Hei no terve

Moi perheni!

So, I'll just dive into the e-mail because I can't think of a good way to start, haha.

After I sent off the e-mail last week we went out and bought a hair-buzzer and we cut our own hair. Haircuts here are really expensive. It was a first experience for me, haha. I just went into the bathroom, put it on a desired setting, and I cut my hair. I was so worried it was going to look horrible but actually, it really isn't that bad. I think its the artist in me. :)

I am now an official resident of Finland. They sent me my number from the magistrates office. :)

We taught two lessons this week. The first was on Wednesday with Toni Lampinen. He was an inactive member who has been on drugs for the past 10 years. He wanted to change his life around for the better and he has been doing well. He has been off drugs for 10 months now and has stopped smoking for I think a couple weeks. On Wednesday he invited us over and right away he asked for a blessing. My companion gave an awesome blessing and I was just there to lay my hands on his head. After that we gave a short lesson about the importance of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the faith we must have in it. I couldn't follow most of it, haha, but I was able to testify when I could. My companion said that I said the perfect things and just what he needed to hear. The Spirit must have been working through me because I was lost and was hoping and praying I could say something helpful.

Our other teach was basically at a tea party with three old mummos (grandmas), haha. Only one of them was a member and she invited us to this. They are all friends. We sat down and basically had a tea party, my first one. :) Hot chocolate, bread and butter with eggs on top and little cookies, complete with the tea cups. After the meal, we all sat down and we were able to teach about the gospel to them for a little bit. We gave the other two mummos a Book of Mormon and some pamphlets which they willingly accepted. Hope they read through them. We haven't heard back yet.

At church the other day a non-member friend of a member came. She is going to see what she can do to set up a teaching appointment at the members house and he husband will come too. I hope it works out. The branch here has set a goal for at least 2 baptisms this YEAR. We plan on blowing that out of the water soon so they have to reset one. :)

Tracting and contacting has still brought no luck, but we are still confident. Weekends are the worst because its when the Finns are in the Sauna. So some of them answer the door hardly dressed or not dressed at all (I, thank goodness, have not experienced that yet). Joensuu just shuts down early during the weekends and even during the weekdays it seems hardly anyone is walking around when it gets to 5 or 6 oclock. So that makes it a little harder. Last night we were crossing the street when an old man that passed us looked back and said in Finnish, "Where have I seen you before?" It was in the middle of the road and a car was coming so we said I don't know and tried to talk to him but couldn't because of traffic and he just kept walking. We were joking later about how we could have responded. Like, maybe you had a dream last night about two young men trying to come talk to you and stuff, or another one was, Well, let us tell you about something called the Pre-Earth life, haha. Finding is hard here, but it's fun and we're confident. Pres. Brown has titled this year The Year of Change. And he quoted Elder Rasband of the Seventy or presiding bishopric who said recently, "A new awakening is coming to Europe." Finland is one of the only growing European missions right now and we are pumped to keep it going.

My Finnish is slowly but surely getting better. At our bishops meeting the other day I said the closing prayer and when I finished the bishop looked up shocked and said, "Vanhin Watson, your pronunciation is sooo goood!" It made me smile and more confident, although I think I still have a looong way to go. I can't say much or talk much yet. We had a DA last night at a member families home way out in the woods. They have horses and a nice house and an Audi, which are everywhere here in Finland . . . . sooooo nice. When people find out I'm from Alaska and not Utah like everyone else they get so excited. So this family had me build a fire in their fireplace\furnace. I did and it lit like a candle. :) They were impressed. After some laughs and food we gave a spiritual thought and they complemented me on my Finnish because I read a little bit. They all know english so the whole time we had a mixed Fin-glish going on, haha. We almost got lost driving through the woods back home.

I give a talk this next Sunday! I get to choose the topic. It has to be for 10 minutes. AHH, haha.
A few of you asked about my companion and the city. My comp is Vanhin Ryan Struthers from Lehi, Utah. He went to UVU before his mission and is transferring to BYU when he gets back. He lived by Micron and stuff and knows about Kohlers, haha. He has been out a year and a half and I am his 3rd greenie. He's awesome. Knows Finnish. Funny.

Joensuu is a lot bigger than I expected. A university or two with a nice downtown area that puts Anchorage to shame, haha. Quite the mix of ages of people here. Some Russians since we're so close to the border. I'll tell more later because I'm out of time!

Well, it sounds like you all are doing well. Thanks for the e-mails and uplifting thoughts. I can't wait to get the pictures and package. Are you sending a recorder so I can listen to it or just a tape? Just a thought.

I wish I could write each of you but I don't have much time. There is only an hour limit at this library and I still have to write my weekly letter to the President.

Rakastan teitä! Still rakastan lähetystyöstä! No Reeses or peanut butter here or good pizza so I love ya more than that too!

-Vanhin Watson