Missionary Monday: Elder H. in West Virginia!

I’m being transferred to a new city, as a District Leader! I leave tomorrow. The last 3 days we have been with out our car because someone tried to break into it and damaged the door. So we have been walking a lot! So the last couple of days have been slower than others. But good none the less. I’ve been saying some goodbyes to investigators and members that I truly have come to love and It has given us a good excuse to let us go teach other people right away, so that been nice. It’s still pretty nice here, the colors are starting to come in so that’s been really beautiful to see.
-love Elder H.

Sunday Best!

“Our Heavenly Father’s plan contains the ultimate expressions of true love. All that we hold dear, even our families, our friends, our joy, our knowledge, our testimonies, would vanish were it not for our Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Among the most cherished thoughts and writings in this world is the divine statement of truth: ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’” —President Thomas S. Monson

I believe that our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He gave His Son as a sacrifice to pay the price for our sins. I love the Savior and I’m so grateful for His life and Atonement.

I hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Sunday Best!

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1 Timothy 4:12

“Let no man despise thy youth;

but be thou an example of the believers,

in word,

in conversation,

in charity,

in spirit,

in faith,

in purity.”

President Thomas S. Monson used this scripture in his talk during General Conference. I’ve decided to put it on the fridge. I’ll read it everyday. I’ll try to put an extra effort into being “an example of the believers.” 

I’ll use kind words, and try to make a bigger effort into not using negative words.

I’ll build people up, and speak only of their strengths.

I’ll think to myself how the Savior loves everyone and treat them as a brother or a sister.

I will choose happiness and focus on what matters most in the grand scheme.

I’ll trust and believe that I can do whatever God has asked me to do in life.

I will choose to put positive and good thoughts in my mind and drive the negative out.

Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Missionary Monday: Sister F. in Finland!

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Well, Family.

You did it!
You made it through my mission.
This Sunday I was talking to a man in our ward and he said
“Your family is excited to see you.
They’ve been waiting around for you for a year and a half,
they are ready to have you home.”
That’s when I really realized…
This mission has been hard, sad, long, fast, short, happy, and great for you, too,
just as it has been for me.
You’ve just been living it with me from a different perspective.
So. I thank you for sticking with me through it all.
This last week was a good one.
Heavenly Father has been absolutely pouring out the blessings on me.
The hardest day was definitely Sunday
because it was my last time seeing the ward.
We had already sat down in the chapel when the little girl of one of my favorite families came over and said “Sister F! It’s your last Sunday!”
So then I had the special treat of getting to sit next to her for sacrament meeting
which never happens because she gets a little distracted by the missionaries.
It was one of the sweetest experiences I have had on my mission.
We started the opening hymn and try as I might,
I couldn’t hold back my tears as I realized it was one of the last times I will hear a hymn sung in Finnish in sacrament meeting.
I quietly cried through the beautiful sacrament prayers as well.
I will miss that. I will miss those prayers.
After the sacrament ended, the little girl looked up at me with her sweet face and said “Sister F, it’s okay to be sad. I love you.”
Throughout the whole rest of the meeting she would look up at me and whisper little things to me.
“Sister F, you’ll have happy times!”
“Sister F, I will miss you.”
“That’s what happens when you get used to a place, they move you right out!”
I can’t wait to show you pictures and tell you all about her and her family.
She and I shared a few tears that day.
This ward here is absolutely incredible.
They had me give the first testimony of the meeting and I got my first greeting sentence out and then I had to pray that Heavenly Father would help me speak because my heart hurt almost too much to say any words.
At the end of church they sang God Be With You Til We Meet Again
and all the Young Women came and said bye to me..
It was super sad. But I am so grateful to have been in this ward for five months and to have gotten so close to the people here.
I love my mission so much.
Getting on that plane will rip my heart out, but I know this isn’t the end.
I’ll bring Finland with me wherever I go.
This mission has given me a rock-solid foundation upon which I can build and rely
and I know it will never crack or disappear.
The greatest gift I have ever been given in my life is this mission.
And I look forward to being able to share it with each of you.
God lives. He is real.
He has never been so real to me as He is now.
I love Him, and I trust Him.
And I thank Him for this precious, precious gift.
I don’t think I can type much more because at this point I can’t really see the screen through my tears. My mission has definitely made me super cry-y.
I will see you in soon.
And I promise that as hard as it is to leave Finland,
I really am sincerely excited to see each of you.
I just have to leave something I love so dearly
to come home to something else I love so much, too.
See you on the other side of the Finnish line.
We’ll have “happy times!”
Rakkaudellani,
Sisar F.

Sunday Best!

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“We become examples of the believers by living the gospel of Jesus Christ in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. As we do so, our lights will shine for others to see.” -President Thomas S. Monson

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There is no choice, sin, or mistake that you or anyone else can make that will change His love for you or them. -Elder Ronal A. Rasband

We had the opportunity to watch General Conference over this weekend.

My favorite weekends are General Conference weekends!

Why is it my favorite time? After hearing the speakers I know that there is a prophet on the earth today, that there are apostles, and other wonderful leaders who lead the restored church of Jesus Christ. I know that Heavenly Father loves me and that He gave us a wonderful plan to come to earth and let us have experiences and have families. When I watch General Conference, I am learning what God wants me to know, learning how I can have a happy life. I am also learning what Heavenly Father expects from me.

If you would like to know more click on here! 

Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy