Great Week!

Sounds like Spencer is busier than ever.  I just love to hear the adventures he has to go through. Enjoy!

Dear Family & Friends,

My week was fun! On Tuesday I took a night train to Helsinki from Oulu that left at 11:39 PM. The night train has a bed and you sleep all the way to Helsinki. I got here and we went right to work. We had one Elder going home and another who got sick so also had to go home. We got them all ready and taught a few lessons. At night, we had the "last supper" with the departing missionaries. It was crazy to listen to this elder going home tell stories about his mission. He was a stud. And Sister Rawlings makes great food! 

The next morning we went to the airport at 5am to send the departers off. We stand there with President and Sister Rawlings and watch them go through security and when they are through they look back and we all wave goodbye to them. It was an strange feeling watching them leave. 

We have a great teaching pool and have two baptisms for next month. One of our investigators, who is getting married before his baptism, was at church yesterday. While in church, he fell asleep during a hymn and dropped his hymn book on the floor. Elder Kiuttu and I couldnt hold back from laughing. The bishop looked at us and started laughing as well. (the chapel has hard floors so it made a big boom) 

The ward here is nuts. There are former stake presidents and sons and daughters of former stake presidents. That guy Nillo Kervinen who was in the Ensign from Finland is in our ward. Tons of studs in this ward. 

My companions are seriously my best friends, besides Elder Hendryx of course. We have tons of fun. 

We are writing email a little early because we spent the night at the office putting in the key indicators numbers for the mission. After all the numbers come up the chain we put them into an excel spread sheet so President can have a lay out of what happened. We were up until 12:30 doing them. 

Pretty cool thing is I have my own phone! Normaly each companionship has just 1. but we all have our own. So, its fun to have people calling me to ask questions! 

Well, I am trying to write in my journal to keep a record of everything to fill in the blanks of my letters. I did get the package off it will arrive as One box because I taped the two boxes together and  shipped it as one. Way cheaper! 

Summer is in full swing here. 25 degrees everywhere! 

Oh in other news, another Elder is going home this week mid-transfer so since we are the only threesome in the mission, my companions will be taking turns being his companion until the next transfer. It will be crazy because we have a zone conference in Pietarsaari, Tampere and Helsinki coming up that we need to be at. Then we have week long training with the new group that just came in and Mission leadership council or MLC. 

Oh and I also went on exchanges in Tampere this week! That was fun. 

Well, great week and thanks for all the prayers! 

Love,

Vanhin Tippetts