MISSIONARY MOMENT......

In Downtown Helsinki on P-Day!

We are missionaries after all!! And the opportunity comes up all the time as we are out and about. 'People' want to know how it is that my good husband can speak the Finnish language so fluently!! That makes it an 'easy in' as to what we are doing here in Finland. (Husband served as a missionary some 46 years ago as a young missionary for MYÖHEMPIEN AIKOJEN PHYIEN JEESUKSEN KRISTUKSEN KIRKKO. We have been asked to come back and volunteer our time in the Helsinki Finland Temple and help those members of the church who come seeking the blessings that await them there) Folks are always impressed with that and often want to know more.

Above, meet L- Sonja and R- Aira. Aira owns and operates a souvenir shop in downtown Helsinki. We have been going there on occasion for the past 20 months! We have gotten to know Aira quite well. We decided we wanted to give her a Book of Mormon. She gave us a book last week when we were shopping there. Sonja is a good friend of hers and she happened to be in the shop as well. After talking with the two of them for 2 hours (!) we invited them to come to Haaga Ward on Sunday because we are both speaking in Sacrament Meeting. Aira has to work i her shop but we think that Sonja sounded quite interested in attending. We need to get a Book of Mormon for her as well! We just never know what might become of any of this but we have 'planted a seed' that we hope will grow into something wonderful for them! We will keep you posted! It was a wonderful day!! Missionary Work is GREAT!

VISIT TO

NEITSYTPOLKU WARD

We stayed 'close to home' again this weekend. We have been wanting to visit the Neitsytpolku Ward. Wayne attended that Wayne oh so many years ago and we haven't been there a lot. Today was THE day to go there. They have a great ward with a lot of young single adults....mainly because of the location of the building and the fact that it is close to the colleges in downtown Helsinki.

The building where the ward meets is actually the FINLAND MISSION OFFICE building. The INSTITUTE also meets here weekly. Hence, the above picture shows us and the Michie's by the pool table that can be found in the Institute room

After church was over, we had a little group picture taken outside the building and by the church sign......with the Mäkinen's (a Finnish couple serving in the temple with us missionaries) the Michie's and Us. It was a great day......

When we got back to the asuntola Veli Michie said he would take a couple of pictures of us for us.....rare to have both of us in a picture it seems. One of us is always behind the camera.

And another picture of us by the large pile of snow just outside the front door of the asuntola.

The day was complete with a GORGEOUS SUNSET.........AAAAHHHHH!!!!!

RUNEBERGPÄIVÄ

What in the world is that......you say! Johan Ludwig Runeberg was

FINLAND'S NATIONAL POET

More on him in a minute, after a couple of pictures.

On the way up to the temple this morning at about 7:30 I noticed the SPRING BIRDS chirping away....they sounded so pretty. If you look really carefully you can see one small one in the middle tree above. Not sure how they are able to find food with all of the snow. Bless their little hearts! There is HOPE that spring will come at some point!

Because today is RUNEBRGPÄIVÄ! And that means it is a FLAG DAY!! Flags are only flown on 'special days' here in Finland. SO.....if you see a flag a flyin', you know it is a special day.

In the picture above, if you look very carefully you can see two people who are hoisting the flag up......Wayne is on the right. This was done at 7:30 a.m.......at O'DARK-HOUR!!!

As we came home from the temple we noticed the flag was trying to 'fly' but the wind just was not cooperating.

A light, pretty, fluffy snow was falling as the lights on the temple came on.....and the flag still trying to 'fly'!!

Sisar Vorimo, one of the assistants to the temple matron, made some RUNEBERG CAKES yesterday and brought them to us at the temple today. They are soooo yummy. She is a great cook. These are only made and sold at this time of the year.......Legend has it (according to some Finns) that Runeberg's wife made these every day for her husband because they were his favorites. They are delicious but also very filling. Don't know how he could eat one every day.

TAKE TWO.......

2ND TIME AROUND WORKS!!

We were going to have Veli ja Sisar Vuotilainen over for dinner last Friday after they finished attending the temple, along with Veli Stälhane (and the 'a' should have an 'o' over the top because he is Swedish....can't find that on my keyboard!). Unfortunately, Sisar Vuotilainen had the flu and they were unable to come.

We had a great evening with them! They are so much fun......and I met Merja's sister this week at the temple as well. She will be getting a bookmark!

SMALL WORLD IN THE CHURCH!!

Meet Brother and Sister Templeton. They are from New Zealand! How on earth are they 'connected' to us!?

They helped out with the MTC in New Zealand before coming on their mission to RUSSIA. While at the MTC they got to know the MTC President and his wife pretty well. In fact, their brother-in-law was a counselor to the MTC President. The 'short version' of the 'long story' is that the MTC PRESIDENT is my UNCLE!!.......Uncle Mel and his wife, Aunt Denise......PRESIDENT AND SISTER MARION. They were called to serve out the remainder of the previous MTC President's assignment. He had to go home for health reasons. Uncle Mel and Aunt Denise got a phone call from President Monson...."How quickly can you be ready to go to New Zealand?" they were asked. Within a week or so they were off! And after one year there they got another phone call from President Monson......"Can you extend for another 2 years?".....of course they did and what a wonderful experience they had. The Templeton's remember Uncle Mel and Aunt Denise very well and visa versa!! What a small world in the church. I made and gave a little round cross stitch picture of the Helsinki Finland Temple to them. We will have returned from our mission when their next 'rotation' of 3 months comes along for them renewing their visas!!

OUR WALK UP TO THE TEMPLE THIS MORNING

FROM THE ASUNTOLA.

Couldn't help but just S - T - O - P and admire the beauty of the snow piles as we walked from the asuntola to the Temple this morning (we are on the morning shift this week and this was taken at about 7:30 a.m.)

It does make us wonder how and when all of this snow will 'disappear' before we leave in April! And speaking of our leaving in April.....got a 'tentative itinerary' for our travel plans home today from the Mission Travel Department! We are very happy......but very sad at the same time.

250 AND COUNTING!!!

You may recall that when we arrived here in the Helsinki Temple Mission Field in June 2009, I decided I wanted to 'make' something with my own hands to give to folks as a little remembrance of their visit here to the temple. I don't have many talents but I can at last cross stitch. I decided to make little cross stitch pictures or bookmarks (to use with their scriptures). Wayne was good enough to make my 'pattern' for me since there are NO patterns for mini-temple pictures.

Well, over the last two days I have given TWO MORE cross stitch bookmarks. I decided to add up the number I have made and given. Unfortunately, I have not kept track of all of them, but most. This makes at least 250 of them!! I had no idea that I had made that many!! They are in all part of FINLAND, RUSSIA, ESTONIA, LITHUANIA, SWEDEN and the USA....and maybe some places I don't even remember!

Above, Eliisa Smith (a former temple missionary here) was here over the last week or so for her brother's funeral. I thought she certainly 'needed' one!

And Sisar Ritva Hämäläinen from the Lapparanta Ward. She was our little 'guide' when we visited the Open House of the new chapel in Tampere a week or so ago. And she is a wonderful, faithful temple worker!

Love all of these great people. I hope I have been able to leave a little part of our love for them by giving these little remembrances!