We're not in Finland anymore!!... just kidding I'm still in Finland:)) I wouldn't leave this place:). But it's a little different when all your peeps around you all speak some shvenska. That's not how you say it but we have fun with it. I have realized how much I love the Finnish language and surprisingly how much I actually understand Haha. But Wednesday we got up and did studies. Then we went to help this guy with service and set up security cameras and help him with curtains. We got to do a lot of service for him so it was fun. I do kinda feel like I'm back in the greenie stage and just not knowing what's going on.. but we are working on it. I'll learn this language at some point. But my comp is helpful with the language and knows a lot so that is a huge help. This guy we do service for is also some pastor and blessed me with the ability to learn the language. So with that and God on my side we should be all good to learn this language Haha. But then after that we went to a lesson and read in the book of Mormon with them and talked about how God helps us through challenges. They were some way cool people. Then that night we went to Young Womens. Yeah you read right:)...we spent the rest of our night with a lot of 12 year old girls and their leaders. What is awesome though, we don't have any young women in the ward except one I believe. But the rest of the girls that come are all non members and are just friends with the branch presidents wife. And they come every week. How cool is that! We played some volleyball and had cake and watched some church videos. So way fun night.
Thursday we got up and we headed out to do some follow up work. My legs are a little sore cause I literally have been going around my whole mission in cars or buses and metro. So riding our bikes all the time... we are getting into shape!:)) Biking is fun. We did that in the morning and came back for lunch and studies. And then after that we went to go tracting. We got a call from our friend that blessed us the other day and went to help him had dinner and then went to our language hour. We teach this couple Finnish and it was funny cause the wife asked us to explain a grammar principle. I told her that I didn't know it all that well and its confusing... but I'll try my best. And I used the grammar principle that I claim to not know Haha. But I actually know a lot more about it than I thought:)) We came back for the last hour and that's when we studied Swedish. Swedish is way different. Like no case ending and all that garb that Finnish has. But man I really love the Finnish language... is just so cool!
Friday not much happened. We had district council so we bussed to Vaasa and had district council and met all the new greenies in the district and that was fun. But by the time that was over and we bussed back, we had weekly planning and then our day was over. Luckily that's not every time cause if not those days could get a little boring haha.
Saturday we got up and got to work. Literally. We went and biked for a half hour to the branch Presidents house and did service for him. We went and raked leaves and moved some flower pots...but it was way fun. And it was seriously soooo many leaves... but I guess that's what you get when majority of the country is trees:)). We were there for a while and they gave us some food. We biked back and tried to plan some splits for the transfer and goals for the transfer and all that jazz. We then were gonna go with a guy and do service for some religious lecture thing. He never texted us the address so we just walked all over Pietarsaari going to every church there to find where this was... but sadly we couldn't find it. But then we came back and studied some Swedish and went to bed as soon as we remembered it was daylight saving and savored that extra hour of sleep Haha.
Sunday holy cow that day was just insane for the first part!! We got up and ya know I'm eating my eggs, taking my vitamins and getting ready for the day. Well the branch President called and asked for me. Then he went on to tell me that the person speaking in church today was not going to be there and now I have to give a talk in just a few hours. So I got ready way quick and started working on this talk that I got to give. Well just a little over an hour later I had my talk written. Lucky for me I gave it in Finnish so that was a relief. So yeah we went to church met some more members and it was the start of church. It's a little crazy here cause everything is in both Finnish and Swedish. People sing in both languages so it throws you off if you listen to the wrong person Haha. Announcements are announced in both languages. Then it came time for me, I was the first speaker. Here in Pietarsaari they translate every talk. If you speak Finnish they translate it to Swedish, if you speak Swedish then they translate it to Finnish. So that helped take up some time cause you and the translators have to speak Haha. But it went well, I had a few members come talk to me and said I gave an honest and heart felt talk... so they seemed to enjoy it. So I was happy with that. But we went to elders quorum and that was all in Finnish. And just all these old guys ranting about how long it's been since the family proclamation came out and about the law of Chastity. Interesting lesson but it was funny to sit and listen to these guys:)). Then we got back from church and had studies, and lunch. I made a bomb sandwhich, well I think it just tasted good cause I was hungry:)). We went out tracting and got let in by some habibis and they gave us bananas and chocolates and milk. It's a weird combination but it was good. That was easier too cause it was my broken Swedish with their broken Swedish.. so it went better for me:)). We came back and had dinner... then went to follow up with some friends and then came back to study Swedish. Big moment for me during studies... I remembered how to count in Norwegian. Now you might think, Elder Love... that's not any of the languages you are speaking. But they are practically the same in Swedish. So I was way pumped cause I haven't been able to count in Norwegian in a long time. So yay for Elder Love:) We're taking baby steps here Haha. Then that night while Elder Roylance was on the phone for call ins...I started cleaning the kitchen a little and that was our night. Also I got some new music and it's just like ocean wave sounds and some island instruments and wow that's relaxing... so you already know I'm enjoying that:)).
Monday was a really good day and pretty busy. In the morning we went and did service for this one disabled man and helped him change his clocks with the daylight savings.. and he had more clocks in his house than I've ever seen before. After that we went to a less actives house and met with them for a little bit and helped out. We raked leaves and this guy had a ton of leaves. Holy cow there were so many leaves. But we also got rid of all his apples that he had left over cause too many birds were getting drunk off them cause they were really old and kept dying cause they flew into his windows. After that we went back and did studies and had some dinner as well. By then it was time to go to a lesson so we biked to the church and met our member and then went to our lesson . This girl has been meeting with missionaries for a long time but we had a good talk about why she meets with missionaries, the Book of Mormon, and our lives in the church. It went really well and the end was way funny. We were about to leave and I was gonna put on my shoes and I realize they were not there. And I look at our member and he was wearing my shoes!!! Me and Elder Roylance just bust up laughing. At first he didn't believe me... but then he told me the shoes felt a little big. Bless this old man's heart but a good way to end the night on that funny note Haha. Also another story.... This is the world I live in. Me laying on the couch studying Finnish reading a book written in English to teach me Finnish while responding to a question my comp asked in Swedish. We are just as mess Haha
Other than that it's been a pretty good week here in Pietarsaari. Stay tuned for more next week Haha.
Elder Love out
1-2) Borrowing his companions glasses...to study Swedish:)
3-4) The hallway they have to walk to get their bikes each day...Austen said it's like "straight outta Ghost Adventures:)"
5) Raking leaves
6-8) Austen and Elder Roylance...welcome to Jakobstad
9) more leaves
10) biking in the snow and cold
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