Elder Moss and Culture Week

While we are still in the process of preparing an apartment for its return to the owner, we were able to take a little break to assist with welcoming new missionaries and a new senior couple. Among the new missionaries was Elder Dallas Moss. We knew his parents and grandparents from the old Sparks Nevada Stake, which is now divided into Sparks East and Sparks West stakes. I noted last week that we were looking forward to his arrival. We were not disappointed. Elder Moss is popular among his fellow missionaries and was assigned to serve in Norrland with an excellent trainer, Elder Cotton. He seems very enthusiastic, confident with the language and anxious to get to work. 

He will be serving in the city of Sundsvall, one of Norrland's major cities. He will take some time to get used to the smell as it is home to sawmills and pulp processing for paper. The branch in Sundsvall has been especially successful at welcoming new immigrant converts, most of whom speak Farsi (Persian) as their primary language. He will be a welcome addition.

Meeting Elder Moss at the airport

The entire MTC group at the airport with Pres. and Sister Youngberg 

His group in  Stockholm with the city offices
behind.

With Elder Cotton pointing to their new
area. 

 After picking the new missionaries up at the airport and taking them to the immigration offices and the city, we left them and drove back to the airport to pick up the new senior couple, Elder and Sister Donohoo. The Donohoos are from southern California and have traveled all over the world, but this is their first mission. The mission president is trying to coordinate with stake leaders to give them an appropriate assignment, so they are kind of in limbo until a final decision can be made. In the meantime, we and the Hales have been showing them around and doing what we can to include them.

The Donohoos with the city offices
behind them.

We had to introduce them to Chop Chop, a favorite
among us. It is very much like Panda Express in the US.

The Donohoos were able to witness the changing of the guard

with mounted brass band and heraldry.

 We spent much of the rest of the week cleaning, but on Friday night we arranged to go with them and four other couples to the Uppsala Krönikespel (chronicle pageant), which is a pageant depicting the history of Uppsala. Since Uppsala was the sort of capital of the country for centuries, it was pretty much the history of the country. Beginning with the mythical King Frey who around 250 AD, according to legend, determined to kill the old, the feeble, the sick and the blind in order to reduce the surplus population and make the tax money stretch. He is opposed by Disa, a young woman who convinces him to determine who should die by lot instead. When the lot fell upon a person, they could choose death or to go north and cultivate land.

The pageant continues to the assassination of King Erik in 1160, the vision beheld by Birgitta in early 1300s, both of whom became saints. Then in 1435 the announcement by a papal bull (proclaimation) that Uppsala would have a university. In 1526 King Gustaf Wasa determines that Sweden will be a Protestant state and that he would be the head of the Church. His son Erik assumes the throne after him, but when it is determined that he has gone mad, his brother Johan III takes over. Various other kings, queens and dignitaries come through, the city suffers a fire, is reconstructed, the university continues to grow in size and prominence and we come to modern times with the rise of a liberal press and attitude.

It was all very grand for the venue. The music was good as was the singing, acting and interpretive dancing. I especially love the recitation of the poem From Time's Night-enshrouded Past, by Victor Ryberg. I couldn't understand much, but the poet made wonderful use of onomatopoeia. Just the sound and the rendition by a gifted actor made me want to hear more.

This goat and the little girl were favorite
actors in the drama

Action from the pageant

The procession for the coronation of
King Erik

Dignitaries visit Uppsala University

No one seemed to notice that the goat
appreciated the sunflowers. As we left
all the ladies got a sunflower. Olivia's
was missing a few petals!

These cute little bees stole the show when
their dance included shaking their stingers

  Saturday is P-day for the Hales and they wanted to get out of the office. We decided to go to the Viking Farm which is not far from our apartment. Cedric's family enjoyed it when they were here, and we thought the Hales, Smiths and Donohoos would, as well. It turned out that instead of the 10 or 12 people we usually see at this place, there were hundreds! We had chosen the dayof the Viking Marknad - an open air market where handmade items fashioned after the Viking manner are sold. Dozens were in costume, many spend the day and night in their Viking-style tents outside of which they make and sell their goods. There were mock battles, Viking songs, storytelling, cooking, dying wool yarn, and much more. We could have stayed the whole day, but the others in the group were getting hungry and tired, so we all came back to our apartment and enjoyed Olivia's taco soup. No sooner had we arrived home than it started raining buckets. We couldn't have timed it better.

This soldier allowed us to take a picture
with me actually holding his sword. It
is the real thing, by the way.

Spinning wool into yarn
(Wish we had a video)

Creating objects from the naturally dyed
wool

All kinds of wool textiles here

Braiding hair as wool yarn boils to
open the fibers to receive the dye.

Not sure what he was
doing, but small children
grew pointed ears, snouts
 and tails nearby :)

Our favorite archeologist
found us and came over
to greet us and expound
about all that was happening
there that day. Scout and
Baxter will remember him.
He made Viking bread with
them.

     

Rune message on the A-frame shelter
behind the Viking merchant

Calling the folks to come
and hear his stories

                                   

Today was Fast Sunday and I felt that I likely would not bear my testimony, so I sat quite comfortably until there was a lapse in the parade of people going to the stand. Then the Spirit seemed to project me to the front. I felt that if I ignored this prompting, I would regret it. I had studied Swedish testify words this morning, so I could understand most of the testimonies even without the interpreter, but I did not feel confident speaking anything but English. 

I had mentioned how blessed we felt that we had been assigned to attend the Uppsala Ward and was especially touched when our friend, Elsa, told me afterward that the Ward was blessed to have us. It seems like a small thing as I write about it, but it meant so much to me. 

In our Gospel Principles class, our Ward Mission Leader reviewed the Articles of Faith. Attending, along with many others, was Fredrik, a student at the University.  He has been coming on and off since last October. Fredrik was raised in an atheist home, so all of this is quite new to him. Olivia and I have spoken to him quite often over these months and he continues to meet with the sister missionaries. He is a humble seeker; not in the least sarcastic. Today, after the GP class I invited him to attend priesthood meeting with me, but he declined. He was so moved by what he had experienced in the class that he needed to take a walk to process it all.

It was another wonderful week topped by a moving Sunday.