Missionary Week #7

Missionary Week #7 - October 29, 2018 – November 4, 2018

    Our Monday started out with Snow!  Just a little flurry here and there but it was pretty cold…however it’s amazing it’s not as cold as I thought it would be.  The Swede’s call this “Fall”!  The leaves have changed color and are almost all off of the trees, but it is a beautiful sight.  We worked Monday through Friday – as usual but we worked 10 hrs Monday through Thursday – then took off early on Friday.  We are expected to put in at least a 30 hrs week at the archive.  So we felt pretty good about having our 40 hours in 4 days.   The Archive closed earlier than usual because of the holiday – All Saints Day – I’m not sure if it is always held on a specific day of the year – like usually November 1, but most of the stores and businesses were closed on Friday. 

     Halloween is not as big of a deal here…..however – All Saints Day is.  We saw a few kids dressed up in costume but not many.  There is an Amusement park in the city that was holding a Halloween activity, so we saw their advertisements. 

     We were able to go to the Stockholm Temple for the first time on Saturday Morning.  A Sister from our ward was going through for the first time and we wanted to support her and our little ward.  The session was to be in Spanish at 10:15.   So we were able to get in and get ready – but because we were English speaking – I was put in a waiting room until they could get me the translator/earphones.  The helpers came and got me and said to follow them – that we were going to Room3 and that it would be in Swedish!  I said – well I’m suppose to be in the Spanish session – so they said Sorry for the misunderstanding.  I got in the room and people from our ward was there.  So fun to be with them in the Temple.  But, John never came in.  We finally met up later – he had gone to the Swedish one.  We just laughed and said that’s the first time we went together but never saw each other!  He kept wondering where I was!  It’s all good. 

     After we walked around the grounds and took pictures and sent Marco Polo’s to friends and our kids, we headed for our next excursion.  

We went to a huge cemetery called Skogskyrkogården which is a cemetery built in a forest.  We went there to celebrate All Saints Day.  Everyone goes to a cemetery and takes candles, flowers and things to decorate the graves of their ancestors.  It’s about remembering them all. 

There's little places all around to place candles or flowers or mementos

The ladies in yellow vests were fire watchers - they pulled out candles that were burnt out and put in trash - they also had a fire extinguisher on them...just in case. 

These shelves lined the walk ways  

Little apples cored out and Candles placed inside

You can place your candles anywhere!

Even if you don’t have any one buried in that particular cemetery you can still leave something for someone.  It’s about ½ mile wide and ½ mile long – you can’t see the end!  So it is beautiful, all green and on Saturday – we got there about 1:30pm and left just before 4pm.  The sun set at 3:30!  Thousands of people were walking and gathering at headstones and places made for candles.  I’ll include some pictures of this adventure! It was cold.  We walked around for 2 ½ hours.  

We found our way to the Visitor’s Center and had a lady look up my Great-Great Grandmother Augusta Elisabeth Karlsson – My Swedish grandmother’s Grandmother, who she lived with until she came to America.  Anyway, Augusta was buried somewhere in Stockholm in 1912.  There was no record for her at this cemetery, but the lady said there are 11 cemeteries in Stockholm County – so I just need to search 10 more!  We’ll be ready for next year.  

But this place was so beautiful, and the candles and flowers were so neat to see flickering everywhere.  I hope the pictures will reflect that.  It was peaceful, in fact the website says – this place was built to bury the dead, but it was also for the living to have a beautiful place to walk in and around and find peace.   There were 3-4 or more little chapels that were nice and warm to go into and one even had an organist playing hymns.  Even though there were so many people there, there was a great peace all around. 

     I wish we celebrated this holiday in the United States!  We do to a degree on Memorial Day or Veterans Day but not everyone goes to pay homage to our ancestors that came before us.    On our way home on the train – there were still people going to cemeteries with bags of flowers, candles and items to place on the graves – even saw some carved pumpkins.  It was most beautiful when it was really dark. 

     Enjoy your new week ahead of you and take the time to enjoy the new season.  We will miss Thanksgiving this year – Christmas lights are being put up already here.  Enjoy your family – we miss ours but are thankful for technology that helps keep in touch. 

We think of you all often, love and miss you!