HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD!!!!!! I went to write you a letter, but I thought you'd be in Virginia and I didn't have the address on me and then we were away traveling!! In Finland it's on a different day, coming up I think, so I'll have to send it then. :P
Wow, I'm an uncle . . . taas (again)!! I'm glad everything went well! Congrats to the Dixons!!
It's been another busy week, with an even more busy week this week. It all started when we went to Helsinki for a Zone Conference, the last time I was probably able to see President Brown and his wife . . sad. As usual it was awesome. They taught us about 3 Life Lessons: Taking care of 1. Yourself 2. Your Surroundings 3. and Your Finances. I will really miss them and I'm curious to see how things will go when the new mission president arrives, President Rawlings. There's going to be a lot of changes going on in the mission in the next few months. We have a lot of missionaries leaving and hopefully a lot of new ones coming in.
Olavi, our baptismal man, is good to go. We met with him and scheduled everything out and now, the baptism is going to be held this coming Sunday in Lahti, a city about an hour's drive away, because we don't have a baptismal font here. My old MTC companion, Elder Fuchs, will baptize him because he was the one that found him just over a year ago. We're all excited!!
We had Stake Conference yesterday. We traveled to Mikkeli, about an hour's train ride away, and watched it being broadcast clear from Salt Lake City!! Yes, it was a special one, broadcast to all of Scandenavia. President Eyring presided, and Elder Bednar, Elder Per G. Malm (70), and Sister Julie B. Beck were all there and spoke as well. It was a really good meeting, awesome talks. Elder Bednar spoke about Zion's Camp and the effects it had and how we can apply the same principles in our own lives in our own personal Zion's Camps. He spoke about, and praised, the leadership of the church, admiring their examples and warrior-like attitudes. It was really powerful. Pres. Eyring spoke about increasing our faith in a living prophet, giving his own personal experiences and testimonies about the ones he has known. Sister Beck spoke about prioritizing our life into 3 categories: 1. Essential things (church) 2. Necessary things (home, work, school, etc) 3. Nice to do things (hobbies). It was fun to watch and feel of their power. The members there in Mikkeli thought I was a Finn serving a short-time summer mission because I look like one and I look so young. haha, yep, still look like I'm 16.
We made a trip to Kotka again, our visiting city, in an effort to contact some less active members and potentials.
For most of the week I've been kinda sick: sore throat, cough, head-aches, etc. At one point I even lost my voice, something you kind of need as a missionary, especially as a Sr companion speaking a foreign language. haha But, I'm on the recovering end now and almost back up to par.
This week contains the longest day of the year! It's a huge holiday here, we even have an earlier curfew on two of the days. Everyone goes out to the forests and lakes and cabins and stuff and they light HUGE bonfires and celebrate all night over beer and makkara. While that is all happening though, we'll be inside. In fact, that same night we might get Change Calls! Everyone thinks I'm leaving, but I don't know, I tend to stick in places for a while if you haven't noticed, haha. We'll see. God only knows. 'Thy will be done.'
Well, sorry this is a shorter e-mail but I'm still a bit under the weather and my thoughts are all mixed up. But I'm always glad to open your e-mails and see that all is well. Thank you for your prayers and uplifting bits of joy you give me each week. I love you all and wish you all a Hyvää Juhannusta!!! (Happy Mid-Summers Day!)
Rakkaudella,
Vanhin Watson
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