I ski... ⛷️

- March 25, 2025

Moika! Can I start by saying that it's absolutely crazy to me that I've been here 2 weeks now?! I remember talking with missionaries my first couple days here, and even when they would say they'd been here a week I was like "woah-" and now it's been 2 weeks AHH

As for how I'm feeling about that...I definitely like the MTC and there is so much to learn, and like I mentioned in my last email everyone in my district has such a beautiful and unique testimony I can learn from. Although it's kinda feeling like I'll be in the MTC forever haha like this is my new life and I'm not actually going to Finland? I'm very much living in the moment right now, mostly because every single day is super busy and scheduled out so I don't have too much time to think about the future. But hey we're still a happy sponge and like I said in the beginning there is lots more to learn and great people to spend more time with :)

Also shoutout Sisar Luke! (Minun toverini = my companion) it's her birthday today and she's 20 now!?! She made it out of the teens woohooo! Also Sisar Luke is literally the best you guys, so for her birthday I'm gonna list off some stuffs about her I've noticed:

-She's kind, patient, and she has the best smile

-She has so many friends here at the MTC and it's so fun to see people recognize her and be super excited to talk with her

-She's already super great at Finnish??

And finally I know she's gonna be such an amazing missionary and I'm super glad she's my comp for these 9 weeks 💗

I'm gonna try to format my emails in more lists so it's easier for y'all to digest ALSO feel free to email me if you want to know more and I just wanna say, I love you guys and I'm so glad I have all these friends to share my experience with!! Yall are the BEST I'm praying for all of you!

Updates:

🤍 Sisar Luke and I almost have the whole First Vision passage memorized in Finnish??!

🤍 Tuesday Devotionals are the best! This week we were visited by Elder and Sister Cavalcante and Sister Cavalcante didn't speak English so she spoke through a translator but she surprised everyone when she bore her testimony to us in her limited English, and it was SO powerful. It just reminded me of my purpose in learning Finnish in the first place-to bring the joy of Christ and bear my testimony to the people in Finland in their own language!

🤍 We've started having all Finnish classes so I feel like I know so much more Finnish and it's becoming way more natural to speak it-ALSO I said the opening prayer in Finnish for our Relief Society meeting on Sunday (Sisar Luke said the closing in Finnish also) and our branch president's wife (who's from Finland like I mentioned in my last email) was super emotional afterwards and told us she hadn't heard a prayer in Finnish in like 40 years !!?

🤍 German sister's left yesterday and new people are already coming in?? It was so weird seeing an empty room next to us when it had just been full of our friends-

🤍 Sisar Draper and Sisar Flaig are our new STL's?!? (Sister Training Leaders) They're literally already doing such a good job by the way.

🤍 Also on PDays (today/Wednesday) we get to go to the temple! I love love love being in that Holy House of the Lord and feeling his spirit so strong.

Spiritual Thought:

I wanna talk about prayer. I had an experience with prayer this week where I got on my knees for my evening prayer and I asked God "what lack I yet?" and when I opened my scriptures I was given an answer. Now, the reason I bring this up at all is because I know that God doesn't just hear our prayers, he answers them. If we ask with real intent, he will answer. He wants to bless us! He loves you! I want to invite yall, the next time you pray, to ask God a question then wait and listen for his response. Just as you wouldn't ask someone how they're doing and walk away before they respond, we need to wait and listen for God's answer. Even if we just ponder on our prayer throughout the day let God be a part of your life !

Noteworthy sidenotes:

💙 "I crack like a glow-stick but I don't glow !" - Sisar Spear (AKA THE GOAT) She's one of our Finnish teachers and she taught us a fun dance I knew in English in Finnish AND she showed us the funniest song in Finnish about a guy skiing- (Lyrics are something like...you find someone else, I ski You get married to someone, I ski Your children grow up, I ski haha)

💙 "You guys are getting smarter!" "No, Finnish is just getting dumber!" - Vanhin Erg (Mitchell)

💙 Sisar Flaig and I getting sweets every meal...

💙 Vanem Cole getting his eyebrows dyed-

💙 The "Disciple of Christ" music video from the church was filmed in Helsinki Finland?!? (That's where I'm called!)

💙 Lurtlesss lurtles lurtles lurtles (shoutout the best team ever Vanhin White and Sisar Flaig- we'll get em next time)

I would love to get emails from you guys, just a reminder I can read them whenever but only respond on PDay so email anytime !!

Kaikki hyvin, (All is well)

Sisar Dickson

And of course, here's the google photos where you can catch a glimpse of life here at the MTC and see all the cool people I'm talking about :)