Last night was our turn to take boxes of the Book of Mormon to the be given to theatergoers after the musical. Despite the cold (14 degrees F), everything went smoothly. When we got there, two missionaries, Elder Wayment and Elder Olson, and one member from their ward were there to help, and soon two more elders, and two more members arrived. Boxes were emptied, placed upside down and the books piled on them by each exit door. With an armful of books in our hands, as the audience exited, we offered them copies. Many people avoided eye contact, others mockingly smiled at us as they shook their heads with a look like, "You fool," but others eagerly accepted. One woman exclaimed, "Ah, the real book!" No one exited near the book pile I was working from, so I moved closer to the where the people were coming out. I hurried over to the books when, I noticed a young woman bending over, curiously opening one. "Would you like one?" I asked. She excitedly answered, "Yes!" Another woman behind her came forward and asked, "Is is free?" Then a young man reached out with a smile and before those exit doors opened, half the pile was gone! Because I was the last door, several people who had passed the other missionaries, actually turned around, evidently thinking twice, and asked for a copy. One hundred sixty books were gone before the theater had emptied! Elder Wayment said, "I love this! It's such a great way to flood Stockholm with the Book of Mormon!" Our run ends next week, but we heard the show is moving to Oslo.
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| Elder Payment (back), Elder Olson (front) |
So, how did this decision come about to pass out books at a play that seems to be out of harmony with the church? I heard that the producers of the musical asked the Church for permission to use the book and the church logo and missionary name tags. After careful consideration, the Church gave permission with the right to 1) advertise in each playbook and 2) pass out copies of the book after each performance. I suppose it is up to the mission and if they want to do it. It is an expensive proposition and logistics are challenging.
However, people feel that it is worth the time and money spent. Interestingly, Elder Olson (who was passing books out that night), actually joined the church because of the Book of Mormon Musical. He saw the performance and loved the music. The more he listened to it, the more curious he became about the church and decided to look it up on the web. The rest is a wonderful history for this young, faithful man (the only member of the church in his family) who is serving as an enthusiastic and dedicated missionary. We can only hope that some of these books fall into the hands of other people with open hearts, like Elder Olson.
I suppose that is what gives us the motivation to stand in the cold, smiling as we share the Book of Mormon. We know it can bless the lives of some of those who take the book, if they will read, study and desire to know the truth. It can answer questions about the purpose of life; it can teach of man's relationship with God, our Heavenly Father and with His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ; it can lead seekers to true happiness now and after this life. I know its truths have blessed my life.
Sharing the book at the musical is a tiny way the work is going forward here in Sweden. This past week we have been busy, and will continue to be busy, preparing to become a "technology" mission. We are one of only a couple missions in Europe with this designation. It basically means that our missionaries will be using Smartphones to aid them in their proselyting efforts. Our job at the office has to do with logistics and John has been playing a major part in this roll-out.
So when Saturday morning came, I said that we'd better go and do something so I had something to write about in the blog! We packed peanut butter sandwiches and we were off on an adventure. Our route began with the rest of the tour around Vallentuna Lake to see Viking sites, which we started Week #49. However, there wasn't much to see with all the snow. At our first stop, we were confused about the signs and ended up walking through a bird sanctuary that is built on a re-claimed dump site. This sign greeted us...wild boars! We didn't see any evidence of them, but I supposed that feral pigs from the centuries-old farms that lie in this region, must have multiplied while the dump was in existence. We saw no evidence of them though.
However, we thoroughly enjoyed watching and listening to the countless chickadees that attended these feeders. Look closely and you can see a couple. (Sorry, I couldn't get a closer picture.)
Next was this rune stone on the side of the road. This was at Fallbro...and old Viking farming estate, still in existence since 1000AD.
Then we drove about an hour northeast to a ferry that took us to an island on the archipelago, Ljusterö. We travelled to the tip of the island to a nature preserve.
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| All the snowy "land" is actually the Baltic Sea! |
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| Waiting for summer! |
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| This kelp was actually sparkling in the sunlight, like jewels. I was also impressed with the contrast of the snow; I've only seen seaweed washed up on a sandy beach. |
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| Clever gate, always stays closed. |
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| Ljusterö church. This seemed much newer than many of the churches, but its detail and design is beautifully Scandanavian. |
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| On our way home, we stopped at Östra Ryd Church, one that we had often seen from a distance. It is surrounded by farm fields, a beautiful setting in the spring. |
A full day with a couple of nice short hikes on a beautiful clear, sunny day provided a real treat for us office workers!
