Elder Nissinen: Last letter! The Swan letter

The "Rancho" group (we all 3 served in California together and are going home on the same day)

Hey guys!

So you all have guessed - this week has been a wave of emotions, very bittersweet in every way. I´ve started throwing out a lot of junk that I never used, and after lunch I´m going shopping to bring some Brazilian stuff home.

The "going home" group in front of the temple after the session

We definitely had a different week with it being the last of the transfer and in my mission. Wednesday was a Self-Reliance training that took up most of the day. We practiced how to do job interviews, brag about yourself, and start thinking about what you wanna do with the rest of your life. It actually helped out a lot getting that perspective back about work and studies. After that the whole group went to the Temple with President Del Guerso - what an experience!! He had the whole group in the Celestial Room and gave us all some council. I´m looking forward to get back in the Temple on the 24th for when B goes through. We got out of the temple at like 8, so to kill the rest of the time I went with Elder Jacobsen and Elder Morgan to a fancy pizza buffet that only is open for pizza at night. The waiters come around like every 30 seconds with a different kind of pizza - sweet or salty. Man it was good!

A brazilian-style pizza buffet after the temple

Tonight we were invited by a family to have tacos and root beer, tomorrow I was invited to give a brief talk/testimony, Monday we get to travel to the areas we want in the mission and have a Family Home Evening with President and Sister Del Guerso, and then Tuesday we´re off.

To not takeaway anything from my homecoming talk, I want to bear my testimony about the power of a mission. It´s really hard putting it all into words. I know a mission has changed me and I´ll be forever grateful that the Lord calls young men and women to serve. Both California and Brazil have taught me so much. I´ve always had a testimony of the Church, but now that I´ve served and taught, I now know the why. It comes down to this: We have a Heavenly Father who loves and knows each of His children. I know that my mission was for me.

I´m excited to see you all again this Wednesday. I might need some help with my English, or to at least be able to speak like a normal American haha.

My prayers go out to Papa and Mama as well.

See ya Wednesday,

Love Elder Nissinen