Kutsuttu Palvelemaan: It's a Process......Just Have Faith!!!!

Well, everyone, another week down here at the MTC! It literally feels like it has been a month or more here. BUT it's true what they say, the days go by super slow and the weeks go by fast. This week has flown by. It's crazy! on Monday, I'll only have 6 more weeks here. Which is still a lot, but at least I'm a third of the way done at the MTC. Really, last Thursday was a big changing point for me! I realized that if I was going to be here I wanted to give it my all. Yes, Finnish is extremely hard, and there are days I feel like I'll never get it. No Offense to Jake, but sometimes I think, "Jake got through this and learned Finnish, why can't I? How did he do it?" I remind myself that we are all different and maybe this time Heavenly Father doesn't want me to learn it so fast that its easy. Which leads me to tell you all about this last week.

On Tuesday, we had a really huge devotional. Elder Russell M Nelson and his wife talked and also a member of the seventy. President Nally, the MTC president got released this week! Slightly, a big deal!!! LOL He was here when the missionary age change happened, so he's been here through a lot. Really sad to see he and his wife go. I actually know him and got a picture with the two of them. They are related to Amanda and her Mom, Barbara Farnsworth and they knew who I was and wanted to take a picture. The was a really cool moment. I also sang in the choir at the devotional. There were about 500 of us that sang. We sang, "Joseph Smith's First Prayer." It was amazing! The devotional was broadcast to all the MTC's around the world. Yes, I was on TV! LOL 3 times my branch president said!!! Elder Nelson's wife gave a really awesome talk that I knew was just for me. She talked about desperation. She talked about how in Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ's lives - in their greatest moments of despair all they could do is turn to their father in heaven for help and comfort. When we are desperate....things change......we find focus, we find energy and strength we thought we didn't have. We find time and our willingness to turn to others for help increases. We have vision and distractions fall away, our pride falls away and we change what we pray about. When we are desperate for the gift of our Savior's help, we then turn to him. When you finally are desperate enough you will turn everything over to him- distractions, wants, needs, everything! I realized that is what missions are really about. That's why the MTC is so hard. That's why learning Finnish can seem impossible and hard. We learn to turn to him and become desperate for his help!!! We learn to have faith in the Lord, but first we must struggle. I know this to be true and it is changing me in ways I never thought possible. I am grateful for my struggles and know that with time they will become blessings. For now, I just need to trust in God's timing and know that all I need is faith and hard work! I may not know the most or have the biggest Finnish vocabulary or speak the best Finnish, but I know I have a testimony of this gospel and how it changes lives! Essentially that is all I need!!

Well, the rest of my week was about the same. I am in my one and only classroom just about all day. I have breakfast, lunch and dinner in between and about 45 mins of gym time where I either play basketball or volley ball. I love that. I wake up at 5:45 and go to the gym and work out with one of the Hungarian sister's in my zone because no one else wants to get up that early and work out. They all usually wake up about 6:30am. The food is starting to get a little old, but food is food and we have to eat. We have lots of goodies for now, so I probably don't need any more of those for a while. Letters are AWESOME though....keep 'em comin' when you can!!!!

My companions are really good and honestly I think its just the fact that we are together 24-7 for 9 weeks that makes you get irritated with stupid things. Being in a tripanionship has its benefits and its downside too. But I've come to love all of the sisters going to Finland as well as the Hungarian sisters. I know there will continue to be moments of weakness and struggle as expected, but I know I can get through it! Thank you all for your love, support and advice getting me through these first two weeks! I love you all and I am grateful for your examples!

Until Next week-
Rakkendella (Love),
Sisar Jordan

P.S. Evankeliumi on tosi! (The gospel is true!)

I wanted to share with you my progress LOL!!! It's not much but I am trying. This is what I can say and remember off the top of my head!!!!!
My testimony:
Mina tiedan etta evankeliumi on tosi ja etta se tuo onnea. Mina tiedan etta mormonin kirja on tosija etta se on Jumalan sana. Mina tiedan etta Joseph Smith oli fosi profeettaja etta han palcutti kirkko. Mina myos tiedan etta han kaanti mormonin kirja. Kun uskomme Jumalassa me olemme siunai. Mina tiedan etta Jumala auttaa meita viva kaiki meidan koettelemus jos meilla on uskos. Mina tiedan etta Jumala vastaa meidan rukouksia ja han halua auttaa meita. Mina tiedan etta Kristus sovita meidan syntista,koska han rakastaa meita. Mina tiedan etta Jumala antoi meita tahdonvapans oppia ja kasvaa. Mina rakastan minun Vapahtaja, Jeesus Kristus ja minum Taivallinen Isa. Mina sanon taman kaiken Jeesuksen Kristuksen nimessa. Amen

Rakastan Sinua! Have a great week!!!!!