We Are That We Might Have Joy

[Sent 17 Feb 2015]

Rakkaat ystävät,

Hyvää Ystävänpäivää!

This week I learned what a real difference there is when we are doing the work joyfully and having fun.

Between the two of us, there has been enough stress energy to power a small town. But what do we do? We get over it and have a good time anyway! The other night we didn't have good plans, so we went knocking on doors as late as we could, then went and "heart attack-ed" a member family and a former investigator. The whole evening we were laughing and making jokes and just having fun with each other and when we talked to people, we had more success because they could feel our joy and we could see it touch them.

Truly, "men are that they might have joy." We had an investigator who said she loves the Mormons because they are always so joyful, and it amazed her that young people like us could be so happy all the time. When people around you can feel of your happiness, they are more receptive to your message because they want to know what makes you so happy even when times are hard.

On the investigator front, E is still doing well. He didn't make it to church on Sunday, but his wife said that the lesson we had in which we discussed some questions he's had really made a difference.  Also, she said he's been reading the Book of Mormon and is thinking about the gospel a little more seriously.

O, an older woman who has met sporadically with the missionaries for the last 10 year dropped us yesterday. Her children do not like the church, and she is afraid of losing them, which is valid. Hopefully, down the road she will realize that the Lord will provide and soften the hearts of her children, so that she can feel she is able to make this step.

Perhaps the saddest on our roster is that M said she needs a break from us. She is still our friend, and wants to keep learning, but just not for a couple months. I have faith that, as disappointing as it is right now, she will get there, as long as we stay in contact with her.  And, especially with the Branch President's wife as her friend, I really feel like she will make it.

One interesting thing we did this week was attend the Pentecostal church with T, the young woman we recently stopped teaching. I was pretty nervous because I have never actually attended any other church than my own and wasn't sure what to expect, but it was pretty cool. Even if the form of worship itself didn't really stir me, I could feel that they really love Heavenly Father and that He loves them just as much as He loves me. And I could tell that T really appreciated the effort we made on her behalf, and came away with a good impression of us.

So be happy. Love life. Live the gospel. Have fun. Stay shiny!

Rakkaudella,

Sisar Hillebrant

Just like Peter, I can only walk on water with divine assistance . . . like freezing temps!

The sun makes a rare appearance, as seen from our apartment window

Tracting in Finland usually isn't this difficult

Learning at the Feet of the Mission President

[Sent 10 Feb 2015]

Rakkaat ystävät,

Well, this last week was probably one of the longest and fastest weeks of my life. Oh, so fast. Like I wrote last Monday, we spent the first half of the day on a bus, in District meeting, then on a bus again. We e-mailed, then got straight on a 4 1/2 hour train to Helsinki for Sisar Lafferty's Interim training.

It was a great three days spent in training meetings, with delicious food provided by Sisar Watson. One of the best parts was getting to see Sisar Owen and Sisar Ross, not to mention the fact that I would get to spend three whole days with them, and all the other great missionaries.

I can't properly explain what it's like to sit at the feet of President Watson (not literally, but) and just soak in his wisdom. Well, the best I can give is that it was both entirely mentally draining (not to mention physically - I would have given a lot to just get outside to work for a little while) and totally invigorating. I learned so much and was given a lot to ponder. Being inside receiving instruction all day forced me to stop and consider where I am in the scheme of my mission, and I set a lot of personal goals to improve the rest of my time in Finland. This mission is the time for me to prepare to meet God, yea even a time of probation... or somethig like that.

Many fun things transpired as well, including, but not limited to:

• Spending time with past companions.
• We got to watch Meet the Mormons (President proudly exclaimed that he has the only copy in all of Finland), which is SO GOOD - everyone should see it if they haven't already. Meet the Mormons will become available to us in Finnish some time this spring, and we will get to start using it in proselyting and teaching efforts (on the iPads that we don't have yet, right? I may not live to see that day...)
• Calling less active members, investigators and potential investigators in an effort to keep our area going, despite being gone for 4 days - something I'm not too good at, so hopefully it went alright. Really just work, but who says work can't be fun?
• Capped off the Interim block with a trip to the Helsinki temple. This was my first trip to the Helsinki temple - doing a session wasn't part of Interim training when I was new, and since my MTC group got into the country late, we didn't even get to go on our first day to see the outside. So I haven't been to a temple in a year. Needless to say I was very excited. The Helsinki temple is very Finnish - lots of wood and lots of beautiful paintings - but it is about the same shape and size as the Columbia River temple (my home temple) so it was like coming home. It was a very special and spiritual experience to be there. The name I took through was a Finnish woman, and I got to do part of the session in Finnish! It was really cool, and I came away feeling spiritually recharged and recommitted.

Sisar Lafferty and I shipped out Friday morning and got home right in time for Weekly Planning, and right back to the normal swing of things. The next couple days were a little bumpy - being away from your work area for so long will do that to you - but we perservered and had some really great meetings with people.

On the investigator front, we had a a minor breaktrhough with E, and older Finnish genlteman who is married to a member, with whom the Sisters have been working for quite some time now. He is a firm believer in the Bible, which is great, but in his case it has been keeping him from really trying to understand the Book of Mormon. We were able yesterday to help provide answers to a question that has been holding him back, and along with that, he has also decided to read the Book of Mormon through and has been praying about it. Also, the ward has put together a Family History class that will be held during church after Sacrament Meeting, and E said he might come! He has never been to church before, nor has he ever expressed a desire, so this is a BIG DEAL. We are really hoping and praying that this might be it for him.

In my Book of Mormon study I've been studying the atonement of Jesus Christ and trying to gain a better understanding of how it works in various situations. Something that came to mind as I was reading today in Alma 20: Jesus Christ is not a respecter of persons and will save ALL who come unto Him through faith and repentance. However, we have to desire to come unto Him for the Atonement to take effect. Without the catalyst of our desire to become like Him, we have no drive to actively use the Atonement. For we must be active; we must take the steps and have the faith and strive to follow Him, or the Atonement can have no effect on us. The Atonement is not conditional on who you are, but on who you desire to become.

I love you all. Have a great week and stay shiny!

Rakkaudella,

Sisar Hillebrant

On the train to Helsinki 

The temple in Helsinki

Sisaret Lafferty and Hillebrant outside the temple.

With Sisar Owen.

With Sisar Ross. 

What we have to go through to teach the Gospel.

The beauty of a Finnish winter day (when the sun shined for once)

Many are cold but few are frozen.

Surprise!

{Sent 2 Feb, 2015]

Rakkaat ystävät,

You may be wondering why I am writing on a Monday with no warning. Well, that would be because I forgot last week that we are going to be in Helsinki for Sisar Lafferty's 6-Weeks Interim Training, which will be in the mission home Tuesday through Thursday. We are leaving this afternoon for Helsinki, and we will come back Friday morning. So surprise.

This week:

- I got pulled over by a Finnish cop. I accidentally drove in an area reserved for taxis, buses, and, apparently, police officers. Actually I had seen the signs too late and had already driven into the area, but I saw the cop pull through and thought that if he was driving there I was probably fine. I had driven all the way home before we realized that he was following with his lights on. We pulled over, he asked for my licence, made me blow in the breathalyzer (that much is policy for everyone here, because I do not drive like a drunk person, thank you very much), told me not to do it again, and let me go. I am pleased to say that I handled very well, I wasn't shaky at all, and I even did it in Finnish!

- We had to stop at a Lidl on Tuesday evening, and saw yellow roses for sale. Sisar Lafferty is a peach and bough them for us. We went to see a less active woman that evening, and as we were getting out of the car, I felt that we ought to bring her a yellow rose. When we gave it to her, she told us a story about why yellow roses are her favorite (which I had not known at all) and a few days later sent us a message telling us that it had really brightened up the winter landscape for her, and that she had included it with some other flowers that she had given to a friend on sick leave. I thought it was cool how even giving a yellow rose can be following the Spirit, and that the Lord knows they are her favorite.

- T came to church! She really liked it and said she felt the Spirit. However, it is becoming clear to us that we will probably have to give her to the Lord for a bit because she has no desire to find out if the Book of Mormon is true. She's really content with where she is in life and doesn't think she needs anything else. It is sad because we really like her, and obviously it it sad to let anyone go. But we are still friends, and will stay in contact with her.  Ultimately, we aren't doing her a service by coming over and trying to help do something she isn't interested in doing right now. But, she came to church, and at least it left her with a good impression! Hopefully in the future sometime :)

- We somehow managed to teach 30 lessons this week. That is more lessons I've taught in one week than I've done in months. Recently the number has been hovering around 20. I'm not sure what changed for us, but hopefully it is a positive trend that will continue to only get better. I think Sisar Lafferty's faith and drive are rubbing off on me. That's not a bad thing.

Update on M. Well, it's not that much of an update because honestly, not too much has changed. We didn't have an official lesson with her, but we stopped by last night to bring her cookies and talk for a couple minutes. She is doing well, still believes everything and wants to keep reading the Book of Mormon and feeling the Spirit. We assigned her to read Mosiah 18 and will talk with her next time about the blessings of being a member. Hopefully once she realizes how many blessings are waiting for her after baptism, her progression will speed up again. We love her :)

Have a great week and stay shiny!

Rakkaudella,

Sisar Hillebrant

In a car with the sister training leaders, Sisaret Pack and Woods.  (Note this photo was actually taken with Sisar Woods camera, and we just re-posted it (stole it) from her blog - Thanks Sisar W!!)

Finding in Faith

[Sent 27 Jan, 2015]

Rakkaat ystävät,

Well, first of all, we got a blown fuse fixed. We blew a fuse a little over a week ago, and for a little over a week, half of our apartment has been without electricity. I'm not an electrician, and I've seen some fuses before, but not the type that we have in our apartment. And, since we kept forgetting to call someone about it, we were without light in three rooms. Luckily for us, there are enough flashlights in our apartment to semi-illuminate the bathroom. We finally called the talomies yesterday, and an electrician came and showed us what to do. Let there be light again! 

We got a referral from Espoo about two and a half weeks ago. He is a young man from Ghana here studying, with strong faith and a great religious background. He believes that parts and pieces have been taken out of the Bible, and has other questions that all find their answers in the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We've taught him twice and he is golden. Unfortunately for us, he lives in the Elders' area, so he will be trading hands this week. But he is just so awesome and so ready. He got us really good in our first meeting with him when he told us he was a prophet - which was a joke because he is named after a prophet in the Bible. We got a little nervous for a second there :)

M is still doing well, but progressing a little more slowly than before. She feels like she will be ready to get baptized in the summer. We want to let her take some time because we don't want to seem pushy, but we are planning on setting a date with her, even if it is a little farther away than normal, then taking steps to help her see that she will be ready earlier.

On Thursday we had splits with Sisar Pack and Sisar Woods, the Sister Training Leaders. I really like splits days because I always learn so much. Something I learned was how to be more bold and to show how excited you are about the gospel when you talk about it with people. Sisar Pack is a firecracker when we go street contacting, and she just skips the awkward and jumps into our purpose. We met this really cool young woman, G, who is searching for religion, and Sisar Pack was so excited about the message we were sharing that G agreed to meet with us.

Yesterday we had an awesome finding experience. We didn't have any appointments during the early afternoon, so we went to an area to contact some potentials, parked the car, and just walked everywhere. We tried for about an hour with no luck, but then, within the next 30 minutes, found 3 new investigators. I am so impressed with Sisar Lafferty's faith to find. Even though it is difficult for her to do the contacting because she is still new to the language, she wants to go out and do the work, which really motivates me to go out and do it too, and do it better than I ever have before.

It's been a really good (and really fast) week. Time is going going going, but I'm making the most of it :)

I love you all! Stay shiny :)

Rakkaudella,

Sisar Hillebrant

See - not lying about the temperatures:  -25C!!

First companion selfie with Sisar Lafferty

Is It Cold Yet?

[Sent 20 Jan, 2015]

Rakkaat ystävät!

It's getting ever colder here in the north. It's about -17 degrees today, and we're expecting about -25 C tomorrow. Pray for the sake of my extremities!

- On Wednesday we went to our first East Zone zone meetign in Mikkeli. I've never been to Mikkeli before, but it's a cute little town and I wish we had more time to look around. There are only 8 companionships and a senior couple in our new zone, so we're pretty small. There are also only 4 sisters total.

- We helped clean the apartment of two brothers who are recent converts. The member who was with us is very good with them, and she spear-headed the project. Sisar Lafferty and I were in charge of the kitchen. It was fun, and we got to wear pants. We also had the chance to share an uplifting you-can-do-it message, and it was pretty weird to do it in jeans. It's no wonder they ask us to dress professionally, or else I don't think the message would really get accross.

- We and the Elders had been asked to be in charge of the Young Men/Young Women activity on Friday for the youth in our ward. We talked about missioanry work and played a game to help them practice talking simply about church to their friends. They actually enjoyed it quite a bit, and of course there were refreshments courtesy of Mom's cookie recipe.

- We went to explore a cave next to our apartment building. It's big enough to drive into, so we went in the car because we were too chicken to do it on foot even with a flashlight. It's actually just a big storage area for construction or winter care machines (the things that drop gravel all over the roads) and it wasn't that big, but man alive it was scary.

We've been focusing a lot on trying to find more fresh faces. On Sunday evening our plans fell though in such a way that we were left to wander the streets for about an hour. We ended up meeting this really awesome young woman named Iris (fake name). I knew she was one of the Lord's elect when she told us her dog's name is Harry, like Harry Potter. But seriously, she is so cool, and it felt really good to just be bold with her. We told her straight up what we talk about with people, and she said we could come visit her. We're going on Wednesday, so I'll let you know what happens next week.

We're meeting with M tomorrow (she had to cancel last week and has been out of town). We've been in contact with her, though, and as far as we can tell, she is still reading the Book of Mormon and still likes what she's hearing.

T is still pretty set on the Bible, but she's still willing to meet and chat so we're going to keep working with her and try to help her feel the Spirit of what we're teaching so she has the desire to know for herself.

The Book of Mormon truly is the word of God. It's a sign of our Father's love for His children; for us. It is convincing proof of the reality of living prophets on the earth today. It was writted by inspiration and translated through the power of God. It supports the Bible and confirms the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know for myself that it is a true book. I have prayed about it and Heavenly Father has confirmed to me that it is holy scripture, meant for us in our day. I recieve comfort and understanding from it every time I read it. I feel the love of my Savior Jesus Christ through its words. I am so grateful for this precious gift from my Father. I challenge you all to pray about it, even if you already have. If you haven't read it, start now. It will change your life forever.

I love you. The Lord loves you. Remember that, and stay shiny!

Rakkaudella,

Sisar Hillebrant

Road Trip

[Sent 13 Jan, 2015.  Amelia did not have time to write two letters this week, so what you have here is an excerpt from the letter she wrote to her family.]

As a trainer, I basically just keep doing what I do and try to help Sisar Lafferty understand why and learn to do it on her own. There isn't any official training to be a trainer, besides the little meeting we had together before the new missionaries arrived. When a new missionary comes in, they go through what's called The 12-Week Program, which is a booklet with practice activities and study material, and it's my job to get her through the booklet during our extra hour of companionship study. The idea is that the first 12 weeks of the mission will be equivalent to 10 months in the field as far as development goes, and that once a missionary has gone through it, they will be ready to take on any missionary calling, including being a trainer. So I guess you could say that every missionary is officially trained to be a trainer.

A really nice thing about training is that when all I sometimes see in myself are my weaknesses and things I need to improve, the only thing Sisar Lafferty seems to see are the things I do well. So that's nice. She pointed out to me after a couple particularly interesting days my ability to listen to and follow the Spirit, and that is something I really have been working on.  So, the fact that she can recognize it, even though I know I need to keep improving, was very comforting.

As far as our week goes, we've had some really good meetings with investigators, of whom we have few, but they are pretty awesome. M is still doing well, still progressing even if she feels she needs time. Right now we're just working on making sure that she is feeling the Spirit and growing in her faith. She's at a particularly delicate point. We can bet the adversary is working on her even more strongly than ever, but we know that if her faith stays strong she can overcome him. She will get there soon.

New on the roster is T, another young Finnish woman studying pharmacy. She is strongly religious, which is awesome, but she is very set on the Bible as being the only necessary book, and everything else seems really silly to her. But, she is willing to keep meeting and discussing, and said that if God tells her the Book of Mormon is necessary then she will live in accordance with its teachings. She's as good as gold (we hope).

We've done a lot of searching this week, and made a bit of a "road trip" through our areas to do some contacting. I realized very quickly that there are a lot of places that we're responsible for that I've never actually been to, so we're doing some work to remedy that. We found some sweet new potentials in some of those areas, and are excited to see what kind of miracles take places in these areas that are bursting with potential.

There's really not to much else to say about our week, other than that it's been really cold (like negative 10-20 Celcius) and that it's snowed a lot. I love the cold so much. I do, however, highly anticipate the return of the sun. It's making its way back and it already gets light about 30 minutes earlier and dark about 30 minutes to an hour later. Progress.

Our new mission scripture of the month is Moroni 7:33. I invite you to read it an discuss it together as a family. Our strength is in Jesus Christ. It literally comes from our faith in Him. They say that love is the most powerful force on earth, and, well, our faith is a way of showing our love for our Savior, and His love in return multiplies that force infinitely so that we can literally do anything that He asks of us. That's pretty powerful, even if we may not fully understand how it works. If you ever think you can't do what He asks and that it is too hard, just remember that you don't have to do it alone. He will help you.

I love you all! I hope you are having a wonderful day and that you remember the truth of the Gospel I am sharing. You can share it too. Go out an be bold today!

Kaikkilla rakkaudellani,

Sisar Hillebrant

Changes gave me a chance for a photo with all my prior companions:
(from left) Sisars Bunting, Ross, Owen (then me) and Howell

Hyvää Uutta Vuotta! (Happy New Year!)

[ Sent 7 Jan, 2015]

Rakkaat ystävät,

The last week plus has been quite an adventure. I would venture to say that last week was possibly the longest week of my life. Sisar Bunting and I headed down to Helsinki on Tuesday night, and as we were passing through Lahti, lo and behold, here comes Sisar Owen and her companion onto our train car! Quite the surprise reunion. They both were going to be training as well. Once in Helsinki, we were greeted by quite the crowd of missionaries, all waiting for trains or to be taken to their place of residence for the evening. Sisar Ross was there to train as well. Then to top it all off, Sisar Bunting and I were to stay with Sisar Howell for the night in Espoo! I got a really great picture will ALL of my companions (which will be sent next week because I forgot my camera cord - whoops).

Wednesday morning I was paired with Sisar Ross as my temporary companion to get to the mission home. While there, we had a meeting as the trainers, then when the new missionaries got back from the office, We all had lunch together, another meeting, then were assigned our new companions.

My new companion in Sisar Lafferty. She is 23 years old, from Oklahoma, and studying Pre-Law at Southern Virginia University. Despite being so new in the field, she is raring to go, and possibly the most bold and sensible missionary I have met. The last week has just been a whirlwind of settling in to being senior companion and getting Sisar Lafferty settled into a new world. She's taking it like a champ and we've had a really good time together. Miracles are just around the corner! We're going to be just fine :)

As for other big news, M no longer has a baptismal date. She still wants to keep meeting and learning, but she doesn't feel yet that she is ready. She told us that she has been thinking and pondering and praying quite a lot, and she felt a confirmation that now is not quite the right time. So now she is waiting for the right moment, and now our job comes down to helping her continue to feel the Spirit so her testimony can grow and so she can recognize that "right moment." But, she is still the most golden prepared person I have met, and she will be ready all in good time.

At the beginning of the new year, take a moment to think about not only your New Year's Resolutions, but also of a gift you could give to Christ this year. Read about the Wise Men in Matthew 2:1-2 and 9-11. What is a goal of somthing you can do to give back this year?

Have a wonderful week, enjoy the snow (if you have any), and stay shiny!

Rakkaudella,

Sisar Hillebrant