Week 70, 71,72: New Light

Hi! It's been a while since I've written an email. Oops. 


Spiritual Thought:  

People always say there is no light in Finland in the winter.

I've been thinking about this a lot since this is my second winter here. 

And I've realized that there really is a lot of light, even if it's not from the sun. 

It comes in different forms, such as snow, candles, cool lamps, stoplights, and even the Northern lights. 

It's made me realize how much light there is in the world I sometimes don't see, don't notice, and especially take for granted. 

Figuratively, I also miss lots of light.

How many wonderful interactions, lovely people, or miraculous experiences do I not see, even when they are right in front of me? 

I've tried to get better at seeing all the light around me, no matter what form it takes or how bright it is. 

It's helped me to realize how blessed I actually am. Especially during the holiday season. 

I've made it a personal calling of sorts to help people see the light in their own lives, no matter where it is, and what form it's in. In doing so, I've noticed so much light in my own life. 

There are lots of moments where the “Son” shines his light on me and lights up my world in so many ways. 

All because I started looking in new places.

Short Version of Email: Christmas spent with so many wonderful people, wonderful food. Transfers, Christmas conference, lots of teaching! 






 Finnish Word of the Week:    “Menneen talven lumia” means water under the bridge, but literally translates to "snow of the past winter.”

5 Amazing Things This Week:

1: Christmas was wonderful, filled with lots of time spent with the amazing people here in Finland. We also ate the most amazing food ever. 

2: Transfer day is always great. Saying bye to good friends is not so great, though. 

3:  We did some festive activities like caroling for a couple of hours at a food drive (it was 8 degrees F). We also dropped off gifts to families, which was quite fun to get into the Christmas spirit. 

4:  We had our mission-wide Christmas conference. There were great messages about Jesus Christ and a super awesome talent show. 



5:  We made a cool social media video for Christmas, which was really fun to do. I've never done anything like it before. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DMCE9J6S4/



Tender Mercy of the Week:

We were teaching a lesson to our friend, who doesn't have a Christian background and has come from a very rough past. His face absolutely lit up as we testified to him that we have a loving Heavenly Father and that he is a son of God. The Spirit bore witness to us that day of those truths, and that meant everything to our friend. It was amazing. 

Where I am/Who I'm With: I am serving in Helsinki. My companion was Elder Allred and is now Elder Török from Hungary. 

Scripture of the Week:  

Acts 7:51  

51 ¶ Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

 My thoughts:  This scripture made me start to think about my relationship with the Holy Ghost. In what ways do I resist the Holy Ghost, and how can I be better about following his promptings? 

Talk of the Week:  

The Righteousness of Your Redeemer. 

Hank Smith

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-CaeVopHLU2I6QyZGePqeBFn-__3TWZQ/view?usp=drivesdk

My Thoughts: 

A wonderful talk with some good stories and analogies. 


Miss you lots; send me an email if you so desire!

 -Elder Balls










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