PREPARING FOR OUR 8-DAY ROAD TRIP TO WESTERN FINLAND......

Trash taken out........ Check

Laundry done........ Check

Wayne's hair cut........ Check

Packing done....... OOPS!! Not ready to go yet!

I guess we still have a few more things to do before we leave tomorrow morning!

It snowed pretty much all night. That meant Wayne would wake up at 6:00 a.m. and get out there with the snow blower and snow shovel! Even with his little snow 'buddy' not here to help him, he was still out there.

After Wayne had worked for about 2 hours, he came in for breakfast. We looked out the window and there was the Temple President (on the Left)....President Haikkola and Veli Mustonen (Temple engineer) propping up their shovels and wondering what to do next!! It was just so funny to watch them looking around and wondering!!

Having had his breakfast, Wayne was back out for the next round of clearing out the snow. I looked out the window and noticed this school class going through the parking lot.

When they reached the top where Wayne was working (in front of the temple), they turned and came down the stairs and back out the gate. When I asked Wayne what that was all about he said they thought there was a 'short-cut' to the highway where they were going to catch a bus. How funny!!! At least they got a close up of the temple!

Now, we need to get serious and start packing. President Haikkola is driving us to the airport in Vantaa in the morning so we can pick up our rental car. We were going to get a cab, but greatly appreciate his offer of a ride!! That will save about 30 euros! Kiitos paljon President Haikkola. We are looking forward to this road-trip adventure! Driving up to SEINÄJOKI tomorrow. About a 5 - 6 hour drive with a stop in TAMPERE to see a few things. Will check in tomorrow night!! :-)

H U M P D A Y!!

What is that you might ask! Well, when Wayne was a young missionary here in Finland 45 years ago, half way through his mission was called HUMP DAY because he was on the 'downhill' side of serving. To commemorate the day way back then, the missionary would cut his tie off about half way up!

Well, it was good enough 45 years ago for him and it is good enough for US now. And today was our HUMP DAY.......we can hardly believe we have been on our mission for 9 months already. WOW......it has gone by so incredibly fast. So many wonderful things have happened. And we know we have yet to have many more wonderful things happen.

We count our blessings each and every day that we are here. Thankful for the opportunity that we have to be here and serve every day in the Helsinki Finland Temple. To see how the lives of so many people are changed (for the better) because of the wonderful eternal blessings they come here to receive. And to have any kind of a small part in any of that, we are most grateful and humbled by it. We know we are only instruments in the hands of the Lord. Nothing more.

INTERESTING SUNDAY FOR US......

The halls of the asuntola are kind of quiet right now. The Mäkinen's, The Jäkkö's, TheZaretckja's, and The Groberg's have all gone.......to their homes here in Finland or St. Petersburg, Russia or Idaho (for the Groberg's). Later tonight the Pecuilius leave for their home on Lithuania. Tomorrow the Johnson's leave for Sweden and Denmark (where the will do a little genealogy fact-finding). That will leave US here! We leave early on Wednesday for our Western Finland road-trip. (See our post from yesterday with our agenda)

This morning we drove the Groberg's to the airport. We missed Sacrament Meeting in Haaga but went straight there for Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting. I had made a bookmark for Jonna several weeks ago. Today was the first chance I had seen her to give it to her.

And since we did not make it for Sacrament Meeting we decided to go on over to Espoo 1st Ward for that. Glad we did. It was a wonderful Sacrament Meeting. That ward is so talented with singers!! This is a beautiful rock area that we pass going to and from the chapel. Wayne wanted me to take a picture. It actually turned out quite well I think. It is beautiful Finnish Rock with sock and ice all around it!

S - P - R - I - N - G

B - R - E - A - K........

At the temple for the next two week!

We finished up Tampere Week here at the Temple. It has been a great week. And lots of Russians have been here as well. That seems to be the norm these days.

We looked out the window and what did we see?? NO, it was NOT popcorn popping on the apricot tree. It was the thermometer ABOVE the freezing mark for the first time since mid-December! That is a sure sign that SPRING may well be on its way. The snow was melting some when we got out of the temple this afternoon. Almost warm enough we could take our coats off! And a couple of days ago I heard 'spring birds' singing in the morning. They surely must know something that we are hoping for!

Wayne and I are headed to western Finland for the break. Here is our itinerary, feel free to follow us on your local Finland map:

AGENDA FOR MARCH 2010 ROAD TRIP

During the 2-week closure of the Helsinki Finland Temple

Veli Wayne ja Sisar Vicki Allgaier

Updated: 26 February 2010

MARCH 3 – Drive to Seinäjoki (Sokos Hotel Lakeus – 35864195111)

Wednesday

MARCH 4 - Kemi (Hotel Merihovi - 016 458 0100)

Thursday

MARCH 5 - Oulu (Hotel Cumulus - 0035888827111)

Friday

MARCH 6 & 7 - Pietarsaari (Jugend Home Hotel -- 35867814300)

Saturday & Sunday

Attend church at Pietarsaari Branch

MARCH 8 - Pori (Cumulus Pori - +358 (0)2 550900) This is a change from Vaasa

Monday

MARCH 9 - Rauma (Hotelli CityHovi - +358 2 8376 9200)

Tueday

MARCH 10 - HOME SWEET ASUNTOLA HOME!!!

Wednesday night arrival

SELLO RUN ON THURSDAY.......

We had to run over to Sello to pick up a few groceries. On our way to the car we stopped to talk to the Haikkola's (Temple president and matron). There were also running errands. They are such great people. We sure love working with them!!

This is what our HUGE mission van looks like parked in the Sello parking lot! It is so big and not easily lost anywhere!!

When we got home we found Veli Peciulius bringing his car battery in to warm up. He has not started his car for the 3 months they have been here from Lithuania. They will be driving home for the two-week shutdown and he couldn't get his car started! Hopefully it will start so they can leave on Sunday night!

AN HISTORIC WINTER IT HAS BEEN HERE IN SOUTHERN FINLAND

Even the Finns will agree with that! They say they have not seen a winter like this in southern Finland for decades!! Global warming or some such thing I guess. 'This is a Lapland Winter' many Finns have also said. And we didn't even have to travel to Lapland to see it! Sweet!

Wayne went on a 'picture taking adventure' around the temple grounds Thursday morning. This is the result of many, many pictures....but I will only share a few here. Not enough room for all of them. Above.....SOME of the tools of the trade of snow-shoveling. The snow blower is stored in a 'shed' at the end of the asuntola.

Steps leading to the temple. I can not even count the number of times these steps have been swept, shoveled and swept and shoveled again and again.....sometimes many times a day!

The sidewalk leading out of the asuntola.....notice you can see a small patch of sidewalk! Matti got down on his hands and knees and chipped that out!! Who is anxious for SPRING!! (Matti works at the asuntola desk during the daytime hours Monday through Friday)

Another view of the front door of the asuntola with the 'tools of the trade' parked right there!

The 'warming posts' where we plug our cars in to warm the engines up. This one is warming the mission Volkswagen Van.

The walkway around the sides and back of the temple also have to be cleared for emergency events....if we were to ever have one!

And Wayne has personally cleared both emergency exits! He is such a hard worker.

I guess the sun must have shone for a minute yesterday because Wayne was able to get a picture of the reflection of it on the stone of the temple.

A different view of the front door of the temple.

And of the temple spire......

And 'Frosty' loving this beautiful kaunis suomenlinen talvi!!

View of the temple from the side street

I came out to find Wayne so he could come in for lunch! He wanted a picture of that too!!

BELATED BIRTHDAY GIFT FROM PIISPA JA SISAR DUKE!

Bless their little pea-pickin hearts! Piispa ja Sisar Duke sent Wayne a birthday gift.

And lookie what it is!!! CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER!!

A missionary can never have too much of this because it is our 'staple' here in Finland. And it is basically non-existant here! We will often have an apple with peanut butter for our dinner because of the crazy hours we work in the temple. We are often working during regular meal hours. Or we get home late and too tired to prepare a meal. Apples and peanut butter are a great substitute! :-) Kiitos Paljon Piispa ja Sisar Duke!!