Blessings on the Road

Dear Family and Friends,


We hope this letter finds you well and happy in all that you are doing.  We love hearing from you and send our love and best wishes for success in your busy lives.


We just returned last night from an extended trip to northern Sweden, and the old adage, "there is no place like home" applies, even if this is only our temporary home.   We have spent the past 8 days on the road---and especially after being stopped coming home for over two hours on the main highway going south (or, the only highway going south) and, wondering what the problem was and how long we might be there, ---it felt so good to be back in our own place to relax and sleep.   That gratitude expressed, we have to say, however, that we felt really blessed through the week with where we stayed each night.


We have now been in Sweden and the Nordics for 3 months, and have enjoyed the opportunity to see so much of this region.   As you know, our responsibility to encourage the growth of Self Reliance in all this area has had us on the road almost as much as we have been at our "home" ---and the cost of doing this has been pretty high.  We have consistently tried to find less expensive hotels that were still clean, safe, and in good repair---because we don't sleep well if they are bad, and we know we can't do the work if we are too tired.  But the distance has required that we have a lot of hotel stays, a lot of fuel expense, and the cost of restaurant food is high as well.  So this trip we decided to try another approach for housing and food.  We tried using Airbnb and similar sites to find places where we might have good accommodations and be able to fix our own food.


We might have had more success with this approach if we had not been trying to do this all on late notice, but we have often had to keep a flexible schedule when we travel for several days, because the people we need to see don't always respond much ahead of time to let us know when we might meet with them.  We get a good "skeleton" of things to do in an area before we go, but, for example, we had Sunday presentations in two branches of the north District, a week apart.  We also had Youth nights scheduled for mid-week and Friday nights, but the rest was open and needing to be filled in---hopefully with other branches in the district.   We didn't know where exactly we would be on which nights.  This trip, we were traveling to distances a full 10 hours away from Stockholm, and coming home in between was not practical for our bodies or the pocketbook.  The three hours we spent one night on a 2-lane road in a pretty good snowstorm made us especially glad we weren't driving all the way home to Stockholm. 


 Getting off the "beaten path" always has its risks and we  were not immediately lucky--thus we were able to see the blessing that came later, when we made it a matter of sincere prayer.  It is remarkable how far the words "clean and private" can be stretched on a hotel website!---and when we were trying to find a replacement for our mistake in a far northern city at the last hour, we didn't really wonder if we could survive staying in the car rather than paying the very high hotel prices that were the only ones available.  We did have some frustration for awhile.


All that being said, we did see some very tender mercies come through for us during the week.  The first blessing was finding a promotional price on a hotel that usually was twice the price.  It was super small, but great, and we were able to stay two nights at that price even though the booking rate went up.   The second blessing was booking the last room available online and then not getting the confirmation to come through on our phone---and when we arrived the office was closed!  Fortunately the nicest young woman who was a guest let us in the office, used her code to call the management, and arranged that the un-named waiting key could be ours.  The room was old-ish, but clean and adequate.

The other hotels we stayed in weren't always the greatest, but they were ok.  However, the last place for the 2 nights of the weekend was the real adventure.  We didn't know why all the reasonable priced hotels were fully booked, but learned later there was a big hockey tournament in town.  We almost booked a place that seemed ok, but then at the last got the feeling to change our mind and keep looking.   What we found, and felt much better about, was a fair distance from the Church and we knew we would have to drive back and forth a few times--but we did have some time unscheduled and they said the place was scenic and peaceful.  Those are two words that also can be stretched, but we really got a slug in the stomach when the GPS led us onto a forest road.  It said at first it was 3 miles, but at an "intersection" that turned into 12 miles!  The road was dirt--no, ice!--and narrow, and we just had to turn around for sanity's sake.  We tried to call the listing service, but of course no luck---but finally found a number for the property---and after trying a few different ways of dialing it, they DID answer.  


The man who answered kept asking "where are you?",  and that seemed like the dumbest question.  We told him the road was not safe for us and he agreed it might not be.  Finally with as many clues as we could grab, he determined that we had been led on the "shortcut" logging road by our GPS, and he told us how to get there on a highway!  At this point we thought "what do we have to lose?" and tried it.  It was a pretty long drive, but a decent road.  

When we finally got there we were greeted by a young, rather disheveled, woman at the door of an older house!  Oh boy, we are going to stay in an older house with somebody else!  Since we were there, we decided to see how bad it really would be ---and discovered the opposite!  This whole house was fixed up so cute and so clean, and the woman and her husband and baby didn't live there at all, but next door.  They were far enough out and their rental venture was new enough that it was practically all new.  We had been eating out of our food box all week, heating things up at the Church kitchens where possible, and just getting by to avoid eating out. So now we could use the fridge, stove, sinks, and table,---and of course the nice couches, and cozy chairs with lovely throws.  They even offered a washing machine and sauna, but we didn't use them.  (Side note here:  we need to also recognize the blessing of being invited to leader's homes for delicious dinners a few times.  The main course for dinner was usually moose meat.  In a country where they harvest 100,000 moose a year, there is plenty of that to go around.  Tastes like chicken -- just kidding.)  


We stayed Friday and Saturday nights and had plenty of time to catch up on computer work, and take a really great run to the coast and two long walks through the forest to the other coast.  We were on a long narrow peninsula and the whole area was so quaint and picturesque, with hardly any people around.  The owners were fairly young, and the man owned a huge trucking business, so he could afford the 45 acres of prime forest and several buildings.  They were really ambitious and had done so much to improve their investment.  We hoped/hoped not, to see moose--- and didn't, and didn't see the northern lights either, but we really enjoyed the stay, for half the cost of anything else.   We knew we were blessed---especially since we almost gave up trying to get there!


As for our work in the District (ah, yes -- the work), we felt it went quite well.  We were able to meet with two of the District Counselors, and the District YW President, and they seemed very enthused about doing Self Reliance now.  We had two youth groups of 12 plus each time and, although they are not the most communicative at that age, they seemed to appreciate the encouragement to set goals and make the most of their future careers.  We also helped a refugee lady with job search skills.  She was so appreciative and wanted to take notes (in Arabic) of everything we taught so she could teach it to her husband.  We are always impressed by the character strength of the immigrant people and know that the Lord is blessing them for their courage to join the church and make such dramatic changes in their lives.  Best of all, we had two successful devotionals and feel like those branches are prepared to have a good start.


We have found that the Stake or District Self Reliance Specialist is indispensable in making Self Reliance take hold in the units.  If the Specialist is well-informed and enthused, the work really moves forward.  For that reason, we have made it a special point to get close to these specialists and build a strong relationship with them.  On Sunday, we were invited to come to dinner at the home of one of the Specialists, and it was a wonderful experience.  They are the epitome of devoted, committed saints.  His work as a manufacturing engineer has taken them all over the world, but wherever they go, they become a mainstay in the church unit.  For instance, besides being the SR Specialist in the district and branch here in Sweden, he is the branch Young Men's president, and she is the Young Women's president.  They spend time taking refugee families back and forth to church each Sunday (a long way), and they drive great distances to do home teaching and visiting teaching.  They are just happy to serve in any way that they can, and don't complain.  We have met so many just like them:  firm in their testimony, doing what the Lord asks of them, becoming the "backbone" of the ward or branch.  How we are grateful to know them and learn from their example! 


Another sweet blessing was that yesterday following our Sacrament Meeting talks a nice man approached us to thank us for the important messages.   He introduced himself as the President of the Pietarsaari Finland District, which has seemed to be lacking commitment to Self Reliance enough that the Specialist there is quite discouraged.   We have been worrying about what to do for them.   We had even contacted them and wondered if they would like us to catch a ferry to Finland last week while we were so far north Sweden, but they declined.   The President said their presidency had discussed SR in their meeting the past week, and he now hoped we could come and help them soon.   We actually did have an appointment with them, so he was very pleased, but we think that his feeling the Spirit of the meeting made, and will make, a big difference ---and  he as much as said so himself.  On another occasion here in Stockholm, we had a YSA leader catch the real spirit of SR doctrine by hearing us speak when he was visiting another ward Sacrament Meeting, and he now wants to move SR ahead for his own YSA group.  Things don't always feel perfectly led by the Spirit ---because obviously we are merely human instruments -- but it is exciting when we feel things are orchestrated beyond anything we could arrange.


Back at home in Stockholm, we are experiencing reality!   We were lucky to be gone for one week of our 3-week elevator repair, but being here for the rest of the time is going to either kill us or strengthen us.  Last night hauling in all the luggage and supplies from our trip was purely exhausting!   Because we were not sure of bed arrangements on our trip, we had taken bedding, a food basket, all our books for presentations, and of course enough clothes to last without washing for 8 days.   We can't look half put-together when we have to present, so it was a lot---to haul up the 7 flights of circular stairs!  We each made 3 trips!   Then this morning we had to do laundry ---on the bottom floor!  That was about 5 trips up and down, but at least the loads were much easier.   It helps us remember we might be getting a bit older!

We are extremely grateful that when we talked to Chelise this week she seemed to be doing much better.  We hope she will try to take it slow!... but being a mother of such an active fun family doesn't make her feel like much serious recovery time is fully realistic.  We appreciate the nice things done for their family while she does try to recuperate---and wish we could have been a part of that.   We are happy that we can still look forward to having her and Ben come in a few weeks and with the sun staying up longer every day, we think things are looking quite bright, literally and figuratively.   Yeah!


All of the things that have happened this week have made us reflect, again, on how much the Lord loves us all and is truly involved in our lives.  We are trying to be especially mindful of all the miracles -- big and small -- that happen to all of us, all of the time.  The Lord certainly is directing the huge missionary work in these latter days and He is revealing things to His prophet (like Self-Reliance), but He is also involved in such small things as getting someone to a sacrament meeting so they can learn something they needed to know, or helping a missionary couple find a place to stay, or even helping Grandma glance backward to notice the jewelry that had fallen out of her suitcase in the hotel lobby.  Some may call such things a coincidence, but we prefer to call them miracles, evidences of the Lord's tender compassion and love for His children.  Everyone - us, each of you -- are being blessed in countless ways each day, even in times of great difficulty.  We need only to recognize the miracles around us to be extremely grateful.


We think about, and pray for, all of you each day.  We send our love.


P.S.:  We are sending quite a few pictures on the blog this week.  Surprise!


Grandma and Grandpa
Mom and Dad
Lynne and Lanette
Aldste and Syster Pettit (a.k.a. the "Moose Meat Eaters")

 On the bridge at Umea--part of our morning run   The flags say welcome to Umea

 A lady we met with her walking sled.  The morning was really icy and it seems like a good idea. (She didn't offer us a ride.)

 We don't know what Snickerifabric is but the Ornsholdsvik is the town name of a small branch

 A Swedish cemetery--just lights.  Quite different from the huge monuments in Ireland

 One of many beautiful churches on a hill

 Swedish country home.  Lights are so important here---and of course the woodwork is amazing

 A factory for northern Sweden's delicacy---truly--- Canned rotten fish!

 the big factory---rotten fish is popular , but everyone jokes about how much it stinks, as they eat it!

 Early morning scene out our window---the ferry coming in.

 Our district--meeting at the institute

 Apartment checks---the shine was so bright they had to wear sunglasses!  (second time around)

 Our car parked inside the ferry.  You only see a small part of it.  There are over 50 cars and several trucks on one trip

 A traditional street of Copenhagen

 Thatched roof house in southern Sweden---must be very similar to when our ancestors lived here.

 Doesn't this look yummy!?  We haven't dared try it.

 Welcome to a new couple, the Hales, to the mission.

 Across the water from City Hall, Stockholm

 Gamla Stan---old Stockholm

 Old Stockholm

 Out the window of our hotel.   The frozen river and the path across.   We walked over it too

 This was in an OLD church from 1492 in northern Sweden, Lulea.    It is the Resurrection and depicts the entire Godhead.

Below:  walking across the frozen river.   Our hotel was the white building on the left.

Expanding our Efforts - and Happy

Dear Great Family and Friends,
We hope this letter finds you all well and happy!   As for us, we are that indeed.  Tonight as we came back to our apartment after a few hours out in the cold dark afternoon, we were so happy to walk into a warm house that feels quite like home now.  We are getting more adjusted to Sweden--not really knowing where things are much better--but not worried at all about it.  The week has been fairly busy for us, but not more than we could reasonably manage.  And we are staying healthy--which is such a blessing!


On Monday we went down to the immigration office ---again, this time with our own appointment to get the official extended visitor's permit.  We had all the paperwork in good order and even made the appointment on time in spite of parking problems, but unfortunately we were not able to get the permit.  It looks like it is going to be a bit more tricky than it was supposed to be, and we have heard that it is at least partly due to the huge refugee influx in the past year.   A business man in our ward said their papers have not been cleared and they are actually still here  4 months past their legal time, still waiting for the documents---with unofficial permission to stay.  The man who helped us was very kind and didn't charge us the processing fee, but said to come back just two weeks before our permit expires.  That sounds risky to us, but we can't do anything about it.   Another man from the US Embassy in our ward said the amount of refugees into Sweden is 5% of their population.  (They were the nice guys who took so many--whereas other European countries would not accept any.)  We didn't know how significant that % was until he said, if the U.S. took the same proportion, it would be like taking 15 million refugees and trying to take care of them!  So we are resolved to do as much work as we can in the short two months left---but still plan to have faith that we can stay through our full time.


With this agenda in the back of our minds, we are glad as things start to pick up with appointments and meetings.  On Tuesday, we drove up to Sundsvall Sweden and met with the District President Stegeby there.  This man was a treat to be with.  He is so cheerful and filled with faith.  We don't see the great sense of humor as much as in Ireland, but one of his early comments in answer to the weather was, "we don't have any mosquitoes"!   He has been serving in  the District Presidency for 17 years (much like Grandpa's former counselor, President Warnick) He also serves as a Counselor in the Mission Presidency for the present and last four Mission Presidents.  His District is very spread out and covers 57% of Sweden, but he is proud of the strength of the Saints there.  We had a good meeting with him, and will return as he now begins some plans to expand the Self Reliance effort in his District.   


The drive to Sundsvall was farther than most drives in Ireland so we planned to stay overnight and we were glad we did.  The roads on the map looked like we would be on major highways, but we were not on freeway style roads very much of the time.  The roads are basically 3 lanes all the way ---for both directions to share.  There is a small fence barrier between the directions most of the time, but the passing lane is off and on and very narrow.  With lots of big trucks and slushy highway grime constantly on the windshield, it made for hard driving---and much of it in the dark.  In addition, we thought we should take advantage of going in the direction of some people we wanted to look up for Dedee Dalebout, and it was further out of the way that we hoped.  We didn't have much luck it seems, but still we were glad we made the effort.   We realize this is going to be reality as we travel here, but as you see we are being careful. 


The next day we traveled back and made life a little easier by having a video meeting with some leaders in Finland that evening.  It was a good start there.  We will try to do that as much as we can, but it just doesn't have the same affect as meeting in person.   We think once we make initial visits to places it will be a pretty good option for some of the time. 


On Thursday we then took the easiest plan and flew to Oslo, Norway.  We had planned at first to drive this trip, but the advanced weather forecast was grim, and it proved to be pretty accurate.  We were glad we flew, especially as we thought of the smaller roads.  In Stockholm, they have nice freeway style roads and even many places of 3 lanes per direction, but apparently only in the densely populated areas.  There never seems to be the expected "rush hour traffic" that was so common in Ireland, all except for about 4 hours in the middle of the day, and that is surprising since we learned that Stockholm's population is about 2-1/2 million people. 


Our trip to Norway went very well.  A wonderful man, Erik Jakobsen, met us and our manager from Frankfurt at the airport and took us to the church for about 3 hours of meetings and then back to our hotel.  We left the next morning--so not many hours for all that travel; but we felt like our time to meet and discuss opportunities and ways we can help them accomplish some new goals was well worth it.  We have had some good communications since then, and Erik is even changing some major personal plans so that things can get started sooner than later.   We love the spirit of sacrifice we are seeing among the Saints here.  The Scandinavian  people seem to really want to do things right and have great faith.  It doesn't of course solve all concerns, but it certainly makes things happen.


Since we have been home, we have been trying to get our Mission assignment to help check apartments done for now,  because the calendar is starting to fill in, and we are delighted.   We are feeling very blessed to be able to go to Copenhagen, Denmark this weekend and meet with some people that Ben's sister Leisl (married with two little boys) is setting up for us, then do some returning Missionary trainings here, and then to Finland a week later. 


The great thing about meeting Leisl is that since she lived in Copenhagen for quite a while, she really knows the people we need to meet in order to understand the way of life and priorities of the Saints there.  She is wonderful to add us to her already crazy-busy schedule and it will really help us! 


Another thing that has been filling in our time somewhat is starting to teach SR Job Search skills to some of the refugees.  At this point we are just doing one on one trainings, but we hope that as the missionaries see how helpful it can be, they will be better able to set  up groups.  It is already starting to happen, so we are happy.  One man we have been able to teach 3 times now from Syria is so appreciative and He is also doing well as he learns about the gospel.  He is very concerned that he has not been able to get his family here yet, and that there is prejudice against him as he tries to get a job, but he has a great attitude of faith and is anxious to prepare to be baptized and then help others as well.  He is another one of those remarkable people who is very smart---and it seems they are the ones who can figure out how to rise to the top regardless of what trials come.  He recognizes the truth of the gospel and how it will bless his life.  He told us how when he first came, everything seemed so dark and discouraging, and now even though his problems are still there he feels the weight and darkness of his trials being lifted.  It brings us such joy to be able to help.  Tomorrow we are going a few hours away to meet a group of immigrants who want the same help. 


And then as the "cherry on top", we are happy to tell you that on Saturday we were able to go to the Temple and do a session.  We had to get up early to go--but that made it seem like old times.   It was great after 14 months of not going, to be in a session, and fun to do it with earphone translation.  We could still hear the Swedish, but the English on low volume was great support.  The group was very small--and as we said, the temple is very small.   The smallness means that we met people we have met before in meetings, and a few from our first visit there, so we didn't feel like total strangers.  And you never fell like a stranger in the Temple.  It feels like coming home--to heaven, so filled with the Spirit we try to have everyday, but of course it is complete.


Grandkids: you might be interested to know we are starting to learn Swedish through a free app called Duo-lingo.  We aren't desperate to learn it, but knowing a little will help.  It is easier to read and write than to say it, because the letters make different sounds than we are used to, but it helps to be able to read signs etc.     It would be fun if any of you want to try it with us.  We are not quick learners--like you would be--but many words have some English roots and so it isn't too hard.  If you learn it, it probably won't be something you can use much, but we can talk secrets when your parents are in the same room.    For starters, one easy word is so useful:  "Tack"  (sounds like talk)  means both please and thank you. 


And now for a riddle:  Why do we see so many real fairies in Sweden, when we tried so hard to see them in Ireland, but never did see them?   Please send your answers back.


We send extra love to each of you Grandchildren!   We know you are so busy and doing so many good things!  We are happy to hear of the great things you do with your talents.  As we teach Self Reliance, one of the things we teach is using time wisely.  When you use your time to become the best you can, you are really building who you will be in the eternities.  You wonderful Grandchildren are getting a head-start on greatness because of all the special things you do--in school, with music, with scouts, with art, with sports, with YW and YM, and with friendships !  It will bless you in this life and always.  We miss being able to attend your performances and see your successes, but we think of your so much, and pray for you always!


We wish the best to all family and friends---'Tack'  for staying in touch.
Love and Hugs,
Grandpa and Grandma,
Dad and Mom
Lynne and Lanette
Aldste and Syster Pettit

This is a painting of the old downtown of Stockholm.  We found it in a little shop, and it is done with a unique technique using egg white - making it very durable.

Another painting of the old town part of Stockholm - pretty accurate. 

Winter is Here!

Our Dear Family and Friends,
Well, winter has really arrived here in Sweden.   We want you to know that we realize it is not nearly the winter you are having in Utah and Idaho, (maybe it is lucky we are gone), but it is winter for sure.  While we are seeing that Ireland is having a mild winter again--temperature sometimes at 55 degrees---we are getting a pretty good experience of what the Irish said we would:  cold temperature, snow and ice.   In early November, Stockholm had the biggest storm since 1911, but by the time we arrived, we thought maybe the warning of winter in Sweden was not much to note. 


However, this week we have had some quite stormy weather.  We decided we really needed to wash our car one day ($18 for the cheap one!) and by afternoon we had a full-on storm.  That night the windy blizzard kept us awake much of the night.  It was probably just unsettling to not know what we would be facing---as we did have an appointment early the next morning.  We have had some low temperatures, -19 degrees (ah yes, that is only Celsius--which is just below 0 F ---but doesn't it sound a little more like what you are getting?)    And with all the snow that whirls around, we are only getting about 8 inches --but it is not melting at all yet.  The snow plows drop pebbly "sand", but salt is not considered environmentally friendly, so it is not used at all. 


The waterway is quite icy, but the ships continue to come up and down the channel.  One man told us they work to keep it open, but that he wouldn't ride a ferry or boat taxi in the winter because it is just too cold.  We will probably be finding out for ourselves how cold it is, because we are starting to plan a trip to Finland via a ferry at the end of the month.  It is much less expensive and we would have our car when we got there to do the traveling we need to do.  We have a bit to learn about how to best do this.  In good weather, it could be a great adventure, but we are not sure whether to arrange for a cabin even if the travel is all in one day. 


The fog is quite interesting to watch as it moves up from the channel onto the land, and the sound of the ship fog horn is deep and low.  You almost don't notice the sound at first, but then it makes us feel so blessed to be safe inside and not having to be traveling without the ability to see what is ahead.  It made us reflective of how the Gospel is also a way of traveling safely through life for us.  When we can't see what is ahead in our lives, we know that we have a Prophet and scriptures to help us stay away from danger and trouble.  Their repeated steady voice is a comforting guide that we are grateful for.


We have come to the realization that the countryside reminds us of upstate New York.  There are a lot of trees and rolling hills, and the roads are not nearly so busy as they were in Dublin.  One cold morning Grandpa looked out to see a young father not be able to start his car.  He went out to see if he could help, but then the Grandparents came and picked up the children, and they weren't too worried about the car since it was old.  I would be fun to be able to share the gospel with a family in our apartment building, but we are not getting the perfect opportunity yet. 


This week we have had a few meetings that gave us a bit more momentum with our work. One important meeting was with the Stockholm South Stake SR Committee.  They were a very complete committee, and are doing what they understand is Self Reliance, but they have not seen the full Initiative.  It is going to be a little harder to get them to ramp up when they feel good about what they do, than it was to get Self Reliance started in Ireland.  They were very inclusive of us though, and we feel they will be able to expand their efforts when they see the many ways that SR can bless the Saints.  These socialist countries have given the people a feeling of security with health support and a form of job security, but there is reason  to think that with the unsteady economics beginning, especially in Finland, that it cannot last. Sweden's tax rate is 71% and an increasing number of young people think that with that high of a tax rate, they may as well let the government be their full means of support.  It is interesting that, even when the government takes care of "everything," it is hard for many Swedish families to make ends meet because of all the taxes they pay.    


Another meeting was with the Mission President and his wife to see if they are interested in having us start a returning missionary training program.  They were very excited about it and want us to get it going right away.  We had thought that since we are in the Mission Home city we could just teach one big session to the "returnees" when they come in to go home, but the President felt there was just not enough time and wants to arrange 1/2 day trainings in the working areas.   We will do that for the time being and then pass the training materials on as we did when we left Ireland.


On Thursday, we met with our District downtown.  It is a good group of young missionaries and they are sincere about their work.  We took lunch for them for after the meeting, but it is not as easy or good as having it right near our house, but they still appreciated it.  Since we were out and would need to be right by the Temple for an evening meeting, we decided to go to the Temple in the in-between hours, but we got an invitation to join the Elders for a teaching appointment because the man was looking for work and they wanted us to meet him and set up to help him.   We didn't make the temple, but that is okay since it is just available for us if we don't have a lot else to do. 


It was fun to have a gospel teaching time again with an investigator. When we went into his house he first asked us if he could get us a drink of juice or water.  While he was out getting the drinks his roommate came into the room.  To the surprise of everyone, the roommate was a man they had met on a train that very week, but had not settled on a time to meet him.  So here they were, sitting in his house ready to teach his friend!   He was getting ready to go to work, so he could not join the lesson, but of course a time was set up for them to meet in the next two days.  It is just amazing how carefully orchestrated the work of the Lord is.  In all the masses of people in Stockholm, this just could not have happened by coincidence!


At church we met another investigator who is looking for work.  He is from Syria and has a lot of  experience and work skills, but doesn't have great language skills.  He has been looking for jobs as everyone says to, by checking the internet---with no success.  We met with him for an extra hour after the block and started teaching him some Job Search skills and he was thrilled.  He could readily recognize that there is significance in the method we taught him and he was so happy and grateful.   The missionaries were also there and loved it too.  They went home and shared the good news with others and already we are getting contacts from others who want help. 


It is fun to meet new missionaries and feel their love of the Gospel.  In Church we heard a great talk by one of the Elders that we think might help you older Grandchildren.  He was assigned to talk about the blessing of seminary in his life.  He admitted that he was not proud of what he had done with his seminary experience and how he wishes he had been better.  He said he went to seminary to keep his parents happy, but now he can see how much he missed by often sleeping and playing with his phone.  He is a really good missionary now, but when he finds it hard to prepare for teaching, he knows it is because he did not use his time well to gain the knowledge that would help him now and later in his life. Knowledge is one thing that no one can give us.  It is one of the parts of agency.  We have to get it for ourselves and build continuously to have the strength that becomes an armor of protection for us.  Even now on our mission we know we have to keep studying, and we encourage you as teenagers to use your time and study the scriptures and gospel everyday. 


Looking ahead, we are excited about traveling north this week to Sundsvall, Sweden to meet with the President of the District there.  His District is 57% of the geography of Sweden.  We hope to be able to find one of Dedee Dalebout's Swedish relatives on the way, depending on the weather, etc.  We also are traveling to Norway this week for a meeting there.  We decided not to drive because the 10 day forecast was not good and we don't know what to expect with the roads for our first time.  It is about an 8 hour drive, but a much shorter flight.  Still we will have to stay overnight.  In all, as we said, we are picking up momentum, and hope that we can make a difference as we learn more and share what we have learned so far.  


We groan with you Grandchildren as you have to go back to school after such a fun Christmas vacation.  We loved hearing of all the fun things you did during the holidays.  The holidays are very big with the Swedish.  They have repeated reasons to celebrate and still had one more holiday last Friday.  January 6 is called Three Kings Day and school doesn't start until after that.  We called one SR specialist this week to check on a time to meet with their stake and she said the holidays are not over until Monday Jan 9th.  Wow!  Well, we know getting back to school or work is hard whenever it happens, so keep smiling and  stay healthy!  We love each of you and hope you will write when you have a little time.


We still feel so blessed to be on this mission.  This is an interesting experience for us to "start over" in a sense, but it makes us realize even more that the Gospel is true everywhere.  As in Ireland, we are meeting some wonderful, devoted saints who are staying true to their beliefs in spite of their challenges.  We are so anxious to be the Lord's instruments in helping people be their best and lay claim to the privileges that are in store for them. 


We send much love and warm hugs!
Love Grandpa and Grandma,
Dad and Mom,
Lynne and Lanette
Aldste and Syster

The winter view out of our window.  This is our "Lego Village" with the train.  Can you see it?

Another view from our window.  The ferries continually come to and from the channels (out of sight) at the top of the picture and go up the channel to the right.

Happy New Year!

 

Dear Family and Friends,
Happy New Year to all.  We hope this finds you all feeling well and happy after a ' fantastiskt' holiday time with your families.  ( We wish we could say that we are learning a little Swedish, but so far the best we can say is that we are happy when we see a word that has enough of an English base to recognise.)

Speaking of New Year though, we think we should first share our New Year's Eve celebration here in Sweden.  We have been so blessed to be invited to such fun holiday traditions.   Our invitation came a little by default, but we were so happy for the result.  A very nice family in our ward had invited us to Christmas Day dinner after Church--but then on the day, many of their family were not  well, so they asked if we would mind coming instead to New Year's Eve.  Of course it sounded fun--even better, since Christmas Day itself is not traditionally the big celebration. 

Well New Year's Eve was the lovely home of a Stake Presidency member who is a prominent architect.   There house is and may always be a work in  progress, but it sits up high (with a great view (for fireworks) and has so many nice features.  Grandkids, you may be interested to know that this architect loves Legos and so do his young adult children.  They have more Legos than even you guys!---and are making a Lego town in a special apartment area.  It has skyscrapers, along with many other buildings that are more classic.  You would love to see it and even better, you would be great help on it!  It reminded us of the view out our windows, so now we call our view The Lego Village---which we are still fascinated with:  trucking, trains, and especially the ships.  The main recreation activity for the night (except for the fireworks) was that the big boys and the cousins were working on their Lego city before and after dinner.

The evening began with a nice dinner--and NICE it was.  After the introductory Glogg, the salad was exotic with shrimp, salmon, caviar, avocado and wonderful cheese.  Then they had a lovely patio grilled pork dinner followed much later by dessert which was quite different from home. The main feature of dessert was a big variety of crackers and CHEESE! and fruit.  Grandpa must be European because he loved it--especially since it also featured a very rich CHOCOLATE torte cake.  We brought Chocolate Chip cookies  which were a big hit--but honestly we are struggling again to get the recipes to adjust so they weren't quite right. 

With a lot of time between dinner and the fireworks we had a nice time getting a tour of their house (and plans) and a very good time to talk about Self Reliance.  It was good to learn that not everyone sees the socialist order as ideal--in fact they share the concern that even with free (better yet, paid) educational opportunities, the upcoming generation is a concern.  Many apparently see no real need to make the big effort to get an education or  plan for a significant career because the government will take care of them.   One reason this might be an issue of the generation is the love of video gaming.  It doesn't seem to matter where people live, the ' addiction' to video games is a pretty big threat to society.  It is easy to see that this is at least one of the reasons why Self Reliance needs to be taught throughout the Church.  We were able to share our understanding of how Self Reliance has many levels of application---like most principles of the Gospel do.   Both the Stake President counsellor and his brother who is a leader in another Swedish stake were very interested in how we can help them lift the level of what SR has been here---and of course we felt blessed that this was the outcome of not going there on Christmas Day.   Not only did we have a wonderful time, but we were doing as much good as if we had made special arrangements---and no one was in a hurry!

So then it came time for fireworks.  Of course we watched the TV with the countdown ---we should have practiced our Swedish counting!  Because we are in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, they have a very nice fireworks show, which was not too far from us.  We could watch it down and across the waterway---and a variety of private displays as well.  Then, they had one of their own.  Their family consists of 7 children, and two grandchildren.  Their oldest daughter has severe Cerebral Palsy and they did so much to get her ready to go outside, along with the little grandchildren.  The one little boy was quite afraid of fireworks so he wore a helmet.  It reminded us of Samantha not liking them---too bad we didn't think of a helmet for her!   Do you remember that Samantha?

Then on Sunday, we had Sacrament Meeting and many testimonies recognised the blessing of a New Year.   One thought came out clearly in a way we had not thought much of before:  that every day is a new day to do our best and have a new start, but even better, with every Sacrament Meeting we can have that chance to look at our lives and change the things that we need to.  Repentance is such a blessing.  Today we were also reading in Alma 41 that emphasises the mercy of Heavenly Father in giving us the chance for repentance in this life.  It really is a great way to end the Christmas Season---to recognise the Gift of our Savior, and because of Him, each and every one of us has the blessing of being able to have new starts.

Well, with a new start here in Sweden, we are finding a lot of things of interest.  We have learned a few things you might be interested in.  One thing we see out our window is a huge smokestack (and there are quite a few smokestacks around.)   We wondered what it was because there doesn't seem to be any industry by it.  We learned that it is a back-up heating supply for when the weather gets extra cold.  Under the city are huge pipelines that bring the heat to big apartment buildings and make the roads thaw faster.  A few mornings we have seen fires near the stack.  Great idea!!  And we are happy for the landmark it is for us as well.  Story to follow:

We were happy this week  to discover a new place to run.  We felt sad to leave our nice running path in Ireland, but as we tried new directions and interesting ways to go, we found one day a little path through the woods and along a little lake.  It really is amazing.  It has a nice packed wide trail that has resting stops with benches, and stopping spots with exercise equipment!  Seriously.  We have been doing the one that you sit on and use your arms to lift your own weight.  Grandpa is pretty good at it, and Grandma---well she tries.   We also discovered a "camping site" that just puts a new twist on features.  The log shelter is wide but just sleeping height and leaves an open side toward the lake. Firewood, grills, and all are provided.  After awhile the trail comes to a residential area with classic homes along the lake. 

One morning we decided to extend our fitness run to go all the way around the little lake.  We knew it was possible because we saw a map at the trail head, but apparently we missed the trail that stayed close to the lake, because when we finished we were way off from the start and had no idea where to go.  We ran in the direction we thought was right but when we finally could spot the smokestack again, we were so far away and not sure what side of it we were even seeing!   It was lucky we didn't have any appointment that day because it took us a few hours to get home!  New resolve:  either just go to the village, or run the circuit from the other direction.   Needless to say we didn't run up the stairs when we got home!  

Another nice thing about Sweden is the tunnels we mentioned.  We knew they were a good method to connect the island rather than so many bridges, but we didn't realize that they also take care of traffic congestion in the busy parts of the city.  When the older narrow city roads would not be adequate, they just put a few bigger roads underground. Because of them we have not experienced any serious traffic problems--except for the day we were trying to go to the temple and the GPS kept heading us for a construction roadblock.  We tried to get away from the area so the GPS would lead us another way, but it took a long time and unfortunately/fortunately we were too late for the last temple session. 

When we finally arrived at the temple it was a nice surprise to see it---such a beautiful and small glowing place to be.  The lights were all on, but the door was locked and no one came for the doorbell for a long time.  It was a cold wait, but when the sister came, we explained why we were late, and she said not to worry, that she would help us be able to do something.  She arranged for Grandpa to be a witness for baptisms and for Grandma to do initiatory work.  Grandma had the experience of part Swedish and part English--which was fun and she was grateful for the years of initiatory mornings with her friends in Logan.  After we both finished we were then able to have a temple tour (it IS small) and go into the Celestial Room.  All of the temple design and decor are so Swedish and elegant.  We had such a unusual - and refreshing - experience in the temple that night.  It was very peaceful, and we felt like we almost had the entire place to ourselves.  It was a time for reflection and quiet worship. 

The experience of getting to the temple seemed like a life lesson in itself.  So many times when things go wrong or are more difficult than we think they should be, we don't realize that the Lord is really preparing us for something better.  If we had been able to drive directly to the temple as planned, we perhaps would have missed the wonderful peaceful experience that we had.  Doing a regular session as we had planned to do might have been good too, but at least there was something good that came after we had difficulty.  It reminded us of the phrase that one of the sisters quoted in testimony meeting Sunday:  "Today's test is tomorrow's testimony."

This is Caroline, the Karlsson's daughter, dressed up to go see the fireworks.

This is Gunnar, the Karlsson's grandson, with ear protection and helmet - all ready for the fireworks!

Not bad for "home" fireworks!

Greetings from Sweden

Dear Family and Friends,
Wow, you are saved!  Just when you thought you couldn't read anymore routine letters, we got a change of assignment with new language and culture, new mission and ward people, new house and scenery, and new effort to serve.   We hardly know where to start with all that we have experienced this week---so maybe chronologically will do.


We flew out of Dublin on Thursday morning--which now seems like a few weeks ago.  Getting ready to go was, to borrow the cliché, was a real whirlwind!  We made our last trip to visit the small, most remote branch on Monday.   We were tired by that point, having been up and down, and east and west, (and more) all within the week.  We arrived in time to have dinner with the Knight family and to have a little early evening Christmas with the children   We had another graduation "ceremony" for them and then stayed the night at their home. 


The next day we got back home in time to prepare for a YSA SR class that we do a light dinner for and then loaded up with Specialists and drove out to Bray for a nice dinner meeting.  Our manager from England wanted us to get the Dublin group leaders together to meet him and help the transition to go more smoothly--but he got tied up with travel delays and missed his ferry, so we ended up just going ahead with a nice dinner and less meeting.  That was a fun night for us and we appreciated even more the strength and testimony of the great people we had worked with.


Wednesday was a blur of pressure to finish off details but we felt lucky that the day would end with a triple baptism.   We felt like we could get everything done, but mailing the package home to prevent overweight luggage was a crazy time.  First we thought the UPS rate would be best, but got to a UPS place that didn't ship--just a business office.  Unfortunately, it was far out of the way and the hour was getting close to closing times, so we then decided to do the Post.  That meant payment had to be cash because our bank account was now closed and we had to also find an ATM.  In all the rush we thought we lost Grandma's phone!  We prayed, drove a long ways back, didn't find the phone and then when sad reality was at its best, we found it!  Things like this happen to everyone--and usually when it will be least convenient, but yes, Heaven was watching over us and the phone had fallen into the purse (didn't ring because of a dialing problem.)  Bottom line was that we had felt pressure at the start of the day, but had a sweet assurance that things would be in His hands.  Even though we panicked for awhile, we really loved that feeling of divine help.  It is always hard to re-tell a "tender mercy" very well,  but we want to share it to let you know that we love knowing that the Lord cares about the little things, especially when we are facing a lot of bigger things ahead now. 


So we were late for the Baptism, (but not as late as someone who was speaking) which meant we were basically on time and were able to get the last minute arrangements for food made, and enjoy the sweet spirit of the occasion.  One of our dear investigator friends came special to see us and say good-bye.  After the baptism, we also went out to say good-bye to our friend Nick.   It is hard to know that we may not see these people again, but we have loved watching them feel the Spirit and hope they will be able to act on those personal blessings. 


After a very late night of finishing the packing, cleaning, washing etc. we did make our early flight without any problems.   Fortunately, we were given a little over-allowance on the luggage weight because we had so much to bring.  Flying out we felt a real sentimental love for Ireland as we looked out the plane window at the green patches of farmland laced together with the quaint brown hedges.  We flew first to London, then had about a 3 hours flight to Sweden.  All the fuss about getting a visa for Sweden was funny because we had the shortest entrance ever coming into the country.  


After we picked up our luggage and left the secure area we didn't know who to expect would meet us, but we certainly didn't dream that it would be such a big welcome!  It was not just one nice set of missionaries--but three, with one of them being the Mission President and his wife.  They "always meet their missionaries" and we were not exempt even though we are just transfers.  We all stood behind a big Swedish flag and had our picture taken.    After a bit of introductions and welcomes, the President left and we were then swooped off by the two couples to go to dinner.  It was a fun afternoon, evening topped off with them bringing us all the way out to our new apartment. 


We live now on an island (Stockholm is a series of 14 islands) called Lidinga--which sounds more like Lydia.  It is an especially nice area and has a gorgeous view.  We live on a hill on the 6th (top) floor and overlook what seems like a Christmas village.  The view is of a beautiful bay that has frequent big ferries running.  A little commuter train winds its way along the snowy valley and the hillsides have a lot of evergreen trees on them.   Since we are so far up, we can leave our blinds and drapes open and watch everything. 


The senior couples that brought us to our apartment were responsible for acquiring and preparing it and did such a fabulous job.  We have been spoiled now!  Not only is the bath nice, with enough water pressure and enough hot water, it has heated floors and a heated  towel warmer rack.  It is a brand new remodel for the bathroom and also has enough light.  The house is much larger than our Irish house and nicer.  It has a separate office off the kitchen, a dining area,  and a big sitting room.  Throughout  the whole house they furnished it with brand new IKEA furniture and furnishings.   They painted the old cupboards and have it looking so fun.  We have new living room furniture,  drapes, rugs, clocks,  dishes, pans, towels, bed and bedding.  They even gave it the special touch of cute décor---and a Christmas tree.   It is so clean and nice we feel like we are almost in a model IKEA  home.  


We slept so well that first night and it hasn't taken us long to get unpacked and settled.   We really have most things we need, but did run into a little glitch with plugs.  We have a set of plug adaptors but didn't think about them not working to convert Ireland system to Sweden system, rather than USA to Europe.   With not enough time to go looking to buy an adaptor, Grandma was resourceful and used the vacuum vent for a hair dryer.


On Friday we were taken back to the mission office and got our car and some help to get set to be independent.   We had changed our GPS  Garmin to Scandinavia, so we are comfortable getting around.  With so many islands, we are often in underwater tunnels when we drive, but they are nice and well lit.   We ventured off to a nice big mall and grocery store and tried to find things we recognized for food.  The prices are quite a bit higher here for food since the majority of Sweden is rock.   The idea that everyone speaks English is nice, but canned and boxed foods don't speak at all, and the labels are in Swedish.  We didn't do so well the first time because the store was so crowded and we felt like we were in the way, but our second time to shop was much easier and we even were stopped by a lady who saw our tags and introduced herself as the Bishop's wife!   She helped us find a few things and of course was so kind.  (Tender mercy again.)


Friday night  (Grandma's birthday and the Mission President's wife's birthday ) we joined all the Mission couples for a Christmas dinner night out, and Saturday morning we all got together again at the Mission Home for a short meeting about doing apartment checks for young missionaries and the President gave us some time to present a little about what we are doing.  There are about 1/2 as many couples here as the Scotland/Ireland Mission, so we may not get as much help with SR but it was fun to meet them.


 After the meeting we all went downtown to the Christmas market booths for a few hours.  It is a funny coincidence that when we came to the Scotland-Ireland Mission we did the very same thing in Scotland on our second day.  It was held in the square of the oldest part of downtown Stockholm, so we saw some really great old architecture, narrow cobble walking streets and lots of quaint shops.  After some very cold shopping time, we all went for authentic Swedish meatballs in a very old restaurant.   That made 3 days and 3 nice meals out in a row!   So fun.


Sunday, we found our way to the Church which met at 2:00 p.m.,  because surprisingly, there are two wards to the building.  The people were very nice, but the idea that there would be headphones was not quite right.  We will need to set that up for ourselves, so we just smiled, tried to stay awake and sang in Swedish.  They even asked Grandma to lead the singing in RS which was quite different.  She didn't know whether to sing English, nothing, or get her face in the Psalmer.  In all, the people were as nice as possible and we made it through our first Sunday.


Next week we will send you a funny words list, so Grandkids get your brains ready to think--or learn Swedish this week with us.  We can see a lot of hidden similarities to English when it is written out, but spoken, the language is hard for us.  In Ireland the language was tricky, but the written Native Irish language was always subtitled in English.  Here are no subtitles, just very long words with no hidden clues. 


Coming up this week we are going to help with kitchen work for a funeral, serve at a homeless shelter and have a real SR meeting with some leaders--so we hope we can get in the swing of serving again.  We know that serving will make us happier than anything else.


We have had some great experiences this week, all of which have served to strengthen our testimonies even more.  We have seen firsthand, once again, the Gospel in action in very diverse situations, but always with the same rock-solid foundation of doctrine and faith in Jesus Christ.  It really doesn't matter the language - English, Swedish, Portuguese, Spanish - the feeling is the same when the Holy Ghost bears witness of the truth.  We heard a young lady speak in church today, and even though we didn't understand a single word, we could feel the strength of her testimony.  The same glow attends worthy Saints and Missionaries wherever they are.  Despite difficulties, the same desire to be better and serve God prevails.  It is an amazing thing.  It is a marvelous experience to see prophecy fulfilled as the Kingdom spreads to all parts of the world.  We are just so grateful to be a small part of a very big dispensation in which the primary goal is to prepare the Church to meet the Savior.  He loves His saints, and will provide for them, and is anxious for their happiness, even in very distressing times. 


We send our love and prayers your way.  We would very much like to be with you, but are grateful to be on this mission.  We wish you the happiest of Christmases and a wonderful holiday season. 


Much love,
Grandma and Grandpa
Mom and Dad
Lynne and Lanette
Elder and Sister Pettit
Eldste and Syster Pettit   

What a great welcome to Sweden!  From the left:  Elder and Sister Clouse (office couple), President and Sister Beckstrand of the Sweden Stockholm Mission, us, Elder and Sister Anderson (housing couple)

Old Town Christmas Market, central Stockholm.  We enjoy the different colored buildings.

 

Changing of the Guard, Royal Palace, Stockholm

This is the view from our apartment.  The ferry is coming in from points east (Helsinki, Russia, Germany?)

No hair dryer with the proper plug means you have to use the vacuum exhaust to get the job done,

Now there's a sandwich!  Traditional Swedish food served at a funeral.

Dad and Elder Anderson hanging a coat rack in the newly-refurbished apartment.

Christmas Eve at the home of Victoria and Anders Carlssen.  Anders is reciting the Nativity Story to the children (in Swedish, of course).  On the table is the traditional Glogg, that is served warm before the meal.  What a beautiful setting in a beautifully-decorated house!

 

Carlssen family on Christmas Eve.  Notice, again, the Nativity and the Glogg.

Carlssen family again.

The table is set for Christmas Eve dinner.  How beautiful!  Notice the windows and the view.

In the kitchen, where the food is being prepared on the stove on the left, and put on the bar to the right.  All kinds of yummy meats, fish, dressings, bread, cheese, etc., etc.

Look at all that food!

Another ferry coming up the inlet in front of our apartment.