Monday, December 23rd, 2013

It has been an interesting week. Being in a tripanionship is a lot more fun than I would have thought. Elder Kirk and Elder Badger are both really wonderful people. I am very grateful for this Christmas time and for the opportunity it provides us to reflect on the wonderful gift Christ is for us and the incomprehensible opportunities he has given us. It is a wonderful time of year to remind ourselves of those things that are most important and to focus on them whole-heartedly. I wish you all a God Jul! The Norwegian word of the week is kristi føtsel, which means the birth of Christ.

Love,
Elder Ankenman

We were able to talk to Elder Ankenman on Christmas. He is happy and is doing very well and loves his mission in Norway. He continues to feel the reassurance that he is where he is supposed to be. Elder Ankenman’s Norwegian sounds wonderful. He is also continuing to have opportunities to sing and play the guitar and will be performing in a church talent show soon with some other missionaries. He asks us to remember Christ year round and especially this Holiday season. In his words “Jesus is the reason for the season and everything else”. He also told us to not be afraid to share the gospel with others. Elder Ankenman thanks you all for your love and your support, which he feels all the way in Norway.

Monday, December 16th, 2013

We have had a good week with a few very surprising changes. We are not having moves until January 3rd, but Elder Wineager, one of the assistants to the Mission President, is going home on the 20th, and Elder Linge has been called to take his place, which means that I will be moving in with the other Oslo elders tomorrow and we will be in a tripanionship. It is very strange that my two companions in Norway are now the two assistants. I am quite certain that I will be leaving Oslo on the 3rd of January for a number of reasons, so that is both sad and exciting. We have been able to start teaching quite a lot more, and I think that will continue to be true when we combine the two areas. I am quite sad that Elder Linge and I will not be serving together anymore, but I know he will be a great assistant.

I am looking very much forward to having my first white Christmas and in Norway of all places. The weather has really been quite wonderful and the darkness is not so bad at all here in Southern Norway. One thing that has been brought up a lot is the gifts that we can give the Savior and Heavenly Father this Christmas for what they have done for us. The scriptures describe many times that they ask for a broken heart and a contrite spirit, so that we can accept the gift of the atonement that they wish to give us, and ultimately so that we can be made whole. I hope that we can all remember the reason for the season and dedicate much contemplation and effort to celebrating the gift of our Savior. I am sorry this email is late, but we took p-day today because we went and toured the Freye chocolate factory today, which was really awesome. The Norwegian word of the week is God Jul, which means good (merry) Christmas.

Love,
Elder Ankenman

Monday, December 9th, 2013

We have snow now and a lot of it. It was quite crazy. I just woke up yesterday and we had snow, so I am glad that I am going to have a white Christmas just like the ones I have never known. I fear for Elder Linge's sake though as he will have to bear with me as I learn to walk in the snow. One thing that is really cool though is that the streets are heated, so there is no snow on the sidewalks. It is always amazing to me how profound it can be to be reminded of fundamental truths of the gospel and to see them in a new light. It is truly incredible how much of what we are taught in the church is repetition and yet how much we grow and how much there is to understand.

I feel that this year I am more grateful than I have ever been approaching the Christmas season for the great gift Christ is and was for the world. One thing I have noticed more this year than ever before is that you can literally feel a change in the air when Christmas time comes. As I ponder the gift Christ is, I am reminded of the simple truths of the gospel that are indeed the most important. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us beyond human comprehension and because of that they want us to learn and grow and become like them so that we can experience a fullness of joy. The reality is that we cannot do this alone. We need a Savior, a Redeemer, someone to take upon Himself that which we are incapable of overcoming. This is what Christ did. Through the atonement, we can continually improve and overcome our weaknesses and challenges. Christ came because He loves us and He loves His father. We show Him our love for Him by using the gifts He has given us, including keeping His commandments. I am so thankful for my testimony of Jesus Christ. I am thankful for the knowledge I have of Him, for the knowledge I have that we are all children of a loving Father in Heaven, and for the knowledge I have that the gospel has been restored and Christ's church reestablished in these the latter-days.

There was a concert in the church building in Romerike yesterday that we went to. It was really awesome, and there were a lot of incredibly nice people. Christmas music is a really special thing. They also played a song by Eric Whitacre that Chamber Singers did called Lux Aurumque, but they did an instrumental version. The assistants brought a guitar home for me to have until Christmas, so that is a great blessing. I do not get to play it too much though because we have things we need to be doing. It is nice to feel though that I have not lost as much as I would have feared. We are not having moves until early January, so I know I will be in Oslo for Christmas. I hope you are excited for Christmas and are able to take some time to ponder and study the remarkable gift Christ is for us all. I am thankful for all of your testimonies and for your love and support. The Norwegian word of the week is å take, which means to thank.

I was very saddened to hear about the passing of Nelson Mandela this past week. I would like to include a quote from Nelson Mandela, which I feel applies perfectly to my Norwegian-speaking mission. “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart”.

Love,
Elder Ankenman

Monday, December 2nd, 2013

It has been another good week. We have now had baptisms two weeks in a row in Oslo. They were not investigators who I was teaching at the time, but that really is unimportant. What matters is that people are coming unto Christ. As we had Thanksgiving this week, I think I have been reminded more and more of my countless blessings. I have felt Heavenly Father watching over and guiding me as he continues to help us to do this work. It is truly such a blessing for me to be able to serve a mission. What an opportunity I have to serve my Heavenly Father who has provided me with everything and never ceases to show me His love; what a blessing it is to be able to help others take advantage of the gift of the atonement that our Savior has given us; and what a gift it is to be able to focus one's life on representing Christ and Heavenly Father in this wonderful work and to be able to show others their love. I am so very blessed to receive such support from you all. I do not have to worry about anything besides the work in which I am engaged, which is a great blessing.

As missionaries, we do walk a fair amount, especially when contacting, but in Oslo there are four main forms of public transportation: trikk (tram), T-Bane (Subway), Bus, and Tog (train), which is for longer distances. We buy a monthly card pass that gets us unlimited distance on all of them, which is really cool. We ride the T-Bane in and out of the city every day to work since we do not live in Oslo: we actually live in a whole other zone than the one we work in. Technically it has snowed, but the snow has not stayed. There are already Christmas trees set up. Norway also has a lot of special Christmas food, which I have tried a little. There are some meats that are only available at Christmas, and they are really good.

There are certainly challenging aspects of missionary service, but I feel that they really do not matter in the big picture when one truly reflects on the blessings that those challenges really do provide us. It is such a comfort to me to know that Heavenly Father is there and that he is actively engaged in and interested in each of our lives. I hope to become more and more grateful for Heavenly Father’s love and all that He has done for us all. I am so thankful to all of you for your love, for your examples, for your faith and for simply being yourselves. May you all remember Heavenly Father’s love and the blessings he gives us so freely. The Norwegian word of the week is takknemelig, which means grateful.


Love,
Elder Ankenman

Monday, November 25th, 2013

We had a district Thanksgiving dinner today. We even made some lactose free mashed potatoes. It was really good, and I am very full. It has been a good week. We have been out a lot this week trying to find people to teach and have a lot of good things to look forward to this week as a result. I have been reading Our Heritage, which is part of the missionary library. It is a brief history of the church and has a lot of really cool stories. I am so moved by the heritage of this church. When all is said and done, I know that there is no way that the saints would have been able to do what they did if they were not involved in a true cause and received strength from Heavenly Father. That truth is to me undeniable. I am so very thankful for the sacrifices and efforts of those who have come before me and for all that you all do for me as well. I am truly blessed as a result.

One thing that is truly amazing is how dramatically the church has been able to grow and how many have received the restored gospel in such a short period of time. This is what we would all like to see happen in Norway, but it requires our willingness and diligence to be effective instruments in Heavenly Father’s plan. It is so essential that the cause of Zion continue to move forward. I am so thankful for what it has done for me and for the strength and knowledge Heavenly Father has given me and will continue o give me to aid in this cause. I am so thankful for the gospel. I am so thankful for the many blessings I have been given including all of your love and support. May we all remember our blessings and continue to receive strength under the wisdom of our Heavenly Father. The Norwegian word of the week is en velsignelseá, which means blessing.

Love,
Elder Ankenman

Monday, November 18th, 2013

We had a goal as a district this week to spend time every day from 6-9 being with the members, which we were able to do almost every day. It was really wonderful to spend time with them. Elder Linge and I do quite a lot of tracking, which is good, but member missionary work is the better way, and I feel like that is where our focus should be. All of us need to reach out in love to our brothers and sisters to help them come back and feel of Heavenly Father’s love for them and enjoy the blessings that he desires to give them. It is very easy to say that but difficult to know exactly how to apply those principles into bringing about significant change. The three people we met from teaching Norwegian last week are all progressing quite well. They are from Morocco, Holland, and Italy, so there is quite a mix. Two of them speak English, and they all speak French. We have a return missionary from France and a French woman in the ward who have both done wonderful jobs of fellowshipping them and helping them feel welcome by being with them at church and coming on teaches. Having member involvement with investigators from the beginning of the teaching process makes all the difference in the world. One of them has had a tremendous amount of miracles this past week, including her spouse who is in a different country having come in contact with missionaries there at the same time. The French member said that two of them would definitely get baptized soon, so we are very excited.

My Norwegian is as good as ever. Elder Linge is almost definitely the best missionary in the mission at Norwegian, so it is a great blessing to be able to serve with and learn from him. One thing I think is a big obstacle for missionaries and something that I am trying to over come is the amount of English spoke, which makes it very difficult to really learn Norwegian. We often fall to English with each other and meet a lot of English speaking people, not to mention Norwegians speak much better English than most of us do Norwegian. None of these are good reasons though. One thing that really strikes me is thinking about my call letter, which called me to preach the gospel in the Norwegian language. That is my call, and so I can and must do it. It is a really cool language, and I can communicate a lot with people. I have definitely been very blessed, but I have a lot to learn. There are a lot of really wonderful nature sights in Norway. The landscape is very diverse throughout Norway, unlike Sweden, which is flat. It is an incredibly beautiful country. The past couple of days have been very clear and absolutely gorgeous.

One thing I am trying to work on is relying on Heavenly Father to provide me with the strength I need in all things, and to trust that he will give me what is necessary and what is best. I have felt his influence very much thus far on my mission, but I simultaneously know how much more can be done here. I think it is very important to remember that we are nothing of ourselves but can through the power of our God do all things that are expedient in Him. It still has not snowed, which is very surprising, but I think that will change soon. The Swedish twins are getting baptized soon, which is very exciting. There is also going to be a baptism of a teenage boy this Saturday on his birthday. The Norwegian words of the weeks are å stole på, which means to trust/rely on and vennlig, which means friendly.

Love,
Elder Ankenman

Monday, November 11th, 2013

We have had a good week. It is the most wonderful feeling in the world when after doing all you can to accomplish something to no avail and all of a sudden heavenly help comes in and makes weak things become strong to the point that the weakness no longer matters. For weeks we have been working very hard and been out on the streets a lot to find new investigators but have had very little success. Then all of a sudden on Friday the Elder of the senior couple at the institute center gave us the names of a couple people who had come by for a language course that we are no longer offering. We called them the next day and set up an appointment for some Norwegian and some gospel discussion. They came and brought a friend with them who did not speak English but was trying to learn Norwegian as well. All three of them were very positive about the gospel aspect and expressed that they would like to come to church. Two of them came yesterday to church and spoke with a member for an hour after church. It is so incredible how quickly things can turn around. It is also so humbling to know how out of our control it is in so many ways.

We must rely on Heavenly Father and on His spirit to be our guide. That same day we were asked to come to an inactive member’s house with another member to teach two of their inactive member's friends about the gospel. The lesson was in Spanish, but the inactive member translated to and from Norwegian so everyone would be involved. It was incredible. It was an absolute ideal situation and undoubtedly a miracle. As a result of these two miracles, we have gained a tremendous amount of momentum, and are looking forward very much to the future. I will be remaining in Oslo with Elder Linge at least until December 20th. I am really excited to continue to be serving in Oslo.

Time has really gone by very quickly so far. I know that there is a lot of my mission left, but I am nothing but excited about it. Heavenly Father has really strengthened me a lot more in that regard than I had anticipated. We are going to have family home evening with Goncalo and his mother tonight and plan to talk about family history and temple work with them. The Norwegian word of the weeks is klar, which means clear/ready.

Love,
Elder Ankenman

Monday, November 4th, 2013

This has been an interesting week. It has been a clear testament to me that this is Heavenly Father’s work, so it can only be done in His way. There is absolutely no substitute for the spirit. If we do not have the spirit, we cannot do anything. Every aspect of the work, and ultimately every aspect of our lives, should be spiritual. Because of this, I am learning how true it is that we must work in faith and not merely out of work ethic. Elder Linge and I have been working very hard to find people to teach, and the difference is clear that we have success when we have the spirit and we do not when we are without the spirit. It is so essential. The reality is that we are not the ones doing the work; we are instruments in the hands of our Heavenly Father to help His children return to Him and be perfected in Christ. The more I understand this truth, I realize more and more what He has done for me and how truly dependent upon Him I am. It is an incredible comfort to me to know that Heavenly Father and Christ live and are anxiously engaged in even the smallest aspects of our lives. One thing that we are trying to focus on a lot is having members involved with our investigators as soon as possible because as President Hinckley said it truly and simply is the better way.

There are some Norwegian cookies and soda associated with Christmas that are out. They are really good. It still has not snowed here yet, but it has been raining a bit the past couple of days, and it is definitely getting colder and darker. I am simultaneously excited and scared for the colder weather to come. It will be quite an experience, especially if I went up further north for the winter. The most important thing is that I know that I will be where I am meant to be. The Norwegian word of the week is åpenbaring, which means revelation.

Love,
Elder Ankenman