L.A. and 18 Daughters 
MTC - Week 3

Terve!

Every week is so different and I learn so much, but this week was especially so.

Monday the Sister Finnishionaries (Sister Finnish Missionaries, aren't we so cute?) took a day trip to LA! Yes, I do mean Los Angeles, California. We needed to visit the Finnish Consulate so we could get our visas. We woke up at 2:30am, bussed to the airport, caught our flight at 7:30 am, and we were off in the the real world! It was great! We talked to so many people, shared our love, bore our testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, were bluntly told what others thought of us, and absolutely loved all of it! It was great to be out of the MTC and practice teaching people that we just met on the street. Some were really receptive and talked with us for a while, and those people made the trip worth it. Our taxi driver was awesome! He drives the missionaries that head to LA for visas and so he has heard a lot about the church. We asked to go walk around the LA temple, and he decided to come with us. He loves his family so much, and on the temple grounds is a beautiful statue of a family accompanied by a description of how the gospel blesses families. He was so excited, he took pictures, and he expressed how much he loved that experience. It was so great to be able to see his love for his family.

So when I said "18 daughters", I wasn't talking about someone we met, I was talking about my companion and I. This past Sunday we were assigned to be the Sister Training Leaders (STL) for our zone, meaning we are in charge of all of the sisters' well-being. A little scary to think about, but we are already loving the new work! Yesterday new sisters came to the MTC that will be serving in Hungary and we were able to show them around, answer questions, and just help them through their first day here. We have learned the importance of planning and scheduling, my goodness do we use our planners. Our sisters truly are so great, they make wanting to serve so easy. Most of the time this assignment entails simply helping them know they are loved, and helping them to release stress. This week I came across a great scripture about joy in Genesis 21:6, "And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me." The footnotes for this verse say that in Hebrew the word for "to laugh" also means "to rejoice". The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is such a happy message, and everyone could always use a little more joy. Oftentimes we are the most happy, when making others happy so it's like double blessings! We are happy and so is our neighbor! I encourage you all to do some small thing to include others in your laughter and rejoicing. When you do so, they will feel your love, and it really is the more the merrier.

These pictures are of the LA temple which is really super beautiful.

Have a great week everybody!!

Minä rakastan teitä!!

Sisar Mendenhall