The Final Two Weeks for us in Sweden!!!!!!

These last two weeks for us have been incredibly busy, meeting friends made in Sweden, traveling to finish up the last of our Norrland District Conferences, seeing what sights we had time for, cleaning the mission home, packing up what is left of our belongings, and preparing for the arrival of President and Sister Youngberg.

Our good friends, Rolf and Anya Haglund, wanted to go to dinner with us one last time before we left for home.  We met them at the Communications Tower in Stockholm, which has a restaurant at the top with a 360 degree view of the city.  We had a great dinner there with them and they presented us with a wonderful gift of a picture book of Sweden.

Here we are, President and Sister Beckstrand and then Rolf and Anya at the entrance to the Tower.

A quick selfie of us all at the top of the Tower.  Rolf, Anya, Sister Beckstrand and President.

The weekend of June 10-11, we flew to Lulea, picked up a rental car, and then drive to Skelleftea, for Branch Conference.  This is the smallest branch in the District and we had 5 members attend our meetings.  These members are so faithful and we will miss them dearly.  On Sunday the 11^th of June, after our meeting, we drove back to Lulea to catch our flight back to Stockholm.

The following week was spent with our last Mission Leadership Council meeting, missionary interviews in Vasteras and Norrkoping, working the final transfer board with my assistants, and then a little “Roast the President” get together which was purt together by Seppo Noso, Mads Held, and Felix Sahlin.  It was so good to see them again and to be able to spend some time with them.  These three Elders were some of my very best missionaries and they represented the Scandanavia (Finland, Denmark, and Sweden) extremely well.  Sister Beckstrand and I count them as our own sons and we will love them throughout the eternities.

The next morning, Saturday June 17^th, we flew back to Lulea for our final branch conference.  We were picked up at the airport by President Robert Naslund, Branch President for Lulea, and 1^st Counselor to President Hakan Stegeby of the Norrland District.  Sister Beckstrand and I were invited to spend the weekend with the Naslunds.

They showed us some of the unique sights around Boden, were they live, which was great.  Brother and Sister Naslund at the old village outside of Boden.

More pictures of our time with the Naslunds.

Storfors at midnight.  Yes, it is midnight in Norrland, and we took a little side trip to Storfors to see one last time.  This is one of the wonders of Europe and is the river that the loggers used to send their logs down to the Baltic Sea.

Brother and Sister Naslund at a view point.

President and Sister Beckstrand at the view point

June Departures have made it to Stockholm!!!!!

Wednesday evening, June 7, 2017, the June group heading for home arrived at the mission home.  As we have already had our temple session with them two weeks prior, we took them to dinner at TGIFridays at the Taby mall.  We enjoyed a great meal there and the missionaries loved it.

Pictured left to right around the table are:  Sister Beckstrand, Elder Payne, Elder and Sister Clouse, Elder Groberg, Sister Wilson, Elder Pfost, Elder Chugg, and Elder Weaver.

Pictured left to right around the table are:  Elder Anderson, Elder Hales, Elder Jensen, Elder Cox, Elder Walton, Elder Rowley, Elder Adams, Elder Murri, Sister Hales, and Sister Anderson.

Elder Walton going after a huge burger.

We will miss this great group of missionaries as they have worked incredibly hard to bring the gospel to the Swedish people.  May God bless them in all of their futures!!!

New Missionary Orientation!!!!

Wednesday, June 7, 2017, we woke our new missionaries up early, had breakfast, and then went to the Taby Chapel where we provided additional instruction and orientation for the new group prior to them receiving their new assignments and finding out who would be training them for the next 12 weeks.

Sister Manning will be trained by Sister Dargan and they will be serving in Goteborg.

 

Elder Greenhalgh will be trained by Elder Moulton and they will be serving in Halmstad.

Elder Rasmussen will be trained by Elder Porter and they will be serving in Ornskoldsvik.

Elder Barney will be trained y Elder Kilton and they will be serving in Borlange.

Elder Helm will be trained by Elder Schultz and they will be serving in the Visby Branch on the island of Gotland.

 

Elder Olaveson will be trained by Elder Adcox and they will be serving in Stockholm.

Elder Hambrick will be trained by Elder Banks and they will be serving in Karlstad.

Elder Ellis will be trained by Elder Hawkins and they will be serving in Vasteras.

And to send us home and receive the Youngbergs, we have left Elder Jamsa and Elder Benson as Assistants and our POEs (Office Elders) are Elder Craun and Elder Stapley.

Before we pack them all up and send them on trains and airplanes, a nice lunch of traditional Swedish meatballs, mashed potatos, with lingonberries and fresh artisan bread, with tarta for desert.  Good luck to these wonderful new missionaries and their seasoned trainers.