Week 100 in Mikkeli (Oh lovely sunlight)

Goooooooooooood day. Wow, do I love being here in Mikkeli. The work has gone fantastically this week, and we're basically sprinting. Mostly spiritually, sometimes physically as well. 

Last P-day, I took a picture with the garden. It's been doing pretty well, but the plants have been crowding each other, so I dug 'em up just today and replanted them so that they would have more space to grow!

We subsequently went the whole week without taking hardly any pictures, but we made up for it with a crazy busy p-day. 

In the course of the week:

-We talked to some amazing people. Lots of foreign students doing exchange programs right now, and many of them have never seen the missionaries even in their own home countries! 

-We had an amazing district council again in Mikkeli, with a lot of energetic and devoted missionaries. 

-We led our branch's 5th Sunday discussion for the second hour of church, and it was focused on - guess - missionary work! We based off of Elder Utchdorf's talk called "Missionary work: sharing what is in your heart". Very good talk, and a very good discussion! We even led a small series of roleplays(we do those a ton as missionaries, in case you can't remember), and the members had a ton of fun with it!

-We also got to reunite with the Jäkkös at church! Surprise, they were visiting in Mikkeli, and surprise, both Elder Skinner and I served in Mikkeli!

-Our branch mission leader is amazing. A convert of almost 5 years, he has us over every week to discuss the work and what we can do to help our friends. He's always so supportive of us, tells us inspiring stories about his own conversion, and gives us ways to improve in the work. I tried to take a picture with his cat.

Aaand, we finished off a lovely, sunny week with a very intense round of frisbee golf. This course was something else, my friends. Given that I'm a fairly new player of frisbee golf, I spent almost as much time searching for my disc as I did throwing the disc. But, you win some, you learn some! 

Nearly made par on this one(just kidding, it took me like, 50 throws)

As for my studies and spiritual perceivings, I've been looking the past few days at the Anti-Nephi-Lehis in the book of Alma. Their story is really inspiring, and I've thought a lot about how many of them laid down their 'weapons of rebellion'. I think that those weapons can, metaphorically, be actual weapons such as swords, but that they can also be spiritual weapons - ways that we keep ourselves from accessing the atonement and using it in our lives. 

I've been trying to develop a personal culture of asking, "what lack I yet?", or in other words, "What are my weapons of rebellion that I need to bury?" I think that mindset is helping me to be a better missionary and disciple, step by step. 

Well, I love ya! It's been another amazing, sunny week around here, and I hope that you'll use the time you have to continue improving! Love you all!

Rakkaudella,

Vanhin Bolingbroke

Week 99 in Mikkeli (Duck!)

Goooood afternoon, fellowmen. We've had a pretty amazing week here in the city of Mikkeli(fun fact: Mikkeli is named after the swedish Saint Michel, which is swedish for Saint Michael. As in Michael the archangel, if you know your scriptures. Duck!) The sun's been out, the suomalaiset have been out, and so have we. I've been really trying to focus on studying the message of the restoration recently, so that I can repoint my sights on the absolute basics of missionary work. And it's turning out great!

First thing of the week: 

My Plan! For those of you not familiar, My Plan is a little program for missionaries who are getting near to going home. We all gathered at the mission home, and talked about such stuff as continuing our paths of discipleship as returned missionaries, how we always bear Christ's name even when we don't have the nametag on our chests, and how we can use our missions as springboards to the rest of our lives(For the record, yes, I return home soon. Duck!). President Aura hasn't given us the pictures from that yet, but there was one that we grabbed at the train station. Travel was a bit awkward(tends to happen when every city in this country is miles apart from the next with nothing but forest and lakes in between), so one Sister was left alone with about a hundred Elders as her bodyguards:

What goobers.

Friday was Juhannus, the day where we celebrate the longest day of the year! The sun didn't set once! At the same time was an international market, so we visited and talked to a bunch of people, saw a way cool street artist working his magic,

(he made that black-and-red one in five minutes!), and even found some members at the market from Ecuador! They were stoked to come to church with us on Sunday!

The rest of the week went by fast, and featuring many awesome people. Elder Skinner is awesome, and we make a pretty great team. He's a way hard worker, and is inspiring me to do my best!

We had some fun today though, for P-day - got me a haircut, went shopping around a bit,

visited this place(put it into google translate. Yep, that's what it means),

looked at some fish tanks,

and bought a duck.

You'll see why soon. DUCK!

Well, not to take away from the spirit with that picture montage. We have a lot of fun here. But it's been a very spiritual time in my mission as well. On Sunday, we had an amazing discussion in Priesthood about Elder Bednar's talk from last conference, about becoming 'home-centered and church-supported' as saints in these latter days. I was very struck by what Elder Bednar said: "If all you or I know about Jesus Christ and His restored gospel is what other people teach or tell us, then the foundation of our testimony of Him and His glorious latter-day work is built upon sand. We cannot rely exclusively upon or borrow gospel light and knowledge from other people—even those whom we love and trust." I thought about that a lot - that's really interesting. Elder Skinner and I have been talking a bit about the parable of the ten virgins, and I think that it plays into this idea really perfectly. Alma the Younger also said a bit about it: "And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety? Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me."

In the words of Elder Bolingbroke: Personal revelation is essential. We can't progress in the gospel without it. And personal revelation doesn't just mean going to church and listening to what others say(altough that's not a bad thing at all. In fact, it's good.), but personal revelation is what Alma said: The Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit. 

Hmm. I would challenge you to think about how you seek personal revelation. What does it mean to you?

Well, that's my doctrinal dissertation for the week. I love you! I hope that you have a grand week, and that you're able to enjoy every moment of it. I enjoy every moment of my life, and I hope that that will continue! I know that this church is true! Keep up the good fight! Duck!

Rakkaudellani, ja jos kännät tämän, tiedä vaan että meillä on pieni muovi ankka. Se tekee minut onnelliseksi.

-Vanhin Bolingbroke

Week 98 in Mikkeli (New Faces)

Goooood morning Mikkeli! This is gonna be an interesting email - I'm writing while fishing, from my phone this time around. Let's see if I can put together a quality summary of the week and its miracles!

We had the Assistants over in Mikkeli for exchanges, and had tons of miracles happen! Along with a good bout of frisbee golf in the morning, we had many people who were taught, many of them found right there on the street. 

We also had a grill-out in the evening, in the deep forest of Mikkeli. A great turnout, and some great makkara, and lots of fun had!

The Assistants left straight from their exchanges with us to Joensuu, a city in our zone, to exchanges with them. according to the report, they had even more miracles than us(Not to compare, we've been fasting and praying for them to find for a while)!

And some surprising news came, as President Aura told us that Elder Jordan will be leaving to Helsinki, and that Elder Skinner will be coming up to serve with me in Mikkeli! We said our goodbyes...

And met the new faces! My meeting with Elder Skinner was pretty funny - it was raining at the train station where they were waiting, and as we hugged, he said "Aw, this is so romantic, our first hug in the rain!" This is gonna be a good transfer.

(I'm not sure why I look all angry and intense in that picture...)

Aaand, we spent the whole evening yesterday on a train homeward bound for Mikkeli, and went fishing today for P-day!

Well, all's said and done, we've met a lot of new faces this week. Among new missionaries, we've also gotten to teach a lot of people in the past week about the Restoration of the Gospel. It's led me to study more deeply about the truths of the restoration, and about the truths that Joseph Smith restored, by God's grace and power. I'd encourage you as well to study and ponder those truths!

I love you, and I love this missionary work! We've gotta bounce, we have two lessons to prepare for this afternoon!

Regards,

Vanhin Bolingbroke, with a fish