Week 18, Seraph and a Drunk

Dear Family,

IT is so good to hear from all of you today. I have recieved a lot of emails and because time is so short I will only be sending one email. But I am really thankful for all of your letters and emails. Today has been wonderful! I got my boxes on Friday at our District meeting. So i got them before my birthday. Thank you so much. It is alwasy a high light to recieve something from home. Speirs and Vorimo were just as excited. We have been eating like Kings. The notes, Ties, and candy have been a real hit.

 Dad, in answer to your questions.

I never received my Priesthood Line.  I did get Aldina´s email and i wrote back that week. I baptized Dmitry in the River just a couple kilometers away. Still within the city. The Language is hard, but everyday i am doing better. Coming from english to Finnish is like trying to rewire my brain.

Ok, This is a really cool tender mercy that has just happened. Ethan and I are on emailing at the same time! just a cool side note.

We had some really fun experience this week. We had a lesson with Seraph and he had some questions about the Law of the Land. We went throught and shared the we live accourding the laws of the land in which we live. Simple as that. WEll then Seraph asked about killing. We go to war to protect our families, our God, and our Freedom. (shortened)

Then he posed this question. "What if you come home and find your woman with another man?"

"WEll Seraph, We ask him to leave. We don't want to fight with him."

"what if he comes and starts hitting me?"

You Protect yourself and still ask him to leave."

What if I have a Gun?!"

Seraph, Where did you get the gun?

I am a police officer...

We are still working with him. He is awesome. We are setting a new baptismal date with him on wednesday. He also tore up a Jehovah Witness paper yelling. "This is not mine, I do not know why it is here. This religion is not for me."

Seraph is awesome, I love him.

Hanna is also doing well. We are setting a new/sooner baptismal date with her on tuesday. She has been working towards not smoking and she is doing very well. Her Grandparents are also coming to church almost every week.

That is just a quick update on our investigators. I am sorry that this is so short and a little impersonal. Today has been a little crazy. I am so greatful for all of you. I wish i could reply back to each of you , but time does not allow. It has been wonderful hearing from each of you. I feel for each of you. Today I have just experienced love from everyone. I woke up and opened one of my packages. Vanhin Speirs made me breakfast and after our study we have came to email. So the day is still new, I am also the last to email.

Dad, Mom, Justin, Kezia, Emily, Kim, Beej, Peter, Ellie, Jon, Kai, Jeff, Kindsey, Kaylee, Kelsie, and Jordan. Grandma and Grandpa. Thank you for all you do. It has been a little different being around the world and celebrating my birthday with out you. BUt know that I love you all. Thank  you again for all the letters, emails and notes. They have really helped. I love you all. Until next week.

VanhinSandberg :)

 Heikkavuori

Sand Mountain

Another fun adventure with the Drunks

I think Jeremy is top right looks like his profile

Week 17 Reindeer, Hair Cut

Dear Mama,

 Hello From High up Rovaniemi. I have actually been to the Santa Claus Park, not the village. We went and took pictures there. Anyway. My week has been great. We had change calls Saturday. So you can start counting the 9 weeks a change. We have been blessed to stay together another change. That doesn't happen very often as far as i know. So Vanhin Speirs will be here in Roi about 8 months and i will here about 18 weeks. Crazy how time flies by. Soon i will be 19, that also is a little weird. It blows some of our members mind that i am only 18. We also have Vanhin Vorimo with us another three weeks. It has been really fun to have three of us together. We have so much fun getting work done. We all get along and work really well together. So this next change will be fun!

How is the PTO presidency going? I got an email from Jerry, It was wonderful to hear from him. Answer to prayer i would say. Don't let it become stressful at all. We have a saying here in Roi. "If you are not having fun, you're not doing it right." I have to remind myself of that. If I am not having fun then i am not doing something right.

We have a soccer field just down the street from us. So that is really cool that he is playing. The Oulu elders have an investigator that plays soccer and he travels all over Finland.

How often do we have a ward campout? that sounds like so much fun! I am glad all of you were able to go. next time you see Steve, will you give him a great big hug from me? He is great, I have learned so much from him and he is another one that has prepared me for these people. I reread my P' blessing two days ago and it talks about my leaders and teachers and how i will glean from their teachings. I thought that was cool.

I am sorry that i am asking for a lot, but could jonny send me a work out schedule? i only have 30 minutes to work out in the morning and we only have our own body weight. So if he as some ideas to help me that would be great.

I will definitely keep Ashley and Nate in my prayers and totta kai I will pray for little Elijah. Prayers are heard. I found that out this week when I was praying about changes. Praying that that will of the child will match that of the Father.

I have not heard about packages at all. But most likely this week. "Don't worry about it." that is my famous quote to say everyday.

Cool story about tuesday. We went tracting in area 8 and we had this feeling to go to this house that looked like it was having a party. At first we were not so sure, but we kept thinking about it so we decided to go knock on the door. We get up to the door and this lady comes out before we can knock and askes what we want. We asked if there was a birthday going on. And she told us that there was not, but a confirmation had just happened that day. Our intent was to sing to the birthday person, but instead we asked if we could sing to the Confirmation....er... She asked who we were and Vanhin Vorimo said that it didn't matter. "You bet it matters if i am going to let you into my house." she exclaimed. we replied that we could just sing outside. Se became nicer when she found out we wanted to sing and not preach. instead of just sing to the one person we sand to all 30 of the family members. And instead of saying happy birthday we sang happy Confirmation. It was one of the weirdest things we have ever done.But it was wonderful. We try and pray always so that we are ready to do anything the spirit directs. And who knows, maybe in the coming years someone will remember the three mormons singing at the confirmation.

I love you all. I pray for you every day. Be Safe.

Love,

Vanhin Sandberg

Week 16, Back from Helsinki, Cool Night Pictures

Dear Family,

This week has been great! we got back from interm training on friday morning. We went down Sunday night on a night train and from monday to wednesday we had training on how to be better missionaries. We did a lot of Role plays. And then we had Kieli Koulu on Thursday. This was all down in Helsinki at the Mission office. It was only for the new 6 week missionaries and our trainers. It was a lot of fun.

I am also in a Tri Companionship. We have and Elder from Espoo that was ment to go to the Mtc in Provo, but his visa is not gone all the way through yet so he had the Choice to start his mission now or wait 6 weeks. His mission call is the the Ukraine... I dont think i spelled that right, But he came up with us unexpectedly. It has been so much fun. This is only our week mark today and it has been a blast! His name is Vanhin Vorimo.

How was Kezia's Birthday? Did Justin do something nice for her? I forgot to mention it in my email last week , but HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEZIA!!!

How are they doing? Are they still not there for family dinners? I miss our family dinners. Since i have been in Roi we have only had one DA. Dinner Appointment. But that is ok. We cook fairly well for ourselves. That reminds me.

Can you send me a Crepe recipe? I have been craving crepes for weeks. How is my account looking also? I am hoping to buy a suit today...I hope that is ok. I only have too. I bought a ring three days ago. It was kind of like a companion ship thing. I will send a picture of it.

I also bought a nice coat from a departing missionary. i bought it for 20e. i will be sending him another 10e this week. He only used it for one winter and normally coats can easily cost 100e or more so i thought of it as a blessing. It is super nice.

If you want to just save the Brethren Emails that would be great. I don't want sending them to be too much of a hassle.

It makes me so happy to see how the Lord is blessing all of you while I have been gone. Life is hard, but it is never harder then we can bare. That is the beautiful thing about Jesus Christ and his atonement.

He knows us as our Father in Heaven knows us.

Dad, Vanhin Murray wanted me to tell you that you need to get yourself a scottish flag pin. Do that for my birthday and then send me picture. Vanhin Murray is from Scotland, Dun...something. I dont remember the town, but he is a convert of only three years. one and a half years before his mission. He is one of my Favorite missionaires.

I love you all. If you need anything let me know. I pray for you everyday.

Love Vanhin Sandberg

Cool Pics With Elder Silvennoinen

Debbie,

Hello! Elder Speirs asked me to send you this picture from your son.  It is difficult to see the boys, but I think the background is cool. It was taken at night when it should be dark.  The other boy is the youth that spent a week with them. I title it "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego" haha!!  I hope Elder Sandberg is doing well.  Elder Speirs loves him and really enjoys working together with him.  They are doing great!!!  I hope you are doing well.

Enjoy the pic!

Erika