Hei Fäm!! As always, it was good reading your e-mails this week and I already can't wait to read them next week! My week has been quite busy and always quite the roller-coaster as I try to work in a busy environment and with some willing investigators. As I look back on what has happened so far I just think of the quote by Pres. Monson, ''The Lord shapes the back to bear the burdens placed upon it.'' How true. The Lord's hand is evident in this work . . . I don't know how it could work any other way! I'll try to tell you about my week:
-Busy. We had lots'o'teaches and lots to plan for . .an adjustment I am still getting used to, haha. Our investigators are doing well and we made a lot of good progress with all of them this week . . . .one even set a baptismal date!! She is the wife of a less-active member. She's Chinese and sooo willing and wanting to believe in God. We set a baptismal date with her as a goal and urged her to pray about it. We are still in the beginning stages and need to teach her A LOT before she can be baptized, but she is ready, and wants to learn. Another one of our investigators is from Nigeria, working here as a nurse. He is so ready to give-in to the Lord's will at a moments notice and also wants to know if this is true. It's amazing to see how he prioritizes his life, putting God first, then work and all else. We are teaching 2 families as well, one a french-only speaking family from the Congo. We brought a member along with us who served his mission in France back in the year 2000 I think . . . hasn't even spoken French since then, but he translated for us and did amazingly well! Me, taking 4 years of french in school, haha, counted to 20 and introduced myself in French and that's about all I could remember, haha. The other family is half Finn half Peruvian. The mom makes us food everytime we come and we end up eating before and after our teach! Apparently Peruvians LOVE Jello, so she made us some. Someone should ask Uncle Eddy if he likes Jello, haha.
We had other teaches and experiences, but, in short, I think we are finally getting these people progressing and helping them understand what we do and why this is important.
-We have District Meetings every week down here, which is new for me. This past week happened to be the time that Pres. Rawlings and his wife and an AP accompanied us. We were able to have our first interviews with Pres. Rawlings, learn from him, and get to know this amazing man better. The man is so dedicated and trying soo hard to get off to a good start that everyone is taking notice, even the members. It really means a lot to us, and it wouldn't be possible without the miracle Pres and Sis Brown worked here earlier. The mission, and the work, continue to soar.
In district meeting we learned about how 'Jesus taught by healing.' That is how he got His 'investigators'. So the question was proposed, 'Are we 'healing' before we leave someone's presence, no matter who it may be?' My comp and I had a good experience in trying it out. We were tracting and a lady answers and says she's got her own beliefs and what not and was ready to shut the door. . . so I just quickly told her how we have a message about families and how we can live with them forever. At that moment her whole attitude changed and she started to cry, telling us that her young daughter just died. She reached into her pocket and showed us a picture she took on her cell phone of her daughters tomb-stone, with the sun setting in the background and a ray of sunshine cutting across the picture and resting on the tomb-stone. I testified to her that she will see her again. She thanked us sincerely and bid us good bye. It was such an amazing experience, one I never want to forget. Even though she said no, we were still able to 'heal' her broken heart before we left.
We learned about the story of Gideon told starting on the book of Judges 6. The Lord used him to defeat the Midionites not by using 22,000 men, or 10,000 men, but just 300. Just as the Lord is not using 500 missionaries, or 150 missionaries, but just 54 missionaries here in Finland to fight in God's Army. In both cases, the will of the Lord was and IS accomplished.
One last thought of something that I've learned recently is of the 'faith to serve' and the 'faith to accomplish' and how they are different. We all generally have the 'faith to serve' : callings, missions, etc. . . . we accept them and do it. But the 'faith to accomplish' is BEing your calling and DOing it with all energy of heart, might, mind, and strength. A missionary can serve, yes, but the goal is salvation for these people through the waters of baptism, eli, bringing them unto Christ . . .accomplishing. Is their any way we, personally, can 'accomplish' in our daily tasks, jobs, callings, etc rather than just doing them as we are told? This thought has helped me . . . maybe it can help one of you. :P
It was quite the surprise when I get a call yesterday during my studies and Larry Call was on the other end, haha. He was sooo close to where I was and he didn't even know it, but they were already driving back to Helsinki when he called. It was good hearing from him and being able to relay a small messge a love to all of you through him.
tuota tuota . . . niin . . . .I need all your help to get me all signed up at BYU . . .since I won't be there to do it. Just a heads up.
I need to go. I love you. I love my mission. I love my Savior. Let us 'heal' as He did.
Rakkaudella,
Vanhin Watson
PS HAPPY BIRTHDAY EDEN AND SETH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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