Aug 25th 2015 Q&A's

I sent an email to Schyler with a few questions. Thought I would share her answers her since there was no big email for everyone today and I think the answers are important enough to share......so here goes.

1) What things did you do in High School that you are glad you did - things that helped you be more ready for a mission?

Schy's answer:

  * Go to seminary with the attitude that whatever the lesson was on, was something that God wanted me to hear that day and that there was always something to learn.  Even if it was just scripture mastery quizzes.  When I went I went with the intent to be edified and uplifted, seminary became much more personal and spiritual and it helped me to leave that building with a renewed testimony to choose the right and be a better person. 

 * Remember that your parents and leaders are "God's messengers" in a sense.  God has placed these people in your life for a specific reason-- even your parents (I know that sounds funny).  But they are there to help you choose the right and they want what is best for you, even if you sometimes don't realize or think it.  Ask for their advice, learn from them, and let them become your best friends.  Remember they are older and wiser!  

*Don't forget to pray!  For the majority of my time in high school, I would try to remember to pray every night.  Then I remember multiple times when I just knew I needed help or I just felt alone.  Maybe it was even before a basketball game-- Of course I knew that God wouldn't just magically at the end of the game change the score so that we would win, but he would give me the strength to play and the stamina to last the game.  He would give me a clear mind to focus on the plays and guarding the person in front of me.  He would help my body to function properly so that I could play.  I can't say at the time (during high school), that I felt like my prayers were necessarily always answered (or at least I didn't notice), but I know that just that relationship that I developed with my Heavenly Father, helped me to know that I could find peace in just talking to him and knowing that he was listening.  He didn't always take all my problems away or solve them for me, neither did he just magically make me change things that were wrong in my life, but he gave me the peace, comfort, assurance, guidance, and strength to do so myself.  I may not have seen it then, and maybe you can't see the purpose of prayer in your life right now, but just DON'T FORGET TO PRAY! God is listening and your prayers will always in one way or another be answered, maybe not the way you planned or expected, but they will be answered. 

2) Is there anything you wish you would have done different to prepare for a mission?

Schy's answer:YES!!!  -Read my scriptures and pay much more attention when you have family scripture study and also in seminary.  Seriously, you don't have to be a scriptorian on your mission, but it sure helps a lot to be able to share a favorite scripture with someone on the street when you actually have one and to be able to explain "why" it's your favorite and the story behind the scripture.    -Share the Gospel.  I know growing up in small town beaver, you think... "everyone is Mormon", there aren't very many missionary opportunities, but trust me, there are!!!  There were moments I remember being prompted to just talk to someone I didn't even know in high school before because maybe they needed a friend and I knew they weren't mormon, and maybe that would help them to come to know of the gospel.  If you think about it this way... we really are lucky because we live in a town where so many people are Mormon, then you know who is and who isn't!  Go find those who aren't and Share the gospel with them!   You'll be surprised at what happens!!!  
3) Sum up your experiences of the last 8 months?
Schy's answer:ugh... I am running out of time mom.. sorry.  I wish I could say more.  Simply put-- the last eight months have taught me more about God's love and his plan for me in my life.  I have learned of the Savior's infinite Atoning sacrifice for me and all mankind and that for me personally, that means that not only did he suffer for my sins, but also for my weaknesses, trials, pains, and sorrow.  He knows perfectly well what we experience in life.  I love the words to "I Stand All Amazed" and "How Great Thou Art".  They sum up perfectly what I feel about the last eight months at least personally in my life.    This is my favorite quote right now to go along with that:
"Your Heavenly Father loves you-- each of you.  That love NEVER changes.  It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account.  It is not changed by your talents and abilities.  It is simply there.  It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful.  God's love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love.  It is simply ALWAYS there."  -President Monson 

August 25, 2015

When we got stranded without a bus 60 km outside of Jyvaskyla.  Boy! was it every HOT!!!!!

It's US!  

Same Beautiful Lakes!!!!!!!

Me and Sisar Allen at our favorite lake in Palokka!!!!

August 18, 2015 "A Heart Full of Love & Happiness"

Kaikille:

Oh what a week... what a wonderful wonderful week! So... last tuesday, we were able to go to the house of the family that we just found and teach them for the first time and then we were able to go again last night.  Let me preface all of this though-- Most people we talk to or I have taught thus far on my mission either aren't even from Finland so they speak English, or they are Finnish and they speak quite a bit of English, so what I'm not able to say, I can say in English... or at least most of the time.  Well, this family, doesn't speak a lick of English-- whatsoever!  Only Finnish.  So me and Sister Allen being fairly new and not knowing Finnish super well were hoping that maybe, just maybe, they would speak a little English too.  Well first lesson, we find out: NOPE they do not speak English.  We were really nervous going into our first lesson, but had role played A LOT.  I prayed and prayed in my heart that it would go well.  We have worked so hard just to find someone that is willing to actually meet and listen.  I want so badly someone who really cares about what we are teaching them and wants to go somewhere with it.  Well this is how the first lesson went-- the Dad was the one who we had talked to in the very first place, so we sat down at the table with him, and then asked if his wife wanted to come in and join too.  So she came in and sat down.  She listened, but didn't say a lot.  The dad had read almost all of the chapters of the "Questions of the Soul" that we had used to talk with him at the door.  It was crazy.  That means he had read at least 10 chapters of the Book of Mormon.  He said he really likes it because it is so much simpler to understand than the bible.  We were able to talk all about families and the blessings that we can receive through the gospel.  We felt like it would be a really good thing to talk about with them since they have two little boys-- one that is 10 and one that is 3.  We talked about God's love for his children and that he has prepared a plan for all of us to return to live with him after this life.  They listened really well and I could tell that they were really thinking about what we said to them.  We explained a little about the Family Proclamation and then committed them both to reading it before we met again.  The best thing was that we said a prayer at the end of the lesson and I just felt the spirit so strongly.  They agreed to meeting again and it was just so great!  

So then our second lesson, the Dad had read more of the Book of Mormon, and they had both read the Proclamation.  We talked more about what they had liked from the Proclamation.  I talked about one of my favorite parts-- that we can be together with our families forever through these sacred ordinances and covenants we make in the temple.  We were then able to tell them just a little about temples.  They said that that was a great promise.  We then did just a basic low down of why we are here and what our hope for them is.  The dad talked about attending many churches before hand.  So I asked him well does learning about our church feel the same or different.  He took a few moments to answer and then he looked at us and said, "it feels different."  It was such a defining moment in the lesson.  I was just so happy inside.  We were able to talk to them about church and they committed to coming to church this Sunday with their WHOLE family!!! What?!  We also tried to get one of them to pray at the end of the lesson.  It was a struggle for a while because the Dad wanted the mom to pray, but she felt embarrassed about doing it, so finally one of us, said we would say it, but we made them promise to pray out loud together that night.  They said that they would.  

I can't tell you how full of happiness and love my heart is today.  WE ARE TEACHING A FINNISH FAMILY!!  It's such a wonderful feeling inside.  I walked away from their lesson last night, almost speechless because I knew that Heavenly Father had directed every single part of that lesson-- he had helped me to speak Finnish enough that they could understand and had helped me to understand more of what they said.  We had taught them so much more than we had even planned and I had felt the spirit while we were there.  It was amazing!!!  

Another great story that happened yesterday as well--

As we were sitting on a bench trying to role play our lesson for that family that we would teach in an hour, a man who we had passed earlier on the street that day and said hi to, stopped and started to talk to ask us a question.  He had a really bad stutter and he didn't speak Finnish hardly at all.  Well, long story short, despite the HUGE language barrier, we talked to him for a while and ended up walking with him to his house and met his wife and we were invited in and given orange juice and some yummy cinnamon bread and cookies.  We were able to download the Book of Mormon on their phone and give them a pass along card to show them where they could look up our website and learn more.  They are from Iraq and moved to Finland because there were so many problems happening there.  They don't speak any English, but they really try to speak Finnish.  They haven't ever taken a class or anything, they just have learned by listening and talking with people.  It's so crazy to me how kind they were and willing to just let us into their home and feed us.  The husband even told us if we are ever close by and we are tired, we can come and take a nap if we ever need too.  They even offered us dinner, but we had to go for our appointment.  Seriously, here are these people who don't even know us AT ALL.  None of us speak Finnish very well, but we are able to communicate and figure out what the other one is saying.  I felt of their love and I know they felt the same way.  I started to cry as we left their house, because I couldn't believe how kind they had been. That doesn't just happen everyday.  EVER.  Especially not with a language barrier like that one.  It is a testimony to me that it doesn't matter what language you speak, or even how well you speak it-- actions speak much much louder than words, and when the spirit is present, all things are possible.  I think we will try and go back to visit them sometime, we just will probably have to get permission because they may be Muslim. 

My heart is ever full of love!  SO SO SO MUCH LOVE!  God loves all of us!  He is watching over us.  He has created a plan for us centered on the life and Atonement of Jesus Christ to make it possible for us to return and live with him.  This life truly is a time to grow and learn and become more like our Savior Jesus Christ.  Lift up your hearts, lift up your eyes, and speak what is in your heart be it happiness or sorrow-- He is always listening, He is always watching, and He is always there to lift and love you.  I know this is the true church of Jesus Christ.  He is leading and guiding it and He loves each one of us!  I know these things are true in the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Have the most wonderful week ever!!  

Rakkaudellani,

Sisar Jordan                  

Its been really hot!  Great day for an icecream.....

FINLAND !!!!!!!

Lakes of Finland and Beautiful sunsets!

Oh, you know, just our everyday walk down the roads of Finland !!

August 11, 2015 "It takes 100+ to find the one!"

Kaikille:

Hey everyone!  Another day in the life...  what a week! 

So on Wednesday, we accidentally took the wrong bus and ended up all the way in Tikkakoski and we didn't have time to stay out there, because the bus only goes back to the center every so often, so we had to catch the next bus back.  It's frustrating when that happens because then 2 hours of your day is wasted sitting on a bus with hardly any people, but it happens and it makes for some funny adventures and we get to practice all of our vocab! :)  Later that evening, we had a dinner appointment at an American member's apartment.  She is going to school here and we really love her!  After we left her house, we went tracting for a while before we were going to go home.  The area we were in was near her apartment, and about a half hour away from our's.  Forgetful me, accidentally left my planner at the member's apartment and Sarah texted us while we were tracting to tell us.  Well little miss me who always seems to have to go to the bathroom, thought I was going to pee my pants, because lucky us... Finland doesn't know what "public bathrooms" are.  Thank goodness for us, she (American) lives so close to where we were at, and we had to go back there for my planner, I was able to use her bathroom... thank goodness!!  

AHH.... it's starting to get darker here every night.  I go out on the Parveke (enclosed balcony) every night to say my prayers and so I've been able to see how much darker and darker it's getting at night.  It's making me sad that the summer is getting closer to being over and that just means that Winter is getting near.  I can't say that I'm super excited for that.  I just really love the summer here... nothing beats it!  

Well there's some really great news for this week:  We have our investigator back.  We decided to text him and just see if he would meet us to have a member share his conversion story with him, and he said that he has thought and prayed and knows that this is something he needs to continue learning about and studying.  We had a lesson with him last night and it went fairly well too!  He's quite the talker, which is unusual for Finns, and that is sometimes hard because he will go off on stories of his life and we have a hard time bringing it back because we don't understand exactly all that he is saying.  Slowly me and Sister Allen are trying to figure out this crazy language and understand what people are saying, but we just aren't quite that great at it yet!  It's coming though.  Our investigator is really patient with us though and we're really grateful for that.  I'm just so glad that it has worked out and he is willing to continue meeting!  

BEST NEWS OF THE WEEK:

We have done some serious tracting here and not a lot of results have come from it.  There have most definitely been quite a few moments that I just think to myself, "Is it because I stink at Finnish?  Is it because our approaches are just awful and don't make sense?  Do I smell?  Do I look weird?"  Honestly, I have just thought what is wrong here?  We have tried to figure out what exactly we are doing wrong and it just has seemed like we just really stink at this.  Well the other night we went out to an area to contact a potential, who wasn't home, so we decided that we would tract in that area.  The same as I have thought a lot lately, I just thought, well here we go again... about to look dumb and no one will listen, but yes Heavenly Father I will do this and could you please just let something amazing happen.  Well this time he really did!  We tracted into a family who listened to everything we had to say.  We got their number and name, set up a return appointment, gave them a book of Mormon, and asked them to read before we came.  Our appointment is tonight!!! AHH!!!   It was just such a great feeling inside to know that all our efforts finally paid off.  It literally probably took us about 500 to find this one, but it was worth how great I felt about it when we walked away from their door that night!   I am so deeply grateful that Heavenly Father has heard all of my prayers and is listening.  He loves us and when we do our best and trust in his promises and his timing and his ways, we are blessed.  I have a quote from the talk "Come What May & Love It" by Joseph B. Wirthlin that I really like that goes along with this experience.  It says: 

"The Simple Secret it this: Put your trust in the Lord, do your best, then leave the rest to Him." 

I know that that's what I am trying to do.  Put my trust in the Lord, do my best, and leave whatever happens up to him.  

I want you all to know that I truly know that we have a loving Heavenly Father watching over us every day.  He loves us and does want us to succeed in this life.  He is waiting to bless us and uplift us.  He hears our prayers and he answers them in his own way and time.  Believe that he is there.  Believe that he is listening.  Believe that he will bless you.  

I love you all! Make yourselves a fabulous week! 

Rakkaudellani,
Sisar Jordan

We didn't realize we had Ice cream mustaches :}

Lakes, Lakes and more lakes!

8/4/15 Pictures from Finland

Sometimes it gets really HOT!!!!!

I like to wear my rainboots !!

"We're singing in the rain ....just singin in the rain!"

FINLAND....I want to go in a hot air ballon here

We like to be silly !!!

8/4/15 "Another Day in the Life........"

Kaikille:

Mä Rakastan Teitä!!  Oikeasti... I am so very grateful for all of you and for the love and prayers and support I feel!! You are all so wonderful!  This week was both happy and disappointing.  So last preparation day in the evening, we took a bus out to a farther area to have a lesson with a potential investigator who hadn't been there for the last one that we had scheduled.  When we got there, she said that it was their sauna time, and to come back another evening.  That was frustrating.  So then we had to go to the Prisma (a huge store like walmart all over Finland)  because there isn't one in the center and the stores in the center didn't have what we were looking for.  We thought there were plenty of buses that left from there and we'd be able to catch one back home, but when we got out of Prisma, and started checking the bus schedules and trying to figure out which bus stop we needed, we realized that there were not any buses going back to the center for at least a half hour or more.  So... we had to walk.  It was about 4 or 5 miles that we walked and we didn't get home until about 9:35pm.  We definitely got our fair share of walking in for the evening.  

So then Torstaina we had prepared our lesson for this investigator (I can't say his name because of privacy laws in Finland otherwise I would-- but yes he has a name) we have right now and then... he cancelled on us.  That was really frustrating, but we got to go and do some good ole tracting for quite a while and had some really funny experiences doing that.  Unfortunately, no one wanted to listen to us, but for the most part, a lot of people weren't home.  

Saturday was one of the best days of my mission thus far.  So.. Äänekoski is one of the farthest areas for us to travel to within our own big area.  It takes about an hour on one of the bigger buses to get there.  So sister Allen hadn't been out there before and of course I hadn't yet either.  We had made some plans with a member family out there to share a spiritual message and do some service for them.  Unfortunately, the buses only come like every few hours so we were going to have to spend the majority of the day out there.  Well the family we went to go visit was SO great!  They had us cut up like this huge box of strawberries, and then later we all ate them with ice cream! It's strawberry season right now and the strawberries seriously taste like candy they are so good!  They must not get missionaries out there very often because then they started calling the other member family that lives in an area just right close by to see if we could go and visit them as well. Then they even went so far as to take us all the way out there.  Well this was an older couple who seriously live like in the middle of the Forrest.  It's like a fairytale land where they live... oikeasti... it's so beautiful.  Wild flowers everywhere and just trees trees trees everywhere you look.  They were SSOO excited to have us out there and it was just so fun to get to know more of the members in our ward.  It was just such a great day!!  

One of the coolest things right now, is that you can just be walking down a path to get somewhere and just along the side of it are all these wild strawberries that you can just pick and eat.  It's the best thing!  I can't describe to you all just how beautiful Finland is!  AHH!!! 

So the biggest disappointment of this week was that yesterday, we had a huge lesson planned with this investigator and we were seriously so excited and ready for it.  We had planned it all out with the member too, and talked about our lesson plans with them and what would be best, and then about a half hour before the lesson, he texted and said that he has read and prayed about the Book of Mormon and he does like it and knows it has answers for him.  He has a lot of questions that he wants answers to, but wants to search for them alone.  He says that he knows he needs us, and that when he is ready, he will call us.  It was the most disappointing thing ever.  I just saw so much potential and I had just had such high hopes for him.  In about two weeks we are going to follow up with him and see where he is at.  It's pretty disappointing, but we'll see what happens from here.  

Well that's about it for this week! It was a great week full of lots of tracting and potential lessons, but valitettavasti didn't go exactly as we had planned.  That's alright though... hopeful this week something really exciting happens!!!  :)  I love you all and I'm so grateful for you all! Make yourselves a great week!  

Rakkaudellani,
Sisar jordan

7/28/15 "Come What May And Love IT!"

Kaikille:

WE HAVE A NEW INVESTIGATOR!!... and he's a Finn.  (No english)  Ahh.. the week is looking hopeful!  After about 4 lessons falling through this week, we finally had a lesson at the church with a man who is about 60.  We had role played and really talked about this lesson for quite a few days and the first two attempts to have the lesson fell through because he cancelled on the first two.  The lesson went well and the member that came was so awesome.  We were able to give him a church tour after the lesson and it was just such a great feeling afterwards.  While we were in the lesson, we asked him about whether he had been a part of other churches or whether religion had ever played a big part in his life.  He said that he hasn't really ever been involved with a church before, but has talked with Jehovah Witnesses, and people from a Helantai church before.  He said he Never really felt like it was right or that he should keep learning more, but that during our lesson and also the first time when the Sister's who referred him to us contacted him on the street and had talked to him, he just kept having a warm feeling in his heart.  It was so good to hear.  The church is true and the spirit is real.  That lesson was yesterday and we have another return appointment with him on thursday.  We are so excited.  The only downside to all of this is that I couldn't understand a lot of what he said in the lesson and because Sister Allen is two months behind me, she understood even less than that.  It was just really great that we had prepared a lesson and gone over it a lot, and also that we had a member who spoke enough English to be able to explain some things to us after the lesson.  We are definitely going to need the help of the members, but I know that with their help and with the help of the Lord, we will be able to teach him.  I just feel really good inside about this investigator and I am just grateful that we finally have someone interested enough to keep learning more and having us teach them. 

FUNNY STORY FOR THE WEEK:

We had scheduled a return appointment with a potential investigator last week and this week we were going for our lesson, but when we showed up, no one was home... or so we thought.  We rang the doorbell twice and I swore I saw some shadow move in the house, but I just figured maybe I was imagining things.  So we decided to leave a pass along card with a note on it that we had come and to call us, in her mail slot.  I was standing By the side of the house using the side of the house to write on the little card while sister Allen just kept looking through the big Window of the house haha.  Well then all the sudden she just kind of laughs and says, oh haha I just made eye contact with someone... awkward.  So then I'm like really?  And she says yep, some kid in the house just peeked around the corner and I made eye contact with him.  So then we run out of the yard fast and then finish the note and die of laughter.  I guess it was her 16 year old son who had answered the door a few weeks ago.  It was rather funny and slightly frustrating too though that he wouldn't answer the door, but that's alright.  We got a good laugh out of it. 

The other frustrating story of this week is that we decided to contact a former and his wife and when we knocked on the door and asked if we could come share a small message about families with them, he just said, "We've already heard your message and we're not interested."  So then I just said "alright well can we leave this pamphlet of the Family Proclamation with your family?  It just tells more about how we can strengthen our homes through Christ."  His response was this, "We're not interested in strengthening our family through Christ."  He wouldn't even take the pamphlet and it just was sad to hear him say that.  Then we saw them in the grocery story today and I just thought, gosh I sure hope he changes his mind and feels bad about what he said and how he acted.  One day he will be ready!

Well that's about it for this week!!  I am just so grateful for all the Lord is blessing us with! This week was really great and I am excited for this coming week!  I love the Lord and I know that he is with us always.  He cares about us and loves us.  God has a plan for all things and all people and we just have to be obedient, be patient, love him, and let his plan fold out as it should.  I love you all and I am so grateful for everyone! Make yourself a great week!!! 

Rakkaudellani,

Sisar Jordan

Our faces really aren't red like this!!!!

And another week down !!!!!