Lost Keys, Lost Lights, In the Christmas Zone and Lucia Falls

The week began with a P day, or so we thought. It turned out that the Sisters in Stockholm lost power in their apartment, again. They could not get it resolved with all the available fuses as the fuse box is exceptionally old, so we moved them into another apartment as well as a couple of other sisters who traveled from the north to attend the Christmas zone conference. They were quite happy to be in the dark apartment, so it was not easy to get them to call the emergency number and make arrangements for the electrician to come out and put in the proper fuse. We sat with them while they made the call and eventually it got resolved.

They could have used a visit from Santa Lucia...but more on that later.

We were busy with the zone conferences this past week. There were three of them, but our services were only required for the first two. The south zones have senior couples there to assist, so we did not have to travel down there.

The Christmas conference is quite a bit more elaborate than the usual zone conferences. The missionaries still have their training and interviews, but they have a special meal of pork and/or beef, scalloped potatoes, carrots, salad and five kinds of bread with two kinds of cheese. The most popular item - the carrots! We also served a special spice cake that was supposed to taste like pepparkakor. I described pepparkakor last week, so I will just say the cake was quite good, but it was not pepparkakor. They also had their choice of blue berry, forest berry, vanilla, or white chocolate ice cream. Of course, many chose all four.

 [Olivia and Sister Clouse setting up for the meal. Sister Clouse gave Olivia a matching apron for her birthday]

 [Proof that I was also there]

We had late nights cleaning up, then setting up for the next day. Elder Clouse and I did the food run and then we all spent much of the day rearranging the room while the missionaries were in the chapel. We even participated in the white elephant game (not the typical white elephant exchange, but more like the left/right story game).

[Sister Cappucio scores a bag of rolled oats]

[Pres. Beckstrand holds up cards to show which direction to pass gifts]

Thursday and Friday we traveled far and wide checking apartments. We meet some of the most dedicated, talented and positive young people on the face of this earth. I do not exaggerate in the least. We love them. There are one or two who could use a visit from their mothers to explain again about putting their things away and keeping things tidy, but they are the exceptions. These missionaries keep a grueling schedule and a smile all the time. They remind me of a note in one of the pioneer diaries describing the trek from Nauvoo. Looking out from the wagon there was Brother Brigham in freezing rain treading in mud up to his boot tops and "as happy as a prince." If you have a missionary serving right now, congratulate them.

 [The assistants guard the door to the women's restroom at the church building, while I am inside cleaning]

We intended to spend Saturday finishing the apartment for the senior couple who are coming in this week, but late Friday night we got a call from a pair of embarrassed elders who had been visiting the missionaries in their district and lost the key to their apartment somewhere in the trip. They had a spare key and as they left the senior companion thought he should take that along, but ignored the thought. It was locked in the apartment.

We are supposed to have a copy of the key to every apartment in the office safe. We discovered that we do not. We made arrangements for them to stay in the apartment above the mission offices and drove out to rescue them. While they were waiting for us, they went to a local shop and bought us a container of pepparkakor to show their appreciation. These are 18 and 19 year-old men showing the maturity of someone much older.

Saturday, when we should have been finalizing the new couple's apartment we met the locksmith who was finally able to get into the apartment without compromising the lock. We then took the spare key to the Sko och Nyckelservice (shoe repair and key making - it is where you go to get a key made in any city in Sweden) to get a duplicate. Because it was Saturday, the service was very expensive, but it was worth it for a pair of very appreciative elders.



Because we worked until quite late in the evening and were not able to finish, we gave up our P day today to go back and wrap it up...after the office meeting and julbord (Christmas table). More on that later.

What a Sunday! Elder and Sister Clouse picked us up for church as they wanted to come to our ward. The primary children number about 5 or 6 on a good day, but they put on the primary program in Sacrament Meeting. They were joined by some cousins from another ward who helped with the songs. It was so inspiring to see the older girls (we only have one boy, and he is only 5) take charge of the speaking parts and the two 5 year-olds hold up the pictures. The primary president was as entertaining as the children. She was so excited that the children naturally returned her enthusiasm.

After church we had a lunch that we shared with the elders and sisters in Uppsala, where we attend church. Olivia and Sister Clouse prepared a wonderful lunch that the missionaries made sure was totally consumed before leaving to go to the Luciakoncert. The Luciakoncert is the reason the Clouses joined us. It is held annually at the Dom Kyrka, which, as I have explained in earlier posts, is the largest cathedral in Scandinavia. The inside is cavernous and all stone, so the acoustics are thrilling. When the chorus stops singing the final note remains echoing through the hall.

 [The front of the Dom Kyrka.]

 [The missionaries, Clouses, Olivia and I waiting to get in]

 [Inside before it started]

The concert commemorates the life of Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy) who was a 3rd century martyr. She wears a wreath into which candles are placed. She is said to have served food to the Christians in the catacombs of Rome during the Diocletian Persecutions and wore a wreath with candles so she could have light, and the use of both hands. She is celebrated on December 13, which before the the change of calendar was the darkest day of the year. Lucia is derived from the Latin meaning light.

According to legend, her father was a Roman and wealthy, but died when she was only 5. When she was a young teen, her mother was stricken with a bleeding disorder and was concerned for Lucia's safety and care. Not knowing that Lucia had dedicated her virginity to God, her mother betrothed her to a wealthy pagan. Lucia also intended to give her wealth to the poor and began to do so. Her mother objected saying that it would make a good bequest at her death, but Lucia said, "...whatever you give away to the Savior at death you do only because you cannot take it with you." She explained that true sacrifice takes place in life.

When her betrothed discovered that she would not break her vow, and would not bring fortune to the marriage, he denounced her to the governor who sentenced her to be defiled at a brothel if she did not renounce Christ. She refused and when the guards came to get her they could not move her. A thousand soldiers and a team of oxen also could not. They stacked wood around her, but it would not burn. Eventually, however, they were able to kill her with a sword after she was given the Sacrament. Other legends have her eyes being gouged out as retribution for her refusal to renounce her religion, so some of the medieval paintings show her with black holes where her eyes should be and her eyeballs on a tray in her hand.

[See the Wikopedia article for more and Google for images]

In the concert we attended there were several choirs that sang separately and together depending on the songs. The music is all acappella except for a few numbers that were accompanied by a harp. The music was all ethereal and beautiful. The concert began with a procession of the choirs parading down the aisle led by the girl who portrayed St. Lucia.

Lucia then stood quite still with candles on her wreath crown and a candle in her hand. The other choir members also held candles and the candles were the only light in the building.

Toward the end of the evening it became obvious that Lucia was becoming faint and despite the best efforts of a couple of women to administer aid, she dropped to her knees and then sat down, disoriented.

She was a good trouper, however, and a few minutes later was back on her feet, the candle wreath on her head and leading the procession out of the cathedral. We were proud of her. No matter how beautiful the music was and what a great experience it was, what everyone will remember is that Lucia fell.

[Notice the men of the choir wear the conical star-boy hats]

I know it is past Sunday, and I should post about this week next Sunday, but I have to report on our Julbord experience. It is like a special smorgasbord. Smorgas means sandwich and bord means table, so technically it means sandwich table, but it is expanded to mean all you can eat. The Julbord literally means Christmas table. Every restaurant and even the food court at IKEA has a different mix of foods for their Julbord. Our mission president and his wife took us to a special tower that was built by a Scottish family in about 1889 and was intended to be a replica of the Urquhart castle, the remains of which are next to Loch Ness just out of Inverness, Scotland. 

The room was filled with all kinds of fish, sausages, cold cuts of lamb, beef, pork, reindeer, and älg (pronounced el' yea. In America it is pronounced moose). We also had several potato dishes, green salad and three or four cheeses. Best of all was the pickled herring (known as sill, here). There were probably 20 or so different flavors including blueberry, mustard, apple, lime, etc.

 The place is called Cedergrenska Tornet and it sports the largest collection of American pine and other evergreen trees outside of the United States.  

In closing I wanted to share something that made our calling even more special. I was listening again to a talk by Dean M. Davies of the Presiding Bishopric. He said that we latter-day saints are a willing, giving people who accept callings and do them. What is often missing is that we fail to worship in our busy-ness. I shared the talk with Olivia and we agreed that we often just hurry from one apartment to another trying to make it on time. While we get to meet awesome missionaries, we felt something was missing. We then struck on the idea of leaving them with a message as part of our visit. The reaction to our simple request to share a brief message has been met with great enthusiasm. After our brief message they seem so appreciative. It has made all the difference in how we approach this calling.

We do love the Lord and deeply appreciate the place of the atonement in our lives. This season of the year with all its traditions, decorations, music and lights constantly bring that great blessing to our consciousness.

We love and miss you all. You are in our prayers and constantly in our thoughts. We appreciate that you pray for us.

Until next week - hej då