Fall is in the air

Well, I hate to admit it but I think for all practical purposes summer is over in Finland, that is if we ever had one.  However, I am not complaining after hearing how hot it has been in Utah this year.  We may have hit 80 degrees once or twice but most of the summer has been in the 60s and 70s with much rain and not a whole lot of sunshine.  There is a joke in Finland that goes like:

"What are the two shortest words in the Finnish language?"  The answer in Finnish is "Suomen Kesä" translated is "Finnish Summer."  Another joke is, "What is the most quiet place in Finland?"  The answer is "The elevator."  The Finnish people are really private and you can get on a elevator with any number of people and nothing will be said the whole time.  Don't let this fool you however because once they get to know someone and become friends and acquaintances, they talk and talk and talk.

Finnish field of canola plants ready to harvest for the oil.

It has been over a month ago when I added to our blog and much has transpired in the mission field.  I will try to bring you up to date on a few things and add a few pictures.

We still manage to help Elder and Sister Perkins with the housing situation once in a while.  It seems like we are always closing or opening an apartment, or doing something to support the housing needs of the missionary.  Perkins do a fantastic job of managing that.  We did go to Tampere for a day and helped clean out an apartment we had to close because of fewer missionaries.  It took 5 seniors pretty much of the whole day to get it ready to turn back but I guess it passed the closing inspection because I got the full housing deposit back.  That is part of my job to take care of the financial end of housing like paying the rent, utilities, repairs, and rental deposit managing.  Taking care of housing is big responsibility for the Perkins as they have to insure that every apartment is inspected once a quarter also.  There are two other senior couples that help them with the inspections.  Once neat things about doing inspections is that it allows you to meet many of the missionaries as you make the rounds.

Veli Nissen with Londons and Perkins

One of the cool things about going on a mission is that you get to visit with many of the missionaries that have gone home and then returned to Finland for a visit.  A couple of weeks ago Elder (ex) Nissen visited the mission office with his family.  It was really good to see him again.  He was an outstanding missonary and I am sure that he is doing well now.  We went to lunch with him and his family.  It was a good day again.



Zone conferences were held the fourth week of July and the last week of August.  All missions are to have Zone Conferences every 6 weeks now.  We have four zones in Finland and it takes a whole week for the mission president to attend four conferences throughout the mission.  He and his wife usually fly to the one up north.  I went this past Wednesday to our zone conference and it is really a nice boost for all of us.  President and Sister Aura do a wonderful job and the missionaries participate so openly.  Perkins fix lunch in Helsinki for the zone conferences.  Senior couple do lunch for the East Zone and members help with the Tampere and Oulu zone conferences.   The President, in addition to zone conferences every 6 weeks has to interview every missionary every 6 weeks.  He also has Mission Leadership Council once a month, Interim Training for new missionaries (3 days long) every 9 weeks for new missionaries, is responsible as a stake president for three districts in the north part of Finland, and various other responsibilities.  I know know why they call fairly young men as mission presidents, it has got to be one of the most taxing callings in the church and a certain amount of physical stamina is necessary.

Mushroom picking

Strawberry Birthday Cake

We had a wonderful experience visiting with our friends in Kouvola.  Brother and Sister Jäkkö invited us over on Saturday to visit with them and go to church there on Sunday.  Elder and Sister Perkins went with us and we had a good time visiting, reading some of their history, and picking mushrooms in the forest.
 Later that day we ate mushrooms for dinner.  Nellie and Aimo are such wonderful people.  They had much to do with the first days of the church in Russia.  It is a heartwarming story of Finnish pioneers during the early days of the church in Western Russia. We all went to church the next day in Kouvola and had a great time.  They actually had this beautiful strawberry pie for the branch after church.  It was outstanding.

Nellie and Aimo Jäkkö

  A couple of weeks later we decided that we would like to go to church in Lappeenranta and drop off some papers that we had borrowed from the Jäkkö's and they ended up inviting us to stay over Saturday evening a their house again and back to Lappeenranta church the next morning.  Their branch was having a Saturday social so they invited us to that and we had a great time at the museum in Kotka and a picnic with the branch later.  We then drove to Lappeenranta to see the sandcastle displays.  You can see some of them in this picture.
Back to our friends for the evening and back to Lappeenranta for church the next morning.  After church we were invited to the Smith's for dinner.  It was a very fun weekend for Lynne and me.

One of the people we have been working with was baptized in July by a recent convert who had just received the priesthood.  Both of them were from Vietnam, so it was a very interesting situation.

On the 1st of August we received a batch of new missionaries.  Much of their luggage was late but we eventually found it.  They seem like a really nice group.  On the 2nd we had the departing sisters in our office that morning and we had a very special morning devotional listening to them give us their departing remarks. The next day our missionaries went home and things have settled down a bit. Sunday at the end of this week we went to church in Hyvinkää.  A really nice group of people and very warm to meet with.

Lynne and Kelsea

We had a missionary return to Finland that had gone home for a while and we delivered him to his new city of assignment.  It just so happened that it is the city, Jyväskylä, where Kaisa's sister lives and so we decided to go visit her for a couple of days.  We left Friday around noon and drove to Jväskylä stopping along the way to deliver missionary supplies and packages.  We actually took a couple of bikes to missionaries along the way also. We had a great time visiting with Helena and walking around the city.  It was pretty cool there but everything worked out fine.  One of the highlights of the trip was that we were able to have lunch with Kelsea Jackson from Morgan who used to be in our ward.  She is a student in Finland just completing her Masters degree and is planning on going to New Zealand to work on her Doctorate.  She is looking good and doing well.  She speaks a bit of Finnish which is a major accomplishment for any foreigner over here.  Sunday we went to church there and returned home that afternoon after eating dinner with Helena.

Sister Airto

Saturday are our usual P-day but many times it isn't because of missionary needs.  We usually try to clean our apartment on that day and go shopping.  It is also a day we try to hit a few of the thrift stores and look for something that we don't really need.  Anyway it is enjoyable and different.  Sometimes we going teaching with the missionaries on Saturday, but of the time it is during the week.

It was Sister Airto's birthday this past Thursday, so we had a good time in the office.  Friday we took her out to dinner at Tommie's.  There were 10 us and the food was good and Lynne's chocolate cake was also great.

So you can see that there is always something going on in the mission.  We do spend a lot of time taking care of the missionaries and that is our job.

Today we are exciting because Danielle and Tyson will be landing in Finland around 5:30 PM.  Their plane was late out of Salt Lake so they were late into Amsterdam and missed their scheduled flight to Helsinki.  It will be fun to spend some time with them and show them around the place.

Well Tyson and Danielle made it to Finland and it has been fun having them around.  It is a bit crowded in the apartment but we are making it fine.  We have managed to get around a bit and see the sites.  Yesterday we went to church in Neistypolku and visited the Rock Church and Sibelius's monment in Helsinki.  Today, Monday September 4 they left for a couple of days in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia on the ferry.  We dropped them off today at the ferry and they will be back to Helsinki tomorrow evening.

Here are a couple of pictures of the Rock Chapel and the monument.

Rock Church

Sibelius's Monument

I think that is enough for now.  Getting a bit late here so it is time to hit the sack.  Hope all of you are doing well.  Our love to you.

Elder and Sister London

Mission Complete

Well, I thought it was about time to close out our mission blog.  After about 34 months away from home, with a month break in between missions, we are home again in Morgan, Utah with family and friends.  We arrived home on the 7th of July after about 24 hours on the road, or more so "in the air."  It was difficult to leave our Finnish friends and missionaries in the land of lakes and trees.  We managed to work up until we left, so we had very little time to really think about leaving.  Our son Mark was with us the last week before we came home, and that was good for us as he helped us in the office and in our apartment.

Certainly being back home is a real change in our lives.  Everything was pretty much the same in Morgan, but I think we had changed and it has been a bit difficult readjusting ourselves to "civilian" life again.  The kids have done a great job of taking care of our home, but there are lots of odds and ends that need to be taken care of. We did get home in time for the Morgan County Fair and I was able to drive my Model A Ford in the parade with some grand kids and my daughter.

I will post a few pictures from our last few weeks in Suomi (Finland).

One more trip to Savonlinna to help the elders move and then a little side trip to the castle there.  It was a very rainy day but we had a great time.  A lot of history connected with this castle.

Also, Mark and I decided a quick trip to Tallinn was appropriate for his visit.  We had a great time listening to this group in the market square there.  The lady on the right just beat her stick, but they sounded really good.  Tallinn is a really fun place to visit.  Finnish chocolate is cheaper in Tallinn than it is in Finland.  However most of the Finns go there to buy cheaper beer than in Finland.  I think that too many of them drink up their purchases before they get back to Helsinki.  This is very evident when they exit the ship at the dock in Helsinki.



One more picture from Tallinn.

We needed all the help we could get to get our bags to the airplane.  Thank goodness Elder Thelin was there to help the cart from running away.  I think that we had 6 check-in bags and 2 carry-ons and a couple of personal items.  Have to be in pretty good shape to travel these days.  Every bag was within a couple of ounces of 50 pounds.  

Of course it was a super occasion to see the family when we arrived in Salt Lake.

New and old mission presidents and their assistants.

Flowers of all colors.  Lynne likes these pictures.

Nothing like buying fish from a boat in the harbor.

One last look at the trolley near the market place in Helsinki.

Fond memories.

Alone?

Helena and us.

The best companion in the world.

Home again.

Where does one stop thinking of all the memories and pictures from Finland.  It never ends and it never will.  We had a wonderful time on our missions in Finland.  The temple mission was outstanding and our mission in the office will always be remembered.  We were truly blessed while away from home.  It is always comforting to know that when you are are involved with the work of the Lord, He will look after you and your family.  It was a special time to be in Finland with my wonderful wife.  We grew together as we served together during this time.  

Our love and thanks to all of you.  May tomorrow always be better than today. 

Love,  Rick and Lynne

Home Stretch

Well, it is the 7th of June and we have exactly one month left on our mission and about 3 month's worth of work.  But, keeping busy is what it is all about.  Our replacements, Elder Richard and Sister Eliisa Smith, arrived last Saturday and are beginning to pick up on their duties as the new office couple.  They have been fighting jet-lag all week, but come next week they will be in full swing of duties in the office.  This week has been Interim Training for 3 days and language school on Thursday, so we have had a few missionaries around the office.  You don't realize how often you are interrupted until you try to get a simple task done and it is not done at the end of the day, whatever time that may be.

But life is good and summer is here.  Hasn't really been that hot yet but the days are certainly much longer and sleeping at night without darkness is interesting.  I will try to throw a few pictures into this blog just to show you that we are still alive and kicking.

 Couple of Sundays ago we went to church in Kerava and visited with some good friends. This is outside their church.


Below is the church in Helsinki built right into a large rock area.  It is a beautiful building and the acoustics are great.  It is a very impressive place.

This picture was taken at 11:30 PM out front of the office.  Notice the night lamps are burning but you can still see the ocean at the end of the street.

We thought of Uncle Dave Rich while we watched this parade today in Helsinki.  All the fire departments around Helsinki got together and had a big parade.  Most of the equipment is modern and very practical.

Below two young lovers standing near the harbor in Helsinki.

 

 

They still run this old trolley downtown Helsinki for the tourists I think.  It is fun to watch and people like to ride it.

Below is a picture of some friends at the Helsinki Open Market.  My hat is a gift from my good Greek friend.

One last trip to Tallinn before we go home.  This is a picture of Lynne and our guide in Tallinn.  We had a really fun time there again. 

 

 

Well, that is about the story for us from Finland.  We just got back from a fun walk around Helsinki.  The city has become very familiar to us and we enjoy the walk after sitting in the office all day.  We are going to miss the open markets and just walking the streets.  It is a very clean and safe city with thousands of shops. We are certainly going to miss our Finnish friends and members of the church.  Working with the missionaries is always fun and rewarding to our lives.   

 

Missionary work is going well in Finland.  Not a lot of baptisms but that has been the story here for years.  The members are great and work hard to keep their small wards and branches going.  The missionaries are dedicated and obedient and work hard trying to spread the gospel. 

 

President and Sister Rawlings will complete their misson the end of this month and President and Sister Watson will be on the job the first of July.  I have gained much respect for the calling of a mision president.  It is kind of like having a super large family with over a 100 children.  Just think about that for second and then think of all the expectations that missionaries have and trying to help them all achieve their expectations.  Someone told me once that being a mission president like being a bishop to about 10 wards at the same time.  Always somethings going on that needs their attention.

 

We will be back to Utah on the 7th of July and I guess we have been asked to speak in church on the 27th of July in Morgan. Hope all is well with you and your familes. God bless!

 

Love,

 

Rick and Lynne

Spring is here (almost)!

Well, my good friends it is time to update the world on the adventures of Rick and Lynne London.  But first the weather.  Today sunny and blue skies, a bit cold, but we do live in Finland.  Yesterday was a normal, dismal Helsinki day.  It rained, snowed, sunshined, and stayed pretty much typical all day.  It must be spring, however, all the street washers are out cleaning off the winter crud and getting ready for warmer weather.  It really was a very mild winter for which I am very thankful.

Well, I guess I had better add a few pictures to the blog.  The one below is the harbor this week taken in the evening.  Still pretty cold, but beautiful.

Now, this is a pair of dudes.  This is in front of a steak house downtown Helsinki. 

Typical intersection in Helsinki.  This is called Five Corners not far from us.

  Notice how they cover their buildings when they work on them.  They can work in any weather.







Yes there are barber chairs in Helsinki.  Not many, but they are here. 

 

 

 

Just a picture of the corner store.

You can clean a lot of streets with a broom like this.

 
 

Just a couple of icebreakers to help in the harbor this winter.  It was very mild winter and they didn't get much work this year.  See the ice in the water, but not too thick.

 

 This is a statue in the Helsinki Harbor, does it remind you someone you might know?

Above is another beautiful sunset.  Below is our good Greek friend at the open market in Helsinki.  Look up George if you are ever in need of a fur hat while visiting in Helsinki.

We are doing well and staying busy.  The missionaries are very busy and doing a great job.  We have enjoyed very much listening to conference live.  Wonderful talks and many things to ponder over, especially as we near the end of our 2nd mission in Finland.  We love the work and gospel.  May the good Lord bless all of you and watch over your families. 

Love,  Rick and Lynne

Into March

Well, it seems as our mission gets closer to the end, the more routine everything appears.  We are still very busy most of the time, but it is often a repeat of what we have done before.  Certainly the missionaries come up with different problems all the time but nothing much seems too unusual to us now that would have a year ago. Like last week, we put out a cookbook for all the young missionaries and it has taken quite a bit of time, but again all in a day's work. In fact, here is a picture of the front cover.

However, I had to include sample of one of the recipes for you.  Some of them are pretty amusing to read but I am sure they all taste good.  It took a bit of time getting them all into the proper form so we could print them and put them together.  All the office staff put in time on this project.

One Saturday morning we walked downtown to a Finnish military formation where the tradition of swearing allegiance to Finland was done.  Every year a large group of soldiers assemble and publicly swear and renew they allegiance to their country.  It was very impressive.  I didn't get much out of the talks that were given but very impressed with the crowd and their support for the military. This picture was taken from the steps of the large White Church downtown Helsinki and it rained the whole time we were there, but that didn't seem to stop anyone.

Earlier in February we went to church in Kouvola and then after Richard and Eliisa Smith invited us to their home in Kotka.  The Smiths have been called to replace us in the office this coming June-July.  We had a very nice dinner and visit in their home in the country.  In this picture from left to right is Sister Hunsaker, Sister Locke, Brother and Sister Smith, and Sister  Airto, our Finnish missionary in the office.  We had a very nice time and the Smiths were great hosts.  BTW, Brother Smith was my first language instructor when I arrived as a green elder some 52 years ago.

Another picture of their home with Lynne and me and the Smiths.  A really nice home.

Lynne was struck with these ice formations along the road as we drove to Kouvola.  Indeed they are really pretty and quite unusual.

The mission is going well.  We still have many things to do but I think that all the missionaries are doing well and seem to be doing what they are suppose to do.  We have great missionaries in Finland and they work hard and try to be obedient.  President Rawlings and his wife work very hard teaching, training, encouraging, and just taking care of the Elders and Sisters.  Being a mission president is an enormous calling, not only their spiritual leader but always worrying about their personal health and welfare.

Lynne and I continue in good health.  We certainly have been blessed.  We manage to walk around Helsinki a couple times a week to get some exercise, but it takes effort to get out of the office when there is still so much to do.  Winter has been very light and not much snow at all.  The temperatures have been mild and much higher than Utah earlier this year.  We are still getting a few more missionaries than are leaving but it is tapering off.  I fear by the end of the summer when the large groups start to go home, we will not have the numbers coming to replace all of them.  But, with that in mind, we all do the best we can and press on.

Our love and prayers to all at home and abroad.  Thanks for your friendship and prayers. Take care of yourselves and others.  God bless.

Rick and Lynne