Hei alle sammen!!

it's officially summer here! No more layering. I got the package you sent mom! thanks so much! it was just in time.  Sørlandet is the sunny and warm part of norway, so I'm enjoying the sun.  

We had an eventful week.  We've been trying to get everything organized with the baptism and Inger Johanne is so excited for saturday, so is the branch! We went to dinner at the branch president's house yesterday and then we taught her about temples:)  She's been golden the whole time, the only rought spot we've had was on thursday when we taught her the word of wisdom and she said she didn't want to stop drinking coffee, but the next day when we came she said, "Jesus is more important than coffee" and said she would stop drinking it.  Haha, we were a little nervous there but she's too ready for this to let anything stop her, especially not coffee.  She's incredible.

On tuesday the senior couple in Kristiansand drove here to bring us a book shelf from Ikea for our apartment.  The elder told us to have the elders come over to build it for us, and when he heard that we thought we could build it ourselves he laughed and made a negative comment about women.  Well guess what! I built the bookshelf myself during our lunch hour. Haha, it wasn't too complicated.

Yesterday I gave a talk in sacrament meeting too! (I wish I could've heard Luisa and Kristy's! I'm sure they were great!) The missionaries get one sunday a week because there's not very many people. I talked about being a disciple of Christ and for some encouragement I quoted from elder Holland's talk in conference, the end where he says:"Be strong...A long history of inspired voices, including President Thomas S. Monson's, point you toward the path of Christian discipleship.  It is a straight path, and it is a narrow path without a great deal of latitude at some points, but it can be thrillingly and successfully traveled, "with... steadfastness in Christ,... a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men."  In courageously pursuing such a course, you will forge unshakable faith, you will find safety against ill winds that blow, even shafts in the whirlwind, and you will feel the rock-like strength of our Redeemer, upon whom if you build your unflagging discipleship, you cannot fall."  It's those promises that get me- unshakable faith, safety, feeling the rock-like strength of our redeemer.  So cool!! And so real!!!

I'm sad Luisa is going already! I never even got to meet her!! But I'm so glad she's had such a good experience here! I've met a lot of people iin Norway who've been exchange students in the U.S. and there's quite a few members here even that became members after learning about the church from their host family.  There's a member in Kristiansand who we spent 17. Mai with.  He was an exchange student in Las Vegas with a member family and joined the church, then went on a mission and just got back last year.  He's cool. and so strong.  And I sat by a girl on the bus this week who lived with a member family in Vegas 2 years ago.  She was at the same school as Astrid! ( My friend in Bergen) It was a 20 minute bus ride and we talked the whole time, she's not interested in the gospel, but we talked about everything else.  And then I prayed that night that I would get to see her again, and we took the same bus again the next day!  She came and sat by me and we talked the whole bus ride again.

I hope you all have an amazing week! 

Love, Søster Knapp