Right now we are getting ready for another load of missionaries the week before Christmas. Our time is taken finding new apartments. The mission president gave us the new areas a few weeks ago and we have been looking for apartments. I have put together a fairly comprehensive flow-type checklist to help us and the missionaries work through the process. We have make sure that the new apartment is in a safe, secure, nice neighborhood, with close access to transportation and grocery stores. We try to avoid apartments on a ground level floor and must be an elevator if more that two levels. The apartment itself must be clean, modest, reasonably priced, room for two single bed in the bedroom, workable kitchen, washing machine, microwave oven, stove, shower, bathroom walls totally covered with ceramic tile, two study desks, couch, kitchen table, plus anything else needed to make it a livable place. Our missionaries have very nice apartments and are very well taken care of that way.
I do have a few pictures that I would like to share with the blog. You may have noticed that I don't include many pictures of missionaries and Finns. They have very particular over here about publishing anyone's picture without written permission. Someone wanted to put our monthly newsletter, which Lynne puts together each month, on a website but we have to have everyone's written permission before it can happen. It is the law here and we have to be careful. Just a few of the inconveniences of living in another country.
Well, it is becoming that dark time of the year, and remember that it gets darker the further north you go. The sun comes up around 8:40 and goes down at 3:32 and we have another month to go before the shortest day and the longest night. There is actually an illness that about 1% of the Finns get during the winter and it has to do with all the darkness and dealing with it. We have to be careful with the missionaries also because it can cause mild depression. There are some vitamins and phototherapy lights that help quite a bit. We have been buying a few of them, especially for the missionaries up way north. Nothing like that when I was a missionary years ago.
This is a clock that we found in a local store. Since it was a Kensington clock, we thought that Kensi might want to see what her clock looks like.
Today after church we went for a rather long walk towards downtown. There was a "starting Christmas" celebration and parade downtown and we walked in the that direction. The weather today was unusual for Helsinki, the sun actually came out. It was a bit below freezing but this picture of the park below is outstanding. The grass is still very green. I don't think that we are going to have many more days like this, but we loved it and had a great walk. This is the park about a block from our apartment and the office.
This is a restaurant on a tiny island just off the seashore here.
This picture is part of the group that sang a few Christmas carols before the parade began. Santa was running around somewhere in the crowd. There was a rather large crowd for the event, but I don't think it takes much to get the Finns to go to an event like this, because they like to get out of their apartments in the winter.
This is the church where the event was held. The parade started here. We didn't get to see much of the parade because there were so many people lined up along the parade route.
The Red Cross sponsored a rice mush booth. I broke down and bought a bowl. It was delicious. They cook the stuff in an enormous sized cooker. The lady below is stirring the mush with a giant spoon.
Grandpa Ted would like this picture. I thought about him when Lynne took it. Not a lot a crime in Finland, but it is nice to have them around when you need them.
And what would Christmas be without the big stores and all their glitter and lights. Stockmann is one of the famous stores downtown Helsinki. They sell everything you can think of. They have a grocery store in the bottom, and it stays very busy. They have Christmas scenes in their show windows, just like ZCMI used to in Salt Lake. Maybe they still do, it has been a while since I have been to SL during the holidays.
Yesterday we went to a baptism for a Swede that was converted here. A really nice young man and I am sure a great asset to the church. After that we went looking for a used kitchen table and chairs for a new apartment and also found some nice book cases. We try to buy good, used furniture when we have a chance. It costs enough to furnish missionary apartment without having to buy everything new. The place that we went to is just like DI. There goal is almost the same, people helping people. I was impressed with the whole organization and how well it seems to be run.
Well, time to close up for now. Monday tomorrow and much to be done. It is also the week that I have to pay all the apartment rents, which are getting close to 60 right now. I also have to make sure all the utilities and parking are paid also. Thank goodness for electronic banking, it saves a bunch of time.
We think of all of you at this time. Thanksgiving this coming Thursday and we will miss being with the family. It will be another day at the office for us, there is nothing special celebrated here on Turkey Day. Their next big holiday is December 6th which is Finland's Independence Day.
Missionary work is going well in Finland right now. Our missionaries are doing well and continue to baptize almost weekly. Members play a large role in the missionary efforts and their involvement is beginning to pay off.
All our love to you this time of year.
Rick and Lynne
