Sweden in February

Heart attacked by our family for Valentine's Day!

Vicky at the Karlaplan on our way to Church Sunday, Feb. 23, 2009.

Rex at the Mission Office. There is a pizza parlor on the basement floor.

Vicky in front of the Temple this week.

Lake frozen over where the people ice skate. On our way to the temple.

T-Centralen, the main train station in downtown Stockholm.

Friday lunch on Feb. 20 as Elder Spjut is leaving the mission office.

Johnsons, Lewises, Wrights, E. Gomez, E. Loomis, E. Dawson (E. Spjut in front)

We woke to 25 degree weather and a light snow today. It stays pretty consistently in the mid 20’s to mid 30’s in temperature. Yesterday at church, Rex asked a young guy who is a member of the bishopric when it gets warm here in Sweden. His response was, “Oh, for a week in July.” I think there is more truth to that statement than you would imagine.
This is a true story about Sister Anderson, our mission president’s wife. She went shopping for some turkeys at Thanksgiving and couldn’t find one the size that she wanted, so she asked one of the store clerks if they got bigger. His response was, “No lady, they’re dead! They don’t grow any more.”
After arriving at the Migrationsverket to renew our visas, we had the choice of three windows and we needed to get a number and get in line. We asked several people for help since we don’t read Swedish, but they said they didn’t have any idea what window we needed. Rex took a number and sat down. I sat there a while, and then decided to get in the information line to see if we had the right ticket. After standing there for 45 minutes, I finally got to the person at the window. He told me we had the wrong ticket and needed a different one and a different line. We finally got to the right window at 2:15 p.m. and found out the mission office had only given us papers for Rex; and I needed my own. The lady helping us told us several times that she needed to go get permission from her “decision maker”. I guess that’s her boss. An hour and 20 minutes later and 2000 kroner paid, we were told that our new visa was approved and we could stay in Sweden only until October 2009. We got home at 4:15 p.m. I had a dinner to prepare for Birgitta and the sister missionaries who were coming at 6 p.m. for dinner and a teach. The sisters used visuals to talk about the plan of salvation and Birgitta totally agreed with everything. She is such a great lady. When we were finished she said, “I want us to pray before I leave.” Rex called on her and she said a wonderful prayer. It was a fantastic evening!
As I was doing my personal scripture study today, I found this wonderful quote from Pres. David O. McKay: “Sincere praying implies that when we ask for any blessing or virtue we should work for the blessing and cultivate the virtue.” I have been working on seeking the spirit of the Lord more in my prayers.
Wednesday was a full day in the temple doing three sessions. Then we went to our Key City meeting from 7-9 p.m. The people on our committee are such great people. Last night the director told us that we have no idea what a blessing it has been to them for us to be serving our mission here. He said he knows why we are here, as we have accomplished many things that could never have been done without our contacts and help. I do know the Lord wanted us here now. How grateful I am for our obedience and willingness to serve a mission. We are so blessed. The NDPA for Sweden, Leif Mattsson attended our meeting tonight also. We have become very good friends and he said he always wants to keep in touch with us as he told us, “You are the finest and most loving people I have ever met.” He said he would like to meet our entire family. I wish he could as well. We have truly made some dear and wonderful friends.
Today we attended a different district meeting than the one to which we are assigned, as the district leader asked us to come do our PA training on the key messages and media training. The sister missionaries got a copy of the Humanitarian information from us a few weeks ago and used it in one of their presentations to a couple of college girls. The girls told the sisters they were taking it to share with their entire classes at the university. This information is extremely valuable in sharing the work we do throughout the world. Our Key City Director also told us that he shared it with Alf Svensson, of the Swedish Parliament and Alf was extremely impressed. He is the man going to BYU soon.
We finished our reading of the Book of Mormon together this week. We have currently finished the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, Pearl of Great Price, and now the Book of Mormon. Now we are beginning to read the Doctrine and Covenants. It is such a blessing to read and study the scriptures as a couple and do my own personal study as well.
Kali sent me a quote on attitude that she said reminded her of me. I have always preached that attitude is the key to happiness in life. The quote says: “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our Attitudes.” Author Unknown.
The sister missionaries came for lunch and a teach so I made homemade soup and rolls. They are always so grateful to be fed. Then the sisters and I went to a baby shower. They only have surprise baby showers here.
We woke to another 2 or 3 inches of new snow and it is still coming down as we walked to church. I guess we are in for much more cold weather. Church was GREAT as always, with a huge congregation today. A baby was blessed and the entire family came. Good for our ward.

Winter in Sweden

Vicky with Stockholm Bay and Strandvagen behind.

Rex on other side of the Stockholm Bay with frozen bay and tall Kaknastornet in background.

Vicky at the top of Katarinahissen with Stockholm in background.

Rex on the Katarinahissen with City Hall and old Church along the Stockholm harbor.

Wrights, Larsons, Andersons, Rex and Vicky, and Wrights

We enjoyed going to the Katarina Hiss, which is a tall 38 meter elevator that overlooks the Stockholm Bay waterfront and Old Town. The only problem was that it was very cold and windy today. We did get some neat pictures though.
The elders came for supper tonight. We enjoyed their visit and lesson before they left. Elder Langston is the new elder serving here in Stockholm with Elder Lords.
Tuesday we spent in the temple as it was the only day we had available this week to serve there and we love serving there each week. Our good friends, Tammy and Olaf Johansson, from Salt Lake, serve in the temple here. We enjoy visiting in the temple with them. We went to their apartment before come home. Rex and Olaf gave me a blessing seeking the Lord’s help for my back surgery tomorrow.
This morning we got up and went to the doctor to have a basil cell carcinoma removed off my back. The doctor, Ylva Enstrôm, made about a one inch oval incision on my back to remove the basil cell carcinoma. She took 7 stitches to sew it up. I have an appointment in two weeks to have the stitches removed. They will analyze the material for cancer and let me know the results in about 4 weeks. It cost us 300 kroner, which is about $35 an extremely reasonable price. After my appointment we went grocery shopping, so I am feeling just fine. Hopefully I will sleep well, as my back is a bit painful.
There is a new senior couple, the Larsons, just arrived from Salt Lake this week. We had a brunch for them at the mission home this morning. We have about 3 couples who live close enough to come when something special happens. Sister Anderson made waffles, which I haven’t eaten since we left on our mission, and a “heavenly syrup” that is to die for. She also served fruit, strawberries and whipped cream, scrambled eggs and ham. What a yummy breakfast and wonderful welcome for the new couple. They are going to Uppsala tomorrow to begin an outreach program for the YSA. Uppsala has a big university and some college students who would benefit from such a program in their city.
We got back to our apartment for about 5 minutes, just in time to leave for the district meeting we attend in Västerhaninge, about an hour train ride from here. It is most exciting to see the young elders plan and present a lesson in their districts, training them from “Preach My Gospel” and setting goals for the district. Leadership is a wonderful tool and these young elders and sisters certainly have the opportunity to grow in this area. We feel so blessed to assist in any way we can. They discussed this quote from Pres. Monson: “When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates.” Another wonderful quote from Elder Ballard is “I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.” I know that goal setting has blessed us in our service as well. We continue to work on improving our personal lives as well. The section entitled “Attributes of Christ” helps us focus on key areas to improve our lives.
I got an email from Espen Amundsen the NDPA in Norway this morning regarding a new law in Norway. Organized religious groups and some other organizations have now been given the rights to present programs on the state TV Channel for free. Espen was interested in getting the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Music and the Spoken Word. I know it was through inspiration, as this past month I had emailed a man from Bonneville Communications and made a good contact. I sent this information on to him as well as to the contact in Denmark who works with getting the Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcasts in the Scandinavian countries. He responded and is now working with Norway to have weekly Music and The Spoken Word on Norway television. This is a great Public Affairs opportunity and a blessing for the positive exposure of the Church. It amazes me the number of times that I am inspired by the Lord in fulfilling His purposes here.
I completed the monthly Public Affairs reports for Norway and the Stockholm Key City today. These reports are sent to Frankfurt and then Salt Lake. It helps measure our success and what funds are needed to produce teach, train, and build relationships with opinion leaders in our various Public Affairs efforts.
We received a wonderful Valentine package from our children yesterday. WOW! They are spoiling us so much. We are deeply grateful for their love and support as we are far away from them serving in Sweden.
I am sitting at the computer looking out at the heavy snow fall coming down. It is a blessing that we do our work from our apartment most of the time. Today it just feels nice to sit in a warm apartment and view the beautiful world the Lord has created for us to enjoy. This is only the 3rd snowfall for us this winter.
I took a Valentine card up to Birgitta and dropped it through her mail slot. She stopped a few minutes ago to thank me for the love that I show her. She is such a gem and truly a blessing to have as a dear friend.
Johnsons and Wrights invited us to go out to dinner at the Chinese restaurant, “Wong House”. It was quite good and we thoroughly enjoyed the company. Then we went to Johnson’s to watch the DVD “The Stonecutter” about a pioneer with great courage and determination, John Rowe Moyle. He worked 20 years as a stonecutter for the Salt Lake Temple walking 22 miles each way from Alpine, UT to Salt Lake each week as he worked on the temple. It is a story of faith, courage and determination. I recommend it to everyone. One statement that I loved was, “Most callings are not convenient”, which is so true in our lives each day.

We had an outstanding Sunday School teacher. He is a convert from Iran and knows the gospel very well. Today as he was teaching about the first principles and ordinances of the gospel, he said our repentance cannot be like spraying ourselves with perfume and expecting the smell to wipe away the sin. We need to cleanse from the inside, from the heart. What an interesting analogy.

Great week in Sweden!

Garth and Sheila Hanson

Vicky and Birgitta

Vicky and Rex (so happy!)

Wonderful European towel racks!

Sister Anderson's birthday!

We had the assignment this afternoon of covering at the Outreach Center for 7 hours as the YSA held their FHE. I fixed Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip cookies and carrot sticks. There were about 12 young people who came and they had a talked about dating and how to meet people and communicate effectively. I laughed at the two elders who covered the center with us, as one is going home in 3 months and he came out of the meeting saying, “I’m ready to start practicing.” His companion reminded him that he has a few months and needs to stay “focused.” They are neat elders and a privilege to work with.
It was a gorgeous sunny day on Tuesday, something we haven’t seen in weeks. As we took a walk along the bay, there are chunks of ice and in places ice totally covers the bay as people go skating and playing ice hockey. The soccer fields are covered with ice and ice hockey is a big winter sport here. We found this neat place called Kaknastornet, which is Stockholm’s tallest building at 509 feet. It has a restaurant in the top and goes up 28 stories. On a clear day you can see for 37 miles. WOW! Breathtaking!
Birgitta, Sister Cherrington and Sister Goates came for supper tonight and we had a teach with Birgitta. She knows the Book of Mormon is true and she believes in Joseph Smith but feels to join our church will be too hard on her 90 year old husband as he wouldn’t understand and would beg her not to go. She wants to continue with the lessons though and we love having her come to our apartment. She has a great sense of humor and loves to tease. The sisters sang “Oh How Lovely Was the Morning” for her before they left and she asked all about the words to the song. It was a very spiritual evening together. She said she loves feeling as she does when she come to our apartment. She now understands what that feeling is. She is such a dear friend. Romi Skyped us and got to meet Birgitta and the sisters.
Six new elders arrived from the MTC Tuesday evening. On Wednesday morning Pres. and Sister Anderson took them to the temple. Afterwards we served all of them lunch. They have that “deer in the headlights look” as they are still adjusting to the 8 hours time difference. Then we went to the temple and did a session, which is always a blessing. I love the Celestial room and the opportunity to sit and pray and think. We went to supper with Garth and Sheila Hanson, who are moving to Frankfurt, Germany on Thursday morning as the new Outreach Center Coordinators for all of the 40 countries in Europe. They were temple workers on a temple mission, but got their assignment changed. They have become such good friends and we will miss them a great deal.

This morning we woke up to a few inches of snow on the ground and it continued snowing lightly most of the morning. How peaceful to sit in our apartment and watch the snow gently fall in the courtyard of our complex as we soak up the warmth of our apartment and do our monthly PA reports, etc.
One thing I love in Europe is the hot pipes used to hang our towels on. Whenever we get out of the shower, there is a hot, dry, comfy towel to dry on. I’ll also miss the passion fruit yogurt that we eat each morning on our musli.

Birgitta knocked on my door this morning and gave me a big hug. She told me that she knows the Lord sent me to be her angel. I was deeply touched and so grateful to be her friend. She wants to have another discussion next week so we set the date and talked more about the temple, genealogy work, and how grateful we are to be friends.
It’s back to the overcast, foggy, dreary days. In fact, it snowed much of today. After doing our laundry, we went to the mission office for our Friday lunch and to celebrate the birthday of Sister Anderson (wife of the mission president). They sing the neatest birthday song, but I have yet to learn the words. I made a yummy birthday cake for the party and it was a fun celebration. We hurried home to prepare supper for a family in our ward who had a baby a few days ago. He works for the US Embassy and have no family around. It is their 3rd child and I thought a nice meal would be good for them. We took everything on the train (that is a challenge with hot casserole, homemade rolls and dessert), but we made it fine. Thank goodness it was not icy as we had to climb a fairly steep incline to get to their home carrying the food. There were a few inches of snow on the ground, but it didn’t deter us. I loved holding their little baby. It made me homesick for Leila and Eva though.

Another Great Week in Sweden!

Vicky in front of the Adolf Fredriks Kryka.

Maria and Elder Gomez at baptism.

Rex, Vicky and Sister and Elder Nelson from Salt Lake.

It has been a productive week for us. On Monday we went to the Mission Office to present our Key Messages and give them the Media Training. There were two senior couples and the AP’s and other elders. We also shared with them the information that we received from Howard Collett at BYU on the Humanitarian Efforts of the Church last year. This is a great pass-along brochure that covers everything on one full-color page of pictures. It is a great missionary tool. We hope to get it out into the mission more in the next few months.
We are continuing our efforts to get the Adolf Fredriks School invited to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in a Music and the Spoken Word. Pete Peterson at BYU is working with us to help get this wonderful Public Affairs Event to occur. The people in Sweden would love to see this happen as this school is very famous here.
It was a great day at the temple on Wednesday. Rex and I feel so blessed to serve there and know that the Lord delights in His service to those who could not do it for themselves.
Our district meeting was changed today because we need to help at the Outreach Center next week. We needed to get some training on where things are and how to take care of everything. This is a new experience to help with the YSA. We were able to present the Key Messages to the District and they have invited us to do a more in-depth Public Affairs and Media training in the next few weeks.
Kali emailed us that Kevin was laid off at Pfizer today. Their company had some deep lay-offs. Kevin’s manager and 8 of the 10 managers in his district were also laid off. Thousands were laid off this week. My heart is sick for them, but I know the Lord will help them find other employment. The economic times are difficult for all of us.
We met for lunch at the Mission Office Friday as two of the elders are getting transferred and one of the senior couples is heading to their new location. They are the Nelsons from Salt Lake. After talking briefly, we found out that their son started working in St. George the first of July and he works with Ryan. Their son is an anesthesiologist. We enjoy the limericks everyone shares and the food is always delicious. Today it was chimichungas and banana splits.
Tricia Sullivan, my wonderful friend from Modesto, surprised us with a belated Christmas Package of almonds (which we dearly love), See’s candies and peanut brittle, Bath and Body Works shower gel, body lotion, and body splash. Tricia wrote two wonderful letters and sent a Christmas photo card of their family. She is such a special friend and we were deeply touched by her kindness and generosity.
Saturday we attended the temple endowment session for a young lady who is helping us with some Public Affairs work when the Young Ambassadors tour comes. She had married a non-member, is now divorced, but is now back at church and went to the temple. Most all of her family was there. What a wonderful blessing. Tonight we attended the baptism of Maria Isabella Paco Diaz at the Gubbangen Chapel. She was baptized by Elder Gomez and it was a spiritual event. The work is moving forward as the elect seek the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we are on the train traveling to the baptism, I get a call from Elder Czuba who had an interview with a newspaper in about an hour. I tried to train him on the Key City Messages and Media as much as I was able in such a short time. We are hoping to do a training at the Zone Conferences as more and more of the elders and sisters are getting asked for interviews or to be followed for a day and see what they do. Everything that is printed or on TV needs to be positive and our elders and sisters need to be trained. They are also doing many school presentations. It is part of the country curriculum in all the Nordic countries.
We have been extremely busy putting together the Nordic country 2009 Budget Plans and as well as the Stockholm Key City 2009 Budget. Travel has been cut 20% and the church has a hiring freeze. I have been compiling the BYU Young Ambassador Tour VIP Events along with Media and Outreach Events into one huge itinerary for Gabi to present to President Oaks, the Area President this coming week. The Church is cutting back in these tough economic times also.
The fast and testimony meet this week was different in that the Bishop’s son is leaving on a mission to Finland this week. He, his wife and the missionary son all took a few minutes to bear their testimonies, then a beautiful musical number, followed by ward testimonies. We had about 110 people in attendance today. Our ward is really a wonderful ward and we love the people. The Bishop asked us if we would teach the Key Messages and Media training to our ward on the last Sunday in March for the 3rd hour. This training is so important for everyone to know. We would like to get to all the wards with our presentation. We have been able to visit several, but there are many more that need the training.

It continues to be a blessing to serve here in Sweden!!