A Marvelous Work is About to Come Forth

This week was filled with much of the same work we always do, plus some things that were unique, but overarching the mundane was the realization that the work of the Kingdom is taking on a new approach. One that I think will be enormously successful over the years. Unfortunately, you can't take pictures of an idea or an approach, so I hope you will bear with me as I introduce mostly text, at first.

On Monday evening we went to the Mission Home where the Youngbergs hosted a dinner for the departing Pettits and welcoming the new Bells. We started to get a feel for what he is doing based on some of the conversation, but not entirely.

Front: Pettits and Bells. Behind Smiths, Donohoos, Andersons,
Youngbergs, Elder Hales (Sister Hales took the picture)

One thing we did learn at that meal was that both President and Sister Youngberg are excellent cooks. It is always fun to get together with the other senior couples, especially the Smiths who seldom come out of the archives where they are preserving the records of Stockholm all day.

It was the next day that we learned more of what is going on behind the scenes. Unfortunately, Olivia and I can't be in two places at the same time. We had been invited to assist with the planting of the fall flowers at the temple which she wanted to do more than breathe, but we also had an office meeting that we were supposed to attend. So she missed the office meeting and I missed the planting.

What we learned at the office meeting was reemphasized Sunday in the Uppsala Ward as President and Sister Youngberg attended and presented. What is happening is that as President Y is going around the country and meeting with stake presidents, other priesthood leaders and members, he is asking for their opinions as to why what we have done as missionaries in this country has not been as successful as we would like. He got a load of information. As a result, he has also received a lot of encouraging responses.

Commonly, in Sweden, your friends are the friends you went to school with and your relatives. It is quite unusual, for example, to invite someone with whom you have worked at the office, plant, store, etc. to come to your house for dinner. You may get involved in associations, clubs or organizations, but again, it is unusual that you would form any kind of friendly bond with them. So, unlike in the US where we would invite someone over whom we want to know better, in Sweden it would be very awkward to invite someone into your home to hear a message from the missionaries.

For that reason, while the missionaries have baptized about 120 individuals so far this year, 80% have been immigrants, mostly from eastern Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East; mostly single men; mostly from countries where, if they return as Christians their livelihoods, if not their lives are forfeit.

Today the vast majority of these immigrants are not only absent from church, they cannot be found at all. We have learned that many seek baptism in order to get the certificate to show the authorities that they are Christian, so they can seek asylum. On the other hand, there are some who do remain faithful and have made a significant difference in their wards and branches of the Church.

How do people who have moved, or whose friends have moved, find other relationships? They join some association and find others who become their friends. Then, they become so involved in the organization that it crowds out Sunday activity.

What President Youngberg is finding out is that there are ways to approach this work, but not to expect that it will happen in the same way that it does in America. Already, we are seeing the fruits of this approach, as the missionaries apply the president's approach and the lessons learned from Elder Ballard in the broadcast to the European members a couple of Sundays ago.

The missionaries who attend the office meeting have begun asking members what they think would provide success in the work. They write it down and it becomes that member's personal mission plan. No pressure; no guilt, but a good deal of success as referrals increased in just the past week or two. They were so animated in our meeting that we hardly had time to conduct the business of the day.

President and Sister Youngberg spoke in Sacrament Meeting Sunday and gave excellent talks. Sister Youngberg even spoke in Swedish. The meat of the day, however, was the president's presentation in the third hour where he verified what he has learned over the past few weeks and received even more ideas from the members there. Even Elsa, who is not yet baptized, had some great ideas that she shared with him. It is an exciting time to be in this mission, indeed.

Olivia's time at the temple gardens was well rewarded as she joined 25 other missionaries and the head gardener. Olivia and Brother Lindahl, the gardener, have shared ideas and frustrations (war stories) about serving as the head gardener at temples, so he always invites her when new planting is needed. This time they had delayed a month because of some upgrades to the planters that were needed. They also took all the plants out and replaced the soil with new, very rich topsoil. The result, however late, is breathtakingly beautiful.

Sisters L to R: Johnson, Eriksson, Heaps, McWhorter, Wagner, Cook,
Hickman, Hill, Pickett, Manning and Matwaychuck
Elders L to R: Greenhalg, Black, Pack, Hartin, Nelson, Ashford, Winkel,
Barney, Warnick, Cluff, Oleveson, Langford, Lee, and Malone

Sister Hill (center) had worked at a floral shop, so they put her in charge of the
center displays. Then, the entire bed was covered with heather.

 

In the background is one of many stacks
of the flowers that were planted that day.

Sisters from Täby, Västerhaninge, and Jakobsberg

Olivia with Brother Lindahl and his boys. He is the head gardener at the temple.
The temple is in the background.

We finally finished the apartment for the Halls and got them moved in. We are still waiting for a parking space, but there are very few. There is free parking nearby, but it is often full. Still, we are out of the old one and into the new one.

Olivia putting the final touches on the
Hall's new apartment

Elder and Sister Hall helped get everything moved
over to their new digs

It is rare, but once in a great while, we are separated. This week, twice. Once when I went to the office meeting, then to work on the Halls' apartment, while Olivia was at the temple gardens. Again when she attended a baby shower for a young wife in our Uppsala Ward. A couple of women in the ward made it clear that only sisters are invited to those affairs, for which I expressed my profound gratitude. So while I cleared emails, took a little nap and watched a detective show. Olivia was enjoying the baby shower.

Gabriela is the guest of honor. She is the one in polka dots. To
her left are Judy from the US, and Gredia from Peru. Right is Kele
from Botswana

Olivia tells me that decorating hair
with the ribbons from gifts is traditional.
Another reason men don't go.

The missionaries with Annalise our ward organist.
Sisters Pickett, Cook and Manning

 The baby is due in January and is their first child. We enjoy being involved with the ward members and loving them. We have grown close to so many of them and keep them in our prayers.

The Pettits finished their mission and flew home today. They invited us to a game night on Saturday where they won the game (hmmm). Before the games began, Olivia and I coached the new couples in the art of inspecting apartments and gave them their assignments. Last night we were invited to join the Pettits, their replacements, the Bells, and the Hales for the Pettit's last supper in this country. This morning, we joined the Hales and saw them off at the airport.

Some who came to the game night. Sister Pettit took the
picture. Olivia, me Elders Pettit and Hall, Sister and Elder Bell

Olivia took this picture, so Sister Pettit
could be in it. 

The rest of the game night group. The Donohoos and Hales

Elder and Sister Pettit have become close
friends and we will miss them

Seeing them off at the airport with the Hales

It was a good week and a full one. This week we are in Norrland inspecting apartments and assisting with the zone conference. We will try to be better with pictures and news.

Viking Past and New Kids in Town

Fall is failing fast, so we thought it would be a good idea to visit a rather less-known Viking burial ground and fortress again and to take the office staff with us. When Cedric's family were here to visit we made the long hike to this place and really loved the beauty of it. It is across a field, through a wood and up a hill overlooking a beautiful lake.

All over this country are burial places where a notable Viking was cremated, then the remains buried. Around the burial spot, large stones are placed in the outline of a ship. Typically, a very large stone marks the bow and another not-quite-as large stone marks the stern. Often, as is the case in this place, others are cremated and buried under large burial mounds. Here the mounds are modest compared to the ones we saw outside of Västeros. I wrote about that in an earlier post.

The road to the area had wonderful
autumn trees, so Olivia couldn't
help but take pictures

Beginning the hike up,
the path was covered by
a canopy of trees with
their fall leaves.

The lady on the right was busy picking rose
hips to make jam. Sisters Wagner and
Heaps chatted with her. Nipon Soppa
(rose hip juice) is a very popular
breakfast drink, here. It is loaded with
vitamin C.

 

Olivia's fascination with fungi
continues. We haven't tried
eating any yet, though.

Sister Hales with the outline
of the ship to her right. The
long shadows indicate that
it is autumn.

Elder Lee in the center of the ship
formation. The tall rock in the middle
is the bow of the ship. This is one of
the largest in the country.

Elders Porter and Hambrick on top of the hill where the fortress
once stood. Behind them is beautiful Lake Mälaren

Sisters Heaps and Wagner

Elder Lee struts his stuff on the ledge overlooking the lake.

The lake surrounds the fortress site on three sides

Sister Heaps, Elder Lee, Sister Wagner, Elders Hambrick,
Porter and Benson

Elder and Sister Hales with Olivia and me

The Elders and Sisters had to get back, so the Hales and we drove
and hiked to another site, close by. We were nearer the lake as the
sun began to set.

The ancient Vikings dug and lined wolf pits
to trap wolves. This one has been preserved.
There were likely several in the area. This is
about 8' X 10' and 12' deep and lined with heavy stones. A live chicken would have been tied to a pole in the center and the hole covered with sticks and brush. The wolf would fall into the pit when coming for the bait where it would be killed by the village farmers.

The wolf hunters :-)

The sun is setting and reflecting from the lake into the forest

Over the nearby meadow

And on the lake

 It was a full and wonderful day.

Elder and Sister Pettit came here with a year left of their 23 month mission. They had previously served in Ireland and a little in Scotland. Their mission was basically complete there, so the Self Reliance Department reassigned them to the Nordic countries to continue their work. They have done a masterful job here, but their time is coming to a close in a couple of weeks, so their replacements arrived for their training and to begin their labors here this week.

We met Elder and Sister Bell at the airport along with the Halls, Hales, and, of course the Pettits. President and Sister Youngberg were out of town, but will get to meet them tomorrow when they host them at a dinner in the Mission Home. They seem like a very capable and sleepy couple. Despite jet lag, they were up early the following morning and again today to assist with training sessions.

Front: Sister Hall, Elder and Sister Bell, Sisters Pettit and Hales
Back: Me, Olivia, Elders Hall, Bell, Pettit and Hales. At the airport - we
only had minutes to sprint to Stockholm to the Migration building to keep their
appointment there.

 We joined them and the rest of the group for lunch at Tant Bruns Kaffestuga. It is a restored building originally constructed in the late 1600s. Even the shortest among us had to duck to get into the doorway. The waitresses are dressed in period costume and the decorations come from the 18th and 19th centuries. It is an experience as well as a meal.

Sisters Pettit, Bell, Elder Bell, Sister and Elder Hales, Elder Pettit

Across the aisle at our table were the Halls

Pettits outside the entry

A very old plaster mannequin of Tant Brun
(Aunt Brown) guides customers to the entry 

 The rest of the week was taken up with the typical chores associated with our assignment. We hauled bikes from the Jakobsberg sisters to the Gubängen elders after making some repairs and upgrades such as lights and brakes.

Sisters Ericksson and Hill.
This is a power team in
Jakobsberg! We forgot to get a
picture of the elders in Gubängen,
but I would describe them as
quite excited.

We also continued to prepare the apartment into which we will be moving the Halls at the end of the week. It included finding and purchasing the last two beds in the area that were the size and quality we needed, putting them into the van and hauling them up to the apartment along with their mattresses. It also meant hauling the old mattresses and other items out. We do get our workouts in this assignment.

We are very grateful for an elevator in
this apartment building. This was a
lot of heavy stuff!

We carried out the old bunkbeds with their mattresses and bedding in anticipation of bringing in the new beds for the Halls. Here Olivia is guarding the things we need to carry off while I go for the van. There is no parking nearby, so it means parking  a few hundred meters away, hauling the items out to the sidewalk, going for the van and then hoping we are not challenged by someone with authority while we load everything into the vehicle. It's the only way to do it, so we don't worry too much.

Even though autumn is drawing to a close and the weather is quite cold, especially with the ever-present wind, the days have been sunny and pleasant for the most part. It is exhilarating to be out and doing spiritual and physical work.

We especially enjoyed church today. Our Uppsala missionaries always have investigators present; most of whom remain for all three hours of the block. Michael, the Chinese microbiology PhD is close to committing to baptism. Sebastian is a young man who contacted the missionaries at the help desk through www.mormon.org. He learned much from them and asked for baptism. He has been to all the meetings for the last two Sundays, and loves the lessons from the missionaries, so he will likely join the Church soon.

We hope your week ahead will be a happy and successful one. We have much on our plate, so we know we will be happily engaged all week. We love hearing from you, even though I don't have time to reply to everyone who comments. Keep in touch!

The Never-ending Transfers

All last week we, the Hales, the office elders and especially President and Sister Youngberg prayed for the new missionaries to get their visas in order to come to the mission on time. Besides missing six weeks of valuable training and working, they have companions who have been brought in to the mission home for training, and areas that need to stay open. When they don't arrive in time, they are sent to a mission in the US where a mission president has to make room for them and give them companions who will train them, but not in their new language.

It became apparent that the men had received their visas, but the women's visas were not going to arrive. President Youngberg arranged for the sisters who would be without companions to consolidate areas, some miles apart, in order to work together in a triple companionship. They work both the area of the original companionship as well as the area of the sister who has come to join them. It is very disruptive, to say the least, but everyone knows it is temporary. For the most part, the situation will be resolved with the next transfer.

So, on Tuesday we were at the airport to welcome the new elders who arrived early that morning. We took them to the Täby chapel where they got a little breakfast, some orientation, then a trip to the migration office, back for lunch, and watched the instructional video about driving (I have begun calling it the hour of peace and rest because by that time the jet lag has really set in and they sleep even if they stand up).

The photographer we recruited cut off the Hales on one side and
Olivia and me on the other side. In front are the Assistants Elders
Benson and Jämsä. The POEs and new Assistant are on the right,
Elders Porter, Lee, and Craun. The others I don't know by sight,
yet, so they are not in order, here. Elders Ahonen, Allred,
Beckman, Denton, Derr, Dumas, Fronk, Hansen, Jarman,
Nelson, Prososki, Slaughter, and Young.

Some excited trainers on their way to
meet their new companions. 

The next day we got everyone to the Gubängen chapel for more orientation, and to be paired up with their new companions (trainers). As soon as we got things set up the Donohoos (a senior couple) took our car to pick up the lunch and we hurried to the airport with the Hales to pick up a sister and two elders whose visas had not come last transfer. They were coming from the Arizona Phoenix Mission where they had been serving while waiting for their visas to arrive. Unfortunately, they could not come on the same plane or at the same time as the first arrivals.

The plane was exactly on time, but no missionaries! We waited the usual 30 minutes and thought maybe they had a hard time finding luggage, so we waited another 30. Now, we were really concerned that they had missed their flight, found a better deal in Paris (where their layover was), or something worse. Elder Hales went to the customer service desk and asked if the missionaries were on the flight. He was told that privacy laws forbade them from telling anyone who was on the plane, but that there had been a failure in the baggage carousel area and that we should wait. We waited another 20 minutes and decided to wake someone up in Salt Lake City. We finally got someone on the phone and as they were double checking their records, the three missionaries came through the door!

Day 2 at the airport with Elder Benson, Sister and Elder Hales,
newly arrived Sister Huxtable, Elders Radford and Langford,
Elder Lee and Me. Olivia took the picture. 

Sister Huxtable had no trouble
guessing who her new companion
would be.

Elder Radford with his
trainer, Elder Anthon

Elder Langford with
Elder Ashford

Sister Huxtable with Sister Hall

During all this, we got news that the six sisters whose visas had not come and who had been assigned to other missions, DID GET THEIR VISAS. Unfortunately, three had already traveled to their new missions, but the other three would come on Thursday! These three were literally on their bus just leaving the MTC for the airport when someone from the office blocked the bus from leaving and informed them that they were on the wrong bus because they were supposed to go to Sweden. The missionaries didn't believe them until finally, the employee literally read their names on a document showing that their visas had arrived.

Thursday evening we went with the entourage to the airport to greet these sisters.

President and Sister Youngberg, Sisters Mendenhall, Westerlind, Edwards
Elders Benson and Lee

They spent the night with their trainers at the Mission Home, got an abbreviated version of what the others had received,  and rushed to their new areas the next day. It was exhausting for everyone involved, but I found we never got tired of seeing the anxious, happy, and determined faces of these newly arriving missionaries.

Going back to Wednesday, we had to be available for transporting the missionaries who were preparing to return home. As excited as missionaries are to get started on their new adventure, the level of excitement of those returning is equal, but in a different way. They are excited to see their MTC group and share war stories. Sometimes, they have not seen each other for the entire two years or 18 months. Some have been in the same zone or district for part of their missions. They are also a little nervous about what their next step in life is going to be, who they will become, how they will discipline themselves, if they have chosen the right path in life, etc., etc.

They usually stay up the entire night and try sleeping on the plane ride home. By the time we get to the airport, some are sleeping (how, I don't know as all the others are still talking loud enough for everyone else to hear), some are getting solemn as they look out the window of the van at nothing in particular, and others are sick to their stomachs. The ones who are meeting their families, who came to Sweden to pick them up later that morning are as sleep deprived as their parents are jet lagged.

With Elder Roylance

With Sisters Christensen and Olsen

Around the table clockwise: Sisters Christensen, Hale, Olsen, Christoffersen,
Howlett, Young,(back wall) Elders Wilson, Scott, Jämsä, Johnson, (table)
Moulton, Roylance, Bentson, Banks, Dean, Schultz, Sister Gill.
Missing Elder Nielsen

The Uppsala group: Roylance, Young and Christensen

In an effort to assure clean apartments, there
is a new checklist which is supposed to be
returned. Only two did so. Sister Gill and
Elder Nielsen got the Marabou chocolates

Elders Dean and Wilson serenade 

President and Sister Youngberg both play the piano as do all their children. A little ragtime this night.

Sister Christensen has been especially close to us, so we were happy to be able to meet her parents and younger brother. We showed them the changing of the guard at the palace, the Stora Torget which is in the middle of old Stockholm and went to lunch at the Kastanjeträd restaurant where we enjoyed a truly Swedish meal of meatballs (a 100-year old recipe), lingon berries, etc. It was a joy to see how much they appreciated this faithful daughter.

We also celebrated Sister Hale's birthday this week. We invited the mission office elders, and as many of the senior couples who could come. We had a nice meal of taco soup, tortilla chips, relish plate and brownies with ice cream. We then sent the elders away and watched En Man Som Heter Ove (A Man Called Ove) which had been recommended by our daughter, Hannah. It was a good recommendation. We all enjoyed watching it and seeing how much Swedish we understood before reading the subtitles in English.

Sister Hales got flowers from her "boys". Elders Porter, Hamrick, Lee and Benson

Someone actually asked if she likes chocolate. Yes. She does.

The priesthood leaders from the Nordic countries were all invited to Helsinki, Finland to a meeting with Elder M. Russell Ballard and members of the Europe Area Presidency. Elder Johnson is the Branch President in Visby, so he went, leaving Sister Johnson alone at the Clubhouse. Saturday, Sister Hales called and invited us to go shopping with Sister Johnson and her. I would rather have my eyes skewered with knitting needles than spend time with three women shopping, (Elder Hales bowed out as well) so Olivia went alone. I cleaned off my desk, read and deleted emails, and cleaned house while they were gone. Olivia did get a nice top that she had been looking for in vain until now.

Sunday we had a great day in the Uppsala Ward. Our usual interpreters were absent, so Elsa interpreted for us. She is exceptionally fast and knowledgeable with a great command of the English language, so all went well for us. I am finding that I can understand much of the Swedish in church. I also find that because I understand a little, some assume I understand it all, so I don't get a lot of help in Priesthood Meeting. That is probably not all bad as it forces me to listen more intently.

Sunday ended with a most inspiring meeting broadcast from Germany, to all of Europe, where Elder Ballard presided. He assigned Elders DeFeo, and Sabin who are counselors in the Area Presidency to speak with their wives; as well as Elder L. Whitney Clayton and his wife (he is the presiding president of the Seventy) who were there to preside over a stake conference (Stockholm South Stake, as it turns out) and he took the balance of the time. I don't think it was recorded, because the topics were unassigned and he spoke off the cuff. I truly hope it was because we would like to hear it all again to review what was said, in depth. Elder Ballard pleaded with the members to strengthen each other so we don't have failing branches and wards in Europe. He encouraged greater cooperation with the missionaries and then left an apostolic blessing that we would receive miracles for our obedience.

Stock photo. Unfortunately, we didn't get pictures.

That was our week. I hope yours was busy, fun, and fulfilling as ours was.