WEEK 19 IN FINLAND!!

Sorry it hasnt been updated for 3 weeks!

This is an amazing e-mail from Elder Caffaro!

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

The Work in Rauma is moving forward and boy i need to run with it, it is so hard at times to think that i can learn this language. I want so bad to express my feelings with the people i teach. I will get to my point a little later in the email.

The Baptism was the bomb seriously wow. Got up in the morning still thinking it wasnt a real thing, just a million thoughts were going throught my head. Will he be on time, will he be late will he still be excited like he has been for weeks. We get to the church and clean the font and got everything ready in my nice church clothes, it was so fun it felt like ej stories or stories that you would heard from missionaries getting ready for a baptism. I scrubbed the floor and than we started feeling up the baptismal font it almost got half way filled up and than COLD water started running out of it man that sucked i did not want to have this experience go bad. SO we went into the kitchen found 3 big HUGE pots and filled them up with water and put them on the stove and started boiling water hahaha it was so funny i dont rememeber how many times we filled them up but we did it alot! We hurry and go home to get the baptismal clothes and eat before we starve the rest of the day. Riitta took pictiures of us and said this is a big day for you guys. but i said back no its a big day for the lord he is recieving one of his children back into his kingdom. And it hit me missons arent about baptisms, that doesnt determine how good of a missionary you are but its how we did the work. So she fed us and we were all really excited. He showed up with such a big smile on his face looking happy as ever and man i knew it was right. We took some pictures and i just had a big ol' smile on my face it was fantastic. When it started there were no joke 40 members there supporting him, i WAS SHOCKED the ward in Rauma is simply amazing, Hearts of Gold i wish all members could be like the ward members in finland. A ward member gives a talk on baptism and it was really good. Than me and mauri walked out first and than everyone followed. I WAS PRAYING THAT THE water wasnt cold, it was warmish haha but man i was a little nervous about the baptismal prayer in finnish but i knew i knew it by heart. So Everyone came and stood STOOD around the font there were no chairs they were all looking around us and it felt AMAZING knowing that the ward supports this amaznig thing. I say Jeesukseen Kristukseen antamalla valtuudella kastan sinut, isan ja pojan ja phyän hengen nimeen. I said it right with a little pause at sinut because the slang is sut so i made sure i didnt say sut. I Put him down in th water and he went all the way down and when i brought him out of the water it felt like i just brought a new life up and it felt amazing so sweet that this ordinance can save people if the only accept this beautiful gospel. His first words out of his mouth was woooaaaa!!!!! haha it was funny everyone started laughing. Everyone walked out and riitta had a twinkle in her eye. While we were changing in the bathroom Mauri said it felt like i just took a shower but 20 times cleaner, i just smiled and he couldnt keep smiling and saying how good he felt. That day for heart was so full of joy and love of the savoir and just felt so happy. We than went back in and sat down and listened to elder kelley give his talk it was a great talk. After all the ward members had gifts for him, it was unbelieveable. kelley comes up to me and says man just imagin that day at judgement that your standing next to mauri how great will your joy be and all the others it was so cool to think about it thats for sure, and i knew that what i am doing is an amazing work and i can only do it once in my life time. It was a beautiful day and just a great great experience in my mission. Riitta said when she went to congratulate mauri she said she saw a twinkle in his EyE.

Next Story. We just got done with companionship study and it was time to eat and get ready and i got a feeling to go and see how riitta was doing i went and knocked on her door and man thats where it started we talked for 2 hours about that HoW Much Christ loves her and wants her to take the first step of faith and trust that he would catch her. I have never testified of christ so strongly in my whole life i felt the atonment was real haha i knwo it's real of course but the spirit was buring with in my soul with every word was said about our loving savoir it was simply amazing and she felt the spirit so strongly and knew that she has to be baptised so we asked her to prepare to be baptized 17th of january and she said yes. We were shocked it's going to be real hard for her so please keep her in your prayers that she can come over smoking she has a testimony she has everything but smoking is the thing that is keeping from her being able to be baptized. But honestly i can tell you i felt the spirit so strong i felt that he was there standing beside us, wrapping his arms around riitta. The Atonement is so real and its just not for sins it for EVERYTHING and i so happy that i can testify of the help it has brought me into my life and how much it has truly blessed me on my mission. I cannot beleive sometimes the spirit comes by little promtings like that but it was just like a thought.Than after we spoke with Jouni to see if he woud support her in this and he said of course. he wants to know it all before he can join this church so we gave him the talk in the Esign We dont know everything but we know enough.He liked it but he is a great man i hope the lord will truly give him a testimony but he first has to try to recieve one.

And i am also for sure working on being more humble. The world doesnt revolve around me i am nothing i am just the dust of the earth as the book of mormon says. I know i am nothing with out my lord and my god and i know with each day i am striving to change and be that missionary/person/husband/father the lord will have me be. And man I thought i was some hot stuff when i was back home and i am realizing that all that means nothing NOTHING, and i had an amazing prayer with our Heavenly father. He knows i want to change and become humble servent of the lord and continue to be humble, man if this language doesnt humble me i am not sure what will haha but i am striving so hard to honestly just get over myself and i can see a differece each day. I always jumped into the front seat always had to do things i dunno just i guess had to be first best great fantastic in all things and i know i dont need to be great in the sight of my fellow people but if i do the work the lords needs and wants me to do i will be great in his eyes. ANd wow that is so much more importan than the ATTA BOY from man than from the ATTA Boy from god. So this last week i have been praying for elder heelis my mtc companion and she wish him the best. I will be going up to him at Zone Conference and apologizing for speaking wrongly against him and not another negative word will come out of my mouth about you. I just had this really strong feeling to do that after i prayed one night. I am puttting a lot of effort!

But the other day we watch the best two years... man that moive really touched my life and made me change for the better. When i first saw that moive back at home it didnt have any meaning to me, But man now it has everything, He Found out why he came out on this mission and turned his last few months around and a really awesome thing said in that movie was said Dont let this time pass you by. Always be working and find out why you came on this mission. I didnt know why i am still finding out why, did i come cause it was my turn in line did i come cause i could of a status when i got back. I am learning i came for my savoir Jesus Christ to bring souls closer unto him, its taken time its taken hard times sad times Joyous times but man it doesnt matter what reason we came on the mission as long as we stay for the right reason!!! My time will not pass me by i will be striving to serve with every breath i have and to learn from each experiene and i might not learn this language all that well but i know that i have the spirit and that might be all the lord needs me to have haha but i know the lord doesnt give us trials that we cant overcome sometimes it just takes time Patience is truly a virture i am learning that also. This mission has truly blessed my life and it will continue too. I feel the spirit and i feel his love for me. Prayer is such an amazing blessing that our heavenly father has given us.
I hope you guys have a very merry christmas ever and for sure a fantastic sleep with sugar plums dancing in your heads :)

Love you all!!Elder Johnny Caffaro