Jan. 20 2014, Bethel Maine

OH TO OXFORD

Hello, Hello family!                             Jan. 20, 2014

I hope that you had a great week, and that you have a great Martin Luther King Jr Day :)  I can’t believe that another week has come and gone.  It’s pretty crazy.  So, we had transfers on Tuesday. Which was quite the adventure!  We woke up at three in the morning, finished grabbing all my stuff and shoved it into my suitcase and hit the road before four.  We drove to Brewer where I rode with members and another sister that was getting transferred to Portland, ME.  I didn’t go to transfer meeting, so I got to find out where my new area was there and who my new companion would be!

Good news!  I’m still in Maine!  Oxford, ME, which is inland next to the New Hampshire border.  My new companion, Sister Smedley and I live in Bethel and it has been a super busy week!  But first, I just have to say that I’m so blessed that I get to serve with Sister Smedley :)   She is super amazing, and I already love her so much!!  We’ve got a lot of stuff done this week!  Also, this is a pretty sweet area too.  Our apartment is totally in the boonies.  We’re 3 miles away from town.  The whole area is super spread out.   It takes 50 minutes to drive to church.  It’s so pretty!!  Bethel is by this big ski resort, Sunday River.  There are mini mountains here :)  We have 2 active member families in our area, and they are super awesome.  They help us out so much, which is great because juggling miles here will be a bit on the challenging side.  We have some super great investigators who are awesome!  And we had a confirmation at church this Sunday.  We’ve been super busy this week and it has been go, go, go.  Probably the busiest week of my mission.  Lots of appointments, a zone meeting and driving.  It has been nice to have time to unpack and settle in today :)

Church was great yesterday! The members were super welcoming!  I was asked to introduce myself and bear my testimony during Sacrament, which was good.  I’m just really glad to be serving here!  I’ve already learned so much.  I’ve been put exactly where the Lord needs me :)

Some funny things:  I don’t know if President noticed, but he put me with one of the shortest sisters in the mission, and I’m the tallest :)  It is pretty awesome.  Also, Sister Smedley plays the violin :)  And a member here has two violins she lets us play!  What a blessing!  One more thing. Mexico and Peru are in my area.  Yep.

So this week Sister Smedley and I have been studying and teaching about becoming.  Not just doing or knowing.  That is what the gospel of Jesus Christ is all about.  Becoming.  Changing ourselves each day to become more like God.  Putting ourselves each day to become more like God.  Putting off the natural man.  (Mosiah 3:19)   

 Elder Oaks gave an amazing talk about this called “The Challenge to Become”.  It is amazing!  I feel like the more I study and serve the Lord, the more I want to strive to become even better.  I know that I am a Child of God, and that He loves me.  He has made it possible for me to have everything that He has.  I can become who He would have me be if I just rely on Him and trust His will for me.  Leaving Ellsworth was hard.  I love that area so much.  I’m grateful I was able to serve there with Sister Wallentine, Sister Fratcher, and Sister Bickel.  I learned so much from them, and I love them so much.  I love the members and people there.  I saw miracles there.  However, I know that in order to become more of who God needs me to be, I need to serve here.  Serve with all my might, mind and strength.  And HEART!  I just want to throw myself into this area and see why God needs me here.  I’m so excited for this new page in my journey to become.  And I know God will help me every step of the way.

Have a great week!!  I love you so much!

“Now is the time for each of us to work toward our personal conversion, toward becoming what our Heavenly Father desires us to become”  Elder Oaks

Sister Bergeson  :)

Jan 11, 2014 Pictures

 Valerie's wedding

 Valerie's baptism

Hauling wood for Kaila with Sister Bickel and Sister Erickson from the ward

Bucksport, Maine Jan 13, 2014

All is well!

Dear Family,                                Jan. 13, 2014

I hope that you have had an amazing week!!  It has been extremely crazy here in Ellsworth, but I've found that that is kinda the norm :)  Where to even begin?  Just a warning, my brain is all jumbled up, so sorry if I totally don't make any sense.  Here we go.

I guess I'll just get this said and done so it isn't looming over me as I try to compose this letter.  I am officially getting transferred from the Ellsworth 2 area.  I can't even type it without getting teary-eyed.  I thought that I probably would since I have been here for more than 7 months, but now it is real.  And it certainly isn't easy.  But I'll forever cherish the memories that I have made here.  And this week we most definitely made many more of those!! :)

So, pretty much the beginning of the week was pretty boring.  I have this super annoying cold that just hasn't wanted to go away.  I really don't like colds.  Nope, not at all.  We did teach Valerie twice this week with Sister Millis, and it was awesome :)  She was just beaming both times and was soo excited for the 11th!! :)  And for good reason too! :)  Saturday was quite the day.  It was most certainly the highlight of the whole week, by far!! It was pretty much the greatest day EVER!!  The best wedding that I have ever attended by far!!  It was really small and sweet, and they are just so happy!!  It was perfect!  Her baptism was as well.  I could hardly contain all of my emotions.  Seeing the change that has been made in her and in Jason as well has been awesome!  Her father-in-law baptized her, and it was beautiful!  I was also just so happy that I was able to be there and witness all of it!  We played Savior Redeemer of my Soul too, and it was the greatest ever!  What a miracle to be able to play the violin on my mission.  Especially play the violin for Valerie's baptism.  The spirit was so strong!  I don't even know what else to say. 

So, after that amazing occasion, we went back to our apartment and changed into jeans and went out to Kaila's to haul wood.  Yep.  In the middle of winter, in freezing rain, we hauled a cord of wood into Kaila's house to dry.  It was pretty much the greatest service project EVER! :)  We also looked beautiful.  Very, very beautiful! :)  I'm really glad that we were able to help her though!  It has been a rough winter for them, but Kaila is staying strong!  She has been to church the past two weeks and she even was at Valerie's baptism!! :)  It was so great to see her there!  I just love her so much!  She is an amazing friend!

After, we went back to our apartment and awaited transfer calls.  I don't know why they make us wait and wait, but it was pretty much torture.  They called around 9:30 and told me that I would be leaving and be assigned as senior companion elsewhere.  That was a hard night.  But somewhere inside I knew that everything would be alright.  I knew that I wouldn't be able to stay in my beloved Bucksport forever.  I'll be able to make new friends in my new area and be touched by even more people!  But it is most certainly bitter-sweet. 

Sunday was fantastic though!  We went to church and Valerie was confirmed!! :)  It was so awesome!  I was also able to play the violin with Sister Batteline for my last sacrament meeting there.  It worked out so well.  We played If you could Hie to Kolob, and I just loved it!  A testimony builder that Heavenly Father knows and cares about me.  He knew the joy that I would have doing this, and it made the day so much sweeter.  Overall, the talks were amazing and it was probably the greatest sacrament meeting I have ever attended in the Ellsworth Branch. :)  So good.  After, I pretty much took pictures will all the amazing people that I've met here.  So many amazing examples and memories with these members here!  I just love them!! :)  They have changed my life for the better.  I will definitely be back here to visit, maybe live, later on that is for sure!! :)  We drove around the rest of the day so that I could have last visits with the members.  I was able to talk with all three of my converts, which was such a blessing.  They are all doing really well, and I just feel so blessed!  I have been able to see the branch grow so much! :) 

Overall, I know that everything happens in the Lord's timing.  God has a plan for me, and right now I need to learn more somewhere else.  I will always remember my time spent here.  I have seen so much growth in myself and my relationship with my Savior has increased immensely.  I will continue to trust in Him and journey on!  I feel like a pioneer, not knowing exactly what is ahead, but knowing that no matter what, I'm doing what God would have me do.  My heart is full of joy!  I am so grateful that I am on a mission!  That I have had the chance to see so many miracles! And there are only more to come!  I know that this church is true, and I know that I will love wherever the Lord will send me next. 

All is well!
Sister Bergeson

 Christmas Day

 Stockings!

 Gingerbread house that they made from a kit sent by Aunt Jan

 YAY!

 Branches from trees hanging low from the ice storm

 James' baptism

 Maine after an ice storm

Effects from the ice storm

Bucksport, Maine, Jan. 6, 2013

Tales of a Bleak Midwinter

My dear, wonderful family,                               Jan. 6, 2013

I hope that you had a fantastic time celebrating the New Year!! :)  2013 came and went so fast.  So much happened and I know that I have learned and grown so much!  Serving a mission has definitely been one of the best choices I have ever made in my life.  Last year was one to remember and I'm sure that this coming year will be the same!! :)

 It has certainly been exciting here in Maine!!  First things first. I can hardly describe the weather!  It is insane!  They say it has been one of the harshest winters they have had in a long time, and I believe it!  It is cold and windy, and we have had everything from snow to rain to ice.  Right now the wind is blowing strong and it is pouring.  It is in the 40's right now, but once it gets later and colder, everything will freeze.  Pretty crazy stuff!  But we are still going strong!  We've been grounded quite a bit, but we keep ourselves busy and entertained.  We made a wonderful sock puppet video that we are very proud of... only missionaries..  (We made the sock puppets for FHE with Tracy and Izzy!!  They are the best ever!)  It has been quite an adventure!  I'm glad that I can be with Sister Bickel though!  We have been through so much together, and I'm just so grateful for her and for the memories that we have made!  Saying we've had an exciting 2 transfers doesn't even cover it at all!!  Action packed and emotional and stressful and hilarious and wonderful, that starts to get a bit closer to the real deal.  I just love it.  All of it.  Missionary work, my companion, and Maine.  Everything about this place, no matter the weather, is fantastic!  I'm so grateful!

So, now to the tales... New Years Eve was quite the day!  Being the last day of the month, it was the last day to use the many extra miles we had due to our being grounded.  We drove like 100 miles that day.  It was great!  We drove to see a less active member that lives super far out that we hardly ever get to see which was great!  She really needed a visit!  We also got to go see another family that I had never met. They are so nice and very strong members, but are pretty much shut-ins.  It was so nice to see them :)  That night we made little smokies and bacon roll-ups to celebrate the new year and stayed up until a whooping 10:15 or so!! :)  That was late enough for me!! :)  I've been super tired lately, and it probably has to due with the fact that I haven't got some real sun in a while.  It just gets dark so late, I'm not used to it.  I have plans to buy vitamins with Vitamin D though, so hopefully that will be better! :)

New Years day was really great!  We had a zone fast! :)  Pretty much the greatest way to start out the New Year!  We fasted for the members to be able to have some missionary experiences, and our zone has already started to see miracles!  It is great!  Our district meeting was really good, and Valerie had her baptism interview!! :)  She also met with President Dauk with Jason and they are all set to get married that same day!! :)  It is so wonderful and we are both so happy for them!! :)  Awesome day!! 

Then, the weather started to get pretty bad.  We had a mission-wide grounding on Thursday, so we weren't able to go down to Bar Harbor.  We were also grounded the next day.  Those days just blurred together.  Good thing that we had sock puppets, music, and cameras, or else we may have lost it.  Oh, the weather...indeed, a bleak midwinter!

Yesterday was fast Sunday, and it was quite great!  Valerie was there and she is doing great!! :)  Also, we rehearsed with Sister Batteline after church! :)  I'm so excited to play for Valerie's baptism and then I'm playing a song in church the Sunday after that!  It is a version of If you could hie to Kolob :)  Super excited!! :)  I'm just so excited for this coming week in general.  I can't believe all the miracles we've seen as we have been teaching Valerie!!  I'm so grateful that I'll be here to see her get baptized!  It will be such a great day!  But possibly bitter-sweet.  Here is the thing.  She is getting baptized the day of transfer calls.  I really don't know how I feel about those things.  They stress me out, and now that I've been here for more than 7 months, I feel selfish praying that I will stay.  I love it here so much, and I always will, but I know that no matter what happens, it will be what I need. 

That has been the pattern of my personal study the past couple days.  Accepting the will of God and humbling myself.  I'm in Mosiah and I love chapters 21 and 24.  Comparing and contrasting them has been amazing!  No matter how I am living, adversity will come.  I know that as I turn to my Heavenly Father, He will strengthen me :)  I just need to be humble enough to ask for His help.  It is such a blessing to know that although my world is always changing, He will always stay the same.  He will always be by my side to help me.  What a blessing!  I want to continue to grow to become more like Him always!  That will be my constant goal throughout 2014.  I just need to pray for strength to love whatever comes my way!

I hope that you have a great week family!!  I love you so much and pray for you all the time!  Keep praying and actively seeking for missionary opportunities and you will see miracles!

And no matter what, always

Try a little harder to be a little better!

Sister Bergeson :)

Bucksport, Maine Dec. 30, 2013

Happy New Year!! :)

Dear Family,                                 Dec. 30, 2013

I can't believe that I got to Skype you on Christmas!  It was so amazing :)  I just loved being able to see you, it hardly seemed real!  What a great blessing technology is!  I'm so glad that you are all doing well!

So, last week was pretty crazy, but by far one of the most memorable Christmas's of my life.  The ice storm was crazy, and there were a lot of side effects.  One of them being loss of power.  I took so many pictures of the trees because they looked so pretty, but the sad part was that they were falling all over the power lines.  A bunch of people in the branch didn't have power over Christmas, and some people still don't have power.  It was pretty crazy.  A lot of linemen were out working Christmas Eve and Christmas day. We were very blessed and we didn't lose power at all.  So, where to even start. 

Christmas Eve was amazing!!  It was such a great day!  We had our district meeting, and they have been really good.  We even made pizza after for lunch, which was fun!  We had dinner at the Watkins house with the elders (they let us both go together because no one else invited us over for Christmas Eve), and it was great!  They are such a wonderful family!  They live in Bar Harbor and they lost power, but they were still totally willing to let us come over and have dinner with them.  We had oyster stew by candle light.  I didn't even mind the stew that much, actually :)  We had a great time there, and my favorite part was at the end.  Each of the missionaries went around the table and bore their testimonies.  It was so powerful!  I'm so grateful that we had the opportunity to do that on Christmas Eve!  After, we went around and caroled to members.  They were all super welcoming, even the family that had been without power for four days.  They were totally in survival mode.  A lot of people here in Maine were.  But it was great to be able to brighten up what may have been a dark and dreary Christmas Eve :)  I spent a lot of time giving thanks to God for all my blessings that night in our warm apartment.

Christmas was amazing as well!  We went to the Millis's house where I was able to Skype you!!  They are an awesome family and they do so much for the missionaries in the branch!  Then we visited some more people before we headed out to Valerie's to have Christmas dinner with her and Jason!  It was so great!  She got her power back a couple hours before we came, and they were just so grateful!  We had a wonderful time with them :)  They are so funny together, and they are just so happy to be getting married and she is so happy to be baptized!! Overall, it was a Christmas dedicated to my Savior, and the best one that I have experienced yet :) What a blessing to serve as a missionary during my favorite time of year!!

This Sunday we were able to make it to church!!!  Hooray!! It had been so weird not going for those two weeks!  It really has helped me realize how important it is to go to church!  It made me feel so happy to be able to take the Sacrament :)  What a great blessing!  Also, after church we stayed after and went over the song that we are playing in church next Sunday together.  It is so amazing to be able to play the violin for this song.  It has been great being able to practice it and the spirit was so strong when we played it together!  I love music!!  It is such an important part of my life, and I can't even express how grateful I am that I'll be able to share that part of my life with others while I'm here serving a mission!! :)  It is awesome!

We had a combined meeting third hour at church on goals.  I've been thinking a lot about goals recently.  As missionaries, we set a lot of goals every week.  Individually, as companions, and as districts.  It is hard for me to always see the importance of them, and I don't really remember them all the time.  Now, with New Year's coming, up it is hard to think about yearly goals.  I feel like they can be pretty overwhelming for me, and they never get done.  I really want to fix this!  Having goals in mind is so important!  I need to work towards something so that I can progress.  That is what this life is all about.  Having a vision of eternal life in mind, and making goals. step by step, to achieve that vision.  It doesn't happen all at once, which can be pretty frustrating sometimes, but I need to start somewhere.  I'm grateful that I even have the chance to learn and progress here on the earth.  The time that I have is precious, and like it says in Alma 34:32, "This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God."  I hope that as I go throughout this coming year I can look back and find that I'm a better person than I was before :)  Slowly but surely growing closer to my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Have a great time celebrating New Years in Saint George!  I love you so much! 

Never stand still till the Master appear! (Hymn 217)

Sister Bergeson