Now it Begins...

July and August are scheduled to be moving months; literally moving. We began by moving the Elders from an apartment in Stockholm to another apartment that has been the subject of this blog in the past. We will be moving elders from their apartment in Södertälje to another tomorrow, then cleaning the apartment in order to turn it back to the landlord. We then travel down to Lund to close an apartment and turn it back to the landlord, but that will likely have to be in August, because we will be in Eskilstuna for Festinord, the largest gathering of young single adults in Europe.

Moving missionaries is always more work than it looks like it should be. This was much smoother then in the past, because we had the foresight to take boxes and bags for the elders to pack several days in advance. When we arrived, they had actually pack them and had them at the door. The Stockholm sisters were there, so Olivia stayed with them while I drove with the elders to unload the things with which we had filled the Ford van. We had borrowed another car from the mission office, because another set of elders met us at the new apartment and stayed with us most of the day, shuttling back and forth. Of course, it also meant that we treated them to lunch at an Indian restaurant a little walk from the old apartment. Good missonaries; good day.

The work crew: Elder Hatch, Sister Hunter, Elders Olaveson, Adcox, Fortuna, Sister Christoffersen

Packing and cleaning help

At lunch with the crew

We returned the next day to the apartment we moved them into and install a coat rack, an extension cable for
the microwave

And a mirror (not as easy as it should be)

The apartment when we first
acquired it

Finally set up. They can take the vacuum out of the box and do the rest.

Through the week we have worked with the office couple, the Hales, to get things set up like they want to control the light in their bedroom. The blackout blind fell apart and it could probably be repaired, though I did not expect to do it any time soon. So we got them blackout curtains.

The next day we got a call from Sister Hales that the curtains did not block enough of the light, so we did go back, repair the blind (duct tape, of course - good quality, though) and re-install it. We also picked up the iron because she had tried to iron the curtains at too high a setting and, while it didn't do permanent damage to the curtain, the iron had retained a good part of the fabric. Olivia looked it up on Google and found out how to clean the iron.

Shiny and clean

We had a lot of shopping, going from apartment to apartment, and the week looked too full to add another thing when we got a call from the elders in Norrköping (nor'-shupping) telling us that their wardrobe had collapsed. Olivia's response, "You had a wardrobe malfunction?!" They are young enough that they didn't get the reference. These people are YOUNG!

We told them that we may be able to work it in sometime in August. It turned out that we were able to make time on Friday, so we made the trip there and did some of the other things we needed to do on our way to and from. It is about a 2 hour drive. They had put the wardrobe back together well enough to keep using it, but it was not going to last long, so I secured it with screws instead of the little brads with which it was originally secured. (Brads are useless objects until you hit them solidly on the head) While we were there, we secured the backs of the other wardrobes (there were three in all), again with screws. They were happy with our visit and felt much better about their situation.

Later, we got a call from them thanking us once again, but also mentioned that I had secured one of Elder Olson's shirts to the back of the wardrobe with a screw.  ARRRGGG!

The buildings on the street where the elders live are old.
This gargoyle reminded Olivia of me with a
mustache, I guess.

Elders Ashford and Olson asked me to take a look at the kickstand on the bike. This was before they found the shirt screwed to the back of the wardrobe, obviously

Elder Olson discovered this old organ at a second-hand store a couple of blocks
from their apartment. He convinced the Linnköping Elders to help them carry it
down the street and up a couple of flights of stairs to their apartment. I couldn't get
the video off from the iPhone, but it is fun! It's a pump organ.

One of the reasons we are considering moving to Idaho, eventually, is that the state does not have an IKEA. One You Tube artist states that it is harder to get out of IKEA that prison. We spent much of two separate days in IKEA this week. We are trying to get everything prepared for the move to the new apartment in Södertällje, so it was necessary. The first time was fine because we went by the book. We entered in the entrance, walked the floor to find the desks, and other items, walked to the cashier and walked out.

The second time, we really only needed a couple of mattresses for the bunk beds we were going to install, so we avoided the long walk. We walked into what we thought was the back door where the cashiers are located and behind which are the shelves where you pick up the items you have identified. It turned out that we were literally in the largest IKEA in the world and the door we entered was below the floor we needed to be on. We found our way to the correct floor (no easy task) and even found the mattresses we wanted. We bought them and, even though it took longer than it should have we congratulated ourselves at short cutting the IKEA plan.

As we left, we noticed that their restaurant offered lunches that were much less expensive than fast food restaurants, so we deposited the mattresses into the Ford van and went back into the store. We wandered about looking for a way into the restaurant and were told, essentially, "You can't get there from here." We had to find the front of the store, go up what looked like the stairway to heaven, turn a certain direction to find the food. We complied. When we finally found the restaurant (the place has a hot dog station and a cafe for coffee that are not the restaurant), and ate our meal, we tried to leave without going through acres of store. We again discovered that we could not, and after several miserable failures at short cutting, walked the entire store to get back to the car.

IDEA at Kungens Kurva; largest in the world

Part way up the escalator that reaches
the sky (it is not heaven)

You can see the parking lot and even our car from here.
You just can't get there from here.

 Now it was time to start putting these items together. We are getting used to following IKEA instructions. I have to admit, that if you follow them, being very careful to note the smallest details, it actually turns out like it should. We spent much of Saturday unpacking and assembling desks, desktop organizers and bunk beds in the home of the Shelins, a wonderful young couple into whose spare room we are moving the elders on Monday.

Follow the illustrated instructions exactly!

 Sister Shelin has a wonderful reputation as a cook, so when she asked if we would stay for dinner, I didn't wait for a response from Olivia before thanking her profusely and accepting the invitation. Dinner was an amazing soup with frittered pumpkin blossoms. That's right, we ate the blossoms from her pumpkin vine! Delicious! She uses zucchini blossoms, usually, but she didn't plant zucchini this year.

We are losing 20 missionaries this week, so this transfer affected many of the areas again. We are losing a couple of our favorites (if there can be such a thing) from our ward. We first met Elder Roylance not long after his first year in Sweden and have had dealings with him in Hägersten, then Kungsbacka, where we moved him to a new apartment, and now in Uppsala where he has been serving with distinction for the past few months. Sister Young was training Sister Trotter in Täby when we first arrived in the country, so we saw both of them often because they came to the office events very often. In Uppsala, she has served as a Sister Trainer Leader. She has a deep testimony, abiding faith and a desire to serve the Lord with all her heart. We have grown to love her, very much.

Sister Young - her last Sunday
in Uppsala

With Elder Roylance; also his last Sunday in Uppsala

Sisters Christensen, Young, Olivia, Elder Roylance, me, Elder Harper

Companion picture (Brother Burman is a famous photo bomber)

Companion photo

Another lesson we have learned is that, it doesn't always work to ask locals about important sites in their area. We wanted to see some Bronze Age carvings in Norrköping which were supposed to be near the museum according to the guidebook we brought with us. The museum is open for an hour on Tuesdays and three hours on Saturdays. We were there on Friday, so we were out of luck to see inside. We still wanted to see the carvings, so we started down a well paved path and asked several people as we walked only to be told that they had no idea, or that they knew, but they gave us bogus directions. We got a good cardio walk, but no carvings. We will have to try another day.

The weather is very much like summer many days. It rained today and I am typing with a sweater on, but we have been very comfortable in our sunny weather much of the past week.  Our good friend Elsa, whom I have mentioned before a few times, along with her parents, spent several days this week at a family reunion in Utah. She had wonderful reports of the things they saw and did, but she said it was quite hot, there. We have a hard time relating.

We were saddened to hear of the passing of Marvin Moss. He was in our ward much of our time in Sparks and we grew to appreciate his heart and character. He was a master at controlling a potential hostile public meeting discussing the issues surrounding schools with his unflappable personality. He loved and taught the gospel with ease and testimony. We tried to send condolences to Dixie, but the email didn't go through. Those who know her, please pass on our sympathy.

Meet and Greet plus a Baptism

We bid our final farewell to our good friends, Keith and Margo Clouse. Monday morning we picked them up at the "Clubhouse" and took them to the airport. They flew to Ireland to see some distant relatives of Margo's and then, after a few days there, flew home. We are already missing their humor, friendship, easy-going attitudes and their love.

Because I have found old shirts and ties to wear while working on apartments, rather than what would normally pass as work clothes, Keith often accused me of overdressing by saying, "where's your cummerbund, Brad?" So to properly see them off:

Keith and Elder Cummerbund

With Elder Hales who has replaced him in
the office

Clouses with the office elders: Benson,
Stapley, Craun, and Jämsä

With Sister and Elder Hales

Just before they boarded to leave us at the airport

😢

The rest of the week was filled with service to the missionaries and being with President and Sister Youngberg as they introduced themselves to the missionaries.

After the airport run, we went to the Jakobsberg sisters' apartment to do the repair to the washing machine (again). This time it went much better. I found how to open the front panel enough to look in and Olivia found the switch unit with the electrical connectors that had fallen off when I replaced the latch plate. We reattached the plate attaching the switch unit, this time and it really worked. I should say prayers really worked. Really.

Why does it have to be
next to the toilet?

Why women live longer
than men.

Front panel propped open
we worked together to
reattach the switch

In case that wasn't disgusting
enough, Olivia thought it
would be a good idea to clean
the drain in the sink.

We spent the next morning in Uppsala where we were able to meet with our special friend Elsa and the missionaries. Afterward, she showed us around the central part of this beautiful city. The city center is a quaint area of cobblestone streets, mostly for walking. It is still a vibrant area of the town. We were looking for some items Olivia wanted to include in the centerpieces that would go on the tables at the zone conference the following day. We found some fun shops including a well appointed fabric shop. Those are not as plentiful here as at home. Sister Hales had the idea of placing vinyl fabric, like table cloth, inside the van when we carry food, as it sometimes spills a little. It was on sale, so I got enough for our van and for their car, as well.

Elsa then showed us St. Erik's Spring which now has a well and hand pump over it. It didn't seem to work that day, but the important thing is that we saw it. You may remember that the Dom Kyrka in Uppsala is built on the spot where he was executed. No records of him exist from his time, so most of what we know is from legends. According to the legends, Erik was the king who fought to make Christianity the preferred religion of the realm. On Ascension Day in 1160, while he was attending mass, a rebel army was seen approaching. The king refused to leave the church until mass was concluded. He then went out with a few men was killed and beheaded. His head rolled to a stop and where it rested, a spring bubbled up to the surface. A blind man came sometime afterward, washed his face in the spring and was healed of his blindness. Others, praying to Erik had miracles occur, so he qualified as a saint. He is not officially canonized as a saint, but is considered as such and has a feast day on May 18 in the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches. What remains of his bones and some relics are in a gold casket in the Dom Kyrka.

Elsa sometimes reads this blog, so if you are reading it today, "Thanks, Elsa!"

Wednesday was taken up from morning to evening at the "Meet and Greet" multi-zone conference where President and Sister Youngberg introduced themselves to the missionaries. As they shared their vision of the work of the ministry, there was a noticeable feeling of enthusiasm among the missionaries. The Spirit was bearing witness of the message, the work and of the inspired calling of this young president and his wife.  It was an awe inspiring, testimony building experience. We spent a lot of the time preparing the building and hauling food, then serving the missionaries, but still had time to listen in on much of the program.

Olivia likes to take the before picture. It was July 5, so we
decorated in red, white and blue. Click to see the centerpieces

We always like to get
a picture of Sister
Christensen to send to
her mother.

And Sister Trotter to send
to the Sturgeons

We were so busy, we didn't think to take pictures of the missionaries.
Someone lined up these sisters for a photo, so Olivia also took
advantage. There were actually about 100 in attendance. Here
are Sisters Sidwell, Kinnison, Argyle, Otterson, Datwyler, McWhorter
and Johnson

Thursday we were back in Uppsala and Gävle (yev'la) to do apartment inspections. Everyone passed with flying colors, but I did get to do some repairs, so I felt useful. We see Sisters Young and Christensen often as we attend church with them. Sister Trotter is training Sister Neilsen. We have the greatest respect for Sister Trotter, not just because of her connection with our friends, the Sturgeons, but because she is cheerful always, even in the face of adversity and because she really understands the meaning of missionary work. Sister Neilsen is lucky to have such a companion. It turns out that Sister Trotter has an exceptional new missionary to train. Already, neither of them is comfortable praying in English. They work well together.

Sisters Christensen and Young in their apartment

After the apartment inspection,
it was time for lunch, so we
treated Sisters Neilsen and
Trotter to a Max meal. 

The Gävle apartment had these nasty mercury bulbs everywhere.
You can't just toss them, we have to take them to a special stall at
the Återvinning Central (environmental dump). These start off
dull and by time to leave, they are almost bright. I replaced them
 with LED bulbs.

We traveled back through Uppsala as we had items we needed to give the elders. They asked us to come to the church building because they were meeting with Pierre who was scheduled to be baptized on Saturday. We delivered their boxes of Swedish and other language Book of Mormons and some clothes Olivia had mended. While we were there, Pierre asked if I would confirm him on Sunday. I was surprised, but happy to do so.

On Saturday, we attended the baptism where Olivia played the piano for the hymns we sang and for the prelude and interlude. Elder Roylance performed the baptism, Brother Tore (tor'ah) Burman and I were witnesses.

Elders Roylance and Harper with Pierre Ingabire.
Pierre is from Burundi and speaks Swahili, French,
Swedish and English. Solid young man!

Some of those who attended the baptism. Sister Burman, Elder Harper
Pierre, Brother Thorsten Hernon, Tore Burman, Elder Roylance,
Brother Hammar (a counselor in bishopric) Peter Stegeby

Julia Stegeby, Elder Harper, Peter Stegeby, Pierre, Brother Hernon
Elder Roylance Olivia, Judy Hammar

Bishop Holmdahl with Pierre and the missionaries who taught him.

We were also able to purchase and assemble two bikes for the Täby sisters. They have been using the train to get to the church and to appointments, but now the train is out of service for the rest of the year or longer as tracks are updated and moved. With bikes they save over an hour each day getting around. They were happy campers, to say the least.

Sisters Gill and Sidwell testing out their new bicycles 

We will be moving the elders from the Stockholm I area to a new apartment, so we also met with them to show them where their apartment accouterments are located and acquaint them with the building. We will be moving them tomorrow. Some heavy work ahead.

We capped off the week with our church meetings today. I was asked to pass the sacrament and, of course, to confirm Pierre a member of the Church and bless him with the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I practiced all the way to church and even after I got there. I performed the ordinance entirely in Swedish. I offered the blessing part in English as I have almost no command of the spoken language and I still think in English. It was a thrilling, frightening and holy experience. I think it came out alright as no one commented one way or the other. Like it was normal. I choose to take that as a compliment. It may be the opposite, but I am happy I tried.

Brother Hernon has been especially helpful with Pierre as he not
only speaks excellent English, but is also fluent in French. 

We were sorry to have missed a big Dahl reunion that took place Saturday. All of Olivia's siblings were there, as were many of the grand- and great grandchildren with their families. Her sister, Jennifer, counted 86 in attendance. We were pulled in by Messenger, so we got to talk to some of the attendees. All of our children (except Tavan who couldn't pull it off) attended with their families, so it was cousin heaven at the ranch.

We love all of you and hope you find yourselves and your families well and happy. Write and let us know how you are doing and what is happening in your lives.

Lasts and Firsts - There's a New Sheriff in Town!

We were back at work this week.  We have been looking and praying for a new apartment in Södertälje (sudder-tell'-ya) and we were able to secure one this week. There will no doubt be several pictures of it in the coming weeks as we need to move the elders out of their current apartment and into the new one before the end of the month and the month is already packed.

Jordan met Robin Schelin (hwee'-leen) at April's General Conference when he discovered that they have a mutual friend. The Schelins live in Södertälje and they have created an apartment in the top of their apartment with a separate entrance, a large room and separate bath and are thrilled to have missionaries live there. We have only met the wife, Aurora, who is from Italy, served a mission in Switzerland and met Robin while studying in Sweden. Nice people and a nice situation for our missionaries.

We received the parts to repair a washing machine door that was broken by an impatient sister missionary when the door would not open. Like anyone in that situation, she pried it open with a claw hammer. The landlord was not of a humorous disposition and threatened to hire a repairman and charge the mission for it. I was able to fix it for just a few kroner. I was feeling pretty good about it until we got a text from the sisters stating that now the washer won't even start. Back to them tomorrow. Why not get the repairman in and fix two of my DIY attempts?

Sisters Wagner and Eriksson leaving
as I remain to finish my 2 hour repair
that should have taken only 10
minutes!

These two are both Swedish, though Sister Wagner has lived in the US most of her life. She was born in Sweden. Sister Eriksson is from Skåne (skona). They are among the hardest working missionaries in the country, so we are happy to make life as easy for them as we can.

We listened as they prepared for the day. All preparation was done in Swedish. Most of the preparations we have observed in other apartments has been done in English, but these two are as comfortable with one as they are with the other.

After making the repair, we took their keys back to them at the church building, then found a shady place to eat our lunch in the parking lot. We finished as they were leaving. We thought we would give them a ride to wherever they were going, but just as we started the car, they had stopped someone on the sidewalk and started a conversation. That person didn't seem interested, so they continued and we continued out of the parking lot to catch up to them. Just as we were close, they stopped another person and began another conversation. We concluded that they intended to street contact all the way back home, so we passed by without disturbing their conversation.

Our last office meeting was the last office meeting for President and Sister Beckstrand. It was, of course, a meeting with all the necessary last minute organizing for the airport pickup of the Youngbergs, how we were going to take them and their luggage out, who should be there, and making sure all was ready for them. Pres. and Sister B were "assigned" the spiritual thought and success story. They reviewed the successes they witnessed as they have served the last three years, particularly the personal changes as they applied themselves to building the Kingdom of God and bringing the message of Christ's gospel to the people in Sweden.

At the close of the meeting the POEs and Assistants presented them with a painting we had discovered in a closed apartment. They had kept it hidden in the office until that evening. One of the elders had started a painting based on a photo that had been used in a promotional brochure. The painting was never finished and they (especially Sister B) look like zombies. It is kind of scary, in fact.  Following that they sang a favorite Swedish hymn that is not in our English hymnal.

Beckstrands with the zombie picture

Elder Stapley never eats sweets,
but as a gesture of his affection he
gave in to Pres. B's pressure and
ate 2 bites of a doughnut

Elders Stapley, Benson, Craun, and Jämsä singing for the Beckstrands

We were invited to a discussion with the Uppsala elders with a young family from the US. It turned out that they are employed by Agape which used to be called Campus Crusade for Christ. They hold bible study classes for university students. They are a very nice young couple with a 10-month old baby, but they are more interested in pounding in their own interpretation of the bible than in hearing another version. They argued even when we offered our testimonies. They were not at all hostile and we left friends, but I doubt we will return.

We had some time after returning the elders to their next appointment, so we returned to Gamla Uppsala where we went into the museum and took a tour in English. We learned more about the burial mounds and the religious rites of the Viking era prior to the introduction of Christianity. Tradition had it that the three largest mounds were for certain kings. However, two of the mounds have been excavated to find that they are likely not. One, in fact is most likely a woman.  There are also some burial sites not far from there where the deceased were not cremated, but buried sitting up in royal robes, jewelry and food containers with their horses in a boat. Because they were not cremated, there is much more to learn from them.

One of the depictions of the  sacrifice

One practice that particularly disturbed the early Christian missionaries was the nine plus nine rite. Every nine years, nine of each kind of animal were sacrificed and the edible animals were eaten. Nine pigs, nine horses, nine cattle, etc, and nine people. The men and the skins of the animals were then hung in trees around the sacrificial site. I can see why Christianity appealed to them.

A random beauty I found on the internet in front of the
burial mounds in Gamla Uppsala

 We went to the airport to meet the new president and his wife and took the traditional picture with them and the welcoming committee. They were understandably exhausted, but happy to finally be here. We are anxious to work with them.

President and Sister Youngberg
coming into the airport to greet
the welcoming group

Pres. and Sister Beckstrand, Elders Benson, Stapley, President and Sister
Youngberg, Elders Jämsä, Elder Craun, Olivia, me, Elder and Sister Hales

The outgoing and incoming presidents with wives. A touching moment

Elder and Sister Hales accompanied them
with the Assistants to Stockholm and took
the traditional picture across the bay from
the city offices.

Later, we drove to the airport and picked up Elder and Sister Clouse who had technically completed their mission and had gone to Poland to see some of the places where Margo's ancestors had lived. They visited Warsaw and Cracow, several WWII sites and some of the cemeteries, but were disappointed that the old graves have been reused for more modern ones and the old gravestones are gone.

We took them to eat and home to their temporary quarters. Saturday we spent a couple of hours with them at the Viking farm near us where we took Cedric's family last week. Saturday evening we joined the senior couples, office elders and Täby sisters for a farewell BBQ in their honor. President and Sister Youngberg also joined and stayed for the evening. It was great fun and a fond farewell for those whose lives the Clouses have so favorably impressed and touched. We will take them to the airport for the final farewell to these very special friends. We have had wonderful, fun, funny, and moving experiences with them and will miss them greatly.

Margo and the friendly goat.
There were no goats last week,
so Cedric's family has to
return to avoid disappointment!

Keith and Margo in front of one of the Viking houses

With the Viking who told us of
some of the Viking tales as recorded
in the Icelandic Saga and rune stones

At the BBQ. Elder and Sister Pettit, Lydia
(their granddaughter) Pres.and Sister
Youngberg, Elder and Sister Smith

Elder Benson, Clouses, Elder and Sister
Hall, Elder Craun

Elder Stapley, Sisters Gill and Sidwell,
Olivia and me, Elder and Sister Hales,
Elder Jämsä (pronounced yem' sa)

As the evening drew to a close, Sister Youngberg seemed to draw the senior sisters to her. Olivia was favorably impressed with how easily she talked with them - down to earth; no pretenses. President Youngberg was like a magnet to the young elders and sisters as he told them of some of the experiences in the MTC with all members of the Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency (except President Monson). Especially thrilling was his expression of vision for the mission. I watched with gratitude as they paid riveted attention to him and were visibly moved by his testimony. They went away with renewed determination and admiration. Elder Jämsä leaves in just a few weeks and asked if he could extend.

We are excited with the anticipation of working with this inspired couple. We know great things will follow their leadership.