Aylee's Norway Newsletter

  We've made it all the way back to summer! Today marks one year since I started my missionary service. I went from Tromsø to Fredrikstad and am now in Haugesund, over on the west coast. Haugesund is rich with viking history and Norwegian culture and tradition. It has been neat to learn about the history of the area and to meet the people that call Haugesund their home. One of the biggest days of the year, May 17th, was a highlight for me! I got to travel to Stavanger and spend the day with the other missionaries in the area celebrating Norway's independence day. We watched the parades, listened to live bands that were playing in sentrum (the city center), grilled some pølser (Norwegian hot dogs), and ate lots of ice cream! It was so fun seeing the city full of people out and about in their traditional dress, enjoying the holiday. The missionary work we have been doing here has also been neat to be a part of. Our days have been full of miracles! I can't begin to count the n...

  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that I've already been in Norway for 6 months. This time next year I'll be back in the US, sipping my hot cocoa and listening to Bing Crosby's Christmas album. Where does the time go? Last you heard from me, I was living in Tromsø, way up in the arctic circle. I was able to catch the first few days of mørketid (the dark time) up north before being reassigned down south to Fredrikstad. Tromsø and Fredrikstad are night and day different...literally! We have about 6 hours of sunlight here as opposed to the 0 we had in Tromsø. It's also not a tourist destination, so the city is much quieter. The giant mountains and glaciers of the north have been replaced with rolling green hills and farmland. It has been fun to see the contrast! Before leaving Tromsø, I had the opportunity to fly up to an arctic island called Svalbard to visit some members of our church that live there. Svalbard is basically an arctic tundra. I...

Hello Everyone! I apologize for not getting a post out sooner, as I know you have all been on the edge of your seats the past couple months 😉 I knew I would be busy here but I didn't realize how busy it would actually be! I'm grateful though. Being busy is much better for me than being bored. The first 6 weeks of my mission were spent in Utah at the Missionary Training Center (MTC). At the MTC, our days were filled with classes and studies. We had religious classes, classes on how to teach, and language classes. There were 9 of us in the Norway group. It was great to have such a small, personal environment for our classes. I'm grateful for the time I had there and for the friendships and connections I made with the other missionaries! I learned a lot in those 6 weeks that will apply to not only my mission, but my personal and professional life as well. Once I got to Norway, I was assigned to the Tromsø area. I LOVE it here. Tromsø is located above the arctic cirlce, which ...