Things are really good here! The lilacs are blooming along with everything else, and everything is green! And really hot (like 30ish degrees I believe)! Everyone keeps expecting it to get cooler. it is rarely ever this warm for this long (going on two weeks now). Also, I'm pretty sure the sun never sets. Or if it does, it doesn't for long. All I know is when I go to bed the sky is still daylight blue, and when I get up the sun is high in the sky.And when I get up at one in the morning to get a drink of water, the sun has already risen... although the sky is still a bit purple.
So, that man who was supposed to be baptized... We got in contact with him!!! We sent some friends from the ward over to his house and he talked to them. Turned out, I guess the stress and quickness of everything stressed him out too much, and so he smoked again. And then he was really ashamed and wouldn't talk to us. Luckily for him (and all of us) there's the atonement, and he is now meeting with us again and still really wants to be baptized. So, things are good there. It will just take a bit more time. And I think he really is ready to take the covenant, well except for his smoking that is, but that will be taken care of in good time.
What else. Oh yes, the conference with President Kearon! So good! I got to play piano, forever. All us missionaries had to be in our seat nearly an hour before it started. So I got to play prelude. Which is okay, only I was using the Finnish hymnbook, and sometimes I don't really know what hymn I'm playing until I start playing it. Or I think it's one hymn, but it's really another. That's always interesting. Also, they changed what songs we were singing for opening and closing, without telling me. This means I practiced the wrong songs, and didn't know the number of the songs in the Finnish hymnbook. But, it turned out alright. It was really nice to play.
President Kearon was great! He was such a real person and talked to us, as though we were his personal friends. It made me happy. We discussed a lot about faith. Faith to find, faith to change, faith to overcome fear. It was amazing. Someone told me last week "A lot of good can be done when you don't care who gets the credit" or something along those lines. So, I had never heard that before, but guess what! President Kearon quoted that exactly, and it was one of my favorite parts of the day! And now I've heard it twice in less than a week. Must be true or something.
After the conference I went on exchanges, with someone who is newer to the country than myself. That was fun. And I don't think we offended anyone too bad. Actually, I felt like Sisar Foster was teaching me a lot about missionary work. She was really open, and even though her Finnish is not stellar, she still talked with everyone. It really inspired me. And so, I've been trying to the same. At least saying hi, sometimes getting a bit further, it's a bit difficult on bikes, but really fun. After exchanges Sisar Vath and I found a lot of really good potentials, just by slowing down and talking.
So guess what!! I may only have two weeks left in Oulu! I hope not, but change calls are coming at the end of next week! I know I will not be with Sister Vath, (unless President creates a trio or something) because they need seven sisters to train, and there are presently only seven companionships of sisters, who are not training. So ya.
Stay great!
Sisar Kastendieck
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