Week of December 7th

This week has been a very busy and fun time. We made several trips into Stockholm. We viewed the open markets on the street and in the square. Listened to the street musicians and saw very awesome and old buildings dating from the 1600. We did find a bargain on a winter coat for Chuck and got him a cute hat. Now he looks like others walking on the street.
We went to the Ericsson Globe and watched and listened to the beautiful celebration of Luciakonsert. This is the Lucia celebration that started in Italy and celebrated now in lots of places around the world but Sweden has celebrated it for many years. Lucia had the crown of candles on her head and there were 800-1000 youth dressed in white holding candles and singing. The Globe is like our Energy Solutions. Five couples and one sister from the temple went into the concert on the train. It was a great event and beautiful singing.
Our weekly FHE was a farewell for the Malmstrom’s where we sang Swedish Christmas Carols, ate bread, cheese, hot soppa and risalmond (rice pudding) with a sweet red sauce. It was a delightful evening and we really were sad to see them leave. They were the first ones to show us what to do in the temple, in town and in Stockholm. Great people and great friends, his motto is ‘be rigidly flexible.
Syster Mejer (from the temple and in our ward) fell and broke her leg so the ladies from the apt house went to see her and gave her a basket of fruit, bread, goodies and we sang her Christmas songs in English. She does speak English so that was good. Her husband said she was receiving so much attention he was going to break his leg next week!
We have had our 2nd Swedish class and it is helpful. This time the men went into a different room and had their own ‘advanced’ class.
The temple counselor (from Norway) took us in their car to MAXI a store like Costco. It was so fun to have a choice of kinds of apples and other food items but especially to be with them. She is short and very bubbly and lives next door to us in the apt house. They will be eternal friends. The Evensen’s (from Norway) and the Syvänen (southern Sweden) are the two counselors in the presidency and they will be leaving this Sat and will be gone for two weeks.