Week of June 21st

Happy Birthday to Chuck (22nd) and Bode (26th)
Monday we finished our trip and went to see the Läckö Castle.
It began to be built in 1298 by the Bishop of Skara as a stronghold for control of the ships going in and out of Stockholm. Gustav Vasa was the first royalty to own it. It went through many owners. When the royal families would move from one castle to another, during the summer, they would take with them all the furniture, wall coverings, dishes and etc. It took 300 people to work for them to run the castle and to move them. The chapel was small but elegant and I really liked it. It is still used today for weddings and the blessings of children.
We went to Brother and Sister Berggren’s home for Strawberry Torte (cake).
She was so excited to have us come to her house. We used the torte as Chuck’s birthday cake and Sister Berggren got him an easy chair to sit in and we sang happy birthday to him in English and Swedish! She also took us to this field close by her house to see some very rare wild orchids growing. They were beautiful. We then had our 3 ½ hour ride back home. It was a great long weekend.
Stockholm South Stake had ‘a week at the temple’ this week. The temple was only open Tue, Wed and Thurs because of the Swedish Mid Summer holiday. The stake had it all organized with the wards to have the temple open from 8:00am to midnight. They had to furnish all the shift leaders and workers for each session. Tuesday we were assigned to be in the temple from 17.00 to midnight. Wednesday from 11.00 to 18.00 and Thursday we were there from 9.00 to 18.00. It was a very interesting week!
Mid Summer is a big national event here. There are many places to go to join in the activities but our stake was going to a nearby National Park. We, (Evensen’s, Söderquists and us) fixed picnic lunches and went to enjoy the day.
It was a blue sky and perfect for their traditional activities. They decorate this big pole with flowers and greenery and then dance around the pole. All ages participate and have a great time, including the young Mormon missionaries. There were some people dressed in the traditional costume for this area and the girls made wreaths of flowers to wear around their heads. Part of the tradition of the holiday is to eat Sill (raw Herring)! The Klarin’s invited the American couples over for this part of the tradition. It was not that bad if you ate it with a bite of potato, sour cream and chives!! They also had many other good things to eat and ended with a delicious Strawberry Torte that Brother Klarin made. It was a wonderful eventful day!!
On Saturday we took the train and went into Stockholm but our thoughts were at home with Bode and Tyson being baptized. We are proud of their choice to become members of the church. We saw the changing of the guards at the palace and walked around Gamla Stan.
We saw the place where Carl Larsson was born and ate lunch at the Formosa, a Chinese café. We walked slowly back through Gamla Stan to the train station eating an ice cream cone on the way. It was a great day for people watching and the town was really full of tourists.
We have been watching a lot of the World Cup Soccer matches. Sad that the Americans lost in overtime and are now out.
Sunday I gave my talk and testimony in our ward Sacrament Meeting. Yes, I did it in Swedish and the people were very complimentary and appreciative of me speaking their language. I was more nervous this week but hey, I did it!!!
We are reading the series of books The Work and the Glory. There are nine books in the series and Chuck has read 1, 2, and 3. I am just about finished with volume 2.
Well, that is it for another week. Thanks for your thought, prayers, support and emails and packages. We do love all of you and consider you as blessings in our lives.