By the time I come to email I feel like I cannot remember anything that has happened the past week. I suppose I need to keep a better journal, and then bring that with me when I email.
Mission are crazy things. I don't know if I've ranted about this before to you guys, but here we go. Missions are crazy. One moment you feel like you've been on the mission forever, and it extends forever, and you're not getting anywhere, and there is just no end. The next moment you're completely happy and you realize, I only have a year left! I have so much to do! I want to be a missionary forever! Missions may help many people become great and awesome, but they really don't seem to be designed for building one's emotional stability.
So what can I tell you about Tampere? It looks like a postcard... as does everywhere else in Finland. They have an absolutely gorgeous three storey chapel here! And there are two wards that meet here. (it's where I'm emailing from right now). They used to have a Canadian in the 1st ward (the ward I'm serving in), but he moved back home the week I came. Missionary work is a bit slow, at least for us sisters. Sisters were put into the 1st ward just nine weeks before I got to Tampere, and so we're still trying to get a better base, and to know the ward. But the ward is really great!
We now have possession of the Elders/Zone Leaders car due to Sister Holt's ankle. We've used it a bit before, but now President Rawlings has assigned it to us. Apparently he was going to take the car completely away, because he wants missionaries out on the streets, but then sister Holt sprained her ankle. But the Zone Leaders are still a bit bitter. And so am I. I have to drive, as Sister Holt's wallet and everything was stolen a few months ago and she no longer has a drivers license (she really has had the worse luck on her mission!). That and her ankle make it hard to drive. Leaving me to be the chauffeur. bleh!
I love how fast you can get to know people on a mission. It was weird. During my last Sunday in Oulu I was looking around the chapel and thinking 'wow! I'm really going to miss all these people!' and I had only been there for three months, and yet I knew them all so well. I boiled it down and came up with the key ingredient of SERVICE! Service is great! It brings you closer to people and allows you to love them. It's starting to take effect here in Tampere too!
Another thing I love about serving in my district, is there are more sisters! Serving alongside Sister Egan and Sister Foster is really amazing!
Also, this last week I got to go on exchanges with a sister serving in Turku. It was really fun. Not only could we work all day with out having to break, but we also talked to everyone! Well, not literally, but that has been something I have struggled with a lot during my mission time. Around this other sister though, it just seemed so natural and normal. It was great fun. Nothing really resulted from it, but it was a good experience. I want to be better. Aina!
Anyhow, that is what is going on in the mission right now. Nothing incredibly exciting. But I hope y'all have a fantastic week. Sounds like you have some good stuff planned!
Rakastan teitä! Muistakaa kuka te olette!
Rakaudella,
Sisar Kastendieck
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