April 26, 2016

'' Do you feel those shards of ice hitting you in the face? That's God making you a strong woman!''

Quote of the week from Sister Kwok. 

It has been such an amazing week. We had exchanges with the Oulu STL's and that was fun. Honestly I was WAY stressed about it at the beginning because anyone that knows me knows that I AM SO DIRECTIONALLY CONFUSED and I can get lost in my own neighborhood, that has in fact happened. So yeah I was nervous to be the one in the companionship that was leading the way. But guess who didn't get lost in a foreign country? This missionary! It was such a good experience and I learned even just a little bit more to trust that the Lord will provide in all things. 

I haven't mentioned this but Sister Kwok and I have an amazing investigator right now who is getting baptized on May 7th! Her story is amazing and so is her spirit. I feel so blessed to be even a tiny part of it. She's from Nigeria so we teach her in English and I cannot express how amazing it feels to teach her and to prepare her for baptism in about two weeks from now!!!

A neat experience we had while trackting was that we met a Finnish woman who said we could come back the next evening because she didn't have time then. We gave her a Book of Mormon as well. The next night we did come back and we watched the church's Hallelujah video with her and taught about the restoration of the church. My Finnish is still coming along slowly but surely but I said that the Book of Mormon was the word of God and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. She looked me right in the eye and asked me how I knew that. Of course I started crying in the middle of the lesson as I bore my testimony of the Book of Mormon and just how much it has blessed my life. I told her that I knew it was true because I asked God and that I knew that if she asked she could also know and have those same blessings. We are meeting with her again this week and I am so excited for our next lesson with her. 

Yesterday was fast and testimony meeting in church because next weekend there is some type of holiday here.... I'm not exactly sure what it is. Anyways, I bore my testimony in church for the first time here in Finland and it was a very good experience. Sometimes I feel like I say the same 5 sentences over and over but I know that as I try my best to speak this amazing language the words I need will be given to me. 

I know that this church is true and that miracles happen. I know that as we share our testimonies they grow and that when we do things that are hard the Lord helps us when we ask him. I know that my prayers are being answered and that God and Jesus Christ live and love us so very much. Jeesuksen Kristuksen nimessa aamen.

whole zone minus the adults that fed us, 8 elders and us 2 sisters

Pietarsaari when we practiced our Swedish!

Interim when we went to the temple