In this apartment building is our new home. Our apartment is the on the first level (the picture windows closest to the river). This area is one of the newest developed areas. It is on the east side of the river. We can look across the river to the rest of the city. There is a walkway bridge over the river very close to us. People ride their bikes or walk across the walkway all the time. We have walked it twice and three times for Elder Hunt.
Today is Finland's Independence Day. December 6 is one of the six times that Finland citizens can fly the national flag. Every flag pole has a Finnish flag flying today. It is a beautiful sight. We checked Finland Google and they are also displayed the national flag of Finland. Freedom is a great gift that we all cherish, no matter where our native free country is. So when we fly our nation's flag on independence day we feel a pride for the price of freedom for which our national flag represents. Finland is a great country with wonderful and honorable people. There are many stories about bravery in saving this country.
In our home there is a patio where we can in the summer or good warm weather have picnic lunches or activities. It is a very nice place. We are happy to call this place our new home. It will be home for 14 months. We are now in the 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daylight time. The sun comes out above our clouds and every once in awhile the clouds break up and we get to see the light but never the sun. Sister Hunt is one person that can not live without seeing the sun and feeling its warm rays and she is having a hard time being buried under the thick winter Finland clouds. Whenever there is a crack in the clouds she is there watching it because it only lasts a few minutes. It rains or snows frequently. The temperature stays around very cold. We have made some very nice friends from church. We have been invited and been to our Branch President's home for a luncheon. We have other invitations that we are happy to go to. We also have angels here in Finland. They are members of the church who have come to our aid in one way or another.
One checked on us and gave us a potted flower to cheer us up. One gave us limes and ginger root to guard us against the cold and flu season. Her recipe is to use it with honey in very warm water. We are beginning to feel like we belong. We miss home and family but this is our new home for now. We want to give you a short tour of our home. As you walk in from the stairs into the hallway and into our apartment you will come in through this door. Then into the study or the computer room as we call it. Next is the bathroom. Adjacent to that room is the sauna. We are so happy about the sauna. Elder Hunt especially is in heaven. We have been using it and we are enjoying it very much. Sister Hunt says that the Navajos have what is called the Navajo traditional sweathouse or sweatlodge that serves as the sauna. We will be using the sauna a lot this winter.
Next is our living room with the kitchen to the right and our bedroom to the left. Our windows in the the living room are two picture windows.
We often sit in front of them and just talk and enjoy the view. We are grateful for and cherish those moments. We enjoy the night lights in Joensuu. Sometimes there is a snow flurry and it is especially beautiful. We are grateful for our new home. It is a modern Finnish home. We had to get used to some of our appliances because of their different operational settings.
Sister Hunt says that sometimes she imagines herself back in Utah in a remodeled kitchen in her house. When we wash our dishes there is a rack built in above the sink where the cleaned dishes drip dry and are stored until we use them again. We have a glass top stove where you touch the menu to operate it. It is so different than the stove we are used to. It is electric and computerized. We have yet to try the oven. It is a good stove. It cooks all our meals. We starting to enjoy home cooked meals again. Our refrigerator is still very empty.
Our food supply is being added to every time we go shopping. Elder Hunt is
the translator of any thing that is written in Finnish. Sometimes he has to look it up in his Finnish dictionary. We are studying the language and we hope to be conversing with our Finnish friends without switching to English every time we try to speak their language.
That is a tour of our new home. We think about family and friends as we sit at our picture window looking out. We love you all very much. You are in our prayers daily. Thank you very much for your love and prayers. May the Lord bless in all you do. Happy Finnish Independence Day!
