pä svenksa?

Hei fäm, wassup? I could sense a lot of joy and happiness in today's e-mails, thank youy for that. It's always comforting to know that the family is doing well. And Dad, AWESOME picture. That thing is HUGE!!!

It's been another rollercoaster week, can you believe it? I think I say something like that every week, haha. I'm still feeling humbled by my new calling as District leader. Coming in, I only had met ONE member of my district before. The other 4 were all new to me. This past Friday, we held our first District Meeting together, and my first as a DL. I tried my best to prepare well, and, I think it went pretty good. I titled my lesson, 'Spiritual Cultivation,' as I taught about the importance about the Spirit in every aspect of our work. I'm really impressed by my district, we've got a good group of missionaries. All together, we make up 3 cities: Vaasa, Pietarsaari, and Kokkola.

I also was able to hold my first Splitz with some missionaries from my district this past week as well. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed getting to know them and work with them. It was in Pietarsaari, a VERY Swedish city. One of the missionaries there is a Swede himself, and I'm pretty sure he gets to speak swedish multiple times a day, even while I was with him he used it most of the time while I just stood there and smiled, feeling like a new missionary again, haha. On Splitz, we went and visited the small area where the country of Finland was dedicated for the preaching of the gospel. We didn't go to the actual monument, but it was cool being in the area where the church actually STARTED in Finland.

As for back in Vaasa, the work is going well. We had a few cancellations and busy investigators, so the teaches were down, but we're fixing things and this next week is looking to be a lot more promising. We have some really solid investigators and recent converts that we are working with, and, for some reason . . . .especially last night . . . I was overcome with excitement about the work here and across the country. We're trying to 'build' a stake up here in the North Zone, and with our combined effort and prayers, I know it's going to happen. Miracles are already happening.

Our Branch President is doing fine after his accident. He had surgery and is back home now and it looks like everything is goign to be fine . . . .besides the nerve damage that has left him with no feeling in parts of his arm . . . but there's a good chance it'll come back over time. The branch got together and helped him build part of his house this past week, and we are going back again this week, trying to get things caught up and ready for winter. It was fun, standing up there on the beams of his roof, building a house!

I gave a talk on Sunday in church along with the new senior missionary couple here. It went pretty well. I talked about focusing on the things that matter most and gave the example of reading the Book of Mormon. The members liked it, and I felt good about it afterwards.

A few of you aked about my address here in Vaasa:

Kirkkopuistikko 22 B 28

65100  VAASA

FINLAND

I'd better get going. Thank you to all again for your examples to me and for your time. I ask, and thank, my Heavenly Father every day for the safety and health of my loved ones . . and I'm so grateful to see that fulfilled many times as I've been away in the Lord's service. I'm also grateful for my Savior, and for everything He did, out of love, for me, and for you.  1 Nephi 19:9

Rakkaudella,  (with love)

Vanhin Watson

saw accident

Hey!!

Well, here I am, in Vaasa. Crazy!! The transition went well. One of the Zone Leaders down in Helsinki, who was also my MTC comp, stayed with us for a day because he too was getting a new companion. It was cool to serve with him for a while before I caught my train out. He's been a role model to a lot of missionaries, especially me. So, since he had a car, we had to pick-up and drop off a few other Elders at the train station since they too were being transferred. It was cool driving all around Helsinki. One night we even had to drop off an elder to catch his train at 10:30 at night! haha, it was wierd to be up ''late''.  I caught my train on Tuesday morning and was with another elder for a part of the trip. So we stuffed our bags in a little compartment and got comfy when 2 Japanese tourists came into the same compartment . . .so we had to move our luggage around to make room for them. Then, just a few minutes later 2 Finnish women also came in! Ugh, we had to get creative and move our luggage around again and make room for everyone. It was fun though. I had one train switch, so moving ALL my stuff by myself was pretty hard . . . . I have WAY too much stuff. But i made it all in one trip. I'm so excited to serve in Vaasa. I've heard soo much about this place and no that I am here, I see that it is all true. It's nice being in the city again, with a center and good layout and everything, like Joensuu was. There are a lot of foreigners here, and a lot of Swedish speakers, since we're so close to Sweden and Swedish is Finlands 2nd national language.

There is a nice branch here. The branch presidency is made up of some brothers that come from an awesome family. There is a center for Young Adults that is run by a  nice senior missionary couple who just arrived here too, the Bergs. They actually kind of stole our car here, and now they own it and we borrow it only a couple of times a week for a little bit. It's kind of confusing to work out, but it's still nice 'kinda' having a car again. It's so wierd to drive again! haha

So, it's been a crazy week. . . .one of adjustments and new faces and experiences. The Zone Leaders already came down from Oulu and had Splitz with us, which was fun. Elder Behnke, an MTC friend, and I went to a branch activity that the branch president asked us to be at. All across the city was held a Taiteiden Yö . . .Art Night. There were exhibits and concerts going on everywhere and the church decided to be a part of it, so we were invited to see if any visitors would walk in. Well, it ended up being a Rock Concert, haha. Yeah, our branch presidency is yound and extremely musically talented and they put on a rock concert . . . .not heavy metal rock or anything . . . I'm talking Coldplay style here. It was REALLY good and there were a lot of people there . . . it was just hard being a missionary in that environment, haha, and we didn't know anyone. But, the branch president wanted us to be there and we did get a few chances to talk with people. Let's just say that right afterwards, when I got home, I read a bit out of the Book of Mormon to get focused again. :P

Another crazy thing that happened was when we were doing service. We were helping our Branch President for a little bit as he is building his own house all by himself and he needed our help. He was cutting a piece of wood with an electric saw and, while using one hand to hold the wood and another hand on the saw, the saw jerked hit the arm holding the wood, just below the elbow. It cut pretty deep, probably to the bone, and it literally sent blood EVERYWHERE. I'm talking squirting here . . . it was bad . . . .and I watched it all happen. He jumped down, my companion wrapped his shirt around his arm, we popped him in our car, and sped to the nearest health center, with me holding a water bottle to his mouth because he needed water after so much loss of blood. The health center couldn't treat him, so an ambluance took him away to the hospital, but the hospital cound't treat him so they sent him in a taxi 4 hours away to Tampere where there was a specialist that could treat him and check for possible nerve damage. Last I heard, he's STILL awaiting surgery. So, crazy experience there. I think the branch is getting together tomorrow to work on his house for him, since it still has a way to go before winter hits, and there are some things that need to get done.

 

We were teaching a family from the Congo the other day. They only spoke French so we brought a member from another city along to translate for us. They ended up not being too interested, but when I alsed them if we could help them in any way, they gave a uniquie response . . . . .to teach them how to sing some of our church songs! Surprisingly they already had some of our church hymn books in french, so, together we taught them how to sing 'I am a Child of God.' It was a cool experience.

 

Alright, time to get going. Busy busy busy. My first District Meeting as District Leader is this Friday in Pietarsaari. We also have splitz with the elders there the day before. There is so much going on, but I'm happy to be here and humbled by my new calling. I already feel a deep love for my district and hope things will go well and that together we can help the work go forward at an even better rate.

 

Out of time . . . Thank you all again for your updates, upliftings, and love. Glad everyone is safe . . . even Seth after that crazy bear encounter! Keep the faith and march on!

Rakkaudella,

 

Vanhin Watson

ps, the pics are of me in the train compartment with mine, and the other elders' luggage.  And the other pic is taken from my apartment window! The bell rings on the hour every hour, haha.

More Changes!

Hey everyone, so. . . . just when everyone was beginning to think that Elder Watson stays in his areas for a long time . . . .that pattern has been shattered as I am being transferred! Change Calls came Saturday during our study time, which was unusual because they usually come at night. President Rawlings made all of the Calls for the mission this time instead of the AP's. 

 

Well, I'm off to a city called Vaasa, over on the West Coast up in the middle of the country. To make things even more humbling I have been asked to be the District Leader there as well. I think my heart has been beating at an irregular rate ever since I got the call. Just as things were finally getting comfy in Espoo, boom, I'm outta here. I am truly brought down in thanks for all of my many blessings and experiences that I have had here, and in such short a time. The Lord now has a plan for me elsewhere, as a leader, in a new area, with new opportunities awaiting. It's a tender mercy. I hope and pray my new district will be ready because I will need them as much I they might need me. 

 

I leave tomorrow morning. I think Vaasa even has a car there. :)  Also, a new missionary couple has been placed in Vaasa to head the awesome youth center up there, so that'll be cool to work with them.

 

So, for a last week in Espoo things went really well. We did a bit more service, got some cool new investigators . . .and a referral now with a baptismal date, and a good handful of other progressors. The work moves fast here, and it is moving forward at an ever increasing rate all across the country. I'm so blessed to be a part of it and witness it for myself. I bore my testimony in Fast and Testimony Meeting and said goodbye, and it was just one of those moments where I don't remember much of what I said, or of what I tesified, I didn't think about it, I just opened my mouth and the scripture was fulfilled. . . . the words were given me by the Spirit. I love this work. It's so true and so real.

 

There is so much to say but no time to explain! But I'll leave you with a man's desription of he thinks the Bible really means. . . .

 

Best Information Before Leaving Earth . . . .haha . . . the scriptures are truly the best information and source for happiness and salvation. Read them. Searth them. Love them. And the Lord will reward thee openly.

 

Thank you for everything. You're all great! Sorry,this is short, but I gotta go.

 

Rakkaudella,

 

Vanhin Watson

Sacrifice

Well, I'm e-mailing a day late because I had to go renew my Visa yesterday at the police station and we had to wait in line for FIVE AND A HALF HOURS before my number was called!!!!! Talk about P-Day domination. Good news is though that I got my Visa and it all went smoothly . . . .just slowly. Brought back memories of waiting in line at Disneyland, haha. All the wait for a 3 minute ride.

 

I know I say this EVERY week, but it was another good one. We have just been getting busier and busier and the work continues to progress. Even this week we have a lot to get done and a lot of appointments . . .tis life in the big city. 

 

So, I gave a talk yesterday in church. It was the biggest congregation of Saints I have seen since I left home, haha. So speaking in front of a big crowd was a bit nerve-racking. It's weird that I feel so much more comfortable in the streets and with complete strangers when talking about the gospel than I do in front of a congregation of Saints, haha. I was asked to speak about Sacrifice. It went well. I tried to put a positive spin on the subject. I also found an awesome quote from Joseph Smith that said something along the lines of how ''God's church HAS TO require much of it's members, or how else would we be ready for the eternities?! '' Sacrifice is an essential part of life. I'm so grateful for the many sacrifices you all make, and have already made, as you continue to follow the will of the Father and not your own. 

 

For some reason we have been doing a lot more service lately. Yesterday, after a half day at the police station getting my Visa, we changed clothes and helped a member move apartments. Her new place is only a couple blocks away from the temple, I'm so jealous. Then we did even more service when we helped some members 40 minutes away do some remodeling and cleaning. And today we are going back to help them again! I'm grateful for the chance to serve  . . . . and show the world my awesome tan-line on my neck when I wear a regular t-shirt, haha. 

 

Some interesting experiences we had this week were:

-teaching an investigator in the guest house built right next to the temple.

-gave blessings to a family going through a hard time and asked for help from us. 

-got Dad's little package . . . THANK YOU . . . .and have been enjoying some new music ever since. :)

-talking in english with some men in the street and then we broke into Finnish when we found out they were actually Finns and they were blown away that we speak their language . . . I still love it when that happens. :P

-an investigator came to church for his first time and he and a recent convert hit it off really well. 

-our baptismal date got delayed a couple weeks instead of being this weekend. We feel good about it though and so does she. At the end we had a kneeling closing prayer which she gave and it was amazing!

 

Well, there's my week in a nut-shell. Thanks again to all of you for all you do. I'm glad to hear about all your experiences and joys you've had over the past week and I hope they continue. I know that this is the restored gospel of Our Savior Jesus Christ. Sacrifice, faith, hope, charity,  . . . . . the list goes on. But hey, ''Unto whom much is given, much is required''. We have been given MUCH. I love you. 

 

Rakkaudella,

 

Vanhin Watson