RED-LETTER DAY.....

Many, many good things going on today!

We woke up to a gorgeous FULL MOON (found out later that it is the Harvest Moon.....equinox!) It definitely feels like FALL here in Finland. Don't know how well the moon shows up but look a little to the left of the steeple.

On the way up to the temple this morning we asked Veli Marjanen if he would take our picture. Again, not very good but maybe you can tell a little at how pretty the fall colors are coming into 'play'.

BACK UP A MINUTE TO YESTERDAY!.......

Our afternoon nap was interrupted by a phone call from an Elder Boone in the church office in Frankfurt Germany. He was calling to ask if we wanted to 'extend' our mission by 5-months!! President Haikkola had put the request in a while back. We were so excited to receive the phone call!! OF COURSE WE WANTED TO EXTEND! We had had a 'family council' with our children several weeks ago to get their feelings on this possibility. All of them were very supportive.

Again this morning at the Temple, Elder Boone called and I talked with him this time (Wayne was busy doing some ordinances in the temple and couldn't come to the phone right away). Our instructions from him (via Salt Lake City Mission Department) were that we needed to go to our local equivalent of a FOREIGN AFFAIRS OFFICE here in Finland. After talking with Pavel (in the office) we found out we needed to go to the Poliisi Office in Espoo to take care of the process. As soon as we finished our shift this morning we headed over there. And we needed MORE mug shots!!!! We were 'go' again. I think these turned out better than the ones we took for our Drivers License. NOW.....we have an appointment to go back on Monday, NOVEMBER 1, 2010 to make the extension official (we hope!). Can't do it any sooner than ONE MONTH of our original release date which was / is December 1, 2010.

AND.....to top it off......I finished reading the MORMONIN KIRJA for the 2nd time. IT IS SO EXCITING for me to accomplish that. And, YES, it is still true no matter the language!! Now on to the OPPI JA LIITOT.... also for the 2nd time.