Never Lose Faith

Hyvää Huomenta!! 

Family Home Evening Fun!

This week was a pretty miraculous week even though it was pretty slow moving at first. Monday was probably the most fun day of the week, given it was P-day and we got to play Sähly with the Elders which was a lot of fun, but we also had the most fun lesson of my mission that night. We had a family in the ward invite us over for dinner and Family Home Evening and it was so much fun!  Mac came with us. We decided that we wanted to teach the kids more about reading the scriptures and to help them read everyday but we wanted to make it more exciting. So we decided that we would act out one of the stories in the Book of Mormon with them. We packed up a ton of scarfs that they all could use as head sashes and waist sashes and then they supplied things like robes and beards, haha. It turned out to be the craziest, most fun family night ever. Plus, Mac even joined in and got to be the angel and Mac is the sweetest person I have ever seen with kids. It was so cute to see him making paper planes with the kids. He really is my best friend and older brother here. But, the kids loved it and the whole time Sister Raphael was the narrator and was reading from the Book of Mormon... She may have threw in a few extra things.... such as, Nefi, Sam, Laman, and Lemuel playing rock, paper, scissors to see who goes in. Yeah... I don't remember that happening in the story. In the end we committed everyone to read everyday that week and if they came and told us on Sunday that they read everyday we would give them a treat. Some of them did it! :) 

Blank Day Turned Member Day

Tuesday was our member day. It started out with a super blank day and me wanting to just lay on the floor and die. I really don't like blank days. But with Sister Raphael's miracle planning in the morning we ended up with an entire full day and I got to meet members that I didn't even know. First we went to help a single mom in the ward who had just had surgery clean her house. She was SO thankful and just kept asking who sent us because she really really needed the help. I think it was inspired that we went there. We then got to go visit a member in the ward and follow up on a Book of Mormon that she gave away. She is the cutest old lady and is so excited to do missionary work. We just helped her to know more how she could invite her friend to learn even more about the church. She is great! We also visited two of my favorite families in the ward that day and they are really doing great. One of the daughters wanted to do a cookie making night with us and invite her friends so we did that Saturday. We have some really good missionary minded families in this ward so things are getting better! :)

They Just Need You

Wednesday was a really good day. Sister Raphael and I decided that we actually want to become friends with the elders this change because that doesn't always happen. We had district meeting on Wednesday and that was a lot of fun. Instead of the boring "tell you who are and where you are from," we decided that we wanted to make it exciting and we had to ask 2 questions to each person along with their introduction. This led to questions like, "what would you do in you were stranded on an island with the whole mission and all of the leaders got eaten by dinosaurs?" or "what is the most redneck thing you have ever done?"  Lets just say that it led to lots of laughter and we think that it was a good start. Later that day we had an appointment with our investigator T. and it went really really well!  We taught him all about Baptism and the Holy Ghost.  Even though he is not ready to set a baptismal date and to start to really investigate and ask if the the church is true, He came to church last week and loved it and then after this lesson for the first time ever committed to meet with us twice in a week instead of once!  Yes!  He is doing great! After our lesson with T. e had a lesson with a less active E.R. She is so great but it is so sad because the ward has really seemed to have given up on her and so she wont come to back to church. We had a lesson about reading the scriptures everyday and last week she prayed every single day for the first time in a really long time!  She has also committed to come to church with us this week. She is really starting to come back. Its amazing to see and has been a big testimony to me about not giving up or losing faith in people because chances are that they have just lost faith in themselves and need you. 

Don't Try This At Home

Thursday was our normal planning day.  Thank goodness that it was a planning day because it was snowing!!  I was pretty excited that it was snowing so that it could lighten things up around here. It is already starting to get dark around 4:30 in the evening. It is crazy. I miss the sun sometimes. When we wake up it is still pitch black outside and feels more like 2 in the morning not 6:30.  Sadly, the snow did not stay more then a day but we did have a funny story associated with Planning. Sister Raphael was cutting the dead ends off her hair during most of the planning and then went in to the bathroom as soon as we finished. I eventually followed to find her chopping of her hair!! I have heard of sisters doing this but never thought I would actually see it happen! We all go crazy after awhile for hair cuts since they are 40 euros here and who wants to pay that?!  The worst part is that we don't even have hair cutting scissors! They were just little kids scissors. I eventually jumped in and helped her cut some and try and make it even.... haha it doesn't look that bad?  I wouldn't suggest doing it though. Later that night we got to meet with Mac at his place. The first time that I have ever been to his apartment. He lives there with a family from Thailand also and actually the daughter is a member and introduced him to the church. She was there and we taught him about the priesthood some more and it was really good.   The only hard part was that we ended up talking to the member about missions for a long time since she had just gotten home not too long ago and Mac seemed pretty left out. I felt so bad afterwards. But he was fine and is still doing great. :) 

Teaching 

Friday we got to teach Timo again and it when really well. He used to try and speak to us in English to practice but they more seriously he investigates the more he goes to speaking Finnish. Yes!  We taught him that reading the scriptures and praying everyday is a commandment and committed him to do it and try and read at least 15 minutes a day. He said that is not enough and that he will read an hour a day... wow.  Yeah I think he is doing good!  He also committed to come to church. We also taught Piret. She is doing fine but is still struggling with keeping any commitments and we are worried that now might not be her time. We love her and really want to help her but she needs to start acting. It was a really good day. 

Cookie Making

Saturday was kind of a downer. I was feeling super sick most of the day and couldn't do much but we did get to meet with the Young Women's member and her friends to make sugar cookies!  They really enjoyed it and it gave the member a chance to show them the church and introduce them more to it.

Sunday, the Crazy and Miraculous Day

Sunday was a miracle day.  We new that we needed a lot of people in church in order to reach our goals for the week and we were not sure how that was going to happen but it did!! We had a former show up in church that we got to teach and she wants to investigate again, our investigator Timo, came to church, we had 3 of our less-actives that we have been working with come to church including Eila Ryyty It was amazing!  We were so excited!  Church was such a crazy day. Sister Raphael and I were constantly taking care of people and it was actually a lot of fun. I had to translate for Lilieta, a less-active for sacrament meeting. That was pretty nerve racking, but it went fine. Mac got to bless the sacrament for the first time! It made me so happy and Mac was completely himself.  We only had 2 lessons set up with him during the week and he complained that it wasn't enough so now we have 4 and he says it is perfect, haha. Oh Mac. Then after Church we got to go and visit Lilieta and it was so cool because she had her friend's son over who is 20 and was determined to introduce him to us. I have to admit it started out pretty awkwardly though.... I mean its not everyday you have members saying that you could marry someone you just met just because you are the same age!  What?!  Yeah, I quickly changed that around, and told him our purpose here, which led into the Restoration and now he wants to learn more!  That was pretty miraculous!  I love miracles.:)  It was a good week! 

Thanks for all of your love and support! 

Love, 

Sister Knapp