Well, we are pretty much back in the groove as far as work is concerned. Since we got back from the north trip we have been very busy with work. Last week was a Senior Missionary Seminar for all the senior missionaries in Finland. There are seven couples and two single sisters, plus the mission president. It didn't included the temple missionaries but we did all have dinner together last Monday evening. Tuesday morning we visited the Fazer chocolate factory and fed our faces with great chocolate. Tuesday afternoon we had about 4 hours of instruction from President Rawlings and then went out to dinner at a nice restaurant on the edge of a lake that evening. Wednesday morning we all went to a session at the temple and had some instruction that afternoon. It was fun conference in the end, but Lynne and I spent much time organizing the event. It was good to visit with all the seniors and received instruction from the president. We need direction just like the young missionaries.
This is a picture of the "tractor eggs" that we saw along the way when we drove north. This is the way they put up their hay in the summer. They put it up green in these heavy, sealed plastic bags and a big semi-truck comes around and hauls them away for the dairies. It is very rainy and it was difficult to dry the hay the regular way on sticks, so they went to the more modern approach.
There are cranes all over this town during the summer and they are scary. Just look at these and you wonder how they work without falling over. They operate them from the bucket and just shoot up and they work in them all day long.
This is a picture of the senior missionaries at the lake-side restaurant. The food was good, the service great, but it was a bit pricey. All enjoyed the evening.
All work and no play makes for a dull life and that is what we have been doing lately. But yesterday we changed tactics and took our rugs to the seaside and washed them. They have a regular place down amidst the boats and tourist for washing rugs and so we went down and did our thing. We were the only ones washing rugs but the tourist buses driving by thought that we were regular Finns just out washing their dirty rugs. I am sure that we are in a lot of cameras now. We also had a cute Finnish lass come by and ask us what the secret of a lasting marriage was, as she is getting married in few days and was looking for some practical hints. I doubt is she will pay any attention to our advise, but it was fun anyway.
So that is about as exciting as it gets right now. We are getting ready for another 14 new missionaries in about two weeks from now. We need to find another apartment still for one pair of them. We are getting new sisters so fast now that we have to put two of them together with an older trainer because we don't have enough experienced sister trainers to go one on one. We also have a number of senior sister missionaries that have medical problems right now, so this next transfer could be very interesting.
Lynne and I are doing very well. A new couple, Thelins, have been very helpful in the office. They have managed to help us make it through some tough scheduling problems lately. They certainly came at a very opportune time. They will be working with the Single Young Adult program in our ward here, and if they have extra time, they will help us in the office.
We hope and pray that all of you are doing well and experiencing great things in your life. We love what we are doing, even if we work many hours each week. It is all His work and that is the important thing to remember. We are certainly blessed, and so is our family. He watches over His missionaries in more ways than I can describe.
Our love to all of you.
Rick and Lynne
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