Another Great Week!

Hello family and friends! Well, lots going on this week!

It started off on Monday when we got to go to a play the Young Adults in the stake were putting on. MY TURN ON EARTH! haha I knew all the songs and honestly, I was just giddy watching it! The littlest entertainment becomes just AMAZING when you're a missionary. But really, it was a very well put on play and they're preforming it in a couple weeks at this huge YSA conference in Finland. We also had to put together 700 bead bookmarks for this festival so that took up some of our time this week, but overall, it was pretty fun!

Highlight of the week came on Wednesday!! First off, the district hit a session at the temple. Loved it. And then afterwards, we had THREE recent converts meet us at the temple to do baptisms! So cool! One of them was H who got baptized last week and the other ones were G and A who have gone before. It is the COOLEST thing to see them progress and just come out of the temple BEAMING! Seriously, they are so happy and smiling and you can just tell that everything is right. Another one of those out-of-body experiences where I just took a step back and watched them three helping each other figure everything out in the baptismal room and watching them explain and learn together and I just smiled. What a lucky occasion. Also, one other funny thing. There was a group of kids from Lithuania there doing baptisms too so we were able to be confirmed in Finnish, but the only person there baptizing was from Lithuania and didn't speak any Finnish and only a little English so we all got baptized in Lithuanian! Fun stuff! 

Other cool things that happened:

-we met with our new investigator N from Russia and brought the other Elders' investigator with us since she speaks Russian! So that was pretty cool! I figured we can help people realize they have a testimony of the church as soon as they start telling other people about it!

-we met with a LOT of less-actives this week and there are 3 that we're working with specifically that are SO CLOSE to being reactivated. I can see the light of the gospel come back into their lives and they're remembering how happy it can make them and I'm so excited!! Some awesome miracles are going to happen this week from that!

-We had a ward picnic on Saturday and got to play Football and Frisbee (thanks dad for the football!) It was fun to put on some basketball shorts are fun around for a bit.

-After the ward picnic we headed out to a baptism in Espoo! H wanted to attend a baptismal service that wasn't her own and our other recent convert G from the Philippines was speaking. So on the bus ride there we were asked to sing at the service. Yeah, no problem. But then we were told that it was in Tagalog... Uh slight problem. But not for the missionaries! We quickly learned some Tagalog and sang Ako Ay Anak Ng Diyos (I am a child of God) flawlessly. Okay there were major flaws but the spirit was still there so I consider it a success.

-Yesterday we met an American girl who's a member and is here in Finland for a bit and took her to church with us! And then when we got there, H said the prayer! yep she's doing great! So proud of her :) We also got asked to teach relief society next week and then we got to attend the Young Women's class for a special birthday party thing! hehe It's fun being a missionary. 

-Today we visited a Lutheran church called temppeliaukio which translates into "temple square" So I guess today we visited temple square. It's this big church that's in a rock. Pretty cool stuff. The other sisters and our new American friend and H all came with us. and then we hit up a Frozen Yogurt place that is a lot like Zoyo or Yogurtland, but a lot less options. And then we got to help clean out and set up the new family history center here at the church! It's been a busy P-day but we love it!

There was also this rally race thing going on and for some reason the track went like around our apartment. So the tram we take home wasn't running and it just felt like I was in the middle of a Nascar race. Not anything too exciting, but it was weird to hear music again. There's a pic from that as well.

Sisar Johnston and I are doing great! We just found out that my former companion, Sisar Curtis, gets to come stay with us with her companion for a few days in a couple weeks and I'm so excited! Besides that, we're still preparing hard for this August 9th date and we're excited to see what miracles can come from that! I've also been studying a lot about becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ and what that really means. I've been reading a lot in the book of Acts and I love it! Man they sure had a lot of faith and power. So that's currently what I'm working on.

Overall, everything's going well! We're just trying to find new investigators and follow the Lord's will for our area here. Sorry this letter was a lot about the random things I DID and not a lot about missionary work, but it really was super productive and busy! I love those weeks.. Well I love you all! Thank you for the love! Have a wonderful week!

Sisar Crandall

Us girls after baptisms

District at the temple

Me and Sisar Johnston

Me and H :)

In the rock church at temple square

All of us at the baptism of the Filipino. The one we sang in Tagalog at. Fun stuff!

Pics of the rally race thing

Frozen Yogurt!

Me and some more Frozen Yogurt

BEST WEEK EVER!

Dear Family and friends!

Well this week was probably literally the highest point and the lowest point on my mission so far. Crazy how that happens. Well, I've already forgotten all of the bad stuff, so here's the good stuff! 

H GOT BAPTIZED!! It was such a great week for her! It started on Tuesday when we had the baptismal interview and she passed with flying colors :) She was so ready. And then we met with her on Friday and that experience was even cooler. She met with us and with our new investigator K and she was able to testify about how she received her answer and how she knows "varmasti" that this church is true. Earlier this week I already didn't have a doubt that Hanna had a testimony, but just sitting there watching her tell someone else about it I almost teared up realizing that yes, she knows this is true. And she's never going to fall away from it. She's just so strong. 

And also on Friday night she told us that her parents might come to the service! We've been praying that their heart would be softened and that they'd support her decision (She'd still get baptized either way, but it was just something she wanted) and GUESS WHAT?!!! THEY CAME TO THE SERVICE ON SATURDAY! Both her mom and dad showed up in a dress and a suit and supported her the entire time. H looked SO beautiful in her white dress and her mom teared up a little bit and it was just amazing. So the service took place in Espoo actually (that's H's hometown) and lots of people showed up to support her. Elder Smith was able to baptize her and the Bishop's wife gave a talk about baptism and us and the Pasila sisters sang a musical number while Elder Downs was on guitar and it was just perfect. And then yesterday she got confirmed!! And SO many members came up and hugged her and welcomed her into the family and she just looked so happy! And after church she had a meeting with Bishop (just like a little more formal get to know you thing) and she came out and said "Guess what?! Bishop gave me a temple recommend!" haha okay! That's pretty fast but if she's ready then why not! So now we get to go do baptisms with her in the Helsinki Temple on Wednesday! We were already going to go as a district to the temple to do a session and now Sisar Johnston and I get to stay and do baptisms as well! We're so excited! 

ANOTHER HUGE MIRACLE! We have a LA who we've been working with a lot, but she has an anxiety disorder and physically can't leave her home very often. So we've just been working with her spiritually and praying that once she has the desire, it will overcome her physical anxiety. So we had a lesson this week and she said she's read one chapter of Mormons Bok (it's Swedish) every day this week and that she's going to pay her tithing too! I was so happy! So then I asked her if we could go to the store to get some ice cream to celebrate and she said "sure! Why not?!" So all 3 of us walked out of her house together! And we went down to the store to get some ice cream! IT WAS SO COOL! And then we sat down and taught her outside! Seriously, this was a HUGE step and I was so excited! And also, while we were sitting outside, we were able to talk to this couple from CA. The dad is Finnish and the mom American and they live under some Elders in CA. They're not members, but they went off about how amazing these two young men were and how much their little son loves them. So that was super cool to see too. And this all happened on Friday so that was an AMAZING DAY!

So I've already told you some of you this, but a couple of weeks ago we got a challenge from President to pray and fast about when our next baptism could take place in our area. So we prayed and fasted about it a lot and came up with the date of August 9th. So now we've been doing everything in our power to prepare our area for that date. We've been going hard at it for the past couple of weeks but now it's crunch time. With H getting baptized yesterday we're now able to focus 100% on our new investigators and bringing down these miracles. 

 But we currently don't have an investigator with a baptismal date and it's only 3 weeks away. So yesterday we fasted that we would be able to know everything that Sisar Johnston and I can do to fulfill our end of the promise and let the Lord do the rest. And we saw miracles! 7 lessons taught and a new investigator and a couple potentials!! A random guy just came up to me on the tram and sat down and said "let's chat." And we talked all about the Book of Mormon and we exchanged numbers and it was just kind of a surreal "Did that just really happen?" moment. But it's true what they say, People ARE prepared here and now the Lord is just placing them in our path. And then late last night the Elders called and gave us an awesome referral! I'm so excited to see the miracles that will come in the next couple of weeks! Sisar Johnston and I are really staying focused and consecrating ourselves to the work and I have faith that in the end, the Lord's plan will prevail. We're a part of a great work :)

Thank you so much for the emails and letters and love and support and prayers and for everything! I feel them all the time and it really helps. Have a wonderful week everybody :) I can't wait to tell you about all the amazing miracles we see this week! I love you!

Sisar Crandall

Adventures with Mom and Hyrum!

Hello family and friends!!

Such a good week! Here's how it went!

Well last Sunday we had a "get to know you fireside" with President and Sisar Watson. All the missionaries in the area as well as the members were invited. Since President and Sisar Watson don't know Finnish yet, they spoke in English and just had translators the whole time (something Finns are used to) but then at the end of Sisar Watson's talk she just look straight at the audience (or straight at me as it felt like) and said "Minä tiedän että tämä kirkko on totta. Minä tiedän että Jeesus on Kristus. Minä tiedan että hän elää" not gonna lie, I just started bawling like a baby. It's seriously impossible to not feel the spirit on simple truths of statement like that. Just wanted to share that with everyone. Finnish isn't a barrier as long as you know how to speak the language of the spirit. And let me tell you, our mission president's wife sure does!

Well then it was Monday! Our district went out to a cool island called Seurasaari (see picture) and then fhe with our bishop and investigator H! She's getting baptized on Saturday!! Yay! The bishop's wife is also a convert about 6 years ago and her family also didn't approve of her joining the church (just like H's family doesn't) So them talking really helped. It was awesome! 

Tuesday! What a great day! First, Sisar Johnston and I tried some Kebab (see picture)

And then the best thing ever happened! Tomorrow is my dear mother's birthday, so for her birthday, SHE CAME TO VISIT ME! Yep! This week my mom and my nephew Hyrum were here in Finland! Here's what we did:

Well, I first picked them up at the train station! (see picture)

Then, we had district meeting and an interview with President. So while we were waiting, we played some pool (see picture)

Wednesday was zone conference! Seriously one of the best ones of my mission. So we all took the elevator (see picture) to get on the bus (see picture) to go to Haaga! yay! 

The meeting was all about our call and our special time that we're set apart as servants of the Lord. They had us all re-read our call letters and holy cow that one got me crying again... We read Jeremiah 20:9 and about how we have such a huge desire to share the gospel that we can't possible stay quiet about it! It was so cool! And then we talked a lot about how the Lord has entrusted Sisar Johnston and I with his part of the vineyard here in downtown Helsinki. So what am I going to do with it? Well, I want to be able to say that I've done everything I possibly could. And present it to the Lord proudly (see 2 Nephi 15:4). And now I get the chance! 

We just found out the ELDER DAVID A. BEDNAR is coming to Finland! September 12th! We're all so stinkin' excited! So, just as I present my area to the Lord each night in prayer, I'll be able to present it to one of his apostles in just a couple of months. So cool. So yeah, We both left that meeting just filled with the fire of missionary work! 

So on the train ride home, I talked to this AWESOME girl named K and she became a new investigator! She asked some amazing questions like "How do you pray? Will someone talk back to me? How can I pray if I don't really believe in things?" So we talked all about prayer and faith and we're meeting again tomorrow! So cool! 

So that night we had another lesson with H! We met at the church and showed her the baptismal font and found her a baptismal dress and planned the service and everything! She's so excited and so ready! She even told her family this week that she was going to get baptized. They don't approve, but she's so strong (and she's 25 so she doesn't need their approval) And she says she feels a lot better now that she's not hiding or lying about anything. She's so cool!

On Friday we had exchanges! Sisar Cribbs who I served with in Jyväskylä came and joined our companionship for the day! We really focused on talking with everyone and finding some new investigators! H is awesome, but besides that our pool is pretty non-progressing... 

Then on Saturday we had a lot of fun together! We went and did service in a member's garden! (see picture) and then visited and helped out a LA member (see picture).

On Sunday we took a wonderful walk through the park on the way to church (see picture) and then enjoyed a beautiful sacrament meeting and sang some hymns (see picture).

Today (Monday) We went to Suomenlinna! We enjoyed the boat ride there (see picture) And had a lot of fun eating ice cream (see picture) and just seeing all the nature! And then we had fun looking at a map of where I live. (see picture)

So yes, a VERY fun and successful week! Seriously, one of the best of my mission so far and they just keep on getting better! We're super excited to keep talking to everyone and making all these potentials we've found investigators! H's baptism is on Saturday and we're super excited! I'll have pics next week for sure! 

So I just wanted to wish my mom a very happy birthday! And thanks for coming to visit me! It was a nice little piece from home :) Well I love you all! Thanks for your support and letters and emails and everything! This church is so true. I can see it change people's lives everyday and also my own life. I love coming out here and seeing people react when they hear simple truths like "You have a Father in Heaven who wants to hear from you." "You can pray to him every day and he WILL listen". THAT'S why I'm on a mission.

Love, Sisar Crandall

(4th of July Fun)

​

4th of July and Sunday School

Hello family! Sorry I have like zero time today but here's what happened this week:

We mainly focused on planning and making our 4th of July party a success! And it was! We had a TON of non members and less actives and investigators there and of course, all the Americans came. Bishop came with his grill and we had potato salad and smores and all the works! The Finns absolutely loved it.

On the way home from the party we got a call asking if we could teach Sunday School on Sunday... Sure! So Sisar Johnston quickly learned all the vocab to teach about Rehobeam and jerobeam (those are their Finnish names...) and false gods and gold statues and it went really well! So that was a little tender mercy for the week.

Okay, now onto the big news. our investigator is getting baptized!! Her name is H and she's 25 and she's awesome! Her service is on the 19th of July and I can't wait! She's seriously so cool. So yeah, I'll tell you more about that when I have the time.

Also, WE GOT A NEW MISSION PRESIDENT! His name is President Watson and we got to meet him at zone conference on Thursday! It was basically just a get to know you zone conference and he's coming around to interview us all this week so that'll be fun! K sorry, I gotta run, I'm on a laptop today so it's super slow, but look out for some letters! I love you all!

 

Sisar Crandall

 

Goodbye Elder and Sister London :(

District and Gisel on 4th of July

God bless America

We have too much fun...

Kesäkuu is coming to an end...

Dear family and friends,

Wow so much has happened this week and for some reason I can't remember any of it so we'll see how long this email is.

Well, transfers were this week and since we're now the closest apartment to the mission office, we had 2 sisters staying with us Tuesday night. Sister Curtis and Sister Schellenberg! Both sisters were with me in the MTC so we had a little too much fun talking and catching up but we loved it!

There is a senior couple here named the Thelins and on Tuesday their granddaughters were here on vacation and we got to go on splits with them! So we went contacting in the park and to a couple of lessons and to visit less actives and just showed them what a day in the life of a Finland Helsinki missionary would be like. 

Wednesday was pretty normal. language study with our member friend and she taught us some way cool Finnish phrases and figures of speech. Now I can actually start sounding like a Finn :) 

Thursday was way fun! We had a movie night so our investigator with a baptismal date could meet a bunch of the YSA. We watched Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration and it went so well! I think about 10 people ended up being there so she's basically part of the ward now :) Oh we also had District Meeting today and got to meet our new Sister! Sister Dowd! She's serving with Sister Woods (the other sister companionship in our ward) And we're super excited to get to work with them! I always love meeting new missionaries. Speaking of new missionaries... I walk into the mission office today to email and guess who's there?! President and Sister Rawlings and President and Sister Watson! The change takes effect tomorrow so we're super excited for that! we have a "Meet the President" Zone conferenceon Thursday so I didn't think I'd get to see him until then, but here he is! 

Friday we had a miracle story. This less active we've been trying to work with forever called and invited us over to make dumplings! Hehe so we made dumplings with her. And now we actually have a really good relationship with her and were able to teach her roommate a lesson and it just went so well!

Saturday was so cool! So we got a call on Thursday saying that somebody in Tazmania wanted to talk to us... uhh okay! So I pick up the phone and it ended up being two elders there who are teaching a Finnish foreign exchange student girl who had some questions about the church here in Finland and really just wanted to talk to finns and Finnish missionaries about it. So we got to skype her on Saturday! She's 16 so we had our young women's leader with us and we got to talk to her and answer all her questions and it went really well! Just another example that this gospel is true wherever you go :)

Sunday was an awesome day as well! Our investigator with a baptismal date has been a little scared to be baptized, but she just learned about priesthood blessings and we offered her one to help with her nerves. and she accepted! So Sunday morning before church the elders were able to give her a blessing. And then she stayed for sacrament meeting and loved it! So everything is going well with her! The third hour of Sunday School was also combined and bishop taught an awesome lesson about missionary work and really got the members excited! So I can't wait to see how this week will go! We've been spending a lot of time planning our ward's 4th of July party and inviting members to invite their friends so hopefully it'll all go over well! (No, Finns do not celebrate the 4th of July... but there are a LOT of Americans here so we're doing it anyway).

Well, that's my week! This week we've got lots of changes and goals and plans and I just can't wait for the rest of this transfer! I love you all! Happy 4th of July! Thank you so much for all your emails and letters and love! It's so appreciated :)

Rakkaudella,

Sisar Crandall

the district and Gisel in an elevator with some lovely elevator guitar music provided by Elder Downs

the sky at midnight

Miracles: Spanish and Baptismal Dates!

Dear Family and Friends!

Holy cow I have so much to tell you! There are literally so many miracles and cool things going on that I can't type fast enough! So first things first, transfers. SISAR JOHNSTON AND I ARE STAYING TOGETHER IN NEITSYTPOLKU! YAY! So yep! another 2 months here in Helsinki! I'll be here until the end of August! Sisar Bunting got transferred out of our district and then Sisar Woods is training a greenie so there are just 6 of us now in this ward.

(This is Kathryn's current Address:)

Lönnrontinkatu 42 H 109

00180 Helsinki

Finland

-It snowed this week! This week was Juhannus (Mid-summer's) and is a big deal here in Finland and we celebrated with a barbeque in the park with a member and our investigator. But it wasn't a nice sunny barbeque like in Mesa or anything. We all had jackets on and went inside to eat as soon as the food was cooked because it was too cold. Pretty lame summer here in Finland, but all the light is nice!

-On Thursday was my year mark! So us and the other sisters went out to eat at Vapiano's. It's a way good Italian restaurant (kinda like Olive Garden but without the breadsticks) And they make the pasta in front of you and everything so that was super fun. It was also Sisar Bunting's year mark so we got to celebrate together.

-We headed out to Suomenlinna again this week to meet with our less actives out there and got lost in some medieval castle looking for a potential. So that's what a lot of the pictures are of.

-On Monday we played frisbee with all the missionaries (6 of us now) and some members and some less actives even showed up! It was way fun and it poured the whole time so we were soaked, but it was P-day so it was worth it.

and now.... MIRACLES!!

So recently people have just been handing us people who are ready to be baptized. So that's cool! The Lord has really been preparing these people and have now just put them into our laps. So we found 3 NEW INVESTIGATORS this week! two of them are a Finnish couple we were finally able to set up an appointment with after just stopping by and teaching twice and the third one is a miracle story!

So this woman's name is J and she is from Spain. Cool huh? Well except for the fact that she doesn't speak ANY English or Finnish. Well it would be nice if she lived in the area of two missionaries who speak Spanish, but she doesn't. She lives right next to Sisar Johnston and I :) yay. So J met missionaries in Spain and they taught her all the lessons and then moved to Finland and now wants to be baptized. Well she didn't have a way to contact the missionaries here so she came to the mission office and left her number and said she wanted missionaries to call her so we did! I have talked to people in Spanish on buses and on the street before but all I can say is "We're missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I don't speak Spanish well but we'll put you in touch with someone who can" Well shout out to all my Spanish speaking missionary friends because Holy Cow teaching in Spanish is HARD! I feel like I'm in my first week at the MTC again. I struggle to get out a complete sentence and all that comes out are Finnish words and it literally took us 15 minutes to invite her to be baptized, but we got it! And she accepted a date! So we met with her on Friday, Saturday, and then she came to church on Sunday! Way cool! We use LOTS of pamphlets and movies and just read things to her in Spanish and we get by. Luckily our comprehension skills are SIGNIFICANTLY better than our speaking skills so we can understand her questions fine and then just send her to the right chapter to find her answer. It's been a SUPER humbling experience though. And this week I had a dream in Finnish and then the next night in Spanish! Yep, my brain's all messed up now, but the Lord is moving his work along in any way possible! And I'm just glad that he can use me as a tool in it :)

OTHER MIRACLE STORY!

The Espoo Elders met this AWESOME girl on the bus.   Her name is H and she's 25 and a Finn! So she met with them for a while and then moved into our area as well! And she has a baptismal date and is progressing and was in church! So everything is falling right into place there and she's so willing to learn and I love it :)

So we ended the week with both of our investigators with baptismal dates in church and with some awesome lessons and miracles falling into place this week.

We're busy planning and helping out with the ward's 4th of July party (there are lots of Americans here). We've also really been focusing on praying always and when something goes wrong instead of asking "What more could I have done?" Asking "How can we more effectively involve the Lord in HIS work?" And miracles are happening! We have some awesome potentials and now with some more people in town after Juhannus hopefully everything will go well this week!

Pictures:

Lost in Suomenlinna... (It's a castle fortress island thing)

This place is beautiful

Wandering through the tunnels...

Beautiful nature :)

Completely empty metro on Juhannus. EVERYONE goes out of town...

Pictures with the sisters and Gesil in the metro station

mirror ceiling picture

We have too much fun together...

Me and Sisar Bunting. (And the Elders...)

Good-bye Sisar Bunting ;(

Neitsytpolku District

about 10pm at night :)

The one-year olds :)

yumm :) Pasta at Vapiano's ;)

My very productive language study :)

PACKAGES!! KIITOS!

They're weird...

Got to see Sisar Lund this week :)

Late night smoothies :)

dinner at Vapiano's :)

Recognizing the Lord's Hand

Well family and friends, This week has been another crazy one. And one full of reflection and goals and changing and learning. Yep, I didn't think all of that was possible in the same week, but somehow it happened once again! This Thursday, I hit my one-year mark on my mission. Holy cow. That's crazy. So throughout my personal studies I've been studying and thinking about how the Lord's hand has been such a blessing in my life the past year. And then I I realized that I wouldn't have been able to receive a lot of these blessings if I wasn't out here in Finland on a mission. Every day I see more and more reasons as to why I personally need to be where I am. Yep, I really didn't have enough time to write down all the miracles I've seen, but I thought I'd share some of the bigger ones with you all. So, in honor of a full-year as a missionary, Here are some way the Lord has blessed my life in the past year:

-I've been able to improve my relationships with my siblings and parents

-My family has all become stronger and closer in the gospel

-I've learned a lot about teaching the gospel and how to establish a Christ-centered home in the future for my kids

-I've been able to gain a testimony of the gift of tongues and learn Finnish (This one's still in the process)

-I've been able to develop my relationship with my Heavenly Father through prayer

-I've had the opportunity to literally walk with people to the temple. This past week, the missionaries in Estonia put their recent convert in contact with the missionaries here in Helsinki. so the 6 of us (4 sister missionaries, one recent convert from Estonia and one recent convert from Helsinki) had the opportunity to go to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. It was my first time doing them in the Helsinki temple and the first time doing them in about a year and a half so I was pretty excited. We walked around the temple before it was time to go in and talked a lot about what happens. We were able to teach them about the blessings of the temple and how we might be baptized for 5 names, and each time we go, we'll do more and we probably won't remember them all, but THEY will always remember our names. We're making salvation possible to them and we'll be thanked for it one day. They absolutely loved that idea. And while we were walking to the temple from the train station, we rounded the corner and it was the first time this girl from Estonia had ever seen a temple in real life and she just teared up at how beautiful it was. I couldn't help smiling and just seeing her excitement brought tears to my eyes as well. It was one of those "THIS is why I'm on a mission" moments. Seriously, one of the most special experiences I've had so far.

-I've been able to develop MY testimony. It's true what they say, a testimony really is found in the bearing of it. It's not that I ever doubted any of these things were true, but when we're teaching about it and testifying about it, I can't help but feel the spirit testifying to me that everything I say is true.

-I've been able to meet a lot of amazing general authorities and church leaders including my mission president.

-I've become a lot more outgoing and confident in public speaking than I used to be (talking to strangers in a strange language will do that for ya)

-I've been able to meet 6 wonderful best friends who I like to call my companions. They've all taught me so much. Sisar Howell taught me what it means to lead by example. She's a great example of quiet dignity and just patiently doing everything she can. She really taught me that I person to be loved is ALWAYS more important than a problem to be solved. Sisar Ballif taught me all about service. She truly made ever companion feel like the best companion ever and never ceased showing me and everyone around her she loved them. I think most of us just think "Oh, she looks nice today" Or "Oh, I should probably help her with that" But Sisar Ballif taught me to just say it and go do it and spread some love around. Sisar Dayton taught me that missionary work is fun! She was so happy and positive all the time and always lifted my spirits. She really helped me understand that this is a gospel of good news and that we should enjoy sharing it!  I don't think I've ever laughed so much in a 4 month period than I did with her. Sisar Lund taught me how to listen. She was truly interested in everyone and everyone loved talking with her because they knew she cared. She would sit and listen to me talk for forever and honestly take interest in what I was saying. It meant a lot and it really just showed me how much care you can show to someone by simply being a listening friend. Sisar Curtis taught me to just forget yourself and go to work. She was very good at staying focused and not getting stressed out or worrying too much about things you can't control. She knew that if she put in her all to fulfill her purpose 24/7, that was all the Lord asked of her. And she always encouraged me to be better and do the same. And Sisar Johnston. She continues to teach me everyday, but I think the biggest thing I've learned so far is how to connect with people and apply the gospel to their lives. She's always able to just sit down next to someone and then walk away from them being best friend! And I just sit there smiling and confused. She truly is always happy and people are attracted to her light because of it. So I guess she's taught me to let my light shine.

-All of these lessons have a billion stories behind them that have helped me get to where I am today, but I guess the biggest thing I've learned so far is Hope. Hope that through the Atonement, everything will be made right in the end.

So with all of this in mind, let me tell you a little bit about my week.

Tuesday was Zone Conference and it was AMAZING. It was President and Sister Rawlings' last one before the head home and we focused a lot on praying always. So Wednesday and Thursday Sister Johnston and I went out and focused 100% on praying always and saw MIRACLES! Two main ones were super cool. 1. We had this potential family's name in our area book, but the problem was that they lived on this island in the middle of no where that we had to take a bus and then walk across this bridge and then we got to their house. So we finally had a chance to get out there and we prayed about what to say to them and really just asked the Lord to help us and it went amazingly well! We knocked on the door and she seemed busy, but we asked if she had 10 minutes (like we had planned) and she said sure! And let us right in! So then her and her husband sat down and said "Ok, you have 10 minutes, what's your message?" Finally! Someone who's willing to listen! So we introduced the Book of Mormon to them and explained it and Moroni's promise and about praying to know if it was true and it was one of the best lessons ever! They were really intent and asked a lot of questions and they have 3 sons who are also interested! It was a family! So yeah. the Lord really helped us testify to them and we're super excited to start working with them more. 

2. We have been trying to get into this Less-active's building for like 4 months, but it's always locked and we've never been able to catch someone walking in or out or something like that. So we weren't planning on stopping by at all, but I just had the thought as we passed her house "Hey, maybe someone will open the door for us now. It's summer, maybe more people are home during the day" So we went to the door and it was locked (as usual) but then I looked through the window and we saw that the back door was wide open! So we quickly ran around the building and walked right in! So now we're standing at her door and we say a thank you prayer and we go to knock on her door and we just hear all this yelling and shouting and a baby crying i think and we debated if we should come back or not. Well, we said another prayer and still felt like we should knock because we had finally been able to get in. So we knocked and this mom answered the door and it ended up being the Less-active lady's daughter. She was holding her little girl so we asked if we could just sing a song to them. She agreed and we sang "Oon lapsi Jumalan" (I'm a child of God) we were able to talk to them and really help bring the spirit into their home and it was a super cool experience. And she also gave us her mom's new address (the less-active) so we're going to stop by her house tonight! So yeah, there was definitely the Lord's hand in that one.

Last night Espoo ward put on a "Music and the Spoken Word" Where lots of different people sang different songs with some poems and stories and scriptures read in between and it was so good! Definitely something we'll have to try here in our ward. And also, Another less-active came with us and loved it! It was a great ending to a great week.

So this Friday are transfer calls. I'm pretty sure I'm staying here in Neitsytpolku with Sisar Johnston, but just to be sure, send all mail to the mission home. This week is also Juhannus (Mid Summer's) and everyone is so excited! Finns love their summer! So we have 2 red days where we have to be indoors or in appointments, but not out walking around so I'll let you know how that goes. It's super bright here now, but I love it! I'm soaking up all the sun I can get! But it's still cold sometimes. If it rains, I have to wear my red jacket because it's too cold with the wet and the wind. But usually I'm okay in just a cardigan or a sweater.

Well, this past year has flown by, but it literally has been the happiest and most rewarding of my life and I'm excited to see where these last 3 transfers will take me! I love you all so much and I hope you have a wonderful summer! I'm off to play frisbee with the district again and then to Tortilla House (my favorite Mexican Restaurant here in Finland) for dinner! Thank you so much for everything :)

Rakkaudella,

Sisar Crandall

President and Sister Rawlings and the Helsinki Temple

View out my window at 6:00 a.m., and some cool clouds