A day in the life

If it held any interest, I'd put a picture of what we see for most of each weekday, and that's the interior of the mission office. The service there is fulfilling, though it might be perceived as mundane, it's to help the Lord's work in this pristine country for these loved children of God.

A common theme in queries is what do we do, so I'll take some space to describe that if you wonder.

The administrative duties Jean has center on contact with missionaries and their families. This begins just as soon as they receive their call and carries through. She corresponds on behalf of our mission leaders (nee president and wife). There can be anxieties around getting a missionary ready to leave home and what's happening with them while they're gone. Letters of instruction and updates are the means of easing some of that.

Last Thursday a group of 10 sisters were scheduled to arrive, then that was reduced to 1 who was COVID-free and had her visa. Two came off the plane. Jean learned today that the other eight now have their visas, so they are scheduled to come on the next transfer in a few weeks. As our president (sorry, leader) said, "There has never been a group arrive as expected since the pandemic started. The unexpected is what we expect now."

Jean's other task is to identify every possible configuration of office furniture and supplies. We have the APs (assistants to the leaders) to help with heavy lifting and they earned their reward this week. Apologies to those who came before for former tons of ancient paper manuals and CDs and devices that once were held in high regard that are no longer with us. Oh, BTW, Finns are fastidious in their sorting recyclables. Paper is different from cardboard. Plastic bags are not plastic. Metal lids and their bottles cannot coexist. Bio waste needs a biological bag. 

Daily snow might cover incinerating smoke though (that solution just came to me).

My duties are to get out of the way of the quest for office nirvana. I have a different desk in a different room than I did a week ago. If any thing or body needs to be paid, that falls to me. Apartments, utilities, travel, cars, postage, supplies, COVID tests. Working for the Church I know a little about big beuracracy, but understanding it doesn't breed an avid sustainer of it.

It's not hard to remember that these things allow the important work to get done and with less worry. Many good things are happening in Finland. Missionaries are finding and inviting people, mostly through social media. Changes in teaching people from Islamic countries are annouced regularly. Yesterday our prophet told the members in Europe that many of the blood of Israel are still to be found in Europe or are coming here.

That's the nuts and bolts of the day-to-day nine-to-five metier walk of life slog.

Lest you believe that's all the fun and games we get, we do get Saturdays for a scenery change. Here are a few to help you picture why we love it here.

This shows high-noon. The sun at its apex in the sky over this field of snow layered with ice (I'm sure they have a word for that particular kind of snow).

I know there's not a lot of resolution, but try to pick out the zamboni on the playground to the left. Though our path was as slick as that, it wasn't as smooth and later that day plenty of young'ns were doing their best to scuff it.

Same spot, opposite direction, our shadows. This again at noon. 

We had time to go find one of the areas where I lived 40 years ago near the sea. The most beautiful vista spots now have houses where there were only trees. In 40 years a lot of pretty places no longer remain a secret, but this place still has tons of them.

Look really closely and you can see a fisher of fish out on the sea.

Not saying that we walk on water, but we walked on water.

Interesting to think that we are on the same Baltic that we lived near in Poland, just on the opposite side.

Jean has a Pavlovian response that as soon as I click the selfie, her hand must fix her hair. As you may know, I have dozens of photos like that. You can see in the second pic that it was worth it. Much better!

You'll have to be satisfied that we are Bridges on an ice bridge, I guess.

Just me trying to climb an icy path. 

Jean found some studded snow tire clamp-ons that help a lot but I'm too studly to use them.

Jean likes that lichen and moss still grow during the long freeze.

Already in April the positive temps will be here.