Sunrise Over Tallinn

I remember the first time I came to Tallinn, it had an immediate magical feeling. When we pulled in on the bus in January, 1999, in the middle of a cold winter night, I swear I saw a horse-drawn carriage strolling past the beautiful houses here. The winter fog left a mist in the air and the entire city had a glow from the winter light.

It is no less magical today. I'm watching the most beautiful sunrise over Tallinn right now as I write this with an exquisite view of Old Town, Pirita and Viimse, the new modern skyscrapers, and the Laululava (our hotel upgraded us to "Reval Class" when we got here, so we are on the 23rd floor of Hotel Olumpia). The birds and singing their morning song (It's around 4 AM now). The seagulls are flying above and below me. The city is starting to wake up.

We've had a wonderful time so far. Flying in, we got a magnificent view of Old Town from above. Chris and Maila met us at the airport. They have been so kind to us--loaning us a cell phone, driving us to our hotel, and helping us track down all of the many people we hope to see. They are so generous and kind! We found my parents and introduced them (I'm so glad they got to meet them last night because Chris was leaving for Saaremaa the next morning and wasn't going to be able to go to church.)

Reuniting with my parents was a lot of fun. They had Geisha bars and flowers ready to welcome us, and we had Danish pastries hand-carried from Copenhagen for them (My dad reluctantly admits that Julie Tate was right about the pastries in Denmark: they are the best in the world, even better than in his beloved France.) We set out for Old Town, and the Saturday night parties were just getting started there. It felt so normal walking up the flower-lined Viru Tanav to enter Old Town. It was like our absence had been but a short time. We enjoyed a medieval feast at Olde Hanse of mushroom soup, sauerkraut with beef, pork, and currant sauce, salmon with wild mushroom sauce, lentils, and hazelnuts, salad, etc. Then we walked around the cobble-stoned streets ending at Vabaduse Valjak and the new Estonian Freedom Memorial commorating their Independence in 1918. (This crystal monument was just unveiled last week.)

I've never been so excited to go to church on Sunday. We enjoyed our fabulous breakfest buffet then took the number one trolley to Lille peatus and walked up Sole Tanav to Adala and to the building that was built and dedicated ten years ago. It was really emotional just walking in and feeling the flood of memories that were there. I got to hug my estonian grandma--Irena was waiting for us with Juuli Nikolskih. It was so fun watching people arrive: Kennet Jogi (their branch president right now), and his wife Kadri and daughter, Erki and Jaanika Koiv and their kids, Tarmo and Reili Lepp, Eve Olgo and her husband and kids, Mari and Alexander Timokov and their daughters, Guido Paulus and his wife, Eike Urke and her husband, Anneli Vissinariova, Hele Jaar, Anneli Moll, Maila chan and her cute kids, Taima Toombet, and Toivo Heinlo and his wife...so many wonderful memories about each of them. Kennet conducted, and he invited Tony and I to bear our testimonies. Hele Jaar gave the first talk about temples--their getting ready for a temple trip to Helsinki later in the month of July. Then I spoke about how nice it was to be back with them, and how grateful I was for their faith and their strenth, and that even though I am far away, I still think about them often and pray for them often. Tony spoke about how much things have progressed since he was there -- the church building and the Estonian Book of Mormon. Then Eve Olgo spoke about how we are all brothers and sisters in the gospel and how she was one of he first members in Estonia, that she had been baptized in Finland in 1990. Erki Koiv gave the final talk about the church can require a lot of its members, but they are blessed when they make sacrifices to fulfill callings and serve other people. I'm sure he knows that more than most people.

Br. Heinlo taught Sunday School about charity, and then Maila gave the lesson in Relief Society. We talked about temples in Relief Society, too. At the end, there was time for testimonies, and I sat in tears the whole time listening to Maila talking about what the promise of having an eternal family means to her, Jaanika Koiv talking about the feeling she feels when she sees everyone in the branch in the Celestial Room (the same people that she endures life's trials with and celebrates life's joys with), Reili Lepp talking about how her daughter can remember being sealed to them, and that even if she chooses not to attend church right now, Reili hasn't given up yet because the Lord has promised her an eternal family and she has faith that that promise will be fulfilled, and Kristi Kirisberg talking about some of the miracles that surrounded her wedding and sealing when it seemed like everything wasn't going to turn out.

We got so much good news there. The head of the translation department from Salt Lake (Br. Bateson) was there. They had had the eclesiastical review of the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price this week. They are all translated now, and they just need to go through a few final steps before they are ready to be published! Wow! And on this new temple trip, Guido and his wife are getting sealed and Eike and her husband are going through the temple and are going to be sealed.

The whole experience made me feel like I was home. I love those people so, so much. I was so grateful to see them again and to be so warmly welcomed by them.

After church, we went out to the Open Air Museum. We enjoyed a traditional Estonian lunch of viineripraad (weiners), kartulid (boiled potatoes), hapukorgid (pickles), salat (salad with dill and cabbage), pankoogid, (crepe-like pancakes with strawberry jam), herne supp (pea soup), kama mousse, and kali. Then we walked around the took in all of the houses with their reed-thatched roofs, beautiful doors, and view of the bay. Oh, and the best part...We Found a KIIK!!! (An Estonian swing that you stand on with a group of people!) I promised Tony that we would find one this trip and try it out. It was so much fun!

Leslie