MY MOM CAME TO SWEDEN!

By Kim.

My mother came for a visit! It was the BEST!

I hope all of you take every opportunity to visit with your mothers where ever they are.  I never seem to get enough time with mine!

Me and my mom at Visby’s Southern gate.

With President Beckstrands permission we were able to pick up mom in Copenhagen! (The Southern Stake of Sweden is in the Copenhagen Temple district). My mother’s great, great grandmother ~Louise Kirstine Bischoff ~ was born in Skive, Viborg, Denmark. We were not able to go to Skive (about a four-hour drive) because that IS outside the mission boundaries but we were able to see a few sights of Denmark:

We love visiting Hans Christian Andersen’s, Little Mermaid statue. Created by Edvard Eriksen using his wife as the model, we were able to take several sets of Elders out to see it and were surprised that none of them knew who Hans Christian Andersen was! Mom knew! While there we ate lunch on a shady bench that we shared with a young man from China. This was the first of many times that mom taught me again how to be a good missionary. She talks to everybody! She is open and welcoming, she is interested in where they come from and where they are going, she asks about their family and if they are happy and everyone responds to her. We joked that she should have brought her missionary tag along.

We finally found the ‘Kristina’ Statue. Phillip has been looking for this since we arrived in Sweden. 

Designed by Dennis Smith in 2000 it represents all the Danish LDS immigrants that departed from the Copenhagen harbors for America. My mother’s family were among these immigrants. When Louise Kirstine was 18 she and her mother joined the church. It was then that Louise, age 18, left her mother and two sisters in Denmark and came to America with other converts on the packet ship Monarch of the Sea. From, “Church Chronology”, page 65, by Andrew Jensen, we find the following: “Thursday, May 16, 1861, the packet ship Monarch of the Sea sailed from Liverpool, with 955 saints of various nationalities…” 

The Church of Our Lady, Copenhagen’s Cathedral, has been rebuilt four times over the centuries due to fires and bombardment. It was originally constructed in 1209 out of limestone. It now houses Thorvaldse’s Kristus as well as sculptures of twelve of the apostles. These were carved in Rome and then presented to the  Church of Our Lady in 1838.

It was here that President Kimball, as reported by both Rex D. Pinegar and Boyd K. Packer, declared that the Keys of the kingdom held by Petrus (Peter) were now held by himself as the current President of the restored church.

Elder Hurlbut found his favorite apostle.

We drove by the Copenhagen Denmark Temple, but mom was much too tired for a session – she had just completed that trans-Atlantic flight! – so we took some pictures, picked up a bite to eat from the bakery down the street (Danish danishes ....from Denmark of course) and headed back to Sweden.

No one had replaced us in Lund yet as the YSA Senior couple so we were able to use that apartment. I might have a little shower envy!!!! The Lund shower is larger than the one we have now, the water turns on away from you, unlimited hot water, heated floors….. oh well- the work is true despite the shower you are given :). It was nice to spend a few days in a familiar place while mom shook off the jet lag. We reconnected with some old (4 months ago) friends, went to church in the Lund Ward, showed mom around our 1^st area, got the apartment ready for a new couple and had a lovely time.

As we headed north through Skåne towards Gotland we visited the Kalmar Castle built in the twelfth century. 

We had been here once before and wanted mom to have a chance to visit a Castle that had been restored. It of course contained much of the original construction. We saw magnificent wood work in the guest hall created from over 50 types of wood, the queens original bed with some of the gold leafing still in place, the free-hanging ceiling in the ballroom, original portraits of royalty, as well as reconstructions of ballgowns and coronation robes. Who doesn’t love a Scandinavian / European castle?

The Banquet room is always a big hit.

It looks like the King has a new taster.

We stayed the night in another empty Seniors apartment in Väjxö and then left early in the morning for our ferry from Oscarshamn. I’m sure everyone recalls that we live on an Island off the Southeastern coast of Sweden called Gotland. It is a 3 ½ hour ferry ride. There isn’t usually anything very interesting about the ferry trip …this one was no exception.

Let me say something here about game playing …my husband LOVES to play games! Card games, board games, 2 players, 6 players, group, doesn’t matter – he loves it. My mother is the same! We played a game almost every night she was here. Mille Bornes, Canasta, Phase 10, Bohnanza, Rummikub, Ticket to Ride, etc. not only did we play a game each night but we were hard pressed to keep up with mom, especially with Canasta, Rummikub and Mille Bornes! She just kept beating us! This shouldn’t have surprised me so much, she used to play bridge a lot (I’ve never played bridge). But I usually win Canasta but playing against her, it was as though I was a child… I could not win a hand to save my life!

We had the opportunity to introduce Nana Dee to some of the Swedish cuisine, although we were hard pressed to keep her out of McDonalds.  The most exotic dish she tried was this Shrimp Sandwich. 

Gotland is a vacation spot of Sweden. And a tourist hot spot of Europe. The tourist bureau puts out a guide of the “100 things to see /do on Gotland”.  Mom did about 27 of them. I have only done about 10 more than that.

We combined the sight-seeing with our responsibilities to the branch members and the game playing. Kerstin and Ragna  are single members that live about 45 minutes south of us in Stånga. We visit them on Fridays. Kerstin doesn’t speak any English but was very sweet with mom and enjoyed meeting her. Ragna is from Germany and a retired Elementary School teacher. She has an interesting history and mom loved hearing her stories.

Following our visits we were in the area to see Lojsta Palace, more of a fortress than a palac. The remains of the old Viking fortress date from long before the Danish King, conquered Gotland in 1361. It has now been reconstructed and is used as a lodge for this camping site.

 We then continued as far south as possible. We drove along the Kettelvik road where in the spring you can see a rare flower, “Spring Pheasant’s Eye”, we were too late in the year for this but did see lots of bunnies. I always love driving along the coast but our actual destination was “Hoburgsgubben” probably the most famous “rauk” on Gotland. From a certain spot the contour of the rauk looks like the profile of a man, therefore the name “the Hoburg old man”. We don’t know why his nose is painted… we are told it is a different color every year.

Below is a shot of the southern point of Gotland.

A few days later we traveled to the northern portion of Gotland with Nana Dee, but that will have to wait for another post.  

Missionary work calls!

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS OF SWEDEN

by Phillip

Swedish celebrations of Jul (pronounced ‘Yule’) – what we call Christmas - center around three key dates. But before we get to the first date we should talk about Advent. On the fourth Sunday before Christmas Swedish households display a candleholder that holds four candles. They light the first candle and extinguish it once the candle has burned down one quarter length of the candle.

On the next Sunday the first and second candles are lit and allowed to burn down another quarter length. The following Sunday the first three candles are lit, and on the Sunday before Christmas all four are lit.

Here is a picture our ours on the fourth week.

There are a lot of variations for observing traditions of advent, but this is how most of our friends observe it.

On December 13, (Winter solstice on the Julian calendar) Santa Lucia is celebrated. Lucia was a young Christian maiden in Italy who was killed for her beliefs in 304 A. D. Her crime was aiding and abetting the survival of the persecuted Christians by nightly descending into the catacombs where they hid from that authorities, bringing them sustenance.  To facilitate her work in the dark she would wear a headdress of candles to keep her hands free for her task.

Prior to the thirteenth of December, churches select young women to present a musical program. They sing about the blessings of light, charity and virtue. One of the girls is selected to represent Lucia and several others (in the program we saw this year there were eight) are chosen to accompany her.  They all dress in white gowns. Lucia’s gown is belted with a red sash, and in some cases the other girls bear the red sash as well. These girls accompany her, each holding a single candle, while Lucia alone bears the flaming headdress.

There are many variation in the program, but a common pattern has Lucia leading her companions through the city streets to the church doors. As they enter the choir of girls begin singing. Lucia leads her retinue to the front of the church.  The program continues with the Lucia’s companions kneeling then standing, extinguishing their candles and relighting them.  The pastor relates the tale of  Lucia and encourages the congregation to go out and bless others likewise.  

The program ends as Lucia leads her companions around the congregation and then out of the church while the girls choir sings Santa Lucia; the same song which I assume we all learned, as I did, in grade school. The song has little to do with Lucia’s life. Instead it is the prayerful outcry of a sailor asking that Saint Lucia will guide him safely into his home port, symbolic of each mortal’s need to seek aid from the divine in our hopes to return to our heavenly home.

A local girl summed up her opinion of the tradition with, “Kudos to all y'all who think walking around with fire on your head to celebrate a dead Italian chick is a good idea.”

The theme of light during this darkest period of the year is predominant .  Almost every window is illuminated  and remains so, in some households through February.  The two most popular forms of window decoration is the Light Bridge and the large illuminated paper stars.

The twenty-fourth of December is the next big event, ‘Jul Afton.’ Or as we call it, ‘Christmas Eve.’

Family members will come from near and far to celebrate Jul together.  Among the kindlier households, invitations  may be extended to those who have no one else to celebrate with; folks such as any poor wayfaring missionaries who might be in the area.

A Julbord (translated as “Christmas Table“) is set out for the evening featuring a rich array of traditional foods, including bread and cheese. a spiced ham and a raw herring dish called sill. (Sill is pronounced "seal", so the first time I ate it I thought i was feasting on an arctric mammal.) Warm rice porridge is traditional as well. A single almond will be dropped into the pot.  Whoever finds the almond in their bowl is traditionally destined to be the next person to marry.

Nearby will be a Christmas tree decorated with gingerbread cookies and paper heart baskets filled with nuts and candies. The families will dance around the tree singing “Now is it ‘Jul again!,” and playing musical chairs.

The most exciting part of the evening is the visit from Tomten.

The tomten tradition has undergone some evolution over the centuries.  Originally he was perceived to be a friendly spirit that would reside in farmyard barns. In time he began celebrating jul with the family by bringing toys and candy to the children. He would often use a goat to help carry the gifts. The goat itself is significant as he is the protector of the Christmas tree.  That’s why most household will have goats made out of straw set amidst the tree’s branches or on the floor near it.

Over the years Swedish artists have tried to visualize Tomten.

This is a classic image by Jenny Nyström.

Harald Viberg presents a 20th century version of Tomten.

John Bauer’s paintings of Tomten featured a more youthful character. 

This adolescent Tomten was featured on wrapping paper we bought this year.

Sadly, the trend for future conceptualization of Tomten is drifting towards this look. 

It’s all right for the U.S., but I hate the thought that it might drown one of my favorite aspects of the Swedish culture.

On Christmas Eve the local newspapers reserve the most significant and well written articles to be published for this special night, but it is a limited edition, so the demand for it is high. Inevitably someone in the household realizes that no one has picked up the Christmas edition. With a little persuasion someone is sent out to get the paper.  

While he is gone, there will be a knock at the door and Tomten will be found  carrying a bulging sack, He will distribute some gifts for everybody, even the family member that has stepped out to fetch the paper.  Tomten wishes all a Good Yule and is off to the next home.

 

Shortly after Tomten’s departure the absent family member returns with the paper, only to learn that they have just missed the festive visit.  In all the excitement of opening presents, the newspaper is set aside and is rarely ever read. 

(Did you figure out that the person getting the newspaper was dressed up like Tomten?)

Christmas eve is the main event of Sweden’s celebration. Christmas day is simply a day off from work and school, as is the next day.  Second Day Christmas is but one example  of how the Swedish people like to double up on their holidays.

The Christmas holidays are over on January 6.  This date, twelve days after Christmas day, represents the date the wise men arrive in Bethlehem to worship the child, Jesus. These twelve days after Christmas are the days we sing about in "The Twelve Days of Christmas." There is minimal celebration of the event among the Swedes. It is simply another day off from work and school. Actually it is another two days off from work and school, because they also celebrate Second Day Kings day.

For me, I find structure in the knowledge of the Thirteenth day of Christmas, Kings Day, or "Epiphany" as iti is also called.  For me it provides a clear-cut day to end my Christmas celebrations. The tree comes down, The Christmas carols are set aside. The decorations are packed away. The nativity set is tenderly prepared for another ten months in storage.

Oh, that’s one other thing about Swedish Christmases. Very few households  display Nativity sets. This is a sample of one Swedish version.

I love the Christmas traditions of Sweden.  I hope that in the future the Swedish people will continue to cling to those traditions that distinguish them as a unique culture.

A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER

By Phillip

Autumn has come to the Island…

… as well as winter.

(Kim asks why I always scowl when I take a selfie. She doesn’t understand the concentration it takes to get this framed right.

… And even then, I don’t get it right.)

The now storm was actually a fluke incident. It is rare that winter storms hit so early and so hard in Visby. Even Stockholm was taken by surprise.  Our neighbor’s brother lives on the south end of Gotland and he was totally unaware of the storms on the north end.

We’ve thawed back to Autumn now.

This is the west wall of the famed Visby fortifications.  To the left of the trees is the beach.

It has been a busy few months, busy enough for us to be once again, behind in our blogging.

(That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.)

We hope to adequately recap some of the major moments before something else crops up.

As Kim and I have come to understand the dynamics of the branch membership, we feel that what it needs is two strong families with a broad age range of children to create a foundation for generational growth.  We made it a matter of fasting in August, and two weeks later the elders began teaching a family of six.  I’ve had the chance to meet some of the members of the family and they are so open to the lessons.

In the long run, they felt that the timing was bad for them.  This is a busy season for them, so they asked the elders contact them, maybe after the new year.

When I proposed to the branch that we find two new families, I knew that it would depend on our faith and efforts. When this family came into the picture so immediately, I took this miracle as being a sign that God has acknowledged our righteous desires. The delay in teaching them prompts us to want to strengthen the branch so that they are ready to support this and any other families as they accept membership in the church. 

Here are a couple of shots of the building where we hold our services.

As nice as foliage is, this next shot give a clearer view.

We meet on the fifth floor, but the building has a split level design so we are actually only three floors up. The walled city is just on the other side of the trees on the right.

This is our foyer.

Of the seven men from the middle east who joined the church last year we have five that have not been transferred to the mainland.  Some of the decisions made by the Swedish immigration board have kept us on the edge of our seats. ugees.  In early autumn they announced that all of the refugees housed in the Integration Camp on Gotland would be transferred to the northern reaches of Sweden. The Piteå integration home is fairly close to the Luleå branch.  But, one of the men being transferred, currently serving as a counsellor in the branch presidency, was slated to be transferred to Haparanda. That’s about as close as you can get to Finland without a boat. But it is a very long way from Luleå. 

I believe that the transfer is part of the immigration officers efforts to keep the refugees from becoming too settled in the integration homes.  The logic is that if they are moved periodically, they will be motivated to find work and a permanent home on their own.

However, concerned citizens of Gotland protested the moving of any family in the midst of the school term as an unnecessary disruption of the children’s education. In the long run, no one has been transferred off the island, yet.  We are waiting to see what happens as the school term ends.

One of the highlights of the past few months was our opportunity to join an elderly sister, after having been a member for 18 months, for a trip to the Stockholm Temple where she received her endowment.

You’ll Note that Kim’s mother is standing beside me.  She came on a three week visit during the fall.  We plan to cover that adventure in a separate post.

The two Elders assigned to our branch / island are hard workers. As I have gone out with them I have nearly had to run to keep up with them as they turn on a dime, (or here, a ten crown piece) to approach everyone they see, while on their way to appointments and swing-bys.

Elder Svensson is a native Swede. He was one of the first missionaries to greet us when we arrived in Lund.  We spent our first four and a half months with him before he was transferred to more northern climes. But, sensing a need for his influence in Gotland, Sister Hurlbut prayed him onto the island.  He finished off his mission here after another four and a half months serving under the Hurlbut yoke. 

Elder Svensson is the one in shirtsleeves.

Last winter we learned a fun rhyme about surviving  Scandinavian winters.

Det finns inget dåligt väder

Bara dåliga kläder.

Translated, it says:

There is no bad weather,

Only bad clothing.

  

For the last three months, Elder Svensson has been training Elder Cluff, a fiery and dedicated Elder fresh from Oklahoma. They have been a great companionship and strengthening factor for the branch.  Last week we sent Elder Svensson home for his honorable release. He has been a big part of our mission.

One of their investigators is coming very close to baptism. On his first visit to the church, the men of the church were slated to sing “How Firm a Foundation.” (in Swedish, of course) as an extra musical number.  This investigator stood up and sang with us. He is integrating himself in to the congregation on his own initiative and has a powerful testimony.

Due to the long distance some of the sisters have to travel to get to the church, the Relief Society has not had a mid-week activity for about a year.  This past weekend we participated in the second event of the restored practice.

Last month they met at the church to prep some potted spring bulbs looking forward to next spring. Unfortunately, the inconveniences of the bus schedule prohibited the two sisters from Stånga (a 45-minute drive) from participating.

For this most recent event, the sisters cheerfully agreed to gather in one of the homes in Stånga to created Christmas decorations for the church. 

You will note the sheep shaped cookie on the plate in the bottom left.  Sheep are a strong part of Gotland’s culture.

We have seen a deepening bond between these sisters due to these two events.

Additional photos.

One of the most popular events in Visby is the annual Medieval Festival in Visby.

There’s nothing like a walled city to take you back a few centuries or so. And if you have enough people in costume in the foreground you don’t notice the jeans and shorts so much.

Take note of the man in a metal helmet pushing a childstroller towards the gate.

This represents about 1/8^th of the people who were present the day we attended.

This is Kim and our friend from the branch, Ragna. Ragna kindly provided Kim’s outfit.

We encountered a wide variety of costumes.

These young girls were quite adept in their performance.  The lass in red is playing a traditional Swedish instrument called a nyckelharp.

Our parting shot came about because of a discussion at district meeting concerning  how early is too early to start listening to Christmas.  The debate resulted in a division among the district members.

At the next district meeting, the District Leader projected this on the television screen.

So that’s how things are going here.

We appreciate all the prayers on our behalf. We are having a truly humbling and awe inspiring experience as we serve the people of Sweden, especially here on Gotland. However, our desire and our assignment seem to be outreaching the limits of our bank account and what felt to us to be enough resources to put us on several missions might not see us through the end of this one. As uncomfortable as it is to ask for money… that is what we are doing. 

If any of you, our family and friends, have the means to donate to our mission, even a small amount it would mean the world to us. This can be done online directly through our home ward using the unit number 183563, or through our son Darvil Hurlbut: 5398 S 825 E, South Ogden, UT 84405, darvilhurlbut@gmail.com, (405)684-3814

Thank you for prayers, notes and thoughts we love you all!