Things Finns say...

Terveisiä Kaikkille!

I thought I'd put more thought into my weekly email this week, since I've been such a stinker from the past couple of emails. I sincerely apologize, if it wasn't for my daily planner, I probably wouldn't have even made it to the library today, so we'll see how this goes! 

Ensiksi:

Weather update: It's getting cold. WINDY. No snow yet, but it's been pouring rain now for a solid couple of days so I am starting to really wish for snow now. The sun sets around 4-5 now, which is a big change from just 3 months ago when we had to sleep with black out drapes over our windows but hey! no complaints, it helps us go to sleep faster haha! 

Other than that, Sister Hayter and I said our goodbyes last wednesday, we spent Tuesday with Sister Reynolds who had to stay with us because her companion was moving to Vaasa, so we basically were a tripanionshiop for a day! Woo hoo! It was such a strange thing, we felt like a mob when we tried to contact people on the streets, I'm so glad I haven't had to serve in a tripe yet. 

We picked up Sister Carter right after and we've been going nonstop! Sister Carter is from Nephi, Utah, 23 yrs old and is studying graphic design at UVU, or in other words, she is very artistic! I love it because we get to talk about sketching and color matching, I really missed that haha. 

Anyway more about the subject line in this email, we met a lady on the tram the other day who taught us a Finnish tongue twister. 

Try saying this baby 10 times:

Kokoo kokko. Koko Kokkoko? Koko Kokko. 

Translation:

Gather a bonfire. An entire bonfire? An entire bonfire. 

Doesn't really make sense, but it's fun to say. 

There's also the word: Jättelötötterön which sounds like: yeah-te-lur-tur-te-rurn 

It means ice cream cone. 

Anyway, I love you all! I know the church is true! I know that God loves us! 

Have a good week! 

Sisar Kwok

Pictures: 

1. Our shower drain, don't look at it if you can't take it!  

2. Sister Carter and I 

​

ummm...?

Who loves busy p-days??? I DO!!!!!

Not really. 

Well, I do, because it means work is being done...

Anyway! 

Here are some highlights! 

We got transfer calls this week, I will be staying in Neitsytpolku for Christmas 😁 and my new companion is sister carter!!!! Sister Hayter is movjng to Espoo 2, which makes me so sad because I love sister Hayter!!! 

Besides that..ahhhhggghhh. 

We have a cool Vietnamese investigator, who brought ANOTHER cool Vietnamese friend to a lesson this week #referralsrock. 

This email really stinks, but it's OK, there is always next week!!!

Love you all,

Sister kwok

Hyvää Pyhäin Päivä!

Hey fwends!

I'm going to the temple this p-day, hence the short email, but this week I thought I would like to share a few quotes from our awesome investigator S 

who is from Cameroon. 

When making a joke about him running to church:

"WHAT??!! WHO DO YA THINK I AM?? I'M NOT JAMAICAN... I'M NOT KENYAN EITHER!"

When committing him to read the Book of Mormon:

"I know, I know, but y'all can't force me to do anything... But I'll do it."

He also speaks French fluently, so half the time he'll speak in English and the other half he will speak in French. He's funny.

For Halloween, we just did missionary work like normal, instead of Halloween they celebrate "Pyhäin Päivä" which is sort of like memorial day. They set up candles in the graveyards for the dead and spend time with family. 😍

I love you all! I hope you have a good week!

Sisar Kwok 

Here are some pictures!

Our unsuccessful Halloween jello

​Elder Broadhead with a knife. Happy Halloween.

 

Let's go to Espoo! (pronounced Espo)

So a lot of good news this week!

Our investigator S is getting baptized this Saturday!! He'll be getting baptized in the Espoo chapel, since Nietsytpolku doesn't have a baptismal font. We are way excited for him! I can't believe how the gospel can change people, four weeks ago he had an entirely different religion and didn't even believe in Christ! I think that has been the most rewarding part of being a missionary, not necessarily the baptism part, but seeing the Spirit of the Lord soften the hearts of others. 

My favorite part is asking our investigator to give the closing prayer after our first lesson with them. Usually they'll shy away from it or even say they are too scared. But in the end, when we kneel together and they offer their first prayer out loud, I feel the Spirit so strongly testify to me that this is what my mission is about. It's not about numbers or about being "successful" it's about bringing the Spirit into the lives of others. 

I've had a lot of doors slammed in my face this week, and I've had a lot of people say no before I can even open my mouth to say hello.

But I've also felt Heavenly Father's love for me and it's carried me through all of those moments! 

Funny story: 

So we're teaching S the lesson on temple marriages and ordinances, anyway, the lesson is going pretty slowly, we can tell that we've been doing way too much talking because his eyes start getting droopy. And so Sister Kwok decides to throw in a commitment to keep him involved with the conversation. It goes like this:

Me: So S_____ after what we've talked about temples and the ordinances that are performed in them, will you commit to being married in the temple? 

*the whole room goes silent* 

S: I'm sorry...what did you say? 

Me (realizing now that I probably could've stated it in a better way): Yeah... will you be married in the temple? 

S: Like...soon? Or what, right now? 

Me: Well no! Like-- well-- Of cour-- Yeah, just whene-- Whenever you meet that special someone!

S: I'm sorry, I'm still confused.

Sister Hayter: I think what we mean is will you prepare yourself to one day be married in the temple? 

By this point in the lesson the poor guy looks so confused, he just slowly nods and turns to look at his member friend and they start speaking in rapid Turkish. 

This is just proof that the Lord chooses small and simple things to get things done. 

I hope you've all had a good week! Embrace the fall...winter is coming!!! 

Siunauksia teille! 

Sisar Kwok 

We fail at selfies.

​Good ol' Dennis! 

 

the library....

The worst things in life are when you get an email from the missionary department requesting you to take a 15 minute survey when you only  have 45 minutes to email. 

Sorry this email is so short, but we watched conference at the haaga chapel with a bunch of other missionaries. It was super fun and so spiritually uplifting. I have never focused so much on conference before!! After that sister hayter and I spent the whole day yesterday running from 1 side of Helsinki to the next to comfort the sick and pick up lone missionaries from the train station. It was an adventure....I super tiring one. I really am so tired. 

But I love being a missionary, I guess that's the most important part right???

Love you all! Sister kwok 

Fear NOT little flock!

So...this week 

There was good and bad... of course. 

Our amazing investigator S.M. agreed to the baptismal date of Oct 10. This guy is such trooper, even though he had a fever and his face was bright red, he STILL came to the YSA fireside with Elder Kelbengat from the Seventy. Half of the things that were mentioned were way over his head, things like, the second coming, deep spiritual gifts and learning Russian. But it didn't even faze him, if only all of our investigators would be like S.M. the whole city of Helsinki would pretty much turn into the city of Enoch.

 

Speaking of Russian though, man I have never used so many random phrases in different languages to preach the gospel in my whole life. Just this past week I've had to use all the Russian, Italian, Swedish, Cantonese and Mandarin that I know (which really isn't all that much) to make contact with these people. I wasn't super good at learning Russian, but I really hope that I'll catch on to Swedish while I'm here. The vocabulary seems pretty similar to English, so there's a good chance i'l catch on to some by the time I leave the mission field. 

Bläbår=Blueberry 

Tåg=train 

Jordgubb=Strawberry 

I'll get there someday!!!!

This week during personal study, I've been focusing on how I can fully fulfill my purpose here in the field, I came across this scripture in D&C 6:34-37 it reminds me of the care that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for us and for the sacrifices that have been made for us to be on this earth today. 

34 Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock,they cannot prevail.

 35 Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and sin no more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you.

 36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.

 37 Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful,keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Amen.

Doubt not. Fear not. Do good. Be faithful. Keep my commandments. 

That's all He asks of us. I know that it's by doing the simple things that great testimonies and great acts come to pass before us. I hope you all have a good week! 

Sisar Kwok

 

Sister Hayter and I in the Metro

Lutheran church. again. 

​

his name is SKY MAN

Hello all! 

This first week in the Helsinki has been CRAZY. So many more things happen in the city, its fabulous. Things I have witnessed this week: a man with dreadlocks dressed as superman walking on a tightrope in the city center. He even has a picture of himself on the tightrope printed onto his shirt, shirt-ception. 

a gypsy fighting with another gypsy, all in sign language. So intense. 

And of course, the classic man that flips us off every time he sees us. I love it here. 

I would go into a lot more detail but we rented tablets from the library and it is being very glitchy. So far there are only two other companionships in our district, the elders in pasila and the other neitsytpolku elders, its kind of a shock, I haven't seen so many missionaries in such a close range for half a year. 

So a highlight from this week, 

The elders in marjaniemi gave us a referral last week and we started meeting with him three days ago. His friend was baptized in may and he wanted to know why he was so happy. So of course we were excited to meet him, except, no one knew how to say his name. He is from T____ and his name is very hard to pronounce. After a little bit, they just asked us to call him Sky man, which is his nickname. So now, I am officially teaching a man named Sky Man. 

Aside from the intensity of his name though, he is such a solid investigator. We have had some really incredible lessons with him and he is progressing like crazy, we hope he can be baptized by the end of the month before general conference. When we tried to set the date with him, he wasn't so sure, but at the rate he is accepting the gospel it is very possible! Pray for us! 

My tablet only has about 20℅ battery left, so I'll have to leave it that, I hope to send you all some pictures next week! This city is BEAUTIFUL!!! 

Terveisia suomesta! 

Sisar kwok