In the Christmas Zone

Christmas zone conferences are a special experience for everyone. The zone conferences are kept to just one zone at a time, normally, but at Christmas, President Youngberg felt that there would be several advantages to combining zones. First, it is always a magical time when elders and sisters who haven't seen each other for some time get back together. Second, the logistics for Christmas conferences are much more complicated, so having to repeat fewer times is a blessing. Third, you can only watch It's a Wonderful Life, read the same Christmas story, eat the same meal, and give the same program so many times (except there is no limit to the number of times you can watch It's a Wonderful Life in my always humble opinion).

Our presence was not required at the joint Malmö and Göteborg zone conference. We were needed and appreciated (I must say) at the Stockholm, and the joint Stockholm South and Norrland zone conferences. As a special treat, the Youngbergs presented a program based on what their family did on Christmas Eve each year. It gave a homey touch that the missionaries all seemed to enjoy.

The senior couples Halls, Donohoos, Smiths, Hales, and us

The  tables were all decorated
with garland, LED lights, ornaments,
and plenty of Julmust. 

The sisters are served
first

This year the menu was
the traditional Julbord
(Christmas Table)

Enjoying Swedish meatballs, prinskorv, beet salad, ham, a type
of deviled egg (mayo, shrimp, and caviar in the center), green
beans, Brussels sprouts, boiled potatoes, bread and cheese.
Youngbergs, Sisters Heaps, Chapdelaine, Dargan, and Gow 

Dessert was Swedish rice pudding
topped with spiced lingonberry
sylt (homemade by Sister Anderson),
pepparkakor, and cinnamon.
Elders Hartin, Martineaux, Greenhalgh,
Petersen, Liljenqvist, Grover, Benson

Sisters Hulldin (Swedish sister), Cole, Cook, Pickett

Elders Porter, Lee, Hambrick and Olaveson

Sister Pickett accompanies Sister Manning

Youngbergs perform a duet

Stockholm sisters Front: Sisters Hales, Anderson, Heaps, Manning,
Pickett, Youngberg, Donohoo. Back: Sisters Otterson, Gow, Chapdelaine,
Dargan, Beck, Cole, Cook, Hulldin, Robison

Meatballs, prinskorv, veggies, Sisters Edwards,
Datwyler, Argyle, Kunzler, Andrewson, Cappuccio

Prinskorv (korv is sausage) sort of explodes at both
ends when it is cooked. It is sausage fit for a prince,
thus the name.

Elders Harper (now a POE) and Harrell
are together again.

Elder and Sister Johnson

I don't want any ground floor... Oh George!

Norrland and Stockholm South Sisters Bottom: Youngberg, Kunzler,
Andrewson, Argyle, Edwards, Datwyler, Hill. Top: Hales, Anderson,
Johnson (who is training), Kimball (Johnson's Companion), Cappuccio,
Back, McDonald, Botchway, Hickman, Clark, and Johnson

Hometown boy Elder Moss. His new companion is Elder Domino -
the dynamic duo. Elder Domino tells me that Elder Moss has the
best Swedish he has ever heard after only three months. "That's
going into my blog!" 

Prior to the zone conferences, we traveled back to Uppsala to check apartments. We went to the sisters' apartment first. Sisters Manning and Beck are a poster-perfect pair. The apartment was among the best we have visited. While we were there we got a text from the elders that they were stuck in Borlänge because of travel delays. The heavy snows caused the trains to get behind at first. Assuming that they were still on the delayed schedule, the elders arrived a minute late, because the trains had gone back to the regular schedule. (Their apartment check would have to wait until Sunday.)

We completed the inspection and then walked with the sisters to a single sister who has been under the weather for a time. We introduced the custom of caroling to her. She was almost giddy with the attention and the pumpkin bread Olivia had brought for her.

From there we drove to the train station in the city. It had been snowing all day and we had the mission van because our van had been used to carry Christmas packages to the Göteborg/Malmö zone conference. The tires on the mission van are snow tires, but no studs. It was a bit unstable for the weather we were having. The snow was heavy and very wet, so the parking and many of the roads were slippery, with packed snow.

The roof of the van had collected a couple inches of snow and when I came to a stop at a traffic light, it all slid forward blocking my view through the front windshield. It was so heavy that the wipers could not push it away. A nice lady who was in the crosswalk saw my dilemma. She kindly came over to the driver's side and scraped off some of the snow, so I could drive around the corner to a safe place to stop and scrape off the rest.

Elder Grover stayed in Borlänge with the district leader and Elder Harrell brought Elder Ahonen, a new missionary from Finland with him.  We drove, slid, and prayed our way several kilometers out of town to the home of Kurt and Monica Hedén (well, I drove, slid and Olivia prayed - the young missionaries were oblivious as they joked, told stories and sang along the way). Kurt has had a long bout with partial surgeries interrupted by serious infections until he was finally able to complete the hip replacement. He is one of the sweetest men with a wonderful, loving and patient wife. They loved our visit and we sang for him, with Monica joining in.

Caroling is not in the Swedish tradition, nor Finnish, it seems. Elder Ahonen was not sure what to make of it until it was over. "Wow! That was a lot of fun," he exclaimed to me as we left.

Sisters Beck and Manning in their clean, festive apartment.
They even have a Christmas tree.

Our faces are not illuminated by the sun. It is 3:00 PM, the sun
has been down for 30 minutes and the streetlights are bright.
Olivia's phone has an excellent camera, so it adjusts to the light.
You can sort of see the heavy snow falling.

Olivia, Sister Manning, Elder Harrell, me, Sister Beck, Elder
Ahonen, with Kurt and Monica. We had just finished singing
Stilla Natt (Silent Night) and Nu Tändas Tusand Juleljus (not
sung in English. It means Now lit are a thousand Christmas
Lights - a beautiful carol.) 

 We tried to go to some other ward members' homes, but none were home.

Today, we inspected the elders' apartment and went with them and the sisters to visit Torsten Hernod who missed Church today because he had a bicycle accident yesterday. He takes blood thinning medication, so the gash in his leg will have a hard time healing. He appreciated our visit, but was a little embarrassed because there was not room for us to sit in his apartment. Every square centimeter is covered with books, some classic vinyl records, and Church magazines - but mostly books.

Unfortunately, no pictures today.

The ward choir was called upon to sing today. Olivia had signed us up to participate, so we were among them. Unfortunately, we had only practiced once and tried to sing to an electronic keyboard that plays itself. Olivia coaxed Elsa into being in the choir and she practiced with us last week, but wisely chose to sit this one out. She made up for it by interpreting for us in the combined Priesthood/ Relief Society meeting.

It is the last Sunday before Christmas Eve and the excitement is rising. We enjoy the lights and the music. By American standards, it is modest, but instead of thousands of lights around the houses and yards, there are lighted stars, electric candles and wreaths in every window. It's as if each home and apartment is saying, "We keep Christmas in this home." We are going to miss the Swedish carols, the lights and the understated observance.

We wish you a happy, final week before Christmas. May the Spirit of God permeate your hearts and homes as you #lighttheworld.