New Rules; Old Views

Much of this past week was spent in preparing for and serving at the Specialized Zone Training meetings. It was interesting to go to a different store. Martin Olssen is primarily a store for restaurant supplies, so it is useful when shopping for large numbers of people. It is like the food section of Costco, which is unusual here. There is really nothing to compare to Costco or Walmart, as it would not fit their lifestyle. So many live in apartments and walk to their shopping places that it would not work to shop in bulk for the most part. I digress.

 The zone Specialized Training meetings were held individually, unlike the Christmas zone conference where several zones met together. So we assisted with the Clouses in providing meals for three days. Even though we had the same menu for each one, I am still not tired of Sloppy Joes.

[Elder Clouse and I put out the food. I labeled the pasta salads with "med oliver" and "utan oliver" (with olives and without olives) then Elder Hawkins went a step further and labeled the Sloppy Joes as "Smutsig Joseph" (literally, dirty Joseph, but that is the word they use for sloppy). There is a lot of one upmanship around here. 😁]

   

[Some elders enjoying the luncheon. Elder Pack borrowed Olivia's apron so the Sloppy Joe didn't get on his shirt. Elder Bentson isn't so sure that's proper missionary attire. Elder Christley and Elder Hawkins are Proselyting Office Elders, so they help with the details of these events. They decided that the napkins were just too plain, so they folded them into standing fans. Both are also excellent missionaries.]

We sat in on the meetings for the Stockholm Zone so we would know what is expected of the missionaries. The more we listened to the training, which was presented primarily by the Assistants to the President, the zone leaders and the Sister Trainer Leaders, the more amazed we are at their abilities and their work ethic. Their work ethic is driven by their desire to be obedient which is driven by their testimonies and conviction to follow Christ. I do remember my days as a missionary and I recall that we did the same thing, but it amazes me to see that a generation that is thought of as privileged, spoiled and entitled is just as idealistic and driven as any other generation; maybe more so. We don't usually get to be involved in training for the  young missionaries, so this was a special time for us.

They were presented with a new, more rigorous schedule sent out by the Missionary Department. At first they wondered how they were going to be able to comply and then started throwing out ideas as to how they could make it work. Soon, they were visibly excited at the prospect of having more time available to them to meet with investigators, or to contact.  They will receive more information this Wednesday with a special broadcast from Salt Lake City.

The mission presidents have also been given a new, more rigorous schedule. The new schedule for mission presidents means that they will be doing a lot more traveling and spending much less time at home. That also means our responsibilities will likely change somewhat in order to give them the support they will need. We are looking forward to the results of these changes.

In previous blog posts, I have mentioned Elder and Sister Smith who came here after having served a mission in The Philippines. They are involved in Records Preservation. We have asked if they could give us a tour of the archives building where they spend their days. Friday, we were able to do so. They arranged for a man who has worked at the facility for over 40 years to show us around.

[Elder Smith and Sister Smith at their desks]    [Peter, our tour guide, showing some of the ancient records. This exhibit has their oldest document which is from 1358 AD. It is a contract between a farmer and a church pastor allowing him to graze his sheep on church property] 

[The senior missionaries who were able to attend the tour. Elder and Sister Smith, Elder and Sister Hall, Olivia and me, Elder and Sister Clouse]

This facility is built into a rock cliff, one of the first facilities in the world to do so. It has a double purpose - to protect from bombing (it was built near the beginning of WWII) and to provide climate control. The problem is that they are running out of room. They can't expand because there isn't any more room in the rock, They have expanded up with this library in the picture and a computer room for patrons to use. Below them is the tunnel for the train system so they can't go down. They do have a separate facility for some of the lesser records several kilometers away, but most records are kept here. 

When asked, our guide informed us that only about 1.5% of the documents are digitized. They are very grateful for the assistance of these senior couples, who donate significant time to photograph and scan the old documents. Right now the Smiths are photographing the parish records. It wasn't until 1991 that the state took over the census. Until then it was the duty of the Swedish Church (Lutheran) through the individual parishes. The Swedish Church still receives tax dollars to keep up the historical sites and other services that it has historically provided, but it is no longer the state religion. Right now the Smiths are the only couple working here, but we have had two couples in the past. If any of you know of a couple who could come and help that would be great.

 [Greta Garbo's birth record. If you have to ask who she was, ask a grandparent...or a great grandparent]

[Olivia with Sister Hall. These are examples of over 100,000 kilometers of shelves that house the records]

 [They have police records from the 1600s to present. This display is quite old. it is pictures of "Women Who Stole from Men." A serious crime, no doubt. Notice that they sat next to a mirror so they got a front and profile photo at the same time]

 [A random Viking beauty (as you can see from the necklace) I found on the internet:) The records on this shelf date from the mid 1600s]

It seems we have come to the banana belt compared to folks back home. Our weather hovers at around freezing and a little above. It is still quite cold due to the humidity, but not as much snow or bitter cold as you are receiving in Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, etc. We head north this week, so I expect we will see weather and climate that is similar to yours. They are very good at plowing snow when it falls, but especially diligent at sanding the roads because of ice. We wash the car weekly, but after a day it looks like all the other cars - rolling mud balls driving down the road with peep holes through the windshields. In fact, the gas stations have a small pump that looks like a miniature gas pump where you can fill your washer fluid tank, for a price.

We wish you all well. We are excited for our friends who are receiving answers to prayers following surgeries, illnesses and other maladies. You are in our prayers. We love and miss you all.