Hi everyone!! It feels weird doing emailing on Tuesday instead of Monday. But we did have some extra time yesterday to do a zone activity.

We played a game called Savageball. It's like ultimate free-for-all dodgeball. You have one ball, and you can't move once you have it. But if the person who hits you gets out, you're back in. So in order to win, you have to be the one who gets everyone out. Rarely does anyone win, but it's been a blast to play with 16 missionaries. And today we're all sore from it :) 

So I called the FBI (again) about getting the Clearance, and they told me I have it!!! I was so excited/nervous when I heard! I'm not sure what it all means, but it's a step closer to Brazil. They told me you should be getting paperwork by this Wednesday the 19th. If all goes well, I could be leaving by the end of this transfer. 

The highlight of this week was definitely the H's wedding and baptism. Man was it awesome!!! They had family come from all over California, some of whom they hadn't seen in decades! And the family all loved the baptism too. They were clapping after each of them were baptized, which made it kinda awkward on a spiritual ordinance. Elder B.  baptized Jamie, and I baptized D.  and K. their son. I think the "multiple baptism" curse is gone. It only took me one try for D. , but twice for their son. I wonder if there's a special technique to baptizing...? The ward was super supportive too. The whole Relief Society room was PACKED for the baptism. There was a wedding reception the day before, and the lady was kind enough to leave up all the decorations for the H.'s reception afterwards. I'll send the pictures I have, but I didn't get any of us in white. Everything happened so fast between the wedding, quickly dressing for the baptism, and the reception. Elder B.  and the 1st Counselor in the Bishopric confirmed the H's on Sunday. And right after Sacrament meeting, the bishop interviewed D. and K. for the Priesthood, and D. paid his tithing! Talk about conversion!!!! 

And, on top of that, D. B. (the returning less-active father who baptized his daughters), is getting his patriarchal blessing soon! He got interviewed right after the H.'s

Other than the H.'s, this week was kinda blech. Elder B. had some weird knee problems, and he could hardly walk for a couple days. In his sleep, his knee would instinctively bend up, so he wasn't getting any circulation to it, like it was super "asleep." So when he woke up in the middle of the night and moved his knee down, it felt like a pulled muscle and a bruise. But he's feeling a lot better after not biking for a few days, and we're ready to work :) I'm sick of sitting at home - there's nothing to do!! haha

Oh, and I got your Valentine's Day package on Friday - LOVED IT!!!! Sister H. liked the Andy Griffith calendar too. Elder B. just rolled his eyes when he saw it. :) And the shirt fits great!! I'm grateful that the white blends in with my other shirts too. 

Hope everyone has a fun and safe week!!   Love Elder Nissinen

The first thing I read in your emails was about snow. Seriously?!?! That's so cool!!! I bet you all had a blast these last couple days. As for Hesperia, we got a little rain for an hour or two, but the rest of California has gotten a lot more.

 

Before I say more, I found out that one of the sister missionaries in my ward, Sister H. , LOVES the Andy Griffith show. Her favorite episodes are High Noon in Mayberry (Season 3), and Opie the Birdkeeper (Season 4 episode 1). But that was just one of the highlights. I think I've either convinced my companion to watch it, or I've driven him crazy. Oh well :)

 

This weekend we'll have a baptism!!! The H's are all squared to go to get married and then baptized an hour later. Dante and his son Keyshawn have asked me to baptize them, while Elder B. is gonna baptize his fiancé J.

 

One thing though. When I baptized A. last weekend, I accidentally left my long sleeve white shirt and white tie at the building, and when I went to get it back, it was missing. Elder B.  will let me borrow another one of his white ties, but could you send me another shirt and tie for the future? That'd be great.

 

The B's daughters went to mutual for the first time this week - LOVED IT! They're even talking about going to Girls Camp this summer. The whole ward is fellowshipping everyone we're bringing to church. The Lord has really blessed us this week.

 

On Wednesday we did a service project over at a member's house. We dug a 20 by 10 foot trench, 6 inches deep. And the ground in Hesperia is SOLID DUST. So all four of us missionaries took 4 hours to do it all. I'll attach a picture of when we were done. But the next day, Elder B. back was out. He must've pulled a muscle or something. He was hunched over all day, so we had to stay inside on Thursday. I was SO BORED!!! While he was napping, I even tried playing chess with myself - that's how desperate I got haha. But he was fine the next day.

 

I called the FBI about the status on the FBI Clearance, and after being on hold, they told me that I have to wait another week for them to disclose that information. After 4 weeks, and I have to wait another. Heavenly Father is sure teaching me patience :)

 

I found one of the coolest scriptures last week. Check out D&C 128:22. Imagine Joseph Smith like a modern-day Captain Moroni doing a war-cry  --  the Prophet's such a boss!!! I think it's my new favorite scriptures now.

 

But one of the neatest experiences this week was with one of our recent converts, C. She's been trying to give up smoking for a long time, and she hasn't been real successful. So we talked with her to help her be motivated to stop once and for all. After getting past the scientific reasons why it's bot a good idea to smoke, ultimately it came down to this: Addictions prevent us from receiving the most revelation we can. The same can apply to us, and I asked myself this question after the lesson: Is there anything that's blocking us from receiving the most revelation and guidance from the Spirit that we can and should be? Is there any static that's interfering with the still small voice of the Holy Ghost? If so, cut it out! Choose to live on higher ground, and choose to live up to the grand potential we have as children of God. That's what the Gospel helps us do.

 

Missionary work is awesome. I love every second of it.

 

I love you all. I hope the snow lasts. That sled is a beast!!! If it snowed here, I'd probably ask you to send it here, because these hills are intense!

 

Have a great and safe week.      Love Elder Fuss

 

 

It got so cold and windy that I was bundled up with everything I had: beanie, scarf, gloves, and both layers of my coat. The wind makes it twice as hard to bike. But this week is should be getting a lot better. The last two days I've been sweating in just a short sleeve shirt

Hey family!

Hope everyone survived Finals week and skiing. This week went really well. It was mostly a "housekeeping" week because the new set of sisters came in on Wednesday. We have Sister H. and Sister K.  who just came from the MTC. Sister H. is from Mobil, Alabama, and Sister K.  is from Oahu Hawaii. We're excited to have them both, and they've been hitting the ground running since they've gotten here. 

I really like making those dinner thank you notes because I make the tie pattern from the
same tie I'm wearing that day.  This is the one I'm leaving behind tonight! 



I found out this week that Satan has an inside connection with McDonalds. Last week we committed the Hicks family to live the Word of Wisdom, but we found out that D. the father had a little testing experience. He walked into McDonalds, and this guy offered him a free cup of McCafe. The "free" part of it got to him, and as soon as he drank it, he felt bad. But he recommitted himself to live the Word of Wisdom. Out of all things, a free cup of coffee from McDonalds....But that's been the only hiccup from the H family. They're doing great! Last night we taught about tithing and fast offerings, and they committed to live that too - no problem. D. even bore his testimony yesterday at church. He told of an 

experience where he felt a prompting to move his car a little forward as he was driving on the highway. And after he sped up, a van slammed into the fender of his car. It hardly did any damage, but him or his 7 year old could've been really hurt. He bore a super strong testimony of the church and the blessings he's already received from it. It's so awesome!!!

 

There's something weird that happens in California chapels: you never know if the sound system is going to work. Yesterday everyone had to bear their testimonies without microphones, so it felt like one of those sermons that Joseph Smith or Brigham would give before the time of mikes. But it was cool.

 

Friday night I got this phone call from a recent convert. She asked me if I could baptize her 8 year old daughter who was getting baptized with the other children in the stake. Of course I said yes, but it was an all-of-a-sudden thing. I hardly know the girl's mom, but I felt honored to be a part of it. It was a really good baptism - I only had to baptize her twice! (she had a dress on...) haha

 

Everything's been going great. The B.  family is good - they invited a family to hear the gospel, and we taught them the Restoration last night. It's a huge family, at least 5 are old enough to be baptized. We'll have to pass them off soon, because the family doesn't live inside even our stake boundaries. The B's are really good missionaries - they read the scriptures everyday, and are sharing the gospel with all their friends.

 

Hope everyone has an awesome week! Love you!

 

Elder Nissinen

 Hi everyone!

I actually guessed right this time: I'm staying in the Mojave River ward with Elder B.  for another transfer. And, even better, we got to keep our house!! This last week the senior missionary over housing randomly stopped by, inspected the house, and said it'd be perfect for sisters. But thankfully our zone leaders plead our case to him. The closest apartments are outside the ward boundaries, so it would've been a lose-lose situation: we would lose our house AND have to bike a couple miles to actually get in our area. But, happily ever after, we're staying in the mansion all to ourselves :) As for the new sisters, we haven't met them yet. They don't come till Wednesday because one of them is fresh from the MTC. But I do know the trainer is Sister H.  from Alabama. I hear she has a deep southern accent too. I'm still a District Leader, and all of the missionaries are still sisters, but they're all brand-new, which means I'm starting over fresh. I really like change on the mission.

The reason why I titled this email is because, well, the B.'s backed out of their baptism...

                                     

                                                 JUST KIDDING! But we did have a    couple close-calls. All the daughters passed their interviews with flying colors, and everything was set. Elder B.  and I decided to stop by Friday night and make sure everything was good to go. When we got there, we saw Brother B.  on the bed in pain. Turns out that his heavy headboard on his bed fell on top of him and pinned him against the wall. His back was really hurt. We gave him a blessing, and immediately he said that he felt the Spirit give him a hug, and that he knew everything was gonna be ok for him to baptize his daughters. His faith was so strong. Nothing was gonna stop him from being a part of his daughters' baptism. And on Saturday morning, he was up and moving (a little sore), but able to do the baptism. A miracle!!! I gave the talk on the Holy Ghost, and confirmed one of the daughters yesterday in sacrament meeting. It was such an awesome weekend to be a part of it all. Brother Breese even called us that night and thanked us for everything. True conversion right there!! And, even better, at church the whole family stayed for all three hours!! Because they have an 8 year old autistic son, they've only stayed for sacrament meeting because the boy can't sit still for more than 30 seconds. But we finally convinced them to go to Sunday School, and Elder B.  and I volunteered to take Gavin (the 8 year old) to Primary. We tried having him sit in a class with other kids his age, but it reminded me of Ernest T. Bass in Helen Crump's class haha. So we walked around the church building instead. It was a test of patience, that's for sure. The ward council is gonna help us out and probably assign Gavin his own teacher. But the rest of the family loved their classes, and the daughters made some friends in Young Womens. The B's  daughters doubled the YW in the ward, which made them all excited for new faces. And even the YM started flirting with them already - sheesh! I guess it's pretty dry up here in the High Desert haha.

I got both of the packages this week - I LOVED them!! The Nike T-shirt is super sweet, and Elder B. has already dived into the pretzels. I got my English name tags this week, and I went crazy with those Barney Fife pictures. And I can take a hint. Sending me Sister S.'s picture to put on the back of my name tag......original......what's her email address? haha

Ninnie's package was also great! Again, my cupboards are full of snacks and sweets. I may have to start handing them out to kids at church, because I haven't even gone through all the Halloween candy yet! I love the snowballs too! Elder B.  and I immediately had a mini-comp inventory (ask the missionaries at home what that is), and we threw snowballs at each other in the kitchen. We're both very different in personalities and work ethics. But we're being more open with each other for this transfer.

Again, the H.'s  are doing better than ever. There's golden investigators, and then there's the Hicks. Haven't missed a sunday, activity, or church meeting yet - and loving every minute of it. They committed to live the Word of Wisdom no problem, and they're totally set on the 15th for their wedding/baptism day! And I just love talking with black people :)

The R.'s  haven't moved yet. They just put their house on the market, but they love inviting us over. There's about 3 families that ask us to call them if someone didn't sign up on the dinner calendar, and the R.'s are one of them. They want to have a board-game night real soon too.

There's also this returning less-active family called the B.'s  And they have a ping pong table in the center of their house. It's like the centerpiece of their house. And you'll be proud to know that I'm undefeated in this ward. The bishop recently challenged me to a match, and he's an Institute Director. They play a lot of ping pong. But don't worry. :) I hope Finals go great today - I'm praying for you all! Good luck!

I will HAVE to see the Saratov Approach movie when I come home. One of the missionaries is in a lot of church movies too. Hope we can chat for a little bit today :)

 Love you!   Love Elder Fuss

     

                          The best dinner yet!!!  Sister R's Chicken pot pie.  Just like mom's!

                                               Ninnie's awesome package!

 A

This transfer has gone by so fast! I can't believe this is the last week of it. Chances are I'll be staying here with Elder B. for another transfer, but I've been wrong before. Who knows. Our ward is also getting sisters, which means we'll have to split the boundaries for them to work in. And if these sisters are in my district, it means that I'll have another sister companionship in it - crazy!

 

SorryI couldn't email yesterday. All the libraries were closed, but our zone leaders let us take a little time to email today.

 

But these last few days have been great!! The B.'s  daughters are all set to get baptized this Saturday. They're super pumped, and it'll be an exciting day for their whole family. We did a practice interview for each of them last week, and they all said they personally feel that they want to be baptized because of the blessings they know they'll have as a family. We talked to the father and he's excited to go to the temple and be sealed to his family. Right after he said that, I gave him a huge hug, because the temple is the biggest milestone for them - baptism is only the beginning!

 

The H.'s are also doing great. The sons are going to activities, and the family hasn't missed a Sunday yet, even with Stake Conference. Oh, and we got to hear from Elder Andersen and President Eyering at the broadcast! There was a ton of technical difficulties because the satellite dish was broken and the internet was shaky, but a lot of what was talked about was strengthening families. I love how our family is doing a Come to Christ resolution, it works perfectly. Also, the General Authories asked that all the California stakes fast in Februrary to have more moisture. I guess there's a drought here, and it's been the driest year in a while. 

 

The R.'s are amazing! They're selling their house, so Elder B.  and I spent the whole day Friday tearing down and rebuilding their fence. We hadn't done service in a while, so it felt great to spend time working in the sun. And the R.'s  really appreciated it. Sister R.  made your Chicken Pot Pie that night - I ate SO MUCH of it! When I took a bite I thought I was at home for a second. And the rest of the Rileys loved it too! And their address is  Hesperia CA 92345.

 

Elder B. informed me that I talked in my sleep again, and this time I think it's the most bizarre. I said, "The principle taught in the book of Isaiah is YOLO. You could rename it into the book of YOLO." I have NO IDEA where that came from. I haven't even been reading in Isaiah!

 

Yesterday for P-day we decided to go thrift shopping. There's a ton of thrift shops in Hesperia, and we hit at least 5. I didn't find much. I did get a Michael Jordan basketball card for $6. Maybe B has it already, idk. I also bought a polo shirt so in case I do stay in Mojave River, we're going to golf next transfer for a p-day. I've been itching to go.

 

Well, that's pretty much all that's been going on the last couple days. We actually need the sisters to help us out - there's so much work! And it's so awesome. Elder B. and I have been quoting Dumb & Dumber and Napoleon Dynamite back and forth to each other ever since we found out that we've seen them. :)

 

Love you all! I do have some time to do a little chatting if you can.

 

Love Elder Nissinen

 

P.S. "I heard you were kinda sensitive." -Opie

"Me, sensitive? There's one thing I'm NOT sensitive. Talk about being misunderstood." -Barney

"You are a little flustered." - Andy

"That's spirit! I'm a very spirited person! Big difference you know." -Barney

Hi everyone!! We just got back from the Redlands temple - it's so awesome!! It's been way too long since I last went in the MTC. It's a smaller one compared to Portland, but the Spirit is the same anywhere. And this was the first session that had more than one room. I learned a ton this time. I'll send some pictures we took. Hopefully you got the SD card I sent on Saturday.

 

Besides the headache from doing more visa paperwork, this last week and a half have been awesome! Stake conference for us is this weekend, and it's being broadcasted in from Salt Lake! All of the stakes in our mission will be a part of that broadcast, so who knows what's gonna happen. Also because of stake conference, we had to push back the Breese daughters' baptism for next Saturday. But the good news is that the father, who's been coming back to church, repenting, and doing great in keeping the commandments, will be baptizing his daughters!

 

Also, last week, we found another new investigator whom we set a baptismal date with. He's the husband of a returning less-active convert, and he's super pumped to get baptized. But here's some bitter-sweet news: we're getting another set of missionaries in the ward - Sisters! They'll be coming in at the end of the month with transfers. Elder B.  and I are just hoping we don't lose our house to them!

 

Oh by the way Mom, Elder B.  LOVES those cinnamon-white-chocolate pretzels you sent for Christmas. They've become our "planning snacks" to help us focus :)

 

I heard about this super cool movie coming out about a true-story of missionaries who got kidnapped. It's called The Saratov Approach. A member showed us the trailer for it, and it looks SWEET! You'll have to check it out and let me know how it is.

 

We had a great miracle happen this week. On Tuesday after District Meeting, we went to Freddy's (a steakburger place) for lunch. After we ordered and sat down, a lady came up to us and handed each of us a gift card to the place. She wasn't a member, but she had friends whose sons are on missions, so she felt prompted to buy us gift cards. Missionaries are blessed in so many ways!

 

The H. family are doing great! They've been soaking up everything we're teaching them. The parents even take notes in the back of their Book of Mormons while we're teaching! They love church, and if I didn't tell you already, they're getting married AND baptized on the SAME DAY!!! February 15th is the day.

 

Last night some members took us out for a Mexican dinner. The restaurant reminded me a lot of Juan Colorado's back home. Last night was the first time I'd been to a sit-down restaurant on my mission! It felt so weird!!!

 

I don't have much time today because the temple took a while, and we haven't gone shopping yet. I won't have much time to reply. Hope everyone has a great week, and you'll hear from me again on Monday.

 

Love you all!!!

 

Elder Fuss 

Hi everyone! This area is on FFFFFFIIIIIIIIIRRRRRREEEEE!!!!!!!

 

My first Baptism!!!  It was so AWESOME!!!

Did I ever tell you that I love missionary work? It's a ton of fun, hard work, and every moment of discouragement is worth it!

 

This week we met with a family who's friends of a recent convert. They went to the Ward Christmas Party, Relief Society party, H.'s  baptism, and to church last week, and they loved everything!! They're totally prepared to receive the gospel, and they accepted a baptismal date! The father and mother have to get married first, and they're dating anniversary is February 15th. The question isn't if but when, and it's awesome!! They're the H. family, and they're a black family. The whole family came to church for the first time, and the father especially loved Elders Quorum. He even asked us if we could teach him how to say a prayer so that when we're asked for volunteers, he can give the opening or closing prayer. I just love that family!!!

Last Monday we had Nerf war game.  Super Fun!

 

And Brother R.  probably texted you last Monday, but I got your package!! I especially love the choice of ties. I hope I don't have to get rid of any when I go to Brazil. Thank you!

 

Elder B. was sick on Thursday and Saturday this week. He woke up throwing up and having an upset stomach, so he spent most of those days sleeping. Let me tell you, it's super boring when your companion is sick. So I read a couple Ensigns, studied Portuguese, and made him lunch - there's not a whole lot else you can do haha. But it gave me an opportunity to serve him.

 

I've been doing some crazy things in my sleep. In the MTC I was translating and teaching in Portuguese, in Granite Hills I was teaching and testifying in English, and now in Mojave River I'm asking people to say the closing prayer and quoting Preach My Gospel - in my sleep!!! Is there something wrong with me? hahaha

 

Next week P-day isn't going to be on Monday. We get to go to the temple next Thursday, so President has made Thursday P-day and Monday be a regular day. So I'll be emailing then.

Missionary work is Hard Work!!!

 

There's a ton of work in this area, and Elder B.  and I have been busy nonstop (except for those couple sick days). Everything's been going great!! Hope you all had an awesome New Years and a great first day back at school!! (Woohooo!)

 

Love Elder Nissinen

Being District Leader is hard work too!!!

Let's try this again: Hey everyone!

 

What a week!!! Christmas flew by; it hardly seemed like it was here. Elder B. and I are still keeping the tree up at least until new years, maybe longer. I haven't gotten the package yet, but maybe it came today while we were shopping. What does the USPS Tracking thing say?

 

Of course the highlight was Hensy's baptism on Saturday!!! Everything went perfect, up until the actual baptism. H.  wore the same white dress that her mother wore when she was baptized a couple months ago, and no one anticipated any hiccups. I went down into the font, raised my arm to the square, said the prayer, put her under the water, and....her toe came up. Tried it again. This time, the air inside her dress kept her dress from going under the water completely. 3rd time: tried it again. Same air bubble. Finally on the 4th try, everything was under the water for a split second. I wasn't embarrassed. I just thought it was so coincidental that on my first baptism, this would happen. Mostly I was worried what her nonmember friends and our investigators were thinking after this going down four times! But afterwards, a little nonmember kid said that he never wanted to leave the church, and the rest of the family is really interested about the church too. Hopefully we'll start teaching them this week.

 

Oh, and thanks to the handy-dandy calendar, don't forget to tell Dodo and Jimmy happy birthday for me!

 

I'll also tell you about another family we're working with. They're the B.  family: a part-member, returning less-active family that has three daughters who're getting baptized in a few weeks. They're super fun, and we've been really helping them all progress in the gospel. The husband is less-active, but he's committed to living worthy of being able to baptize his daughters - we're really praying for them! His daughters are his motivation to stay worthy. This week Elder B.  and I committed the whole family to live the Word of Wisdom, and they're really progressing! Every day we send them texts of encouragement, and they're doing great! On Friday night we did a Gingerbread House building contest, and guess who won? This elder! They may be texting you a picture of it in the next day or two. And tomorrow evening we're gonna have dinner with them again and commit them to live the Ten Commandments.

 

What Elder B.  and I have started doing in this ward is going around to the active families and giving them a list of our investigators. We share a spiritual thought about miracles, prayers, and faith, and then invite them to join with us in praying for these individuals (and for us) by name every day. It's been working great! This week we received a lot of member referrals, and so this week we'll be spending a lot of time contacting these people. The work is great!!

 

Elder Nissinen's new palace.  Pretty fancy!!!!

It was awesome seeing and Skyping with you all! I'm always gonna remember my first Christmas away from home. I hope everyone's safe and has an awesome last week of break before school.

 

Love you all!

 

Elder Nissinen

Hi everyone!

Sooooo much has happened since Elder B. and I arrived in the Mojave River ward. Where to start...

Well, the first night we were here, we met with an investigator named H.  She's 12 and the daughter of a recent convert who was baptized a month ago. Her brother got baptized the Saturday before we showed up. So we met with her and flat-out asked her when she wants to be baptized. And she's getting baptized this Saturday!!!!! And guess who's gonna be baptizing her? Me! My first baptism!!!!! There's a funny tradition/curse that's happened with that family. Every time one of them gets baptized, the missionary doing the baptism gets transferred the week after. So.....if the tradition still works, my visa should be coming soon haha. But I'm super excited. This ward is AWESOME when it comes to missionary work. Our ward mission leader is on fire, and our bishop is a spiritual giant. Our most solid investigators have come from members! In fact, we have 3 more baptisms lined up for January 18th. They're daughters of a less-active family. Basically, there's a TON of work to do in this area, and I'm loving it!!

Elder B.  is a fun character. If you imagine an Elder Bieber with a ukulele, it'd be him haha. He's pretty laid back, but he's an awesome people-person and is really good at connecting with them. Our different strengths click, and we've hit the ground running here. There's still not a lot of street lights around, so we try to avoid riding our bikes at night. It's really hilly here, so it's fun cruising downhill.

Remember when I said that All Dogs go to Outer Darkness? They struck again. A couple nights ago we were biking home, and I started speeding up going downhill. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw 2 or 3 little dogs run right in front of my bike. I slam on the back brakes, but they weren't strong enough, so I slammed on the front brakes too. Bad mistake. I fly over my handlebars, doing a 180 in the air. Next thing I know, I hear Elder Browning laughing and the little dogs running away. I wasn't hurt, just a little scrape on my knee and bump on my cheek, and my gloves took most of the damage. My pants got a little torn, but it wasn't all the way through the pants. I'm just grateful that it was all in the dark, because it was pretty embarrassing. Elder B. won't let me forget haha.

For Christmas day, we're going to spend most of the day at a really cool member's house. We'll get to Skype, but it'll be in the evening sometime. The member has a couple missionaries Skyping his family, so we'll be able to do that in the evening. Other than that, it's a pretty low-key day. We'll try seeing some people, but most people just want to spend time with their family, if they're home.

I sent your Christmas gifts on Friday. They should be coming today or tomorrow at the latest. They're not wrapped, so don't open the box until Christmas. :) I got a present from Grandma and Grandpa. Has the other presents been sent yet?

The members here have really welcomed both of us. One random lady in sacrament meeting gave us each a present. Most of the people in the ward are "newly-weds and nearly-dead's," so it's fun working with the older and younger members. Some of them even brought their nonmember friends to church yesterday!    

Has the Nissinen family been doing the Christmas Jar this year? Brother Nelson was telling me that you're doing some kind of anonymous giving. :)

Anyways, I'm super excited to see you all in two days. Christmas has come so fast!!! I hope everyone has a great Christmas morning, and we'll talk to each other soon!

Love you all!

Elder Nissinen

I'm sure you heard the news from the S. family, but I've been TRANSFERRED!!!

 I've realized now that a mission is always full of goodbyes, whether that be to your companions, leaders, or your area - or to everything!! It was a shock to all of us that our tripanionship was getting whitewashed. And Sisters have replaced us in the ward. Part of me wishes that I could stay and continue to help the ward change. It's made a lot of progress in the last few months, specifically in the last 6 weeks. But I think Sisters will be a great help, especially to our investigators. A lot are women or youth. But since we found out Saturday afternoon, we packed, said our goodbyes to the ward, and made "whitewash" notes for the Sisters coming in. I stayed up till midnight last night making them. Being transferred, whitewashing an area, AND being a District Leader was the last possibility that I'd thought would happen. But I guess the Lord is really trusting me with these responsibilities.

One of my favorite families in Granite Hills

I'm now in the Mojave River ward, serving with Elder B.  He's from Chicago, and is a HUGE Bulls fan. I told him about how much B is a Jordan fan, and he totally agrees that Michael Jordan is the BEST player ever :) He's been out 13 months now, and was actually trained by Elder P.  just like me.

Whitewashing an area is pretty stressful, because no one knows anything about the area until you dive on in it. I know the first week or two is gonna be rough, but I know I've gotta take it one day at a time. I really enjoyed my time with Elder P.  and Elder B.  They're both super fun missionaries, and we worked our tails off in that ward. I miss them already, but we'll all see each other again.

I'll tell you pretty much everything I know about the area so far. We're the only companionship in the ward, which will be nice without two different companionships covering the same ward. I'm on bike again, and it's a much larger area than in Granite Hills. And this area has a lot of hills, so I'm expecting my thighs to be huge by the time I leave haha. Our house is THE best and fanciest in the mission - and there's just two of us! I'll send you some pictures of it next week. It's definitely a lot nicer than the home on Quivero. Right now I'm emailing in the Hesperia Branch Library. One elder who left for home gave me his library card. From what I've seen in the area book, there's a couple baptisms lined up already for January. Elder B.  and I are gonna leave it all out here during these next 6 weeks. I have a feeling I'm getting my visa soon. Oh, forgot to say, one of the elders I served with in the Granite Hills ward got his visa, and he left this morning. We came out the same day, so it shouldn't be much longer. But I'm grateful that I get to spend a Christmas in the States before Brazil.

This is our Zone in Apple Valley during our Mission Christmas Party. One ward's Relief Society all got together and made beanies for every missionary in the mission. We're all wearing our beanies in this picture.

I've loved reading the 12 Days Before Christmas stories everyday. Ninnie is so awesome :)

I have no idea what's ahead, but I'm pumped to be serving as many ways as I can. There's a lot of change in missions, but it's so worth it. One missionary told me: "Be comfortable being uncomfortable," and my mission has made me stretch a ton so far. I'm excited for what lies ahead, and I know the Lord will help me.

Before I forget, my new home address is:

Hesperia CA 92345

Thank you for your emails and prayers. I look forward to Christmas this year, even though I don't know how it's gonna work. I'll figure things out this week with my new Ward Mission Leader, Brother Judd (whom I haven't met yet).

Also, happy early birthdays to B and Rosie. Expect a card to come to you both this week. :)

Thank you for everything. The Lord answers the prayers of His missionaries. I love you all so much!! Enjoy this last week of school before break.

Love Elder Fuss

Hey family!!

Heavenly Father blessed us with a full week of harvest! After cleaning out our teaching pool and dropping investigators who weren't progressing or coming to church, we found 5 NEW INVESTIGATORS in one week!!! That's gotta be some record somewhere in this area. :) And they have a lot of potential. No baptismal dates yet, but it's our goal! One of these new investigators we've been trying to contact before I even got to Granite Hills. And she has a son on a mission! The work is going on great, and we haven't stopped working. And we're determined to make this last week together the best one! 

So for transfers, I bet that I'll be staying, Elder P. is going home obviously, and Elder B. is leaving. They won't have two visa-waiters together, because our money goes on Elder P's   debit card. And with other complications, there's a high chance that one of us will be going. And honestly, I don't want to be the one leaving. It always happens before transfers. You get the best weeks of the transfers, find a bunch of solid people, and you don't want to leave right when it starts getting good haha. But I know if the Lord wants me somewhere else, I must be going there for a reason.

Besides finding, a lot of people have been getting sick. It gets around 18 degrees at night, but with the sickness, it brings a lot of opportunities to give blessings. I gave two this week, both to investigators, and it was SO COOL!! And shortly after giving the blessing, honestly I didn't remember what I said. But the Spirit was definitely there. 

On Wednesday Elder B.  and I were able to help out the YSA elders we live with in a finding activity. We went to a community college, set up a table with pamphlets and Book of Mormons, and then talked to as many people we could about the gospel. It was really a lot of fun just talking to people my age about what our message means to me. 

And on Sunday we had the special calling of......teaching CTR 6! The teacher went out of town, and the kids begged to have us teach, so why not? Our lesson was on the Golden Rule, so most of the time we were either calming down the kids who missed their moms, or acting out stories about "doing unto others." It was really fun!!! And the kids are hilarious with their own answers. We asked them what their favorite toy was, and one girl said "Wrestling with my brother." Truly they are children of God haha.

This week I had......another flat tire because of thorns. We decided to take our bikes through the desert to make an appointment, and afterwards, my tire was full of thorns. When we walked our bikes home, a member stopped and demanded that we load our bikes in his truck so we could make it to our next appointment. And he waited outside the house until we finished the lesson so he could take us home. AND, another member bought me a new tube and pump. I tried paying him back, but he wouldn't let me. We had dinner with his family afterward, so I left a thank-you note. The members here are awesome! Even brand-new investigators give us cookies and stuff to take home. Our fridge is always full!! 

I'm sending the iPod home today. I tried putting music on it from a Windows computer with iTunes, but it won't work. It's because the iPod is synced to a Mac. So maybe if you sync it with a Windows computer (maybe through Dad's Parallel thing), I can add more music to it from members. And Christmas music is approved! Just as long as it's the classics like Bing Crosby, etc. 

This week is also our Ward Christmas Party and our Mission Christmas party. It'll be a blast!!

The Christmas tree and package are AWESOME!!! Elder P.  and Elder B.  aren't the biggest fans of the holidays, so I hung it up in my room. I'll send a picture and a card to Ninnie. Our family is just awesome :)

Anyways, I don't have a lot of time to reply today. There's a lot we have to get done with Christmas coming. But I hope everyone has a great week!!!! Love you all!!! 

Elder Nissinen 

Hi everyone!! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

This last week has been a crazy one!! And Fast Sundays are the best! Yes, I did wear our awesome Fast Sunday tie. I'll send a picture I took last night of us 5 in the house. 

So imagine three missionaries in white shirts and ties, on the roof! On Wednesday as we biked by, we saw an older lady with her two young grandsons trying to put up Christmas lights by themselves. We stopped and asked if we could give her a hand, and she told us she's actually a member of our ward. She's an active member, I guess I just didn't meet her yet haha. So while Elder P. was on the ground feeding us lights, Elder B. and I climbed on the roof in our proselyting clothes and helped put them up. Not to brag, they looked pretty darn good haha. Yesterday in Testimony Meeting, the lady bore her testimony of "three little angels" that helped her when she asked Heavenly Father for help. Called to Serve, right? 

We spent Thanksgiving playing football in the morning and eating throughout the day. We organized a Turkey Bowl with a bunch of missionaries, investigators, and members in all our areas. And a couple of our investigators came! We all had a great time! No injuries thankfully. Even though Oregon hasn't been doing so hot, I still sported my Ducks gear for the game :) 

And after the Turkey Bowl we went over to our first feast at the L's home. You know me: mashed potatoes, rolls, turkey, stuffing, and lots and lots of gravy!!! That's where it's at!!! And after finishing our lunch/dinner at the Landers, another member invited us to her place right after to eat with her family. Round 2 was definitely a smaller portion than the first. Elder P.  got a little sick from over-and-overeating haha. The best part of Thanksgiving isn't just on one day. Because of leftovers, who do you think they give it to? The MISSIONARIES! So we've been eating mini-Thanksgiving dinners since Thursday. :) 

I hope you got the 100 Things list. It was Elder P.'s  idea for us to create our own list and send it home to our families. It was hard to just narrow it down to only 100 things, and instead of just listing off random things, I decided to explain a little bit of why I'm grateful for each thing. There's so many things to be grateful for!

Thank you so much for the packages!! The cookies are fantastic, just the way Mom makes them :) And Ninnie has me stocked up with plenty of food, vitamins, and other fun stuff. Tell everyone thank you for me. Today I bought a Gingerbread house kit and Mickey Mouse stocking at Winco - my companions think I'm crazy haha. They threatened to hide my iPod if I started playing Christmas music before or on Thanksgiving. I'm the first to wake up, so I decided to "test" them by blaring MoTab Deck The Halls at 6:30 in the morning. Let me just say they're a bunch of "scrooges" hahaha. One of the elders in the house got a little fake tree in the mail that lights up. My Zone Leader told me that we're allowed to listen to Christmas music as long as it's not crazy or distracting (for example, not "Santa Baby" haha). So I might invest in a classic Christmas CD soon. 

With Thanksgiving and stuff this week, a lot of members and investigators were out of town, so even though the lessons were down, it means that this week will be a super effective week. As a ward we fasted for missionary opportunities to invite friends and family to listen about the gospel, and a lot of the ward joined with us. After breaking our fast, us 5 missionaries in the Granite Hills ward and our Ward Mission Leader watched the Work of Salvation broadcast that they showed last summer, but I learned so much! We're also meeting with the Bishop and Ward Mission Leader again this week to talk about it. Just looking at our history of baptisms and investigators, those investigators that were found through members had such a higher rate of being baptized than by tracting! 

This whole week I haven't stopped thinking about people I knew back home that were being prepared for the gospel. Our neighbor Tiffany came to my mind. Gosh I wish that we invited her to listen to the missionaries - I know that she was prepared! If missionaries randomly knocked on her door, I doubt she'd be as receptive as if we had invited her. That's why member-missionary work is so important and so much more effective. I'd recommend you all rewatching that broadcast again. We ALL are called! How is the work going in the Council Creek ward?

We're hoping to pick up some new investigators this week, one family tonight maybe. It's sad to think that Elder P. only has a couple more weeks left. Him and Elder B. are hilarious! We're all pretty different, and our backgrounds are even more different, but we're all brothers in this gospel and we love it. 

I LOVE being a missionary! This is HIS work. We all can thrust in our sickles and reap a wonderful harvest. Remember that feeling of baptizing Harvey? THAT is the spirit of missionary work: desiring the salvation of every person you meet. And it's one of the happiest feelings I've had in my life as we do our best and proclaim His gospel. I know that as each of you pray for opportunities, both individually and as a family, that they WILL come. Prepare by studying the scriptures and Preach My Gospel. Both are inspired and from God. I love this gospel!! After watching the broadcast, I'm more determined than ever to be the best and happiest missionary I can.

Thank you for your prayers and emails! I love you all! Hope to hear from you soon!!

I love you!

Elder Nissinen

P.S. I've already started my Christmas shopping :)

100 THINGS I AM GRATEFUL FOR

     *10 fun and goofy things

1. Green grass- there's not a lot up here.  People usually rake dirt outside their house.  It's rare.

2. A walking bike- faster than walking, and a pain if it isn't working.

3. A thick winter coat- who knew it'd be so helpful in Southern California?

4. The mailbox- it's always a surprise when the mail comes at 4:15 pm.

5. La Bella Hair Gel- just like home :)

6. California sun- I haven't gotten sunburnt yet!  Maybe just a little tan.

7. My iPod & speaker- every morning I listen to it. It's so awesome!

8. Barney Fife- "Not much gets by me."  "Nip it!" -classic!

9. Rain-when it rains, it pours.  Usually it's only a few times a year here.  Oregon rain is awesome!

10. A toaster- I brought one a couple weeks ago.  No more plain cold cereal for breakfast!

     *Okay, now 10 serious things

11. The Book of Mormon- our keystone.  It answers all my questions.  The main tool we use.

12. General Conference- I didn't want it to end! I'm reading the talks over & over.

13. The temple- it's a blessing every time I go, & I wish I could go more often!

14. The sacrament- what would I do without it? I can get re-baptized every week! What a great feeling.

15. Patriarchal Blessings- I read mine every Monday.  It's helped me so much.

16. Preach My Gospel- everything applies so much to what we do. The doctrines are simple.  This work is His.

17. Active church members- they love the gospel and the missionaries (and they feed us!)

18. The Priesthood- what a blessing for everyone, and a responsibility to serve.

19. The Plan of Salvation- knowing where I come from, who I am, why I'm here, & how we can return to our Heavenly Home.

20. Prayer- Heavenly Father ALWAYS answers prayers in His own time and His own way.

     *10 experiences I'm grateful for

21. Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings- the time goes by fast. Christmastime everywhere is a blast.

22. TREK- for teaching me how to work with all my might and helping others do the same.

23. That us brothers got to split wood for hours in the backyard- I miss those days.

24. Getting off work on my birthday and finding my car to be all seran-wrapped. My awesome friends!

25. That I earned my Eagle after years of being a Boy Scout. It's helped me in so many ways!

26. Going snowboarding on Mt Hood- Because it was just so much fun!

27. That you all have been helping the Young Men in our ward & being missionaries.

28. That countless times our family has been kept safe & healthy (B's crash, my shotgun, etc)

29. Our family reunions- It's so great to be in the Long family, it's a ton of fun!

30. Opening my mission call- who knew I'd be here of all places?! The beginning of two years.

     *10 places I'm grateful for

31. DISNEYWORLD!- some of the most happiest times we've had in the happiest place on Earth.

32. Mama & Papa's shop- so many school & scout projects, parties, and laughs in that shop.

33. Glencoe High School- It was hard and long, but for some reason I miss it.

34. Seminary- I met some of my closest friends and my testimony grew the most.

35. Christensen Farm- bailing hay, and hard work- all valuable lessons.

36. Wendy's- I learned how to talk with people better & have a happy attitude, all while serving burgers.

37. The MTC- 6 solid weeks of no music, TV, sleeping in, etc- and all spirit.

38. The Forest Grove Church Building- from primary to an Elder, I've grown a lot in that building.

39. Home- there's no place like it. Literally a heaven on Earth with so much love.

40. Apple Valley CA- I've learned so much about myself and my Savior. The starting point of my change.

     *10 people I'm grateful for

41. The Long Family- all of you have supported me for this mission, the packages are GREAT! 

42. Joseph Smith- the Restoration is awesome, and of course he was a prophet- DUH!

43. The Cannons- for loving missionary work and getting me excited to go.

44. Coach Morgan- for always encouraging us to improve our skills.

45. John our neighbor- for letting us mow his lawn for all these years.

46. Brother Maurer- for inspiring me to love the scriptures and be a light in the world.

47. Ryan Peacock- for being a friends and example since I knew him since 5th grade.

48. Brother Nelson- for being a great YM leader and a friend to me and my family.

49. My companions Elder P&B- we're like brothers, we can laugh and work all day.

50. President H- every week he sends an email with encouragement and advice.

     *Papa

51. You're always willing and ready to help me with anything, anytime, even if it's just a conversation on your porch swing.

52. You're the best church librarian, and you can make anyone smile.

53. You know I can make you say "uncle" haha, and you taught me how to drive a manual.

54. That the most important thing to you is family, and you love them so much.

     *Mama

55. For also being a convert to the church and how much you love the gospel.

56. I love all your Christmas decorations, and it's funny how often you clean your house- it's awesome!

57. That you're really creative and crafty, and your chicken & dumplings are so delicious.

58. You have so much love and hospitality for your family. You always want to help and work.

   
     *Grandma & Grandpa Nissinen

59. Grandma Nissinen- for her support on my choice to serve God and His children as a missionary.

60. Grandpa Nissinen- for loving his family and always caring for them.

     *My all-star brother Joe

61. For your happy attitude and always willing to have fun (ping pong, computer games, etc)

62. That you can school me in soccer- you'll be great in high school next year if you play.

63. That you want to make your parents and Heavenly Father proud of you.

64. That you and I tease eachother about girls all the time (Kyra) ;)

65. That you're working so hard in everything that you do.

66. That no matter what, you love your family and willing to do your part- I love you Bear!

     *My favorite sister Rosie

67. That you're loving Seminary and the scriptures- they're so important!

68. That you're working hard and enjoying time with good friends and family.

69. That you're a friend to everyone and can make anyone's day with a smile.

70. That even though you hate it, you let me pinch your arm hahaha.

71. Even though it's tough and annoying at times, you're a SUPER piano player & teacher. Our house sounds a lot nicer.

72. That you know that you're a daughter of God, and that you take that seriously- I love you!

     *My smooth-move brother B

73. That you're determined to give it 110% in everything, especially in school & sports.

74. That you can get along with anybody, and you know what to say at the right time.

75. You're representing the Nissinen name well at Wendy's, the Christensens, etc. You're such a hard worker!

76. For knowing when's a good time to work and to laugh- and you know how to do both!

77. That you're patient with me and being an example throughout my life.

78. That you're a great older brother and preparing yourself for a mission- I love you!

     *The best mom ever!

79. For loving me no matter what I do, and that I'm your missionary son.

80. That you love Andy Griffith just as much as I do :)

81. After school you always asked me how my day went- I'm grateful that you pray for your children.

82. That you came up with the Fast Sunday Tie idea! I look forward to wearing that tie every month.

83. For sending packages, ice cream money, and emails every week.

84. That you ALWAYS act out of love. Everything you do is because you love your family and this gospel- I love you!

     *My awesome Dad

85. That I can always look up to you.  I hope to be a father like you someday.

86. For teaching me the value of hard work- there's no better feeling; and you're a great example.

87. Your loyalty to Mom and your family. I can always count on you and look to you for help.

88. For the discipline in our family because you love each of your children. You always want us to improve.

89. For supporting me throughout my life with every decision- sports, scouts, school, my mission.

90. That you made this choice to be a member of this church. I wouldn't be here without you- I love you!

     *Last but not least, my Savior and His Atonement

91. His perfect attributes of charity, patience, and kindness.

92. That He always knows how I'm feeling because He felt it. He understands.

93. That He loves all of God's children, enough to die for us.

94. That He's always there and wanting us to turn to Him when we make mistakes.

95. That He lives! And we'll all live again someday.

97. For the many times He has comforted me when times are tough, and giving me strength.

98. That I have His name on my badge and that I represent Him literally for 2 years.

99. Because of all this, I'm so grateful our family can live together forever in the Celestial Kingdom-It's so true!

100. That even though I'm not perfect, I can wake up everyday and know it's a new day. Through daily repentance I feel like I can work with no regrets. Through the Atonement, I'm becoming someone better. I'm so grateful that I can overcome my many weaknesses. This time of Thanksgiving is a great time for families & friends to be together. And even though we won't all be together physically, I'll be thinking of you all. I'm so grateful for this gospel, for the commandments that keep us safe, and for my eternal family.

     Please be safe. I'm so grateful for this time to be serving with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. I love being a missionary and seeing the change in people's hearts as they accept the gospel and have the Savior in their lives. Have a great Thanksgiving.  There's so much to be thankful for.

I love you!

    Elder Nissinen