Great Week!

Favorite day of the week!  Sounds like it is to the freezing time in Finland.  I get the chills just reading his email.  I am grateful the work is progressing in this area that didn't have much before Spencer got there with his new companion.   He is working hard to Finnish strong!  Enjoy! #50 days!

Dear Family & Friends,

Things are going well here. We are making progress with building up the area. I have taken some advice from dad to search the area book and find the names of people who have already had a seed planted in them. It has been working really well. We have found 11 Investigators from the area book so far! Not all of them unfortunately work out but at that rate of finding we should be doing well soon! Small worry I have is I may be too good of a sales person and I force people to set up a return appointment and then things dont go too far. At least they have a chance right? haha I just got to keep loving them! 

This area averaged around 1 lesson to investigators a week from the records in the area book. This last week we had 10! The Lord is really helping us along. 

Whats hard for me is adjusting to never having a free moment to having whole days blank. I got discouraged this week because things arent happening as fast as I want them too but with patients things will work out. 

Riding a bike has been a challenge for me because the last time I rode a bike everyday was at the beginning of my mission! My body hurts but I can feel myself adjusting! 

Time is short here to do all the things but it can be big! Wwe found a family that has 4 kids. They are really cool! 

I am tired but what I am learning is that the Atonement can help with fatigue. I seriously collapse at the end of every day because I have just enough energy to make there. It quite a blessing! 

Also I was quite cold this week. We biked to a far area and then we talked to this one man for like 30 minutes and I tried to set up a return appointment 5 times and he declined every time! Then I had the thought to tell him about the Book of Mormon and BOOM! He wants one, so we set up a time and then rode home. All the while I a freezing, even my Finnish companion was freezing. I didnt know If I was gonna make it home. We finally got home and I laid on the warm floor for like 15 minutes until I could feel me feet and hands again! Wow it was super cold! 

It also snowed maybe a foot today which made biking treacherous because it is coming down faster than they can plow it! 

The church is true everyone! Until next week, have a good one! 

Love,

-- 

Elder Spencer Tippetts

Finland Helsinki Mission

Neitsytpolku 3 A 4 

FI-00140 Helsinki

Finland

Hello from Jyvaskyla

Waiting an extra day for Spencer's email was tough because we were so excited to hear about his new companion and new area.  His p-day changed to Tuesdays. Out of 13 new missionaries that arrived this transfer only one was a missionary from Finland and Spencer was the lucky one that gets to train him.  He wanted to train him so bad.  So now he is with a Finnish missionary who know the area they are in.  So great things are in store.  They have already had dinner appointments everyday last week.  One dinner appointment a week is a good week.  So I know he is getting fed well.  Beef him up before he returns. :)  

#57 days!  Enjoy!

Dear Family & Friends,

So an overall awesome week! The transfer went well. Elder Kiuttu is training a new missionary so he was going to be down in Helsinki so we thought we could use his skills to help with the transfer! It came in handy! 

I got my new companion! His name is Elder Kontinen. He is from Finland! My first non-american companion! He is really great and we have hit it off. We speak a ton of Finnish together wich is really cool! His grandparents were in the Marjaniemi ward where I served for 6 months! He has served in the army for a year already and is just awesome! It will be a fun transfer for sure! 

We got to Jyväskylä and got a ride to our new apartment. We made ourselves at home and got started. This area didnt really have anything going on which is alright because we can get a fresh start. This week we set a baptismal date and found 5 new investigators!!!! Its awesome! We have had a dinner appointment every night so far! Elder Kontinen knows a lot of the members so he just calls them and we go over! 

It is quite the adjustment to come from my last area! We had tons of investigators and if we ever had a blank time we had some kind of administrative task to do so we would be out all day. Now, because we dont have as many progressing investigators its really hard because I have to in a sense be in the trenches all day! I guess its good for me, It builds character! 

We work hard and have a ton of fun at the same time! 

The same old stuff though so as far as reading material goes, I am not providing much! 

Its cool how the Lord can carry you through things. This transfer is going to be a challenge for sure. Of course I am more well equipped to handle it that before but, I still come home and cant do much more than get to bed! (Guess I havent really changed that much on my mission!) The Lord takes us as far as we can go and then just a little bit farther! 

Love, 

-- 

Elder Spencer Tippetts

Finland Helsinki Mission

Neitsytpolku 3 A 4 

FI-00140 Helsinki

Finland

Pictures are always a bonus!

Me with the Van. and the lake frozen solid and people wlking across it to get to the center! It was -20 last night! 

Elder Richards, Veli and I at Veliś favorite resturaunt! Me making prime rib in a pan! 

Elder Kontinen and I at the train station.

Hello Everyone

We love Mondays!  Spencer is going to Jyväskylä and will be training.  We are so excited for him.  It sounds like one of the most beautiful cities in Finland.  We can't wait to hear all about his adventures there.  I still can't believe this will be his final area before coming home.  I must remain calm (66 days) but I am so excited!  Enjoy!

Dear Family & Friends,

Well, here we are! I got my change call.

I will be training a new missionary in Jyväskylä! This will be my 11th companion in my 7th area! 

The new missionaries get here tomorrow but I won't be there to pick them up. Elder Chapman is the new AP!!! I trained an AP! 

This weekend was fun with skype and all. On Saturday we planned the whole transfer and we brought Elder Chapman down to help us. It's been fun to be his companion again for a couple days. He is one of my favorite companions. 

We have been working on the transfer mainly this weekend. It's going well. We have it planned that because I am in Helsinki but can't be with the new missionaries I will be running the transfer with guess who... Elder Kiuttu! yay! Just like old times! It will be boat loads of fun! 

We are going tonight to eat pizza with V our newly baptized friend. I'm sad to leave him but he will surely go on a mission to Arizona soon. Saying goodbye to the ward was surprisingly hard. I have been here for 2 months and we have done soo much! 

I will get my new companion on Wednesday. 

We picked up one of the rental trailers we will be using this week. While we were hooking it up we realized our nose hairs were frozen. It was -20 outside! It's real cold! 

I have been to Jyväskylä a few times and have been to my new apartment a few times. It will be an adventure for sure! 

Heavenly Father loves you a lot. I hope you can feel that! 

Love you all! 

-- 

Elder Spencer Tippetts

Finland Helsinki Mission

Neitsytpolku 3 A 4 

FI-00140 Helsinki

Finland 

P.S. The church is true! 

Here We Are

Yes its missionary Monday but soon to be Missionary Tuesday after the first of the year.  Spencer sounds like he is on fire.  I love how positive and how excited he is about the work.  We also can't wait to Skype with him in 3 days! Highlight of our Christmas for sure!  Even a few pictures to share! Enjoy!

Dear Family & Friends,

Well Christmas is here. What a great time it is to be a missionary! 

This week was pretty busy. We were traveling all over the country! All the conferences went great and we all learned a ton. We set new standards of excellence which are sort of like mission goals that each area tries to work for. They are super high so it will really stretch our faith! I am soo jealous of the missionaries that just got here because we are now figuring out how to really do things around here. Two months is still a long time so I am sure I can make a difference. In fact I am determined to make a difference! 

We had a baptism this week! His name is V.U. (abreviation) He is soo cool and what a blessing it was! His whole family was just overjoyed! Elder Richards and I have been baptizing monthly! These last two months we have had 2 baptisms. I'll send some pictures of them! 

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Preparation day, starting on January 6th will be on Tuesday. This is a mission wide change. I will now be writing on Tuesday. 

Change calls come on Friday... My prediction is Tampere 2nd ward where I was for 6 months but I have no idea!!!!! 

We had hordes of lessons this week which was fun to balance in between all the traveling. 

I also had an interview with President Watson. WOW! I love that man! He has seriously shaped my life in soo many ways! When the Rawlings left I thought it would be impossible to love anyone else more but wow its been soo fun! 

We have many appointments set up this week. We will be skyping at a members house. 

I have often wondered what it means when people say that "I know the Savior lives". I always think "you haven´t seen him, how do you know?!" As I was reading the Christmas story in the Gospels, I felt soo peaceful. It was like I had no worries in that one moment and I felt nothing but happiness. It was then that the realization came, "Hey! I know the Savior lives!" Like the He is the Gift video explains, we need to discover the gift, then we can embrace the gift and once we have done that we must share the gift. That´s what is really going to push me through to the end. I know Jesus Christ is our Savior and loves us so much. Merry Christmas everybody! 

-- 

Elder Spencer Tippetts

Finland Helsinki Mission

Neitsytpolku 3 A 4 

FI-00140 Helsinki

Finland

A few fun pictures from their Turkey Bowl

His Christmas Tree in his apartment.

A mom of one of his companions shared this picture with me. 

Almost Christmas

Spencer continues to work hard and is finding success in his efforts.  We love to hear how great the work is going in Finland.  It sounds like it is exploding in some areas.  So exciting. Enjoy!

Great week. Elder Richards and I were in Oulu and Jyväskylä this week and wow! Oulu is on fire right now They found 20+ investigators this week which is crazy for one companionship. Jyväskylä has been struggling and hasnt found anyone for weeks. Elder Richards and I came and we found 7 new investigaotrs in one day! It totally changed their view on finding and the found a few more this week. 

We have been really changing the way we do things after the Bednars and Teixeiras came. The whole mission is going crazy! Our record for the time I have been an Assistant was 93 investigaotrs in one week. We found 145 this week! We are starting to teach over 20 lessons to investigators with members present! this is unseen! 

Elder Richards and I have been having a blast balancing all our administrative tasks and our area. We will be having a baptism this week. Its super exciting. We also have 4 other people preparing for baptism! 

Fun story of the week we when we were going to follow up with an old referral in our area book so we drove. As we were driving down the street we saw a bunch of large houses. Similar in size to our neighbourhood which is colosal in finland. Elder Richards said, "its none of these houses but it must be that apartment complex up there." Then, as we got closer I said, "Elder, Thats not an apartment building." Behind all the trees we saw the biggest house I have ever seen! It had huge glass windows and 4 visible stories! SOOO huge! That was our house. So, we went and knocked on it and the rejected us. They have become too prideful I guess! haha But it took us 5 minutes just to find the front door! 

We are staying busy in the Work of the Lord. What a blessing it is! 

Love you all and have a good week! 

-- 

Elder Spencer Tippetts

Finland Helsinki Mission

Neitsytpolku 3 A 4 

FI-00140 Helsinki

Finland

Hello from Finland

Love to get our emails on Monday mornings.  Spencer continues to work very hard.  There is a saying that the proof is in the pudding.  Well in this instance the proof is in his extremely worn out shoes.  Also we finally received the long anticipated picture of Spencer with Elder Bednar.  Pictures are always a bonus.  Love all the wonderful experiences this missionary of ours is having!  Enjoy!

Dear Family & Friends,

Well, not a bad week at home! Sounds like everyone is old and happy! 

Last week, we had many adventures! We ran a great training meeting with the Watsons for three days at the mission home! I cant wait for you to see the mission home here. Its quite insane! Its about as big as our house which is a mansion here in Finland! Its been said that if we had an emergency we caould have the entire mission there. Also its the biggest mission home in the Europe area! 

A real Christmas tree was set up at the mission home and I got put in charge of putting the lights on it! My hands were really sore but I remembered all the days right after thanksgiving when Tamye was over and we put up our tree. However I will never have a real christmas tree in my house! Such a nightmare! 

We have been busy teaching and baptizing this week. Just the normal stuff! 

Tongith we leave for Oulu to do exchanges there. Our flight leaves at 9pm! Including my flight home I will have flown 30 times while on my mission! Not many people fly that much in 2 years let alone while on a mission! 

Then we go to Jyväskylä for exchanges on thursday. Then we have our ward christmas party on friday! All the misisonaries in Espoo will be performing the cup rhythm from Pitch Perfect to the song Oh come all ye faithful! Its pretty sweet and should be all over youtube under #sharethegift! 

We dont have any plans for Christmas day yet. We should be making some soon here. 

I have been looking for a Nativity set. I have no way of figuring out where to get one though. Can you do a search and see if there is a place that sells them here in Espoo? dont try too hard but just see what a google search yields! 

Wow, I love being a missionary! Oh DAD!!!! Not to get truncky on you but as soon as I get home you need to teach me everything there is to know about excel! I tried making a new Key indicator analysis workbook this week and I was useless! I had forgotten almost everything and was just thinking the whole time how you would have this done in 5 seconds! I was really frustrated that I had forgotten so much! Anyway! 

Love you! 

-- 

Elder Spencer Tippetts

Finland Helsinki Mission

FI-00140 Helsinki

Finland

These are some slippers an investigator made for me and these are my shoes. They arent so good for the rain!

This was when Elder Bednar visited his mission and he got to have some amazing one on one with this wonderful man.  It was an experience of a lifetime for sure!

Wow, The church is true!

Sounds like things are going great on the front! I cannot believe the cutness of luke. That picture of him and Dallin is ridiculous!!! I cannot wait to meet him at Christmas! 

This week was full of things as usual! 

We had exchanges with the Helsinki Zone Leaders in  Marjaniemi, my old ward! It was soo great being there! We had a lesson with the Bishop who is soo awesome but the lesson cancelled so I called him to tell him that we didnt need him anymore and then I asked what their dinner plans were and then invited ourselves over for dinner! It was a wonderful evening! We also did lots of missionary work as well but it was soo good to see some of my favorite members! 

We did the work and taught the word until Fridaywhen we had MLC. Wow!!! huge meeting that is gonna effect everyone! I cant tell what to you though!!! You will find out soon! I conducted the meeting. Whoever is conducting in the church always sits next to the presiding authority. So, I sat next to President Watson. tehe! Sister Watson made us a Thanksgiving dinner! It was soooo good! I almost died! Then we went to the temple and it was video 2! Now I have seen all the 3 english videos! Wow, what a great new perspective! We also got a 2 night stay at Chateau Watson (The Mission Home). Its my favorite place in Espoo, I will have to take you there sometime! 

Then we did more of the work and visited all kinds of people about whom we cant say anything in order to obey privacy laws! On Sunday we got our Christmas Eve reserved! Its with an awesome family, it will be soo fun to be there on Christmas Eve. Thats the biggest of the 3 days of Christmas! 

We have a meeting with President here in a few minutes and we will be planning the interim training for this week. There wont be a single down moment this week but its all good! 

Remember to share the He is the Gift cards and video and such! Help our missionaries to find people to teach. Im serious, members think that DA´s help the missionaries which they do, but what will help them the most is by helping them to find people who are ready to be taught. If you trust them, give them names! 

Love you all! 

-- 

Elder Spencer Tippetts

Finland Helsinki Mission

Neitsytpolku 3 A 4 

FI-00140 Helsinki

Finland