Tender Mercies and Little Miracles

Rakkaat ystävät,

Ah, toinen talvi is upon us. The temperatures here had gotten up to near 10 degrees Celcius, and I had even pulled out my thinner spring jacket. But then it plummetted back down to the negatives, and yesterday it snowed! In the middle of March! Well, we are in Finland.

Last week, a friend of mine mentioned in her group e-mail that she has been compiling a list of little moments that she is grateful for. Tender mercies, so to speak. I've been thinking a lot about those tender mercies this week, and so I've decided that this week's e-mail will just contain some of those moments.

1) Seeing the Northern Lights. For real, we did. They were faint, so it was a miracle (or a spiritual prompting to look up) that we noticed them in the first place, but they were glorious!

2) Feeling the giddy joy of secret service when we washed a stranger's car. There is nothing that makes you quite so happy as being in the service of your fellow men.

3) E's wife gave us lemon bars, which are one of my favorite desserts. I haven't had a real lemon bar in over a year, and it was definitely a tender mercy :)

4) Setting a bunch of last minute appointments with some investigators (most of which actually ended up followíng through) and then finding members equally last minute to come with us to all of them.

5) As a continuance of the previous mercy, one member had not intended to come with us so she could spend some time with family, but felt prompted to come anyway. We still don't know why.

6) The Melby's held an open house for the branch, and E and his wife came! They made the hour drive in just for the activity and battled with their GPS the whole way.  But they came, and it was wonderful.

7) I was in charge of egg butter (which goes on the riisipirakkas) for the open house, and at one point our (very American) Branch Mission Leader was whining that there was too much butter and not enough egg, and I said I would keep that in mind for next time. The look on his face when he realized that I had made it was totally priceless, and we laughed about it quite a bit. He later made a point of profusely complimenting the rahka dessert I had also made. :)

8) After doing some service in the evening for the BML and his family, Sisar Lafferty and I sat in their living room for a few minutes while they put their kids to bed. A quiet peace pervaded the room while we listened to them read the scriptures and pray together, and I felt the Spirit testify to me that this is the reason for the service I am giving - to bring families together for eternity. 

9) Walking on a frozen lake. It never gets old. And as Sisar Lafferty says, walking on water is just a sign that we are getting more and more Christ-like every day :)

10) Singing Herrasta ja Kuninkaasta (Called to Serve) at Zone Conference. That many missionary voices raised in song fills me with the Spirit. We are here to serve our King. Shall we not go on in so great a cause?

11) Noticing a gentle peace as I partook of the Sacrament and made faces at the BML's two-year-old daughter, who was sitting in front of us - she's my little friend :).

12) Realizing I can understand the Finnish scriptures when I read straight through.

13) Having a companion who understands that I'm growing and learning, and also that I am, as she says, a little princess (we decided that I am Rapunzel).

14) After Sunday School, we were standing in the auditorium, when suddenly I heard "Sisaret!" I look up to the doorway, and there was the BML's daughter pointing at us excitedly. "Siellä on Sisaret!!" ("There are the Sisters!") she shouted to whomever she was talking to. It warmed my heart to know she loves us as much as I love her.

15) Reading an article in the Liahona (It Isn't a Sin to Be Weak) that addressed perfectly my current concerns. It's good to know that the Lord knows me!

I could probably go on and on, but I think you can see that this week I have been truly blessed. "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma 37:6), and by these, and many other, small and simple things the Lord is changing my heart. It's a slow process, but it is sweet, and I'm learning that my Savior is with me every step of the way.

"Help form the Savior is available for the entire journey of mortality -- from bad to good to better and to change our very nature." - Elder David A. Bednar

Stay shiny!

Rakkaudella,

Sisar Hillebrant

It snowed again! Hmmm...

But the lakes are thawing.

We traded cars with another set of missionaries, so now we have to put all addresses in our GPS

Hope and the Sun

Rakkaat ystävät,

It's been a really good week. The sun has been shining, and our spirits are high.

Friday we had a first lesson with a new investigator, an older man M, who we found a couple weeks ago. He investigated about 30 years ago in Turku. He asked us in the lesson how we'd found him, when it has been such a long time since he had been taught. We told him honestly that we'd had no idea and had just felt impressed to knock on his door. He told us that because of his current life situation (divorced, ill) he has been softened immensely and is now willing to hear us out. Prepared. Gold.

If you didn't know, there are hardly any public restrooms in Finland. Most stores don't even have one. So, on Sunday evening when we were out and about and I had to go to the bathroom (even though I'd just gone an hour before - some things never change), the options were either pee in the forest - which I was completely willing to do except that I had no tissues - or call a member. This time we opted for the latter, and she just laughed and invited us over. I used the bathroom, then they invited us to stay and share a message. So it worked out in both our favor.

Yesterday we did something I've never successfully done before. We met a Burmese woman on the street and asked if we could come home with her and share a message about Jesus Christ, and she said of course. She said she was interested to learn about all "Jeesus asioita" (Jesus things). We walked home with her and talked with her about Christ and the Book of Mormon, and how it helps us come closer to Christ. Her Finnish is very simple, and it was pretty hard for us to communicate (who knew it would ever be hard for me to simplify my Finnish), but I could tell that she felt the Spirit, and she liked what she heard. We called the office right away afterward and ordered everything they have in Burmese. We have another appointment with her on Thursday :)

We also stopped by T and had a quick lesson on her porch. Her pastor forbade her from reading the Book of Mormon, but she really wants to read it and says she will read it if God tells her she can. We encouraged her to keep praying and promised that God would help her know she could read it. She wants to keep learning, so we will keep teaching.

Something I've been thinking about a lot lately is hope. Hope in Jesus Christ is understanding that He fulfills His promises and expecting Him to do so. Hope is a Christ-like attribute. It is powered by faith and is active expectation. When we have hope, it drives all we do. It helps us move forward cheerfully, because we understand that bumps and debris in the road are only temporary discomforts and setbacks that ultimately will not hinder our progression if we continue onward. It is expecting the sun to come out even when the sky is cloudy.  Nephi said: "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." When we have hope, we do all that we can do and we know that the Savior will fill in the rest. He will give us strength beyond our own capacity to accomplish the things He would have us do - especially when we can't do it on our own.

Have faith, hope on, and stay shiny!

Rakkaudella,

Sisar Hillebrant

The lakes are still frozen

Sisar Lafferty climbing the stairs from the lake.

Ski and sledge storage - we don't see that often in Richland.

Out of Quarantine

Rakkaat ystävät,

What a week.  Sisar Lafferty caught some kind of bad cold earlier in the week, and we spent much of the weekend indoors so she could sleep and get better. Suffice it to say that we watched a lot of church DVDs. So I got a taste of what normal life is like again. I don't like it haha. She is feeling better now that she's over the hump, but hopefully P-day doesn't completely wipe her out.

Before she got sick, our week was pretty much normal. We did a lot of contacting and found a lot of cool people with potential. One of particular notice is a young woman named T, probably about 16, with strong faith (I know there was a T a while back, but you can just assume that if I talk about T from this point on, I mean this one). We were really led by the Spirit to find her. The Sisters talked to a member of her family a while back, and Sisar Lafferty found the name in the Area Book and felt really strongly about it. When we talked to her at the door, and she said she was pretty religious (while her family is not), I asked her if she would like to know how she could have and even stronger relationship with God. I cringed when I said it because I was afraid of sounding presumptuous, and I wouldn't usually have said anything like that, but it just sort of came out before I had a chance to think about it too much. Well, it must have been the Spirit, because she answered something like, "Well, sure! Why not?" We met with her again yesterday and gave her a Book of Mormon. she is very interested and wants to come to church on Sunday.

E is still doing well. Plugging along slowly, but surely. We're trying to get to the pure doctrinal basis with him, because he's not going to be satisfied with straight answers to his questions if he doesn't first understand the Restoration. But how to get him past the little details to the big picture? Time will tell.

I gave my first talk in Finnish in church on Sunday. I bore my testimony in both Truku and Kuopio when I came, but I have never given a full length talk. When Sisar Lafferty gave her talk a few weeks back, she was pretty ticked (in a joking way) that she had to give one so early and I'd never given one.  So, she told a member of the branch presidency that I've never spoken, and lo and behold I got a call a few days later asking for me to speak in Sacrament meeting. I knew it was going to happen someday. I wasn't really nervous at all, but it took a while to translate it to Finnish (it's a good thing Sisar Lafferty got sick, or else I wouldn't have finished in time!). It went pretty well, and I at least am pleased.

Hope all is well in the real world. If you ever feel down or in need of any kind of help, remember that Christ is the physician, and he will heal us of all our infirmities (Alma 7:11-13). Love life and stay shiny!

Rakkaudella,

Sisar Hillebrant

Sisar Lafferty trying to get well again. 

What to do when your companion is sick? Study, study, study, draw. 

Ch-ch-ch-changes take 6

Rakkaat ystävät,

Due to it being transfer week, President had requested that P-days were to be on Monday. Well, there had been a technical difficulty, so I did not get his e-mail and the information came from secondary sources, and now it turns out the Monday P-day was only for missionaries who were affected by the transfer.  As Sisar Lafferty and I will be staying together in Kuopio, we actually were supposed to keep the Tuesday P-day. But here we are anyway, because we had incorrect info and have already set up plans for tomorrow. So.

This week, we had a lesson with E, though it didn't quite go as planned. They actually had called while we were driving to cancel, but thankfully the Melby's had given us some muffins, so we used those as an excuse to just drop by. E's wife had just gotten back form the store, and invited us in anyway and said they actually did have time right then if we wanted to share a lesson. We talked about how he'd felt at church, and mostly he just had a lot of questions about things like why we sustained people, and what "Priesthood Meeting" means. We also talked about the purpose of church, and about the importance of family prayer. We know that will provide a greater spiritual boost into E's day, and hopefully help him feel how important this is for his family.

We also stopped by U, the referral from a member family that we stop by periodically. At first when she opened the door, she said now was a bad time. We said we understood and offered to keep her in our prayers. Suddenly her whole demeanor changed and she let us right in. We talked with her and her husband for a while. Her husband has met with missionaries before and isn't really interested to learn from us, but U seems to be a pretty spiritual person and may still be open. We didn't have a chance to have a real lesson, but it was good contact and hopefully opened a door to teach them in the near future. They did say we were welcome back any time.

Honestly, I don't have a whole lot else to say, because not a whole lot else has happened. We only really have E as an investigator right now, and have spent most of our time this week trying to contact potentials and find new people. It's been kind of slow here in Kuopio (but don't worry, it's going to spice up again soon!). 

In the meantime, take a couple minutes to ponder where you have seen the Father's hand in you life. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus Christ said, "And lo, I am with you alway, even until the end of time." We are never alone. The Father touches our life every day, and our Brother has made it possible for us to use His Atonement every day. We need not ever feel abandoned or alone. I can testify that this is true, because I felt it this week. Consider taking a couple minutes at the end of the day to look back and see the tiny miracles, and then write them down in a journal. Then look back and see the patterns. You will be amazed.

Hyvää viikkoa teille! Stay shiny! (I need to figure out how to say that in Finnish...)

Rakkaudella,

Sisar Hillebrant

Ice Formations Near Our Apartment

Snow or a Snake?

I must truly be related to me father to have come up with a lame cross-language pun like this...  We were returning this bike lock key to our branch mission leader, and I couldn't resist.

A Week of Firsts

Rakkaat ystävät,

I apologize that this e-mail is rather sporadic, but hope you can forgive me and enjoy it anyway :)

We had a great lesson with E on Thursday, and he's been reading the Book of Mormon diligently. He really does want to know if it's true, but he's a little hung up on whether or not man can see God and live, so we're working through that right now. We've been talking with him about baptism, and he won't set a date yet, but he said he would be baptized if he knew the Book of Mormon was true.

But, he finally, finally came to church! Sisar Lafferty and I were giddy all day because of it. I know I just had this stupid happy smile on my face all of Sacrament meeting. They only stayed for Sacrament meeting, but he came! I can tell his wife is getting excited and starting to think that it really is possible. We had Ward Conference, and the Watsons were there and President testified strongly about the First Vision, and E's wife leaned over to me and whispered, "This is PERFECT!" We're going to try to set a date with him this week. Pray for him!

I was a little down all week for some reason. Not sad, but just not 100% on top of it. Sisar Lafferty felt kind of the same. We're now super positive what it was, and we're both fine now, but it was kind of a long week, with not a lot happening and not a whole lot of action. But we went out yesterday with no appointments and did a lot of finding and talking with people and it felt so good. Whatever funk it was, I think I'm over it now.

At one point during the week, Sisar Lafferty felt she needed to take a breathing treatment for her asthma. I was at my desk working on something, when she opened the bedroom door and told me her nebulizer had caught fire. Imagine the surprise and incredulity in the "WHAT!?" that came out of my mouth. Well, nothing was damaged (except the machine) and we felt that, as much as it maybe wasn't pleasant, it was pretty funny in the long run.

I had a couple other "first" experiences this week:

1) Someone told me "ihan yes" when I asked how they were doing.

2) A man opened the door in very small underwear. Suffice it to say I was very focused on his face during that whole conversation.

3) We shoveled a member family's driveway and I got to use a cool heavy-duty snow shovel that they have all over the place here.

4) I had a shouted conversation with a man on his second story balcony. Nothing really came from it, but I felt like an accomplished missionary afterwards.

I'm short on time for a spiritual thought, but I'd like to quote my lovely former companion, Sisar Bunting: "I've come to the conclusion that mercy is the part of the atonement that takes away our sins, and grace is the part that helps us to do good things that are beyond our own power, or to improve upon ourselves. It is through the Savior’s grace that we receive the strength we need to go about consistently and cheerfully doing all good that is in our power, and then a little extra. Use His mercy to cleanse yourselves of mistakes and sins, but never forget to also apply His grace to help you do good beyond your abilities."  I thought that was really insightful and sums up the Atonement so well. Thanks, Sisar Bunting!

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Rakkaudella,

Sisar Hillebrant

"Moosen" at the Kuopio History Museum

Woolly Mammoth at the History Museum

Eating Muikku - a Small Fish That is a Common Dish Here