North to Alaska, no Sodankylä, Finland.

July 20, 2013, Helsinki Finland.  Weather cool and a bit rainy.

Well, we finally made our trip north a few days back.  We left Helsinki, Friday the 5th of July, with a van full of furniture and stuff for the missionaries along the way.  We had a sofa and a some office chairs and a bunch of other smaller items to drop off. Our first stop was Tampere and visited with several missionary companionship there.  After a quick trip to IKEA for the sisters, because they didn't have an iron or an ironing board and needed their desks re-arranged.  Later we left and went to Pori and visited the elders there and left them a sofa.  They were quite elated to received a couch for their apartment.  From Pori we went to Seinäjoki and visited the elders there and checked their apartment. We left them a couple of desk chairs as theirs were falling apart.  Everything else being good there, we went on to Vaasa and stayed the night in a missionary couple's apartment.  I hadn't reserved a hotel earlier, so I called the Hedins who were in Sweden and they had the missionaries give me the keys for the night.  The next morning we checked the missionary's apartment there and then drove up the coast north to Pietarsaari where we had a great visit with the missionaries there.  Saturday afternoon we left Pietarsaari and drove to Oulu for the night.  In Oulu we checked out a couple of apartments with the elders and sisters and dropped off some stuff for them.  Their apartments were fine.  Oulu is a town that I spent much time in when I was here as a young missionary and it has really grown.  Getting up Sunday morning we went to church in Oulu and had a great time with the members there and the Johnsons.  Sunday afternoon we drove from Oulu to Kemi and visited with the missionaries and a senior couple, Gourleys.  Kemi being okay, we drove to Rovaniemi and visited with the missionaries in their new apartment.  They seemed very happy with life and the missionary work.  We had a fun time time in Rovaniemi for a couple of days. We had a small cabin as our motel room and it was really  nice.  It had a sauna in it and I took advantage of it.  We were able to go visit Santa at Santa's Village on the Arctic Circle and had our picture taken.  He was a pretty jolly fellow.

Later there we purchased some postcards for Santa to send to the kids around Christmas.  On Monday we drove further north to Sodankylä and had supper there in a pizza place.  Really, not a great deal more there except flat ground and trees. They must be a hardy type that live there, their winters must be long, cold, and dark.  But that is pretty much the same all over the country.  This being the furthest north we have been in Finland, we decided that Sodankylä was far enough north and we headed back south to Rovaniemi for the evening.  Tuesday morning we left Rovaniemi and headed toward Joensuu. Along the way to Joensuu we stopped in Kajaani and visited there with the elders for a while.  We found an office chair for them and dropped it off and stopped at a another place and bought a couch that was on sale.  We loaded it into the van for the couple that arrived yesterday on their mission. We decided since we were on the road we would go to Kuopio and visit the apartments there.  The elders and sister were headed south to a conference with the mission president, so we visited their apartments without the missionaries.  Kuopio was fine except that it rained so hard there that we had to slow down to a crawl and just creep for about 10 minutes and then the rain letup.  As luck would have it, this was about the only time Lynne drove the entire trip and she ran into a rain storm.  From Kuopio we went to Joensuu where visited the elder's apartment without the elders as they were headed west to pair-up with some other missionaries.  We stayed in a senior couple's apartment that night also, as it was empty and cheap.  Brother and Sister Wright arrived yesterday afternoon and they will be going to Joensuu as the new SYA missionaries there.

Wednesday morning we got up and headed south.  It was time to get back into the office and catch up on the bills. We ran into quite a bit of rain on the trip home, but we made it.  It was a bit late Wednesday when we got back to Helsinki, but it was okay and the next morning we were back at the office.  Took a while to catch up but not all that long.  Two days of work and the following Saturday we were on a train ride to Jyväkylä to meet with Helena and spend a couple of days there.  While in Jyväskylä, we visited the elders and sister there and checked out their apartments.  Everything well there.  We had a great visit with Helena and went to church there Sunday morning.  I was very impressed with the ward there and especially their stake president who lives in that ward.  He is one of the finest people in the world, just like our own stake president back home.

After church we ate dinner at Helena's with the elders and had great time.  We also had the privilege of attending a baptism in Jyväskylä Saturday evening.  Always such a pleasure to attend a baptism.  The ward really supported the event, there must have been 40 to 50 people there.

A nice train ride home from Jyväskylä and back to bed so we could hit the road running on Monday.  Again a very busy week in the office.  Paying bills and getting an apartment furnished for the new couple that will be working near us in the office.  Their primary responsibility is the Young Single Adults, but if they have time they can come and help us.  That will be nice as we are a bit behind right now.

Thursday evening we spend 4+ hours putting together an Ikea king+sized bed for the Thelins and today we took then shopping all day to help they finish furnishing their apartment.  It was a shop-until-you-drop day for them.  They were very tired at the end of the day just coming from America.

Also this past week we have had an elder shadowing us because of health problems and needed  a place to be while he is recuperating.  Got a bug of some kind and just can't get rid of it.  Elder Murray is from Scotland and a nicer missionary couldn't be found anywhere. It is so hard for him to just stand by and don't do anything.  So really he doesn't stand around, he helps us a bit when we let him.  I just hope and pray that he is allowed to finish his mission fully healthy and well.

Hope all of you are doing well.  I have loaded some pictures below of Finland's countryside in the summer.  It is always so beautiful, but honestly even too much of anything becomes rather routine.   Love you all,

Rick and Lynne.

Summer and Midsummer (finally) 2013

Well, I guess I can take a minute and put a few pictures in our blog.  Honestly, we have been so busy since we came back to Finland that we haven't had a great deal of extra time for anything.  We did get away on a Monday a go to Porvoo, as seaside town pretty close to Helsinki.  It was a fun trip and we all had a great time. This is a picture of the old bridge just below the old church in Porvoo.  It really is quite a quaint little town.  We spent a several hours in town, ate, visited, walked around and then headed home.


One of the interesting things that they do in the churches here is to hang a ship in the chapels along the coastline of Finland.  Here is the one in Porvoo.  I have been in many other church that have the same thing with hanging ships.

 I think it was to protect the sailors out to sea and remind the folks to pray for them.  This was back in the days when almost all the residents for this town were connected to the sea in one way or another.  Now it is just a very nice little town with many pleasure boats in the harbor.  There is a ferry from Helsinki that comes everyday to Provoo if you like to come by sea.  We came by land in the church van and all eight of us had a great time.  Dunns, Vorimos, Walshs, and the Londons had a great time just wondering around.

Life in the Mission Office just keeps moving on.  Pretty much the same routine everyday but there is always something going on to keep you busy.  The missionaries always seem to have questions about one thing or another.  Lynne gets all the motherly questions, especially from the sisters, and I get all the money questions, especially from the brothers.  It is really amazing how much difference between missionaries when it comes to just going forward from one day to the other.  Doesn't matter if it is a sister or an elder, same type of questions and struggles.  We had 11 new missionaries come to Finland this past Tuesday and that is always a busy time in the office and for everyone involved.  Orientation and paperwork all take time, which we don't seem to have a lot of when it comes to new missionaries because we ship them out the day after they arrive.  Great group this time.

Well the last two days have been Midsummer Night (Juhannus Päivä) holiday season.  All kinds of celebrations throughout the land of Finland.  Most Finns just get out of town for the weekend, so Helsinki is a pretty quiet town this time of the year.  It just kinds of goes to sleep for a couple of days.  However, we drove out to a lake last night and watched the fire burn out on a raft.  There was a pretty good sized crowd there and all seemed to have a good time.

While waiting on the shore, a mother duck and her ducklings came by.  It was fun to watch them.  This is a picture of the another duck on the lake, enjoying the same sunset and waiting for the fire to start.

They started the fire about 10 PM in the evening and the large crowd all enjoyed it.  The children especially like to see the flames out on the lake.  A number of people rowed out and watched from their boats.  It was similar to our 4th of July get-togethers with our families. A few of the local organizations had some food booths for the attendees and all seem to have a really good time, as you can see from the picture below.  It is almost like being at home except for all the greenery and the different language, but the Finns are just like us and they enjoy a good time outdoors and with their families.

So here is the fire that we all waited for out on the banks for one of the thousands of lakes in Finland.  It was a fun evening and all seem to have a great time.  It really doesn't take a lot to make the folks happy for a holiday here.  For a quiet people, they really enjoy being with friends that they know and with their familes.

It was a beautiful evening and everything turned out well.  Saturday and Sunday were also part of their holiday and it was very quiet around here.  Many people left town for the country.  They love to go out in the country.  That is where many of their ties are with relatives and friends, so they go visit and stay in their summer cottages.  And with so many lakes in Finland, you can imagine how many summer cottages that they have.  So, we left the bonfire and went back home, but upon entering our apartment about 11 PM, we were told that they was some activity down on the waterfront.  So being the night hawks that we are, we went down and mingled with the Finns and watches a much smaller fire on the shore.  There are so many fires around the beaches and banks Friday evening that the cruise companies sponsor special cruises just to see the fires.

So, here is a parting photo for the blog this time.  We are fine and doing well.  We love the land and the people.  "Miles to go before we rest.", but that is okay too.

I just had to share this last picture with you.  So, for now, good night and God bless.  We love you all

Love, Rick and Lynne

Life in general

May 20, 2013 and all is well. Weather is really nice, a bit cold this evening but great on our walk. Lynne was in charge of feeding 38 elders and sisters today and did a mighty fine job.  It takes a lot of planning and work to feed that many.  She only has to repeat herself 3 more times this week.  Elder and Sister Walsh from the temple were there to help, along with Sister Locke, so everything went quite well.  We try to find as much help as we can for the large groups.

Leadership training week always occurs 6 weeks after the new missionaries arrive in Finland.  It is 3 full days of pretty intensive training given by the mission president and his assistants.  The 6 week-in-the-field missionaries and their current companions attend the training.  Lynne is in charge of preparing lunch for them.  The 4th day of the training is language school for the new missionaries.  Their older companions go to the temple while their junior companions attend language school.  This being the case, the number she feeds on Thursday is usually a third less.  It is always fun to visit with the missionaries and see how they are doing.  We have a great bunch of young men and women serving in Finland.

Thought I would include a couple of pictures along our walk today.  It just seemed to turn green all at once here.  This first picture is look out over the Helsinki Bay from our park.

The next one is a glance at the birds that inhabit the park.  Lynne doesn't venture very close

to the birds. In that respect, she hasn't change much since she was a young girl.  One last picture of an old tree that we found in the park.  Lynne thought it was pretty and clicked a shot.

We hope and pray that all of you at home are doing well and life is moving on in your life.  We are doing very well and beginning already to realize how quickly time passes.  We thank for your support and looking after our family.

Well, it is late in the East side of the world and I must go to bed.  God bless all of you.

Love,

Rick and Lynne

May Day 2013

Well friends and family it is time to let you know that we are still alive and well in the heart of Helsinki, Finland.  I think we told you earlier that we have moved from our commute each day to an apartment that is a 5 minute walk to the office.  That is really nice, except now we are too close and convenient for many missionaries to "need" something at all hours of the day.  We really don't  mind too much, we enjoy working with them.
As far as the mission goes, everything continues to move on.  Last week was another busy week for Lynne and the rest of us as she had to fix lunch four days in a row for about 26 missionaries and office staff.  Fortunately we were able to recruit some of our temple friends to come and help.  Brother and Sister Ojala came Monday and Sister Ojala prepared salmon soup which was outstanding. It was a big hit with the missionaries and it was fun to have the Ojalas around to help and visit.  Also all week Elder and Sister Thornock from the temple came and helped in the morning, but they had to leave by noon to get to their temple shift. They were a great help.  Lynne and Sister Locke ended up doing the lion's share of the preparation, cooking, and cleaning.  Lynne does a great job, but for almost an entire week it takes her away from her other duties and then she has to play catch-up.  The next round of meals is the end of the month when the same thing happens again.

This past week in Finland was Vappu Day or May Day and it is big, big holiday here.  At 6 pm the evening of May Day a large crowd assembles in downtown Helsinki and a high school graduation cap is placed on a statue of an unclad marble lady.  As you can see from the pictures below, it is quite a celebration.  Also it is also the time when everyone, and I mean almost everyone, has to drink.  This goes on for a couple of days.  To the left is a picture of the crew that puts the hat on the statue.  There are cranes all over as you can see in the second picture.

 

Finally the students place the white hat on the statue and May Day is officially started in Helsinki.  I think that the same event is carried out in many of the cities in Finland the same way.  Partying and drinking continues all night after that and the next day (May 1) giant crowds assemble themselves in a large park down by the sea, right next to where we live.








Finally a picture of the statue with the white hat on the stone lady's head.  Everyone wears the while hat as you will see later in some pictures. Notice the Swedish flag to the right in the picture.  I think their embassy is in the background.









This picture shows the picnic crowds in Kaivopuisto Park.  We live about 2 blocks from the park now.

Even the young kids come out and celebrate the day.  It was really a fun time to see so many families out enjoying the weather.  It was a bit cold but a beautiful day. They dress their kids very warmly as you can see in this picture.

Another picture of the park and folks on May Day.

Well, it is Sunday morning and we are off to church.  We are still very busy and haven't had a lot of play time.  We did have stop by and visit some old friends from the temple yesterday and had a great time eating and talking with the Vorimos.  They are always so kind and caring.

 I think that the storm has finally settled after the last group of missionaries arrived and have arrived in their assigned locations.  We ended up finding and furnishing about 10 new apartments during the last month or so, and closed about 4 apartments.  The next group of missionaries comes in June, so we get to go through the same process again.  Also we have started to receive some of the younger missionaries and also missionaries that are in the MTC for only 9 weeks compared to the longer 12 weeks before.  We receive new missionaries every 9 weeks now, so now in the MTC there is only one group of Finnish missionaries being trained at the same time.  Before, when we received missionaries every 6 weeks, and they were there for 12 weeks, there were always two separate groups at the MTC at the same time.

Hope all is well with each of you.  We are busy but we are happy to be here and involved with missionary work.  It is a good feeling to know that you are needed.

Love, Rick and Lynne

The Missionaries are coming, the missionaries are coming.

Well, we received 14 brand new missionaries today and none went home for a total of 7 new companionships.  It was a very busy day, but it went well and it was so great to see all the new young Elders and Sisters come to Finland.  This is the first group of 9 week MTC missionaries and they seemed to speak pretty good Finnish.

Last Sunday we went to Kerava to church and visit with some good friends.  It was a fun day and we enjoyed dinner with our friends.  We are enjoying living right in the heart of Helsinki, except we miss shopping for groceries at our favorite supermarket.  However, it is nice not to have to drive so far to work.

We are happy with our next stake presidency.  President Skinner and his counselors will do a great job.  Bishop Payne will make a great bishop in our ward along with David Rich and Blaine Freestone.  Really not much more to report as we are usually so busy at the office there is not a lot of time to do much more.  Tomorrow we are taking some Elders shopping to pick up the items that we missed when we got their apartment ready before they came.  Costs the church much money to rent and furnish all these apartments.  And since I pay the bills in this mission, I know exactly how much it is.

Hope all is well with all of you.  God bless and keep you.

Love,

Rick and Lynne

Easter and mämmi

Well it is Easter afternoon in Finland and all is well.  We had the sister missionaries over for dinner this evening.  We attended church in Haaga Ward today and came home and got ready for dinner .  Pretty much sounds the same as when we were home. Easter is a very big holiday around here.  Friday on Good Friday nobody moves.  Everything is closed and it was a good day to go to work as it was quiet in the office. Saturday was a regular day, Sunday is a holiday and so is Monday.  Tuesday before we can get anything done at all.  The traffic was non-existent and so the trip there and back went very good.  It was Fast Sunday in Finland today so we had testimony meeting that was really nice and spiritual.

Below is a picture of the sister today as I was very outnumbered at the dinner table.  From left to right is Sister London from Morgan, Sister Kunz from Lake Town Bear Lake area, Sister Glasser from Bountiful, and Sister Locke from California.  Lynne fixed a very nice dinner and the dessert was outstanding.

In fact, here is a picture of the dessert.  One is a blueberry cheesecake, which was out of this world, and the other is a traditional Finnish Easter dessert called "mämmi".  It is pronounced with a short "a" up front like "mam" short for "madam" and the mi is pronounced like "me."  It is basically a rye type cereal with a a whole lot of molasses and other stuff.  It is eaten with cream and people like it or hate it.  At first I didn't like it but it   isn't as bad now.  Certainly the blueberry cheesecake was more popular but we all tasted the mämmi and I hope no one has to go to the hospital this evening.  The freezers  in the supper markets are loaded with this stuff just before Easter, so I guess many folks eat it.

Anyway, we had a great meal and all were happy.  

Work is as busy as ever.  Biggest task right now is to find enough apartments for the new missionaries coming in a couple of weeks.  Finding them is just the beginning as we need furnishings for every apartment.  I can't imagine how much money the church has to be spending on the influx of new missionaries.  But there

 is plenty of room here for more missionaries as I sure there is room all over the world.  I keep forgetting that my job is not to find more apartments, it is to spread the gospel and finding apartments is secondary to that.  We appreciate Sister Locke here with us now.  She is a big help. She found an apartment in Helsinki near the office, so she will be moving this week.  We will be moving in a couple of weeks, after we get the new set of missionaries in place.

I hope all of you are doing well and spring is in the air there.  Still pretty cold here but the days are longer, so spring can't be too far behind.  Our kids seem to all be doing pretty good, so not too much to report there.

President Porter made it possible for us to watch stake conference a couple of weeks ago.  It was so fun to hear the folks from home and especially to see our wonderful Bishop sustained as stake president.  It was not a big surprise for Lynne and me as we almost know for sure who it would be.  I think many times the spirit gives us the inside track on certain things in that occur in our lives.    

It is wonderful to be here, especially as spring is starting to burst forth.  We are doing okay.  Love to all of you.

Lynne and Rick

Spring may be coming????

Hello friends and neighbors from the northland.  It is March 24, 2013 in Finland and the sun has been shinning all day even though the temperature hasn't been above 0 degrees centigrade.  Church went very well today and we had a good time visiting with the members in Marjaniemi Ward in eastern Helsinki. Everything in the office is as busy as ever but I think we are learning a few things and getting a little faster at it.  We do have some more help, Sister Jill Locke from California has been here a couple of weeks already and she is a big help.  We keep thinking that maybe we will have some free time one of these days but not true so far.

But before we get too involved with the details, look at the owl below.  We saw it today coming back from church just outside our apartment.  Pretty cool isn't it.  A Finnish gentleman pointed it out to us as we were walking by it.  I just about missed it because I wasn't familiar with the finnish word for owl (pöllö).  Now I know it and will probably not forget it.

Anyway we have been really busy but again it is fun to work with the young elders and sisters and enjoy their spirit and youth.  I had forgotten what it was like to have teenagers around to work with , but with the new age reductions, we will be getting them young.  This last week we had 7 missionaries go home and 7 new ones arrive.  It is a continual process and just keeps going.  The world of missionary work is one continual round.

I thought you might want to see a picture of one of the hardest working missionaries in Finland.  Well, here she is.  No one works any harder than Sister London each day at the office.

Our good Russian friends gave us a cookie the other day.  It was really cute of them to think of us.

We managed to get back to the temple yesterday and was it ever busy.  Both sessions were completely full and then some.  There were baptisms and sealings and everything else going on at the same time.  It was a wonderful day to be there and still be a temple worker.

We finally found a new apartment downtown Helsinki.  It is right near the office and we allow us to get there fairly fast and won't have to worry about the winter driving and the 45 minutes to an hour it takes us to get to work each morning.  The new apartment isn't nearly as nice and new as this one but it is okay and we are happy with it.  We just have to move and that is always a royal pain.

Hope you are doing well at home.  We are fine and getting along great.  There are many blessings that come from serving on a mission.  It really is a wonderful time of our lives.

Love to all,  Rick and Lynne