Hey everyone :) Hope your week has gone well. Probably has been pretty busy lately, now is when school is starting up and everything again right? Good luck everyone! Also, Happy Birthday Chase!! I know you have been working your tail off recently so hopefully you get to fully enjoy a nice adventure filled, but mentally relaxing day.
So we got change calls this week! Sisar Herrmann is going to Turku and I'm staying in Kerava :) Sisar Bruce is going to come finish and training. I've loved working with Sisar Herrmann and will miss her, but I also look forward to learning new things from Sisar Bruce. Also, wow I'm so grateful I get to stay in Kerava. Seeing Sisar Herrmann tell everyone good bye has made me so grateful I don't have to leave yet. The ward and people here and so wonderful, words just don't explain.
We had splits this week with the Sister Training Leaders and what an adventure that was. My companion ended up getting super sick that day (actually it was a huge blessing to have it happen on splits day though) so I ended up having to take the reins on all our lessons and everything. It doesn't sounds like that big of a deal, but I was shaking in my shoes pretty much all day. I felt pretty inadequate Finnish wise, navigation wise, and just in general. But, it felt so great by the end of the day to look back and think "Wow, I did it! With Heavenly Father's help, I did it!" Of course everything was so far from perfect, and I'm sure the Sister Training Leaders were thinking it was a disaster of a day haha, but I was feeling pretty blessed and grateful by the end of the day, it was a big success for me.
Two big blessings from this week:
1) The power of the Book of Mormon is incredible. One investigators that hadn't progressed very much recently read the book of mormon. We called her everyday and every time she suddenly just lights up and tells us all the things she learned from reading that day and how much the spirit helped her feel better the rest of the day. We are very excited for her.
2) We walked into church on Sunday to find two "self referrals" (or people that have never meet the missionaries, but just came on their own) seating in the back waiting for sacrament meeting to start. They said they had read about the church online and just wanted to come visit! :0 wahhh!! We gave them a Book of Mormon etc. they said they wanted to go home and think about it some more before they started meeting with the missionaries, but they said they had a really good and pleasant experience and will probably come back next week. They were both so sweet and sincere. That has probably been my favorite part of my mission so far; seeing people with such sincere, humble desire to learn and find the truth.
One unique thing to Finland is the word "jaksaa". First off, you must know that Fins are very truthful, and it's not rude or anything, they just say it how it is. So, jaksaa pretty much means to feel like or to have the energy to do something. For example, if you are at a dinner appointment and they ask if you want more food you can simply say "en jaksaa" (I don't feel like it) and it is completely polite. haha sometimes I just chuckle a little in my mind still when I say it. But it also is totally acceptable to call in to work for a sick day or tell someone you don't want to come to church that week (as a missionary you hear this one a lot ha) and use the excuse that you just don't jaksaa to come. Oh the wonderful things of Finland ha :)
I hope all is well at home, I love you all!
-Sisar Clark
pics
1- a classic Finland sky....I'm always in awe!
2- Mustikka Piiraka (Finnish version of blueberry pie.....Fins do it way better....it is the best thing on this planet....especially when certain ward members make it for you......definitely my favorite Finnish food yet)
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