Periantai (Friday) We had a Skype TRC that we weren't fully prepared for, but it went well. It was just a little short. We were supposed to call one man named Tarmo, but he wasn't available, so we called Kristina. She was a very nice lady, but we could hardly understand her. She spoke pretty quickly and our connection wasn't fabulous. But we got through (she spoke probably too much English with us though). Then about halfway through, Tarmo called us but we couldn't answer, so we went and told the supervisor. He suggested that we teach him too, so like good missionaries, we marched in and got ready to teach again. So we called him just to share a scripture and we ended p teaching for 15 minutes. Ahhh how missionaries can go on. It was okay though. He's an awesome guy. Also a little hard to understand, but I'm blaming the connection issues. So we're only supposed to teach one person, but we ended up getting to teach two and that was awesome. We also got our Travel plans today!! We leave on the 17th at like 6;45 from the MTC and our plane leaves around 12. It should be really exciting!! We get to stop at Heathrow and that will be such an experience! We go from SLC to Dallas to London to Helsinki! We don't land until 4:30 is their time, so it'll be a long day of travel. We also had FHE tonight and we talked about our mission goals and what we expect to become, and also bore our testimonies. I may have cried quite a bit, but our Zone Leader was crying just as hard. It was a good night though.
Laulantai (Saturday) Today was real hard. Sister Godfrey and I got up and just went about our day as normal, but we went to a different building to study because we accidentally went to lunch early (we misread the clock). So we went to a different building than our district, and we ended up missing out. So when we saw them at lunch, we were told that all our district (minus one because he is not American) got reassigned to be either in Farmington, NM; Idaho Falls, ID; or Ogden, UT. I was terrified since I didn't know where I was assigned yet, that I was going home. I love home and my family, but going home would be hard. Then we went to look and they assigned me to Ogden and although it would be fun to see family (love you all) I don't know that I could do it, and stay on my mission. That would not be very easy for me. We had some highlights and good stuff though. Whenever Elder Robbins talks about going to NM he starts talking about how excited he is to see skinwalkers! He really thinks they exist! Oh well. It was funny.
Sunnuntai (Sunday) Today was good. All four of us sisters fasted today for either quick Visas or comfort about our reassignments. And all I felt all day was peace. I was kind of annoyed. I wanted our Visas not peace, but the peace was really helpful all day. I could focus in class (we taught Relief Society) and I knew God was helping me to be okay with how things are happening. It was comforting, but also I was still really hoping for Visas. I also got to see a couple friends from high school after lessons for the day. Sister Godfrey and I went to schedule haircuts and we saw each other, so I stopped to talk and got to say hi! It was Madsen Rhineheart and Nicole Crasper. It is always so fun to see high school friends! I've seen quite a few actually because I am here so long. But I've loved it. Then we had a musical devotional where the BYU Choir Boys sang. They are really good! If you haven't heard of them look them up. They're obviously not Vocal Point, but they're pretty good. Then we watched on of Elder Bednar's talks that he gave to the MTC. We saw it for the second time. It's about the character of Christ. How the natural man is like the cookie monster "I want cookie now!" but Christ has always turned outward and helped others before thinking for himself. It was good and I was definitely the cookie monster Sunday, but it was a good reminder.
Maanantai (Monday) Today we got the best news!! Our visas were approved!! We don't have the actual cards, but it worked and they got approved!! We are all so excited to go now! Before, all of us would have been okay staying in the MTC for longer, and we still would be okay, but knowing we actually get to go to Finland is so nice! We are so excited! All of our moods skyrocketed and we were so much happier because our language learning wasn't actually in vain! Not that being reassigned meant we would never get to Finland, but it was still nice. This whole experience has definitely strengthened my testimony about prayer and fasting. Thank you to everyone who joined with us. It was through our combined faith to do a fast, that helped us. I know God heard our prayers and blessed us according to our faith. It was a good experience. And funnily enough, I read in Ether the story about the Brother of Jared. He truly saw the hand of the Lord, but he didn't see it touch the first stone. In the Finnish translation, it actually says that he didn't see the finger of Christ until the 16th stone. But the Lord doesn't give us knowledge or sight right away. He lets us have our faith and He tries it. Then when we prove our faith and start to gain knowledge, he shows us His hand. Reading this on the day we got our Visas was very powerful. I know the Lord had His hand in our Visa processes. He wanted us to know that we are ready to go. Now that we have our Visas though, we still need to be humble and give the Glory to God. It was Him that gave me my Visa and only through Him am I able to be a good, successful missionary. We also taught our teacher as Mikka today. It was awesome! We were asking him to come to church and I felt that I should tell him to bring his family. Then when we were talking about reading the scriptures, S. Godfrey asked him to read with his family. We have only been teaching him (obviously because he's our teacher) but when we brought up that this is something that he can do with his family, he kind of changed. He was a bit more serious about our lessons and the commitments. It was pretty awesome.
Tiistai (Tuesday) Today we got a new companion!! Sister McKinney! She is a solo Mongolian sister, and she is waiting for her Visa. Her district leaves today, and her companion left early in the morning, so she became our companion. It was so fun. She's awesome! She likes to talk just as much as I do. We talked to scheduling though about where we should move rooms to because there are 4 beds in a room, and we have four sisters in ours and hers is on a different floor than our zone. So we got stuff figured out with them, and then went on our merry way. We took her to class and then we went to class. Sister Kappel was there and she gave us extra language help on anything that we needed help with. It was really nice and we could focus on what we needed to. IT was nice. Then after class, we went to pick up McKinney and she wasn't in class. So we asked her teacher and he smiled weird and did this thing with his fingers. It looked evil and then he said "Gone!" Both of us were like "What did you do to her?" But we asked "What" instead. Apparently her elders came to say goodbye, then left and it was just her teacher and her all awkwardly starting class, when they hear pounding footsteps. Two of her elders rushed in to say that the Travel office had her visa and she could go to Mongolia with them. So she ran to change and grab her bags which were luckily already packed and ready with a little bit out and because she needs to use it every day. We were so happy that she got to go with her district! A little sad we couldn't say goodbye, but worth it if she can go with her district and not alone. So even though we were her companions for not even 12 hours, we still love her and are so excited for her!!! We also had a devotional tonight. Sister and Brother Craven came and talked. Sister Craven is in the general young women's presidency. So her and her husband talked about missionary work and the importance of the Doctrine of Christ (found in 2 Nephi 31, 3 Nephi 11, and 3 Nephi 27) which is Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. It was really good and she taught so well. She was so cool too because not only did she come and talk, she brought the whole young women's general presidency with her! Even though they didn't speak, it was cool they and their husbands were there!!
Keskiviiko (Wednesday) So I finished packing one suitcase today. Even though it is exactly 50 pounds, and will need to be fixed, it's done! We were in a new building today though. It was weird. Our whole district has always been spread all over everywhere, but now we're all in the same ish area of one building. It's super weird but also super nice. We will definitely get to know our people really well now. It should be fun. Although we miss our old room a lot, our new room is almost the exact same but green. We miss the blue, but green is okay I guess. We have to deal with it anyways though because we can't move, we must obey. For just the last week though, so at least not too long. We do miss our rooftop garden though. That thing was nice!!! A little too cold and snowy now, but still sweet!! Our building is also bigger, so in class today, we wandered a bit before teaching Lesson 3 to another companionship. We taught Elders Robbins and LeBaron (Chuck and Sally Smittywerbenjagermanjensen again) it was fun and we did pretty good. We didn't finish the lesson, but we taught it well. Then they taught us and Elder Robbins kept mixing up the words iankaikkisen (eternal) and the word anteeksi (forgiveness). It was funny! He said it once and all of us were so confused, so we asked him to clarify and we corrected him. Then he said the exact same sentence, so we corrected him. And he could not say the right word. It happened like 4 times. Not as funny in words as it was to watch, but still great. Then in the later class, Sister Kappel was there again to help us with specific grammar problems and to tell us fun mission stories! It was pretty awesome! Then Siser Godfrey and I taught again. It was so spiritual and so awesome! We were teaching lesson 3 to Mikka (our teacher Veli Edwards) and we were going to ask him to be baptized, but it didn't really feel right, so S. Godfrey asked if he had any questions, but he said no. But then I asked, if he believed in what we were teaching. And that's where it gets cool. (both of our questions were definitely inspired) He asked how he could know that what we were teaching was true. He believed it, but wanted to know. (which I thought we had already taught) but we taught him again, and we were blessed with the gift of tongues to be able to talk about it. I was so excited! Then he told us that that was the best lesson. If a little bit long, but still good. It was really good. Then we got to go back to the residence and welcome all our new missionaries!
And that was my week. It was really crazy at times and of course really fun! I will definitely miss the entire Spirit that I can feel here. It is so awesome! I do leave on Monday though, so FINLAND HERE I COME!! I am so excited to go out and serve the Lord in the country I was assigned to. I am so excited to serve the Lord in general. I love you all so much and I miss you! I hope you all have fantastic weeks and are finding ways to serve your community!! Just as a reminder, next week is #LightYourFamily start to plan ways you can serve, now!! (Good chapter to read in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is Ether 12. It is about Faith) Love you all!!
Love,
Sisar McCammon!
Her side note to me:
I am fine though. I promise you that mom. I am not just lying to make you feel better. I really am fine. The Lord is blessing me to be strong. He has called me to His service, and he wouldn't give me a commandment if He didn't provide me a way to complete it. He knows what I can do, and He is willing to make up the difference. He wants to help me just like you do. I love you though mom.
Its been an interesting week. Its hard to be on the mom side of things. It is so hard to let go. Its almost like its really none of my business anymore. LOL! The MTC doesn't tell me anything!!! Last Saturday I saw the letter from her mission President in Finland saying that he was sorry to hear about the delays in the visas and to embrace the new assignment until they can come. It was like a shock going through my system. I immediately wondered how she was feeling, what they knew about how long it would take and what her new assignment was!?! It wasn't long until my master sleuthing took over and I discovered that she had been moved to the Ogden Utah mission. Oh dear, that is too close to home and lots of family members live in that mission! Later that day I discovered from her companions mom that her comp had been reassigned to the Idaho Falls mission. This was all to crazy! We didn't know how many of the missionaries didn't have their visa's. We decided to fast and pray for them Sunday. Right after night prayers on Sunday after giving gratitude and asking for the blessing for Abbie and her district I got a text from the Finnish Immigration saying she was served with a decision and can log in to see it. I assumed that meant her visa came through but I couldn't sign in so I couldn't be sure until her letter came today!!! Even still she said they get confirmation tomorrow of when they leave.
Sister Crasper and Abbie
High School Friend Madsen Rhinehart I assume his comp and Sister Crasper with Abbie
Abbie and her Companion Sisar Godfrey
Abbies Awkward hug with Sister McKinney
Not sure what's going on here!?! LOL
New Snow today
Abbie and Sisar Godfrey
Picture of her District
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