Week 22 June 5

Dearest Family and friends  –  Another week has passed and here is another letter, full of things you probably don’t want to know.  But what can I say,  we miss you all so much.  This last week was probably the slowest week we have had at the center since we arrived.  There were only 6 at family night.  A just home from England missionary reported his mission to us.  I truly hope his mission was better than his talking about it.  Even the questions Dad asked couldn’t get him to really open up about what he had done. On Tuesday, nothing.  Then, on Wednesday, the last institute class was cancelled because of all the graduations taking place.  High school kids here in Sweden can pick whatever high school they want to attend, they just have to be accepted.  And the high schools specialize in something  –  music, college entrance, mechanics, whatever.  There are no school busses here, you just have to get to school on your own –  parent, bike, taxi, tram, walking.  Each different school held its graduation at a different time during the week that just ended and continuing for another week or two.  After the ceremony, the graduates all get in the back of a big open top truck and are driven around the downtown area with loud music blaring and them shouting and singing and the truck horn honking.  As we are right downtown, we had about 3 different trucks full each day.  On Thursday, nothing.  On Friday we had a council meeting and then chill, to which about 8 kids came.  We wrote letters to the missionaries that have gone from the stake (11 so far this year.)  we have decided to change our hours for the summer.  We won’t start until 3:30pm and will go until 9:30pm.  Very few come into the center during those first 2 hours and we just think we can use our time better than sitting at the center.

Saturday was our wedding anniversary.  We went out to dinner at what is supposed to be the best restaurant in Göteborg.  It is called Heaven 23 — a very imaginative name as it is on the 23^rd floor of a large hotel called the Gothia Towers.  Anyway, we had a reservation for 5:30 and arrived promptly.  We were told that all the tables were by the windows so you could see out.  Our table was not next to a window but had a table between us and the window.  As no one was at the other table, we figured that it didn’t matter.  We ordered a three course “menu” dinner  –  a starter, a main course, and a dessert.  The starter was Duck Comfit.  It came on a 16” diameter plate but only took up about 4” in the middle.  It was very tasty.  We also got a bread basket, which no other restaurant here has ever had.  The main course was lamb and was on the same sized plate.  It was only marginally bigger than the starter and consisted of scalloped potatoes (1”x1”x3”), 3 pencil thin carrots, 4 slices of lamb (1/4” x 1”x3”) and 3 tablespoons of slow-cooked lamb in a red pepper sauce.  The dessert was a round of chocolate pudding (¼ inch thick and 4 inches in diameter) topped with ¼ cup of banana sorbet, 1 tablespoon whipped cream, 5 meringues as big as chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon brownie crumbles.  And for this we paid 1100SEK  –  about $90 each, 2 week’s worth of groceries and a lunch at McDonalds.  Thank heaven for the bread basket!!  We talked during dinner about the anniversaries we could remember from the 40 past years.

The sisters had a baptism this morning at 9:45.  He is a young man from India, well prepared by the Lord to accept the gospel as soon as he heard it.  He will be a great asset to the church either here or in India.  He is here as a student.  He was confirmed during sacrament meeting.  The whole of the European area is fasting today for the missionary work in Europe, “that our voice of invitation be heard,” as the letter from the area presidency states.  We have also been asked for every member to bring someone who is less active or a non-member to church each Sunday this month.  Dad and I have been racking our brains for someone to bring and can’t think of anyone.  Well, we have 5 days to find someone!!

We hope all is well with each of you.  That you are happy and healthy and having a wonderful beginning of summer.   You are always in our thoughts and prayers.

Love,

Mom and Dad,  Grandpa and Grandma,  Nikki and Robert