Tanja @tanjaostman@dingdash.com

We went shopping today and didn't notice any panic in our city today. 😅 We live our lives as usual - what else could we do? But of course it's not fun to neighbor Russia, and the last two months Finns have been worried, and Russia, Ukraine, NATO, and our defense is the main topics on news every day. Some days I wake up with anxiety. Finland (and Sweden will probably follow suit) will apply for NATO membership, and Russia has made clear that it won't be without consequences. Our president Sauli Niinistö made a phone call to Mr Putin today. He is probably the head of a state who has talked to Putin the most. Putin didn't express any direct threat today, but said it will affect our relationship. (Finland has been a neutral buffer state between Russia and West ever since after WW2. When we join NATO those neutral days are gone, and we become an enemy). Please pray for Finland, and our president, who has a key position because of his relation with Putin! Niinistö and his wife are Christian.

Christian college student in Nigeria killed, accused of blasphemy because she didn't want to date a Muslim man.
https://youtu.be/MQsEB8gTiSc

Nature is coming alive at last, after a long winter and wintry springtime.

This is so powerful and beautiful! This video is made of 500 videos, in 257 languages in 154 nations. Including blurred faces from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia etc. It reminds me that we are one family in Christ!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d48-qbcovVY

I honestly don't know if it's a good or bad idea to join NATO when you have a long border to Russia. It's very provocative from the Russian point of view. The biggest problem for Finland is and has always been Russia - that's sad, because it's a well functioning, western, democratic country that's been set as an example and ranked the best country in the world in several rankings. I don't blame ordinary Russians, but the Russian power, that has ruled, threatened and killed my forefathers throughout history. That made my parents' generation fatherless - by physical or emotional death. We haven't totally recovered yet.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/12/europe/finland-leaders-join-nato-intl/index.html

I don't know why I come to think of my husband... 😀 Not any emotional roller coaster as for me.

@sinbach Wow, that sounds apocalyptic!

Has anyone of you watched the documentary 2000 mules? I just watched the trailer, and was blown away. It's just insane that this kind of election fraud can exist. But there are surveillance cameras that have caught these criminal persons that exterminate votes. I'm not American, so I might have misunderstood the voting system from the trailer. Do you put your vote in a kind of mailbox?
https://2000mules.com/

@sinbach I just watched a clip on IG and was thinking of your post. This is a screenshot of it.

Easier said than done, but it was encouraging for me to read this.

A great life story of a 42 year old Thai man who grew up as a Buddhist in the USA, but found freedom and peace through Christ.
https://youtu.be/FAsCMaqSrmY

It's 115 times more likely to get a stroke from the covid vaccine than from a flu shot.
https://dailyexpose.uk/2022/05/02/study-covid-vaccines-increase-risk-stroke-11361percent/

I love how Matt Wlsh is dismantling the jibberish. 👍😀 He says these 'woke' people are hiding behind words with no substance.
https://youtu.be/VvSbI-PChDI

Ida Elina, Finnish pop-kantele player (Finnish national instrument): "When the pandemic hit hard the music industry in 2020, I really believed that was it, the end. I had been working on a song just a few weeks before it all started – about not giving up when the rough winds come, about mountain-moving faith and about keeping your dreams. Little did I know what would come. Now, when the world really is in a turmoil, I wish this song might bring you joy, comfort and courage to do whatever you've got in your heart."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw7AXc8Ciqw

That's what I've been asking as well. 😂 😅 In Swedish we have a word for the day after tomorrow: övermorgon. In German it's übermorgen. In Norwegian it's overmorgen. In Finnish ylihuomenna.

Finns are considered shy and persons of few words. But that doesn't make us less smart... ;-)

@sinbach

I think sisu is what characterizes Finns and BTJ workers as well!

I think that celebrating April 30 and May 1 is a typical Nordic thing. You can read about it in the linked article. In our city there is always a car parade (mostly old American cars) among other things. There are many Finns who have old, American cars as a hobby, and they renovate them. https://finland.fi/life-society/finland-shows-carnival-colours-on-may-day/