Wednesday, December 30, 2015

December 29, 2015 Hyvää Joulua!!‏

Well, Hyvää Joulua!! It was amazing this week how much love that I felt from the people around me and family.  The mission already has taught me so much. 


I also experienced the big blessing of the car accident just yesterday. I have played it over and over in my head and I think that its such a blessing that even though we did hit and probably totaled the car, everything is okay and nobody was seriously hurt. Its funny because I have been more aware while being in the car this transfer and I have tried to be really good about always second checking for Sisar Albiston and yesterday, I checked when she didn't, and when I yelled it might have changed her direction enough that we didn't get hit as much from the side as we would have. I think that in many many ways there are countless blessings that can be learned here, I especially was noticing them while we were sitting for a few hours in the hospital after just a few bumps and bruises. God really is watching out for us, even when we are not quite watching out for ourselves. 

Our mission car. : (

This is our district at our Christmas exchange. So FUN!!


BUUUUTTT now to the happy part: PICTURES!!! Christmas was the happiest time! We really had too much fun! Also let me just say that traditional Finnish Christmas food is the most delicious! 

Christmas in a box from my family.

 
Spoiled Missionaries on Christmas!

Must have been Daddy's idea!
Matching slipper booties with my Companion

Skype with the family on Christmas morning (for them) evening (for me)



Monday, December 28, 2015

December 22, 2015 HYVÄÄ JOULUA!!‏

Hmm...lets see if I can sum up everything in 5 minutes...wellllll:
-We had a really run night this week going to a dinner place for Christmas. Its was all traditional Finnish food with a whole lot of fish and very delicious. So I was eating this really weird sourish pudding fluff (I really have no idea what it was) and then I found out after couple bites that it was fish eggs and for some reason that was a little too much for me and I couldnt eat anymore of that. We had so much fun with the members who took us there! 
-We have done a lot of caroling this week. Caroling is such a good way to share Christs love and the Spirit of this season. A few of the people we have gone to were literally moved to tears. So precious.
-Crazy things about Finland...well the sun sets around like 2 everyday and when it is up in the sky its just on the horizon so its like the sunset...its quite beautiful and I actaully love it! I don't think I would mind all that much to have it like this always--but who knows, maybe that is just because I have only been here in the dark season. Oh also, yesterday was the "darkest day of the year" so now its starting everyday to get lighter. That will be a change!
-CHRISTMAS!!! "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be on his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, counsellor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." I read this scripture this morning and pondered for a little while. Christmas isn't just about Christ's birth, but His life. Through His life we learn about Him and through our lives we find out what "name" he has for us personally.  Christ has many different "names", perhaps Hope, Love, Friend, Brother, Comforter, Savior, etc. This Christmas I hope we come closer to Him to find more names that he has that help us to know Him better.

(the middle top is the fish egg fluff...fooled me!)

Thursday, December 17, 2015

December 15, 2015 HYVÄÄ JOULUA (Merry Christmas)‏

This week, was an incredible one. My journal has gotten significantly thicker. .What a wonderful blessing we have to be here and learn so much and be tried so hard and for our roots be forced to grow long and deep. 
Sisar Albiston and I are getting along a better than we ever have. We are trying to work hard and get a lot done. Its great to see the recent converts progress and grow. What a testimony builder that has been for me.
I loved the Christmas devotional that we heared this week. Its such a difference when we focus on Chirst during this season instead of so much on all the distractions that take away from him. I dont think that I have ever really tried my best to focus on Him fully at Christmas and I look forward to a new missionary Christmas this year.
I feel healthy and happy and still working hard with everything. I look forward to a week about Christ and the blessing He is. 
Now for the fun part PICTURES and STORIES!!
 This week we got 3 new investigators and they are all so great! We teach so much and I am just amazed at how fast you grow to love the people you teach. Its cool that Finland is such a melting pot right now and people from all over the world are here with an opportunity to hear the Gospel--something they might not have had the chance for otherwise.
We saw the NOTHERN LIGHTS last night (for real this time-dont worry-) and it was magical. Just imagine us with every window in our apartment open for over an hour with us going from side to side taking pictures and videos and just being your average excited girls. We might have froze with the -6 degree weather outide...but it was so worth it. I even did a little rearranging in the bedroom so my bed was right up against the window and fell asleep watching the sky. SO AMAZING!!


Me watching the Northern lights from our apartment... gahhh!!
We went to a Lutheran Joulu concert this week in a HUGE church here in Vaasa with one of our investigators. She has grown up Lutheran and really wanted us to have a little experience with what she is used to and we got permission from the mission president (it only makes sense that we could go because she comes to our church--Presidnet thought it was a swell idea). Its was absolutely breathtaking. We may not have known the songs well, but Sisar Albiston and I sang our little hearts out in Finnish Christmas songs.
Lutheran Church with our friend





We just have too much fun...and we are all just sooo different. I am the only one from Utah. We have a Finn, a Swed, 2 Austrailians and the others are from all over the US. We are a pretty solid group...may or may not be doing a secret santa next week for district meeting...of course with the mission rules the sisters buy for each other and the elders buy for each other...hmm I wonder who has me? ;)


The missionaries in my District


December 8, 2015 Christmas and McDonalds in Finland...

So there is a glorified McDonalds here in Finland that looks like a castle on the outside. One of the members who is in her 80s loves it here so we went for a "night on the town" (or maybe just a "hour-of-missionary-dinner-time on the town" with her and I ate my VERY FIRST BIG MAC in Finland.
No big deal... but kinda a big deal.

our sneekpeek at our christmas card...coming soon from yours truly! :)
We had too much fun getting these pictures...


December 8, 2015 Dorcas my Sweetie

What a good week. Dorcas is now a member of the Church and her baptism went just beautifuly!! She was and is so ready for this new chapter of her life. It was precious for me to experience this with her, especially when she received the gift of the Holy Ghost. I may or may not have peeked open my eyes for a second during the prayer (I know...I will be better and not do that anymore) to see her with tears spilling over. I was happy to see this, but also slightly nervous because I knew that she was terrified of being infront of the congregation and said she might cry in fear. When we later talked, she expressed with a full glowing smile that she has never felt so much warmth in her heart. She said it was so different, but "very very awesome". I didnt realize that these things actually happen in real life! The whole experience has been so tender and I feel like my testimony has been swelling. 
 
Its just incredible to look back on a week and see all that we accomplished (even if in the moment I didnt feel like we were getting enough done). I love the blessings that we are able to be because we are here serving the Lord. (I know..annoying missionary talk)

Dorcas!! :)



Salmiakki Suklaa--I have a new sweet tooth for p-day celebration black liqorish chocolate #cantspellinenglish


December 1, 2015 Happy Thanksgiving

So...Thanksgiving is an American holiday...not a Finnish holiday...did we celebrate? I think YES!! Jessica (my fellow American friend who is from Utah and married a Finn and is like my best friend here in Vaasa) put together a Thanksgiving dinner and it was our investigators and the YSA of the ward and the Elders. Sheesh it was probably the most fun holiday one could have as a missionary. We all brought part of the meal--Sisar Albiston and I brought stuffing and apple pie (we may or may not have eaten practically a whole pan of stuffing before the actual meal), the Elders made sweet potatoes and "accidently" tripled the sugar while leaving the potatoes at normal amount...yes, it was still a hit and Dorcas (our investigator who is getting baptized on this Thursday) made the most delicious cheese cake one could ever eat! Everyone else brought more food, but I just cant remember what it was because now my mind is consumed by the idea of that cheesecake and the ridiculous food coma I went into after our meal. Long story longer, it was one of the funnest nights as a missionary. 
Just a few of us on the far end of the ping pong table

Sisar Albiston and I eating chocolate angels :)

November 24, 2015 Winter in Finland


A picture is worth a thousand words...right?? First snowfall of the winter and its a winter
wonderland here!! (this is just right outside our apartment window the first hour it started snowing)


Finland the dream...


November 17, 2015 It's getting colder here in Finland!!!

This week was my first transfer week and its crazy not to be with Sisar Harris anymore! Sisar Albiston is my new companion here in Vaasa and we are doing a lot of hard work. She is really nice and she actually has started to teach me how to knit! So fun. I am like one of those crazy little old ladies knitting during the lunch hour....
Me and sister Albiston
 


We ate fresh fish...REAL fresh fish and it stil had a hunch of bones in them...Its was absolutely delicious. I think my new goal in life is to be a fisherwoman and just eat what I catch. 







 
Also, funny story, so this week we were driving down the road and FREAKED OUT because we saw lights in the sky. We immediately pulled over to get out and saw, what we thought, were the nothern lights!!! It was so amazing and we were taking pictures and we even told one of the members that I was on the phone with...Ya, the next day that member, Sisar Bassett, saw us and explained that you cannot see the northern lights when its cloudy...and that those were most likely just lights from a nearby club. Yes, how embarassing. We were going nuts over the fact that we had finally seen the northern lights.. but no, we are just dorks. Feel free to laugh at us!! We sure laughed!

November 9 2015 JEFFREY GOT BAPTIZED!!!

Jeffrey--my first lesson that I ever taught in Finland as a missionary--has been investigating for 5 months and as of November 7/8th is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!! (dont worry I have permission to tell you about his from him) He is from Nigeria, and wants to follow Jesus Christ more dilligently than anyone I have ever met. The baptism went absolutely perfectly. The service was beautiful, about 10 of 15 ward members came and Jeffrey was so touched by how supportive and happy everyone was for him. Our second investigator decided that she feels better about getting baptized on December 3rd which we are very excited about. Its crazy, we had been planning this whole baptism for her and didnt realize that the Lord was actually having us plan Jeffreys, without knowing. Many tender mercies this week. Ive not seen Jeffrey this happy before, and last night as we taught our first "New Convert Lesson" to him, he was just beaming and going on and on about his experience and the happiness of it. He really is an incredible man, and I can just picture him being in the Quorum of the 70. Just 1 week ago, we committed him to be baptized and in this lesson he talked a lot about how when he told us that November 7th sounded like an "sure, fine day" he wasnt one hundred percent yet, but we called, President (the guidelines for what missionaries do when commiting someone to a baptismal date) and told the ward mission leader. When he came to church that next sunday and he heard that we had told President, he "took it by great surprise but as a sign from God" that he really was supposed to get baptized. I have seen him grow these past 2 months being in Vaasa so greatly.  It was honestly the closest that I have ever been to heaven when he got up to the stand on Sunday, after receiving the Holy Ghost, and bearing the most heartfelt testimony. I was in the most content, and perfect place, seeing him up there with the biggest smile on his face. I can only imagine how God feels about all of us when we make good choices. 

Transfers are tomorrow (hence why I am emailing on Monday instead of the usual Pday Tuesday) and I am staying in Vaasa with a new companion named Sisar Albiston. I am nervous but excited to meet her. I have heard from down the grapevine that she loves Disney "with all her heart" so this will be new for me. Sister Harris and I worked really hard to make sure that we ended this transfer well, and I feel so good about these first two months in Finland. I am trying to be more healthy and dilligent, and while sometimes it is completely overwhelming, I am progressing a little bit everyday. It looks like the Lord knows that I have learned all that I can from Sisar Harris now, and its time for a new companion to grow and develop with. I am excited to see what is in store for Sisar Albiston and I and the work that we will be able to accomplish. 

Sisar Cardon


The Big man on the Big Day!!!

This is Jeffrey after we gave him his "Baptism Present" of Jesus the Christ...he was practically jumping up and down. Its right up his alley. He is the coolest guy I know!
(just wait until this man is speaking at general conferences)