Week 31 - Last one for now.

Hey, everyone!

I think a lot of you are aware of this already, but last week after meeting with the doctor in Espoo I received an immediate medical release from missionary work and returned to Rexburg yesterday. However! I'm not getting released until this evening so I can still write this email, right?

To get the elephant in the room out of the way, I'm not exactly sure what it is that sent me home. I've received a couple diagnoses of the same thing but to be absolutely sure (like really really absolutely) I'm seeing doctors in Rexburg, Idaho Falls, and Seattle in the upcoming month and should hopefully get the exact diagnosis and treatment right. The thing I was originally told was that if I had what I was originally diagnosed with I wouldn't be able to be out in the mission field. I've since come to believe (still kind of wary about it) is that if I get properly medicated I might be able to serve the months I had left in the States, Finland kind of being a stretch. But that's a huge if and for now, I am literally just living my path in faith. 

I'm doing okay. It's been tough to return and walking around Rexburg today, I felt a little awkward (albeit when you walk around in dress clothes with a Finnish missionary name tag and no companion (except my mom!! I had her) then you're bound to get some looks, especially in the burg). But it's been way great to see my family again as well as my hometown. 

I do plan on starting at BYU this fall, as was counseled me back in Finland, and if I were to return it'd be in a while, around 6 months to a year. I have to accept as well that maybe not returning is in God's plan for me, that I might have others things to do in this next year, I just don't really know what yet.

However, I did have a wonderful experience associated with my return just about half an hour ago! I went to the temple today (ohhh how wonderful the temple is! I missed it so much) and while waiting in the celestial room I saw a girl who was going through for her first time. I heard an older lady say "sister missionary" (it was funny because I couldn't hear anything else she said) and after she left, I felt really really really prompted to go over and talk to her, like I'm pretty sure I was made to go talk to her, I had no choice in the matter. I walked over and said 'hey, excuse me, are you serving a mission?' and she said 'yes, I am!'. I told her that I had just gotten back from my mission the day before and was actually still set apart as a missionary. I felt prompted to tell her some things about missionary work and then asked her where she was going, and she said 'the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission'. I paused for a second because I was a little overwhelmed with emotions, and told her that I had lived in that mission for three years and not to worry about it because the people and place were amazing, and I had such a love for it. Afterwards I bid her good luck and at that point I knew for certain that Heavenly Father knew where I was and still was willing to use me as a tool for missionary work.

I know this Church is true. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that Russel M. Nelson is God's prophet on earth. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father.

I know this Gospel is true. I could absolutely never be convinced otherwise by this world or anything. 

I love Finland. I cried when I left. You can't give yourself, truly all of yourself, to a place and a people and not fall in love with it. I miss Finland immensely. It's been the greatest trial of my faith in my life to leave, but I know I'll go back someday and I know that I was an influence for good there.

I love you all. Thank you for your support, and hopefully you'll get a Week 32 email sometime in the future. :)

All my love,

Elder Samuel Hancock

Finland Helsinki Mission

~

Vanhin Samuel Hancock

Suomen Lähetyskenttä

Sis. Aura, Elder Hancock, and Pres. Aura 

Sister Aura, Elder Hancock and Mom

Elder Hancock's plane from Helsinki to Amsterdam, then
on to SLC and finally home to Rexburg

Week 30 - Hallowed Ground

First off, as I was writing the title I remembered that although the word for 'halloween' in Finnish is written 'halloween' it's pronounced 'hallohvehn', and that reminded me that sometimes because the letters w and v are the same to Finns they'll say words like 'visiting' as 'wisiting'. That was really random but there you go!

So this week. I guess first off I should tell you all that throughout the last few weeks I've been meeting with some different medical professionals, and the second to last time I was on the phone with one I was told I was ill with something that would require me to return home to be treated, and likely be unable to return to the mission field. This obviously shocked me immensely and dealing with it has been difficult, but luckily I have one more appointment with a very good professional in Espoo (right next to Helsinki) on Wednesday so we can be absolutely certain about the condition and best method of treatment. Thus I'd appreciate to be kept in your prayers for a spell, mostly that I'll be able to accept and understand God's will as being greater than mine, in whatever happens.

Predominantly I want to be the greatest envoy of Heavenly Father I can possibly be, extrinsic influences forgot. Of all that I've experienced and grown to love in Finland, I sure as heck don't want to leave. I suppose we'll see!

Missionary work wise I had a wonderful week! We had an investigator in church and got to meet with her afterwards! Also during exchanges in Lappeenranta I taught the Word of Wisdom to one of the most humble investigators I've ever met. We gave him a blessing and he gave us all of his cigarettes. We threw them away. Good stuff!

Anyway, the library is actually closing early so I need to hurry, but I love you all and have a great week!
--
Elder Hancock

Hei my name is Elder Hancock. You want a book?

Our view off the deck.

Us in Lappeenranta on some fire exchanges.

Week 29 - cat hair day

Hello everyone! This week was pretty great. 

First off we were able to do exchanges in Mikkeli this last weekend because my comp had a training meeting. I went and did work with Elders Krause and Van Buskirk, two of my roommates from my MTC group, which was awesome! 

Second for this week is cat hair day, which was yesterday. Just a crazy day. So we went to buy a snack super quick and I just grabbed some stuff and at the cash register it cost 3,30€ - guess how much money in coins I had in my pocket? yeeaaaahhhhh 3,30€!!! then we met with an investigator who dropped us but then his cat got hair all over me and my nice suit dang. We went tracting whilst I was trying to get cat hair off of me and got stopped by a lady who asked if we gave out blessings. we gave her a Book of Mormon. She done got blessed! And then we got asked by a drunk guy if he could use the bathroom in the public square and we were like ummmm definitely not. And then we took a bus to do more tracting and he was on the bus too yelling at my favorite bus driver sunglasses man, who always wears sunglasses and every time you get on he flashes a smile at you and goes hei hei hei while nodding his head a bunch. Anyway so we got back home and through this entire day I was getting cat fur off me still but when we got back to the apartment and I took a shower at the end of the day I chemically burned my entire head and neck by leaving body wash on it for too long without washing it off whoops. Then I sent a text to the north zone leaders and they got ticked at me for some reason and set the assistants to the president on me, luckily they were way cool. Anyway, just a crazy day and that happened. 

I love you all and have a good one!

--

Elder Hancock

1 - us in mikkeli on exhanges

2 - some savages on the elevator about to knock some doors

Week 28 - We ran through a forest this week?

Hello everyone! Not much to report from this week, but I have a couple stories.

First off is we missed a bus one evening, and there was another one coming in twenty minutes but it was on the other side of this mountain. So I was just like 'let's go!' and we started running through the forest up this hill. Turns out it was a lot futher than I thought and we ended up having to run through bushes, trees, mud, a field, a swamp, and came out in the middle of nowhere on some highway. I had been praying throughout this twenty minutes of running that we'd be able to find the bus stop, and there was nothing in sight when we emerged from the swamp onto this highway. So I was like 'well what do we do' but then literally ten seconds later a bus came out of nowhere and I flagged it down, and it accepted our bus passes and everything and took us back to our apartment! That was for sure an answer to my prayer, and if we had gone any slower we would have missed it. I'll attatch pictures of how sweaty and dirty we were (oh well).

Another thing is one night when we were eating dinner I just wondered out loud 'I wonder what it would be like to be Elder Näslund?' (he's a Swede who works absolutely insanely hard) and Elder Winder was like well, we'd just be running everywhere and talking to literally everyone so I went 'hmm let's try it!' and then we both dropped our bags and left the apartment at 5:20 and ran, like actually ran to the nearest apartments and talked to everyone on the way, and ran in between the apartment buildings taking two or three steps at a time on the stairs. One time I went back to try and get these people who had already said no to take a Book of Mormon like ten minutes after. We went hardcore until 8 (which is when it would be illegal in Finland to solicit) and were so exhausted. But we got out two pass along cards and a book so at least there was that.

Finland's a very interesting place. I definitely love being a missionary, but Finns are very quiet and not much interested in religion. However we press on and even if I don't know if I'll have the opportunity to baptize anyone as a missionary I continue to emulate the Savior and go about doing good. Keep the faith, everyone, and I love you all!

--

Elder Hancock

Us after running through the woods

Sad guitar photo

Week 27 - Kouvola round two

Hello everyone! Probably the most anxiety-inducing thing here this last week was transfer calls, and we are both staying here for another two months but Elder Winder will be the district leader, which means we'll be able to conduct exchanged in Kotka and Lappenranta (which is like 20 miles away from Russia) as well as do some in Mikkeli with the Zone leaders, so that's exciting. I'll also have extended mission leadership conference splits with Elders Krause and Van Buskirk (who were in my MTC group) so good! Split split banana splits.

We had a few lessons this week which was nice, and extended the baptismal invitation to and older couple in one but sadly even though the wife really wants to be baptised AND her husband has received multiple crazy spiritual experiences including miraculous healing and visions in dreams and ACTUALLY HAS A TESTIMONY et cetera he still didn't want to get baptised and won't let his wife either which is dumb. Whatever I'm not bitter. Other than that we met with a guy who hates Americans except for us because we talk about Jesus, so that was fun.

Anyway, not too much. We changed pday to Monday still because tomorrow's transfers and we're having a couple elders hang out with us throughout the day until their comps come from Rovaniemi and Kemi respectively (also the two northernmost branches in Finland, whee) so we'll do splits then too. Weow! 

I hope you all know that I do have a testimony of Jesus Christ. my sufferings are absolute nil compared to his. I love this gospel and the opportunity I have to share it even if people reject it.

Have a great week!

--

Elder Hancock

1 - it's been a misty time lately! 

2 - TREES

Week 26 - life beith a partyeth!

Well helLLLLOOO everyone! This week has truly beeneth a party. 

First! We had Zone Conference in Mikkeli!! I haven't been able to visit a lot of Finland yet having been indungeoned in Helsinki for a while and now an hour and a half northeast in Kouvola, but we just drove through the forest the whole time and it was so pretty!! We also had a wonderful time. 

Also, general conference!!! Good GRAVY a lot of stuff happened! My favorite part was receiving my own revelation from God that President Nelson is the prophet on the earth today. I know now, and I am so excited to see what he does in service for the Lord in the future. Also, shoutout to RUSSIA GETTING A TEMPLEEEEE that is so cool! As well as Layton, where two of my sisters were born! I thought about a certain Kaysville family I know, how awesome!

Funny experience this week! So we had the Kotka Elders over here for two nights to watch conference, and one of the things they did was make me try this Finnish food called Mämmi. My comp said it tasted like a fudge brownie, so I was like yeah bring it on! He dumps like this lump of paste on my plate and man this thing tastes like garbage! I was like what?? Then he said that Mämmi is literally just ground up old rye bread and water, which made sense. Apparently they eat it with a vanilla sauce too and that was okay but I didn't have much of an appetite after that. Also, when the President of the good ole USA came and visited this one time and saw Finns eating it he was like 'someone get these people some food, please!'. The next day this member, Veli Hyvärinen, picked us up for a lunch appointment and he asked if I had had Mämmi yet and I was like yeah that stuff is the pits. He laughed and then at the actual lunch appointment after lunch they came out with this box of Mämmi!! Then Sisar Hyvärinen told this story about some elder that prayed way hard to like this random Finnish food throughout his whole mission and by the end he loved it, and then Veli Hyvärinen was like 'Veli Hancock, you should do the same!!' to which I just said we'll see about that haha.

Anyway, I hope you all know that I know that Christ really did rise again! I hope you all can find your own testimonies of the same thing because it changed my life. I love you all and have a great week!

(PS I put a video of me in my Elder Hancock's Flippin Mission Pics drive folder drinking the vinegar we dyed our eggs with. I don't know why we all did it but we did so.)

--

Elder Hancock

1 - a frozen lake coming back from Mikkeli

 2 - I saw some random guy on our porch

3 - us in aprons slaying eggs

Week 25 - [URGENT] 10 bizarre money habits making Millennials richer

Wooohoo everyone! Welcome to the email this week!

A couple exciting things! First off, check this out!

http://www.lds.org.uk/jesus-christ-is-always-there-easter-2018?lang=eng-gb

The Europe Area Easter video is awesome PLUS it has my great aunt and uncle Thomas in it, who are currently serving a mission in Germany! (they're the couple who have been together for fifty years) I had a conniption when I saw them there and it just makes showing the video to people even more exciting to me.

What else? ooh, I've had to practice the piano a lot, because a) I have a concert for some older folks next week, b) I'm playing at zone conference again, and c) I play in sacrament meeting now, so there's that! Finding is kind of tough lately but we push on!

I love you all, and remember to boil the heck out of your water! (that's how you get holy water!)

--

Elder Hancock

Week 24 - Flippinland

That sounds like a penguin theme park. Oh well! Hello everyone, it's very snowy. That could theoretically be expected considering I am on the same latitude as the Yukon Territory but... yeah, I guess that could be expected.

Kouvola is great! I love it and it's been a lot of fun. It was a little warmer yesterday but then it started snowing. I should really pull my mind off the weather. I love you all! Yeah, oh, we went tracting in Inkeroinen yesterday and let me tell you gotta watch out for the people that wear a little less clothing when opening their doors here.

I love missionary work! I really do. Sometimes I think wow, I actually do this not because I have to, but because being a missionary is who I am. I'm not a robot, I just do it because it's my purpose and it's what I want to do, it's what drives me to get out of bed in the morning and I love it. 

Not so much to report this week, as you all can probably tell. I love you all again! Keep updating me on your lives, and if you're not, start! I love hearing from everyone, it makes me happy.

Have a wonderful week!

--

Elder Hancock

Week 23 - Be Excellent to Each Other

Hey everyone! I love Kouvola! There, I said it.

Haha I do love it here. Elder Winder's a boss and we get along really well already. Today's his birthday, he's 21! I'm still the youngest in the mission  but we still have a lot of fun!

I love it! We found a ski jump here, I'll attach a few pictures of it.

We taught a really nice Arabic man this week and it was awesome. He doesn't speak any English, so we mostly did it in Finnish and I spoke a little Arabic. He accepted the soft baptismal invitation AND gave us a referral, so we have high hopes for him.

I love you all! Kouvola's wonderful and I'm loving life.

--

Elder Hancock

1 - the view from our kitchen

 2 - us at the ski jump

 3- the ski jump

Week 22 - Kouvola, whaaaaat?

Hey everyone! I don't have a lot of time this week but a couple big things happened this week!

1. We got SEVEN investigators last week!!! That's insane! The standards of excellence here are three and I've only hit that three times.

2. We also got two new baptismal dates last week! I got a picture with them, I'll attach it.

3. We got a surprise transfer yesterday! I'll be heading to Kouvola on Thursday with Elder Winder! I'm way excited but sad to leave Helsinki because this place really has become a second home to me. I have no idea what Kouvola looks like so if you google street view it you'll know more than me.

Other than that, missionary life is going great! I'm excited for it to be March. We're 'march'ing on! (ifyouhaventheardthatsongbyonerepublicbeforegolistentoitnowthemesongforlife)

Anyway, best of luck to those state debaters this week! Go slay them because last year we only slayed slightly upwards of half of them. Oh well! Keep it real, everyone!!

All the love from the organ in my left half of my chest, close to my lung, that keeps the drum of my life beating,

Elder Hancock

Week 21 - It's pretty cold, but life is definitely gold.

Terveeeeeee rakkat ystäviät! Mitäs suujuu? Suujuu hyvin tällä mut mä oon jäätyy. Erikoista, tuo on elämä Suomessa.

(that means hello, beloved friends, how's it floating, it's floating well here but I'm frozen, nothing special, that's life in Finland)

And missionary work continues! Tracting  and contacting in the negatives wouldn't normally be my first idea, but being a missionary changes you for the better. As we continue working as hard as we can, we get so many blessings! This transfer already we've been blessed with nine new investigators and a baptismal date. Miracles do come from exact obedience, faith, and work, they really do.

I love Finland! I've gotten so much more of an appreciation for the immigrants here in Helsinki (there are a lot of them) who are mostly from the Middle East or Somalia. I love people. I love them! Everyone has their own story, they're all amazing to hear. 

Sometimes I feel like Luke in Star Wars when he's freezing in the cave. But then he uses the force and does a few flips, carving his lightsaber around like crazy. Life has its solutions.

I love you all and have a great week!

--

Elder Hancock

I found the best store in town this week!

Week 20 - Pickles

HellooOOOOOOOOOOO everyone! This week has been WONDERFUL as ALWAYS and I love being a missionary!

This week I'm just going to share a couple of quick experiences!

First! So yesterday I took a quick five minutes after a lesson at the church to practice/select my songs for district meeting tomorrow, and we got a call from one of our previous investigators (he was drunk when he called us). He heard me practicing and asked if I would play a couple songs over the phone for him. So that I did, and he started crying and told me he loved me over the phone. That night we got a few texts from him about how he was going to move to Thailand and get married there in a Mormon church, so I guess I may be taking a trip over there sometime soon. 

Also, yesterday when we were going into the Helsinki Main train station we met this really cool guy and a couple of his friends, and they were all from Iraq, so we spoke some Arabic to them and they were really cool. Fast forward past us getting lost in the ghetto yet again, and two hours later on the train back to Oulunkylä we met these super nice guys from Iraq as well, and got to know them, and then at the stop in Pasila the guy and his friends we had met earlier got on, and then they came and sat by us because they knew those other two Iraqis! So we all had a blast going back home, just me and my companion in the middle of all these Iraqi dudes, and we got a few numbers out of it. :) It was really fun.

Also, yesterday we were able to share the talk His Grace Is Sufficient with one of our investigators yesterday, and it really cleared up his understanding of the Atonement. I LOVE that talk, and I invite you all to read it, for the first time or again.

This week I made the conscious decision to give away my personal wants and take upon the desires of Christ, and the second I did that it was just like a snap, I just felt all of these burdens light off of me and I felt so amazing! As I've lost myself in the work I've really found a love for it.

I love all of you, have a great week!

--

Elder Hancock

1 - cereal 

2 - where do we go to church?

Week 19 - Helsinki pt 2!

Hey everyone! This week has been great, and I'm so excited to spend another transfer here in Helsinki! Elder Jordan is a wonderful guy and a very hard working missionary, so I'm excited to see how this transfer goes!

We've been very blessed to receive a new investigator every day for the last four days! That blows my mind, and we've been working so hard to make it happen. I love this work!

I don't have a lot of time this week, but I love all of you and I'm so excited to see where this transfer goes. The work continues on!

I love you all!

--

Elder Hancock

Week 18 - I own Helsinki. (does a cool dance)

Helloooooooooooooo everyone! First off, a joke. How do you get holy water? *chirping* You take normal water and boil the heck out of it! *silence*

Anyway, this week transfer calls came! It was about five hours late so I had a pretty stressful Friday but that's the norm round these parts. So my comp Elder Childers is going to Rauma, and I'm staying here and getting Elder Jordan (not in my MTC group) from Pietarsaari! He's from Georgia and I'm really excited to meet him tomorrow!

Fun fact - so Sister Huber, from my MTC group, had responsibility over the main part of Helsinki with her companion (we're in the same ward) (I had the ghetto woo). But now Sister Huber is training, but not for three weeks! She'll be in Marjaniemi as a trio for those three weeks while her trainee is in the MTC, so basically, I have pretty much all of Helsinki for the next three weeks. Except the Zone Leaders have East Helsinki (Marjaniemi), but that doesn't count because there's nothing there, not part of the main city and it's ghetto too. Also, Elder Childers leaves at 09:30 on Tuesday but Elder Jordan gets here at 14:29! Sooooo for five hours tomorrow I will be the only missionary in the world assigned to take care of Helsinki! Haha, power. I will convert thousands. 

Anyway. This week's been pretty fun! We got a new investigator, which brings up our total to three new investigators this transfer!! That probaby sounds pathetic, but I've been working my tail off so there you have it. Finnish is great! I'm not fluent, but I don't usually have any problems talking to people, which is nice. Overall, my time in training was really great, and I'm glad to be going senior companion this transfer! (no, I don't still have three weeks left of training, and yes, I'm lying)

So yup. I love missionary work, and I love this gospel! Shout out to Holden d'Evegnee, one of my best friends in high school, getting his mission call to the Ivory Coast! He still hasn't told me himself so maybe the combination of those of you who know him telling him to email me will get something out of it.

This Church blesses all who seek those blessings. It's led by Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world and of all mankind, and I could not be more humbled to be his representative in this amazing land. Suomi ikuisesti! 

I love you all!!! Have a great week!

--

Vanhin Hancock

Week 17 - 'Goodbye's and 'Hello's

Hello, my beloved brothers and sisters in the Gospel. I love you all so much. :)

This week is my final with Elder Childers. We operate on nine week transfers here in Finland, which means we get a bit more attached, and I'm sad to have my last week with my trainer, but we'll make it the best one yet!

Another thing I'd like to mention is that my girlfriend Jessica is leaving on her mission this week! I am so proud of her and I know she will be such a blessing to the people she has been called to serve in Cambodia.

This week I thought a lot about what being an effective missionary means. Sometimes I wonder if there's something that I need to do better in order to start finding more people to teach, and of course we can always improve, but I have felt from my communications with God this week that effectiveness in missionary work, regardless of whether or not we're full time, is measured by our dedication to the spreading of the Gospel and our true intent.I have felt so much strength from the Lord this week and I know that if I come back with only one converted heart, one strengthened heart, one heart ready to continue on in the work of the Lord when I return to America next year, it's going to be inside me.

And of course I still try my best to help others. :) I have been very blessed in my learning of the Finnish language, and I have such a testimony of the gift of tongues. My trainer has helped me so very much, and I feel so happy to be able to talk to these people and testify of the truths I already knew in my heart in their language. It hasn't been easy, and I'm still very imperfect, but I am one grateful greenie.

I love you all so much! I have found such a love for the blessed city of Helsinki and the people here. Continue on in the strength of the Lord, and you'll be blessed beyond you and I's measure of understanding for it.

Love,

Vanhin Hancock

--

Elder Hancock

Week 16 - Uh, well, the sun is coming back!

Which makes me way happy because I love the sun. Around the solstice it would set around 3:30 and now it's already an hour later! #blessings

Apparently my email last week didn't send. Darn! I resent it but we shall see if that pesky guy gets out to all of you.

This week has been great! We got a new investigator and also got to teach the fifth lesson during Priesthood in church to a traveling investigator in the army! That was AWESOME! It's the last lesson before baptism and we're so excited! His fiancee is leaving on her mission to Russia soon and the plan is that he'll have been a member for a year so they can get married in the temple when she gets back! I loved it!

Also! This Church is true and I know it! We have two weeks left in the transfer and I'll be sure to make the most of it! I love all of you!!!!

--

Elder Hancock

1 I think we were at the highest place in Helsinki! 

1 I think we were at the highest place in Helsinki! 

2 - yes, I own this car 

Fwd: Week 15 - Magic, Snow, and Finns

Terve, rakkat sukua ja ystäviä!

This week was wonderful! 

We were able to go to Return and Report, which was a three day long meeting at the mission home with half of my MTC group. We were able to talk a lot about our experiences these past weeks here in Finland and hear from President and Sister Aura how we can be better missionaries here in Finland and overall.

We were able to attend the temple in Espoo as well! It was a wonderful experience and I've missed going through the temple so much.

This week we had two wonderful lessons with less actives! One actually came to church with us, and I got to sit by him and talk to him while my companion was on the stand for a talk. I loved it!

In one lesson with an investigator our discussion wasn't really going anywhere, but then he turned to me and told me to share a scripture out of the Book of Mormon. I shared Ether 4:18, which is Christ telling us what we need to do in order to come back to him. I didn't know the reference, I just prayed really hard in that moment that I would share something that would help him, and it sparked him to ask what he could do to return to Christ! We actually had a very nice lesson after that, and I'm so grateful for the Spirit's involvement in that.

Also, in a lesson with a different investigator, near the end I felt the Spirit in my so strongly that my cheeks started burning and I was shaking, so when it came my turn to testify at the end I felt the Spirit testify to him through me, and it was a really really cool experience. Teaching with power and authority is the best way, and we need to make sure we live worthily to have that wonderful feeling. It was amazing.

I love you all so much, and have a wonderful week!

--

Elder Hancock

Week 14 - I've loved my time as a missionary!

Aaaaaannnndddd I continue to love it, just in case you thought I was leaving! I love to reflect on the last 14 weeks and think of how much I've grown, what a different person I am already, and how excited I am for the rest of my missionary service!

This week was awesome. We contacted a man on Saturday in the streets of Hakaniemi in Helsinki. We asked what brought joy to his life and he said that his wife did, but that she passed away seven years ago. He said that he's incredibly lonely. We said 'Well, would you like to know how you can be together with her again?' He said 'I want to be with her more than anything. I was married to her for 48 years.' He started to tear up and the Spirit that was with us was so strong. We were able to testify that he would be able to be with her again, and it was so special. That doesn't happen every day and it's something I treasure.

Sometimes I think we forget about our futures in order to live in the moment, which is fine in some situations, but we need to make sure we remember that the way we live right now determines how we'll feel in the future. Don't sacrifice your future for something right now. Share this gospel of happiness with somebody! I know for a fact that that man will see his wife again, but he didn't know it. Being able to share that fact with him was a privilege that I'll never deserve, but that I will always be immensely grateful for.

This week was Zone Conference! I was able to see my good friends Elders Krause and Viitanen again, from my MTC group, as well as meet some new friends! This week we have Return and Report at the mission home, which is why I'm emailing today instead of tomorrow. I'll be able to see half of my MTC group there as well!

This Gospel is pure happiness. We always have to sacrifice something in order to gain more, but sometimes people only look at the sacrifices, and not at what they will bring. I testify that this gospel is true. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel, however, is not stagnant. Our message is a message of stand up, and do something more, than dream of your mansions above! Christ says even as ye have done this unto the least of these your bretheren, ye have done it unto me. What are you going to do for someone else today? What are you going to do for Christ today?

I love you all and have a great week!

--

Elder Hancock

Me and Elder Gamett

Me and Elder Crump on exchanges

The bridge in Hakaniemi

 Me in a field

My scarf hat!

District meeting with the zone leaders today

Week 13 - My testimony will live forever!

Helllloooooooooo everyone! Happy New Year!!!! I hope everything's going great back wherever you all are!

This week was only slightly not normal! I sort of forgot about New Year's for a bit but that's okay! This is the only full year of my mission and that's crazy but I'm way excited!

The investigator we found is progressing and that makes me so happy! He's way nice and he prayed in our lesson on Sunday and it was so beautiful, he has a heart of gold. He also had me play the guitar and sing to him so John Denver came in handy! I love that man.

I love missionary work, and I love Finland! This place is so great. I love this gospel. IT. IS. TRUE. No matter how many people try to say that it isn't, I know it's true, because I've received the witness myself. This message I share is a message of joy and gladness, nothing else, and I absolutely love sharing it. Nothing else brings me greater joy than this gospel. My testimony will live forever!

I love you all and have a great week!

www.mormon.org

--

Elder Hancock

From Mom:

We also got this surprise email today from some Senior Missionaries serving in Helsinki:

We were at the chapel today to pick up some crockpots for Zone conference on Thursday and found these two working on their weekly emails to home in the family history center. It is always fun to run into our missionaries unexpectedly.