Kaikille:
Minä rakastan
Suomea!!! I love Finland! It is so beautiful here and so sacred and I
love this country!
Wow so much happens in
one week... it's crazy. I wish I could just share everything with you
every week-- all the moments of my mission and exactly how I am feeling and my
thoughts. I wish somehow they could take a video of our missions that
everyone could watch and experience everything with us, but I will share the
most precious ones of this week.
So the funny moment was
this:
-We went to help Sister
Jokinen (one of my favorite women),a lady in our ward, clean her house and we
tried to get the cushion covers off... in dresses... it was not
happening. It was pretty funny because they were stuck on there so
tightly. Then I also sprayed her son Onni with a water gun and we almost
got in a huge water fight.. me in my dress and all. Her boys are 10 and
12 I think and they are lots of fun!
Random:
-We had a really random
lady calls us in the middle of the afternoon on Thursday and I guess about a year ago she had met with
some of the sisters that were here once. She wanted to meet again.
So weirdly enough we weren't sure exactly what we were getting into, but we met
her in Itis (like a huge shopping mall) and went and sat down at some tables by this cafe called
Arnold's. We talked about the gospel and a lot about the Book of
Mormon. The weird thing was, she really wasn't interested in changing at
all, but said she just wanted to "share experiences" because that's
how she learns. It was rather interesting, but hopefully we can change
her mind and she will realize how much this church really is for her and will
bring truth into her life.
Spiritual/Emotional
(x10000):
-President Watson just
came out with a new rule that we can't leave our areas at all anymore for even
dinner appointments with people in the ward. It has the ward members
pretty fired up here in Marjaniemi because they now are only able to feed certain
missionaries, and the Elders in Porvoo have hardly any members who live out
there, so they will probably not have any Dinner appointments. Well
regardless, we have an old lady in the ward who got diagnosed with cancer back
in March when I was with Sister Seegmiller. Sister missionaries have been
visiting her since I don't even know when... but for a long time! She LOVES
them!!! She doesn't really have any family who comes to see her and she
is all by herself. Her cancer has just gotten progressively worse and she
has lost more and more weight since I have been here. She's practically
skin and bones now. She is seriously the sweetest, kindest old lady
ever. She doesn't speak any English, so that has been good for me to have
to really pay attention and use my Finnish more. Well because she doesn't
live in our area, we decided that meant we would be breaking a rule if we went
there still, so we didn't know what to do. We asked the Zone Leaders and
they said we could go one last time to tell her. So we went and long
story short... she was crying. Her heart was broken and she was so
sad. It made me feel so sick inside and I started crying too. I
just sat there and held her hand and we both just
cried. It felt awful! I was so sad for her-- here is this little
fragile old lady who is slowly withering away from cancer and she has no one to
come visit her and she doesn't want the Elders to come or really ward
members... she just loves the sisters, and we just told her sisters wouldn't be
coming anymore. My heart was broken. So we went home that night and
we called the zone leaders and told them what had happened. They thought
about it over night and the next morning they called and said that they were
making an exception to this. We were so happy and when we called to tell
the old lady, she was so happy and I know that it completely lifted her
spirits. It made me feel so much better!
BIG NEWS:
SO... transfer calls
were this week... and... I am leaving! I will be going to Yväskylä to be a
senior companion to Sister Allen a newer sister, and finish her training
there. I am so excited! This will be really great and I have only
heard really great things about that city. They say it is one of the
prettiest places in Finland-- lots of lakes and forrest. They also say
that the people there are really great and that they speak really proper
Finnish so that will help me even more. There is a university there, so
lots of younger people. It will be so great!!! BUT... on the flip
side... I have cried and cried and cried and my heart hurts because I have to
leave here; I have to leave sister forrest and this ward and Marjaniemi.
I don't know of a place or a ward that will ever really hold the same spot in
my heart as this one does. I will miss sister forrest SO MUCH!!!
She is probably one of my best friends and I have learned more about myself and
life and Heavenly Father's love from her. Last night we planned and then we just both sat on the
couch listening to our favorite church songs from the transfer and sobbed our
heads off. I didn't know there would be so many goodbyes here in Finland
and especially not so many that hurt so much! Saying bye to so many
members on Sunday and taking pictures with everyone just hurt. I love
them all so much!! Me and Bishop's wife cried, me and Sister Jokinen
cried, me and Sister Humphries cried, and it's just hard to say bye to so many
people that I love so much and that have been here for me during one of the
hardest times of my life. I leave tonight about 6pm and I have to ride on a train by myself for about and
hour and half before I meet up with the new sister, and I already know that I
will be a mess when we pull away. I know that I will be a mess saying bye
to Sister Forrest because now we won't even be in the same Zone so I probably
won't see her for another year until I get home. She goes home in
October. I will miss her so so much!!! AAhhh... it's so bitter-sweet, but
I know that this is the Lord's plan and there's a reason I need to be in Yväskylä
at this time and with Sister Allen. I am grateful for change and that it
helps us to grow and progress and come closer to our Savior and Heavenly
Father.
I love Finland and I
love the people here! It is a sacred place and it means so much to me already!
I am grateful for prayer-- to know that I can really talk to my Heavenly Father
at all times, in all places, and about all things. He hears my prayers
and knows the fears in my heart, and he cares and loves me. I hope this
week you will all remember to PRAY OFTEN! Remember, God is your Heavenly
Father, and he wants to hear from you!! I love you all and I'm grateful
for all you are teaching me as well, even though far away! Make
yourselves a great week!!
Rakkaudellani,
Sisar Jordan
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