan at all (we had no time). The lesson was amazing and the spirit guided it the whole time.

spiritual thought

Romans 8:17 And if children then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 

I know that life is about happiness. But we also must suffer. We must feel pain on this earth. But it is the way that we can be heirs with Chrsit to suffer even a particle of suffering that the Lord suffered. I f we do not suffer with Christ we can not be glorified with Christ. We can not obtain the glory he has. Sometimes life is just tough, but it is through this toughness and suffering  that we can obtain the glory of God. I know that the times in our life that are the hardest are the times we are growing the closes to Christ and understanding even a bit of what He suffered for us. I love you all and I know the Lord will always be there when you really call upon Him with faith.

Happy thanksgiving!

søster shaw

November 11, 2013

Crazy week! Some highlights

We have a potential that I know I will really love. I am really excited to meet and set up an appointment with her in 2 weeks. Most of our investigators are widowed old ladies. It is a much different group than was in Oslo  It is interesting and I am still trying to get used to it.

The sun starts setting at 4 and doesn't come up fully until 9. It is really cool actually and very mysterious. Especially when we listen to Narnia music. It feels like you can feel the magic of this beautiful land. We have not had snow yet but we have had some thick frost. It got to be negative 1.5 deg celsius today. I am so warm in my cute blue pillow jacket. 

At church I translate for an american family. It is so perfect because I am working on building a strong relationship with them. They are really cool. 

There is a super cool lady with a nonmember daughter in our ward. We have been coming by and saying nightly prayers with there family and it has been amazing to see the change in the daughter. She asked her mom the other day if her skirt was too short. This is a huge step. It has been amazing to be with them  and there family because they are amazing people and I really love them. We got permission to go hiking on Saturday with her daughter so we are both really excited! They invited us for Christmas and we will be spending Christmas with there family so hopefully you all can meet them on Skype  They are so cool and I really do love them.

This week has been awesome I have learned how important charity is. In the end it is the virtue that never faileth. One day we will stand before God and our faith will extinguish and be replaced with knowledge. But our relationships with those around us will never be gone. It will be one of the few things that will be carried on to the next life. I know this is true. I love you all!

Sister Shaw

Birthday Week!

kjære søsken

Thank you so much everyone for the amazing awesome birthday wishes. I love you all.

My birthday was like the best birthday I have ever had it was incredible! Keep this in mind as you read the story.

It began with me talking my companions head off the night before about how scared I was to turn twenty. I didn't realize but it really is a daunting thing it is moving from teenage life to a life of responsibility of working hard and into a world that you have to make your place in. I was still really tough when I woke up.  I woke up and had gluten free crepes with nutella after we worked out. We began doing personal study and I asked Heavenly Father what I could read to comfort me in this scary but exciting new chapter in my life. I was directed to a scripture in d and c. It was amazing and I know the Lord really hears. I finished my studies. Then we had salmon for lunch. We went to a less actives house and she actually was not home. But we were both prompted to visit that sweet old lady that I said Hi to last week who cried. We went to her house and her granddaughter was there she welcomed us in. She gave us swedish candy. We just sat and talked with her and her granddaughter. She ended up giving me two pairs of hand knit wool socks and a thing of swedish candy. Which was like the best candy ever. I know the Lord wanted me to have the best birthday ever. This is why we were prompted to go to her house. After that honestly my day was made and it was all uphill from there. Seriously. I have my own pair of wool socks right now they are so cute too! I am obsessed! After that we met with a Jehovah witness who is not active anymore. But she doesn't practice birthdays. She got me the coolest birthday card ever though! Seriously! A Jehovah witness gave me a birthday present! After that we went to pepes pizza and we ate the best gluten free pizza ever! We ate ice cream too and to use our time productively we did some weekly planning and calls! No time wasted! Then the members in Oslo called me and it was awesome and my zone leader called me and it was awesome! We then went to a members house and they gave me the cutest slippers ever. I told her about my fear of growing up and how I have to act like an adult now she told me to just be yourself. So I have just decided to be myself  and hope that is good enough. We went home and I opened up the best presents ever! I got the coolest byu hat that is so cute and matches my winter jacket. After that me and my companion had a dance party. Also the day before a girl who is our investigator had Cheetos and she gave us a huge bag! we also got peach rings so i GOT  Cheetos and peach rings on my birthday! Best thing ever I was not able to go to Oslo. But I will get my package soon. But it was the best birthday ever! Seriously. Thank you for tuning in . I love you all!

søster shaw

October 28, 2013 - Just Say Hi!

kjære alle sammen,

This week has been crazy some highlights of the week.

This week me and my companion had to go to the mall to get a drink of water. We are really not supposed to proselyte in malls like that so I always just say hi to the people around me. I said hi to this one lady who was older and she stopped and started talking to us, She started crying and saying that no one had ever said hi to her and how alone she felt. We are bringing her cookies this week. It was the coolest experience ever. I know I am making a difference. 

But it was really cool. I know that we are truly doing the work of the Lord. I know that people on earth just need a smile and a wave once in a while it adds a lot to the day when people randomly smile and wave at you. 

I love sarpsborg I love my companion I love the people. Thanks for tuning in and have a great week!

søster shaw

October 21, 2013

Dear Mom,

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PACKAGE!!!!!!!!! I am so stoked to recieve that beautiful thing!! I really appreciate the love and care that you have shown me mom and I can not wait to see what is inside. Thank you for helping me make my birthday special!! 

Guess what?  A girl in the mission decided to go home so I am getting emergency transferrred to this little town called serps bårg. I am not even sure if I am spelling that correctly. My new address is Merkurveien 19,  1734 Hafslundsøy  serps bårg (not sure if that is correct spelling maybe look it up) Norway.

 But the thing is, is I have the best zone leaders in the world and they are planning on allowing me to go on splits back in Oslo on my birthday!!! So it is totally fine and I will get my package and everything so absolutely no worries!  In fact a member of the ward in Oslo  has planned on making me a special dinner for me.  To this dinner she is bringing some of her friends who (are not members)  I LOVE. It is planned to be the best day ever! Also my district might have a party for me. We will see. But it is awesome because  I will be spending time with my favorite member in all of Norway and one of the coolest investigators we have! So all is not lost because of my transfer.

My feelings about my transfer. I have been so spoiled here in Oslo. I have had the coolest investigators. Grown tremendously with the language. Btws last week I was speaking with a Swedish girl  for a while and then I told her I was from the us and she said she thought I was from Sweden!!!! Someone from Sweden thought I was from Sweden!! This is huge!!! Also a foreigner who spoke pretty good Norwegian thought I was Norwegian after I had talked to him for a while.  I also currently have the coolest companions.

I know the Lord knows that I can handle this and it is cool that He believes in me so strongly. I also know that I know how to be happy no matter where I am at and enjoy all the faces of life I am in.

Also a cool moment I talked with my zone leaders about the transfer and shared with them what I felt. They said president has really prayed about this and he knew that we needed a really strong missionary to be in serps berg so they sent me! The strong missionary they needed. It was just a cool thing because it was proof to me that I am someone that president and the Lord can rely on for whatever they need. I am also considered a strong missionary by president and that is way cool!

I am moving there today!

Also it is crazy!! I have been on my mission for six months time is flying.

The primary program sounds like it was incredible!! I wish I could have seen little Emily. She is so sweet and she has such a strong spirit. I  am so glad that you and dad got so involved with the Australian mission thing. I have actually thought of dad being a mission president and how awesome dad would be at just being a mission president. Dad is such a great leader because He is just dad. He would help all the elders to feel so loved and validated and he would help them with everything. Not sure if it will ever happen. But dad is just an amazing leader. He lads without even leading it is incredible! I am so glad you found so much joy from the activities going on in the ward. It is awesome that the youth even got to teach people. That is utterly incredible! I love teaching! The activity you guys did seems like it was truly effective!

I am learning everyday to give my will over to the Lord everyday more and more. Including with this transfer. Especially because I got pretty comfortable In Oslo.

I love you all

søster shaw

October 14, 2013

kjære alle sammen,

The coolest miracle happened this week. I was not able to buy a winter coat because the money from my account was transferred to another. I was going to get this really big ugly one that was like 2000 kroner. So it was way expensive and ugly. So then mom you tranferred my money so that I could get a good winter jacket. Then this girl in the ward gave me a jacket but it was more for fall weather. Which was awesome
but not good enough. Then one day me and my companion stumbled upon this sweet norwegian store called vero meroda. And outside it had the cutest winter coats I have ever seen for half off. We looked at them and they had one xs and it was half off the original price was ony a thousand crowns and half off it was only 500 which is like 80 to 90 bucks or something. Anyways it was just a very strong testimony to me that the Lord cares about everything. Every little thing matters to Him. Also as His children He wants us to look beautiful and just feel so loved. Even with material things sometimes because I really needed a winter jacket and He gave me the coolest winter jacket that I will treasure forever. I will hopefully send pictures of it soon!

We are setting up a harvest festival in the Oslo ward and we are all so very excited!! It will be awesome!! We have a new investigator  and he is so cool!! He is Norwegian and he has a lot of questions about the priesthood and it has been way cool to explain the priesthood to him.

I am enjoying life in greater abundance then ever and it has been a huge blessing to ramp up my Norwegian study because then I know and understand so much more of what people are saying! I am so blessed to serve my Scandinavian cousins! I know that my mission has eternal significance.

søster shaw

October 7, 2013

Kjære alle sammen,

wow what a week! I am currently in a threesome with sister Hilton and sister Pyne and they are both awesome!! They are both megga foodies and we eat things like broiled salmon and veggies and caprice salad almost every day. A lot of awesome things are happening here in Oslo and the member work is totally picking up fast. It has made a significant difference in who we teach and it has been the best oppurtunity to work with these amazing Norwegian memebrs. 

Conference was  amazing and I really am completely in agreement with the fact it was the most inspired conference I have everlistened to in my life! I loved all of the sessions but I think the saturday afternoon session conference of session was the best. I love you all keep up the hard work. Lots of love'

søster shaw 

September 30, 2013

Kjære alle sammen,

Ok we have moves this week and guess who my new companion is? Sister Nicole Hilton!!!!! I am completely stoked. I think we will work really well together and get things done here in Oslo. We will be taking lots of pictures and sending them home for the stake to see. Hopefully!

Sister Hilton likes to run so I think we will run a lot! I am feeling healthier then ever before on my mission and I plan on eating a lot of salmon and drinking a lot of tea. Winter is coming though!! It is not as scary as I thought the sun still sets at like 8 or 740 every night so it is not too bad. I heard October is when it gets really dark. The members are inviting us over for dinner. They are the sweetest!! They were very supportive with our investigator  and comforted us a lot ! This week I had salmon, Chinese rice noodles,  and normal pasta, lots of veggies, it was grand.

These past two weeks have been really successful and we have  had a lot of success with foreigners that has been really cool. I am really grateful for all the prayers they have been felt in very specific and personal way. I really am just so grateful for all of you.  Norway is awesome the weather right now is perfect!! I am loving it. Love you all!! Something big I think I learned this week is how awesome that the only persons salvation we are in charge of is our own. What a blessing!! Another thing is that life is just much better when you are positive about things. It is also way better when you just put your whole heart into things. Like the language. I am rededicating myself to the language this week and I think me and Sister Hilton will rock the language together. Something I also learned this week is that your mission has eternal significance. It is not just right here right now but it will effect you in the eternities!! Same with life every moment counts so dance through the moments of life and enjoy them because the next step ahead is usually not easier it is usually harder. I am loving my mission. I am stoked for general conference. Words can not explain how much I love each one of you! Thank you for everything.

sister shaw

September 9, 2013 - Stor Uke! (Big Week!)

Kjære venner, (Dear friends)

This week is the best week of my whole life. I have never felt this much joy and happiness in my whole life.  It all began with two weeks age. Me and Elder Bird a traveling ap went contacting together. We found this girl named Karoline who seemed really cool and we scheduled an appointment with her. That day we had scheduled our appointment she didn't come and texted me that she was sick ( she had gotten sick from eating wheat!! she has celiac!! I share a lot of gluten free treats with her!!) so we rescheduled  for the next Monday which was this last Monday. During personal study I really pondered and prayed about what she needed to hear. I know she was not just a normal girl we would be teaching. Before the lesson she had told us that her friend in the USA had told her the day before she met me and elder bird while we were contacting  that she needed to talk to people who believed in God. She told us if her friend had not said that she would not have stopped and talked to us! We decided to teach her Alma 32 about how faith is like a seed. The lesson went great!!  Not only that but 6 months ago she decided to quit drinking alcohol also she believes in being modest and the of chastity. An hour later she texts me and tells me she read Alma 32 and that she understands it all! The lesson after that we taught her the plan of salvation. The lesson before we had given her a pamphlet and she read the whole thing! She pretty much explained the plan of salvation to us.  Her grandma had died but had left her a bible that was handed down from her great grandma and great great grandma. I told her It is like all of them are saying come with us come to heaven with us we all want to be there! It is just the coolest thing. She was very close with her grandma. We had invited her with a soft commitment to be baptized and told her to pray about it. Because me and my companion figured she is so golden that we want her to figure it all out herself. She came  with us to church on Sunday and after Relief Society tells us that she wants to be baptized! She chose September 28th because September 27th is the day her grandma was buried. Pretty much the happiness and joy I feel can not be explained. It is just the best feeling I have ever had in my entire life. We were talking about priesthood in relief society  and I was sitting next to Karoline and just kept thinking this priesthood, this power of God, is what will make this precious girl this dear friend sitting right next to me completely clean. It is the pure love and power of God and it was just magnificent it was glorious! it was herlig (lovely)!!!! I have never felt that power of the atonement outside of myself. I have never felt the power of the atonement for another. It was the  coolest feeling because I just felt overwhelming gratitude to my Savior. To give this beautiful girl a brand new chance to come back to Him and feel overwhelming love. 

This girl before we met her did not believe in God she is a normal Norwegian and she is the cutest girl in the whole world. 

Missionary work is just about planting seeds and nourishing them that is it!

Some cool things I learned this week from an institute teacher every child(investigator) is a seed it will grow itself but you just need to nurture it with the spirit. But there are a lot of other influences that can nurture the seed it you let the world nurture the seed it will not be what you want. 

Everything is given from the Lord You are never taking. Will you take a spouse or will you receive one?

The order of the priesthood is to receive all that the father hath. When you choose worldly things you are letting the world be your companion. When you choose spiritual things you let the Lord be your companion.

Also we have quit language class where we teach forevers Norwegian. Ever since then we have had 3 new normal Norwegians super interested in the gospel. It just stood out to me that you get what you expect! If you ask the Lord for foreigners he will give them to you but if you expect more He will give you equal to you expectations dream high!!!!

love you all!!

søster shaw 

September 2, 2013

Kjære søsken!

Wow what a week. This week we had the opportunity to hear from Elder Kearon. He is a part of the 70 in Europe.  It was amazing so amazing it is difficult to describe in words. The spirit was so strong and I learned a lot. I learned a lot about how Heaven really will be like. It is just a lot happier than I thought. Christ is much more personal and caring then I think of Him to be. The whole point of our existence right now is to be happy to have joy. We are not supposed to be perfect we are not supposed to be robots but we are supposed to be happy. Heaven is happiness. I think a lot of the time I expect myself to be perfect to be absolutely perfect. That I forget to be happy just truly happy.  I learned that the gospel of Jesus Christ is happiness and in every thing we need to represent that. My companion and I have recently been asking people on the streets what gives you the most happiness. It has been really cool to here peoples reply and tie it into the gospel and show them how the gospel can just increase there happiness. 
 

I learned a lot about the point of our existence on this earth. The point of our existence is to meet God. This I always think of is a stressful thing, but it is not. How will we be prepared to live in a world that is happy, joyful, and loving if we are tearing ourselves down for everything we do everyday. Elder Kearon told us to just let go of the negative thoughts in our heads because they are all a bunch of rubbish. -he is British  Usually it is Satan trying to keep you from doing something your really good at and you have a God given gift and talent for it, but of course he doesnt want you to do it. Of course not because then you would be helping others to be happier. So ya right now I am working on trying to enjoy life more and not be a robot. It has been really good and I am getting better and better every day!

It has been a miracle week. We have been trying to work with members more now and we had the oppurtunity to go to the bishops daughters birthday party. It was amazing and we are meeting with 2 new people because of it! Also the cook there was gluten fri she gave me a glutenfri baketri I can go to and she made glutenfri cake and I had glutenfri pizza! The Lord is watching me! I feel so blessed. I can not go to the baketri they have bread and cakes and everything!  

Cool things that happened this week:

I got to meet a guard that was guarding the palace and I shook his hand. I found out afterwards it is illegal to talk to them. Oh well!

We got to go to a farm today and pet the cows!! It was so much fun!

I love my new district. We get stuff done.

I love my companion. 

This week as we were heading home from one of our investigators houses who wasnt home we met a lady who really needs the gospel. She is like the coolest lady in the world.

love you all!

søster shaw!

August 26, 2013 - First week in Oslo

Dear Familie,

It has been an amazing faith filled week. I know these people are really prepared. Wow where do I even start?  This week I got transferred to Oslo. It is beautiful here just like Bergen! But it is a different kind of beauty! It is like old European city beauty mixed with a bit of new. My new companion is great! We work really well together !! But we are still getting used to our different kind of contacting styles. Her name is Sister Bradley.

The spirit is so strong and I have learned so much. In the mission I am considered the contacting demon! Even the aps have heard about my contacting skills. 

There are a lot more Norwegians who are open to talk to us here and it has been so cool to contact in this beautiful city. We went banking and we got 2 return backs with families who love there families so much and want to learn more about how they can be together forever! The miracles here so far have been so amazing. Sometimes I wish that you guys could just follow me and see all the miracles that happen.  We also are meeting with a lot of teenage Norwegians this week! I am remotivated in this new area and once I landed here in Oslo it felt like home. 

Funny stories:  we contacted this man and asked him if he believes in God he said no and then we asked him what does he believe in he said he believes in his dog who had died. I then proceeded to tell him that he could be with his dog forever. Long story short I couldn’t keep my face straight because I am testifying to this guy his dog is in heaven and he is going to meet his dog again. My companion had to take over. We got an appointment from him.  

We went to  a return back family and they were not home. We knocked on her door  and all these children were playing outside. They were not home and these kids ended up taking around to different peoples homes in the neighborhood and bonked on the doors for us! Out of the 4 houses we banked we got 2 appointments!.

Anyways we have had a lot of success here. I know this area is really inspired and there are many people to work with.  Many  faith spirit filled contacting sessions here!

Søster shaw

August 19, 2013 - Chloe's getting transferred from Bergen to Oslo

Dear famile,

This week has been incredible. On Saturday as we were getting to our center to prepare for our next lesson and my companion had an impression that we needed to talk to a normal looking Norwegian lady. We stopped and talked to her and we had a conversation about how the atonement can change her life. She cried and so we will see how it goes with her. Her name is anita but I will be leaving

We also met with three sweet Asian girls who are really open

Familie the love I am developing for these people and my companions is indescribable. 

We proselyte at a big pond and go contacting there we rarely go bonking. The language is coming along really well. I am really learning a lot that is kind of hard to explain. My testimony has really grown. Me and sister aasen have contacting times together where we go up and talk to people and I am on the edge of tears because the atonement is so real. People really need it. I really like contacting with sister aasen we push it to the edge where we can not do it with out the lords help and we always open people up by just listening to them and serving them. I am really going to miss sister aasen she has honestly become my best friend. I feel so comfortable with her. She truly is an example of Christ to me. I have gotten so close with her. We are so obedient also and we expect miracle.

fUNNY MOMENTS Last week I talked to someone on the bybanen for like 20 minutes about the difference in taste between french water and Norwegian water. It was probably the coolest conversation of my life.

Also I do not think I realized how Scandinavian we all look until we got here. Literally Bryce looks like he belongs in the streets of Norway. Same with Grace audrey and rose. Mom and kim you both look so Scandinavian and grandma. I also feel like I look so Scandinavian. It is so flott!!

Tell julie her letter was the sweetest and I am trying to write back but it might take like a couple of months.

 Mom I am going to oslo and I am stoked this is where my great great great grandma comes from. I just feel so much apprehension I know big things are going to happen. I feel so so at home here. The other day as we were wondering through the streets of beregen I just felt like my ancestors were totally with me. I know they care about these people and there descendants that have not accepted yet. I feel such a great joy in my soul about going to oslo it is hard to describe. I know it is where I am supposed to be.I knw the ward is big and there is a lot to work with. i am excited to get close with the young women. I am so excited to go to the exact same city where my ancestors came from. To look at the archaic buildings they have there and know that my ancestors were a part of that. It is so real. Eternal families are so real.

sister bradley will be my new companion. Bergen has been great.

søster shaw

August 12, 2013 - Pictures

August 12, 2013 - In the Land of the Midnight Sun, We Never Stop Running

Dearest Family,

This week has been so powerful! We got 6 New investigators last week 2 of them are really normal Norwegians!! Knut and Kristin are there names.. Kristin has a Family and we taught her about forever families and she thinks the bible and book of Mormon are good "how to" books!! Which they totally are! Also knut is way cool and we had an extremely powerful lesson With him.  This week we are just focusing on keeping them investigators and turning them into investigators that gir fremgang. We have been working really hard.

During zone leader Conference this week. They went over the fact that as missionaries we are representing Christ. I had heard that before I received my Call and it hit me pretty hard. But this time is the first time that it hit me specifically applying to Norway. It hit me for the first time that as missionaries we are representing Christ in a land, to a People who do not know Him. They do not know of His love or they would be reaching out there hand. They do not know of His Grace and Divine Power. They need this powerful overwhelming love. For the first time it hit me that everyone we meet , it could be there only encounter With that opportunity to feel that Christlike  love. I know that through the Holy Ghost people can feel that and this New realization makes me just want to work that much harder so everyone here where ever I serve can feel His great all powerful love.

We have had significant miracles this week. I know that we are so literally preparing the way for Christ to come. I know it is Norway's time.

I have thought a lot about Elizabeth Bradshaw this week as I have been working and how strong she is. How she never gave up she is a powerful example for me and she along With come come ye Saints have been stuck in my head this entire week.

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting Our aim too high and in falling short but in setting Our aim too low and achieving the mark."

Michael Angelo

This week I listened to I believe in Christ. The question hit me I believe in Christ so what am I going to do about it because I believe?

Familie!!! I am so glad you all could have such an enjoyable time together it looks just fun!! I love you all!! I am so grateful that we are an eternal Family! I am glad that the Fathers plan is so real. I am so grateful for all Your guyss love I feel it so strongly and literally here! I am so Grateful for everything again I am Grateful we are an eternal Family that we do all love each other and that we have that beautiful blessing to look forward to. To spending eternity together!

søster shaw 

August 4, 2013

Dear Familie,

Ok this week I have no time for emails. We are still working with less actives and it is going really well. All the less actives we work with really have a desire to come back to church and we have been planning goals with them to get them there. W e really need to strengthen them to strengthen the church in Norway and keep the church going strong here. They are the future generation. I feel like this is where the Lord needs us. I know that as we take this approach the Lord will bless us with our efforts to accomplish His will and give us new investigators. Keep up the hard missionary work family!! Way to go grandma!!! 

It is raspberry and cherry season here I pick berries where ever we find them. There are a couple berries next to the church. That is cool. Also this week we visited some members who gave us cloudberries!! I got so ecstatic about them that he gave me a whole container!!! That was sweet! 

Someone on the bybanen thought I was from Sweden!!! That is really cool so language is improving for sure. 

San Diego looks like a lot of fun!!! Eva is getting big!!

It starts to get dark at night and that is so weird!! I love that it is always day here. 

I am learning so much!! I have had some really cool experiences this week. I know that because I am a new missionary so I am still trying to get the grip on how to appropriately ask questions and teach investigators. It is cool because sometimes I will mess up but I will just try my absolute hardest to be the best teacher I can be, and the Lord makes up the difference. 

We have some new positive investigators åsko and annette. Åsko is a very normal Norwegian boy who is atheist. But is pretty open and willing to do what he says. I know he would be an assett to building the church in Norway. He is way cool! Annette is from tanzenia and has a family here! She is really interested in the fact that we are the restored church today! She is super awesome and asks us really good questions. She has helped me so much to be a better teacher. 

Love you all!!!

July 29, 2013

Dear familie!!

This week has been really great!! Me and all my companions are staying in Bergen!! We are the last trio standing. I think it is because we work well together and all get along!! This week we visited a lot of inactive single adults because it is the crisis  right now in the Bergen ward. It was really great we got to go all around Bergen and got contact with a lot of them!

Susanne the 14 yr old is going to Morrocco for a month and so the next missionaries after us will probably visit her. But it is really sad because I loved her so much and now she is going to be gone! The 3 girls we have lost contact with they were super positive but are not so positive anymore.

The romanian is in sweden beacue he has a job there. He is going really good but we are probably going to have to move his date back a little bit.

We have a new investigator eucon form the states. He is really positive we asked him to get baptized but doesnt want to yet because he wants to know more about the church.

My apartment is in a newer part of Norway. It is a pretty basic yellow house and is called the mansion by the other sisters because it is really big!!! I have been trying a lot of norwegian foods!! fiskekaker which is like fish cakes . The cobble stone streets are mostly in the city. 

My companion when she leaves is alone. 

love you all 

søster Chloe shaw

July 22, 2013

Dear Familie!!

This week has been fantastic!! The sun has been shining and everyone is out. We have had a lot of oppurtunities to contact people and that is great.  The work is great and I know people are ready and prepared to accept the gospel. I am so grateful to be in this beautiful country. The language is beautiful and the people are amazing. The people here are so amazingly nice it is crazy!I love it!! Hope all is going well! Love you all!!

søster chloe shaw

July 15, 2013 - Saying Yes And

 kjære venner,

This week has been so great. We have been continuing to teach Florentine. We taught him for the first time through Skype with the Romanian missionaries. That was so cool! He is really progressing and is such a good man! 

Suzanna is way good too. She ran to church yesterday to make it on time. She is dedicated man! Their was no one at church  this week so me and my companions for Sunday school went into a room at the church and just read the Book of Mormon and ate peanut m and ms a man in the ward gave us. Yesterday was probably the best Sunday so far in Norway. My companion and I got to help out in primary too because everyone was gone. We just went around the room playing and singing follow the leader!! It was probably the funnest Sunday I have ever had! 

Ok so this week because I have been trying to apply the Play Theory principles into my mission and because I have really been trying to apply yes and..... some funny things happened. My companion I guess likes to pop other peoples zits and pluck there eyebrows. SO this week yes and.... got me backed into a corner with my companion popping my zits and plucking my eyebrows. And me tearing up because I guess I don't pluck enough and that's what happens when you don't pluck very often. That was really funny. 

Norway is so beautiful I am developing  a deep love for the city and this country and the people  Sometimes I will just be talking with a Norwegian and just think man this language is so great!! Mom you are such a good example to me that you mastered Spanish because now I have so much more drive to get this language mastered. This week Sister Pace will be gone training the other sisters and it will be me and my greenie companion alone. That will be really fun. It is always such an adventure. When it is just the two of us we really don`t know whats going on half the time. But we will miss Søster Pace. 

I am so excited for Jake! He is going to do great things. 

I am loving the mission. I am so grateful to be in this beautiful country. Every morning when we go for a run I sing the song a dream is a wish your heart makes. It reminds me this is a dream come true to be in this beautiful place with these cozy people. My companions are amazing and I have really come to develop a deep love for them. The food is way good and this week I got smoked salmon to try with scrambled eggs because I guess that is what a lot of Nordmenn eat. I am so grateful for deres you alls love!!

Love you so much dere!!

Søster Chloe Shaw

July 8, 2013

Ok so many things happened this week it has truly been a remarkable week!!!!.

1 I recieved a package from my amazing family!!! 

2 We have 2 yes 2 baptismal dates this week!

3 We met 3 girls who are 18  are super normal and are super interested in hearing the gospel!!!!

We have two baptismal dates this week.

Both of these people are ready and prepared and just fell into our laps. It is amazing the Lord has entrusted us with this special work. These investigators mean so much me and I have grown really attached to them. Please pray for these people to have angels around them as I do every day. They are amazing. 

Last week while our trainer was gone we contacted these 2 girls both 18 both really normal. Me and my companion thought they would say nie takk and leave  but they didn't. It turns out they are looking for the true church. We taught them this week while my trainer was gone and they brought a friend who is also super interested in the gospel. These girls are amazing they have questions like How can I get closer to God? What is the Holy Ghost and so forth. Teaching them was just another testament to me of how this is truly the Lords work. Literally the lesson we taught them was horrible. It was all over the place they had many questions that were not answered. But the spirit there was so powerful it was insane. They were all excited to receive a new Book of Mormon. There names are Rebecca Christina and Marte. .

SØSTER CHLOE ANNE SHAW

July 1, 2013

Familie!!!!

Ok wow!! We just watched the work of salvation video yesterday!! We are so stoked the Lord really is hastening His work and I know we need to hasten ours. My companion was right when she wrote down 'looks like we will be bus contacting forever'!!!! I am so stoked. Forever missionary here we come!! The church will get so much stronger and so much bigger!! It truly is the last days!! I feel that here. 

søster chloe anne shaw

Pictures!