Eternal Families, Eternally Awesome

(Finland - Week 17) 

28 April 2015

Hyvää päivää!

Wow we had an awesome week! We are currently teaching a part-member family, the mother has been inactive for 30 years! Every time we go there the Spirit is so strong, we leave thinking "this right here, is why I want to be a missionary." This past lesson we were talking about eternal families and how we can prepare to have them. This past conference we were all reminded of the importance of families. They truly are central to God's plan of happiness. During our lesson, the wife started asking about what they could do to partake of eternal life as a family, "which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God." (D&C 14:7, shout-out to seminary scripture mastery games) We talked about the ordinances we must do before we can be sealed as families for time and all eternity, the wife then turned to the husband and said, "I want to be sealed as a family and live together for eternity. You need to be baptized." WOW! We testified of baptism so many times, but the Spirit was never as strong as it was just then. You could feel the love that that family has, and their earnest desire to live as a family after this life. It was a wonderful night, and I was just reminded of how grateful I am for my family. 

This week we also had an exciting phenomenon called blank day! Blank day is when you have absolutely no appointments of any kind. No meetings. Nothing at all that you need to be at. Thankfully these do not happen often. We had the awesome problem of running out of Mormonin kirjat because we gave so many away! We talked to so many people we contacted the same lady twice! (We recognized her, don't worry it wasn't that awkward.) We talked to a lady through her mail slot, the way she moved the flap really looked like a mouth, if someone dubbed over that it would be a conversation with a door. And we tracted into an elderly lady about to go sauna (that's definitely a verb), well I don't actually know where she was going, but her attire (the lack thereof) suggested the sauna. I really didn't know what to do in that situation, so I testified! That's what I've been told to do when I don't know what to say. Blank day = hundreds of new friends, talking doors, and much much more!!! 

It's been a good week for me, I hope it's been just as great for all of you! 

Much love and prayers,

Sisar Mendenhall

PS, look at this classy, good-looking pizza:) Actually it was really cheap and slightly burned, but still, it's got a great name.