W - O - W

WHAT A WONDERFUL

SUNDAY!!!

And it has been a FULL DAY at that. As all days seem to be! GOOD.......

We looked at our thermometer before leaving for church to see just how COLD it was! Didn't know it was quite that cold! -19c.........hopefully the cars will start!

YUP.......the coldness verified by the car thermometer! No foolin us on that one.

Wayne and I had been asked a month ago to speak in the HAAGA WARD today. We were excited to do that because we count Haaga Ward as our 'home base' ward. We do a LOT of traveling all over Finland to visit the Saints throughout the country. We love coming to Haaga when we get the chance. It was amazing because ALL of the Temple Missionaries ended up in Haaga Ward today as well as President and Sisar Haikkola (Temple President and Matron....our mission president). Totally unplanned (we think). We took the opportunity of getting a group picture with all of us there.

Earlier this past week we visit Eira in her gift shop in downtown Helsinki. We have developed a friendship with her over the past 21 months. She is a very sweet gal who works very, very hard.....3 jobs in fact. We gave her a Book of Mormon this week. While there she had a visitor with her.....a friend visiting her as she often does. Sonja! Sonja is Russian married to a Finn. Has lived in Finland for the past 2 years. She lives in Haaga. We invited Eira to church this Sunday to hear us speak (not that we are anything great....but thought it might be a good way to get her there). Eira had to work in her shop so she would not be able to come BUT Sonja wanted to come!

As we went to the stand to take our seats we did not see Sonja. After Sacrament Meeting was over, we were still on the stand gathering our books together. I had a tap on my shoulder, turned around and there stood Sonja!! OH YE OF LITTLE FAITH....came to our minds!!! She had come just a few minutes late, stuck her head inside and saw no empty seats readily available and sat in the foyer outside the chapel! She had heard all of our talks and still stayed! And not only that she went to the INVESTIGATORS class with us and wants to come back next week!! We are so excited for her. We gave her a Russian Book of Mormon and introduced her to Veli ja Sisar Zaretskja (Temple Missionary couple of St. Petersburg Russia). They really got involved in talking with her. A picture of the 5 of us above after Sunday School class was over.

After church was over we needed a picture of Wayne and I in front of the Church sign. You know it has become a 'TRADITION' at this point!! The picture taking that is.

What a wonderful, full day we have had. And to think we would have missed all of this if we had gone home after 18 months!! I don't think so! We see the Lord's hand in so much everyday! WE DO BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!!