I am in Norway?! NO WAY!

After months of waiting after opening my mission call, I am finally in Norway! It was so worth the wait! I left the MTC last Monday morning and arrived in Oslo Tuesday around 5PM. I am still a little jet-lagged (is that even a verb) from the long flight and from the 8 hour time difference, but the most important thing is that I am alive and functioning... I think. Haha! 

Sister Rawson, Elder Ewell and I arrived at the Oslo airport and were greeted by the Mission President, his wife, and the APs. President and Sister Hill are so nice! They took us to the mission home and fed us Swedish ham, potatoes, and Riskrem (which is a lot like rice pudding that you put raspberry sauce on). Then we found out where we would serve. They made it into a really big deal with elaborate descriptions and drumrolls! I got the assignment to serve in Ålesund, which they told me is the most beautiful place in Norway, and, so far, Ålesund has lived up to it's name! It has beautiful mountains, fjords, and water everywhere! The town itself is adorable with brightly colored houses decorated with elaborate trimming. AND, Ålesund has cobbled stone streets! It is absolutely picture perfect!

My companion is amazing! Her name is Sister Belus and she is so energetic and hard working. My first day in Ålesund, we started contacting and banking (knocking) on doors. It was really out of my comfort zone and I was a little hesitant to do it at first, but I tried to put on a brave face and I went for it. Now with each new time that I talk to someone on the street or at their home, I feel my confidence and ability increasing. This past week, I was constantly reminded of something that was said about 6 months ago in my Stake Conference. A sister said in her talk said "living in your comfort zone leaves little room for the enabling power of the atonement in your life". I have received so much strength from the enabling power of the atonement from leaving my comfort zone, taking a leap of faith, and allowing the Lord to make up the rest. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father is helping me every step along the way. I know for a fact that I could not accomplish what he has in store for me without his help. 

Søster Starkie's awkward moments/fails this week:

- On the flight between Amsterdam and Norway, everyone was speaking Norwegian and I was trying to work up the courage to talk to someone. When this middle aged man sat down next to me, I just assumed that he was Norwegian, and so I asked him,"Hvor kommer du fra?" (where do you come from). He looked completely confused and asked "what?" I, thinking my Norwegian was just really bad, repeated my question, to which he responded in english " are you Norwegian? For a split second I thought that my Norwegian must be perfect because he thought I was a native Norwegian, but I soon realized that he didn't understand Norwegian at all. I switched to English and learned that he was from Holland. SO EMBARASSING! Haha!

- I left my passport and visa on the plane from SLC to Amsterdam. Luckily, I realized this fairly quickly and was able to get it back fairly quickly.

- I have fallen on the ice here too many times to count. There are a lot of steep roads here is Ålesund and, for some reason, they don't have too good of an ice removal system here. It is really bad when the newly fallen snow covers the ice and I can't tell where the really bad patches of ice are. On a positive note, slipping on ice is a really good way to grab people's attention. 

- My district is hilarious. Probably too hilarious for their own good. It consists of Sister Belus, Elder Rumsey, and Elder Rogers. One time this past week, we had to take our car(oh yeah, we have a car! And I can drive it! I have driven in Norway!)on a ferry. The ferry was crossing the water, it was dark outside, and we were all "jamming" out to hymns in the car, when suddenly all of the ferry lights turn on. Almost simultaneously, every one in the car (save me) goes quiet and puts their hands up. I, thinking something is wrong, follow suit. After a few seconds of me being stressed out, thinking that something is wrong and that our car is going to be searched, my district busts out laughing! I am so mad! I thought that they wouldn't be able to pull any "greenie" pranks on me. I do have to admit though, it was a little funny, and I did laugh with them.
-We met a Witch yesterday that can see auras and ghosts. We talked to her for a good 25 minutes and she said that we have good auras, she likes to hug and kiss trees, and that she can see spirits.

That's about all I have time for now! I hope that everyone had a great week and that you made some good new year's resolutions! I hope that this new year will be full of new and exciting opportunities and that we all can get out of our comfort zones and make some room for growth! 

Love, 

Søster Starkie

​​Me trying to taking selfies.

Ålesund LDS church building.

Alesund, NORWAY