Our Finnish Mission

"OLE ROHKEA JA LUIJA"

--Joshua 1:9

(Be Courageous and Strong)

This, being the GENERAL YOUNG WOMEN THEME FOR 2010, was told to me by Sisar Metsätähti as we were finishing up our P-Day 'cruise' with the Temple President and Matron...arranged completely by them. They wanted to do this for 'their' missionaries!!

I was not sure I wanted to go on this little cruise because I didn't know what the boat looked like....big, small, old, new.....

I have to admit that I was quite SHOCKED when I saw just how LITTLE and OLD it seemed to be. Was it really 'sea worthy' and would we get back to the dock safe and sound?? I had to trust my mission presidents judgment!! Or did I??

I finally decided I had to give it a try.....

Sisar Haikkola (left) sat on one side of me with Sisar Vormio on the other (one of the Assistants to the Matron).....they were trying to help me 'adjust' and make sure I was okay!! Bless their sweet little hearts!

I was pretty soon enjoying some of the 'local' sights.....like this next WORLD'S LARGEST CRUISE SHIP being built right here in TURKU FINLAND!!! Yes, there it was!!

And pretty soon I found myself out on the front of the boat......directing traffic on the waterway to make sure we did not hit any other boats, and vice-versa!!

After a couple of hours of 'driving around' the TURKU ARCHIPELIGO (which by the way is just gorgeous) we made land-fall (or should I say ROCK-fall since we cooked and ate on a huge rock)......

We cooked our Finnish Pancakes (LETTUJA) over an open fire.....they were soooo good!!!

We then climbed up more rocks for a group picture.....isn't that a FINE GROUP of FOLKS there ever was!!!

While we were up there we saw a large over-night FERRY headed from TURKU to STOCKHOLM SWEDEN going through.

And back to the boat for the ride back to the dock.....notice I have graduated from my life-vest......I suppose I graduated and didn't need it any more.....and that is President HAIKKOLA steering the boat now!!! He says he knows how to drive a boat better than he can 'run the temple'. That is not true in our opinion!!! He knows exactly how to 'run the temple'!! With the Lord's help, of course!!

Veli ja Sisar Metsätähti are the official 'keepers' of the boat. They are great people. She was newly sustained as Young Women President yesterday in the Turku 2nd Ward. She is the one who told me I was 'ole rohkea ja luija'!!