CATCHING UP......

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

With DAVID & BECKY......

The great SAINTS from ROSTOV, RUSSIA left on Saturday morning.....their last time being here the Helsinki Finland Temple.....we will so much miss them! What great people.....

We took off driving to the northeast at about 2:30 p.m......and headed for the RUSSIAN BORDER to see how close we could get!

I must say.....it was not a very friendly OR inviting approach! Did not give us the 'warm fuzzies'

Notice (if you can see it) off in the distance the surveillance cameras......I think they don't want you going beyond this point!!

they mean business.....

and we were willing to OBEY!!

The sign above is the WELCOME TO FINLAND SIGN once you got from the Russian side to the Finland side.......

Then it was on to LAPPEENRANTA where we would spend the night and attend church on Sunday. We got checked into our SCANDIC HOTELLI and decided to walk and explore the area. So glad we did.....great sites to see around the area!

Beisdes walking around the lake shore area we 'found' this amazing SAND SCULPTURE....the largest in all of Scandinavia! It was, obviously, a dinosaur theme. It was just amazing!

SUNDAY......

We (Wayne and I) had been asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting.....like we usually are asked to do. We recognized a lot of folks from the temple. Love seeing where all of these wonderful people come from!

Not only did we speak but David and Becky were also asked to speak. How fun!! Their chapel area was under renovation so they moved some of the pews into the gym and that is where we met. Wayne actually served as a young missionary in this area for about 2 1/2 months.

Veli Röykö invited us out to his summer cottage to meet his wife (who is not a member of the church yet). He wanted to 'show off' his beautiful place.....it was indeed BEAUTIFUL!!

Then is was on to Veli Jäkkö's place for a little LUNCH!! And a delicious lunch indeed!! Sausage cooked over the GRILL in his COOK HOUSE!!!

And HOMEMADE CREPES over the fire!! What a great 'event' this afternoon was!! ISO KIITOS you wonderful Finn people!!

As we often say.......A GREAT TIME WAS HAD BY ALL!!!

Monday will be our last full day with David and Becky.....yet, another wonderful visit with one of our children here!! Next children to come....Jonathan & Tina and Steven & Elinn!! It will, no doubt, be a wonderful visit as well!!!

THIS WEEK AT THE TEMPLE: Tampere Week!!!

Today: Off to downtown HELSINKI with David and Becky!