Dearest Family,
Wow, What a wonderful place finland is in the wintertime! I have been hearing from finns that here in Helsinki there is more snow that up north in the Lapland! They Helsinkiläiset are pretty proud of that. I continue to love life and love our investigators. Pim really enjoyed church yesterday as the little primary in our ward put on a wonderful little program in which they sung and talked about the savior. Unfortunately Pim's Baptismal date is going to have to change :( she isn't quite ready, but is still set on being baptized! we just need to meet more lol... Paulo is doing great! haha Helsinki is a busy busy place and the Lord is blessing us with miracles! We had a referral (I'm sure Kyle's eyes just beam at that word) This was one of the most solid referals ever. His name is Alex and we had a really good lesson about the restoration and we set a baptismal date for the 15th of tammikuu (january) We will see how that goes! 3 very very solid investigators and a bunch of other good ones! I love life! (not just because of the success though.. life is Ihanaa!)
We had a wonderful Christmas meeting last tuesday in which President shared many things that have sparked my thoughts about the atonement. He talked about how there are 3 levels of christmas and that they are all for our enjoyment but the last one is the one that lasts all year. 1. santa claus and presents 2. The birth of the Savior. 3. The adult life of Jesus Christ. I really like the thoughts he shared and many of the ones I would like to share tie very well with his thoughts. I also feel that Elder uchtdorf shared some good thoughts in the Christmas devotional that help us focus on the adult life of Christ. President talked about how it is because of the adult life and how Christ lived that his birth is significant.
L. Whitney Clayton shared some things in the October 2009 conference about the atonement in his talk "that you burdens may be light" He talked about how there are 3 sources for the most part where burdens come from.
1.Natural prdoucts of the conditions of the world in which we live. Sicknesses etc.
2.Those imposed on us by the misconduct of others.
3.Own mistakes and shortcomings.
He said concerning this "We are all children of God, who sent us to earth for his eternal purposes (moses 1.39) our unique individual experiences can help prepare us to return to him. The adversities and afflictions that are ours, however difficult they are last, from heavens perspective, for but a small moment. And if we endure them well "God shall exhault us on high"
These thoughts hit me as president shared some very powerful quotes from apostles on the atonement. Pres Boyd K Packer said "When we are wracked or harrowed up or tormented by guilt or burdend with grief, he can heal us. Though we do not fully understand how the atonemnet of christ was made, we can experience the peace of god which passeth all understanding" I think of how wonderful it is that we are able to be healed and more forward in our lives! Truly god is merciful and knows that we will fall sometimes, But we can be made whole again.
Pres henry B Eyring said "Through the power of the Atonemnet of Jesus christ our natures can be changed. Then our power to carry burdens can be increased more than enough"
Elder Joseph B. Worthlin said this, and I really love the hope it shares for our potential selves and the nature of God that is in us all "We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. our heavenly father sees us in terms of forever. Though we might settle for less, our heavenly father won't. for he sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of transformatio. it takes men and women of the earth and refines them into men and women for the eternities"
WOW!
Then I started thinking how personal the atonement is! 2 nephi 9:21 talks about how he suffered for us. 3 nephi 17:9,21 shares about how the Savior healed people one by one. I testify that he knows us all so personally... I don't understand it... but he does! Mark 10:16 also shares the same thing. D&C 50:40-46 "Behold ye are little children, and ye cannot bear all things now. ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth...... Wherefore I am in your midst and I am the good shepherd, and the stone of isreal. He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall"
Powerful promise to us all. Howard W. Hunter shared something that ties to that " Please remember this one thing. if our lives and our faith are centered upon Jesus Christ and his restored gospel, Nothing can go permentaly wrong. On the other hand , If our lives are not centered on the savior and his teachings, no other success can ever be permanently right"
God is so loving and merciful that he understands when we make mistakes and is always trying to help us improve. If we do our best he will take care of the rest. D&C 84:88"... For I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you to bear you up"
I know that God helps us, and his little gaurdian angels are here to help us when we fall and if our life is centered on him, then it is cenetered on christ, and we will enjoy the blessings of exhaultation... no matter what the next few steps in the dark are like!
Isaiah 53:4-5!
Life is wonderful! Enjoy it!
Love Vanhin Nielsen
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