January 17, 2011 (Alright!)

Dearest Family,

TIM AND AL GOT BAPTIZED!!! YAY!!!!!! What an insane week it has been! haha I will give you all the details and I will focus all the energy in the little A.D.H.D head of mine to concentrate on sharing how it all happened! So... Last saturday we get a change call (as you already know) and We got the baptismal interviews set up and all was well. so we got all the buisness taken care of pretty much before I left on wednesday. haha ok I can't share all the details, and it would be boring... but I will just share saturday's timeline because it was and eventful day.

Saturday... Elder sharp and I wake up and get our day going by doing our study and all that. We had a teach (that the other elders had set up for 12 oclock) and the baptism was at 1 oclock in marjaniemi (about a 50 minute drive from kirkkonummi, which was where the teach was) So we call the investigator a couple days earlier and asked if we could meet at 11 oclock. We got all that set up and a member and all went well.... Until we get to the teach and we realized that our 30 minutes we had planned so we could be reasonably early to the baptism was not going to work at all. Haha Tav is a wonderful man with a good heart :) he just talks.... and talks.... and talks.... So as he talked I began to have anxiety as I saw the clock nearing 12... I realized ok... We are still going to have enough time to get there, but the tension was building in my little heart. By the time we got on the road and got going the GPS (elder sharp's christmas present) said we would get to our destination right at 1 oclock... I didn't want that.. but It would have to do. We get going, just enjoying the ride and as we get closer and closer to our assumed destination we realized... This does not look like the marjaniemi we know... OHHH NOO!! So at 1 oclock we realize that we typed in Koivuniementie instead of marjaniementie... It happened because I looked at the make and I swear it said Koivuniementie.... Birch (Koivu)... berry (marja)... basically the same thing lol! We were about 15 kilometers from our intended destination... I wanted to throw up... but I didn't and I drove safely and even followed the speed limit :) (that was a personal victory for me... considering my history :D lol) We get to the church at about 1:20 and everyone was sitting in the baptismal room reverently and giving us the look as we sat down... out of breath from running... with our coats still on. I figured this was the inbetween music and timo was already baptized, I just about started to cry... then Veli kinen (The neitsytpolku Ward mission leader) comes to us in the back row. and Says "hey... You have the opening prayer... you can go put your coats on the coat hanger if you would like... timo is changing... he just barely got here" Then my heart leaped for joy and I wanted to shout for Joy! We didn't miss it! haha but we didn't get anypictures due to timo's/our lateness... Sorry mom :) I have at least an invitation

Then we had Al's Baptism at 6 oclock. We weren't late for this one and everything went according to plan! It was a really neat experience! Al is going to be a wonderful member of the church. It was pretty neat how it all timed out. Our first teach was on the very first day of the change (the 6th of december) and his confirmation was yesterday (which was the very last day of the change! 16.1.11) So... with all that said... That is the story of the double header in neitsytpolku...

President shared this in his email and I really liked the sisältämä sanoma. He quoted Elder N. Eldon Tanner who was speaking of New Year’s resolutions or resolutions of any kind for that matter. He said, “As we reflect on the value of resolving to do better, let us determine to discipline ourselves, to carefully select the resolutions we make, to consider the purpose for making them, and finally to make commitments for keeping them and not letting any obstacle stop us. Let us remind ourselves at the beginning of each day that we can keep a resolution just for that day. As we do this it gets easier and easier until it becomes a habit.” Elder Tanner was a member of the First Presidency of the Church and a very disciplined and determined man. As you make resolutions, be sure to do what Pres. Tanner said, “make commitments for keeping them and not letting any obstacle stop [you].”

Hmmm... I am loving serving with Elder Sharp! we are doing very well in espoo... Loving having a GPS except when I type in anxiety-causing addresses. The ward here is just incredible! haha it is like serving in a utah ward.. tons of youth and tons of dinner appointments :) lol

thanks family for everything you do, for your support and love. Missionary work is the greatest work known to man! (and plumbing) hehe. If it is possible to send my ipod that would be great... I will just send it right back full of talks and random church songs from the assistants computer :) and sort through all that latter.

Love,

Elder Thomas Neal Nielsen

P.P.S We had a dinner appointment with Sam hent (my mini missionary) and his family... I told them they are welcome to our house anytime in utah for root beer floats and corn on the cob... I also invited Al if he is ever in the states.... I will probably just keep inviting finns at will... unless you have any objections?