Hello Family,
I figured today, I would write you all in blue! How's is everything going back home? How is the draft looking, Dad? What has been going on and happenning? How's Gram, Ellie, and Scott? How are the dogs (not puppies anymore, clearly)?
This weekend is General Conference. We are headed to Rauma for the weekend to watch it there becuase they have headphones there to watch it in English. So we are excited for that. It also means that we have change call night splits! Awesome! We should know what is happening to Elder Peck and I on Saturday night along with Elders Lytle and Budd. What are you all doing for conference? Conference bingo? I want to play conference bingo! For my next General Conference, you should send it to us!
For future packages. I will need more deordorant but no more Bear Creek easy make soups. I have reached my limit with those and am not becoming any better at cooking. I appreciate it though. Thank you very much for that.
I have a question regarging the boots I have here. I don't think I will use them at all really when I come home but I know they were expensive and I don't want to leave them. So I want to sell them. How much were they so I know a good price to sell them for? I am hoping I can sell them because that would free up a lot of weight in my bags. Let me know the price and what you think about selling them.
Dad asked about sähly. It is like floor hockey. You play in tennis shoes and have sticks that kind of look like hockey sticks but are more curvy shaped. I'm sure you can find it on the interent. The ball is a wuffle ball. It's really fun.
You talked about finnish food. I would like to go home and makesome stuff so I will grab some Cardenum beofre I leave to make pulla (it's like a pastry bread type thing). The food here is pretty good. We have a DA today and the member is making Fish soup, which is like my favorite thing in Finland. She made for us this one time, salmon fillet with blue cheese, lemon, and pesto. SO GOOD! I learned how to make it so maybe I can do it when I come home. Karjalien Piirakka, I don't think they are that awesome but I like them. The rye bread is what I want to take home. AWESOME! With chocolate
Investigators. We're struggling. We only have 2 right now. We need to find more. That is our plan this week. we're going to bust it. Hopefully, we can find more people to teach.
That's all I have this time.
I love you all and take care
Talk to next week
Love,
Vanhin Behnke
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
March 21, 2011
Hey,
I feel like I have been cutting these letters kind of short to you lately. So I will try to write a little more.
The Pictures. I hoped you like them. Did you like the Elder Peck and I on? We want to get a really big one and frame and put it up on the wall for the next Pori-bound missionary to see. haha.
So Elder Peck and I are still fighting our way in Pori. We had a ward meeting and presentation after church yesterday. We tried to get them fired up for referrals. It went ok. Hopefully they do it. Speaking of which. We think Elder Peck and I are reaching the end. This will probably be the last change together. It's time for a change. I get along with him GREAT but 3 changes and it probably will be time for a switch.
It's really funny how many similarities I can make the mission with the NFL. After you have been in a place for a while, everyone kind of wants to change cities. Ex: Elder Peck, after 6 changes in Pori, wants to leave. Of course, no one makes a big deal out it but it's pretty funny to relate it to like a disgruntled wide-receiver who wants a trade. "I WANT OUT!, TRADE ME OR RELEASE ME!" In most cases, the missionary is traded (ex: Elder Behnke was traded from Kerava to Pori to be the starter. Much like Matt Schaub backing up Vick and traded to Houston to be the franchise quarterback). Some cases the missionary is cut and the city relies on the draft to fill the need and the free agent is picked up by another team (ex: A couple changes ago, Elder Lytle's companion (Elder Isom) was cut and signed with Seinäjoki and Rauma scored a rookie (greenie) in the draft). So now you know a little bit of what is happening in my head come change calls. :) Here is my speculation:
The Call: Behnke with GREENIE in Pori
Peck to Savonlinna with Pond
Sorry that you haven't gotten the the newsletter. I would send it to you but we get ours in letter form and not through email. Yes, Elder Horne is the AP which is why he could send it.
Yes, tons of frozen bikes everywhere. There was a really nice bike in the lake we saw in Savonlinna but we never got it. I know there is a missionary who got his bike from off a frozen lake. haha. They are tons of that everywhere.
So Scott's work has now expanded to 4 members. The Larsons are great! That is so cool. What are they going to do now for school and everything? How was their talks? What did they talk about?
I got your package! Great! Thanks a lot! The magazines are great too. Super distracting but WONDERFUL! It's crazy that they are comparing Rodgers to Brady and Manning. I don't know what we need to fill the teams rosters and stuff or what we need in the draft but I think, from my reading, we need to really resign Cullen Jenkins. That would be huge. Along with Mason Crosby, if not I hope we sign Ryan Longwell. Jenkins would be a huge resign. We can let Brandon Jackson go and snag a better player (like Darren Sproles!) or just no even worry about it with Grant back and Starks and Kuhn. It seems like we could really bulk up the o-line, we need O-line. I like Nate Solder from Colorado but it's unlikely he falls. If he doesn,t then I REALLY like Gabe Carimi from Wisconsin, Home town love. If we can't land Jenkins and by a miracle chance that the Alabama DT/DE falls that would be sweet. I told you to watch AJ Green and Julio Jones. They are studs!
I heard a little bit about the tsuanmi but not much. Pretty nuts, crazy, and sad story. I still have no idea why Japan would ever build a NUCLEAR power plant when they live on tectonic plate boundary. It was an accident waiting to happen. That was a super move. But now they are in a horrrible situation. Is the church helping?
Our investigators are still in the same spots as last time. They are coming along. The family is still awesome and working their way back. Fantastic.
That's all I have today, I hope you have a great week. I love you all
Vanhin Behnke
I feel like I have been cutting these letters kind of short to you lately. So I will try to write a little more.
The Pictures. I hoped you like them. Did you like the Elder Peck and I on? We want to get a really big one and frame and put it up on the wall for the next Pori-bound missionary to see. haha.
So Elder Peck and I are still fighting our way in Pori. We had a ward meeting and presentation after church yesterday. We tried to get them fired up for referrals. It went ok. Hopefully they do it. Speaking of which. We think Elder Peck and I are reaching the end. This will probably be the last change together. It's time for a change. I get along with him GREAT but 3 changes and it probably will be time for a switch.
It's really funny how many similarities I can make the mission with the NFL. After you have been in a place for a while, everyone kind of wants to change cities. Ex: Elder Peck, after 6 changes in Pori, wants to leave. Of course, no one makes a big deal out it but it's pretty funny to relate it to like a disgruntled wide-receiver who wants a trade. "I WANT OUT!, TRADE ME OR RELEASE ME!" In most cases, the missionary is traded (ex: Elder Behnke was traded from Kerava to Pori to be the starter. Much like Matt Schaub backing up Vick and traded to Houston to be the franchise quarterback). Some cases the missionary is cut and the city relies on the draft to fill the need and the free agent is picked up by another team (ex: A couple changes ago, Elder Lytle's companion (Elder Isom) was cut and signed with Seinäjoki and Rauma scored a rookie (greenie) in the draft). So now you know a little bit of what is happening in my head come change calls. :) Here is my speculation:
The Call: Behnke with GREENIE in Pori
Peck to Savonlinna with Pond
Sorry that you haven't gotten the the newsletter. I would send it to you but we get ours in letter form and not through email. Yes, Elder Horne is the AP which is why he could send it.
Yes, tons of frozen bikes everywhere. There was a really nice bike in the lake we saw in Savonlinna but we never got it. I know there is a missionary who got his bike from off a frozen lake. haha. They are tons of that everywhere.
So Scott's work has now expanded to 4 members. The Larsons are great! That is so cool. What are they going to do now for school and everything? How was their talks? What did they talk about?
I got your package! Great! Thanks a lot! The magazines are great too. Super distracting but WONDERFUL! It's crazy that they are comparing Rodgers to Brady and Manning. I don't know what we need to fill the teams rosters and stuff or what we need in the draft but I think, from my reading, we need to really resign Cullen Jenkins. That would be huge. Along with Mason Crosby, if not I hope we sign Ryan Longwell. Jenkins would be a huge resign. We can let Brandon Jackson go and snag a better player (like Darren Sproles!) or just no even worry about it with Grant back and Starks and Kuhn. It seems like we could really bulk up the o-line, we need O-line. I like Nate Solder from Colorado but it's unlikely he falls. If he doesn,t then I REALLY like Gabe Carimi from Wisconsin, Home town love. If we can't land Jenkins and by a miracle chance that the Alabama DT/DE falls that would be sweet. I told you to watch AJ Green and Julio Jones. They are studs!
I heard a little bit about the tsuanmi but not much. Pretty nuts, crazy, and sad story. I still have no idea why Japan would ever build a NUCLEAR power plant when they live on tectonic plate boundary. It was an accident waiting to happen. That was a super move. But now they are in a horrrible situation. Is the church helping?
Our investigators are still in the same spots as last time. They are coming along. The family is still awesome and working their way back. Fantastic.
That's all I have today, I hope you have a great week. I love you all
Vanhin Behnke
Monday, March 14, 2011
March 14, 2011
Hei Family,
How are things going? So Scott now has 2 cars. Why? Is he going to keep two cars? Is he going to try and sell his 4 runner? How are the puppies? Are they having a ton of fun? Are they trained at all?
My trip to Helsinki was great! I sent some pictures to you. I sent one of Elder Gorringe and I. I also included Sister Zimmerman's and my super awkward Sister-Elder picture. Hahaha. It was pretty fun week. We played basketball and sähly (floor hockey, professional sport here in Finland) every morning. I went down with Elder Weaver. We spent the nights in the chapel with Elders Grimm, Leppard, Linden, Weaver, Clegg, Groberg, and Powell. It was fun. We learned a ton down there from President Brown. We learned how to become better teachers and things like that. There is a ton to write about it so you can just see my notes when I can come unless you are really wanting to here them right now. It was just really great. Read DC 50 to really undterstand more of what we do when teaching an investigator. Sister Zimmerman sang I Know That My Redeemer Lives. It was awesome.
The man and his wife we are teaching are doing great! He has been off alcohol for 3 weeks now and she has been off smoking for over a month. They both come to church regulary and are making huge steps back to church. It's great.
We are focused on finding a lot this week. We need more investigators. That is where we are putting our focus.
Poor Wandrys. I hope they are doing alright. New Bishop eh? "For the first pick of the 2011 Spring Gulch Bishopric Draft, The Elder Behnke's Finns select. . . . . . . . Ray Bezzant as Bishop. First Councelor is Ken Wandry and Second Counselor is James Griggs (just for kicks)." That's fun. Let me know who it is.
The Larson's! I can't remember if it was Mike or Chris that wrote me but I have always felt bad that I never wrote back. I lost his address in the swtiching of email sites. That's good that they are back and loving it. I like the plan of wearing out the suits. I have already been doing that. My blue one is thrashed.
I got to go. I will write more next week. Got to go. Elder Peck is making me leave.
Vanhin behnke
How are things going? So Scott now has 2 cars. Why? Is he going to keep two cars? Is he going to try and sell his 4 runner? How are the puppies? Are they having a ton of fun? Are they trained at all?
My trip to Helsinki was great! I sent some pictures to you. I sent one of Elder Gorringe and I. I also included Sister Zimmerman's and my super awkward Sister-Elder picture. Hahaha. It was pretty fun week. We played basketball and sähly (floor hockey, professional sport here in Finland) every morning. I went down with Elder Weaver. We spent the nights in the chapel with Elders Grimm, Leppard, Linden, Weaver, Clegg, Groberg, and Powell. It was fun. We learned a ton down there from President Brown. We learned how to become better teachers and things like that. There is a ton to write about it so you can just see my notes when I can come unless you are really wanting to here them right now. It was just really great. Read DC 50 to really undterstand more of what we do when teaching an investigator. Sister Zimmerman sang I Know That My Redeemer Lives. It was awesome.
The man and his wife we are teaching are doing great! He has been off alcohol for 3 weeks now and she has been off smoking for over a month. They both come to church regulary and are making huge steps back to church. It's great.
We are focused on finding a lot this week. We need more investigators. That is where we are putting our focus.
Poor Wandrys. I hope they are doing alright. New Bishop eh? "For the first pick of the 2011 Spring Gulch Bishopric Draft, The Elder Behnke's Finns select. . . . . . . . Ray Bezzant as Bishop. First Councelor is Ken Wandry and Second Counselor is James Griggs (just for kicks)." That's fun. Let me know who it is.
The Larson's! I can't remember if it was Mike or Chris that wrote me but I have always felt bad that I never wrote back. I lost his address in the swtiching of email sites. That's good that they are back and loving it. I like the plan of wearing out the suits. I have already been doing that. My blue one is thrashed.
I got to go. I will write more next week. Got to go. Elder Peck is making me leave.
Vanhin behnke
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| Elders Behnke and Peck......kinda awkward photo! I think they were trying to be funny. Didn't realize he took his glasses with him - he only got them when he was 12 - looks like it! (looks like a wedding photo) JK! |
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| Their ride! |
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| The boys in Helsinki |
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| Elders Lytle, Christiansen, Fuchs and Gorringe Higginson and Behnke |
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| Sister Zimmerman and Brian - in the sister/elder missionary picture! Goofs! |
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| with Elder Gorringe |
Monday, March 7, 2011
March 7, 2011
Hey Family,
The dogs look huge. I got the package! SWEET! Enja! Letters! Cereal! Packers! Great! Thank you very much for the package I really enjoyed it. I also got a package from the Wandry's too. Can you thank them for me? I will write them a letter as soon as I have time but I'm not sure when that will be. I leave today for Helsinki and I will be there until Saturday for the Leadership Training Meeting. It's great! Everyone in the entire mission has seen thing except for the missionaries who just came into the country......and Me and Cassity. So now we get to go. Elder Peck is going to Tampere and I'm driving down with Elders Powell, Groberg, and Weaver. I'm pretty excited.
You asked about how often I see Elder Gorringe. I will see him at the the meeting in Helsinki. The last time I saw him was July for our language school. We are not in the same zone so I can really almost´never see him except for exceptions like this. How is his mother doing?
I would send you a picture of the car but it is covered in dirt. We are washing it today and then I can take a picture for you and send it next week.
The language is hard. I don't think it ever will become easy but I'm just trucking along. Don't worry about me. I'm just steadily trying to get better and get a good grip on it. It's the hardest langauge in the world. I'm doing everything I can. :)
We have about 4 investigators. One came to church. It was great! He is coming along great. We love teaching him and his wife. His wife was a less active but now she is back and rolling. It's awesome. The other 3 are coming along. It's a good time but we are still looking for some more people to teach. That's what we are focused on.
I really have nothing else to say. We got a rug from a member the other day. We helped her beat her rugs so she ended up giving us one that she wasn't using. So we have that new addition to our apartment.
I love you all. I wish I had more to say. Elder peck and I have to go wash the car and start our travel to Rauma (to get Lytle and Budd) and then to Tampere and then to Helsinki. We leave at about 1 and we should be in Helsinki by 9. The cd you sent will come in handy :) thanks for everything.
Love,
Vanhin Behnke
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