100 Grand and Still Going

Another mile post was passed this week. When we arrived back at our apartment one evening I looked down at the odometer and discovered that it was at 99,999.

So Olivia insisted that I drive around the block until it rolled over (? an interesting term these days) to 100,000. 

Most mission vehicles are retired after three years or 90,000 kilometers, but this one is so new that we are going to have to wait for the first quarter to replace it.  It has been a workhorse, even though it has some issues that I would not expect on a Toyota or a Honda. Still, it is reliable, peppy, and can hold a lot of stuff. We understand that we will be getting another of the same model, but the next one will run on diesel. Along with Sister Garmin on the window, the Ford Van has become like family.

Earlier this week we said good-bye to a dedicated group of sister missionaries. We have been close to each one of them to varying degrees. That would especially apply to Sister Joanna Wagner who served in areas near us. We conducted several repairs in the Jakobsberg apartment when her companion tried to pry open the washing machine door with a claw hammer. She was also in the Täby apartment when we moved her and Sister Heaps into the little house apartment. She and all the sisters in her group were superb missionaries; willing to be obedient and work courageously. 

Pres.and Sister Youngberg, Sisters Joanna Wagner, Johnson, McWhorter,
Sidwell, and Elizabeth Wagner

We also met the incoming missionaries, but only briefly. We were not needed to pick them up from the airport or transport them to their various destinations on the day they arrived. We did, however, go to the Täby chapel to assist with the lunch and other details the next day. I met them each as they came in the door, but then Elder Hales informed us that he and I needed to go to the airport to pick up some lost baggage. 

There had been a power outage in Amsterdam and the computer did not find eight bags. Three had come in the night before and they hoped the others would come in on the morning flight. We went to the airport which left our wives at the chapel to manage lunch without our help. Everyone was so busy that no one took pictures.

At the baggage claim we were informed, after waiting half an hour for the attendant to reappear after he had acknowledged our presence at his door, that another four bags were in the building, but that he would have to bring them up from downstairs. After several more minutes he appeared once again and invited us in to pick up the bags as they came up and onto a special carousel. We put the bags onto a cart and wheeled it out to the hallway where we had been waiting. He informed us that the last bag could be on the next plane.

By this time it was after noon, so we called the wives and informed them that they would have to drive cars so there would be enough seats to take the new missionaries to Central Station with their trainers, so they could keep their connections. Olivia was fine with that, but Sister Hales was quite nervous about it. Still, both were good sports and made the trip.

Now, we had a little time to let the next plane land and unload, so we walked several minutes to McDonald's for a little lunch. As we left  we saw the young man who was supposed to be checking on our last lost bag, coming toward us to get lunch. He the look of concern on our faces and assured us that there was another person who could help us.

Back at lost luggage our doorbell ring was answered by another young man who looked at our paperwork, went back in to check, then came back out again. He informed us that the bag was on the plane and to wait right there and he would retrieve it for us. 45 minutes later the first young man appeared with the bag, having come back from lunch. Finally, we could go and meet the others...but no. The bag was damaged and the damage had to be reported. By the time we left our parking bill was through the roof, the drivers had been to Central Station and were ready to come back to the office and three sisters were about to board without their luggage.

Elder Hales called the POEs and got them to wait to help with the bags once we got there and to hold the sisters back even if it meant having to re-book their departure.We arrived with 10 minutes to spare. Elder Hales and the POEs ran the bags in while I waited in the van. "We are not paying for more parking, today!" said Elder Hales to me.

So, I didn't make the long story short, but now you know why I don't have pictures of the new missionaries. 

There were seven sisters and one elder. One of the sisters, Johanna Hulldin, is here for only a few months. She did not go to an MTC as a result. She is from southern Sweden and is missionary age, but for reasons known only to her and the mission president, she cannot serve a complete 18 months. We have met her at a couple of YSA conferences and were impressed with her. She has an excellent trainer, so she will have a great experience.

Another reason I didn't get to meet the new missionaries is that we got our first real snow that day, and people were slipping on the walks and parking areas, so I shoveled snow and spread sand while waiting for Elder Hales to tell me it was time to go to the airport. It wasn't like last November's transfers when we got 2 feet of snow in a matter of hours, but it was pretty. It's all gone now, which is a good thing, since we have to drive in it.

Our first snow left some pretty flocking on the trees

It was Thanksgiving in America, and we once again invited the elders and sisters serving in Uppsala to come to dinner with us. We also invited our Ward Mission Leader, Tim Conley and our friend Elsa. Tim's father lives in Florida, but Tim has only vague recollections of the holiday in America. Elsa got to taste pumpkin pie, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and Mama Stamberg's cranberry relish for the first time. Olivia cooked all evening Wednesday, all morning and most of the afternoon on Thursday. I helped where I could, but had to meet a landlord in southern Stockholm for an inspection for much of the morning. Elsa came to help for a good part of the afternoon. 

Elsa's birthday was earlier in the week, but we waited for her to come to us
to give her a gift

When it was all ready, we relaxed for a few minutes and presented Elsa with a birthday gift. It is an Advent candle holder with figures of the Lucia participants in front of each candle. We liked it so much that we decided to get one for ourselves and went back to the same store the next day. Olivia informs me that it is my belated Fathers' Day present.

The Thanksgiving group

Elder Grover, Sister Beck (one of the new missionaries),
 Elder Harrell, Sister Manning, Elsa and Tim

Same group with Olivia and  me. Sister Manning took the picture

There are four Advents celebrated in Sweden. They are the four Sundays prior to Christmas. Catholics put specially colored candles in a wreath circle and have a prayer accompanying each day. Swedes may read from the bible or sing an Advent song such as O Come, O Come Emmanuel, but most just burn the candles. The first candle is lit at the evening meal on the first Sunday, on the next Sunday, the first and second candles are lit. On the third and fourth Sundays the next, plus all prior candles burn during the evening meal. A final candle which is not in the Advent holder is lit on Christmas Eve.

Santa Lucia in center with star boys on the end and attendants next
to her.

The Stockholm YSA conference which for some reason is called Soul Night started on Friday and went through Sunday. We went to help on Friday from 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM, then came back with baked potatoes for the lunch the next day and today (Sunday) we were back again at 7:00 AM to help with preparing and sacking up the lunches the participants will take with them, so we were sleep deprived much of the week. We did get to see a couple of the former Swedish missionaries who came to the conference. We got a picture of Elder Päärka and his American girlfriend. Elder Castleton-Rudolf is back in Sweden studying Farsi and is dating a girl from Jönköping (yun' shipping). We saw them at the dance, but didn't get a chance to take a photo. 

Before going to the YSA Soul Night, we spent much of the day
shopping for items needed in various apartments and making
repairs to the storage and guest room at the mission office.
Typical lunch for those kinds of days is crackers, cheese,
tuna and carrots.

Sister Hales inventorying one of the
insulated containers with baked potatoes

Sister Hall and her husband are the
YSA couple. We told them they
deserve a medal and a raise
after and undertaking like this

With Elder Päärka and his girlfriend. She served her mission
in Finland. When she returned for a visit, his mother made
sure they met. 

The Swedish members who came to help certainly know how to
work. We were thrilled to have them. Sadly, we don't know them
and  can't remember their names. The missionaries are Elders Smith,
Kelley, me, Sister and Elder Hales, Sisters Kelley and Smith. Elder and
Sister Donohoo were serving breakfast. Elder and Sister Hall were everywhere.

Packing up the bags to deliver to the participants after Sacrament Meeting

You are asking at this point, "If you served lunch on Saturday, why were you late getting to bed and thus sleep deprived on Sunday?" Good question. Better answer - we got to go to a Sissel Christmas concert. You may be familiar with Sissel who sang with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir several years ago. We have the album from that performance as do thousands of others. We saw several months ago that she was coming to Stockholm for one night in a rather small venue, so we arranged for tickets several months in advance. 

We were not disappointed. Her vocal range is somewhere in the tenor at the bottom and glass shattering, beautiful, clear high soprano. She sang songs mostly centered on Christ and several in English. She did not sing In the Bleak Midwinter or Mitt Hjerte Alltid Vanker (My Heart Always Wanders) the two we liked best, but did several we loved. We walked out with light and grateful hearts. Here is a sample of her range. The song is Kopängen. It reminds me of Robert Frost's Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening. Some of the words are, "There is stillness and silence, as the ground is colored white. From the safe, old church the song is flowing out..."

Sissel  hitting the high notes!

The Hales did the same as we, and they got tickets right next to us. They scoped it out before hand and found that the venue is in downtown Stockholm where parking is next to impossible, so we had another great train adventure. This time it was combined with a bus trip to the train station. Train AND bus - pushing the envelope, right?! A great night to say the least. Good fun, good friends and Sissel all in one night.

 

Finding our train

Hales were our experienced guides

On the way back we got to sit down. It is not as popular after 10:00 PM

Yes, Scout they are popular over here, too! Poster on the train.
Grandma said we have to take a picture of this for Scout.

We walked around while waiting for the
concert doors to open and found The Bag Piper
Inn restaurant. Not much British food, though.

Olivia insisted that we had to get a picture, but the
light faded out the name.

Because today was ward conference, we got to hear from the Bishop, Stake President, and his Second Counselor. Before that, they asked the two new missionaries to bear their testimonies. Sister Beck has been in the country five days, now, but sounded great and bore a sweet, powerful testimony. Elder Grover has been here about four months and told the audience that Sister Beck's Swedish is superior to his. At that, he launched into a wonderful testimony with no hesitation or having to think of the right word or phrase in Swedish. They are going to do well here.

The stake presidency has been emphasizing missionary work and today reminded us of the #Lighttheworld initiative that will start December 1. Priesthood and Relief Society were all about temples and temple work. 

It was an inspiring day, despite having only four hours sleep. 

We hope your Thanksgiving weekend was a wonderful time for connecting with family and friends, eating well, but most of all remembering in gratitude all the blessings we enjoy. We are all truly blessed. 

Miracles, Moving and Muscles

Our last of almost two weeks in the south of Sweden was filled to the brim in more ways than one. We were busy morning to night every day, plus when we left, the van was filled to the brim. The miracle was that I was able to do all that needed to be done.

I mentioned in the last post that my back was in trouble. In fact, I could hardly walk let alone lift and carry. By Sunday afternoon I had loosened it enough to get around at church, then after church I received a blessing from Elders Petersen and Hawkins. Monday morning we took the last toilet seat out to the Helsingborg (hel'sing-bory) and I was much better, but still hobbling a little. Tuesday we inspected the apartments in Lund and I was able to get down to the floor to make repairs and inspect bed legs.

The real work began on Wednesday and continued through Friday. That is when we had to begin hauling out items, repairing areas in the apartment and cleaning top to bottom. By then, however,I was almost completely off the sympathy list. I still have a little pain when I have been sitting in one position for a long time, but I am completely able to lift, carry, reach and work late. Thanks to a couple of elders who were close to the Spirit when pronouncing the blessing and to Olivia and Sisters Hansen and Hunter who were in the room to lend their faith.

So here are the details.

We always give the missionaries a P day to prepare for our inspection visit. So Monday we planned to do some of the work that would be needed on the apartment. However, it was necessary to take some items back out to the Helsingborg area. Because Elders Berlin and Bird knew we were coming, they asked if we could do a favor for them. It seems that they have been doing some family history work and discovered that they both have ancestors from the same tiny village not far from where they are laboring. They asked if we would be willing to give them a ride to the church in Bosarp where their ancestors were likely christened and possibly buried. We were happy to accommodate, of course. Not only were these missionaries worth the trip, but it gave us a little break and a chance to see more of the countryside.

Elders Berlin and Bird happy with
their new toilet seat. Now they can
go with confidence that they won't
fall off.

The church in Bosarp

There were family names in the
churchyard, but nothing dating back
as far as when their ancestors would
have been buried there.

In the churchyard beside the church

Tuesday we conducted the inspections of the last apartments in the area with the exception of Växjö (vek'wuh) which had to be done as we left to return to Stockholm. These last apartments were in the city of Lund where we were staying and where we would be working for the rest of the week. We found the missionaries were well prepared for our visit and that they, like so many others we have met, had problems that could have been addressed, but they just remain so busy that they either work around them or just live with them without giving them much thought. We replaced light bulbs, for instance, making the apartments more habitable. Elders Ellis and Olson had a bed with a broken slat making the middle bow.  Elder Mitchell repaired it before he and Sister Mitchell left the area, but the slat broke in a different area anyway rendering it beyond repair. Luckily, we needed to find a home for the bed we were using, so it worked out well for us and them.

Beds for couples are made up of two twin-sized beds joined together with a larger mattress spread across them, so when we took the mattress off, we had two beds to put somewhere.

Sisters Hall and Huxtable had the cleanest apartment in the land, I think. They both like a clean, tidy home and it showed. We did a couple of minor repairs, but for the most part, they needed little. They will have a third companion, so some things would be needed, such as the other bed.  For obvious reasons, we were happy when they volunteered to help us clean the apartment we would be returning to the landlord.

We found that this bed was repaired
but the repair didn't hold. Luckily,
we had a bed we needed to take
out of the apartment we vacated
to replace this one.

Elders Ellis and Olson. We forgot to get their picture when we  inspected
their apartment. This was taken  at the apartment we had to vacate a few
days later. See below.

Sisters Hustable and Hall had an exceptional apartment. 

This chair had a broken back, but
some glue and a couple of screws
and it was good again.

Wednesday, the work began in earnest. Olivia thought it was good idea to get a picture of all the clutter when we emptied the cupboards and before I had changed from PJs for the day. I had a similar pile of stuff in the office where I spent most of the morning. There was more dust and cobwebs than any other place we have cleaned. It is not that the couples who stayed there over the years failed to clean, it is just that there were tall cabinets, nooks and crannies, furniture that sat low to the floor and the like.

Under the kitchen sink was evidence of sewer rats. They had chewed a large hole in the drain pipe and made a toilet of the cupboard below. We cleaned that out before doing anything else, then just kept the door closed after that. The owner came on Sunday and was not surprised by what we told him and what he found when he inspected.

I am quite certain that there was a meeting of the spider league after we finished cleaning to declare a state of emergency. We found webs and spiders in areas you would never expect. This was especially true in the basement where webs hung from the low ceilings, walls, behind bookcases, corners windows, above and below lights, etc. Sisters Hansen and Hunter sent several to spider heaven when they did some cleaning there, but on Thursday and Friday, I made sure dozens more joined them.

Wednesday, the sisters from Malmö and Lund came to help clean. Thursday the elders from Malmö and Lund came to help move the heavy furniture out.

We had started to take items out of the closets and cupboards
and assemble them in some order. 

Sister Hunter working on dust and cobwebs

Sister Hansen has to stand on a chair
to eat dinner 😊 but she worked non-stop
including dusting and cleaning the
kitchen hutch.

Sister Hall working on the kitchen cabinet

Sister Huxtable went right to work. It is obvious
that she has done this kind of thing before.

The Wednesday crew:Sisters Huxtable, Hall, Hunter and Hansen.
I didn't realize until writing this that their name are an alliteration.

We loaded them down with treasures to take back to their apartment with them. These sisters had to take it all on the bus with them back
to Mallmö

Thursday we worked the morning without help because President Youngberg asked that all districts hold their meetings on that day at 10:00 and then at noon everyone linked in to a video meeting conducted by him where he showed the materials and videos that will be part of the Christmas campaign. The Church will be rolling out the updated "Light the World" campaign again as they did last year. Part of the meeting was a video from the Missionary Department featuring returned missionaries who had particular successes with the program last year and a discussion about how to effectively use it.

It was an inspiring hour with the entire mission attending. Several of the missionaries who had been here last Christmas told about some of the things they did to maximize the program using social media and personal contacting with the cards. Some of the ideas from last year sparked even more creativity. We are going to commit to it again this year, but pay better attention to the calendar that goes with the program.

Of course, not having the elders in the morning meant that all the heavy moving had to be done within just a couple of hours in the afternoon. Olivia and I had already hauled off several loads of items to the second hand store and to the återvinning (oater veen' ing - what we would call the dump, but much more organized and clean than what we are used to in the US). The missionaries were very protective of my back, so we did much of this without their knowledge. Still, there were some very heavy items in the basement that had to go around corners, through narrow doors and up a narrow, steep staircase. I was perfectly happy to have them do the heavy lifting in those cases.

This sofa reclines in every section,
so at first we thought it could not
be taken apart.

After trying in vain to get it through the doorway and up the stairs we brought it back in and turned it upside down. Elder Hawkins noticed that there were separate sections attached to the rail

With Brother Girhammar's help and my supervision 😎, we
detached one section and left two attached.. Elders Hawkins and Olson then maneuvered it through the door

Up the stairs and out to the trailer.

Elders Olson and Ellis then got the single section up the stairs
and out to the trailer

Elder Olson then went back down to
assist Elder Ellis

With Elder Petersen supervising, Elders Ellis and Radford prepare
to lift it into the trailer

Team effort got it in

Elders Radford and Petersen prepare to carry out the hutch

Around the railing and out the door

Elder Olson and Elder Anthon (in his $2 hat) take out some
miscellaneous items

Including this elliptical trainer

Olivia and I had loaded two beds, a desk and office chair into the van
before the elders came. Elders Ellis and Hawkins helped unload the set
them up. First a bed, the desk and chair went to the Lund sisters' apartment
because they will be getting a third companion this transfer. The other bed
went to the Lund elders' apartment to replace the old one which we took
to återvinning.

We had informed the bishops in Lund and Malmö that this furniture was available if they knew of anyone in their wards who could use it. Neither responded until the very last moment when the bishop of the Lund ward replied that he may know of someone who could use it. To our happy surprise, the Girhammars (yir' hahmar) showed up with a car and trailer. We have met with them several times before and are quite fond of this faithful couple. It turns out that their son is getting married and could use the furniture. We were happy about that because we love this family so much and because it is very high quality furniture. It would have been sad to just drop it off at the second hand store.

Sister Girhammar and her daughter, Maria help load the trailer

Brother Girhammar with his wife, daughter and elders load the trailer

Elder Anthon and a pumpkin photo bomb Maria and Sister Girhammar
with her prize deer head candle holder 

The Thursday crew: Elders Radford, Anthon, Olson, Petersen,
Brother and Sister Girhammar and Maria. Absent are Elders
Hawkins, Ellis and I who were delivering beds. Olivia took
the picture.

Ever the optimist, Olivia was certain that with all the help we got on Wednesday and Thursday we would be finished by no later than 2:00 on Friday. She set an appointment to inspect the Växjö apartment on our way home to Stockholm at 4:30. It is a 2 1/2 hour drive from Lund. Of course, we didn't finish until after 4:00, so we arranged to meet them at their apartment at 6:30 which meant that they would have to reschedule a lesson that was set for 7:00. They did it willingly to accommodate us. I had cannibalized the bed legs from the Lund bed that we had tossed, because I knew Elder Barney had trouble with his bed legs. It was a good thing I did because one leg had pulled out entirely and another was bending inward. I had to reverse a bolt to make it work, but finally it did. If anyone from my old law office is reading this they are shaking their heads and saying, "That's Brad. It may not be pretty, but he will find a way to make it work!"

It was a momentous occasion to close
and lock the door on this apartment

Even with 4 trips to the second hand store and just
as many to the återvinning we still had to pack the
van literally to the roof, using the rear seat belts,
bungee cords and closing doors that could not be
opened until we were ready to catch whatever fell
out to hold everything.in.

In Växjö we met Elder Barney with
his Julbock (Christmas goat) made of
 wheat or oat straw. 

Elder Simmons was with Elder Barney. Elder McCarl was on
splits with Elder Simmons' companion

We had not eaten anything since breakfast, so at 7:45 we found a tiny Mexican restaurant in town. It was quite authentic as the proprietor was born in Mexico of a Swedish father and Mexican mother. She was proud of her chips and salsa as well as the special dishes. It was a touch of home, to be sure.

We then hit the road for the trip back home. We arrived at our apartment at about 1:40 AM and were in bed at about 2:30. Saturday we unloaded the van, put up a set of shelves to put some of the items into and prepared for the adult session of stake conference. It was stake conference on Sunday, as well. The theme of both sessions was the Book of Mormon and the temple. The stake president,  President Haugman, served his mission in Utah. Part of the time he was on the Navajo reservation, miles away from civilization. There in a hogan he told an older woman and her family about the Book of Mormon. She stoically informed him that the story of Jesus coming to her ancestors was a story passed down generation after generation. It wasn't until much later that the people identified the god who visited them as Christ, but to her it was obvious. She and her family received the missionaries and joined the Church, cherishing the Book of Mormon. 

It was nice to visit Lund and attend church in Malmö, but it was wonderful to be back where we consider our home to be. We were happy to see many of our friends from the Uppsala Ward and catch up with all that is happening there. Our friend Torsten will be traveling to the US on Tuesday. He will be gone about 10 days, if I got the story straight. We were happy to see Elsa who came with Gabriel. We were able to greet the missionaries from the ward, as well. We made plans for the Thanksgiving Day celebration with them and Elsa (who has never tasted pumpkin pie). Tim, our ward mission leader who is half American, is also coming.

We are enjoying a day of resting (?), cleaning our apartment, and preparing for a meal tonight where we will honor the missionaries who are returning home tomorrow. Olivia is cooking pumpkin and butternut squash to make pies for Thursday. We had our first snow in our neighborhood, and Christmas music is filling our little apartment. It is a joyous time. We wish you all the joys associated with this season of the year!