Moi

Hey Fam,

Well, today just so happens to be Independence Day in Finland, Itsenäisyyspäivä, so everything is closed and shut down. So we are e-mailing at the church this time. Just a note for future reference, my e-mails might come an hour earlier some p-days now . . . .just a new schedule in a new city . . . so if you've been up to the wire to get an e-mail to me . . . .watch out. :)

So, where to start . . . ummm . . . . .I'm in Kouvola! My new address is:

Kauppalankatu 10 A 9

45100 KOUVOLA

SUOMI

So packages go there until further notice. :)

Kouvola is quite a different city in almost every way . . .at least from Joensuu. The branch here is pretty strong and actually has people under the age of 50. haha The investigators are new. The city is unfamiliar. The cell phone and apartment are ANCIENT. And . . . .I have a visiting city: Kotka . . . .a city that did have a branch 6 years ago but it crumbled and now they have to travel to Kouvola for church, about a 40 minute drive. The adjustment though has been nice. I am excited to be here and serve in a new environment and with new people.

This week was pretty slow action wise, being a transition week and all, but I do have a few stories to tell.

-We stopped a lady and she gave us her phone number . . . .her business card . . . .turns out she's a belly-dancer . . .with a work name, haha. We had a good laugh about that.

-There is a man here who thinks that he literally is the King of Finland . . . . yeeeah.

-We've had 2 DA's already, which is strange for me because in Joensuu we got only 1 a week.

-A member had a graduation party after church yesterday, more like a little luncheon slash social and everyone was invited. So basically the whole branch was there and also a ton of non-members that we got to talk to. Great opportunity. A missionary here who completed his mission last spring was also there. Elder Kääria. he's from Sweden, but he's getting married to a member in this branch. Anyways, I've been on splits with him and everything so it was way cool to see him again.

-We visited our visiting city, Kotka for a day. The whole city smells like bread because there is a huge bread factory there. We were able to visit a couple less actives and members who live there. After running after our bus and helping a drunk man get out of the middle of the road we finally left, haha.

-My new companion, Elder Cassity is from the Draper area in Utah. He's around 6'3" This is his greenie city and he's been here since around June or July. The transition is going smoothly and he's a hard worker and knows the area well so he's been showing me around and catching me up.

-The church here is actually located on the lower level of an apartment complex . . .new experience for me.

-The drama slash chaos of how I got here will have to wait to be told till I talk to you all in a couple weeks. :) Speaking of which . . . . we have to work that out still huh!? umm . . . . . Christmas is on a Saturday, I'll probably have to call the conference number, and it'll be around night time for me, but with a time difference it'll be morning-noon for most of ya. As for a specific time . . . uhhh. . . i really don't know yet. But hopefully it'll work like last time, and my call drama won't happen again. I can't remember right now how I got it to work last time . . . .haha, I should get on that huh.

Time is running low again and I'll try and send pictures again. It was good to hear from you all this week. Changes keep happening and the challenges, old or new, will always come. But the gospel remains constant and His hands are stretched out still. I love all of you and wish you all a holly jolly season of cheer and gratitude. Moikka.

Raukkaudella,

Vanhin Watson