7/26/23 Against the Odds and Against the Clock, Faith Prevails in the End

What a week.

We said goodbye to Sisar Krueger as her last day teaching was Friday. It was sad but good. Had a little celebration in class and watched a Finnish cartoon called Muumi. We knew more than we expected but we still have lots to learn. 

That same day I lost my water bottle in the morning and I said a quick prayer and started retracing my steps. Sure enough, we found the water bottle in the weight room. Nobody was there so it was a little eerie with no lights on. Anyways, also among the goodbye's this week was Elder Hsu (my cousin). He's in San Francisco now spreading the Gospel.

The Go and Do experience was also good. As I studied the Book of Mormon, one verse stuck out. In 1 Nephi 10:18, it says, "For [Jesus Christ] is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him." When we know more about Christ, we can know more about who we are and know who to rely on throughout our lives.

Here's the rest:

- some crazy storms on Monday and Tuesday.

- Sisar Bentley's birthday. 

- lots of studying and tutoring.

A big miracle happened yesterday. My companion's visa was still lost and after he prayed, he got a prompting that it was at Heritage Halls (residence halls for BYU). Simultaneously, I got a prompting to reach out to my cousin at Heritage Halls. Fifteen minutes later, we confirmed a package was at Heritage Halls with my companion's name. With that speck of information, we dashed to the front desk at the MTC to call Heritage Halls about that package. After explaining our jumbled story to the front desk lady, we got the Heritage Hall's phone number and called. Surely enough, it was from San Francisco. Luckily for us, my cousin was just running errands that day and had time to help. Giving them the information we had, they picked up the package after Vanhin Larsen gave Heritage Halls his permission. Walked it over to the MTC mailing service and with a few text messages with the mailing information, it's now coming today. The miracle worker was my cousin even if they didn't know it. We celebrated as a district in the laundry room after and we're going to be the first district to all go to Finland since COVID. 

What a week. The work awaits,

Vanhin Hsu

7/19/2023 Faith in Every Footstep

I had one dream this week. It was about the MTC campus and the MTC food. Being at the MTC for 6 weeks is a lot but we'll make the most out of it as we go full into Finnish this next week. More missionaries came to the MTC last Wednesday and it's crowded. Lunch and dinner lines are a challenge in their own right. Whether it's gym, meals, or laundry, it's crowded everywhere. 

Choir this week was nice. We sang Faith in Every Footstep and it is such a fitting song for missionaries and for everyone. The chorus alone is pretty amazing. 

"With faith in every footstep, we follow Christ, the Lord; And filled with hope through his pure love, we sing with one accord."

It all starts with faith. Faith leads to action as we learn about and love Christ. Action leads to change, and change leads towards progression. Change is possible with Christs help.

Friday after class, my whole district went to check the travel office to see if our residence permits (visas) were in. Low and behold, everyone has theirs except for my companion. We're all praying for his permit to come in and we hope he's able to get it in time. 

Here's the rest of the week, not much seemed to happen:

- One afternoon, my district talked about careers and marriage. It was both fun and funny to hear their ideas on the matter.

- Got my side bag in the mail on Monday
- Solid devotionals on Tuesday and Sunday. Learned more about repentance, the Gospel, and the real life application of a mission.

- My companion, Vanhin Larsen, received around 100 pomppiva palloja (bouncy balls) in the mail yesterday. 

Slowly but surely, the MTC is preparing all of us to serve. Looking back, our progress is huge. We've learned so much and understand more than we'd have ever thought possible on our own. This is the Lord's work and he works through his servants and helps them as they strive to serve.

The work awaits,

Vanhin Hsu

7/12/2023 The Power of Faith, Song, and Prayer

What a week.

On Sunday, I woke up tired and expected to be sleepy the whole time. As we started the Go and Do experience, which is an extra long personal study about Christ, the focus I'd prayed for came and I studied hard for two hours in the afternoon. My companion, Vanhin Larsen, was not as fortunate as he took a 45 minute nap. I took a deep dive into Moroni 10:32-33 from the Book of Mormon. A portion of it says "if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you" (Moroni 10:32). The gospel is about change to be more Christlike but His grace makes all the difference. We can repent, change, learn, grow, and choose to follow Christ in these latter-days.

A few other things that happened include:

- Learning how to tie my tie in a new knot.

- running into a few BYU friends and my cousin

- started upping my vocabulary to memorize for Finnish

- woke up to Let it Go one morning

- my lavender oil cap busted but luckily it was in a Ziplock bag.

- the Norwegian district leaves tomorrow. Surullinen Päivä.

Now, the story of the week happened Tuesday evening. We went to choir practice at 5:30 and around 5:50, the lights went out. Unbeknownced to us, a transformer blew out in Provo that knocked out electricity all around Provo. So, as we sat in the dark, we continued choir practice for another 20 minutes. Everyone was using their phones for light to see the music and it was quite a sight. After we finished practice, we started singing hymns to pass the time. Singing a hymn with a choir of nearly 1000 missionaries is quite an experience. Even with the lights out, we were able to sing to Jan E Newman, a member of the Sunday school presidency of the church. Before he entered, President Calderwood of the MTC said a prayer in hopes that the power would come back. We sang "I Know that My Redeemer Lives" and had a closing prayer that also asked for the lights to come back. Not a minute later, one light started to flicker, then another, and before we knew it, all the lights gradually turned on one by one. This was no coincidence and we all witnessed a miracle. The devotional was a little delayed but it still went on. We learned more about how to create a foundation that lasts and eternity.

What a week. The work awaits,

Vanhin (Elder) Hsu

7/5/2023 Longest Finnish Word and 4th of July

Another week passed and time is still hard to keep track of. Four weeks have passed and I've seen friends come and leave. The Spanish district in our branch leaves in the next few days but my cousin, Elder Hsu, arrived yesterday. He flew in early and we were able to connect a bit.  

Finnish is starting to get real. Imagine being tied to a 1000 pound weight and having it dropped. That was how the whole district felt after learning 6 cases. The goal now is to say sentences that are mostly correct as I try to apply cases. Besides that one grammar principle, we're doing pretty well with the language. We also learned the longest Finnish word as a goal. Here's the word: lentikonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas. 

Fast Sunday came and it was cool to see everyone fasting for their own purpose. The only downside was that lunch and dinner the day before was not good. As I fasted, I was able to focus more and listen to the Holy Ghost better. During the sacrament meeting, the Spanish district sang Lead Kindly Light in Spanish as it was their last hymn in the MTC sacrament meeting. "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." - Moroni 10:5

Here's the highlights of the week:

- ran into a volleyball friend from a class at BYU

- got a package with origami paper and more

- finished the SafetyZone videos for new missionaries.

- reached the 1 month mark a few days ago

- talked to a Finnish sister who is a branch president's wife here. It was really cool to hear about Finland and hear her say her testimony

The 4th of July had its own craziness as the day went on. We did service in the morning as usual. Class was okay, but still difficult since it was in the wake of the hardest Finnish class yet. After class, I went to the restroom and when I came out, my companion vanished. For the next 10 minutes, I stayed with the Norwegian elders as we tried to figure out where he went. After searching, we found him taking photos with the Spanish district. After that, the day was pretty good. Bradley R Wilcox gave the devotional that evening and it was good. He said the doctrine of Christ is about change and it resonated with me. Following the devotional, we had a 4th of July social. My sisters were very patriotic to say the least. The ice cream was nice and the fireworks in the valley were also cool.

It's been a long but good week. The work awaits,

Vanhin (Elder) Hsu