Meeting People

In the mission home kitchen fixing dinner for missionaries, Sister Brasher, one of our wonderful senior missionaries (who serves with her husband in Helsinki with the YSA) with Luana

Luana and Bianca who is our interior decorator helping us with our home.  She is also  a member of the church who lives in Kerava (30 miles north of Helsinki)

Luana with her good friend Sister Kervinen.  Sister Kervinen’s husband my good friend and the District President of the Oulu District, northern Finland.  This is taken outside the Oulu Chapel.

Tampere Stake, kids at church, dressed warm

Tampere Stake, kids at church, youth activity

Temple missionaries at our home for Thanksgiving Dinner on Monday November 24th

Misc

All of our missionaries, but us (we were taking the Bednars to the airport)

At the temple with some of our elders after training.  The temple guest house is in the background.  The temple is behind the person taking the picture.  (Left:  Elder Goodsell, Elder Coffee, me, Elder Garrett and Elder Nelson)

Portugal Trip

In mid-October, we traveled to Lisbon, Portugal, for the 2014 fall Europe Area Mission Presidents Seminar where all 30 Mission Presidents serving in Europe were instructed by the Area Presidency (Elder Teixeria, Elder Kearon and Elder Dyches).   On the way to the hotel from the airport we passed under this aqueduct, which was built by the Roman before the time of Christ.  Amazing.

Another of the aqueduct

Looking out on the Atlantic Ocean from our hotel room terrace.  Wow, an amazing contrast of the weather we were having in Finland at the time.

Another picture from our terrace

Rock on the shore on the beach

Boats on the ocean in the harbor, taken from our terrace

Beach pictures on the Atlantic Ocean, on a walk we took to small village stores

Sunrise from our terrace

Taking a walk from our hotel; Luana in front of an interesting tree

Palm trees and the ocean

On our walk, small side streets in the village.  

On our walk, along the beach.  Our friends walking in front of us

Sintra, where we toured a castle and fort.  This is the small village at the base of the hills where the castle and fort were.  The Kearons are at the far end of the street.

oh, me walking in the village

A store with “cork” bags and other items (shoes, etc)

Inside the P Castle, the dining area

The queen’s bed chamber

A guest bedroom

Bath tub and shower

The inner court yard

Looking out of the castle window to the new hilltop fortification and valley

Detail on the walls surrounding the outside castle windows

“Everafter” imitation

Taking off from the Lisbon airport, bridge on the bay

Interesting could structure, Frankfurt to Helsinki (over Estonia)

Fun clouds in flight

More clouds and landscape

Coming into Helsinki Airport.  Directly under the plane is our home.  We are looking south.

Elder David A. Bednar Visits

We took the Bednars back to the airport after mission conferenced on September 12th.  The Kearons are also with us, along with the assistants.  (Left:  Elder and Sister Kearon (area presidency 1st counselor and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy), Elder and Sister Bednar (Quorum of the Twelve), us and Elder Kiuttu and Elder Tippitts, assistants)

 Arriving at the Haaga Chapel in Helsinki for mission conference. (Left: Elder and Sister Kearon, Mom, Elder Tippetts, Elder Bednar and me).  This was a meeting with all of our missionaries.  Wonderful.

There we are on the stand…Either I am very relaxed and enjoying the meeting, or I was on something.  It was very enjoyable.

The Helsinki Finland Temple

The Beautiful Finland Temple, a summer picture

Finland Temple in the fall time

Finland Temple, taken around 11:00 PM in the summer

Getting to Know Finland

Pheasant in our yard

More pheasants.  This is taken out our office window.  Our neighbor’s home is in the distance.

A field by the road on the way to the temple from our home

A beautiful lane down the road from our home…summer time.

The lane in the fall time

In Savonlinna (“linna” means castle):  See the castle mid-left picture.  Beautiful flowers on the lake

Savonlinna:  The bridge that goes to the castle on a small island

Savonlinna:  Logs ready to be shipped to sales, to be “rafted” down the lake to the end location.

Another picture of logs ready for market.  These type of piles of logs are all over Finland, with wood being a major business

Savonlinna:  The castle (there are a few well preserved castles in Finland, this being one of the most famous of them

Fall tree color in Jyväskylä, 4 hours north of Helsinki

We are in Savonlinna (Southeast Finland fairly close to the Russian Boarder).  We stayed in a hotel close to this beautiful lake

On of thousands of beautiful lake and forest scenes in Finland.  This is the beauty of Finland, with this type of forest of one of Lakes and pines, or lakes and agricultural fields.

About ½ mile from our home is this beautiful lake.  This is in the fall time.  The lake is called Pitkajärvi or Long Lake.

A lake scene with a windmill on an island

A Lutheran Church on a riverside in Joensuu, central Finland.

Joensuu again, river flowing into a lake

Lutheran Church on the riverside

Jyväskylä walking mall bicycles park.  Bikes are used for public transportation in these cities

Yes, even McDonalds is now all over Finland

Wintery scene in Savonlinna

The Helsinki Airport

Evening scene (about 3:30 pm) just a few  blocks from our home on the lake

Another evening scene on the lake