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