The Mustard Seed   

(Finland – Week  29)

28 JUL 2015

Hyvää iltäpäivää! 

This week we have been finding the famous Finnish wild berries! Berries grow everywhere here and you can just go into the forest and harvest whenever you like. We don't spend much time running through the forest, but we walk down a lot of streets and the berries grow on the side of the road too! We were walking a family to church and lost the children for a minute, turns out they were stopping for a mid-afternoon snack of blueberries! My companion and I have feasted on the delicious roadside berries ourselves. We have found blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries! The strawberries are so tiny and sweet they taste like candy. I feel like a true Finn now.

I was recently studying the mustard seed. We read in Matthew 17:20, "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." I've read that a lot and thought, wow, my faith isn't even as big as a mustard seed. Recently I've been thinking about this a little differently. A mustard seed is tiny, not much weight, not much to look at, really nothing at all. When a mustard tree grows to completion, the seed has become over 10 feet tall, birds lodge in the branches, and it is the biggest of the herbs. The seed really doesn't have value, except in it's potential. All of us have times when we have tiny faith, tiny as a mustard seed, and we feel that our faith has no weight. The wonderful thing is that we are not limited to perpetual tiny-ness. We grow, we find our divine potential, and we can become a great mustard tree. We don't need to be the tree now, we just need to trust that one day we will be. Trusting in the Lord that we can and will become something better, takes a lot of faith, a miraculous amount, and that is when we move the mountains. I love finding hope in the scriptures, if there is something that seems to bring you down in the scriptures, look at it again and find the hope.

Lots of Love!

Sisar Mendenhall

Happy Birthday Mom!  

(Finland - Week 28)  

21 July 2015

This week we:

·   Witnessed a crazy intense thunder storm. Whilst on the back porch the air flashed and the thunder followed right after, I am now endowed with the power of lightning. 

·    Had exchanges in east Helsinki, were late getting out the door, and booked it to our train with suitcase and cups of soup in tow. We missed the train, but we had delicious soup.

·    Could not find said sisters in east Helsinki, so my companion started whistling "Called to Serve", shortly thereafter we heard the tune being whistled back! We found the sisters.

·    Contacted a man on the street who had been praying to know what to do with his life earlier that day. We walked him to the temple which was conveniently around the corner, and he said "Thank you, I'm going to go pray there now." 

Most amazingly, this past Saturday two of our investigators were baptized, confirmed members of the church, and given the gift of the Holy Ghost. They were a mother and daughter and wow, the Spirit was incredibly strong. They were so happy, there was such a light in their eyes. We sang this together at the end of the service, 

"I have a fam'ly here on earth.
They are so good to me.
I want to share my life with them through all eternity.
Fam'lies can be together forever
Through Heav'nly Father's plan.
I always want to be with my own family,
And the Lord has shown me how I can.
The Lord has shown me how I can."

I am so grateful for my family, and that Heavenly Father has made it possible for me to live with them forever. No one has a "perfect" family (honestly though, mine is pretty close, well perfectly awesome, maybe not perfectly perfect) but everyone has a perfect Father, a Father that lives and loves them. Yesterday a fellow Sister taught me more about how important that is, that we literally have a Heavenly Father. We literally cannot do anything to stop His love. If we take one step and think we should have taken ten, He doesn't care, He's clapping like it's the first step of a newborn child. I love my Heavenly Father a lot, I'm grateful for everything that helps me get to know Him better. 

Much Love from Suomi! (Where one can find the gate to Narnia, here is photographic evidence)

and, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!! Everyone go tell my Mother Happy Birthday! Love you Mom!!

Love Sisar Mendenhall

Beautifully Busy!  

(Finland – Week 27)  

14 July 2015

Heimoitervetoivottavastikakketteidänviikotmenivathyvin!! <-That was my last week! Busy busy busy! And my goodness it's just the funnest thing. I have had to find new ways of coping with excessive tiredness (see attached picture) and then coping with the subsequent problem of having no milk in the house. In a blind moment I almost had oil on my granola. Thanks to my companion for saving me from that lipid lunch. 

Last Tuesday I traveled from 0700-1030, hopped off the train, and didn't stop running for a few days. Normally a set of Elders go get the new missionaries from the airport, but since only sisters arrived last Tuesday we got to! It was so fun to be with these sisters for there first time in Finland. They all were way tired but way more excited to get working. We took them on a tour around Helsinki, a walk around the temple, and then to the Mission Home. We then stayed with them there overnight, helped in a trainers' training meeting the next day, shipped everyone off to their areas, ran home, dropped off my bags, grabbed a quick bite, and then ran to a lesson. The rest of the week was full of adventures, I've never slept better. 

Espoo is a wonderful place full of BUSES (it feels good to be back on a bus) and wonderful people. We are teaching an amazing family right now, the mother and daughter are both planning on being baptized this week! At church this past Sunday (where my companion explained that my Dad's position in the army involved karate chopping and secret agent work) we were picking out baptismal clothes and the mother was just smiling away. We asked why, baptismal clothes are not known to be the most fabulous wear, and she said that she just felt so good in her heart. That's my favorite thing about being a missionary. When people realize how close God truly is, when they can feel His hand in their personal life. We are literally God's children, He wants to be in our lives as much as we allow. This family reminds me of how grateful I am for my family, and that we get to be together as a family even in the next life.

I've had a wonderful week, I hope you all have too! Hyvän viikon jatkoa!

Rakkaudella, Sisar Mendenhall

    

Wow, we're grateful for showers!  

(Finland - Week 26)

06 July 2015

Sometimes, we're talking to people on the street, and it's just going way good. We are understanding well, they are involved and interested, and the conversation is one to remember. Sometimes when that happens, your companion gets pooped on by a bird and it just goes downhill. But then (actually this only happened once), you and the person instantly have this way strong bond as you die laughing. It's like, "check it out, we've only known each other for three minutes and we have this hilarious inside joke". Thank goodness it just got on my companion's jacket, my other companion was not so lucky. We were doing service at the most intense Finnish rug-washing place when my companion exclaims "A bird just pooped on my head!" I didn't see anything and thought she was just being dramatic, but then I beheld, she was right! Her head, shirt, and pants were showered, it was disgusting. I could not stop laughing. Everybody should talk to people about the gospel and do service because these things bring unforgettable experiences! Just hope you have my vantage point and not that of my companions.

Recently in church a woman who has had both of her legs amputated just below the knee gave a wonderful talk about gratitude, and how our faith can be consistent throughout circumstances regardless of what is going on in our lives. There's a wonderful scripture in Moroni 9:25, "My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee...but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever." This woman shared how she was definitely not happy about losing both of her legs, but that she was still able to find joy and so much to be grateful for. What a wonderful example! We can determine so much of our lives by our reactions. 

Well he's done it again! I wonder if my mission President gets really excited for dramatic change calls. I was expecting to train but I'm not, I'll be headed back south to Espoo (es-po, I am not heading to a disgustingly named place) to be a sister training leader. Very unexpected, and I'm sad to leave beautiful Vaasa so soon, but it'll all work out for the best! 

Much love from the north! Next week it will be from the south. 

Also Happy 4th of July! 

Sisar Mendenhall

Etelä-Korea eli South-Showy

(Finland – Week 25)

30 June 2015

I learned some fabulous Finnish this week! The word for showy is "korea". In a shocking turn of events the word for Korea is also, "Korea". I've been telling everyone that my parents live in "south-showy" for eight months. Thinking back on Daegu's markets, that's not too far off.

The many lakes and beauties of Finland are so attractive to people, and mosquitoes. The price of a single photo op for one of my companions was 22 bites, on just her legs! We might start washing our tights in bug spray. Once during a door contact my legs were suddenly on fire! I was way distracted and afterwards I looked down to see that the mosquitoes were just chilling on my legs, drinking in my delicious taste. Wow, the price I pay for being so sweet. (Obviously, lack of humility doesn’t affect the flavor.) The mosquitoes are as tough as Finns, having the ability to bite through blazers. But not my leather boots! I think I need a leather jumpsuit to continue working. I'm sure that will give a good impression.

The other day we taught the most awesome Finnish mother! She let us in to talk about the Plan of Salvation, and she had so many good questions. (She also had an adorable daughter and 10-week old German Shepherd puppy.) We had a great discussion with her, and she loved hearing about how loving God truly is. This experience is just one example of how much hope in humanity my mission has given me. We meet people all the time, at their doors, on the street, through their friends, and we talk with them about the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's pretty abnormal. I am amazed by every person that talks back, that lets us invite him or her to come closer to Christ. A lot say no, but enough say yes to three American girls with halting and broken Finnish that you can't help but realize how awesome people are. Lots of bad things happen because of people doing bad things, but those people are really a small minority. When you get to know individuals, you get to see so much potential for good. Christ taught one by one, as shown in 3 Nephi 11:15, " And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his [Christ's] side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come." One by one has the power to work miracles in people, and in others trying to serve them, like me. I love people, people are just incredible.

Like this picture, it displays the goodness of Finns, when you find something you stick it up somewhere high so others can see, look at the cute baby mitten :)

I hope you all have a great week, and that you help someone individually.

Much love from the North!

Sisar Mendenhall