Ha, I'm ready for America! I just made a plan to visit US on May! So many of my dear friends have been waiting for me to make a move and now I have finally booked the flights! We'll see what kind of an adventure I can come up with. I am so grateful for all my many friends! They are the best!

This week I found out that the Lord apparently has other plans for me, since I got released from my calling as a Young Women president. I feel a little bit sad, for the great love I have for my girls. I call the young women "my girls", because that is what they are to me. Great spirits, great youth whose progress I've been able to follow! I love the youth, I love everything about young women. I told the girls that even if our ways part a little, I'll always be there for them! I'll do anything to help them grow, I'll be there to comfort them if they need comforting. I hope that the Lord will soon tell me what is His great plan for me. I hate being idle, I love to serve others. Actually on my way back from church today I realised how much I love teaching. I love the gospel and I love sharing the truth!

Life seems to have a way of getting on the way, doesn'y it? My summer vacation was over in a blink and sooner than I realizes I was back at work.. Well, I'm still forever grateful that I have a job. And I've been able to lead my life and have a regular routine.
I had the most wonderful opportunity to visit Scotland and Northern Ireland in June. And boy what a trip that was! I learned so much more about my faith and of the gospel as well. I learned to trust God more and a realised my dependance on Heavenly Father too... But the most important lesson I learned from the trip
was, what an important role the temple plays in my life! It is the beacon in my life, it is my constant point, my Northern star... I love draving closer to Christ, I love learning more about the truth the gospel has to offer. I am happy to be alive today and I'm happy to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I've been blessed with a lot and to those who have been given a lot, much is expected as well. I am not going to waste my life by being idle! I'd rather get busy and work to share the gospel to others.

Easter time is coming closer and lately I have been pondering more about Christ's atonement for all mankind. I have also challenged myself by trying to wake up early each day and to study (really, not just read but to study) the Scriptures.

Right now we have a lot of snow in Finland, especially in Helsinki. Of course there is snow on the ground on winter time in Finland, but this year is truly an exception.. Huge, huge piles of snow everywhere. Anyway, today we had a good activity with Young Women. We went to down town and brought our ice skates there... Well, I am a bit rusty when it comes to skating on ice, because these past years I haven't done a lot of skating. Well, after a while I found my confidence and it was great! We played dare and took turns on doing special tricks or tasks we gave to each other. It was so much fun! I am sure that probably the others thought we were a bit silly, but who cares! We enjoyed it and of course we also had a cup of hot coco to refresh us while physically excercising.. :)
These are the moments one wants to look back to later in life.
And as they say in the family, a proclamation to the world they encourage us to have wholesome recreational activity and I can assure this was wholesome. :)
Now we as daughters of God follow our theme for the year which is found in the articles of faith 13.
"WE believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

Time goes by so fast. It just feels like the year 2010 just begun and now it's already gone! WoW!!! I think the older I get the faster time seems to go..
Anyway, just like the majority of people, I have made several New Year's resolutions. I have set spiritual and temporal goals for this year 2011. Last year I realized that I had achieved quite many of my goals. Now, let's hope the same applies this year round. I think the most important of my spiritual goals is to stay close to my Heavenly Father and improve my personal realtionship with him. I have decided to keep on going to the temple at least twice a mont! This really is very important to me, I get so much more strenght in there and it keeps me on the path. One really needs a constant reminder of the eternal view as well... Second, I will try to be a better Young Women president to my three wonderful girls! :) I have also had a great inspiration to do more family history work on my maternal relatives. I still need to find all my grandpa's relations in Ingria.. Maybe another trip to Russia could be in place... We'll see, but yeah, I definetly plan on traveling this year! We'll see if this year also brings a bit love as well.. One can always be optimistic about it.. ;)

It's been quite a while since I've been here.. But I have to say that this week has been truly spiritual.. We had a baptisim on Thursday!!! I was so excited for out Thai investigator, who just is a great person! She has felt the Spirit so strongly as I did once upon a time.. Anyway, I've been busy practising a song for her.. I wanted us to sing her "If the Savior stood beside me".. I absolutely love that song!!!! And then I had a talk to write about baptism.. Super, super busy week as I was also working.. But everything turned out to be just great and the baptisimal party was gooooooooooooooooood!!!! :) I also had a wondeflu opportunity to go to the temple today... Really love that place!!! I really have been happy, but the lack of sleep is starting to show though...

So, it's been a while since I have written and entry to my blog.. What happened?! Well, I'm telling you, life happened! I had a moment to get some rest and I visited Latvia. It was soooooooooooo great to see a good friend of mine for the longest of while.. Riga was a beautiful city and that trip truly opened my eyes to see what's good in life. I also know how lucky I am to live in Finland, where we actually have two stakes and a mission in church. So many things were different in Latvia. But I also saw the great faith of those people in church in Riga. To them, the gospel is precious and I came to understand that when we have to fight for our believes is when we grow the most. Actually one notion I made when I came back home was that here in Finland, at church we are a bit spoiled even. We take so many things for granted when we should not! I know that this has not always been the case in here though. Once upon a time when Finland was like Latvia. In the end it wasn't so long ago since the iron grip of the Soviet Union broke...
Anyway, after my educational trip I've been so consumed by my work.. Just hard work and do rest.. Or hardly any. How did this come to pass?! Well, it sometimes happens to me, since I absolutely dislike being idle. I have to keep on going all the time.. And then my energy levels run low.. and, voila, I'm so tired!
I am trying to learn to balance between work and leasure.. Not really easy a task for me... My faith keeps on growing, my understanding broadens. I am content and I am joyful! :)

Lately I’ve been reading a book called “First comes love” by Douglas E. Brinley and Mark D. Ogletree. It is an interesting book, and I know it is mostly about trying to take a serious dating relationship to a marriage level, but I have also found there is something for singles too.  I know that we all should aim for a temple marriage in church and in order to get to that level one needs to find someone to date with. But not all of us are so successful on dating level and thereby are single. Instead of trying to think what I could do to my current status, I have tried to find out way to improve myself. Because through reading this book I have discovered that later on in a dating state one needs those skills. I have tried to look deeper into my behavior to see, how I behave and express my feelings to others. I have tried to see, which areas in my character need changing and how I could be more spiritual. I have begun to see myself in a completely different light, accepting my personal weaknesses and trying to work hard to get rid of them. The book has made me realize that once one is changing into a better person, other people can see it too, and hopefully they will want to seek my company. It is better to start developing better character traits as a single, rather that bring a lot of flaws in marriage. I’m not saying that” okay, if I started dating now, I’d be an ideal companion”, no, but simply that it is better to do something meaningful and useful while you’re waiting. I know that I won’t reach perfection in this life, but I personally want to be a more improved version of me, so that I can be happier. And it doesn’t do any harm if people around me also feel the chance that has happened within me.

Lately I've been thinking how easy it is for one to judge others. It seems that whenever one comes across a new scene out of the comfort zone we immediately start to make our judgements. How easy it is to think, "I wouldn't do that." Or "how can that person do act in such a manner?" when we see someone doing something that is wrong in according to our standards. Are we really so much better than others? Are we really in a higher place than those not of our faith? I say, we all have our own stumbling stones, our own personal weaknesses. I believe we are trying to overcome the imperfections and trying to work hard to make our weaknesses our strenght. I know that people often say, "actions speak louder than words", but have you ever wondered what makes people act in a way they do? I know that what we say also has influence. I believe there are often invisible factors in our words or actions. When we act in a way natural to our behaviour, others may interpret the same action or words in a different manner. And misunderstanding leads to judging others. How can we really jugde others when we don't necessarily know why a person is the way he or she is? What makes us good in judging? I know that I personally couldn't execute a fair judgement if I had to be a judge of others. I leave such a great task to God. He sees in the heart of everyone, man or woman, girl or boy. He knows who we are, how we feel and what we are trying to do.

Saviour taught in Matthew 7:1-2 "Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."
I believe that this is true. It is not our place or our right to be judgemental on others. Instead of judging, we should be loving. For it is said

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Charitybsuffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Charity never faileth"
1 Corinthians 1-8