Hi Everyone,
Spring teased us with some warmer weather early in the week and we took advantage of it. Monday we went to Skeppsmalen, a little fishing village with a lighthouse on the coast. Every little coastal town we visit seems like a ghost town. No one appears to be around and all of the businesses are closed for the season. Skeppsmalen was no exception, so we'd like to be able to return when there is warmer weather. However, having these places to ourselves has some merit, too, especially for John's photography. We took the two elders, who are serving in the area with us, on this outing. They loved it and we enjoyed the company.
Skeppsmalen is about 1/2 hour east of where we live and in the archipelago of the Höga Kusten (High Coast) region. Interestingly, this "high coast" region" is one of the the earth's fastest rising areas, increasing 8 mm per year. The rocky shoreline, cause of numerous shipwrecks (hence the need for the lighthouse), reminded us of Acadia National Park in Maine. It appears that the entire town's mailboxes are lined up on one rail with a barrel lid in the center, with papers posted to it. Papers attached to a common board seems to be the mode of advertising events in these small towns. (Just a quick comment about paper. Paper seems to be hard to come by. People don't waste it and it is always recycled. We looked all over town for 3x5 cards and finally found a small package of them in a bookstore. I've never seen loose notebook paper, only spirals, and I've yet to find stationery. I'm sure part of this phenomenon is that electronic devices are replacing paper for communication.)
The highlight of being in Sweden so far, though, has to be the Aurora Borealis. Long on our bucket list, we can finally checked it off. Tuesday night we ventured west into the country away from the city lights. Clear and with a new moon, the night was perfect. Just as we drove into a little valley off the main road, we noticed a soft gray arc in the sky just slightly above the little town. The sky above and below the arc was littered with stars and we knew it had to be the aurora borealis. I snapped a quick picture, and sure enough, it revealed the classic green. Interestingly, what we saw that night was like a soft gray mist, not colorful. John said there were times he could see green and some red, but I could barely detect any color. However, John got some beautiful pictures....check out his Facebook. Anyway, we watched for a couple of hours as it expanded and seemed to dissolve, then came together into an arc again, then started stretching and moving across the sky until it dissipated again. Even without the magnificent color that a camera senses, it was breathtaking!
The other two pictures I've included show two more novel things about Sweden. First, the car with the three extra headlights seems to be a bit of a status symbol. Not all cars have them of course, but those that do may have 2-4 extra headlights, and boy, are they bright! Granted, the lights really help on the country roads, but when a semi truck has its lights on, it's like an atomic blast! Notice the truck behind the car. It has 5 on top and there would be 5 more on the bottom under the grill! We are trying to figure out how we can get a couple for our Subaru! 
Two, the signpost in downtown Örnsköldsvik shows which businesses are in that vicinity. This is the tallest one in town, but they are all over. There are many small indoor malls and this is a way to let shoppers know which stores are there. (I'll post more pictures on Facebook tomorrow.)
Two, the signpost in downtown Örnsköldsvik shows which businesses are in that vicinity. This is the tallest one in town, but they are all over. There are many small indoor malls and this is a way to let shoppers know which stores are there. (I'll post more pictures on Facebook tomorrow.)
We helped a family move this week, which gave us quite a workout, up and down 4 flights of stairs countless times. (Fortunately, the new place had an elevator.) Anyway, the husband is from Sri Lanka and had lost his entire family in a war. (He's been here 11 years.) The wife is from Cambodia and they have a 3 month old baby, but she has another son in Cambodia who they have trying to get here. "It's a long process," they said. The wife has been in Sweden 6 years. We feel so naive about the conditions of the world and the wars that have brought so many people to this country. We admire their courage, determination and gratitude as they strive to make a good life for themselves. They work so hard to learn the language and quality themselves to get a job. And although Sweden is "good" to them with all the programs and opportunities, Kamal (the husband) shared with us a major difference in the Swedish and the Sri Lanka cultures. The Swedes are very much to themselves, even their own adult children "make appointments" to visit their parents; whereas, in Sri Lanka anyone can drop by anyone else's home to visit at any time, especially at a meal time. They are always welcomed and "more food can always be prepared." We could tell that he really missed the community and sociality of his native land.
As many of you know, General Conference was this weekend. (This is a semi annual conference that is broadcast from Salt Lake City, where we listen to our prophet, apostles and other church leaders counsel us.) We met at the church to watch it. With our time difference, we watched it 6 p.m. Saturday (the first session live), then Priesthood Sunday morning and the Saturday afternoon session Sunday afternoon, then the Sunday morning session (live) at 6 p.m. Sunday. We will have to catch the last session on our own. At any rate, it was as wonderful and uplifting as always. To close, we'll share some of the quotes that rang true for us:
-Repentance is not punishment, it is a privilege; no wonder we are told in the scriptures to "teach nothing but repentance."(Pres. Eyring)
-We get a glimpse of God's character when we see his attitude toward the sinner and sin.... Christ said, "Go and sin no more." ... The Savior came to "save us from our sins, not save us in our sins." (Elder Renlund)
-The light of Christ is as universal as sunlight itself. (Elder Bragg)
-Genuine discipleship is a state of being.... We cannot be part-time disciples. (Elder Hales)
-When we are complacent with our covenants, we are complicit with the consequences. ..Let go of the world so we can hold on to eternity....Stand-up inside... It is far better to follow the the Creator than the crowd. (Elder Sabin)
-The world is more interested in indulging the natural man than subduing him...Christ doesn't want your time, money, etc.; he wants you. (Elder Andersen)
-A strong testimony of Jesus Christ will bless us through the perils of this life. Read the Book of Mormon to strengthen your testimony. (Pres. Monson)
-Keeping our covenants is always independent of our situation.... Children are great imitators; so give them something great to imitate. (Sis. Jones)
-The gospel has been restored and is perfect, but the people aren't perfect. Look to Jesus Christ for perfection....Look up; don't look around. (Elder Choi)
-First promptings are pure revelation from heaven. (Elder Rasband)
-Real obedience accepts God's commandments completely and in advance. (Elder Clayton)
-The pure love of Christ is the antidote to fear. (Elder Uchtdorf)
We are so grateful for these righteous leaders, led by God, who bolster our testimonies with their teachings. How wonderful it is to be able to see and hear them across the world, and to be able to re-visit the conference online at any time at www.lds.org.
Have a wonderful week. We love you all.
Mom/Dad,Grandma/Grandpa, John/ Linda
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