One of our young adult investigators was baptized last week. We weren't involved in teaching him other than at family home evening, but we've gotten to know and love him very much through our association at family home evening and institute. He goes by Mac, although his name is quite a bit longer than that. He is Thai, but has lived in Finland for the last 16 years and speaks Finnish and English fluently. He is a very bright young man. He works as a welder at ArcTec, a ship-building firm in Helsinki. Right now they are building an ice breaker.
At his baptismal service the Sisters who taught him sang "Amazing Grace." After the last speaker, Mac asked if he could say a few words. He bore the most amazing testimony. Among other things he said that miracles really do happen in our day and age. He said that a personal miracle had happened in his life beginning three months ago when he first met the missionaries. He said much more, but I was particularly touched as he closed with these words in English, "I was lost, but now I'm found. I was blind, but now I see."
On Wednesday this week we had Mac, Sisters Knapp and Dixon, who taught him, and some of the other young adults over for dinner. Mac and the sisters came early and we had a discussion in Finnish. I guess they mostly taught him in English and are now going through the discussions again in Finnish. He is helping the sisters improve their Finnish. We talked about modern day prophets and the restoration of the gospel. At one point I was able to share the account given by Hugh B. Brown of his conversation about modern revelation with a member of the British House of Commons and former member of the supreme court. (http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=114). I was able to relate the account in fairly good Finnish.
The dinner went well and afterword, we played Mexican Train. I couldn't persuade the group to play the animal game. We played that last week with another group and they enjoyed it very much.
On Thursday we took dinner to Jasmi and Atso who are brother and sister. Both are confined to wheelchairs and are unable to get to our apartment, because our elevator is too small. They live in the same apartment building which is adapted for wheelchair access. They invited some friends over, including three from Vaasa, who are here on a temple trip. We had a delicious dinner made by Anne and then visited and played some games. Jasmi and Atso both play wheelchair hockey or floorball. They have a tournament coming up in November and we are excited to cheer them on. They are both very active in their ward - Atso is in the Elders quorum presidency and Jasmi is a ward missionary
On Monday of this week, we did family home evening - usually on of the young adults does it and we just provide the refreshments. Anne shared Jorg Klebingatt's conference talk. He is a friend from our Ukraine mission days, and so his talk was a favorite of ours.
Afterwards we played Minute to Win It. This is just one of the less wild games. The girl is a Vietnamese contact that the missionaries brought to FHE. She seemed to have a very good time.
The object of this game is to get the cookie from your forehead to your mouth just by moving your head and face muscles. The young man in green has a mission call to serve here in Finland starting in Dec. I am teaching him the mission preparation lessons each week before family home evening. He travels 45 minutes each way to get here. The other young man just returned from a mission in England, and is serving as the ward mission leader in his ward.
Sister Owen, one of our great missionaries had the technique down very well.
Another favorite game was picking up a paper sack with your mouth without touching the floor with anything but your feet. After each round the sack was folded down a bit more or cut away. Obviously, Rasmus was unsuccessful, although two of them, Pertti and Santeri, were able to pick up the sack when only the bottom was left.
We all had a great time. This calling is just like my favorite calling in the church - nursery leader. You get to play games and eat refreshments. Life couldn't be any better!
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