.....The Day is NOW.

It was a great week everyone! I hope you all had a good one too!

We started this week out with splits. Some of the elders from downtown Helsinki were with us for the day here in tikkurila. Splits are always so successful. you find more on those day than you do on any other daÿ. Maybe it is just because everyone is pumped up or something..but anyway. it was good. We made taco soup for dinner, and I was in charge of making the corn bread...but it turns out that it was corn starch and not corn meal. So I told my good buddy elder Jordan and we secretly made some form of bread. It was the same recipe...just without corn...we used corn flakes though, and some flour. It turned out to be some sort of really dense flat pancake thing. But I must admit, it didn't taste too shabby. Two Fridays ago we made pulled pork, but we made too much and we just barley finished it. It lasted 8 days.

I dont know if you guys remember last week...we had a lesson with this dude named Destiny, and we invited his friends to join in the discussion...well this week we met again with them. One of the other guys name is Roman. He is a stud. Also from nigeria. He actually moved here two weeks ago. He met mormons while he was living in Switzerland. We taught the plan of salvation with him. He is so wise and has some great insights. Basically we have the same beliefs. Anyway, he committed to come to church and also a baptismal date for june 23rd! my very first baptismal date on the mission. So on sunday, we got on the train and headed over to pick him up. Almost everyone commits to come to church. It is one thing to commit and something else to actually come to church. But, sure enough...there he was waiting for us at the train station. He loved church! he stayed the whole three hours. He even made some great friends there. It was so important that the members helped him feel loved and welcomed. Please be sure that you guys all do that. Everyone wants to feel loved dont they? He was also my first investigator in church. It definitely was a great day. Our mission had a record high for investigators in church this week. I must say that the work is moving along nicely. I also had to translate in church for like 4 guys during the priesthood hour. I fear this hour because it is the missionaries job to translate. The only good thing is that they dont know Finnish so they dont know if I am saying what is actually being said. I can pretty much get the jist of what is being said, so i summarize it. and then make up the rest. I taught about repentance. haha. I really love serving here in Tikkurila.

Edward is another really cool investigator that we have...he is going back to ivory coast on saturday which is sad..he has been progressing so well. but anyway, this last lesson that we had with him was odd. We taught the word of wisdom and he was not having it. We told him about it and then he burst out laughing and to be honest, it was quite funny. but then after a minute or so he realized that we weren't joking. It was so sad, we were like breaking his heart. He got so sad that he had to give up coffee and beer. He said that maybe he will try when he gets back from ivory coast.

My comp skyped with his family this week and we went back to the same family that I skyped at on mothers day. They decided that they wanted to do a Grilli...or a bbq for us. BUt they just bought this grill and didnt know how to set it up...so we built it for them when we got there. The food was so so good. They had never done it before so they put all the meat on the grill but didnt light the charcoal yet...so they squirted gasoline in and it splashed all over the meat. I musty say i tasted a tint of petroleum. They also cooked some asian fish and i think it was the best fish i have ever had. they are the best.

During personal study this week I have been reading in Doctrine and covenants. There is that classic verse that everyone knows where it says "the field is white and ready to harvest" There are a couple times in the first few sections where it says

 "Behold, the field is white already to harvest; therefore, whoso desireth to reap let him thrust in his sickle with his might, and reap while the day lasts, that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God."

I really like this part of the verse: While the day lasts... The day is now. We are not always going to have this time to reap the harvest. The time is now. I am so grateful that I can be on my mission at this time and to be a part of this work!

I love you all! I am going to go to downtown Helsinki now...should be lots of fun. I think we are going to a chocolate factory...so that will be sweet!

Elder Ryker Christensen