Sisar Valerie Cardon: MINÄ OLEN SUOMESSA JA MINÄ RAKASTAN SITÄ‏

translation: I am in Finland and I love it

¤I apologize about spelling and my typing...these Finnish keyboards are quite...different than what I am used to.¤3

First, things first...I ABSOLUTELY LOVE FINLAND!! I cannot believe how stunning it is here. Every day I look up at the sky and see those clouds and think, "How did I get so lucky??" I think that the beauty and seeing all that God has blessed us with is what gets me throught the stressful and difficult moments.

I am serving in VAASA!!! So this is one of the places my anscestors are from and I am just dying to find a connection. I know its going to happen. How am I so blessed? This week has been great. I have seen so many of my prayers answered and I am going to continue to ask God to help me to better recognize the answers that come as well as recognize the tender mercies He gives me. I am so unbelievably blessed to have Sisar Harris as my trainer. She is a gem. She is helping me to be patient and better look at the positive. We love Vaasa and laugh together all the time.

So, the plane ride went very fast and when we got out of the terminal and I saw President Watson, you better believe that I marched right up to him, grabbed his hand and said "President, I am here and ready to work!" (kind cheesy I know, but I totally got caught up the moment haha) He just laughed with surprised eyes and said, "Well I am glad, Sisar Cardon." He is the greatest. It blows my mind that I could come to love him and Sisar Watson so fast. They are like my long lost grandparents.

The food here is so fresh and delicious. Don't get me started on the suklaa (chocolate). I am going to be bringing a whole suitcase full when I come home. Speaking of coming home, I started tearing up when I thought about the fact that one day I am going to have to leave this place and go back to America. That is going to be such a sad and hard day. Finland just feels like a home that has always been a part of me...now Finnish on the other hand...I wish that had been a part of me. The language is difficult but I can already see how much I have improved.

With writing about investigators...I cannot say much because of the privacy laws in Finland, but just know that there is one in particular that I KNOW we were besties in the maanpäälistää edeltävä elämää (pre earth life). Gah, she is fabulous.

Well, when you picture me in Finland, just picture the most beautiful scenery, some very quiet and keep-to-themselves people and a goofy sisar walking in her rain coat smiling because life could not get any better. (also picture me a little puggy because the food is sooo yummy) ¤winkey face¤

We walk by this all the time. So pretty.