Suomi, Finland - Thursday / Friday

So, finally I have time to update this. I had one week of vacation but it sure doesn't seem like it after 2 weeks of work life..

After a day at the temple I went to Helsinki with my mother to do some shopping and see some of the city again.

But first I wanted to take pictures of the beautiful houses around the place where i stayed... until my battery died.

After I got more batteries I took some photos of Helsinki.

train station.

On my way back from downtown I took some shots from the bus.. Green, green, green.. And beautiful.

this is the place where Finnish politics are being discussed.

Helsinki's opera house.

At night I met up with my lovely cousin Sara at the bar / cafe where she works as they had a party there. It had been the first time in a while that I had gone out to a bar. it was fun but also reminded me of 'back in the old days' which had a little strange aftertaste.

This is Sara. Blurry, but I love the picture.

Us.

Afterwards we went to see her boyfriend play in a small club with his band. Good times. My other cousin Jose came as well but I don't have a picture of him..

Then.. Friday before we drove to the temple again I was able to take some pictures of the neighbourhood of the friends where I stayed.

The experiences I made at the open house of the temple were remarkable, once-in-a-lifetime and just testimony building. I will never forget it and will be forever blessed with the memories. My aunt Pini wrote us an email which I would like to quote as it truly captures all the feelings I have had and still have when I think of my time there:

All you loved ones,

As you have understood from dad's email, we were witnessing miracles during the temple open house. The shared experience of spirit and love with so many Finns--and some numbers of peoples from surrounding countries--brought us indescribable joy. In a geographic region where people are not very interested in religion, as I had though, people flowed unto the temple. The last figure of visits reached 55 800--which means that about 1% of Finns saw the temple.

One day as I was standing by a window on the second floor of the temple guest house with our dear Patriarch (and relative) Savolainen, watching at the endless stream of people on the temple hill, Brother Savolainen quoted Isaiah (1: 2-3):

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of God of Jacob..."

People visiting the temple were inspired to come and visit and they were prepared to feel the spirit. A had a humorous experience one day when I had parked my car at the parking area reserved for the open house and went to wait for a temple minibuss. The lines were so long (over 50 meters) that we were recommend to walk the distance of about 2 kilometers. I
pitched into walking with the large crowd. In the end we took an unpaved path. I had to laugh to myself: here the Finns were trodding in mud and not complaining to get to the TEMPLE. What a contrast to the experience of the saints who were driven from their homes and who had to walk on muddy roads from time to time to get to safety.

As Sara said, some were weeping after the video presentation already at the beginning of the tour. At the end of the tours, I could tell that people were deeply touched. They were thankful that there is such a place in Finland and that they could visit it. But it was not so much what they said; I could tell the spirit in their faces, handshakes, their appearances. No wonder there were many who came again and again, always with new family members or friends.

We who witnessed these experiences were uplifted; there were times that, I believe, I had a small glimpse of what heaven and the celestial realm will be like. I long for being in the temple.

Love,

Mamma/Pini

I am also thankful, that I got to share this experience with my mother. I remember the last tour we had which was a remarkable group. We weren't able to go to the temple after we had watched an introductory video first with the group, as there were too many groups standing out side on the path and it was cold. We waited inside the guest house for about 30 minutes and the group had the chance to ask us questions which the guides answered patiently. While answering the group bonded and this bond lasted for the whole way up to the tent after the temple.

The guests asked the 'right' questions, showed interest and one lady said that she wanted to cry of joy after the video because she wanted all of the things Elder Holland said for her family. 'He cannot imagine an eternity without his wife and his children'..

The last stop of the tour through the temple was the Celestial Room where the guests were asked to remain quiet for some minutes to ponder and just enjoy the room. In that room I felt the Spirit so strong, the guests were so quiet as no other group before. My mom and I were amazed but this experience.

In 2 weeks I will be back and I can't wait.