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