Winter Wonderland

After a dreary December with no snow and brightened only by the Christmas season, the temperature plunged in January and we had several snowstorms.  Most of January was beautiful with crisp temperatures from -25 c. (-13 f.) to -5 c. (+20 f.).  We actually preferred the colder weather because it kept the snow fresh and dry.  It was beautiful - truly a winter wonderland as reflected in the pictures below.

We live in an older residential area.  Nearby is embassy hill, with many old homes.  This is one of Anne's favorites.  We enjoy walking through this area.

Also nearby is Kaivopuisto, a lovely park.
In the winter time it is a favorite for outdoor activities such as
cross-country skiing and sledding.

The children dress in their snowsuits everyday.  Outdoor walks are part of the pre-school curriculum even in the coldest of weather!  These children are going for a walk through Kaivopuisto.

On a cold morning everything is fresh and clean.  This is the yatch harbor near our apartment.  In the summer it will be full of sailboats and motorboats.  It is pleasant to walk along the harbor in all seasons, but it is especially beautiful in the winter with fresh snow.

When the weather is clear we enjoy many beautiful sunrises (at 9:30 am) and sunsets (at 3:30 pm).  The days are short and there is a real temptation to hibernate!!

The countryside also affords some beautiful scenery.  This picture was taken at the home of one of the couples with whom we serve at the Temple.  It is about a half hour from downtown Helsinki.

These kicksleds are still common outside of the major city areas.  You frequently see older
women on the street with a grocery bag or grandchild on the seat.  We wanted to bring one
home, but would have to fix it with wheels for our warm California weather!  On my mission
forty-seven years ago, we called them mumu (grandmother) sleds.

This is the National Museum.  It is one of the neatest buildings in Helsinki.  After a snowstorm
the snow is piled quickly in squares and parks.

Another Helsinki landmark, the Swedish theater at the head of Mannerheimentie, the main artery serving the downtown area.  Note the snow piled on the side of the road.

Snow removal is a continuous process in the winter time.  Immediately after a storm the roads and walks are cleared with the snow being piled to the side.  For the next several days the piles of snow are loaded into dump trucks and hauled away.  It is a 24/7 process.

Although the roads are plowed in most places the snow is also sanded and packed down providing a pretty efficient and safe "winter pavement!"

We followed one of the trucks and found where they were taking the snow.  The tugboat kept its engines running to keep the water moving and ice free.  After the snow was dumped the back hoe would be used to push it out away from the edge to keep it from piling up.  This was a continuous process with trucks pulling in, dumping and leaving in less than a minute.  It was pretty interesting to watch.

Tis the Season

Merry Christmas from Finland!!

Traditionally costumed Joulupukki with his wife.

Christmas season is a festive time in Helsinki - from Joulupukki (Santa Claus in Finland) to Christmas parades and concerts, street lights, etc.  It is also customary for organizations and families to have pikkujoulut or little Christmases in the weeks leading up to Christmas.  These are essentially Christmas parties where people enjoy traditional Christmas food, such as riisipuuro (rice pudding), glögi (wassel), Christmas star tortes, etc.  It is a fun and joyous season.

The main shopping streets, and many of the stores are decorated beautifully.  Also many of the evergreen trees around the city have been lit up.  The decorations on Esplanade park which include three lighted reindeer and a Christmas tree are among my favorite.

Public displays of the Nativity are not common in Helsinki, although you see them in and around churches.  This is the Nativity scene at the Helsinki Temple.  It is beautiful in its simplicity.

Christmas Decorations

Like our apartment, our own Christmas decorations are little more modest than at home, but the spirit is still here.  Anne has done a good job of bringing Christmas into our home here in Helsinki with her decorations and cooking.  We love this time of year.

Anne has fallen in love with her hand made felted Nativity.  

  

A mistletoe garland and Christmas stockings adorn the centerpiece of our living room - our family pictures.  We enjoy having our family with us on our mission.

 

  

A joulu tonttu or elf watches over my desk from his perch on my bookshelf.  He is accompanied by a miniature straw goat.  Traditional these goats and other decorations made of grain stalks were placed around outside during the Christmas season and served as beautiful bird feeders.

We even have our own little Christmas tree, which is dwarfed by the origami stars that Anne made at the Relief Society social.  She is also enjoying burning her candles.  We miss our fireplace and hearth.  She has a candle plate that holds 6 tea lights and a larger candle in the center which she calls her "fireplace"

Anne loves rocks and has used a few of her collection (don't know how we will get them home) to build a ski hill for her felted skiers, a gift from the lady who makes the felted nativity figures.  

Seurasaari Christmas Path

Seurasaari is an open air museum on a small island in Helsinki.  It is a fun place to visit to get an idea of Finland as it was 100-300 years ago, with several old farm houses, outbuildings, manor houses, and even a windmill and church.  It is accessible year round and is a very pleasant place for a walk, but it is staffed only in the summer, with the exception of holidays.  One afternoon in the Christmas season there is a well organized event primarily for children called Christmas Path.  Below are some photos of our visit to Seurasaari with some of the young adults and sister missionaries.  Afterward we enjoyed hot chocolate and dinner in our apartment!

This was a live Nativity at the old church on Seurasaari.  The story of Christ's birth was beautiful told by these children in narrative and song.

 

 

Qindao

Claire and Ellen, two of our young adults from China, were anxious for us to enjoy a real Chinese dinner at a restaurant where they both work part time.  It was unbelievably delicious.  Each dish was unique in its presentation and taste.  And the food kept coming.  We had a wonderful time, and look forward to taking some of the other senior missionaries there for a real treat!! 

 

From left to right - Gökmen who was baptized in October, Eren who joined the Church in Turkey in May, their friend Emre with whom we have had the pleasure of getting acquainted, Jean-Louis who was baptized this month, Noel who joined the Church last summer, Ellen, Elin (Sweden) and Claire.  These young ladies are amazing in their ability to lift our spirits.  They are continually working with the missionaries and encouraging others.

Odds and Ends

At Jean-Loius' baptism.  He is such a kind and faithful man.  He always has a smile for us!!!

 

My Institute class for non-Finnish speakers - Eren, Eric who is from Pusan and will be baptized in January, Jean-Louis, Emre (with the cake), Gökmen, and Wille, who is a Finn.   He has been attending my missionary preparation class and has just submitted his papers.  He will have been a member of the Church for a year next March.   He works a lot with the missionaries and will be a great missionary!!  Seated are Nim, a visitor from England, and Elin from Sweden.  When Elin heard it was Emre's birthday she made this Swedish princess cake, delicious and so thoughtful!

 

Eren and Gökmen have been disappointed in not seeing the snow, so on a recent Saturday we took them to Nuuksio, a national park near Helsinki in search of some snow.  We succeeded in only finding a small patch, which was very icy and crusted over.  Nevertheless, they enjoyed sliding down the hill on their seats and superman style.  They are headed back to Turkey next week.  We will miss them very much, but look forward to visiting them.  They have both participated in my mission preparation class and have taught priesthood meeting.  They will be a real strength to their small branch in Ankara, and hope to serve missions as well.

 

Delfina and Seismo are siblings from a member family which moved into our ward from  outside of Helsinki.  It is wonderful to have them in the ward.  Their older brothers comprise our Aaronic priesthood in the ward.  It is great to see them administering the Sacrament each Sunday.  Samuel is their home teacher.  He served a mission in Minnesota and is one of the stake young adult reps.

 

My family has often heard me talk about the Fagerlund family from Savonlinna.  Mauri passed away several years ago and we miss him very much.  In this picture are his wife, Tellervo, their daughter, Satu with one of her grandsons, and Harri, Mauri and Tellervo's son.  The occasion was Satu's 60th birthday party.  She was only 11 when I was in Savonlinna 49 years ago!  Her daughter, Elina, lived with us in California as an exchange student, and another daughter, Riikka, is one of our young adults!  Elina brought her family, mother and sister to visit us in California a few years ago.  It has been a joy to interact with this special family again!

The Best Christmas Gift of All!!

On December 19th our grandson, Taylor Bassett, married Whitney Minnick in the Salt Lake Temple!!  So we have a new granddaughter!!!  In this picture Whitney is being escorted by our great-granddaughter, Emma.  Aren't they both gorgeous!

Sadly we missed the wedding, but were able to FaceTime with family when they came out of the Temple.  We look forward to meeting Whitney in person when we return from our mission at the end of February.

Oneaa Kiitospäivää!! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving is not an official holiday in Finland, but that didn't mean that we missed the traditional turkey dinner - in fact we enjoyed no less than four Thanksgiving dinners in the past eight days!  And all of them were delicious.

On Friday, 20 Nov we had a Thanksgiving dinner in our ward for investigators and fellowshippers.  It was a lot of fun and we had a good turnout.

Carving the turkey and adding the finishing touches for our ward Thanksgiving
dinner.  Sisters Kwok and Carter, and Elder Grooms.

Oh boy!!!  This looks good enough to eat!  And it was delicious.

Our Thanksgiving dinner group for the Helsinki 3rd ward investigators, new members and friendshippers!

Saturday morning we went with the young adults to the Temple.  It was the first time for Gökmen - one of my Turkish adopted sons.  He was baptized in October.

On Sunday afternoon some of the senior missionaries went to the traditional Christmas opening on Senate Square in front of the big Lutheran cathedral.  About an hour of entertainment preceded the official lighting of the Christmas tree and street lights in the shopping district.  One number which brought some nostalgia was "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" sung in English.  I even got to dance with my sweetheart, although we were the only ones to take advantage of the opportunity.

The lighting of the tree was followed by the Christmas parade.  Unfortunately, due to the cold we missed the parade, but enjoyed hot chocolate and cookies in our apartment!

From left to right Anne and I, Sister Wade, Sister Racker (in back with blue scarf), Sister Peckham, Elder Racker's hat (dark blue hat behind Sister Peckham, Pres. and Sister Watson.

Then on Monday, 23 Nov we had another turkey dinner with the Temple and office missionaries at the Temple guesthouse.  What a wonderful group of missionaries we are able to serve with, including three who served at the same time as me 47 years ago!

Fruit skewer appetizer turkey!

Our dinner table with the Temple and office missionaries.

Our Temple and office missionary group picture.

On Wednesday evening Anne prepared another Thanksgiving dinner for the YSA pre-institute dinner!  They loved it - so much that there was nothing left for Anner and me!!!

On Thursday, the traditional Thanksgiving day, Anne and I went to the Temple for our regular morning shift.  We got home at 3 just in time for a missionary discussion with Tilson, an investigator who we were helping the Elders teach the final discussions before his baptism on Saturday (which ended up being postponed).  The there was another discussion that I had with Urs, a young man from Germany who had some questions about the Book of Mormon, and then finally a discussion with Jean-Louis, who will be baptized this coming Saturday.  Jean-Louis wanted some help getting started on FamilySearch.  It was fun working with him.  While Jean-Louis has been preparing for baptism here in Finland, he learned that his 10 year old daughter and her mother, were also preparing for baptism in Paris!!!

Jean-Louis and I working on his family history on FamilySearch.  Jean-Louis is also in my Finnish class and English language institute class!  He is a good man!!

We were able to get up early Friday morning and FaceTime with our family in California as they enjoyed their Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday afternoon.  We are so grateful for modern technology which allows us to communicate - but we still miss the hugs!!!

Finally, yesterday we went with Pres. and Sister Watson, and Sister Peckham to Kouvola, a few hours north of Helsinki, for their ward Thanksgiving dinner.  What fun we had!  We were able to help the local missionaries in an activity with the primary children making pilgrim hats and Indian headbands.

Carved my third turkey of the Thanksgiving season!

It's been a wonderful Thanksgiving week.  We are so blessed to have this opportunity of serving in Finland.  We are thankful for our family and their goodness. ...for good friends. ...for good health and a comfortable home, and plenty to eat.  We are mindful of so many who are in need and seek to do what we are able to help them.  We are grateful for the church and the opportunity which it affords us to contribute to those in need with the assurance that our donations will be well applied.

Most of all we are grateful for our Heavenly Father's love, and for His Son, Jesus Christ!