Sometimes there's just lots of good things I could put in this title thing and I can't pick which is the best‏

(Finland – Week 24)

23 June 2015

Hyvää Juhannuspäivää!! Happy Midsummer! In Finland that means grilling, möki attending, and an all-night-because-it's-light-all-night party!! For Finnish missionaries that means taking a trip to a beautiful möki with a particularly awesome family and receiving the testimony that yes, Heaven looks like Finland. (Ok, maybe that last bit is personal preference.) Oh my gosh, best family reunion I've ever crashed! We couldn't get over the view, the food, the musical performances, and just the kindness of this family. I told them I'll be back every year for forever. They said I'm welcome! I hope they realized I was totally serious. It's time to dig a tunnel to Finland so I can drive out every year.

 It's always awkward when we're standing there waiting for people to come to church and then they don't... We sat down slightly disappointed this week that no one had come, but shortly into the meeting someone waved us out, a man we met on the street and invited to come to church had shown up! We got him situated, and then were waved out again! One of the men we are teaching (because right now we are only teaching men...) was there and he had brought a friend! We got them situated and then the first hour ended. While moving to the next meeting another man that we are teaching came! Oh my goodness what do you do when suddenly you have four people at church?! Thank goodness we are three to allow for dividing and conquering and thank goodness for the Elders helping us out (with our multitude of men). We were able to set up appointments will all of them and have a wonderful Sacrament meeting (which is the last hour here in Vaasa). Later that day we were reveling in the Juhannuspäivä (Midsummer) revelry, and set up two appoinments on the street within 20 minutes! Wow it was a great day! It reminded me of Ether 3:5, "Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men." We had lots of things that seemed small that day all add up into a hugely successful Sunday. We never know how much work the Lord is putting forth to make our days awesome. It's wonderful to take a step back and imagine how He could have brought a seemingly little thing to pass.

Seriously though, look at these pictures. Home can be a heaven on earth when we are filled with love, also, Finland is a heaven on earth.

Have a fabulously Finnish day!

Love Sisar Mendenhall

HOTELissa   

(Finland – Week 23)   

16 June 2015

We had a fantastically full week with more lessons than usual, and we were out of our area for three days! On Tuesday we went up to Oulu for Zone Training and didn't get home until after dinner on Wednesday. On Saturday we went up to Pietarsaari for District (Stake) Conference in the afternoon, and didn't get home until dinner on Sunday. It was so fun to be so busy! Also, there are no sister missionaries in Pietarsaari (we usually stay at other Sisters' apartments when we travel) and no members in Pietarsaari were able to house us. So the three of us stayed at a hotel! Yes a hotel!! That's not too exciting, except when you think about the fact that missionaries never do that and that means I got a bed! (We don't have three beds, I'm on a mattress on the floor. It's ok, I was on the same for my last transfer too. Brings me back to all those times my family went camping, we never had mats to lie on, just sleeping bags. ("The pioneers didn't have air mattresses!") We had lots of fun using the hotel lamp, the hotel door, the hotel chair, and basically every normal thing that suddenly was exciting because it was hotel. We even had hotel breakfast! That was super delicious, much better than the standard 60-second-cereal-scarfing. 

District conference was particularly awesome, one of my favorite things was comparing what we do to maintain our testimonies to medicine. Going to church, reading our scriptures, praying, and all of those things are our medicine that keeps us well. The speaker talked about how when we get sick physically, we take additional foods/medicine/measures to make sure we have a speedy and full recovery. How come when we are spiritually sick one of the first things we tend to do is stop taking our spiritual medicine? That's just counterintuitive. I like how simple it is, and that it's about medicine, two things that remind me of my dad in this Father's Day season! My Dad always taught me the importance of going to church. Whatever language or whatever country we were in, we went to church. It was never a question. Surely there are lots of times with all six of us kids that it would have been a lot easier to stay home or leave us at home, but my dad always took us to church. My dad taught me the importance of reading scriptures, every night we would read as a family. I remember having non-member friends stay at our house and we still read scriptures. I sometimes felt awkward and weird, but it didn't matter, our family read the scriptures. My dad has given me several Priesthood blessings over the years, this taught me the importance of trusting in the Lord and recognizing where our strength comes from. I'm grateful to my Dad for living in a way that made it possible for those blessings to work, and to truly help me. My dad is wise in the ways of earthly and spiritual medicine, (and I'm sure he'd have a funny comment right now, medicine of humor, perhaps humerus medicine) and really the key is to just do it. Just take the medicine, listen to the prophets/doctors, they are here to help and guide us. Doctors can't do anything if we don't take the time and energy to find them. 

Here are several fabulously exciting pictures:

Reading the Book of Mormon, in our hotel!

Making phone calls, in our hotel!

Opening the door, in our hotel!

Reading the hotel information, in our hotel!

And enjoying a paper cup of milk, in our hotel!

Wishing you all the best and a Happy Father's Day! Have a great week!

Sisar Mendenhall

The Word of God  

(Finland – Week 22)  

   09 June 2015

I have compiled a list of a few things that if you do, you're probably a Finnish missionary:

·                         Your feet are so beat up they snag the sheets at night.

·                         You have forgotten hymn titles in English

·                         You have realized that mämmi and Oatly are up there with Belgian waffles

·                         You use Swedish on signs to figure out what the Finnish means

·                         You never know what time it is because the sun is always in the sky

·                         You recite Finnish in the shower (from a sheet that is laminated to the wall)

·                         You have mastered the use of rose salt and Indian sugar

·                         You live in the most crazy beautiful land, with the nicest people.

My goodness is my life a dream. The good kind of dream, not the weird ones where you lose your pants or whatever.

This past Sunday we got to watch an awesome broadcast for the Ireland-UK and Nordic Europe area. The conductor was Scottish (which made me think of one of my favorite families), several wonderful talks were given (including a prospective sister missionary who has been preparing to serve intently for years, so inspiring!), and the session concluded with a bold and powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon by Elder Holland. Wow, the meeting was one of those that you walk out of and want to watch immediately again. A man we have been teaching came to church with us (which was the first time he had been in a church in years) and afterwards he said, "I don't know if the Book of Mormon is true, but I know that man [Elder Holland] spoke with the power of God."

I don't have the eloquence of Elder Holland, but I want to add my testimony to his of the Book of Mormon. This book has stood under the harshest critics since it was first revealed to Joseph Smith, and it still stands. I read it everyday, I have read it several times, and I plan on continuing to do so for the rest of my life. Why? Because it is the word of God. It has helped me find myself, find my Savior, and find my Father in Heaven. It testifies of Christ and tells us exactly how to return to Him. Without this knowledge I would not be able to wake up everyday and follow the most intense schedule of my life (one that puts my feet in the aformentioned condition). I wouldn't be able to find pure joy in a work where I am mocked almost all the time. I have given 18 months of my life because of this book, and really those months cannot pay the debt I owe. I never can pay that debt. I am so grateful for my Savior's infinite mercy that allows me to just do my best, and He will make up what I lack. I know that this book, the Book of Mormon will change the life of any that honestly seek to know if it is true. I hope and pray that I will always stand by the Book of Mormon, that this gospel will always be my foundation, for if it is, "when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12) I know this book is true, and I love it. I hope you all do/will too.

This picture proves the last bullet above; it was taken on our walk home.

Wishing you all the best this week!

Love Sisar Mendenhall

Scary Men and Scarier Physics  

(Finland – Week 21)  

02 June 15

I don't know if I'm just really lacking in height or if my companion has really mastered physics, but the other day one of those things was manifest. It had just stopped raining and due to our fantastic gymnastic skills we had thus far dodged all of the puddles. One of my companions in an exuberant moment forcefully pounced upon a large puddle and promptly showered my right side from head to toe. My companions say that I'm just short so that's really not that big of a deal, I think my companion has been studying kinetic and potential energy. Either way it was fun to contact only half-wet opposed to all-the-way-wet, which we experienced earlier that day.

This week we met a super awesome man on the street! He had hair longer and thicker than mine, dwarfed us, and was wearing very tough-guy looking clothes. All in all he looked pretty scary. However, we have come to enjoy the scariest and most awkward contacts the most so we just went for it and started talking to him about the Book of Mormon and how it testifies of Christ. He got so excited! He regularly attends church and studies the Bible, he was so happy to meet fellow Christians and discuss how Christ can help us in this day and age. Needless to say we were a little taken aback, we were not expecting such a warm welcome. We talked with this man for a while and just before he left, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin on which was engraved John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." He gave us the coin, thanked us for our time, and went on his way. This scripture gets a little fiery at the end there, but we know that this man was truly grateful to talk to us, and seeking to build others. It's wonderful to meet people that honestly are seeking to do good, especially in a world where that doesn't always seem common. We learn in the Book of Mormon how God loves all of His people, "Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen." (Alma 26:37) All of us have such potential to be good, and to build others. May we all try to surprise someone with unexpected good this week, like that man did for me, so that we can build ourselves and each other. Really though, y'all go do an unexpected good deed this week, you could even report back to me J

We have discovered waffles are more delicious when you substitute the milk for jogurtti. Evidenced by the attached picture.

Have a wonderful viikko!

Love Sisar Mendenhall