This week was a great week of missionary energy. It started with a trip Stavanger for Zone Leader Training where all of the missionaries from the West got together and were trained on how to be better Missionaries. Every time I go to a missionary training here in Norway I am reminded as to why I am here and that's what I would like to focus on this week.
A couple of weeks ago in one of our district meetings our district leader, Eldste McIntyre, showed us a perfect talk by a man by the name of Simon Sinek, TED talk he talked about the "how, what, and why" and his main point being people don't buy what you do, they buy "why" you do it. I think my challenge for you all this week would be to find that TED talk. It really doesn't have much to do with the LDS religion other than the fact that you can apply his theory to it. That is what our district leader did. He continued to tell us that people don't buy what you do, they buy "why" you do it. We can apply that very easily in our missionary work. I think that actually the most asked question I received as a missionary is, "why did you choose to serve a mission." I'm here to let you know if you don't know already that every single missionary has asked himself this question whether it be before or during the mission. Every single missionary has their own reason for being out here. For leaving family, friends and the comforts of home behind.
Last night as Sester Davis and I were out in negative degree Norwegian weather going door to door for over an hour without any luck, it dawned on me how crazy missionary work actually is. It's crazy good, but still crazy. While most of my friends and family are back home in America or wherever they may be around the world. They are in their nice warm homes or moving on with their lives I am voluntarily using my time to go out in the dead of winter in Norway and talk to people about the Mormon church. I remember when I first found out I was going to Norway and was trying to figure out more about this wonderful country one of the first things I read was that Norwegians don't like to talk about religion and yet here I am. I'm sure I have some friends and members in my family that might think I really am crazy for doing this, but to answer your question of "why" it is actually that I am out here is found in my missionary scripture which I only have access to a Norwegian at the moment. But I'm sure my mom will find you all a translation... anyway, the answer is found in Alma 29:9 which says, " Jeg vet hva Herren har befalt meg, og jeg frydes over det. Jeg frydes ikke over meg selv, men jeg frydes over det Herren har befalt meg, ja, og dette er min fryd at jeg kanskje kan være et redskap i Guds hånd til å bringe en eller annen sjel til omvendelse, og dette er min glede."
I am here because I want to be an instrument in the Lords hands and help his children come closer to him. I'm here to find the one who is ready and waiting to learn of Him. That is something I find very admirable about the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, is that we worry about the "one" much like the story of the lost sheep, we care about each and everyone and I had the opportunity to witness a very cool experience with that yesterday in this church. For those of you who are unaware of our Sunday service, our first meeting of our first hour of the service we take the sacrament. The sacrament is when we bless the bread and water and distribute it to the congregation to remind ourselves of the sacrifice our savior made for us. Well usually here in Kristiansand, Norway an average of 50-60 members come every week and the men that prepare and bless the sacrament can account for that, but for some reason yesterday a lot more people came to church. There were two men to bless the sacrament and three men to pass it out to the congregation. They started with the bread and all was well, everything went smoothly. Then the water was blessed and they began to pass it out to the members and by the end when the three boys that passed it out usually partake themselves, there were only 2 cups left. There were three men and only 2 cups. Now it would have been easy and probably less awkward to just leave it at that but in our church even just one can't be left behind and so I saw something I had never quite seen before in my life long membership in the church.
One of the men that was preparing the sacrament left the room to go and get a cup of water for this boy to drink he came back into the room and recited the entire Sacramental prayer so that this member could fully partake of the sacrament. That was a testimony builder for me. I had never had the opportunity to experience anything quite like that before. But it solidified to me just how important each and everyone of us is to our Heavenly Father but also to our fellow man, and that's why I am a missionary. I have such a testimony that each and everyone of us is a child of God and that we are all loved in his eyes and therefore should be loved in one another's eyes.
Just one last cool story about "the one" that we had this week before I let you all go. This week we met with a really cool guy who has been through a lot of changes in his life. He never really had a strong faith but had seen how people with a strong faith in God were able to overcome some of life's greatest challenges and therefore was anxious to learn more. Within the lesson we came to find out about one of his friends who is struggling in Oslo and how he had planned to use his own time and resources to go and grab his buddy and bring him back to Kristiansand and to help him. That guy knew how it felt to be the one struggling and went out to searve, what a great example that was to me. I'm so grateful for missionary work and this time I have to serve.
Another one of our members here in Kristiansand just opened up her mission call to the Philippines and I can't wait for her to go and find the "one" that needs her because I know and she knows exactly why it is she is going on a mission. People don't buy what you do, they buy "why" you do it. I hope you all have a wonderful week and that when given the opportunity you can all find the "one" who may need you. I love and pray for you all and can't wait to hear from you next week.
Klem,
Søster Blankmeyer
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