October 2, 2017 - Week 111

 Hello there my friends and family! I had a nice long email written for you that was filled with such deep emotion and gratitude for you and all of your work, but it got deleted. Oh well, I guess you'll only get one filled with half the heart because I have half the time:)

Anyways, how about General Conference eh? Are we not all clear on what God's standards are for us and what he wants us to do now? I pray the we maybe doers of the word and not hearers only. I loved that the Prophets and Apostles of our day used the plain and simple language of Nephi! It was incridble, something that the spirit can relay to our hearts and minds. I loved the emphasis on 'The Family: A Proclamation to the World', studying sincerely the Book of Mormon (emphasizing President Monson's challenge to us) and on turning outwards and helping those around you! Inspired words from inspired men and women.

Finland has the joy and opportunity to welcome one of these inspired men in the next couple of weeks. Elder M. Russell Ballard will becoming in a few short weeks to give traing not only to the missionaries but also in a Finland wide Stake Conference. I feel it appropriate to use the Finnish saying "pettymysten pettymys" to describe my emotions for that. It is to mean "a disappointment of disappointments". Disappointed because I won't be here for that, but thrilled for the people of Finland and its participating missionaries!

Amongst the short week between P-days and General Conference we did get a lot of good missionary work done. We found a new investigator named Daniel, from Ghana. We met him tracting and taught him on Thursday. We had a good discussion on the Restoration but due too time restrictions we were cut short from finishing it all. Today we will go back to continue his teaching invite him to follow Jesus Christ in a more perfect way by being baptized.  Today is filled with lessons, so we are excited about that!

As we have noticed in life, all good things must come to an end. We saw that with General Conference, and we see that now with my mission. In 2 or 3 days I will be boarding a plane and heading out to Salt Lake City Utah. I would try to express my thoughts and feelings concerning my mission, but words can not express them. All in all, that which truely matters is that I know Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Prince of Peace and my personal savior and redeemer. He is the source of light and truth and has established his church on the earth for the accessing of his blessings. Joseph Smith was the one to restore it, and the Book of Mormon testifies of it. These doctrines have been set in my heart now and it is up to me to keep it there. I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love,

Vanhin Robison

September 27, 2017 ~ Week 110

 Yeah.. sorry my counting got very far off on my subject lines. I did the math this week and realized that it was Week 110 not 102 for this week. Anyways, despite however many weeks I have had on my mission it was still a good one. I don't think that i have had a bad week though, rough moments yes, but none to over power the outlook of my whole week.

This week we were confined to be indoors all of yesterday, hence P-day being today because my companion got a mini operation on his toe, but today we are back up and at it again. During all of our time inside we got a lot of book work done, updating records and reanalyzing whom we could talk to. I also developed a deep appreciation for my and my companions good health throughout my mission. Being inside all day is not my favorite activity. Yes I do take into consideration that some missionaries and companionships have no other option, but if you can be up and out, do it. We were able to go to a members home yesterday and have dinner with him. We had what is called "hot pot". I will include a picture, but anyways you have a  pot of boiling water flavored to your liking and then you put your meat and vegetables in there that you want with noodles and wait a minute or two to cook and then you eat it out of the pot. he trick is that you keep adding as you eat so that you don't have to wait for very long. It was good, really hot though as you might assume. This type of dish is popular among Asian cultures and so it's only appropriate that we ate it all with chopsticks. Of all the places to become skillful with chopsticks, i did not think Finland would be the one.

Earlier this week we taught one of our investigators who is very active in his own religion, which is good but makes him being open to new things a bit more difficult. It is fun to try and seek inspiration as to what specific piece of doctrine will grab his attention and open his eyes a little more. We found out this week that the Book of Mormon was not it haha. He loves his Bible and that has clouded his judgement in accepting another book of scripture, but we are working hard to help him see the need for it as well as the benefit that continued revelation has.

While following up with former investigators and potential investigators we met a woman that we will name Elen. Elen has faced very tough health problems throughout her life (now fighting her 3rd brain tumor), yet she has chosen to take a positive attitude. When she was really young and was diagnosed with it she was angry upset and frustrated. After some time she realized that those emotions do no good for her, let alone help other people. Since then she has taken it upon herself to seve others while she is in a state where she needs service. Elen may have been one of the most positive people that I have met on my mission, really choosing to see the good in everything and to help everyone she can. without her knowing she emulates and has take upon her the character of Christ, the ability to turn outwards instead of turning inwards. 

I look forward to an even better week this week! 

Love,

Vanhin Robison

    Elder Smith and I eat so healthily, look at all that color!

That is a weird thing to lock your bike with

Hot pot

September 19, 2017 ~ Week 100

 Whoa that's a big number in the subject line. It has been around 100 weeks since I embarked on my mission,although I am fairly sure that that number is off. Anyways whether it was the 100th week or not it matters not because it was a great week! Last P-day we got to tour downtown Helsinki so that was great to do! We made it Suomenlinna (Finland's castle) but it is actually a sea fortress. It is very beautiful full of old cut outs of the hills for places that cannons can be used. It was very pretty as we got to see the beauty of Finland in the fall two with leaves changing colors. Along with our trip to Helsinki we went to some of the famous churches in the downtown and had a great time. A great member here took us all around showed us all the cool places and because of that we accomplished way more than we could have on our own.

This week we also had a really cool experience is following the Spirit's guidance to hasten the Lord's work. Heavenly Father blessed us with 2 new investigators during the final hours of proselytizing on Sunday night. We were tracking at a certain complex that we have visited often where a few potentials were. As we were tracting I saw someone come out of a door and leave, and that thought just stayed in the back of my mind. With time we got to that same door, noticed that it had not been triangled yet(meaning hadn't said no), but we kept on walking thinking "ah, the owner isn't even home". We walked past the door and down the stairs but something said in my mind, "hey just knock the door anyways, you never know". So we turned around and knocked the door and immediately a man opened the door and without us saying a word he said "Tulkaa sisään (come in)"! We weren't passing this opportunity up so we quickly came in. We taught the restoration, his wife join us half way through (she was the one I had seen leave earlier) and they both became new investigators. We are just in awe every time we realize that the Lord has had his hand in our life and in his own work.

Another great experience that we had this week that resulted in following the Spirit goes as follows. We wet to follow up with a less active which took us to an area that we weren't familiar with which is always good. Anyways the member wasn't home but his daughter was home and we spoke to her through the door (she didn't open it, she just talked through it) and that's how we knew he wasn't home. So we went on our way to our next person to visit and actually passed two Jehovah Witnesses on our way out. It just so happened that we were heading the same way and ended up being right behind one another on the street. we stopped to talk to someone and they crossed the street. After the contact ended we kept walking and realized that we were walking pace for pace with the Jehovah Witness missionaries on the other side of the street. We looked up and saw a man walking towards us, he saw us, then the Jehovah witnesses and we figured that this was his worst nightmare. He walked towards us but didn't stop when we tried to talk. I believe that he faced every Finns worst nightmare, trapped between the JWs and Mormons. Anyways not feeling like this would be the best situation to contact people we turned off onto the next possible road and started heading towards what looked like a dead end. At the end of the road we ran into the wife of the less active member whom we had just tried to visit. It was a great little miracle because we set up a time to visit.

Anyways the Lord works in mysterious ways! It was a great week for me, I hope that it was great for you all as well! 

Love,

Vanhin Robison

1. Elder Smith and I at the big Lutheran Cathedral in Helsinki

2. Sometimes when you have too much money you buy an island in the Bay of Finland and built a little cottage

3. Inside of Suomenlinna

4. Looking out of one of the cannon spots

September 12, 2017 - Week 99

 Sorry I don't here anytime for words but here are some photos!:)

1.My 2 year mark celebration!

2.The kind of house the grandpa walker told me about before my mission. The rock is too big so just build on top of it!

3.We have some flooding of our own here. But we are very mindful and our hearts go out to those people affected by natural disasters these past few weeks.

4. Here is a bad photo of our chapel in Haaga.

September 5, 2017 - Week 98

 Wow, it's come, my 2 year mark will be this Saturday. That means that the fourth quarter has ended and we go to overtime. In sports we somehow always found the energy and drive to play harder and smarter in the extra innings and I hope it can apply here as well. I can't believe how much these past 2 years has helped me in innumerable ways. The hard part is now trying to find specific ways where I have improved. Elder Hales talked in this past general conference about how all the attributes of Jesus Christ are connect and that as you increase in one you also increase in another and another. That is how the mission is too, mainly because we strive daily to develop Christlike attributes but also because every aspect of ourselves rises as we progress. Though we are not perfect and may not always be progressing it is great to take a moment or two and see what has changed from a month ago, a year ago, or even 2 years ago. Despite all this change I probably can not give you a favorite memory or an aspect in which I have developed the most so don't be looking for those answers😀.

This week we got to do a lot of finding despite us getting all of those investigators last week. Well we always should be doing a lot of finding because finding is like breathing, you just always do it. I did mean though that we spent more time outside than rather than being in lessons, which was a little unexpected but people were busy. We got to meet some really prepared people though, like a man from India who moved here to get out of his spiraling depression due to the loss of his father. Or a man who self referred himself and requested a copy of the Book of Mormon. As we stood at his door to give it to him, I asked Elder Smith if he would like to start the contact and try to get in to teach. He looked at me and said "I've never done this before, I'd rather watch and learn". I giggled and said "I've never done this either". The contact went well, though he was more interested in getting his Book of Mormon than listening to us yabber on. We will go and visit him tomorrow to see how it's going and to answer questions.

This week we had a zone conference, a great one and a fitting doctrinal focus of becoming true disciples of Jesus Christ. I like that topic because so much goes into that and is a focus of life. At the end i got to offer my departing testimony (seeing that it was my last zone conference). I mentioned earlier in this email that have improved in many ways, one of those ways is not however holding back my tears. The water tables were high as dad likes to say and they couldn't be held back as all I could testify of was of Jesus Christ. That he lived, died and lives again offering us the opportunity to do as he did and to become as he is. I learned from myself as the spirit was putting words in my mouth to say.

Now it is onward and upward to more people to find and lives to change with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Love,

Vanhin Robison

Photos:

Maybe a trip to the temple influenced such a great week!

August 29, 2017 ~ Week 97

 Hey Family and friends, I apologize that this will be a shorter email. My companion and I are trying to make it to the temple today so everything is cut a little short! It is hard to capture all that has happened this week i just a few paragraphs. Just know and take from this email that i know that God is our loving Heavenly Father and that Jesus Christ is our Savior and leads this church. We had a lot of mini miracles this week but I won't be able to elaborated on all of them.

We found 4 new investigators this week which is a miracle in and of itself! We taught that miracle contact that we had,the one who went to pray but then we knocked on her door as if it was an answer to an unspoken prayer. we had maybe on of the best first lessons that I have had on my mission and we left having a lot of hope for her. We had a return appointment for Friday at 10:30 but she texted us that morning at 7 cancelling our lesson and not wanting to meet again. She talked with her family about meeting with us and they, being strong members of another church, cause a lot of contention and conflict. Right now she is trying to decided to continue and act in faith and meet with us or to make peace and conform to her family. It was heartbreaking and really an unfair situation for her to be in. We were pretty deflated after that and all personal study we were just trying to find solace in Christ. After personal study ended and it was time to go outside, feeling pretty tired of feeling bad for myself and having self pity, I stood up and said the Elder Smith "today is going to be a great day because we choose it to be"! With that increased faith we stepped out the door, followed our inspired plans and Heavenly Father lead us to a young woman from the Philippines trying to find a certain address. We helped her get there and set up a lesson for the next day. The lesson went great and there with her was her sister who is now investigating. we called a few days ago to confirm a meeting for this week and she informed us that her husband and mother would now be there. Just like that Heavenly Father has already blessed us with 2 great investigators, who are really seeking for the truth and it appears will bless us with 2 more investigators! 

We got a lot of help from Heavenly Father in a lot of unseen ways, whether it was that we were able to help navigate a member to our lesson over the phone only because we had been where he was the previous day due to getting off at the wrong train station or if it was that we could get a member or two to come to lessons hours before the lesson started, on a weekday morning. Heavenly Father really does watch over us and Jesus Christ leads us. Or how about our investigator asking us a question by quoting the Bible, a passage that seemed to be contradicting to our doctrine, and the spirit giving us the wisdom to resolve his concern in 6 words, much simpler than what I could have come up with myself. It was a great week!

I hope that you all have a great week!:) 

Love,

Vanhin Robison

August 22, 2017 ~ Week 96

 Hey family and friends a lot happened this week and I don't have all the time in the world so we will see how far I get!

This week Finland had it's first major news break in a long long time. In Turku, there was a man who attacked and killed 2 people with a knife and injured many more. He was caught and arrested only minutes. This was the only thing on the Finnish peoples mind the past few days. We even held a moment of silence at the beginning of sacrament meeting in remembrance of those who were affected by it. All the missionaries were informed the night of what had happened and we are all safe. 

We did experience a miracle this week where we were lead to a person who is seeking to know more. We had a lesson set up for yesterday with a potential that we had tracked into weeks earlier but when our member could suddenly no longer come due to an unforeseen issue we had to cancel the lesson. We went to her door to do so and to explain the situation and to set up another time to meet. We had a good conversation with this woman and got to know her a little more. Right before we were about she said "Ok, I just have to tell you this". She continued "I have never really been religious in my life yet i have always wondered is there a God and what is my relationship with him and if he is with me. I have experienced hard times in life, as we all do, but I have never before prayed. Then one day, a few weeks ago I got to the point in my difficulties where I could nothing but pray. So i went to my room to pray for the first time in my life and pondered what I would say to God. Right before I started to pray I hear a knock at the door. i answered it only to see that it was you two standing behind my door. I thought there is no way, is this a sign from God?". As you could imagine Elder Smith and I were pretty excited and filled with the deepest gratitude. That is one of the best feelings to know that you were led to someone who is searching and wants to know. We will meet with her tomorrow and we are very excited!

Yesterday we also did teach another with a much different outcome. It was with another potential investigator who is just concerned for the welfare of our souls. The lesson was more of he trying to show us that we are wrong and it felt like one of those preachers that i am sure Joseph Smith listened to which lead him to ask "which of these is right,or are they all wrong together?". Needless to say we got 'bashed' for an hour straight, not my favorite activity. We both walked out of the lesson feeling more and more confident that this is the restored gospel of Jesus Christs, with restored truths.

We were also able to deal with people as the savior may have done in a more personal way. we met a man on the street, someone who just has nothing in his life. We walked with him to his hoe and tried to share with him the gospel of Jesus Christ but he wasn't listening. We then just tried to be his friend and talked to him about what he really cared about, and that was the NFL. Apparently the St.Louis Rams are now in Los Angeles. Though we weren't able to stay long because we had other places to and that we weren't able to teach, I did feel like we fulfilled our baptismal covenant of mourning with those that mourn and comforting those that stand in need of comfort. The tears in his eyes said it all as we were preparing to leave. There are a lot of lonely people in the world and the lord has a way to take care of it all i believe that home teaching maybe that way and also through us, his disciples by fulfilling our baptismal covenant.

Have a great week! It was a great one for me!:)

Love,

Vanhin Robison