Ryker's Helsinki Finland Mission: UNITY - Win Together/Loose Together!

Well, this was a very busy and fun week. We dont really have a p-day this week, because we are going to a city called Kristiinankaupunki and it is a little over 2 hours away. We are going to visit a couple of less actives that live there and our branch president. (he must be very committed to drive that far distance more than once a week...he is a solid guy) So we are going to be there the whole day. But I have heard that it is a very cool city...a very old one that looks cool and it is right on the sea coast. Hopefully I take some pictures. We dont have a lot of time so if I dont write back to anyone...I will do that next week. Our bus leaves in like an hour. It is going to be a good one. Anyway, here is my week.

Personal study:

In personal study this week I studied alot about unity, and what that means. In Zone conference this week, This was a topic of discussion and how it is one of our mission's values. I was asked to speak on sunday also...so I used what I learned about unity, and with my own thoughts, put together a master talk. I was the closing speaker...and was asked to fill 30 minutes. Yes...i cannot even do that in english. But i think it was easier in Finnish because you talk a lot slower. I broke it down into a couple of different topics: what is is, why important, how to build it, and then how to use it...and a challenge (we arent doing our job if we dont extend a challenge/commitment.) So, I talked a lot about soccer, and how in soccer, if we aren't unified, we cannot be successful as a team. For example, look at Iceland. They dont have very good players compared to a lot of other teams, not really any big names, not really a famous coach, not the most fans, but they do have unity. Much more than most other teams. And that is why they are successful. If the best teams would have as much unity as they do, they would be unstoppable. If usa were like Iceland, they would have made the world cup. They win together, they loose together, and they work and try again together. Now I definitely dont think Iceland will get even close to winning the cup, but they will definitely loose as a team. We can apply this to our ward, to our families and to companionships...literally to anything. If we have no unity, we cannot have the spirit with us and there will just be confusion. But when we are unified, we really are acting as representatives of Jesus Christ. Speaking his words. You get so much more done when you work together, you are happier, you can trust each other, you are living how we have been asked to live. My challenge to all, is to take sometime to see what may be keeping you from being unified...and then to change that. I shall try it as well. Goals are best kept when written down.

my week:

We had such a great week this week. We tracted a lot of new areas...trying to find people where the gospel will be new to them. We met a really cool guy from cameroon a couple days ago. He seems like he is so ready to accept Christ in his life...he even met with missionaries like 10 years ago...so hopefully in the next few weeks we can try and contact him. he is pretty busy with work right now. So we shall see. Elder Lewis and I made some lasagne this week which was very good. We have been cooking in bulk, and then eat that same thing for a couple of days. Each day older it gets, the better it tastes...not sure why.

We are working hard, tracting alot and having a lot of fun. We shall find new investigators this week. One of our old investigators form last week was an older fellow and we visited him yesterday. When we got home, we got a call from his daughter saying that if we go back again she will call the cops. So this week, we are going to find again and get some one really good...we can feel it. Its a work in progress. It was a very cold week here...today as we rode our bikes here to email it was -21...but now it is -25...I dont know how we will make it to the bus station. I wont lie, we have had some great amount of fear in our lives because of the cold. Last night was only -14, and elder Lewis almost lost his toes. The summer months are just around the corner...and I cannot wait. I remember coming here and I was so excited to experience really cold...all I wanted was to go to the most northern city...now i think that would be fun..but in the summer time.

Finland is the best...We like to give it a hard time but really we all love it. You dont experience this stuff in most places. Missions are the best. Go on them

love elder christensen