Ha det 2018 og Hallo 2019!

Godt Nytt år! Exactly one year from today my plane landed in Norway and I was introduced to the mission field. With this special occasion came a lot of reminiscing about and analyzation of these past 12 months. My conclusion: There is no where else that I would rather be and nothing else that I would rather be doing!

Things have been pretty slow around here lately as far as missionary work is concerned. I had the opportunity of talking to my family Christmas day and that by far was my best Christmas gift. My brother Mason, or I should say Elder Starkie, was on Skype at the same time and it was so great to hear of the missionary experiences he was having in Vancouver and to see the same missionary joy in him that I have. He is blessing so many lives there. 

The day after Christmas we were not allowed to Proselyte so we decided to "snowflake attack" one of the members' front doors. With the crunchy snow, we could not be super sneaky and so we were caught by Johanne's brother. He opened the door but said that he would keep it quiet. He lied. Johanne came out and caught us white handed! It was okay though because we had a good talk and she gave us julebrus. 

I had a humbling experience on Friday night. We went out Caroling with a couple of members and I was in a weird mood because we planned on going to all of these different houses and the whole thing would end up taking a lot of time. This day was the one of the few days we were allowed to proselyte and I was getting pretty anxious to jump back into the groove of things. My attitude was soon changed as we went to the first house and sang for these people that I didn't even know. They were friends of one of the members and even though we surprised them, they let us into their home and asked us to keep on singing just one more song. They were so grateful and there was a special spirit there. We went to several more houses of members, friends, and even a care center. The result was always the same. At the end of the night my demeanor was completely changed. I am so grateful for the members here and their ability to teach me how to genuinely serve others and to bring the spirit in other people's lives. They teach me so much about missionary work. 

I feel myself being changed for the better in so many ways. I am thankful for the realizations that I am lacking something and for Jesus Christ and his ability to make me better. I came across something from this past general conference that has helped me with making my resolutions for the new year. It is "Divine discontent leads to humility, not to self-pity or the discouragement that comes from making comparisons in which we always come up short. Covenant-keeping women come in all sizes and shapes; their families, their life experiences, and their circumstances vary. Of course, all of us will fall short of our divine potential, and there is some truth in the realization that alone we are not enough. But the good news of the gospel is that with the grace of God, we are enough. With Christ’s help, we can do all things. The scriptures promise that we will “find grace to help in time of need.” The surprising truth is that our weaknesses can be a blessing when they humble us and turn us to Christ. Discontent becomes divine when we humbly approach Jesus Christ with our want, rather than hold back in self-pity." 

I look forward to deepening my relationship with the savior and relying more on him. I hope that you all have a great New Year! 

Love, Søster Starkie

PS: Due to technical difficulties, I will not be able to send pictures. Usually the elders help us with these types of things but they are MIA (in Alta). Cross your fingers and get ready for the flood of pictures next week!

Elders Sargent, Sobotka, Garrett, Baird, President and Sister Tew, Sisters Starkie and Neal visiting the King's Palace after the first day of first-transfer training.

The new missionaries, Sister Neal, Elder Baird and Elder Sobotka bring enthusiasm and excitement with their trainers, Sister Starkie, Elder Garrett and Elder Sargent.