We have gone from winter to spring! All the snow is gone in the fields out our window. I miss the skiers around the track but now there are walkers with their well behaved dogs and skaters with their ski polls. People still wear coats, gloves, and scarves, but not the Americans. We are hardy, or foolish. In fact, today we awoke to the sounds of metal scraping asphalt. The parking lot and road to the temple were being swept and vacummed and power washed to get rid of all the little rocks that have been dumped on the roads and sidewalks for months. Yeah. Quite a process and much needed.
Yesterday, Sunday, April 22, 2012, we went to Tampere to stake conference. It is about 2 hours away and 160 kilometers. Conference was held in the Tampere Talo downtown,
Annie was playing at night, and the seating was very nice. President Haikkola was one of the speakers and our own Finnish temple missionary, Jukka Lehtimäki, translated for the visiting area authority 70, Elder Gassatti from Italy. He gave his talk in English, which is not his native language and it was translated into Finnish. A very interesting thing. Pres. Haikkola talked about the temples and families and how being in a family is the best preparation for the hereafter. AND, we need to decided to receive EVERYTHING Heavenly Father has for us.
Starting at the left: The Londons, Haikkolas, Thornocks, Fullers, Karla and Wayne and Sisko Stenfors. Taken at the Tampere Talo.
We, all of us but the Haikkolas, then motored to Orivesi to visit with Pekka and Anna-Karina Roto. He is a counselor in the temple presidency. (They had spoken in the Saturday night meeting at the conference. Sorry we didn't hear their talks but they gave us 'in a nutshell' versions). It was a delightful time in their very lovely, country, home. On a lake, with a sauna, a very old barn and a hundred year old house, remodled and updated. Very nice. We had a delicous lunch and then the men did the dishes while we received the tour of the home.
On Sunday, April 15, 2012 we motored to Hyvinkää to attend the ward there and then go over to the home of the Byskovs! We, the Fullers, Londons and the Williamsons, had a very wonderful time with them. The men were to give a little family home evening lesson about the Priesthood as Jon, the oldest son, turns 12 in June. So we brought dinner, hamburgers to grill and all the trimmings and then some. It was great to see an 11 year old down 3 hamburgers, and a 4 year old only have the bun and a few chips on his plate! Amazing how kids are the same the world over no matter the language! It was such a nice day with their family. All their names are only 3 letters: Uif, Anu, Ida, Jon, Jan, and young Noa. Speaking of language, the father is Danish and Anu, the mother, is Finnish. So they speak both of the those languages in the home and Swedish because they start out in a Swedish school. Ida, the 13 11/12 year old (now it's only 1 week until she turns 14), is going to go to English school but she already speaks very good English. Little Noa and I had some moments of high 5's and smiles and laughs but no words that either of us understood.
There are so many fine people here in Finland. And we are lucky enough to visit some of them in their homes and in their own areas. Nice to get to know them in the Temple and very nice to go out and see them in their own towns and cities and be amazed at how regular so many of them come to the temple, even though they have to travel long distances.
