Letter #91

Dear Family

 

Well, we are entering in on my last full week as a missionary. And boy is it exciting. So like on Friday, Saturday and Sunday its a National Holiday where lots of people get drunk. So basically, I will be clockin out early!!! JUST KIDDING!!!

 

The weather last week was crazy!! We started the week with a slight chance of rain and a new companion and guess what?? they both came to pass!!!! (I´ve read the BOM a lot:) My new and last and 12th companion is Elder Bunker from St.George. Way cool guy!!!!

 

Cool experiance, we had 3 non members show up to church and 2 came with our help. :) Spiritual moment of the week was a 8 hour Zone Meeting we had. my last. Way cool.

 

I love you all and next weeks letter/email will be really short.

Not that I have been any good at writing long and descriptive, spiritually detailed, love inspiring, and uplifiting emails any way. I just wanted to let yall know whats going down next week.

 

IM COMING HOME!!!!! (Houston, we have lift off!!!!)

 

Rakkaudella

Vanhin Waite 

Letter #90

Hey Yall!!!!

I am still alive and we had a baptism!!! she is WAY cool!!! Here is a picture!!! my companion actually went home due to medical problems. and so I am in a tripe with the Pori Elders. So basically I go to my church in Rauma with a member as my companion so... I am like the lone ranger probably for the last three weeks of my mission. How cool is that????? me and the Ward!!! 

Well, have fun yall!! i love you and be safe!!!!

Rakkaudella

Vanhin Waite

Hey!! this is the picture of the baptism in Rauma on 31.05.2014!! thanks for your work!! you guys are awesome.

Letter #89

Dear Family

last week was good. I am OFFICIALLY trunky i think. It hit half way through the week. BUt we are staying busy!!

 

We have a baptism this Saturday!!! woo hoo!!! go team!!! She is SO cool!! the girl being baptized. This ward is sweet and I love hte members here!!

 

Some of the members dont remember my name, they just remember I leave in June. And every week they ask, "So when do you leave??? ah ha....." so yeah that doesnt help.

 

I love repentance and the chance we all have to change for the better. I love my Savior and His uplifting power to help us. I am excited to be the man that my Heavenly Father wants me to be and I need all the help I can get.

I love you all and I love missionary work. Have fun and be safe!!! I love the Bood of Mormon and Rauma. the city I am in.

 

Rakkaudella

Vanhin Waite

Letter #88

Dear Family

 

So, this week was really great!!! i must confess it felt like it was the Longest week ever but I dont know why. It feels for ever ago that I talked with yall on skype!!

 

Well, we had some REALLY great lessons with our Baptismal canidate. she loves the Gospel and the Ward. Among a lot of the really amazing responses she gave to the question we asked her Why do you want to be baptized, she said that she wants to "belong to a group where she knows she belongs." and i thought how true that is of ALL Gods children who by spiritual birth belong to His Eternal Ideal Home for their happiness.

 

I love this work and I am very excited for the chance I have to be here and love the Finnish people. I love Finland!! I think Springs and Summers are great when the warmth of Summer melts the depressing darks of Winter to the shady corners of the world. Nothing better than to have a hard time sleeping only because the sun has chosen to shine on you in the middle of the night when its light never reaches another poor soul down below. BUt, thats life. hahaa

I lvoe you all and I hope you have a great Week!!!! i have 5 more weeks and a bit of days left. not that anyone is counting or somehting(aparently I am friends!!) have fun and feel the Spirit!!! Learn with "Eyes, ears, minds and Hearts!!!" i know that God loves us all!!! no matter what happens. I love this Gospel and I love you!! if you dont feel it, know it or any doubt of the sort, please write me a hand letter and I will talk about that with you. if not, a hand written letter wont be underappreciated!!! (double negative) love ya!!

Rakkaudella Vanhin Waite 

Letter #87

Dear Family

This last week was really AWESOME!!!! thank you for talking to me!!! I really enjoyed it!! oh man, last phone call and 45 days left!!! i counted this morning. :)

Well, last week we had an amazing spiritual week. I feel Every week has a spiritual highlight but this week I will tell you about this one because I relized I dont talk much about the spiritual things on this side of the Atlantic. :)

We had a lesson with this really prepared individual this week!! The lessons were awesome in the which this individual said when we talked about baptism that "my heart wants to but my head is not quite up with my heart...." and we talked about following those spiritual or "hearty" feelings. haha this person is really cool and loves the ward. It feels like a "family" said the individual.

Well, there were other sweet ones this week. like, a cool zone meeting and we met with a couple of sweet members. other than that. I am still breathing and loving life.

Have fun this week and be safe.

Rakkaudella 

Vanhin Waite

Letter #86

Dear Family

This week was good. I got into Rauma alright. We dont have any investigators at this point so we are starting up for ground 0. ahah. I love missionary work and life. 

We had a stake conference this week in Tampere. Its a bigger city in inland-Finland. there a member of the European presidency Elder Kierron came and spoke. It was really cool because he has a british accent and it was fun to hear him speak and then a fin translate on the stage next to him. But he said some really cool stuff. Like the Atonement can change us, let it change us. If we have grudges or hurt or anger we hold on to, drop it. If we have a habbit or two which hinder our spiritual development, stop it. He also spoke about local leaders and that when someone we know is called to be the ecclesiastical leader than we need to give them space and our love. pretty sweet stuff.

Well turns out Rauma is a small city again. haha I love small cities. but we actually have a ward here. Its pretty cool. I love it here!!

I love you all. be safe and have fun!

love

Vanhin Waite

Letter #85

Dear Family,

This week was good. worst part was moving. thats right. for my last change on my mission I had to leave my favorite place EVER!!! i love Lohja!! but its okay, Im glad I didnt get too atached and cried. but, I am now in a beach town called Rauma. I am way excited!! i dont got much time but I love you and have fun this week!!!

But I am super stoaked to be in Rauma. My 6th area and 9th companion. Elder Glascow. he is from Georgia. Love ya all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA!!!!

Love 

Vanhin Waite

Letter #84

Dear Family

 

This last week went really good. We found a couple of cool people to teach. Our baptismal date got cold feet and didnt come to church and we keep meeting just great people!!! its really cool!!

 

So this week we attended a 7th day adventist church service and turns out it was their 80 anneversery in Lohja. the city in which I currently reside. It was really cool because there were other church representitives there and we had no idea it was a aneversery thing. And they had a say something like a greeting from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.It was cool to speak for a second time on the pulpit there in their church. Pretty cool. but I got a testimony there that the gospel we have is the complete and full and living gospel. Its almost as if its true or something:) I am glad to be a Mormon.

 

I loved General Conference last week!! my favorite thoughts were the this life is the time to perform!! make every moment count!! :) I want to do just that!!

 

This is a great city to be in I love it!! we have change calls coming and i hope I stay here!! i want to go home from here!! that´d be sweet!! I love you all and have fun this weeka nd be safe!!!

 

Rakkaudella

Vanhin Waite

Letter #83

Dear Family

So, this week was really good. And AWESOME because of General Conference. I loved the talks there. We also had some good success this last month and we have been really blessed.

So, I ´ll start with the boring!!  we had a average of 3 new investigators a week last month for 5 weeks. We had a average of 2 investigators in church last month. We had a average of 6 investigator member present lesson. We got 2 baptismal dates, one is pretty sketchy, the other pretty good. And this last week we found 3 new investigators, had 4 in church(well they watched conference) 2 wiht us!! :) So the work goes good but, still looking for the baptized ones!! :)

I learned in General Conference that if I do anything in life. DO it 100%. YOu only got 1 life. dont watch it go by. ALso I learned to desire the more important things in life. Like money, career, cars and money. JUST KIDDING!!! like family and serving others. I loved the idea in conference from Elder Ballard pray for the one daily. and Pray to NOTICE ways you can help and BE WILLING to help. and be HONEST in EVERYTHING!!! oh, and "blame keeps wounds open, and forgivness heals them." Pres Monson.

We watched conference with 2 of our investigators. Both were not expecting everything they saw. (Lack of explanation on our part) but BOTH of them LOVED it. It gave them a ton to think about. I was really grateful for Elder Eyerings talk on the Saturday morning how he started "to all you that have been invited by missionaries.." and our investigators were like "wahoo!! thats me!!"

So we talked to a bunch of baptists the other day and they LOVE bashing. So they say that we cant be saved by our works and everything they say we like, agree too kinda like Christ saves us yeah, but he like threw out an example like "..if i was helping a old woman with service, its not me helping her its God because I dont have that kind of love for her like he does." I said "those are two different things, your love and Gods, you dont have God like love yet, but how would God have shown His love for that woman if YOU didnt help her." he didnt say much but I thought it was such a dumb thing. "Faith WITHOUT works is dead." end of story. Even if Paul says "shout for salvation" or something like that. OH but than he pulls out our Book of mormon, opens up to 2nephi 26 or 25 or 27 and shows the verse about the lamanites skin changing blacker to not tempt the Lords people and justs has us read it and didnt say anythig. I just looked at him and said, "where you going with this??" yeah people are interesting.

Well, that about sums up the sweet week!!! THANK you grandma for the letters!!! your awesome!! Thank you mom for the card!! I love the cat. haha I hope you all have a good week!! and apply what we learned in General Conference!!!! love you!!

Vanhin Waite

Letter #82

Dear Family!!!

 

Last week was really crazy because the library computers which we write home to you didnt work. So we had to go and use some other ones but, because of time, couldnt write much. It has been busy busy busy lately and it is still as awesome as usual!!!

 

So we have been finding people like crazy and also doing service!!! I dont know exactly how we ended up in so many non member service projects but, they keep coming!!! no complaints!!! We play badmitton with htis older guy here and there, he is hilarious!!! but I cant believe how intense badmitton and frustrating it can be all at ounce.

 

one of our investigators told us that her parents dont want her to go to church or anything with the mormons. They are scared of us apparently. Thats okay though. I have to say with all the awesome service like, gardening and moving people and lifting things, we have spent more time outside of our missionary clothes than in them. pretty sweet.

 

Our baptismal date came to church!!! for the 2nd time, that means we are going somewhere. she is SO funny!!! i like her!!! she is still looking for an answer but, I think it will come!!! and we also found some really good people that are interested a ton!! 

 

I love you all and I think my mission has been the best!!! I love the spirituallity and the work that is involved. I love you and pray for you!!!

Love

Vanhin Waite 

Letter #81

Dear Family.

 

This week was probably one of the best weeks of my mission. So for the longest time we had been doing dilligent and good missionary work, and it was hard to see the results of our work. But it was this week when I realized, "hey, we are doing what we are suppose to do. Because we are getting to know 100s of people. So we play badmitton with one group of guys, we have a language school with another set of people, we play floorball with another set of guys and everything we do like, emailing you all right now I am surrounded by the same three different guys and we have cute little chats. This week we found 5 new investigators and all 5 came to church. That is a HUGE blessing because the members were just blown away with the investigators there and are getting fired up for missionary work. We have been really blessed here in Lohja and I am SO grateful for it!! I love missionary work and all the fun things that belong with it. Go team!! we also had a great lesson with one of our investigators which is a older lady, but we actually talked with her about family history work and missionary work on the other side of the veil. She commited to be baptized in April if she feels its true. That is all we ask. :) :) :) Thank you for your love and support. i LOVE YOU and miss you and things are going great!!! have fun and be safe!!

Love

Vanhin Waite

Letter #80

Dear Family

 

This week we were blessed again to have people come to church!!!!! 2 more investigators!!! but the awesome thing was is that they were 2 completely different from last week!!! I love it!!!

 

So missionary work is going great!! we find people here and there and everywhere. We also drop people here and there and everywhere but that is just the nature of the beast. I love Finland and the wheater. It is really warm for march and i like the warmth.

 

One of the things we do with some non member is play a sport called sähly with them. It is basically floor hockey but with a wiffle ball. It is SOO fun!!! the non members love it. I love it. we all love it!! these kind of activities are just Awesoem to get people to come to.

 

I love you family and I hope life is going well. Spiritual experiances are a lot on a misson and i love it!! have fun!!

 

lvoe

Vanhin Waite

Rakastan teitä!!

Letter #79

dear Family

This week was really good!! we found 2 new investigators and they both came to church!!! pretty succesful!!!!

So on Monday of last week met two people who immediately became investigators and the funny thing is that they both came to church. We invited them early and set up rides for them. To help them feel more comfortable in the individual car ride they were going in Elder Hunter and I went on a little exchange with the two guy members that drove. We explained to the guys in before hand that they would be our companions for the short amount of time. They both had great experiances in church, we had informed the Elders Quorem and Relief sociaty leaders of the investigators coming. The Lord blessed us for sure with succes in the "walking with them to church" as we followed council. We´ll we walked with them to the car, from then on it was a smooth ride. :]

yeah I love this ward. And i LOVE the city that I am in!!!!!  I love you and have fun be safe.

rakkaudella vanhin waite

Letter #78

Dear family

 

This week was okay. But Finland beat USA in HOCKEY!!!! YES!!!!! thats what I am talking about. So we lost/dropped three investigators this week and because it was a skiing vacation not very many people were home. But the weather out here is awesome for february. It feels like spring.

 

So we were tracting and a drunk guy answers the door in just his grey small briefs. He was  a older gentleman and he let us inside. Well lets just say it didnt go too long because ounce we got in the guy talked to my fairly new companion all drunderly and Elder Hunter didnt feel right about the situation and he said "Im out of here" in english and shut the door behind him really fast. So I was like "so we have to go right now, but we´ll come back and talk about your dead wife and life another time when your all clear." (because we did get to know a little bit about him) He didnt want us to come back he wanted us to talk right then. But I left and it was a great learning experiance and also way funny. 

 

I am grateful for my mission. It truley is the refiners fire. I am grateful for the Book of Mormon because we also went to a baptist church this week and they we´re all "GO BIBLE!!" and very interesting meeting. When we sat down in the meeting I heard a couple people behind us mention "mormons...". I am grateful for the restored Gospel and the chance to share it. I love this church. 

 

Have fun this weeka nd be safe!!! 

Love 

Vanhin Waite

Letter #77

Dear Family

So, to start off, I love Finland for its BEAUTIFUL landscape and trees and nature. The Finns are HUGE outdoors people and I like. I want to be one too!!!!

Go hockey!!! I love the sports Finland loves!!! Hockey is SOO cool!! a little rough but, way sweet!!!

okay, back to missionary work.

So my for sure departure date from Finland is June 26. I have to go home a bit earlier because of the new mission president coming. They dont want missionaries leaving as soon as he gets to Finland so they cut me short. :( Please be at the Airport with all little ones (james thats you) and huggables (mom thats you)!!!! okay any way.

This week was great!!! a couple of the members in lohja prayed that my companion and I would stay in Lohja and their prayer was answered!!! We found an investigator yesterday!! and have met some way sweet potential families. I love talking to people. Hate geting rejected. but that just belongs to the work. We are praying that 1 investigator of ours is baptized next month and that a family is baptized in april.

The members are SO stoaked to have missionaries here in Lohja. They are all praying for missionary work to move forward here so they can start their own branch. That would be so cool. I can totally see it happening.

We had a lesson were a investigating women asked some big questions such as why do men have the Priesthood and about baptism and all that jazz. We didnt resolve her concerns but reminded her that ALL those questions lead back to the divinity of the Book of Mormon. She wasnt really satisfied with that and kinda yueah. but very great spiritual experiance.

I lov eyou all and I pray for you!!!! have fun this week and be safe!!!

Love

Vanhin waite

Letter #76

HI FAMILY!!!

This week was really good!!! we met with a ton of people and had some great lessons!! the best part of the week was having one of our rougher around the edges investigator come to church on sunday!!! there was much rejoicing!! yeahhhhhhh!!!! he really enjoyed sacrament meeting and even felt the spirit strong enough to get a little emotional. Pretty sweet for a big Finnish man who works in security. we also met with a family this week. well, just the dad. but it was sad because he wasnt too interested and asked that we dont come back even though the mom really liked us but she was sick the second time so... thats just how that goes. other than that I just relized that I might only have two changes left on my mission. Every 9 weeks is a change and at the end of the 9 weeks we see if we go somewhere else. but I hope that I get to "die" or spend my last 9 weeks here in Lohja. Great place. I lov eyou all and the Book of Mormon is really an amazing book. The bible is kind of a weak testimony of Christ to all the nations but with the Book of Mormon it is a power house. its almost true!!!! haha. I love it!! i love you all and hope you have a very nice friend day. or valentinesday. its called friend day here. haha i lov eyou!!!

 

Vanhin Waite

Letter #75

Dear Family

 

This week was pretty chill. a ton happened so I hope you are all buckled in and ready for such a week.

 

So starting two sundays ago, we took a bus(even though we have a car) all the way down to Espoo. Its only like a 30 minute bus ride but this is the funny thing. I talked with this pretty chill guy, the sad thing was, there was a another guy studying to become a priest in the Lutherin church infront of me, so he lovingly joined the conversation and kinda wanted to keep talking. but long story shortened, we missed our stop and went all the way to Helsinki because I was talking. :)
We got a ride though from the Elders back to Espoo for the night.

 

The next morning is usually p day, but because of my companions 6 week reunion in the contry there is a special meeting for him and all the other special greenies and there blessed trainers. That is the reason and it is SO fun. but kills your p day time. Got up in the morning and took a train to Helsinki and rode some trams and had the meeting. Same thing for 3 days. Thursday is a bit different, It is my companions 6 week language school. Learn language tips there and at the same time, the trainers(which is me:) get to go to the temple. now this gets tricky, because we for a district activity, we had planned on going to hte temple friday, and as a missionary you can only go to the temple 1 a month, so I didnt go when my companion was in his language school. but that night we were supposed to go back to our city but... we didnt have bus tickets and we had no idea were the bus station was in big ol Helsinki. So, we ended up staying another night and going to the temple the next morning but, thursday night was when I emailed. :)

 

After the temple on Friday, we had no bus tickets or money except for a big fat 50 euro mark. we took a short bus and the price was like 5 euros because we were not going very far and the bus didnt want the 50 so he said just get on. it was really nice and such a blessing. because there was NO way to plan for all this stuff that happened. oh, we also were carring a box of Book of Mormons. that was heavy. After this short distance bus we waited in the snow and cold for our real bus, and this time our big mark was accepted. :)

 

So, all in all. we got home to our area with only 2 days left in the week. pretty exciting.

 

I love missionary work!! and even these crazy unexpected things are sure fun!! I love you all and have fun while being safe too!!!

Rakkaudella

Vanhin Waite

Letter #74

dear family.

 

so this week was really really good, except for the end, i will tell you why, but i love lohja and the mission is great:)

 

so 2 days ago i climbed some ropes and when I reached the top I slid down them..... but thats a problem because you dont slide down ropes. i got a pretty bad rope burn because of it and had to get some care on it, but EVERYTHING is fine!! im just wearing bandages now.. thats it. :)

 

We found a couple of investigators and hjad some sweet experiances with othér people. I love it here and I hope everything is going well for all yall

 

love

Vanhin Waite

 

this is a picture of my hands. i learnd how not to come down ropes and not to do that kind of stuff on the mission. :) love you:) kinda stupid i know, but i got to talk to the nurse about religion, turns out she was a jehovah witness, not anymore though... all kinds of doors opened up. :)

Letter #73

Dear Family friends and Country Men... RUSSIANS!!! :)(just kidding)

 

So it is WINTER finally here up north. We went from 3 degrees C all the way down to -10 in one day!!! its fantastic!!! we actually have snow!! im happy.

 

The snow makes everything so much more brighter and happier. even though is is pretty cold with the humidity and stuff. My companion and I have installed a hitch to our car now, and soon we will have bikes!!! yeah bikes in the cold snow!!! I actually enjoy it, it is a good work out and pretty fun. Pretty sweet stuff.

 

We are doing good in the missionary work department side of life, potentials, investigators copies of the Book of mormon and all that Jazz. We do a way cool FHE where all the families here in Lohja come to gether for it, happens ounce a month and its sweet!!

 

Okay, so sad and good news. I found out my departure date as of right now. right now it is JUNE 26. thats right, JUNE 26. I got cut short because of the new mission president coming, they dont like having people leaving like 2 weeks after he gets there. so.... but my mission pressident will be talking to SLC and maybe I will get an extension. but as of right now it is June 26. I think it will change, Idk, its like a 50 50. yo yo.

 

I love you all and i HOPe you have a great week!! Ilove Finland and the snow!! have fun!!!

 

Rakkaudella

Vanhin Waite

Letter #72

dear Family

This week was pretty good. A new start in a new city!! our first few weeks were just busy with apartment stuff, new car, members wanting to see the new boys in town, meetings and all sorts of stuff. But now, we got just up hill work!!! no investigators, plenty of area, its show time. haha, 

A really cool thing last week was we had some pretty sweet lessons with our only investigator and then he dropped us. Like he felt the Spirit and everything so, now he is in the Lords hands. Also I never did this but we used Family History as a contacting method and it totally worked. This man would love to meet with us next week and talk about family history work but other than that, he told us up front, he doesn't care about our church´s doctrine. That´s okay. 

I love you all and I hope you all have a FANTASTIC first full week of the new year!! I hope the goals have been made and effort to achieve them is commenced. Have fun and be safe!!

Love

Vanhin Waite 

Letter #71

Dear Family

 

Thank you all for Skyping with me!!! YOu all are awesome!! this week will be short, but sweet. Just like we like em right???

 

Christmas was WAY busy!!! we had 3 dinner appointments each day, Christmas eve and Day, the end of the week went really good. We put together a map for our area and areas. pretty intense process. We met with a lot of partmember families and had some great laughs. Things are on the up swing and GROWING!!

 

I love you all and have a Happy New year!!! Lets start the Year off right!! I love you!

 

Love

Vanhin Waite