Arrival

We arrived in Finland in the evening of Saturday, May 21.  Erick and Joyce Erickson met us at the airport and drove us to our new apartment, which they had stocked with basic foods and amenities.  We settled in and unpacked, and then at 9:00 Bruce had sauna on the top (17th) floor of the apartment building (there are 4 saunas there).  It was a wonderful way to unwind from a day of flying and navigating through airports.  Followed by makkara and Pommac (a Finnish mixed fruit beverage).
Sunday we went to church in Haaga, where there is a beautiful chapel which was here back in 1968 when Bruce first arrived in Finland.  Happy memories.
Monday we went shopping for some additional basic necessities and tried to deal with the jet lag.  It's harder as you get older we´ve discovered.
Tuesday we started in the Temple with an interview and setting apart by President Syvänen.  He is a kind, gentle man, which surprised us somewhat considering he is retired military office from Sweden and given the stereotypical Finnish male persona.  His wife, Kirsti Syvänen remembers Bruce from his young missionary days.  She was a member of the MIA (called NVK in Finland) at that time.
Is has been a fast 2 weeks.  We have managed to survive with the Finnish language.  It has come back faster than Bruce thought it would, although there are still plenty of instances when he´s not sure what was said.  It sort of depends on the dialect and subject matter.  We've had lots of Russian members in the Temple so far.  The Russian language is a whole different matter.  Thank goodness there have been other temple workers around who speak Russian.  But even among the Russians there is often at least one who speaks enough English to communicate necessary information back and forth.  So we have our work cut out for us with learning enough Russian.  We take some comfort in Mosiah 4:27.
Following are a few pictures of the first 2 weeks.

In front of the Helsinki Temple today, June 5.  Holiness to the Lord. The House of the Lord.  Motifs inside the temple are filled with designs unique to Finnish history.

Home away from home.  Small but clean.  Patio door at far left and next to that door to bedroom.

View from our balcony

Bathroom.  Sort of a "all-in-one" approach.  But it DOES have a heated tile floor!

Outside the Haaga Chapel.  Wonderful memories for me from 1968.

Haaga chapel

Eating at restaurant downtown, named Bank Bistro.  About a 20 train ride from the suburb of Espoo where we live and where Temple is located.  Some of our fellow senior couples, including Erick.

One of several harbors around Helsinki.  This one is at the end of the street Neitstypolku, where the mission office was when I was a young missionary.

Harbor at the end of the street Neitsytpolku.  Islands dot the landscape everywhere.

Looking down Neitsytpolku (translation: Virgins Path) towards harbor.  Church is on the left.  Notice brass placard on wall at entrance.  First 2 floors are the Church and LDS Youth Center.

Lake Oitta.  Erick Erickson and I biked out here last week on the day Temple is closed.  About 14 miles round trip.  They have a nice public sauna, large swimming area, huge playground, sand lot volleyball and lots of lawn for picnics.

Lake Oitta. In the winter they chop a big hole in the ice near the sauna so the Finns can jump in the lake. Refreshing!

In town of Hyvinkää, where we went to watch Pesäpalo, Finnish baseball.  Which by the way, is NOTHING like American baseball.  Bruce went with Erick Erickson, Pres. Grönlund (above), first counselor in Temple Presidency, and President Syvänen, Temple President.

Pesäpalo.  I won't attempt to explain the game here.  Just Google it or watch on YouTube.  Strange.  But fast, which is better than American baseball, I have to say.

Pesäpalo.  They communicate using a colored fan.  These were professional teams.  They have a world championship every year and teams from other countries also compete.

Half time.  Makkara, or Finnish sausage.  Oh Yeah.

View from Guest House at the Temple.

Temple Steeple.  There's really no way to describe how beautiful the area is around the Temple.  There are biking and walking paths everywhere, and a large sports park nearby, including a HUGE skate park and both indoor and outdoor swimming pools.  And an ice rink. A couple of soccer (oops, I mean football) fields, a large track and field venue with stadium seating.

Right now we are enjoying about 19 hours of daylight, which will continue to lengthen until the 22nd of June.  Midsummer Eve is a big celebration.  Juhannus.  The biggest holiday in Finland.  They really do love summer.  Probably because it´s so short.  And winter is long and dark.