Receiving Strength from the Vine  

(Finland – Week 48) 

8 Dec 2015

We had a really cool experience recently. And by that, I mean a really terrifying experience that could have gone terribly but in Heavenly Father's mercy it turned out awesome! We were on the bus, I was talking to one person and my companion to another, like we do several times every day. The bus driver pulled over for a stop, then parked the bus, stood up, and in a sharp voice asked if we were talking about religious things. This has never happened to me before. Finns are generally very reserved, and buses very quiet. We've had attention called to us before on the bus in a negative sense, but this was even more so because the bus driver had completely stopped to call us out. The lady my companion was talking to, was awesome. She simply said, "Yes, but I'm not bothered by it." The bus driver nodded, looked at us, went back to his seat, and carried on. The girl I was talking to also said that she was fine in our conversation. Both were very friendly, loving people. I was so grateful that day that we had sat by them. Really though, most people we talk to are friendly. I'm grateful to serve among such a wonderful people.

Just today I studied the vine of Christ in John 15. I love how Christ's disciples are extensions of the vine, we are literally His appendages on the earth. The same love we feel, the same Priesthood power we have, is felt by and had by Christ and our Heavenly Father. It's amazing that they trust us with this, they want us to have this love. By serving others we continue sending nourishment from the vine to fruit, others that need our help. And by so serving we become friends of Christ, "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." (John 15:15) We truly are serving the Lord when we serve others, we are doing what He wants to do. Imagine how Christ must want to help us every day, to hug us, to love us. We get to be there for others to give them the help they need from Christ. We all then receive more ourselves as His thank you to us for serving. This study really made me desire to serve others with everything I have, so that more of Christ's love (because all love comes from Him, see Moroni 7:13) can travel through me to others and can be felt.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!! 

We've officially decorated our apartment with real Finnish decorations. We feel so cool. Because Finnish=cool.

Have a wonderful week!

Love Sisar Mendenhall