Originally emailed Sunday, April 30, 2017
Dear Family and Friends,
I'm feeling better about Spring. Daffodils have made their debut, shrubs have budded, crocuses have popped up in the cemetery, and violets are popping up in the forests! (See pic from this week's hike.)
In fact, today is April 30, Valborg (pronounced "vawl bory)." It is a national holiday celebrated with bonfires to "burn out winter and welcome spring." People gather together, sing, and eat. Traditionally, it dates back to the Vikings who lit fires to ward away witches and evil spirits (and practically speaking, to drive away foxes so their livestock could be set out to pasture the next day). Swedes, especially in the Norrland, have every reason to welcome spring after their long, dark winter. This was the biggest crowd of people I've seen since we've been in the Norrland, and this was just one fire in our community. When we returned home, we could see smoke rising from several others. It seems everyone came out for this celebration. I think it's also a fun way to burn all that fallen wood! Everyone's yards are raked, fallen limbs are gathered, and shrubs are trimmed, ready for the new season. I think I'll adopt this holiday when I get home, but I guess I'll have to wait until the burn ban is lifted on May 15th.
We managed to glimpse the aurora borealis once more. This experience was completely different from the previous one. We think it was partly because it never really got very dark. The camera picked up more purple and red/pink and the green is less intense. But the thing that was really different is that in addition to the main band of color, there were little bursts appearing, then quickly dissipating all around us. My camera doesn't do justice to the event, so check John's Facebook for a few amazing pictures.
P-day this week we hiked to Balesudden, a pink granite point of land reaching from the bay to the Baltic. It also offered view of the distant bays, points and even the towns and cities in the harbor areas. We thought we were undertaking about a 3 mile hike and planned a lite lunch en route. (Trail maps are not labeled very well.) About two miles into the hike we realized it was going to be longer, so we rationed our food and water. A gorgeous day, we just keep going. We felt like the "bear who ran over the mountain," because toward the end of the hike, we would summit and see another mountain! We decided to call it quits when we were at the next to the last summit (we think) and had a pretty good view for pictures. Our knees were feeling the stress and the walk back was a bit of a struggle. When we got home and calculated the distances where we had been, we realized we had walked about 8 miles! Fortunately, much of it was along shores of the bay, and the "mountains" weren't like the Adirondacks! (John has some good pictures on Facebook.)
Later in the week also walked to a nearby historic educational site called Geneson. (pic) It is a recreated village showing the architecture and lifestyle of early denizens of this area. The "sod" on the roofs were flourishing with forest-floor plants--vines and lichen, mosses and grass--beautiful. Interestingly, the underlayment for the sod was birch bark. As usual, the site wasn't officially open yet, so we just wandered at will.
As the Spring is developing, so are we. This experience--our mission--is stretching both of us well beyond our comfort zones. We are budding and growing, just like the plants around us, and it is requiring greater faith than I have needed for a while. Today I was blessed to be able to give 25 minute talk in Swedish at church. Of course, "faith without works is dead," so I had put in as much time as I could on writing, translating, revising with the help of one of the younger missionaries, and practicing. Still, I could never have done it without spiritual help. The payoff for me was when Kim Heng, a 17 year-old girl in the branch came up to me, hugged me, and said "Thank you. I understood every word." (It seemed almost out of character for this stoic young woman to tell me that. She wouldn't lie just to make me feel good; her words made all my effort worthwhile.) In my talk I mentioned the scripture in Luke 1:37 "For with God nothing shall be impossible," and that was certainly the case with me...and it can be the case for you, too.
Best wishes to all of you,
Mom, Dad Grandma, Grandpa Linda, John
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