Originally emailed Sunday, May 28, 2017
Hi Everyone!
This has been our last week in Norrland, and with John's expert planning, we really made it count!
Before we left on our final Norrland adventure though, we (including Elder Black and Elder Fawcett) spent a long day--11 hours (4 hours round trip travel and 7 hours of working, mostly raking--with a few much needed breaks) on a small dairy farm. We have a new understanding of how demanding farm work is, watching the Karlsson's manage their little farm with 21 new calves, many of whom are still bottle-fed. This little experience convinced us that all farmers deserve our respect and praise. We visited here several weeks ago, but it was too early to be of help to them. Not so this time; they were prepared for us--with jobs and food! Miraculously, we didn't get blisters and recovered quickly from our aching shoulders and backs. It was definitely a good workout! My whole body was so grateful when the wife, Lorayne, invited me in to help with the last aspects of dinner preparations and later to help her wrap butter and bottle buttermilk. John has done a terrific job of documenting the farm, so please check out his Facebook page. In fact, he has 5 posts this week--from all our adventures. (His account is open to the public so you don't need to be his friend to view it.)
The next morning (Tuesday) we headed north to do apartment checks of the three sets of northernmost missionaries. Basically, our task was to evaluate the condition of the apartment, guide the missionaries to improvements as needed, fix any apartment/furniture problems they are having that aren't the landlord's responsibility, and be sure they have all their needed supplies. (The most popular need has been dark curtains!) It is fun to meet with them, take them to lunch or dinner and give them a little TLC. On our way to our second stop we saw our first moose! Hurray! We spent a week in northern New England last summer trying to see one and failed. There were actually two, grazing right next to the highway. We were so excited, that we took the first opportunity to turn around and drive past them a second time! There was no where to stop for a decent picture, so this one was shot out my car window. We saw a third moose later the next day in the middle of the road, but we were so taken by surprise that we didn't even get a picture. 😞
While in Luleå, we visited an Old Church Town--a World Heritage Site. At the time of required church attendance, people in the north had to travel so far that they built homes near the church so they could stay overnight. This particular site has over 400 homes, many of which are lived in year round today. They reminded me of the homes of the miners in Falun. (Again, John has more details and pics of Facebook.)
The next day, after our third apartment check, brought a moment that I never dreamed I'd experience--crossing the Arctic Circle! The flags in the picture designate the line of the ¨Polcircklen,¨ and the triangular building has a beam in it continuing the line. It was a surreal moment for sure to be standing there in our shirt-sleeves in 58 degrees!
| Arctic Circle |
We spent the night in Jokkmokk, known for their February ¨Winter Market,¨ complete with reindeer races and dog sled rides. It's tempting to try to figure out a way to get back up there next February! This is Lapland or ¨Sampi,¨ the homeland of the indigenous Sami people. When I was a girl my parents gave me a book called, Children of Many Lands. My favorite was a girl from Lapland, so for me, even though no one was wearing their famed felt and braided dress or reindeer boots, it was still a magical place. As we drove further west and north the next day, we saw over 100 reindeer, (in small groups, none of more than 14) and all which are owned and herded by the Sami. There were even corrals for them near the Sami summer homes--small houses built for the summer months. In the past, the Sami were nomadic and dwelt in tents, as they followed their reindeer herds.
Our last stop northward was the Stora Sjofallets National Park. It is was bit disappointing to learn that a dam had been built which basically eliminated the falls for which the park is named. It reminded me of the effect Finch Pruyn had on Coopers Cave. So, we went on the park road past the non-existent falls and took our Arctic pictures of the mountains and river/lake created by the dam. When we left Jokkmokk it was 10 degrees C, and we watched the temperature drop steadily to 4 degrees. It wasn't freezing but it was still chilly and as you can see from the picture, a storm moved in and created quite an arctic scene. John was disappointed that the sun wasn't shining, but I thought the mood fit this capricious season of Arctic spring. (Again, John has some great pictures and details).
| Stora Sjofallets National Park |
| Further north along the river with the storm moving in |
As we were making our 8-hour journey home, a phenomenal sight caught our attention. We couldn't understand why we hadn't seen any advertising for this remarkable park--half roaring rapids with an 82 meter drop and a vast bedrock park with falls, pools, cliffs, and picnicking. I guess there doesn't need to be any advertising because plenty of people seemed to know about it--granted, it was a ¨red day¨--national holiday. There were tour busses, families gathered for picnics, children playing, lovers strolling, and camera buffs all over the place, yet it didn't seem crowded. Summer would undoubtedly be another story for this delightful paradise park--Storforsen. We kept wondering why this place was not a national park; to us it seemed to deserve that status. By the way, this was the same day, about 3 hours south of the national park and it was at least 20 degrees warmer--well into the high 60s! An hour later, we were back on the road.
Now we are preparing to leave our first area. Saying good-bye today was a little tougher than I expected it would be. We've made friends here, earned respect, and had our hearts touched deeply by these good people. So, it is as we say farewell any time in life--transfers, moves, children going to college, young married children building their own lives, retirements. We often make promises to keep in touch with each other, hope for future reunions, or plan on returning to renew acquaintances. Life moves us on, more acquaintances are made, friendships built, yet our hearts still hold our past relationships dear. I take comfort in knowing that friendships and especially family relationships can be eternal. The wife of a good friend of our passed away this past week. To him, we send our heartfelt condolences, and our testimonies that Heavenly Father's Plan affords us opportunities to bind our families eternally. Our earthy farewells to those we love need not be permanent. Rather, we can receive comfort as we look to the day when we will see each other again continuing our relationships eternally. What a divine promise that is! Today is Sweden's Mother's Day, so my heart is naturally turned to my sweet mother, who quietly led with a Christlike example. May we all look to the glorious future where we can be united with those we love.
Best wishes for a peaceful week,
Mom/Dad, Grandma/Grandpa, Linda/John
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