Wow!

Dear Family & Friends,

What an incredible week! I cant even imagine what it must have been like to actually be there! Its kind of cool how that was probably the first time most of those people saw the prophet in person. There is a lot of faith that you all have. I would die to spend 5 minutes with any one of the Twelve Apostles or First Presidency! 

Super exciting about all the mission calls! Was the Finnish flag in the celebration? Someone from Gilbert is coming here soon right? 

Well, I am just soo jealous of all of you guys! My week was pretty good. 

We got in contact with an old investigator Elder Chapman and I taught. Ill call her Betrina. Betrina has started meeting with us again and is much more serious about it all this time. We commited her to baptism but she did not accept a date. Thats okay because she came to church yesterday and she loved it! Everyone was getting to know her and showing her around! This is the same investigator that came to the stake conference when the general authority was here. I am very excited for her and her progression in the gospel thats happening.

As a District Leader, I am now paying attention to the efforts of other missionaries in my district. Yesterday we set a record! We had 9 people in church just in Tampere! This was huge. Our district taught over 100 discussions this week. We think that because the members are seeing us working so hard and that we are actually getting things done that they will start helping even more in the work! Then things will go crazy! I was comparing my experience in church yesterday to what it would be like to be in my home ward. I realized I couldnt remember when the last time was when I saw a visitor in church! Here, you couldnt look anywhere and not see a visitor. (btw there were 12 non members in church its just that 9 were investigators. the others where surprises!) Funny how Finland used to be the place where missionary work was impossible. 

Every time I am in church, I remember the time when I was slouching in church and Dad told me that missionaries dont sit like that. So, every week I am always sitting straight up occasionally crossing my leg one way or another with the words of my father ringing in my ear, "Thats how a missionary sits!" 

I also taught Sunday school in church about prophets! I did the whisper activity where I whisper something to the first person and he passes it on and so forth. This was of course to demonstrate how if there is no prophet then no one can keep the doctrine straight. The phrase I started with was "Elder Tippetts goes to the forest to pick berries. The first is red. The second is blue. And the third is just for fun!" It came back completely messed up. It was fun. 

This week we also had District Mtg. We talked about setting baptismal dates. We also did a scripture study on Ammon. Its fun because almost every point of Preach My Gospel had to have been pulled out from those chapters. Ammon even teaches in the same order as we do! 

Well it appears as if Sunday was the most eventful day of the week.  I did call ins where everyone in the district calls me with the Key indicators and talks with me about their week. Its a pretty cool opportunity to have one on one time with each one of them. After everyone in the district calls me, I call the ZL´s and report on our week. Well after my turn, another DL calls them but no one answered when he called the ZL´s!

Well, they didnt answer their phones and so everyone in the mission was trying to find them our get into contact with them. Well, at 11:30 we get a call from the AP´s to explain the situation. They asked me to pray about what I should do because I am the DL. So, I prayed and felt that we should go out and try to find them. We got into some exercise clothes and headed out! We ran about 8 Km to their apartment in the middle of the night. We got there at around 12:30 and buzzed on their apartment building door. We kept buzzing until someone opened the door. We went up and found out that the ZL had just dropped the phone and it broke and decided to go to sleep. So, we called the AP´s and told them everything was alright. So, out of stress hunger, we stopped at McDonalds on the way home... I was breaking all kinds of rules so I´m letting that one slide. Then we got home at 1:30 this morning and went to bed! That was officially the longest I have stayed out potentially in my life but for sure on my mission. Quite an adventure! 

Other than that we had a fairly normal week. The church is still true so that means we are doing something right. 

Anyway, I love you all!

Raukaudella,

Vanhin Tippetts