Good-bye to Finland

We completed our time in Finland on February 1, 2008. All in all it was a truly excellent experience. We will treasure everything we saw, everything we learned, and everyone we met forever--especially the people of Joensuu. To all of them: Tervetuloa meille.

Last Trip to Rovaniemi

During the January temple closing for maintenance our oldest son William and his wife Darcia made their second trip to Finland, this time without their children. We had planned with two other missionary couples to travel to Rovaniemi. This would be the first time we had gone to the Arctic Circle in the winter. So the Harringtons, Larsons, and two Tippets couples loaded one of the temple vans on the Santa Claus express and traveled overnight to the north. We had been there four times before in the summer when the sun never set. Now we were going during kaamos, the polar night. We visited Santa Claus Village, Martini knife factory, the Arktikum Science Museum, the Ranua Zoo and, of course, McDonald's. (I wonder if they have them in China yet?) I have heard that Finland is the only country where McDonald's is located where they don't yet make a profit. Finns are fiercely loyal to home country businesses so many prefer Hessburger for this reason.


Even though we were there in January, the temperatures were just above freezing and the snow cover was slight. However, we were able to go on a late evening reindeer ride, a dog sled trip, and snowmobiling along the Kemijoki river. The reindeer ride was my favorite experience. It was quiet and peaceful except for the sled dogs howling nearby. The dogsled ride was less peaceful. The dogs were well-rained and wanted to run, run, run. Some of the sleds turned over and some of the bridges along the track were quite narrow. Each sled was pulled by six dogs. The guide told us that female dogs were in the front because they were the smartest, dogs being trained were in the middle, and the male dogs were in the back because they were the most impetuous. Certain characteristics are true throughout the animal kingdom.

The Ranua zoo was a unique experience--a pleasant walk through the snowy woods along wooden walkways. I think winter is definitely the best time to visit.

Santa Claus Village

A Reindeer Sleigh Ride

Going by Dog Sled

Snowmobile Excursion

Ranua Zoo

Our Last Month in Finland

During January the Helsinki Temple was closed for two weeks for maintenance and cleaning. So we were serving in the temple only two weeks. Puje, our wonderful missionary from Mongolia, returned to her home. Her knowledge of Russian and English languages was a great help to us in communicating with all our Russian patrons and we were sorry to have to say good-bye. She now lives in Ulaanbaatar where she works as a translator for the LDS Church. We were happy to see some snow. One of my big disappointments while in Finland was that there was very little snowfall where we were living. I had fantasies of stopping by woods on a snowy evening. In fact, it was colder in Washington, DC than it was in Espoo most of the time we were there. I came with lots of silk thermal underwear and bought a heavy coat, and used the coat perhaps twice and the thermals once or twice only. I left all that stuff in Finland so hope someone is getting good use out of it.

We made one last trip to Porvoo to load up on Brunberg candy for ourselves, friends and family. I know Fazer is the most well-known Finnish candy, but Brunberg is really fine. The city was quite beautiful with a thin dusting of snow. There were no tourists to be seen. The cathedral that burned in May 2006 was mostly repaired which was good to see. An odd side note: The 18 year old man who was found guilty of arson in that fire was first sentenced to 3 years and 3 months in prison. But the Court of Appeals later increased the sentence to six years and six months. Also, I had to include my favorite Finnish sign. It certainly gets the message across of dire consequences for those who ignore it!

What little snow we had in Espoo was melted quickly but it was beautiful for a moment and we ran out to get a picture while we could. The picture below was taken in the late morning. Even when we went to the Arctic circle one last time the temperatures were just above freezing. I am writing about that trip separately.

Snow and Sun

Last Trip to Porvoo

Last Trip to Porvoo

Puje Farewell

For all you Finnophiles out there

We received a great gift for Christmas from Timo and Minna. It is available in both Finnish and English. The English title is "This is Finland." The original title was "Tatun and Patun Suomi." The authors are Aino Havukainen and Sami Toivonen. It features Tatu and Patu as they learn about Finnish nature, history, culture, and Santa Claus. It is 47 high-quality glossy pages long and folio size. The humor is great. But to truly appreciate the detail in the quasi-cartoon drawings you have to have lived in Finland. For example, in one picture of a modern Finnish kitchen I observed: kantele, camera, Finnish style birch stools, pima, sausage, cloth shopping bag, liver casserole, smoked fish, blueberry piirakka, rye bread, rye krisp, cloudberry jam, canned reindeer, Karelian piirakka, bucket of fresh blueberries, steam juicer, honey, coffee grinder, puukko, miniature oven hood at eye level designed to blind, in-cabinet dish drainer (a Finnish invention), marimekko tablecloth and t-paita, xylitol, wooden container box, coffeemaker, muumi mug, wooden cup, pulla cannister, salmiaki, fiskar scissors, under-cabinet fluorescent lighting, and utensil drainer. I'm pretty sure I've missed a lot. One picture that really cracks me up shows a Finnish toddler at the playground in summer bundled up in snowpants, hat, and mittens unable to get up. So true...But every page is designed along the same lines. I would suggest you run right down to the local Suomalainen Kirjakauppa and get yourself one.

A December Funeral at Hietaniemi

We were privileged to attend the funeral of a wonderful Finnish man who was gifted with an exceptional sense of humor. When we suggested that he add water to the soup if too many people came for dinner. He said, "No, more salt is the answer." If the mehu got low, he served "vehu." Vehu can get so pale with the addition of more and more water that sometimes it is necessary to set the pitcher on top of a red napkin so the reflected color gives the impression of berry juice. When clearing the table, the person clearing which was the person who unknowingly sat in the official table clearer seat could not stack the plates. That way only one side had to be washed. He helped his children start a successful business that supports three families. He called himself a soap salesman. He had a wonderful generosity of spirit--even taking time to help us plan activities in Helsinki for our visiting children and their families. He died on a Sunday after suffering seven months from the degrading effects of a brain hemorrhage. The funeral was held two weeks later in the chapel at the cemetery. It was a very moving event--both because of the loss of a great man and also because of the Finnish customs that were observed.

Virtually everyone dressed in black. Many of the men wore white scarves. During the funeral each person or group of people who had brought flowers came to the front of the chapel, placed their flowers on racks set on either side of the casket, said some loving words to the family, nodded to the family, observed a moment of silence and returned to their seats. The great majority of attenders brought flowers.

Following the funeral service, the pall bearers hoisted the casket on their shoulders using long straps as the casket did not have any handles. The casket was wheeled directly into the graveyard with attenders following behind. And the tower bells began to toll. It was a very somber and respectful scene walking to the grave with the bells constantly tolling.


At the end of the funeral service, people retrieved their flowers from the front of the chapel and carried them to the grave site. After the casket was placed in the grave, it was dedicated and a temporary cover was placed over the hole. And again, each person placed their flowers over the casket. A few people who did not have a chance to speak during the service due to time constraints, presented their flowers at the gravesite and said a few words as they lay them on top of the grave.

Following the funeral, the family of the deceased hosted a luncheon at a local restaurant for invited guests. During our time there, all the messages of sympathy received in cards were read aloud by the two daughters-in-law. Apparently, very large booklet type cards of remembrance are common. There was a very clever quiz about events in the life of the deceased and his response to them. People were laughing about the answers and often surprised at the correct answers. Some of the children had prepared a very touching Powerpoint presentation about his life. Several of his favorite songs were sung. And during much of the time there was live piano music. Everyone was uplifted by the time they spent together celebrating the life of a truly great man.

In front of the Helsinki Temple, December, 2007

We began serving in the Helsinki temple February 14, 2007 and we will return home at the beginning of February, 2008. We serve Estonian, Finnish, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Russian members of the Church Tuesday through Saturday as they come to perform important ordinances for themselves and in behalf of their family members who are deceased. We have been inspired how dedicated the people from all these countries are to family history research. We are especially inspired by the sacrifice of time and money made by Russian members as they travel from as far as Siberia to attend the temple.

Christmas at the Temple

We come from Washington, DC where there is a month long Festival of Lights celebration at the temple which is featured as a major attraction in the Washington Post and other area papers. This little nativity scene was placed at the bottom of the steps going up to the temple where not very many people would see it. There was a brief opening ceremony. You can read about the event at mormonit.fi
There has been some local interest in viewing it. A group of children from a local daycare facility came and stayed for quite awhile. It is actually the only outdoor "seimi" that we've seen here in Finland. And what you see in this picture is the most snow we've had so far. Unbelievable.

Pictures from the Vorimo pikkujoulu Party

I'm not so good at formatting the pictures using this blog feature. But I wanted to include a few more pictures from the pikkujoulu party. There were lots and lots of candles inside and outside of the house. The sun is rising sometime around 9:30AM and setting before 3:30PM here in the Helsinki area. So people use candles often to add light to their days. But the Vorimo house sparkled.

Also, they have spent many years living and working in Frankfurt, Germany and collected some wonderful Christmas artifacts from there. One of their collection is a model of a German Christmas market with many little pieces. This year she put it on a shelf above the steps that go down to the lower level of their home which mad it inaccessible to little children and was a disappointment to the grandchildren.


Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the refreshment table before we started to eat. But shown here is a pasta and vegetable salad. A Fazer gel Christmas tree. And some German almond pretzel cookies with marzipan filling that were to die for. In the foreground of the picture above is a brie covered with a caramel nut topping.

Pikkujoulu with the Vorimos

PIKKUJOULU (literally “little christmas”) is a party (or very many parties) organized before Christmas to light up the darkest period of the year and to bring people into the Christmas mood. The decoration and food of pikkujoulu remind you of Christmas. The party may include singing Christmas carols and playing games. Even Santa Claus may appear in the party and give some presents. The most common pikkujoulu drink is called “Glögi”. It is made either of hot juice or of red wine, and is spiced with cinnamon, ginger, clove, raisins and almonds. Pikkujoulu parties start around November and continue until

Christmas. We had been to two pikkujoulu parties previously. One was sponsored by the Baltimore Chapter of the Finlandia Foundation and held in a Lutheran church in a Baltimore suburb. There was lots of Finnish food and singing and Joulupukki for the many children who came. The second one was an annual formal dress party given by Jaana Moller in Annapolis. She is an excellent baker. In fact she sometimes teaches classes. And the tables, decorations, and atmosphere were quite elegant--lots of candles, lots of Finnish speaking, and lots of traditional caroles.
This Christmas season was our first pikkujoulu party in Finland. Kirsti and Pertti Vorimo invited the temple presidency, all the temple missionaries, and all the temple office volunteers to come for dinner on December 10. Her house was beautifully decorated with lots of candles and Christmas things they have gathered from Finland and Germany. No Santa, no caroles. But amazing food, almond pretzel cookies that were to die for, Glögi, people sharing their Christmas memories, and lots of good company. In the top picture from left to right are Nikolai Vasilyev, David Tippets, Nancy and Chuck Harrington, Gerry and Ralph Larson, Pavel Bashkatov, and the temple president, Mel Luthy. In the second picture are Aito, Kaija Hlinovsky, Purevsuren, Tatyana Vasilyeva, myself, Bishop Kariluoma, Sister Kariluoma, and Sister Lindroos.

Just like Lasagna

Last Thursday the young missionaries who live close to us came to our house for lunch. One of the American missionaries told me that Elder Peltola, the Finn, would like chicken enchiladas for lunch. I actually thought they were asking for themselves and using Elder Peltola to get what they wanted. But..turns out it was Elder Peltola who made the request. Later that evening the missionaries went caroling with the young men of the Espoo 1 ward and told them what a great lunch they had at our house. What did you have to eat? Chicken Enchiladas. What are chicken enchiladas? Well..uhm..they're sort of like lasagna. But instead of lasagna noodles they have tortillas. And instead of ground beef they have chicken. And instead of oregano and thyme they have cumin. And instead of tomato sauce they have a white cream sauce. Yep. Just like lasagna!

Our Neighbors

Last week Thursday morning we had the Elders and their mini-missionary over to our apartment for breakfast. From left to right around the table are Brother Lampila who will begin serving a full-time mission in Finland in October after he spends three weeks at the MTC in England, and Elders Draper, Angelos, Nelson, and Robins. Elders Nelson and Draper are assigned to the Helsinki outreach center and Elders Draper and Robins are the South Zone leaders. During the time Elder Perry was Europe Central Area President he recognized the need to bring more young people into the Church. So outreach centers are being established throughout the central area. The concept is to create centers for students to come and study, relax, play, enjoy activities with one another, etc. We have them in Helsinki, Tampere, and Oulu. The Helsinki center is located in part of what was formerly the mission office, CES-Institute rooms, and assistants' apartment. There are two Finnish senior couples providing additional leadership to the centers.
We enjoyed breakfast with each other and then played the game UPWORDS in Finnish for their language study time. Of course Brother Lampila had a distinct advantage so we had three teams. He was on his own and then Robins and Nelson were one team and Angelos and Draper were the other team. Interestingly, the final scores were all within 8-10 points of each other. Elders Angelos and Draper had the high score. Everyone could identify new words they had learned while playing. Even the native Finn learned a new word: halo.

Linda Line Catamaran--Our Boat to Tallinn

Sunday afternoon we drove to the Helsinki harbor and traveled the 80k across the Gulf of Finland from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia in 1 1/2 hours. As temple missionaries, we have Mondays free and can travel anywhere within the temple district which stretches from Siberia to the Baltic States and Finland. We strolled around Tallinn Sunday evening, had dinner, and stopped by an outdoor rock concert for a veryshort while and then stayed overnight at the Scandic Palace. (Next time we will make sure the hotel is air-conditioned before making reservations.) We spent Monday walking in the Old Town shopping and looking at historical sites--stopped to eat lunch and enjoy the sun at an outdoor cafe. A young Russian-Estonian we know from the temple dropped by the cafe to visit with us for a little while and accompanied us for about a half hour as we explored some of the city. It was a unique experience. The city seems to not have suffered from World War II bombings as much as other places we've been. Our tour book says: The contrast between modern Helsinki and the turrets and spires of Tallinn's compact medieval Old Town is like chalk and cheese. We had a wonderful time there and recommend it to all who are tempted to visit. If you can avoid it, don't go on Mondays though.

View of the Old City from Toompea Hill

Quoting from our Finland tour book: "The highlight of Tallinn is undoubtedly the walled Old Town--a UNESCO World Heritage Site--and the lofty Toompea Castle." It is a tangle of narrow, cobbled streets and impossibly quaint medieval houses and is a delight to explore. We had a wonderful, relaxing day and a half looking at historical sites and shopping in stores and at the Sweater Market. Of course, we had to see Stockmanns. The prices seemed about 20% lower than in Helsinki. We had dinner at a traditional Estonian food restaurant. If we return for another visit, I'll be eating Indian food.

View of the Old City with Modern Tallinn in the Background