Not That Kind of Tuna and a Breathalyzer

That's right, I was pulled over on suspicion of DUI. Well, it wasn't my driving, which can be erratic when we are looking for an address and not sure where we should be going. It was just a traffic stop where they were pulling over about every third car. The officer who approached our car spoke good English, so we were able to explain why we are in Sweden, pointing to our name badges. He very sheepishly asked if I had been drinking and then explained that everyone has to blow into the tube, in any case. It was my first experience at a breathalyzer, so I was thinking about how long I left the Listerine in my mouth that morning or if the licorice I had eaten had time to ferment, but before I could become too concerned, the machine beeped and the results were negative. He waved us on wishing us a pleasant stay in Sweden and I assured him we loved it here.

People are planting their gardens and changing their tires to the summer treads. Crocuses and daffodils are popping up as if it were actually warm enough to do so. It still seems cold, but the plants and especially the birds don't seem to notice. The birds are amazing! Wherever we go we hear hundreds of birds singing a cacophony of songs. It is beautiful. During the winter it is rare to see birds other than rather large magpie-looking birds and a large bird that resembles a raven, but has a gray body and black wings and head. They don't seem to call much in the winter, but even they are singing and squawking in mating season. Squirrels and deer are everywhere in pairs and people are walking with friends, families or as couples. Most, like us, are still wearing sweaters under light jackets and many are still covering their heads and ears, but there is obviously hope in the air.

Taken from the window where we
were installing curtains in Stockholm.

Professional dog walkers. The one in the back got her leg tangled in the leashes. It is against the law to leave your dog alone in a house for more than 5 hours, so a new industry has sprung up.

We conducted apartment inspections in Borlänge (bor'lang a), and Gävle (yev'la), put in curtains in Stockholm and Barkarby and made some repairs to the mission office. With long days ahead, many of the apartments need blackout blinds and curtains, so we are just getting started with that. Most already have them, but those that don't definitely need them. By June the sun hardly sets and when it does, it is still not completely dark. If the missionaries are going to get their sleep, they will have a hard time with sunlight flooding their apartments.

In Borlänge the elders have just recently moved back into their apartment. They have been staying in temporary shelters while their apartment was being remodeled. They have a nice bathroom and kitchen, now, but it took a week or so to clean up the construction dust and trash. The company gave them a new medicine cabinet, so we took the old one and used it to replace a broken one in the mission office. Elder Loertscher is the district leader who performed the baptism in our Uppsala Ward a couple of weeks ago. He is the trainer for Elder McCarl whose Swedish is coming right along. They are doing a great job in that town.

Elders Loertscher and McCarl in Borlänge. Preparing lunch as we prepared to leave.

 Between Borlänge and Gävle is the town of Falun (fal-oon') which is famous for its huge copper mine which collapsed in the late 18th Century. We had some time, so we stopped in town to go to the local museum. The museum houses a number of displays from art to the costumes of the Swedish people in early times. The textiles and hand stitching was quite interesting. We were impressed by the displays of early attempts at printing and mass producing pictures from wooden blocks or copper plates. The museum is preparing a new exhibition of Hagstrom musical instruments. Hagstrom is famous for accordions, but most well known for their guitars. We had to take pictures for the benefit of our guitar-geek sons.

Olivia next to a poster of David Bowie
and a copy of his red Hagstrom guitar

I couldn't quite get the Elvis sneer, but
here he is with his Hagstrom

The plans for Zappa's guitar

One of the displays of the guitars

In Gävle we first inspected the sisters' apartment because they had a teaching appointment. Of course, it was nice and clean. I conducted a little repair to the beds and desk chairs while Olivia walked through the apartment with the sisters making sure all was in order. As Sister Trotter and she reviewed the kitchen, or some other place, Sister Haikkola slipped chocolate bars into the bag of light bulbs we always bring with us. Sister Trotter is related to the Sturgeon family in Sparks/Reno, so we have kept track of her since coming here. I am proud to report that her family can be exceptionally proud of her missionary efforts. She works hard and always has a smile and cheerful attitude. Sister Haikkola is from Finland and learned early on that I have a sweet tooth, especially for chocolate. This time she made sure to include a Finnish chocolate bar from a world famous company, Karl Fazer. Delicious!

Sister Trotter and Sister Haikkola

The elders in Gävle live in a basement apartment that can be a little depressing for all its darkness. They have made some significant changes from the last time we were there. They have rearranged and opened up the living and study space so it is really quite nice. Olivia reviewed the apartment standards with them while I installed a coat hanger and repaired a chair. Elder Rowley and Elder Duke have reputations as cheerful, hard working missionaries and our experience with them proves this to be true.

Elders Duke and Rowley. There is a woman in the ward who gives every missionary a shoe horn.
Every apartment has at least one, already, so most of them just leave theirs when they transfer.
The shoe horns here are about 2.5 feet long, so you don't have to bend over to slip on your shoes.
Everyone removes shoes at the entrance to a home or apartment in this country.

On our way home from one of these tasks, we missed our turn off and decided to take advantage by visiting a town we have wanted to see.  Sigtuna is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Sweden. It was established in 980 AD and has seen all the ups and downs of this country from political intrigue to religious upheaval. Still standing and in use is the St. Mary's Church. Built in 1230 along with a monastery, it was the first building in Sweden to use brick, molded and fired locally, instead of stone. By the end of the century the king paid for the roof to be covered with copper, so the roof, walls and pillars look much the same as they did over 700 years ago.

During the reformation in the 16th Century, the king ordered the monastery to be torn down and the church was converted to a parish church for the Swedish Church, thus other churches fell into disuse and eventually ruin.

We had lunch in Sigtuna at a little cafe where we will definitely eat again, partly because the food is excellent, the ambiance is quaint and because we forgot to take any pictures. If you are going there, the restaurant is called Tant Bruns Kaffestuge (meaning Aunt Brown's little cafe).

St. Mary's Church

Many of the carvings date from 1420 or earlier

A modern attempt at the arrest of Jesus in Gethsemane 

Carvings of the original 12 Apostles,
the Virgin Mary and Jesus
surround the pulpit. Done in 1647

Murals are on several of the walls depicting the ministries of
various saints and the crucifixion with Mary and John 

Modern stained glass from 1983

 Behind the church are the ruins of the ancient church of St. Olaf. Some restoration or at least preservation efforts are being made for this and the ruins of the St. Peter's church, also in Sigtuna.

Olivia in front of the ruins

A wonder of ingenuity for the age

Rune stones were often pressed into service in the old churches.
This one is a memorial to a deceased wife.

We ended the week watching the various sessions of the General Conference. We watched the morning sessions live at 6:00 PM and watched the Women's, Priesthood and evening sessions the following days. There were some profound thoughts and counsel, and I am anxious to start reviewing each talk individually over the next several weeks. We watched the Saturday morning, Priesthood and Sunday morning sessions at the mission office with the office elders and some of the other senior missionaries. Of course, we enjoyed wonderful meals, as well.

Signing the häst (horse)

Elder and Sister Clouse, Sister and Elder Smith, me, Elders Pack and Christley, Elder and Sister Pettit surrounding the Dala Häst that will be given to President and Sister Beckstrand after as many of the missionaries as possible sign it before they
leave in July.

We hope all is well with you and yours. We were excited to hear that our good friend Ren Johnson is called to serve as an Area Seventy. He has been exemplary in all his service for decades and we wish him and Sister Johnson well.