It Snows and then Hales

It is apparently a typical entrance to Spring. One day it is warm enough to just wear a jacket and wash the car, the next day it snows and keeps snowing. The next day the rain comes and the snow turns to slush; the roads back to muddy waterways. Such was this week.

It gave me the opportunity to meet our neighbor across the street from us. When we got home Monday, the snow plow had pushed everything to his side of the road, so he would not be able to get his car out of his driveway. He was out with a snow shovel trying to move snow that had turned to ice and had formed a berm all in front of his home. I grabbed a scoop shovel and a snow shovel and went to help. I broke up the icy berm with the scoop shovel and moved it with the snow shovel. In the meantime, we had a great conversation about how he and his wife had moved into the beautiful home when they got married. At that time it was owned by her parents. They never left, but supported the parents until their deaths. His wife has never lived in any other home. They have two children and a grandchild. I told him that was a good start and bragged about our six children and 21 grandchildren. He was blown away, but jolly about it.

Prior to that, we had been at the mission office working on some needed projects and then at the mission home where we finished the table for better or for worse. It is what it is and I think it came out pretty good. We will take a picture tomorrow when we are there for the office meeting. Glad that is behind us, though.

On Tuesday, President and Sister Beckstrand were out of town with the Clouses, so it was up to us to welcome Elder and Sister Hales at the airport. They were fresh from the MTC in Utah. They are from upstate New York and just recently retired; she from teaching, he from being the controller of the school district. They will eventually take over the office duties from the Clouses, but since the Clouses will not be leaving until the end of June, President Beckstrand placed them in Örnskoldsvik (urn' sholds vick), a small town in Norrland. Recently, the branch president there had a heart attack and double bypass surgery, so they need some help in the branch.

They arrived completely exhausted at about 9:00 AM, but we couldn't allow them to sleep because they needed to reset their biological clocks, so the elders from the office took pictures, helped toss their bags into our van and we took them to Uppsala for a hastily arranged apartment inspection of the two apartments there. Elder and Sister Pettit wanted to go along, so we kind of overwhelmed the sisters and elders, but they seemed to enjoy our visits. We explained all the ins and outs of inspections because they will be doing the inspections in Norrland next quarter. Of course, they can hardly remember landing here, let alone all that goes along with inspections, but it kept them awake...mostly.

Sisters Hatch and Hall, the polka dot twins in Uppsala

We introduced them to Sybilla, a fast food chain at which we enjoyed salads and the Pettits burgers, but they could only handle smoothies at that point. Driving back Olivia and Sister Hales sat in the back and talked about all the things women find to talk about, In the front, I tried to explain road signs, some of the sights of the area and the like, but poor Elder Hales was in and out of consciousness much of the time. We took them to the Clubhouse, temporary quarters in the mission office and let them unpack and freshen a bit, then took them to Vapianos, an Italian restaurant the office elders especially like (they came with us). Their appetites were a little less fragile, so they enjoyed a good meal.

The next day we helped get them through the migration office, then took them to the temple in Väster Hanige where we enjoyed a session. Elder Hales was asked to be a witness in the baptistry, something I have not done, yet. We enjoyed the day there.

Angel Moroni through the pines

The Hales after our session in the temple

Thursday morning we gave them time to relax a little and tried to accomplish some of our other duties, but luckily, they were few, this week. The Pettits joined us again for the grand tour of Gamlastan (Old Town Stockholm). We started with a nice lunch at the Pettit's apartment, then off to the city. We got their picture in front of the bay across from the city hall where the three crowns dominate the skyline. It is there that the Nobel Prizes are awarded. The weather was wet, cold and blustery, so we did as much as we could indoors. The palace has a couple of excellent museums that are free, so we chose to do that. It was getting late, so we would not have had our money's worth to purchase museum tickets. We will do that another time.

Hales before the City Hall building

If I have to take the selfie, I get to be in front. Here we are joined by the Pettits

 That evening we went to the Clubhouse and enjoyed a dinner complete with hors d'ouvres, two entrees, and two desserts. Heartburn central, but it was great. Elder and Sister Smith were able to come, as well, and later the Clouses and Beckstrands came in on their return from the airport, so they all got to meet the Hales.

Beckstrands couldn't stay. Here the Clouses, Hales, Pettits and Smiths joined us at dinner

  Friday, we loaded our car with the summer tires for their car, a spare tire for our van, our luggage and a few items for the Norrland missionaries and headed for Örnskoldsvik. Along the way we introduced them to the Max Burger, which has excellent burgers and salads, but also the best milk shakes in Sweden; taught them how to use the credit card at the gas pumps; and stopped for pictures at the giant expansion bridge in Höga Kusten (the High Coast). I have blogged about this bridge previously, but it still amazes. The high coast is notable because most coastlines are beaches, but this one is cliffs and mountains. It is a beautiful part of a beautiful country.

 

Arriving in Örnskoldsvik we were met by Elders Schults and Hatch who had done an excellent job cleaning the Hales' apartment beforehand. They helped unload the cars and carry luggage and tires (already mounted on wheels) into the apartment and storage, in that order. While the women and I did a little cleaning and repairing, the elders showed Elder Hales some places to shop. We all went to dinner afterward at the hotel where Olivia and I stayed the night. Then we all got some well-deserved rest.

At dinner with Elder Schultz, Elder Hatch and the Hales

The following morning we made one last visit with the Hales and headed for home. As we walked to the car we saw a young mother pulling her little girl in a sled. It is pretty common practice when there is a lot of snow because it is much easier than pushing a carriage or a stroller. It is so cute a sight that we wished we had asked permission to take a photo. We got into the car and as we pulled out we saw the two of them walking down a nearby street, having been joined by the dad. I pulled up beside them and used a couple of my few Swedish words, "Ursakta mig" (excuse me). I asked if we could take their picture and they looked a little confused, but by that time Olivia was out of the car explaining that we just never saw such a thing in America and they were delighted to be our subjects.

We realized after we left them that we had failed to give them a pass-along card, but we think they live in the same building as the Hales, so we emailed them and asked them to keep a lookout for this nice family. Sister Hales says she has a pass-along card all ready for them.

Olivia is always alert to possible sites that need exploring, so on our way back we stopped outside a little town called Härnösand (hair na sond) where there is an open-air museum featuring buildings from various areas in the region. Most are reproductions built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but some have been moved there and are quite ancient. The indoor museum has artifacts from the area as well as many that have been excavated from the junkyards of the 14th and 15th centuries.

The local blacksmiths produced weapons based on military designs. All sizes here, dating way, way back.

Lots of displays of everyday life. Here is a loom.

The church was constructed in 1925 replicating a church of the 16th century

One of the gates to the church

   

I find these fences fascinating.  They are of ancient design, but still used all over this country.

The road is so wet and muddy that I had to stop and wash the windows in order to see the rear-view mirrors

Today, we said goodbye to Sister Hall, a missionary who is valiant in her testimony, fearless in her contacting and tireless in the work. She is going to Umeå (oo' me oh) to serve with Sister Eriksson who is Swedish. Sister Eriksson's companion, Sister Wagner, is going to Kristianstad (kur quan' stod - I know, it doesn't make sense to me, either) and will serve in Sister Eriksson's home ward, so she will meet the family. We will miss Sister Hall, but will see her again in 6 weeks as she returns home to the US. 

The Sabbath was a delight today. The bishopric asked Sister Hall to bear her testimony, which was exceptional. Sunday School class was taught by Sister Hall and Sister Hatch. It is in English, so that is always good. We didn't have any investigators, so we shared ideas from our reading of the scriptures relating to charity. The Book of Mormon is always the first reference because it clarifies so much of what is found in the New Testament. Particularly read Moroni 7:45-48, but also look at chapter 8:25-26 for some interesting insight. When the Holy Ghost is present, we are filled with perfect hope and love. Repentance, baptism, meekness (not weakness) and diligence all lead to that end. It is simply true and simply inspiring.

Sister Hall's last Sunday in Uppsala

We love you all and wish you a wonderful week.

Going GAGA (General Authority General Authority)

It has been a week for receiving counsel from General Authorities. We began the week with a mission tour by the Europe Area President, Elder Patrick Kearon. We ended the week (actually started this week. The European calendars, however, begin the week with Monday) with a broadcast to the northern European stakes, featuring Elders M. Russel Ballard, L. Whitney Clayton and Timothy J. Dykes as well as Sister Linda S. Reeves.

We spent the first part of the week, prior to the mission tour, trying to repair the dining table at the mission president's home. The finish has raised because the wood is a veneer and moisture caused the finish to crack in some places. When I realized that it was not going to be like the tables we have oiled and restored, I was prepared to let it alone. Sister Beckstrand said she had obtained a stain/varnish with which she had restored a bureau and that she would just take care of it. Olivia said, "Would you trust us to do that for you?" She, of course, was quite willing. What was that companion of mine thinking?! I have never had much luck with finishes, especially glossy ones. She, however, was concerned that with the new schedule for mission presidents, the Beckstrands are rarely home and were stressed enough without adding that to their plate.

We went to the Fluger Färg (pronounced flugger fairy) which is a paint store and got minimally accurate advice from the young man there who had probably painted walls, but never fine furniture. We purchased some stain and a water based polyurethane along with 600 grit sandpaper and 0000 steel wool. The sanding and staining went well, but even after three coats of the finish, there are still obvious brush marks. We are going back tomorrow with a paint roller specially made for such finishes. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

[Of course I'm wearing a white shirt and tie. Don't you? Here we are sanding and/or steel wooling between coats. After this we apply the polyurethane over a smooth surface.]

I think I have explained the white shirt and tie before. When we visit apartments for inspection or other matters, we are  often given bags of clothing that previous missionaries have left. I have found some shirts and ties that fit and use them as work shirts. Thus, I can still look the part and not worry if I get a little smudged.

I have mentioned that the Book of Mormon musical is playing here. As a result, the missionaries and members from the local wards are on the sidewalk in front of the theater when each performance is over handing out a copy of the Book of Mormon to anyone who would like one. They have always run out of them. That is 220 books per show. So far, over 2,500 of them have been given out along with a pass-along card that has the appropriate URL. The missionaries tell us that the people are amazed to get them for free. As a result, the Swedish version of mormon.org features some of our current and former missionaries to point out that real missionaries are not the naive caricatures they see depicted in the play, but young people with testimonies and deep conviction. Elder Olson, for instance, has only been a member for about 1.5 years, but joined the Church after going to the musical in the US and finding an ad in the program stating that "The book is always better." He read it and received the missionaries. Read his story here: http://www.mormonnewsroom.se/artikel/aldste-olson

Here is a link to Sister Hatch's testimony and song. She is one of the sister missionaries with whom we work closely. She is a Sister Trainer Leader in Uppsala.

http://www.mormonnewsroom.se/artikel/syster-hatch

There are several others at mormonnewsroom.se, if you are interested. It is in Swedish, but if you right click you can translate it into English.



You will remember Elder Kearon from the last General Conference. He is the one who spoke of the refugee challenge in the world and brought President Uchtdorf to tears. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/refuge-from-the-storm?lang=eng Normally, we would not have a mission tour this early in the year, especially given the fact that it has only been a few months since the last one and that this mission president will be leaving and a new one coming in July. It is a lot of work to prepare and execute the visit and the Beckstrands were a little apprehensive until they heard who would be conducting the tour. They have worked with President Kearon, know his story, and have always been left better off after having been in his presence.

At this type of conference we usually sit in the very back of the room, so we can quietly move out when it is time to set up for the meal. However, he had the senior couples sit in the third row back, so he could see and direct comments to us. We were not disappointed, to say the least. He made the point in many different ways that we can make necessary changes, and that if we expect to make anything of our lives, we must. We cannot, however, make lasting changes without involving the atonement of Christ in those decisions. Most people realize that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel (2nd Article of Faith), but most of us seem to assume that this applies to everyone except ourselves. He spoke quietly, personally, and with a good dose of humor, but it was powerful. It was one of those experiences that cannot be described in words adequate to bring the Spirit as only being there in person can do.

[Elder Kearon with us and the Clouses]

Of course, we missed much of the training that was meant specifically for the the young missionaries because we were in the kitchen or cultural hall preparing and setting out the food. We also set up the room so it looked nice for the missionaries who came to eat there.

 [Olivia with Sister Clouse at the lovely tables. We recruited the local missionaries to help fold napkins, set out utensils, water and the tulips. It was very impressive.]

 [Elder Kendall gave Elder Baggett a much-needed (kneaded?) shoulder massage. Elder Clouse thought that service deserved its own massage, Elder Nielson, Elder Mecham and Elder Hurlbut agreed. Hard work has its rewards!]

The following day we helped set up and serve the lunch in a different building. This was the Mission Leader Conference (MLC) day. MLC happens every six weeks, but this time, President Kearon presided and trained. We were not invited to the training, but the missionaries who attended were energized to do their work in the Lord's way. It was edifying to listen to them and talk with them at lunch.

[Sister Christensen is a Sister  Trainer Leader. She is a natural leader who will make a difference in this world. Her mother is friends with our daughter-in-law's sister, so we make it a point to talk with her when we get the chance.]

We spent Saturday helping some of the missionaries with their needs and then helping prepare the Club House for the Hales, a senior couple who will be arriving Tuesday. I have mentioned the Club House before. It is temporary quarters for newly arrived senior couples until they can go to their permanent assignment. It is also used for family members and friends who come to the mission for a visit. I wired a light in the shower room. If people only knew how little I know... Jeff Peters would be freaking out to this day, if he had been there. Still, the light works and no one died.

Today we attended the northern Europe broadcast as I mentioned above. We went to the Gubängen chapel because we were informed that there would be a room where we could observe it in English. We were instructed that we would be in the main chapel for the first 1/2 hour then go to the room designated for English. After hearing from a member of the stake presidency, as interpreted by Elder Mecham, we were informed that the English broadcast was not available. We then listened while the speakers who spoke in English (which we could not hear) had their talks voiced over in Swedish and the missionaries translated back into English.There were huge gaps when the interpreter tried to catch up and much that didn't entirely make sense; translating is a difficult business. Elder Mecham did most of the translating and he told me later that Elder Dyches' talk was especially difficult. So if any of you have contact with Elder Dyches, please let him know that we would really like a copy of his talk.

Some of you may know that Elder Dyches, who is from Reno, is a counselor in the Europe Area Presidency. He conducted the last mission tour just a couple of weeks before we arrived. He is held in very high regard in this country, especially among the missionaries as well as President and Sister Beckstrand. We were very sorry to have missed seeing him.

To follow up from last week, Olivia is officially off the sympathy list. She became progressively better as the week progressed and we hope she stays that way.

We wish you all the best this week.We have much on our plate as the week begins, so stay tuned.

We love and miss you all.

A Week with Sickie

After staying in bed all of Saturday, Sunday and most of Monday, Olivia was finally up to going out. We were able to attend the office meeting and get some things organized in the office storage area.

We had received an email from a landlord that the "Board" was complaining about the condition of the fence and gate on the patio of one of our sisters' apartments, so we combined a trip out to Väster Hanige with a number of other things we needed to do and went out there. It is the little community where the temple is located and is about 50 minutes from our apartment. Between here and there were some apartments that required our attention, so we made calls along the way.

First, we had to arrange with Sisters Wilson and Shin in Jakogsberg to take out a chest of drawers and if they would wait for us, we would take them to their district meeting. We barely made it on time, but we managed to get them to their meeting only 3 minutes late. Their apartment is in a nice home just a few miles from Rinkeby, where the riots took place. They were completely unaware of the riots and had talked about going into Rinkeby to visit some less active members there. That is no longer on their to do list.

[Sister Shin and Sister Wilson. We are relying on old pictures, here. We were in too big a hurry to take pictures of the event. Ask President Trump for pictures of the riot. :-)]

We put an office chair together and took it to Elder Nielsen a district leader in Handen who used to be a proselyting office elder, retrieved his broken chair and hauled it off to the recycle dump.

Finally, we went to the Väster Hanige apartment where we reviewed the problem with the fence. It was a problem with a broken trellis panel, which we replaced, but the landlord wasn't exactly honest with us and hoped we would think our responsibility extended to digging up the posts, straightening them and pouring concrete to make the repair permanent. It kind of brought out the lawyer in me, so I kindly, but firmly emailed him back to inform him that structural issues were a landlord responsibility. We haven't heard back, so I don't know where it stands at the moment.

[Before][After.] [Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture of Sister Hale even though she came out to talk to us in stocking feet and a 20 MPH wind.]

Back in December we got a card from the Clouses telling us that our gift from them would be a lunch at the Kaknästornet restaurant. The Kaknästornet is a TV tower at the top of which is a restaurant. We finally had a time when our calendars matched, so we went with them to the top of the tower. The food is excellent there and the views are breath taking. We went up another couple of floors to the little bar where there were fewer people and walked around the entire tower looking at the city, various islands and the fields where horses were being frisky. There was fresh snow, so they were playful - or maybe they know Spring is on its way. One got so carried away, that is slipped and fell.

Afterward, we took a little car tour of the parks and lakes that are nearby. Even though it was a cloudy and blustery day, it was still beautiful. We will go back when the weather is a little more cooperative.

[Kaknästornet TV tower (stock photo). The gold windows are the restaurant and bar/viewing areas]

[Swans and ducks in the park below the tower.]

We had thought to attend the temple earlier in the week, but Olivia was having coughing fits and she didn't want that to happen in the temple, so we waited until Friday. She did fine, except she began to feel achy again and her head ache returned.

Then, on Saturday afternoon, Olivia's flu returned with a vengeance and the rest of that day was not too productive. Other than a little shopping, she stayed down and I did some chores. We did go to church today, but she only made it through Sacrament meeting. It was Fast Sunday, and I did bare testimony this time. We have hesitated because we don't speak the language (poor excuse, everyone at least understands English) and because it is usually a very popular meeting and you have to be fleet to get to the front (again, a poor excuse), so it felt good to finally just do it.

Short post this week. We were both saddened and somewhat relieved at the news of the death of Sister Cheryl Robinson. We know it has been a very difficult several months for her and her family, but we remember her with great fondness. She was the picture of grace and long suffering. She was among the most Christ-like people we have known. We pray for her family, whom we love, as well.

We hope the coming week is wonderful for all of you.

You Say Gothenburg, I Say Göteborg

Göteborg (pronounced yut'-ta-bory) is the only city in Sweden I have heard of that has a separate English name. People here use the names Gothenburg and Göteborg interchangeably, maybe because they know we speak English, I'm not sure. Why we call a certain country Germany, they call it Deutschland and Swedes call it Tyskland, or Sweden vs Sverige or any number of other examples, I have never understood. I can see why Göteborg has an English equivalent as no one knows how to pronounce the ö, but why not call it Goteborg? I digress even before I start.

We have spent most of the last two weeks in Göteborg, thus the title of this post. We did have other matters to attend to prior to traveling to Sweden's southwest that involved finally finishing the tree house apartment (see prior post) and turning it over to the landlord. Glad to see the last of it.

I made no post last week because we were in a city not far from Göteborg called Alingsås where the Young Single Adult (YSA) conference was held. We left on Friday morning, but were not required to be there until late that evening, so we did a little site seeing.

The route we took was along the E4 freeway and Olivia had done some research. Not far off the freeway is the city of Vadstena which has a good deal of history related to it. We only had time to visit the castle which is one of the best preserved in the country. It has a moat surrounding it and part is used today as a land archive, where, I suppose, land records are preserved. Like most of the sites in Sweden, it is really only open for visitors from May to September. We need to go back as the first Bridgittine monastery built in 1350 is still being used today as a hotel. Santa Bridgitte was a type of prophetess who wielded much power with her abilities to bless, curse and to see into the future. A fascinating character.

[Selfie from the shore of one of the largest lakes in the country. A lion guards the bridge. The bridge across the moat is permanent, not a draw bridge.] 

[The castle from various angles.]

[You may have guessed that it was a bitterly cold day with a sharp wind]

[A close-up of the gate. Olivia in front of the entrance and me on the bridge overlooking the moat.]

We continued along a road that would eventually take us to the largest rune known to exist. It is called the Rök Rune (pronounced rock, but it means ellipsoid shaped stone). It dates back to the 9th century and was written in the most ancient script that contains code that no one, even those who claim to be able to read rune can interpret. It is thought that the writer was familiar not only with two or three rune alphabets, but also a code that, perhaps, contains magic and was intended not to be interpreted. There are lots of rune stones all over this country, as you have seen in prior posts, but nothing like this one. It has inscriptions on all sides except the bottom, which was meant to be buried. 

[Farms, fields, local ski resort, and a windmill along the road. Note the window at the top of the barn. They are like that all over the south of Sweden. We had not noticed that anywhere else.]

 The town also has an ancient glass artist shop. The owner is fourth generation and his son, who now does most of the work is the fifth generation. The pieces we saw were beautiful. We were not supposed to take pictures, so you will have to take my word for it. I had to take a phone call while Olivia continued her conversation with the owner. When I returned, she told me that he did glass engraving. I asked the same question that you are no doubt asking, "You mean etching?" No, engraving. The glass in one of the churches is about an inch thick and of the finest glass. He then carves into the glass. He showed us pictures of beautiful engravings of Mary, and some of Sweden's flora and fauna. There were some items I would have loved to buy, but did not for two reasons: 1. we would have to find a way to get it home and 2. they were priced at about $600 to $700. We did buy a piece for about $40.

[It was Valentine's day (almost), after all. She deserved it!]

[The rune from various angles. The church was built in the 13th century, a wall torn down and turned into a granary and storage facility for hay, then restored in the 18th century. It is just behind the rune. Click on the pictures for a close-up view.]

Then, on to Alingsås where we checked into our room at the hotel and found our way to the school where the YSA event was taking place. We still had a little time so we found a Turkish restaurant and had a nice meal of things I could not pronounce or guess what they were, but it was probably lamb and vegetables along with something I did recognize - French fries. It was all very good.

At the school, we were immediately put to work making pizzas. They had kits with cold dough and a small bottle of sauce. We pressed out the dough with our fingers, applied the sauce and added such things as cheese, meats, pineapple, etc. The school had 20 or more ovens for the cooking classes and we used them all. Part way through, however, the breaker flipped and we lost half our ovens. Security was called to restore the power. In the meantime, we moved the baking to the other half and continued. We prepared close to 80 pizzas for the crowd of about 240. We could have prepared more and they would have eaten them. This was not dinner, it was a midnight snack. Young people can eat. A lot.

Because they had us working so late, we didn't have to show up for Saturday until time to assist for the evening meal. It was a catered event, so we just had to set out the dishes and utensils and keep the lines moving. Of course, we had to make sure the garbage was properly sorted. After the dishes and clean up we made sure that everything was otherwise in order. We went into the school where the young folks were preparing for the dance. It was a Great Gatsby theme and the costumes, especially the dresses and makeup were a lot of fun. One young woman approached Elder Swenson and me saying that she needed a blessing, but that she was prompted to have one of the young men offer it instead of a couple of geezers (not exactly her words, but we got the message). I loaned my oil to a couple of young men from England, one of whom recently returned from serving his mission here and they did an excellent job.

Sunday morning we were there early, to prepare breakfast and sack lunches. I helped put out the breakfast food which included lots of cereal and muesli upon which they poured milk, yogurt, or buttermilk (seriously). There was also a variety of juices which included orange, apple and rose hip juice, some breads, cheese, and much more. Olivia helped pack sack lunches for all 240 attendees. There were special meals for gluten and lactose intolerant, vegan and those allergic to certain fruits.

Following the meal we cleaned up the lunch area and got to the sacrament meeting just as it started. The meeting was presided over by a member of the stake presidency. It was a testimony meeting and, as is often the case, there was not enough time for everyone who wanted to participate. Attending it made all the work worth it.

 Elder and Sister Watson, advised the YSA Council in Göteborg for the event. Sister Watson is a tireless worker, but she came down with a case of the flu and was so weak, he had to take her home, so we and the others proceeded without them. There were several people from the Göteborg stake who helped and knew what to do, so we were grateful for them. We also worked with many of our senior couple friends. The Pettits who were traveling on to Malmö after the event, made themselves available. The Halls who are the YSA couple from Stockholm and the Mitchells who came up from Malmö were also pressed into service. We met the couple who are responsible for the YSA programs for all of western Europe, including Scandinavia, and much of eastern Europe, Elder and Sister Swenson. It turns out that they are from Salem, Utah and know my brother Rudy and his family. We had a wonderful visit with them. 

[L to R: Pettits, Mitchells, Swensons, us at MAX Burgers on Saturday. The Halls were at the conference registration desk.]

[The Swensons with us. Rudy's family will recognize them. We loved getting to know them.]

[The conference ended Sunday with a testimony meeting. As is usually the case, there was not adequate time for everyone who wanted to bear testimony. It was a gratifying experience.]

[The Watsons had invited us all for Sunday dinner, but with her being sick, these four Sisters,on Saturday, made a menu and went to the store so we could still have our dinner. The Mitchells, who stayed in the empty apartment in Väster Förlunda (vester furloonda), which is nearby, invited us over and we still had a wonderful meal. Halls were also missing as they were driving back with the van of the YSAs from Stockholm.]

Monday the real work began. We met Elder Watson at the apartment in Kållered (coal'-ah-red) where we would be moving the elders who are vacating their apartment in Kungsbacka. We went over all that needed to be done and once again called the apartment company about getting parking for the missionaries. We spent the rest of the day and the next cleaning the apartment and repairing what needed our attention. Elder Watson, by this time had contracted the flu and was out of commission. 

We then moved the elders into the apartment and started taking things out of the Kungsbacka apartment. It was a bit confusing because the information sheet said that everything in the apartment belonged to the mission, but Elder Watson identified only a few items that were actually moved into the apartment, the rest being there when the missionaries arrived one year ago.  We breathed a sigh of relief that we only had to store a few items, but when we got back to the apartment (we stayed in the Västra Förlunda apartment after the Mitchells left), I emailed the former apartment couple who are now back in Utah and asked for an explanation. They explained that when the former residents moved, the mission paid them an amount to purchase everything they left behind! Now we had to find more storage space and move everything out.

I rented a large van from the local OKQ8 gas station and Elder Watson, who recovered much faster than his wife, drove the trusty Ford van. Elder Watson was a genius at packing the van and storage units. We called the sisters who are serving in Väster Frölunda and found that their storage space was almost empty, so between theirs and the elders' storage in Kållered we had barely enough space to store everything.

[This is much bigger than it looks. It held the two couches, kitchen table, chairs, coffee tables, boxes and boxes of dishes, pots and pans, etc. etc. By a miracle we got them all into the sisters' storage space.]

The elders, Elder Watson and I loaded and unloaded the big van and the Ford and the sisters helped Olivia deep clean the apartment. They were all hard workers and looked for opportunities to serve without complaining; in fact, the opposite. They were cheerful about it.

[Not sure what, but I am repairing something in the apartment]

[After moving the elders in, we took them to Burger King. Elder Roylance and Elder Liljenquist (he likes the Swedish pronunciation lil'-yen-kveest)]

[The cleaning and moving crew at the Kungsbacka apartment. Olivia, Sister Heaps, Sister Olsen, me, Elder Watson, Elder Wilson (Elder Liljenquist was on splits with Elder Wilson's companion) and Elder Roylance whose long arms make him the selfie master.]

By this time, Olivia came down with the flu. She asked for a blessing and thus had strength to assist the sisters with the cleaning. She was still not feeling good, but well enough to accompany me to meet with the elders in Halmstad who took us to an apartment we may be interested in renting if they open the area for sisters, there.

[Olivia and Elder Porter in the prospective apartment]

[Elder Porter and Elder Groberg in Halmstad]

[Exhausted and sick at the end of the day]

Friday morning we returned the keys to Elder Watson and headed home by way of Örebro (ur'-a-bro) where we stopped, delivered two desks and two chairs to the sisters there. They were still in boxes, so we assisted the sisters in putting them together. 

[We worked on one desk while Sister Pickett and Sister Christoffersen put the other one together. They did two chairs and most of the desk while we worked on one desk. We did assist with the final touches and repairing a couple of things that were done wrong. We had done them wrong on ours, so we knew what to fix.]

Finally, we were on our way home. We arrived Friday evening and I tried to do whatever I could so Olivia could rest, but she still had to fetch and carry a little. We were so happy to be back to our little apartment, in familiar surroundings, eating in our own kitchen and sleeping in our own bed.

Saturday, Olivia stayed in bed except to get up for meals and to watch a Poirot episode with me. I did all the laundry, ironing, prepared the meals, did the dishes, washed the car and filled it with gas, and went to the office where I could drop off all the cleaning, painting, and packing supplies and picked up some items for the elders in Uppsala. I do not want to be a housewife - ever!

Sunday, I went to church alone while she stayed home and slept. Much to her dismay, she still was not well enough to accept an invitation to have dinner with the Clouses, Beckstrands and some young men who had served their missions here and returned for a visit.  Today, she is much recovered, but is still not at the top of her game. We are taking it easy. We need it. I am still doing the kitchen chores, primarily because I want her touching nothing!

We hope all is well with you. We love the opportunity to serve these young missionaries and lighten the load of the mission president. It is satisfying work - and it is work.

Please keep in touch.