Bikes, Vaxholm, Temple and Olivia Gets Down and Dirty

Except for an interesting trip to Vaxholm, it has been a week of service with the Jakobsberg sisters at the beginning and the end. Olivia managed to get garden soil under her fingernails and we celebrated Mothers' Day in Sweden.

We were treated so well by the Sportson bicycle shop in Barkaby that we decided to use the Sportson in Enebyberg (where the mission office is located) to get the last bike in the office garage repaired. It was not the same experience. We were told that we had to call and make an appointment and that the earliest they could possibly get to it was the end of June. We went back to Barkaby and got it done in a day. We have become friends with the head of the repair shop inside the bike store there. He loves to see us and for some reason gives us priority.

So, the Jakobsberg sisters got their bikes first thing Tuesday morning.  They required new tires and a gear shift tune up as well as the brake repair on one of them.

Same sisters as last week, but this time
with repaired bikes

 

Sister Wagner

Sister Wilson, who was happy to get the
bike back. Sister Wagner runs every morning
and Sister Wilson can only keep up by
riding the bike with her.

The Clouses and an Elder Jenson, Assistant to the President are leaving for home soon, so they arranged a trip to Vaxholm. Vaxholm is a fortress on its own island and in a strategic location to protect Stockholm because it is in what was the main water route into the city. It was established in 1544 by King Gustav Vasa and was successful in 1612 in repelling the Danes and again in 1719 to protect it from invading Russians. Most of what is there now was built in the 19th Century. It was a lengthy, methodical construction that was intended to withstand the cannons of the day, but by the time it was constructed, weaponry had become so much more sophisticated and powerful that it was already obsolete. It is said that the great Prussian Field Marshall, von Moltke only smiled twice in his life. Once when his mother-in-law died and again when he saw the Vaxholm fortress.

Near the entrance

Please, Elder Clouse,
I need a restroom!

Elder Clouse making sure
the last man standing
doesn't give up the fort.

The fortress has been, until very recently, used as offices and training for the armed services. It is basically a large museum today. In summer, it has a restaurant and a bed and breakfast on the campus.

On top of the fortress

Elder Craun in the
Last man standing enclosure.
It can be closed with a man
and his weapon inside. Slots
can be opened to shoot out at
whomever has invaded. Of
course, you can't care much for
your hearing. Ears take a
beating inside it.

All the missionaries on the ledge at the top:
Elders Stapley, Craun, Jämsä, Jensen, Pack and
Sisters Gill and Sidwell

Sisters Gill and Sidwell

An aging cutter. The white
dot above is a nesting seagull.
Enlarge the picture for a better view.

Walking between the outside
wall and the fortress wall.

Sister Anderson with the
grape shot.

View of the archipelago from the top of the fortress. 

Elder and Sister Clouse

The Elders on the anti-
aircraft gun.

Sisters, too

Sisters on the big gun

Elders on the great cannon.
Notice who is standing on the end!

The mission office needed some serious upgrading on the outside, according to Olivia. She and Sister Clouse have been discussing the fact for several weeks. The weather was finally nice enough that we were quite sure the last freeze was past, so we went to a local nursery and bought a couple of shrubs and several varieties of flowers and plants. I think the result was very pleasing; Sister Clouse was ecstatic. I helped with some of it, but there were things that needed my attention other than the planting, so the lion's share was done by Olivia.

Getting started with one
of the pots

Dug out the weeds and
some bulbs and planted
dwarf juniper shrubs

She replanted the bulbs, then tied the stems
in an overhand knot so they keep their
strength come next Spring.

Olivia with some of her handiwork - beautiful! The plants aren't
bad, either.

We helped with the temple trip for the departing elders and sister this week. The temple is closed for the next two weeks, so they had to come to Stockholm earlier than usual for their final temple experience.  Usually they go to the temple the same week that they catch the plane home. These don't leave until next week. We listen to the ceremony in Swedish until we get to parts that require our participation, then we put the headphones on to make sure we are doing it right. Now I can sleep in the temple in two languages! Progress.

The departing elders and sister. This is also the last group President
and Sister Beckstrand will accompany. They leave the last day
of June. Not sure why the pictures came out so hazy that day.

After the temple, the president treated us all to a lunch at the
Chop Chop restaurant. Think Panda Express. From left around
the table to the right: Elders Pfost, Weaver, Rowley, Sister Wilson,
Elders Walton, Murri, Jensen, Chugg, Payne, Adams, Cox and Groberg

Following the lunch we whisked them off to the Täby chapel where they spent the rest of the afternoon and evening being trained by Elder and Sister Pettit. As I have mentioned before, the Pettits' mission is Self Reliance. They travel the Nordic countries training local leaders in how to conduct the courses. For the past several transfers, they have instructed the departing missionaries in how to use the skills they have gained here to succeed in life, education, business or career, and in continuing to serve others. It is valuable training and well received by the missionaries.

This time they asked us to begin sitting in so that when they leave in October, we can be ready to take the responsibility at least as to the departing missionaries. 

Taking the vocational strengths survey

The Pettits with their very engaged class

We ended the week with a nice afternoon at the Pettits' apartment where we grilled some chicken and had a nice meal to celebrate Sister Clouse's 27th birthday. Not sure how they authorized her to serve a mission at that age, but I am quite certain she is incapable of lying, so I take her at her word.

Sister Clouse, birthday girl. Ja må hon leva uti hundrade år!

We had invited the Jakobsberg sisters to dinner and asked them to bring someone with whom they are working. We picked them up at the train station with a newly baptized young man and spent a wonderful Sunday afternoon with them.

Marouane is an immigrant from Morocco. He came to Sweden because it was easier than immigrating to the US, where he would have preferred to go. He told us he just wanted to get out of Morocco to leave Islam. He felt like a prisoner there. He has a brother here, so he was able to come to Sweden. He applied to remain in Sweden, but when he put on his application that he wanted to leave Islam, his application was read by a Muslim employee at the migration office, so his application was denied. He was advised to appeal, so three months later he was able to appear before a judge who was sympathetic to his reason for staying. 

In the meantime, he was advised by a friend to attend church in an LDS ward, here. He did and loved it. He met the missionaries and began taking the lessons. He has been active in the ward and in the Institute ever since. He speaks Arabic, French and English and now that he is able to get a personnummer he can take Swedish lessons.  He is a very good member missionary, but cannot tell his family or Moroccan friends of his conversion because it is still very dangerous.

We know that the Jakobsberg sisters have been in our blog the past several weeks, but it is coincidental. We had them in the car the night of the terrorist attack in Stockholm, along with the Jakobsberg elders and promised them a dinner. We had the elders a couple of weeks ago; now it was the sisters' turn. It was an excellent meal and a good discussion. They left us with a message and a challenge to bear our testimonies next week about the importance of families. We both accepted; and so did Marouane.

The mandatory photo under the viking ship in our meadow

The sisters wanted a picture of them
skipping down a trail leading to the
woods.

Sister Wagner, Marouane, Sister Wilson, Olivia and Me in my new suspenders.
Thanks, Sarah Anderson for sending them.

Today was Mothers' Day in Sweden, so the men sang a primary song for the Relief Society sisters and served them cake and roses. Olivia was among the last to leave, because I found the bishop's wife doing dishes, so I took over. As a result, Olivia got 3 roses, because there were several left over.

We love and miss you all. We hope your Memorial Day celebrations are filled with family and grateful memories of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They need not have been military. Many have paid the price for our freedoms including the freedom of religion who did not serve in the military. God bless you all.