Awkward  to Awesome 

(Finland – week 8)

24 Feb 15

Tervetuloa! 

It's been another great week and super warm, we are wondering why Spring is already here. It was a particularly delicious week thanks to the district bake off! Two companionships (us included) didn't actually bake, but it was all so good!

Finnish fun for the week:
Kun lakkaa satamasta, haetaan lakka satamasta. "When it stops raining, get the paint from the harbor." Things like this make conversation very exciting, when I only understand part of a sentence my response takes the conversation on a very different path. (My companion's reaction time has gotten really quick.) That's ok, my trainer said once someone asked her about the Restoration and Joseph Smith, and she was so excited to testify and share the gospel. Turns out, the person was asking about something totally different, but they then had a great conversation. On the bus the other day I was talking to a lady, trying to have a conversation on my own, one thing led to another, and suddenly she was crying. I testified of Christ and how through Him all wounds can be healed, I hope I didn't make her cry, but I know I made her smile at the end!

We have new investigators! It is wonderful! We are so excited to teach them and to help them grow in the knowledge of the gospel. What's also wonderful is when they read the Book of Mormon and do other things we tell them to do on their own. As missionaries, we tell people to do a lot of things, and often at first they are uncomfortable and awkward. However, once someone adopts these habits, they see why we tell them to do these things. This pattern of "man that sounds awkward" to "man this is awesome!" goes for lots of things God commands us to do. So what's the solution? Trust the Lord through the awkward! He doesn't give commandments without a purpose. Uncomfortable is a very good thing when it means we're trying to change for the better. Something that I definitely found uncomfortable about before my mission was missionary work. I never knew how to start. Lots of times we share the gospel without realizing it, and when people see it, they notice a difference but don't know why. We can find this in Acts 2:37, "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Lots of your friends, family, and acquaintances have probably felt just like this, and want to know what to do next. They probably won't ask, because remember, it's awkward. So you go be the icebreaker. Maybe they aren't ready yet, but you don't know that until you ask.

For all of you nonmembers reading this, I testify that this is true, and challenge you to visit Mormon.org, meet with the missionaries, and revel in the awkward. You won't regret it, and if you do what they say you'll come to love and know it. That's a promise at the end of the Book of Mormon:

"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

"And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:3-5)

I testify that Christ lives, He love you, and He wants to be a greater part of your life. I know this, now you go learn it. 

Love you all!

Sisar Mendenhall

Mämmi and Epic Salad‏ 

(Finland – Week 7)

17 Feb 2015

Hyvää ystävän päivää!! Happy Friend's Day! Finnish Valentine's. We had a lot of fun talking to people about God's love as they walked by with roses and chocolates. A woman at church gave us a chocolate cake! I love ystävän päivää!

This week I had exchanges for the first time. It was really fun, the Sister Training Leaders came and stayed at our place, and then one went with me for the day and one went with my companion. We tried really hard to schedule double appointments for that day, but as things go we ended up with only two. So with the STLs we did lots and lots of contacting. It was a lot of fun, we talked to so many different people, and heard so many stories. I don't catch a lot of the stories yet, so my contacting is a little sporadic, but that's pretty good. When someone totally shuts us down I'm still smiling! For all I know they could have promised me a chocolate cake (ok that's a lie, I would recognize "chocolate cake", I have my priorities). We gave one man a card that he said he would pass on to his roommate, and then we got a call, he actually had passed it on to his roommate and his roommate wanted to come to church! My companion is 2 weeks from going home and she says that has happened only twice. 

We just got back from buying "epic fruit salad" ingredients (as deemed by my companion) so I was thinking, when we go to the store we often look for the best. The best product, best for our money, best gift, etc. When Christ came to earth, He wasn't looking for the best, He was looking for the imperfect, the downtrodden, the ones that needed the most help. And help them He did.  There is a wonderful scripture in Romans 8:39, "Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." I love this!! No matter what we do, we cannot be separated from the love of God, nor can we go so far from it that we can't find it again. We have had a really rough week as far as people listening to us, but knowing this gives us the strength to talk to people even after rejection. God's love can be found everywhere, people just don't know how to see it yet. Helping them see it is the most rewarding thing on earth, and then we all come together as the most epic-not-to-be-eaten salad.

I can see the ground! It's getting so warm! 

This picture is me trying mämmi for the first time... I like it now but not so much the first few spoonfuls.

Hyvää päivän jatkoa!

Sisar Mendenhall    

Can't Top This‏  

(Finland - Week 6)  

10 Feb 15

Tomorrow!!     

(I said that the other day in greeting, I was trying to say "morning", huomenna vs huomenta, oops!)

Well this week was probably the best ever. It started off with three days of interim training at the mission home with everyone from my MTC group, their trainers, the Mission President and his wife, and a few other missionaries. We all stayed there, it was a full house with constant piano accompaniment. It was so great to see all of the missionaries that I started this amazing adventure with! Then it just got better as we talked about the pure love of Christ, "But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever, and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him." (Moroni 7:47) and how we can all live more like Him. The three days flew by in good food and great company. Such a good refresher and inspiration to keep working. The only thing I couldn't handle was how clean the mission home floors were, I can't tell you how many times I took corners too fast and reenacted running for the train. For a person as short as I it is surprisingly easy to topple me over. 

SATURDAY was even better, our investigator was baptized, and then SUNDAY he was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and given the gift of the Holy Ghost. It has been so wonderful to teach this man, he has truly embraced Christ. After he was baptized and confirmed there was a different light about him, he has always been a good person but now he's different. It's so wonderful to see him take the name of Christ, and promise to always keep his commandments. In the book of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon there is a group of people that were so excited to be baptized "they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts." (Mosiah 18:11) This man isn't very expressive, I was definitely acting more excited than he was, but I know he knows it's true, and that's just wonderful. I probably did enough clapping for both of us anyway. 

Another bonus of this week, I got home from interim and found a bar of chocolate in my bag, thank you wonderful MTC companion!

AND look what I found this week! Yes, minun ystäviä, that is the sun, shining down on Finland, and making a mini miracle. (This was the second time I saw the sun since coming.)

Much Love!

Sisar Mendenhall

Bonjour mes amies! 

(Finland – Week 5)  

02 Feb 2015

You know it's been a fun week when you sit down for language study and say "Yay! We only have to study one foreign language!" I taught my first lesson in French this week, well mostly my companion taught. She majored in French and now it is proving quite useful. We have a bookshelf in our apartment full of Books of Mormon, but there's only 2-3 of each language. There are lots of immigrants here and we love to find them and promise them a book in their own language. They usually get really excited, it's really special that missionaries teach people in their own languages. That really shows how much the Lord loves people, He wants everyone to hear the gospel not just anyway, but in a way that can speak to their hearts the best. 

This week I've thought about appreciating the little things, here's a few joys I found this week:

I've learned that you can really learn to love anything. I now love raisins. I've always avoided them like the plague and now we've eaten almost a kilo in a week. That's a small example, but really people can change. 

Our answers to prayers are often small, and often not answered how we think they should be but they always are answered. This week I really wanted a hug from a friend that was always so good at putting me back on my feet. That night my companion said some things that sounded just like what that friend would say, and then she gave me a big hug. I don't usually like hugs, ask my Dad how hugging goes for him. But then it was exactly what I needed.

These are only two examples, everyday there is a lot to be grateful for. Often we look for the big things that might not be there. Sometimes the thing we imagine we need is so big it blocks out what we have. Gratitude is really my favorite emotion, it expands and fills you up. The gospel is such a joyous message! I was talking with a Russian lady the other day and she was very impressed to hear how joyful our message is, why wouldn't it be? God is our loving Heavenly Father, "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25)  

Finland is wonderful, I was also worried about the snow melting, it's getting warmer. this picture shows I had nothing to fear, in the slightest. See if you can find the road.  

Hyvää päivää!!

Sisar Mendenhall