What's up fam,

Hope y'all had a great week. It's crazy to think that I'll be an uncle in just a month, but she'll be here before we know it. 

This transfer went by so fast. In fact the fastest 6 weeks on my mission. Transfer calls were this week, and Elder Gonzalez and I were really hoping to stay another transfer together, but President had a different idea in mind. So unfortunately we will be separated, and I'll be moving to Royal City. It's a town about 25 min from Mattawa, so I've been there many times. I'll be back in the Othello Zone, and luckily I know just about everyone there. My new companion will be Elder Kopp. I know a little bit about him and have served around him a few times, but I'm excited to work with him in Royal. 

Can you believe this kid is 14? Crazy!!

This week we also did some service for this elderly member of the church. She has this rose Bush covered with weeds around it and she asked if we could do it. Man it felt good to pull some weeds and rake. In fact since, elder Gonzalez and her have the same birthdays, she has invited us over today for a small birthday party with cake and pie. Super nice. 

Well that's basically the week. The four of us elders in Quincy are all moving out. Yes all of us. So they are putting in 4 new elders in the area. So we've spent some time together packing and stuff, but it will be tough to say goodbye to Elder Gonzalez. One of my favorite companions. 

Love you all so much. I look forward to writing you all next week. Please be safe and have fun. 

Elder Nissinen 

Elder Neesinen (Knee-sin-nen)

Wow it has been a great week in Mattawa. We had Zone Conference, Exchanges and Interviews all within the same week. So, it was a pretty busy week for sure. 

Massive Fog!

To start off, Elder Cox and I left Wednesday morning to Othello for exchanges with the Zone leaders. I was actually able to exchange with the first Elder I met when I got off the plane in Yakima so it was fun looking back on that time. He is an awesome missionary and we were able to find three new people while tracking. Later that night when we got back to his apartment, another Elder said he had a few magic tricks. I try to act like I don't know what he is doing, but most the time I have either seen the trick or I can figure it out. However, when I showed them a few a mine they always say do it again. Here's a funny story that happened last night. I asked a family if they had a deck of cards. They brought out a deck of picture cards used to play Mexican Bingo. I told them it would work and so i continued showing them the Sister Blanchard trick. I told one of them to find the card with a frog on it. As she was trying to find the card she moved her hand towards the end of the pile, which was exactly where the frog card was. I was saying in my mind, "Oh no, don't pick that card". She ended up choosing the frog card which ruined the whole trick. It didn't make a good reveal when she did chose the right card. Luckily I told them next time I will bring my deck of cards. 

Thursday was Zone conference, and like always it is great to see President and Sister Jackman. One of the main focuses during this Zone Conference was more effective daily and weekly planning. We also received the "New" Preach My Gospel, but really there are only a few differences, like adding words or replacing words. Now because of this new change, weekly planing takes a little longer, but as time goes on we will be able to be more effective in planning for the people and their needs. Another thing that Sister Jackman shared was the Parable of the missionary and the coloring book. Imagine a simple picture of Pooh Bear and Tiger. Now imagine a super complex picture of a lion, in great detail. With these picture in mind, Sister Jackman asked us to broaden our "Target Market" and start or I guess continue working with Teenagers. I hope I explained that well enough, but it made sense when she talked about it. Like Sister Jackman always has, she left each of us with a complex coloring page of a lion, like the one she showed us. For some reason though she took lots of pictures, but only uploaded like 15 on Facebook. At least I had a single shot of me and the first picture you wold see if you went to that post. So make sure to check those out.

Saturday was Interviews in Royal which is about 30 minutes from Mattawa. When we walked into the Seminary building President was just finishing an interview with a Hermana, then it was me. Its always a surprise when people pronounce my name. If they talk to me on a regular basis, then they know how to say it, but if it's President you really don't know what your going to get. This explains my the reason for the Title. He pronounces it like Knee-sinen. I don't want to just come out and tell him, so I just left it alone. Maybe next time I'll politely correct him. We had a quick short chat, because he was running behind schedule and needed to talk to Elder Cox as well. So we switched places and I chatted with Sister Jackman for like 15 minutes. That was when you received a picture from her Mom. This time she asked me how my Journal writing is going. I told her I hadn't missed a day. Then she asked how detailed i was. I told her not super detailed, but I write the highlights. She then went on to say, that the Book of Mormon was written in detail, why should yours be any different. I told her "Good point Sister Jackman". She said "Did Nephi skip writing the details on his journey?", I said "No, Sister Jackman, he actually didn't". Well you get the point. So I'am working on writing my Journal a little bit more in detail, and I extend that invitation to all of you as well. 

Thats' about it. Thanks so much for your emails. I look forward each week to hearing from you all. Love and miss you all so much. Stay warm. Check out google photos for pictures. 

-- 

Elder Nissinen

Another Week in Mattawa

¿Cómo están? 
I hope you all have had a great week and done something fun. This past week has gone by super fast and I can't wait to tell you all about it. 

For those of you who looked up my address on google earth, yes we live next to some members out in the middle of nowhere. So each day, whether it's to the church or into town it's at least a 10 min drive. It is pretty nice to look outside and just see nothing for miles and the mountains. Our neighbors the Hansens are super nice and almost every time we go over there they will give us something. That's why in the pictures of our trailer we have just a corner of food given by the members or our investigators. The Hansens also have a dog named Shadow that lives just right outside our trailer. She is a super nice dog and one of these days in the morning I want to go for a run with it. Although almost every night it will bark because of the coyotes. Sometimes Brother Hansen will pull out his gun and fire off a few shots to shut her up. Haha. 

I did some Nissinen cleaning. Before and after!

This past week there was also a Super MLC, so Elder Cox went to that in Yakima and I did exchanges with another Elder. It was super fun driving again, I almost didn't want that day to end. We were able to knock on quite a bit of doors that morning and afternoon and he had only been out in his mission for about a week. So I had to take charge and help work with him with his Spanish and all that. I really enjoyed that day, luckily I will see him today during our zone P-day. Last Thursday we also had Doctrine of Christ in Quincy. I was supposed to have done it last transfer but because there were only a few missionaries they did it this transfer. It was great seeing the Jackman's again and like always she takes a bunch of pictures. So if you haven't already seen the one picture on Facebook, check it out. 

Sunday was another great day at church. I am still pretty new and so I am trying to get to know as many people as I can. We were sitting in the English ward so bishop could introduce me.  I was thinking and planning of what I wanted to say to everyone if they had asked me to go up, but instead they just said we have a new elder from Hillsboro. They will probably be asking me to give a talk within the next few weeks, or I'll bear my testimony next week. Then we walked into the Spanish branch to attend their sacrament meeting and President was giving the announcements, he asked me to come up and introduce myself. I knew it was coming. I knew what I wanted to say, just had to do the translating part. Haha. It actually turned out super good. I asked if everyone understood me before I started to introduce myself and I got a few heads nodding. Haha, some people say I have a good accent, so I am excited to see how far my Spanish comes by the end of the year. 

My spaghetti this week turned out really good!

Well that just about wraps up the week. Thanks so much for the emails, I really look forward each week to hear from you all. Love you very much.

Elder Nissinen

Show Choir....

Hey all I hope you had a great week. This week has been crazy with Transfers, new companion, and new area. There's a lot I want to talk about, so hopefully I can remember everything I need to. Haha.

This past Wednesday was transfer day. There are some pictures Sister Jackman posted on Facebook when we were all at the transfer sight. So Monday and Tuesday night I spent the evening packing up all my stuff. I was very surprised about the amount of stuff I had. Not everything fit in my three suitcases so I had to have that extra big box mom sent me when I got here, plus another small box. Yah, I know first transfer and I already have twice as much stuff as the other missionaries I saw. Haha. But it's not because I just threw everything together, I just have a lot of stuff. I kept pretty organized though. Once we got to the transfer site, we quickly unpacked and got everyone situated, then I said goodbye to Elder Bradshaw. I enjoyed being companions with him and we had some great times together. Then a few of us got into the car with the APs and drove to the Quincy transfer site, where I would meet Elder Cox. After we got to the new transfer site, I met Elder Cox and the ward mission leader Brother Yorgesen. Elder Cox has been out for 18 months and is from New Mexico, but has lived in a few other states as well. I asked him what his favorite sports are and he replied, "Show Choir, if you consider that a sport" Haha. I was like "Oh, well ok". He has 8 other siblings and is the 4th oldest.  He is kind of a funny guy, so hopefully our personalities will click as the transfer goes on. We are serving in Mattawa Washington, about an hour an a half from Yakima. It is a very small town and only has one Subway. Haha. We live in the middle of nowhere about a 10 min drive from the main city. So it nice looking out the window and just seeing open mountains and fields. 

We are living in a trailer home next to some members. It is actually a super nice place to live. We even have a small workout room, plus our own washer and dryer. It's a major step up from the Sunnyside apartment. In our area, Elder Cox and I cover a Spanish Branch and an English Ward. I don't know many members, but they seem super nice and I look forward getting to know all of them. For P-days, like today, we go to Othello which is about 45 min away from Mattawa and hang out with our Zone and shop at Walmart. 

It sure has been an eventful week, but it's been great . The Spanish in this area is probably about the same as Sunnyside. The older they are the more likely they only speak Spanish, but most kids and younger parents will speak both. So I get to speak in English and Spanish equally, but maybe Spanish a little more. My Spanish is doing pretty decent. It is hard to judge yourself, but I would say I can speak it pretty well and understanding is always difficult because they speak very fast. But I am learning each day. 

Well that just about wraps up the week. Make sure to check out the pictures in the Drive. I hope you guys do well in School and work. You're always in my prayers. Love you all very much.  

-- 

Elder Nissinen

Tansfers.....

Wow, it's been another super fast week. I hope you all have great week at school and at work. Transfers are this week, so I will tell you all the information about that and what will be happening. Other than that here are some of the highlights from this past week. 

Last Monday was my first time I had my apartment inspected. I had cleaned up a little the night before, but not too much. The apartment wasn't too bad, but it definitely wasn't great. So that morning I quickly got out of bed and cleaned up as much as I could while Elder Bradshaw was showering. I had no idea of how detailed they were going to check it and he didn't tell me, so I cleaned basically everything I could. Sure enough, a few hours later after grocery shopping and stuff we heard a knock at the door and it was Elder and Sister Doman, the apartment inspectors. They are super nice and literally only looked inside the microwave. Which is the only thing I didn't clean. It wasn't a big deal at all and so we passed. 

Wednesday we went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders. It was super fun having 4 elders in the apartment for two nights and talking to other elders. Down here in Sunnyside it it only Elder Bradshaw and I ,the rest are sisters. I went on the exchange with Elder Smith. He is a super cool and funny guy and we really get along. One funny story he told me while we were tracking was when he went on exchanges with the AP(Elder Russell) and they were knocking at the door when the guy said "Oh yah I don't believe in God". Elder Russell said "Oh man that sucks". It may not seem super funny, but I get a kick out of it every time.

Well Saturday arrived and was the morning of Transfer Calls. I still don't know a whole about how the calls work, but I know that President Jackman only calls if you are in a leadership position and being transferred or going into a leadership position. There is a few more exceptions, but I not totally sure how he does it. I was awaiting the call that morning, but we never got one. Which means Elder Bradshaw will be staying in Sunnyside and it is a 50/50 chance that I'm staying as well or going. The night came when they post the transfer board on Facebook and sure enough, I will be TRANSFERRED. I will be moving to Othello, which is about an hour away from here. My new companion will be Elder Cox. I don't know anything about him, but I look forward to serving with him. I will have lots more information in next week letter. I'd better start packing up. 

Yesterday was my last Sunday in the branch. Since we are now combined with the Toppenish Branch we have lots more people coming. We also had a mission farewell talk and there were nearly 100 people there. It filled the chapel pretty well. After church, I was able to get a picture with a few of the members that we got to know pretty well. Make sure to check out some of those in the Drive. I will miss Sunnyside a lot, just because I know the area and the people and everything is familiar, but I am excited to meet new people in a new area. 

Well I am glad everyone got the letter I sent out. I hope everyone continues to work hard and reads the scriptures everyday. There is so much we can learn from them. I notice things each day when I read. The Spanish is coming along. It will take many more months to be super comfortable, but I am hoping this next transfer I can learn much more. Thanks for all you have done for me. I love you all very much. 4 Months down. Went by fast right?

Elder Nissinen

Whats up family and friends? 
I hope you all had a great week of the first 2 hour church and a great start to the new year. Sounds like everyone is back in school and back to work. 

This week has been pretty good. This Wednesday we had district counsel and it was Hermana Gray year mark. She is the girl that sat next to Rosie during a meal at the MTC. She reminds me of her a lot as well. We had some cookies and we played all the Chubby Bunny game. Make sure to check out the drive for a funny video on that. 

This week was also the first week of home cooked meals. As you can imagine with any missionary, this is something most struggle with, including myself. I got all the ingredients for the spaghetti and it turned out pretty good, all expect the sauce tasted good. I got diced tomato and sauce and it literally tasted like a stink-in tomato, not marinara sauce. However the meat was great and the noodles. This week I will be getting better sauce for sure and hopefully a few more things for more meals. If you do have any recipes that are simple and easy to make, make sure to send them my way. 

I hope you all had a great time at two hour church yesterday. For me it was more than two hours, but it felt nice to get out earlier. Our branch combined with another so now we have a lot more people coming, probably at least 70 or 80. We also had one of our investigators come as well for the second time with his son. He stayed both the two hours and even invited us over to make some burgers. So in the afternoon we went over there and ate with his family. That is one key to missionary work. By simply going in to their house and teaching them all the lessons, I feel like isn't enough. They need and want friendship with the members and including the missionaries. So that is one thing I have noticed this week teaching and visiting him.

Well there is only one more week until transfers. I will know who is staying and going when we get a call this Saturday. I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas break. Keep working hard and don't forget how much I miss and love you all. Happy Birthday Dad and Kim and happy 1 year mark Rosie. 

Elder Nissinen

Pictures in the Drive will be uploaded soon. Love ya

Feliz Año Nuevo!

What's going on everybody. I hope you all had a super awesome Christmas. I really didn't know what to expect on Christmas day as a missionary, but let me tell you it's way different than being at home. The best gift I was able to receive was calling home. I didn't want it to end. Seems like everyone is doing well and our family has some exciting things that will be taking place in 2019. Here are some of the highlights from this past week. 

Last Monday, our district met up at the church and we played games and did some small gift exchanges. Each of us a few weeks earlier drew a name from a hat and that name you would have to get a gift for. I got Hermana Gray a gift, but couldn't come up with any ideas. So thanks to Mom, I got her some nice lotion. We spent Christmas Eve in the apartment making cookies. We didn't have any plans for people we wanted to visit the next day, so I asked Elder Bradshaw to use his phone, so i could call some people up. I was able to get ahold a few families and by the end of the night we had some plans for the next day. Christmas morning came quickly and as always I was anxious to open my presents. Thank you so much for all the nice gifts, to mom and dad, Jacob and Kim and the rest of the family. I really enjoy them. Unfortunately the speaker I bought for Elder Bradshaw isn't as good as the package looked, which surprised me because I like tech stuff and I can tell good things from bad. So today we will be taking it back and finding a different one for him. Then we called home. I'm so grateful the connection worked out and I was able to see everyone, including Bubbs for a minute. Our family is truly the best. That evening we went by the people I had planned and it ended up being a pretty decent Christmas, but like I said the best gift I received was talking to my family. 

Now back to missionary work. It was a good break for a few days, and it seemed like we hadn't done missionary work in a week. Haha. Because it was Christmas break, we were able to contact some people and teach a few lessons, but not a lot of success. Hopefully we can work hard next week and find some new people. The next few days after Christmas flew by and before we knew it, it was Sunday. 

Last day of three hour church. It's funny now to look back in time and how everyone was talking about 2 hour church and all these changes that we wanted to happened. Then boom, here we are and two hour church is happening next week. 2019 will be a fun year for our family and for the church. Along with these changes, our mission will be experiencing some of their own as well. With the changes in Dinner times, visiting members from 8-9, and Finding and teaching after dinner, our mission will see some great differences for sure. This Sunday our branch was combined with the Toppenish Branch, and the Stake Presidency. During the sacrament meeting

the Stake President announced that the two branches would be combined permanently to form the Yakima Lower Valley Branch. This would mean that there would be 4 sets of missionaries in this branch. I'm excited about this change and the chance to talk to more members and the other missionaries.

Well that basically wraps up this past week. I will be writing to you all again next year! hah. I love you all very very much. Since we will be starting to cook our own dinners, if you guys have any good recipes, send them my way. Please be safe and have fun. 

Elder Nissinen 

Merry Christmas

It's been another great week in Sunnyside. I love seeing people getting excited about Christmas, especially the kids. In fact a nights ago, we were eating with a member from the ward and they had lots of presents under the tree. The dad told them if they opened it or of he saw a small tear in the wrapping he was going to open it right in front of them and take it back to the store. That night it reminded me of the many memories growing up and the excitement us kids had for Christmas. Heck, I'm still excited. Here are some of the highlights this past week. 

Cold night of sleeping

So a little over a week ago, just after the Branch Christmas Dinner, Elder Bradshaw had to grab something from the car. He then slammed the car door, but had left his finger inside. After going back inside, it was all swollen and slightly purple. We called the mission nurse then I had him put it in some ice. I thought it was just an ordinary smashed finger, but his pain increased. Over the next few days the purple on his finger began to grow. So last Wednesday we called the doctor who actually is a member, to check it out. After a few minutes of looking at his finger they decide to take a small needle and try to relieve the pressure from the nail. That method didn't work so they sent us to the hospital to get an X-ray, because it looked slightly broken. The next day we got the results back, and luckily there is nothing broken. I want him to schedule another appointment next week, but he says it will be healed by then. Haha. Little does he know the bruising will last a few months. We will see how he does this coming week. 

We have been eating with the ward this week for dinner, which is the best. The food, the people, and the English. Haha. One night after we finished eating the parents daughter rushed through the door as a surprise. She had just gotten home for Christmas break, but she came home a day earlier than the parents thought. She came in with another guy, who just recently got home from his mission in Chile. We briefly met each other, and I tied him I was from Hillsboro Oregon. Come to find out, he is roommates with Ian McGregor at school and they served missions together. Then he started listing off a bunch of names of all the guys from Hillsboro. It was pretty crazy. 

This Sunday was our Branches Christmas special. We combined our Branch with the branch from Toppenish. Elder Bradshaw and I had been inviting as many people as we could to come, especially when we could say it was only an hour long. Many people in the past say they would, but never end up coming. So this week we tried pretty hard to get some one to come. About 5 minutes before the sacrament started we got a text saying that one of our investigators was outside. We quickly found him and brought him in to sit next to us. We followed up with him later and he said he enjoyed it. During the sacrament meeting all the missionaries sang Peace in Christ, and our elders quorum sang a song. I don't know how well it sounded, but my guess would be not very good. Hah. 

Also this past week we had District Council. We talked about all the changes that will be happening starting this January. Most of you have probable already heard the news, but it is official that we will be having dinners from 4-5, and not at members homes. They can drop off meals, but other than that, it will mostly be in our apartment. As far as Saturday and Sundays, we can eat with members at whatever time is best for them but first asking if 4:00 could work too. This dinner seems really early for most families, which will be a problem we can run into.  They are really wanting to focus on Finding and Teaching between the hours of 5-7:30, where people will usually be home. They are also wanting missionaries to be in the homes of members from 7:30-9. At this time we can have mini-lessons with the members. I'm not completely sure how I feel about it, because there are both positives and negatives about these changes, but I will learn how to cook things that are good. hah. 

Well Christmas day is just down to the hours away and I'm so excited to see you all, that will be the best gift. I am thinking of calling in the afternoon, probably around 2 or 3pm. Not 100% sure, so keep you phones close by. I will be using google hangouts from my LDS account, as far as I know. I will be calling Dads phone on google hangouts. I would love to have Rosie join in as well, so we will have to communicate with each other. 

ALSO BE AWARE, I will be calling mom and dad tonight, Christmas eve, for a minute chat to tell them the plans for calling the next day. That will happen around 9pm. I'm not totally sure why, but hey it will be cool. I mean email would be a sufficient alternative, but don't go to sleep too early, and it will only be a minute or two call. 

Love you all. 

Elder Nissinen

"I Know Him" - Elf

Wow, Christmas is almost here. I honestly can't wait to talk to you all next week. This week was awesome. Since Christmas is around the corner we have had some meetings and gatherings that have definitely brought in the Christmas spirit. Here are some highlights for this week. 

This week we had to drive to Yakima and back roughly 3 times. Yakima is the best because you have the Mission home, Mission Office and some of the best restaurants. So almost every time were up there well stop by some place to eat. Last Wednesday, Elder Bradshaw had District leader Orientation. Since I couldn't go into the meeting, I hung outside with another Elder who also couldn't go in. He's a super cool elder, just a transfer younger than me and we have already become good friends. 

Last week we also went to the Chiropractor. It was a guy who is in the Ward, but he invited us and the Hermanas to come. It felt amazing. There's a video I put in the drive for last weeks pictures, I think you'll find it funny. I'm not too much into cracking my neck and all that, well I don't even know how to crack my neck, but he did it and it kind of startled me. Haha. 

This past Saturday was our Zone Meeting or Christmas Gathering. There were four Zones In total and we all met up at a members home. This house was huge and had tons of things to do. Pinball, foosball, ping pong and all. Sister Jackman is the best at taking pictures huh. She's always got her camera out. Make sure to check out those pictures of Facebook. We had lunch, which was fantastic, then each zone performed a skit or a song. Our zone sang, "What Child is This", and others acted out the nativity scene. After that President Jackman walked up to the microphone and asked if we wanted to watch The Jungle Book or Coco. I voted for the Jungle Book but everyone else wanted Coco. Yes, Jacob and B, you both can make jokes back and forth. Each mission is different and others are better. Haha. After we finished the Movie, Sister Jackman shared a Christmas story. Right before she finished, Santa walked down the stairs. All the missionaries were excited and laughing and I couldn't help but tell out a classic quote from the movie Elf. I said, "I know him, 10 am tomorrow people". I must say it was pretty funny. Santa then shared some things, then gave each companionship a Christmas present....A Crockpot. There are going to be so many changes this January, in the church and the Yakima mission. I don't know a lot of things but I dot know some things about the dinner schedule. Dinners, starting this January will be from 4-5. This way our finding opportunities will increase and more people will be available. Also our evening schedule will be a little different. I'm not completely sure of the times. but I think from 7-9 we are asked to only be in homes of the Members. Of course with the exception of if we have set lesson. I like this idea, but the dinner time change will be a little harder, just because its really early, but oh well. These are all the changes that will be happening, I will have more information this coming week. 

This week we also had some great lessons and were able to get in contact with the Ruiz family once again. It had been nearly a month since we stepped inside their house, but last night we got in. Come to find out that Josefina's parents are member of the church. We watched a little bit of the Restoration Movie and asked her and Galdino a few questions. They have been taking lessons for years with the missionaries, and I think it's about time for them to be baptized. They really want to and they know its' true, but they have been experiencing some difficulties this year and during this Christmas season that have been delaying from that. Hopefully this coming week we can see improvement. 

Well that's about it for this week. Yes! Mom I got your package, but I won't open it until Christmas morning. I love the family package as well.

 Our family is the best, literally. Can't wait to talk to you all very soon. We will be with our Zone on Christmas morning, so I will most likely call in the afternoon, but that could change. What ever the time we call, it will be the best.

Love you all very much. Please be safe and have fun. 

Elder Nissinen

Relatives....Apparently?

Hola Familia, 

I hope you all had a fantastic week of school, work, coaching, or serving. The Christmas season is just around the corner and so houses are now all lit in Sunnyside. Here are some of the highlights from this week. 

So Monday night, President Wise from the branch called Elder Bradshaw and I so help him with a priesthood blessing. We went over to their house and gave this man a blessing. Since he spoke only Spanish they let me off the hook as far as saying anything for the blessing, but I have given blessings before. In fact last week I believe, I gave my very first blessing. We were then able to get a return appointment with them to teach the lessons. So the next day we brought a member from the branch with us and taught the restoration. Everything went super smooth and they seemed interested in our message. One question that was funny that they asked was "Can you guys Dance". We asked them to prepare themselves for a baptism on the 19th of January, and they excepted. We are going to have another appointment with them this week and help them reach their goal. Hope it goes well. 

Tuesday or Wednesday we were out knocking on doors and we couldn't find anyone interested. From the doorstep, I could see a man looking at us from across the street. We went to the next house and he was still watching us. A little bit later we headed back to the car and we passed by him and his son. I waved and simply said "Hey", he turned around and replied "You guys do good things". It was a little difficult to hear him, so walked towards him. To fast forward 45 minutes later standing outside in about 25 degrees, he had talked to missionaries before but not too much. He has had many problems, like problems times 10. So he's in a pretty big hole. Unfortunately he doesn't live in our area but we refereed him over to the missionaries who would be able to visit him. As he was explaining his problems, he started to tear up. I expressed what I felt and with the weather being so cold or the spirit, I slightly teared up as well. I almost never get like that, like never, but I couldn't hold it back like I wanted to. I don't know where he will end up, or what lessons he'll take, but I did plant a seed that could grow to be a tree. 

This weekend, the English Ward had their Christmas dinner. Lots of people came, and we were able to stop in and talk to some people. That was when I met Gayle Bland. Apparently (Because apparently, every time apparently) she has been to several Family reunions, but I was too young to even remember. It was great talking with her about family back at home and hopefully soon we can go over to her daughter's or my other relative home for dinner. At the dinner that night, the primary sang some songs and even Santa and Mrs.Claus were there. I kind of wanted to get a picture, but the line was too long. I would've though. We actually didn't have dinner at the Ward Party, but at Roberto's Grandparents home. She had randomly called us last Wednesday and invited us over that Saturday. She was super exited to see us and she made us Tamales. She was having some sort of pain the past week, so we gave her a priesthood blessing. This time, however, I would be doing it and in Spanish. I had a reference page, so everything went smooth. 

Well that's about it. Only a few more weeks until I can see you all. We haven't figured a place to call yet, but hopefully we can dial that all down within the next week. I'm hoping we can do it at an English Members home, just because they know about WiFi and all that. This upcoming week should be super fun. Love you all very much. Please be safe and have fun. Wish I could play one more game with the team. 

Elder Nissinen

 

Transfers

What's up everyone, I hope you've all had a fantastic week. This past week has been great and I can't wait to tell you all the highlights. 

Last Monday and Tuesday we decorated a Light the World Christmas tree. You probably saw some of those pictures on Facebook, but it was super fun and brought back some tree decorating memories from home. On Tuesday we went back to the same place and helped the people in charge of the event, move trees around and set them in place for the Christmas dinner. We won't be going to it, we just wanted to decorate the tree and spread the Light the World message. 

Well we finally met Roberto's grandparents. We had to get permission first cause it's actually on the east side of Sunnyside, and we cover the west. But, we eventually got permission and we drove over to their house. It gets super dark here fast and so it was hard to find the house. It wasn't near any market place which didn't help in finding it. It was on an old dirt road, and seemed like the middle of no where. We walked up to the home, not knowing if it was the right address and within a few minutes of getting to know each other, I explained if they knew or had a grandchild named Roberto. They said YES!! and we talked some more. They are super super nice. She wants us to come over anytime, basically all the time and have dinner with them. She said she would make tamales. I'm sure right after we left she was on the phone with Roberto. I had to get a picture with them, so you could show it to Roberto. I told them that I know Roberto son Roberto jr., and I went to school with him for many years. It was a little difficult speaking Spanish with them and describing who was who, because there's probably 5 Roberto's in their family. Elder Bradshaw and I can't wait to go back and visit with them more. 

For several weeks, we have heard about this event that happens in Sunnyside. It's called the Lighted Farm Implement Parade. It's a huge deal, last year or the one before was actually on the TV. Thousands of people come from all over to watch it. Basically if you have a creative idea to light up your car, tractor, or semi-truck, you show it in the parade. There will be lots of pictures and videos in the drive. Our job as a district was to hand out free hot chocolate. With so many people there, we handed our nearly 16 gallons worth. Some of those pictures are also on Facebook. It was super fun night and a great way to kick off the Christmas season. 

The weather is definitely changing here. It's pretty decent during the days, but it drops down pretty cold at night. The thermals really help and I was able to get some tops as well. Sometimes we will see cats sitting on top of the hood of the cars because the engine will be warm. Haha. 

This week we have visited quite a bit of people. Unfortunately we haven't had any success with the Ruiz family. We can never find a time to talk to them. The parents are either working, sleeping, or not home. We have tried and tried, but nothing seems to work. Although we have found a new person named Carlos Ruiz. Yes there are lots of families with the last name Ruiz. He works a lot as well, but we've caught him home in the evening every time were there. He loves reading books. I haven't necessarily counted, but he probably has 8 different bible apps on his phone. At least he's reading the Book of Mormon. He has a great family and he will be coming to our English classes on Thursday night. Speaking of our English class. We haven't had anyone show up. We tell as many people as we can, literally, but still no one comes. This week i'm hoping we get a few people. I will make that happen. 

Transfers are also this week. Both Elder Bradshaw and I are staying in Sunnyside which is great. I feel we have been and worked better together this past week. Some days are more difficult than others, but we work through them. In our district, we are getting a brand new sister and another Hermana that has been out for a while. Next week I will send some updated district pictures. Also our missionary funds changed this month to 180. We don't have a lot of information, but they might be changing the way missionaries eat with members. 

I love you all very much. Please be safe and have fun. You guys are the best. I love the package Ninnie. 

Stay warm, Elder Nissinen