"The Ghetto of Finland" 📍

- September 02, 2025

HAUKKUMINEN 👑

First of all WHAT I've been a missionary for 6 months now?!? In my opinion the days are long, the weeks are fast, and the months are even faster--and I'm in a NEW place?! I left Rauma and am now living in a place in Helsinki called Marjaniemi! (Sometimes refered to as "the ghetto of Finland I guess). Guys, it was seriously so hard to say goodbye, I genuinely came to love and care for those members and friends in Rauma. I'm actually so emo about leaving, I WILL FOREVER LOVE YOU RAUMA! Also sorry for my lack of email last week, I was super busy packing and exhausted, BUT here I am! And I'm so grateful for the opportunity to share about my mission with you lovely people ‼️

PÄIVITYKSET 🌸

🤍 We have a lovely friend from Estonia and when she learned I was leaving she agreed to meet and GAAAHH I love her. We had such a fun time together chatting and drawing Jesus!

🤍 MIRACLE! There's a family from Africa I just love even though I only got to meet with them 3 times--BUT their faith in Jesus Christ is seriously inspiring and I always feel uplifted after being around them!

🤍 S & S with my FAVORITE MEMBER. (I don't have favorites but IF I did) Service and sauna! GAH I MISS HER

🤍 I had the lovely opportunity to bear my testimony to the wonderful ward in Rauma (if you couldn't tell I liked my first area just a little bit--you could say I'm somewhat fond of it haha...)

^Rauma^

🤍 Long story, but Sister Potter's phone (my new comp) ALSO went missing... and during our wild phone chase we met a lady (God works in mysterious ways guys I don't know why He thought both our phones needed to disappear this week) BUT she said after we talked with her she was feeling joyful and we even gave her a Book of Mormon!

🤍 3 DAs in one week?! Overall I'm excited to jump into the Lord's work here in "Marjar" (mission nickname)

HENGELLINEN HETKI 🙏

(Actual Verse)

🇫🇮 Moosia 2: 13 "Herran käskyt kaikessa, mitä hän on käskenyt teidän tehdä-"

🇺🇲 Mosiah 2:13 "...keep the commandments of the Lord, in all things which he hath commanded you-"

(What I spoke into Google Translate)

🇫🇮 "Herra on käskyt kaikesta kestää mitä hän on käskenyt teidän tehdä."

🇺🇲 "The Lord has commanded you to endure everything he has commanded you to do."

So I've been shifting to reading the Book of Mormon in Finnish and speaking into Google translate the things I don't understand to get the "gist" of what the verse is saying. Except here I accidentally said the wrong thing BUT I had an idea about it I'd like to share with y'all:

God won't ask or "command" something of us that He doesn't believe we can accomplish OR that won't benefit us. He asks us to endure or keep trying, keep going, HAVE FAITH because His commandments bring the BEST blessings. Far better than we can imagine. I know by following His commandments we will become more than we thought possible. The people that God knows we are supposed to become! Let him mold you into that person. Trust your Heavenly Father, He loves you more than you know.

SIVUTEHTÄVÄT

⁉️ Soooo the reason I didn't have an email last week is because I lost my phone for almost 3 days.... We looked everywhere but to no avail, checked the official HSL Lost and Found twice and nothing, then Elder Pickett found it at the church simply because he accidentally sat on it--I don't know how to feel honestly BUT I'M SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE IT BACK!

🌧 For my last District Council in Rauma Sisar Dickens and I walked 40 minutes in the POURING rain which was lowkey fun but our stuff (and us) got SOAKED

🌌 IM SO HAPPY YALL this new apartment has a parkeve (basically a super bouje glassed-in balcony) so we've been sleeping out there a few nights and I get to see the stars before bed :)

📜 So I'd seen before where someone draws someone they see in public and gives them the drawing and I wanted to try it... so while on the metro I had a prompting/feeling that I should draw this guy. So I made a quick sketch and just as I finish he gets up to leave (a stop before mine) and IT WAS REALLY SCARY BUT I somehow had the courage to give it to him and it brought a smile to his face. What can we say, God works in mysterious ways. OH and I had written that he was a child of God and that God loved him!

🧦 I'm learning how to make socks!?

🧋 We got my favorite snack last Pday with my coolest friend from Rauma, she's so swag. If you've never tried Brown Sugar Milk Boba I highly recommend

🈷️ Sooo I was wearing a shirt I got from Taiwan that has Japanese characters on it and a lady from Japan started speaking Japanese to me?! We got to talk and she asked me where I got it and stuffs and I told her I wanted to visit jadajadajada BUT it was just such a wholesome convo! (and a little embarrassing)

🇫🇮 FINNISH?! My comp is an "old" missionary (This is actually her last transfer but we don't talk about it haha) BUT HER FINNISH IS CRAZY!? I'm so grateful for her and learning so much everyday

💅 Gel nail kit spawned in...!?

🌸🩷🎀 HEY I LOVE YOU ALL! Sorry this is such a long email but hopefully it made you giggle a little bit (and if it didn't just think of me without a phone for 3 whole days while my phone was right there... but hey, God knows best, good things came from it) As always send those emails my way, I'll try to do better at responding!

Kaikki hyvin,

Sisar Dickson

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