Away we go....

Hey Everyone!

The reason I'm writing early this week is because of transfers, we got our calls this past Friday and guess where I'm heading now...

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HELSINKI! 

That's right! Not only Helsinki, but the Neitsytpolku ward, which is in the very heart of the capital! I'll be finishing the training of another sister who just came into the country last transfer named Sister Hayter! 

I am so excited to be serving in the city, most of the time if people ever mentioned Helsinki, I would think in my head, "Oh, you mean that one really noisy, crowded place that we have go through in order to get to President's house, that place?" But now I actually get to SEE it!!

That being said, it's strange packing up my stuff and trying to fit my life into two suitcases again. Right after we got the call, I remember looking around the apartment, trying to mentally figure out which things I needed to pack first and I realized that I LIVED here. Our tiny little apartment that had recently become infested with fruit flies (I don't know what happened) had become my real home. 

I have gotten so used to the farm fields and forests that surround this place (yesterday we saw a couple driving on the road with a tractor that was bigger than a house) I have loved being able to ride our bikes down by the lake Saimaa and to smell the freshness of the pine trees and open air.

Also, I had to say goodbye to my recent convert family, man! Goodbyes are SO HARD! I am so thankful for modern day technology and for the ability to skype and email them when I come home! This little town has changed me for the better, I remember coming into the area, we only had a handful of investigators and I didn't speak the language as well as I needed to. It took a lot of faith and humbling, a lot of patience and perseverance but slowly the Lord was able to change me into the missionary that I needed to be, I've witnessed the miracles that He brings to pass and I hope that He never stops trying to help me become a better person.

It's going to be hard to say goodbye, but...onward and upward! 

Like the words of my favorite song say:

"Eespäin, aina eespäin näin me käymme nimesään, käykää, eespäin käykää, voitto laulu kajahtaa. Tahdomme näin Herraa, Kuningasta palvela!" 

(Herrasta ja Kuninkaasta, Called to Serve.)

Kunnes me kuuntellimme toinen toiseltä taas, nähdään! 

Sisar Kwok 

The District :)

So a funny thing about being in the same area for half a year is that you get to see it in every single season, I remember arriving into Lappeenranta at the tail end of winter, when everything was just slush and misery, saw it transform as flowers started to bloom and the weather started to warm up, I've experienced the summer humidity and blinding rays of the midnight sun and now, the leaves are starting to fall and the clouds are gathering back up. 

Being able to see these things and to watch change happen is a testimony that this world was created by a loving Heavenly Father, and that his perfect plan requires the agency of man. 

This past week was good and hard, for several different reasons. it was hard in the fact that so many of our plans fell through but it was good in the way that I have truly seen the love of God in my life. Every single week is different, some are disappointing while others are exciting, but the constant presence of the Holy Ghost reminds me that no matter what happens, as long as I am I working my hardest, the work will be done and that I am fulfilling my missionary purpose. 

Anyway, with that being said, Sister Kwok got to give a talk in sacrament meeting this week! WOOHOOO!!!!!!!!!! It actually went pretty smoothly, I cried, but that's nothing new. After the meeting was over, our recent convert came up to me to tell me how much I had progressed in the language from 2 months ago. My mind was blown! 

After that, our district meeting got switched around again and we ended up meeting yesterday. I love our district, they are the greatest bunch of missionaries I know, we have so much fun be we also get so much work done, they are all amazing. We made jokes about who was going to be taken out and who was staying, Elder Hatch and I have both been in the same area for the longest, so we assumed that we are going to be transferred, but you never know! 

​Lappeenranta-Mikkeli-Savonlinna District 

We get our transfer calls this week, and we shall see what the Lord has in store for me! 

Until next week,

Sisar Kwok 

Fwd: Mennemmekö naimisiin?? in other words, "Are we getting married??"

Love hearing from you Emily with your sense of humor! We love you and will continue to pray for your success and safety! Love you, Kathy Winn

Sent from Outlook

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Emily Kwok" <emily.kwok@myldsmail.net>
Date: Tue, Aug 18, 2015 at 2:59 AM -0700
Subject: Mennemmekö naimisiin?? in other words, "Are we getting married??"
To: <breonnaeyler8@ygmail.com>, <emilykwok16.finland@blogger.com>, <tesschiuleung@gmail.com>, <yoyoaah@hotmail.com>, "Ashley HIckman" <ashwills3@gmail.com>, "Carol Ng" <laiecarol@gmail.com>, "Eugenia Xie" <eugeniaxie@gmail.com>, "Hailey Hadley" <hailey@thehadleys.net>, "Helen Kwok" <hkwok27@gmail.com>, "Jacob Baird" <jacob.baird@myldsmail.net>, "Kam Wing Kwok" <kamwingkwok@msn.com>, "Kathy Winn" <winn_kathy@hotmail.com>, "Kayla Cartwright" <klcart510@gmail.com>, "Kaylee Whiteley" <kaylee.whiteley@hotmail.com>, "Kelsie Gajewsky" <kelsie.gajewsky@gmail.com>, "Macy Chilton" <mayz33@msn.com>, "Natalie Wong" <nh.wong@live.com>, "Nicole Tucker" <nicole.tucker@myldsmail.net>, "Randa Mortensen" <rander_22@hotmail.com>, "Samantha Morgan" <sammorgan1206@gmail.com>, "sarah kwok" <sarahkwok888@gmail.com>, "Sarah Warr" <warrsarah@yahoo.com>, "Sarah Whitworth" <whitworths.Sarah@gmail.com>, "Sierra Wise" <sierra.wise@myldsmail.net>, "siu lok" <siulok@msn.com>, "tanya wilkinson" <twilky5@yahoo.com>, "Winnie Kwok" <wykwok106@gmail.com>, "Zoe Woolf" <zoe.woolf@hotmail.com>

Rakat Velijet ja Sisaret,

Mitä kuulu?

This past week has felt like the longest and bestest week of MAH LIFE!!!!!!!!!!

First off, we were at the mission home. Man, food at the mission home is so good, I miss real food that doesn't consist of a bunch of salads and bread all the time. Not that I don't appreciate a good salad and bread...but, yeah.

Anyway.

The Watson's are such an amazing couple, the peace that they have in their home is almost unreal, We were able to learn amazing things such as:

1. How the Sepsis death rate in Utah got lowered from 26% to 6% (the whole time President was telling us this story all I could think was, "that's MY mission president, he's saved so many lives!!!")

2. How the human heart relates to all things spiritual.

3. Tracting is a lost art.

and how basically everything that we do is emphasized by the Spirit 100%

I wish I could write down in words all the things that I learned from those 3 days, but alas, I am but a woman who can't even keep track her daily planner.

After we got back from interim, we were able to have a lesson with a man named M, who sort of dropped off our radar for several weeks but has come back strong, We called him Sunday morning as a last minute prompting, and he ended up coming! SUCH MIRACLES!!!!!!!!!

We walked with him from the city center to our church and every single time we turned a corner he would ask us if we were there yet. Finally, as we got closer I pointed toward the church's general direction and said, " It's just over there." which sadly was in the same direction as the state office building.

M just stares blankly at the building, slowly says, "Wait, you didn't tell me we were getting married." and just busts out laughing, for a good 5 minutes. By himself.

People. You just have to love them.

Other highlights from this week:

1. Picked up a rug for a sick investigator. We totally didn't even think about how big it was going to be, but good thing Sister Hyde is a beast.

​

2.There was a market going on in Mikkeli, so I ended up buying a whole serving of Muikku, which is basically small fishes which are fried whole in butter. Head and tail included. Best day ever! (See the attached photo)

​

3. Said goodbye to our district leader who is leaving to the States to start school, RIP Elder McMaster!

​All in all it's been a good week! I hope to hear from you all soon!

Thanks for sticking with me for so long!

Sisar Kwok

 

 

enjoy

​

Muikku!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mennemmekö naimisiin?? in other words, "Are we getting married??"

Rakat Velijet ja Sisaret,

Mitä kuulu?

This past week has felt like the longest and bestest week of MAH LIFE!!!!!!!!!!

First off, we were at the mission home. Man, food at the mission home is so good, I miss real food that doesn't consist of a bunch of salads and bread all the time. Not that I don't appreciate a good salad and bread...but, yeah.

Anyway.

The Watson's are such an amazing couple, the peace that they have in their home is almost unreal, We were able to learn amazing things such as:

1. How the Sepsis death rate in Utah got lowered from 26% to 6% (the whole time President was telling us this story all I could think was, "that's MY mission president, he's saved so many lives!!!")

2. How the human heart relates to all things spiritual.

3. Tracting is a lost art.

and how basically everything that we do is emphasized by the Spirit 100%

I wish I could write down in words all the things that I learned from those 3 days, but alas, I am but a woman who can't even keep track her daily planner.

After we got back from interim, we were able to have a lesson with a man named M, who sort of dropped off our radar for several weeks but has come back strong, We called him Sunday morning as a last minute prompting, and he ended up coming! SUCH MIRACLES!!!!!!!!!

We walked with him from the city center to our church and every single time we turned a corner he would ask us if we were there yet. Finally, as we got closer I pointed toward the church's general direction and said, " It's just over there." which sadly was in the same direction as the state office building.

M just stares blankly at the building, slowly says, "Wait, you didn't tell me we were getting married." and just busts out laughing, for a good 5 minutes. By himself.

People. You just have to love them.

Other highlights from this week:

1. Picked up a rug for a sick investigator. We totally didn't even think about how big it was going to be, but good thing Sister Hyde is a beast.

​

2.There was a market going on in Mikkeli, so I ended up buying a whole serving of Muikku, which is basically small fishes which are fried whole in butter. Head and tail included. Best day ever! (See the attached photo)

​

3. Said goodbye to our district leader who is leaving to the States to start school, RIP Elder McMaster!

​All in all it's been a good week! I hope to hear from you all soon!

Thanks for sticking with me for so long!

Sisar Kwok

 

 

Hmmm..this week....

Like the subject line of this email states, I have no idea what to say about this week...

The only think I can liken my area to is like the "Feast and Famine" parts of the Bible. You know, when the people receive like tons of food and spiritual awesome nourishment all at the same time, so fast that they can't even comprehend how awesome everything is and then BAM, ALL OF A SUDDEN things just stop and the have to start from ground zero again and work up to the feast? 

Yeah, pretty much sums up this past week. Most of the investigators we've been working with were either out of town or decided to take out the batteries from their cellphones...all at the same time. 

But work is work, we've still been coming home dead tired and I guess that is the most important part! 

Other than that hmm..hmmm...hmm...think Sister Kwok think!

Our energy breaker blew it's circuit today, that was exciting! It wasn't until after we called our Talo Mies and the Sahkö mies and they both came to the apartment that we realized that we just had to flip a tiny little switch on our ceiling to get everything back and running. But it's ok, our poor Talo Mies has come to know by now that I don't really know what to do when it comes to fixing appliances, we're good friends! 

On that note, here is a lovely picture of place that looks like the sacred grove. 

​

I hope you all have a great week, sorry this email wasn't super uplifting or miraculous in anyway but I hope that miracles are happening in your lives! One of the most important things I've learned this week is that when we focus on the Lord, and on our missionary purpose, trials become easier to overcome relationships are mended. I have a testimony of loving companions and loving the work!

Haluan kertoa teille että Vapahtajamme elää. Hän on meidän vieressa ja meidän edessä. Hänen ansiostaan me emme tarvitse olla pelkää. Olen nahnut monia ihmeita elämässäni ja kaikki on koska hän rakasta meita. 

Olkaa kuuliaisuus! haha 

Rakkaudellani, 

Sisar Kwok 

#DOWORK

Oh my gosh, this week was probably one of the most mentally stressful weeks I've ever experienced but also one of the most rewarding.

I won't go through all of the hardships but let's just say that training is not easy! I've never had to pray as much as I have over things and really ponder on what it means to be charitable.

Anyway...aside from that...

It all started out when we were trying to plan for the upcoming baptismal date of S, when the high priest tells us he had overheard a conversation where S is actually not his own legal guardian. At first this meant absolutely nothing to me, but after calling President we realized that we would have to contact his legal caretaker and discuss with her the legal complications regarding his baptism. So we did it! I've never had to deal with legal matters that require court papers before so while the phone was ringing I was just praying that the lady spoke English. But alas, out of a country where English is taught as a standard to all children, the lady who organizes S's affairs did not speak English.

 At all.

Anyway, after a long time of asking her to pause so that I could look up laywer jargon words in the dictionary we were finally able to get the green light for S to be baptized!

Not only that but N&K's son, who we've been working with for a while now also was interviewed by Elder McMaster...and he was ready to get baptized too!!!!!!

2 BAPTISMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND IT WAS ALL ON MY BIRTHDAY!

 BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!

I am now 20 years old! Isn't that gross? ewh. I don't like it.

Looking back on this week now, I've realized that I've hit a lot of milestones, I've turned twenty and tomorrow I will be halfway through my mission, time goes by so soon! It's hard to imagine that I received my call letter 1 year and two weeks ago!

If anything I've learned that the Lord is with us in all things and that despite our doubts and fears, he will lift our burdens and straighten our path.

I turned twenty, but I know that the knowledge that I've learned within these last 9 months will carry me for the rest of my life!

​We went to the Russian border again, but this time we got even closer!  Haha it was pretty peaceful though, the only thing to keep us from going into the country was a tiny little watch camera on the side of the fence.

​Lunch after district meeting with the Melby's!

Thanks for all of the Happy Birthday wishes, I hope you know that I care about every single one of you and treasure your emails!

Sisar Kwok