Espoo

Alright I made it through my first full week in Espoo and I'm still alive! It's so wierd being in such a huge area, but I am adjusting well and I think I am finally getting to know how to get around. We had a good week, mixed with a few meetings and teaches. As a Zone we had a meeting titled, 'Meet the President' haha, classy huh. President and Sister Rawlings are awesome!! They are really getting started with a bang and I am already hearing comments from the members here that they are impressed. Pres Rawlings is eager to jump right in and waste no time. I'm sure everyone feels the same way about their Mission Presidents, but I've been blessed with the best ones. I'm excited to work along side him here in this great work. As I am also excited that we have a District Meeting and our first interviews with him this week!!!

So, on July 4th, an American family invited us over for a DA!! Ah, we were so excited and gratful for that opportunity! The dad works at the US Embassy here, so now he and his beautiful family are attending our ward. It was soo wierd being around so much Americans again . . . missionaries don't count, haha. We had hamburgers and hot-dogs and potato-salad, and Doritos, haha . . . (haven't seen those in a while), and more. So good! We all went around the table and mentioned something that we miss about America or that we are grateful for about America. So basically, we were trying hard NOT to get homesick that night, haha.

 

I bought a legit European suit!! I know that I already told you I did that a few months ago, but, turns out, I had the wrong size and the one I had was pretty much still American! haha  I'll send a picture.

 

It's still been pretty hot here, and I think it's been predicted that the rest of the summer is going to be hot and dry . . . yaaay. :\   My companion had a talk yesterday in church and his back was all wet while giving his talk, suit and all, because it was soo hot. NO AIR CONDITIONING!!!

 

It's a bit harder now-a-days to tell you about all the experiences and teaches that I have had during the past week because now there are just so much more of them! We have a handful of investigators that we are working with . . .all in the beginning stages still. It's been hard because the teaches last FOREVER because they have so many questions and we just get carried away and try the whole time to drift back on schedule and focus. But, I love these people. They are so willing and so nice! There is the family that is part Peruvian . . . they let us in, fed us pineapple and watermelon, listened to our teach, then fed us this amazing chili-stuffed potato stuff, then strawberry chesecake for desert!! Ah, they are so nice!! It was all unexpected. The mom's dad was visiting. He suffered a stroke so he can't use the left side of his body and it's hard for him to speak, so he just says 'Si' or 'No' and most of the time the family thinks he just doesn't understand anymore because he'll just say 'Si, No, Si Si, . . . . No.' But he sat in on our teach while the mom translated what we said into Spanish for her visiting cousin and dad. Every once in a while she would ask him if he believed that . . .and I'm telling you . . no lies . . . .the man said 'Si' EVERY time. he was so focused and you could tell he was interested . . . like on the inside he really wanted to participate. It was a good testimony builder for me that God prepares and loves ALL of His children, even the ones we sometimes set aside or take for granted. The mom even seems to remember that, as a child, her dad posessed a Book of Mormon and may have read it before.

 

Well, time is low again. I could still tell you about the drunk lady that worships idols and angels and doesn't get the 'water on the cows' thing in our religion (the baptismal font) hahaha. Or I could tell you about the District Meeting we had and my companions first experience with eating turkish Kebab. Or I could tell you about our teaches and some of our awesome investigators, one trying to discover God for the first time, another trying to follow Him. But, I think I'll leave you by sharing what I learned about the scriptures recently . . . . .

 

We learn in PMG that scriptures are records fo God's dealings with His children. Well, it occured to me that, well, there are SOOO many of us, and God deals with us all, that surely the records of God's dealings cannot be compacted all into ONE book!! I am soo grateful that we have more scripture from which we can learn from and enjoy! The Book of Mormon IS the word of God, just one more witness that He loves His children . . . every last one. As I love all of you! Thank you for everything!

 

Rakkaudella,

 

Vanhin Watson