July 4th and Borlange Trip

Boating on the Baltic Sea

In the Archipelago

Fort of defense for Stockholm, used as recently as 1980 for military defense.

An island in the archipelago.

Rex having a picnic at a lagoon in the Baltic Sea with Per and Ingrid Nilsson and family.

Rex and Per Nilsson

Vicky, Perty, Ingrid, Tea and Charlotta

Rex and Vicky overlooking Uppsala, Sweden.

Botanical garden in Uppsala, Sweden

14th Century Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden. Vicky in front.

Rex and Vicky with largest "dalahorse" in Sweden.

Vicky and Rex in front of church in Borlange, Sweden.

This was our first time not to be in the U.S. to celebrate the 4th of July with family and friends. However, we were invited by some good friends on our Key City Council to go boating with their family. We went through the archipelago among the thousands of islands and out into the Baltic Sea to a little island lagoon where we ate a delicious picnic that Sister Nilsson prepared. There were some old castles and defense forts from centuries ago that Brother Nilsson showed us. I will have some pictures for you to see.

We rode by train to Borlange, Sweden on Saturday and stayed with Bishop and Sister Holmgren and then on Sunday we made a presentation to the Borlange Ward priesthood and relief society about "Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet", which is a talk given by Elder Ballard to the BYU-Hawaii graduation in December 2007. It is an excellent article and counsel directing us to share our testimony and to stand up for our beliefs. We cannot sit by and let critics define who we are and what we believe. Each of us has access to the internet, and used wisely we can make a difference. We can be a missionary in our homes each day with opportunities to bear our testimony and testify of Jesus Christ. The Key Messages of the Public Affairs is: There are three points of common ground where we are like other Christian Churches and believe as they do regarding 1) Jesus Christ, 2) Bible, and 3) Humanitarian Service. The two things that set us apart as different are 1) The Restoration 2) New Scripture - The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. We also shared examples of people who are using the internet effectively and bringing others unto Christ. There is a website called LDSMEDIATALK.com that was set up by the Public Affairs Department of the church as a help in how we can more effectively share the gospel using the internet. I recommend it to each of you.

On our ride home from Borlange with Chip Oscarson and the 5 BYU coeds, we saw the largest dalahorse in the world. We also saw the oldest 14th century cathedral in Uppsala and a beautiful botanical garden. The northern part of Sweden is a deep green plush color dotted with thousands of gorgeous lakes and trees.

Monday evening we enjoyed a very nice potluck dinner with 3 other senior couples and a family who is moving from Sweden to Vienna, Austria as a member of the U.S. Embassy. He shared some interesting stories of being in attendance at meetings with the president and heads of state. They have a family of 10 children, and some hilarious stories to share.

This morning on our walk we passed a lady who had just been stung by a bee. She was in a panic. We helped her get the bee out of her hair and walked her home. She had been allergic to bee stings in the past and hoped she wouldn't swell up. We accompanied her and had a nice visit. When we said goodbye to her, we hugged. A little kindness is truly appreciated.

Our love to each of you. We think of you and pray for you. May the Lord continue to direct each of us.

We continue to absolutely love our mission and the opportunity to serve here in the Nordic countries.