I’m finding it increasingly challenging to not write about the temple and what is going on with the construction. We spend most of our time at the site and in the construction cabins interacting with the workers and helping in any way we can to move the project forward. We’ve had some wonderful experiences in the process, and it is my hope to share some of those with you without giving any information about the temple construction.
Allt för Sverige…is a reality television show in Sweden which is very popular and is currently in its 12th season. The series is about Swedish Americans who are invited to travel to Sweden to participate in a TV competition. Here they discover their family history and who it was who once left Sweden and perhaps why. In the program, they learn more about their family, Sweden’s history, customs and traditions. The winner of the TV competition is invited to a party organized by their common Swedish descendants. The workers on site introduced us to this show and I have really enjoyed it because it is in English and I can learn a lot about Sweden.
I find it interesting why people are so drawn to their ancestors. For members of the church, we understand it as the Spirit of Elijah.
A few weeks ago, we had a meeting with Anneth who works for Skanska. She is helping us as we are putting together an onboarding audio-visual presentation for the workers. Our hope is to communicate to the workers the purposes of a temple. As we shared our ideas with Anneth, I was surprised when she suggested that we share the reasons why the temple is a holy place. She was curious and asked some questions which led to a discussion. During the conversation, we explained the difference between doing a baptism in a chapel vs. a temple. In a temple we can do baptisms for our ancestors that never had the opportunity to be baptized. Once we do that proxy baptism, they then could choose. Her response was that she felt chills when she heard that. The Spirit of Elijah is alive and, on the earth, today. As I watched portions of Roots Tech recently, it is amazing to me how technology is advancing, and the work is moving forward. Building temples where ordinances can be performed is a big part of this effort.
“If we do not accomplish the primary purpose for which we came to mortality, namely the forming of an eternal family unit, we have wasted our lives on matters that are not of eternal importance.” McConkie and Ostler
Nidal the Sculptor
Recently we met Nidal K., the sculptor of the oxen to potentially be used in the baptistry. I was able to interview him through translation to find out more about how he became an artist and more specifically a sculptor.
Nidal loved to sculpt even as a child. He used clay as his medium and even though he went on to study art at the University of Damascus he never really deviated from sculpture. He loves to sculpt animals and people, where he can best express his talents.
One of Nidal’s sculptures- the picture quality doesn’t do it justice.
Nidal exudes a quiet humility about his work. He is a refugee from Syria who experienced religious persecution for his Christian beliefs. He has lived in Sweden for three years now but still fears retaliation.
One of the earliest examples of God using the talents of an individual come from the account of building the tabernacle. In the early days of the Jewish nation.
Exodus 31:1-5
God gave specific instructions on how the tabernacle was to be built. “The Lord said to Moses, ‘See, I have chosen Bezalel… and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts’”.
The Lord had chosen this man, Bezalel, to do specific work for the tabernacle. God had given Bezalel the special skills and abilities to carry out His own purpose – building a place of worship for God’s people.
We see the talents of the people involved in the building of this temple every day as we work alongside and observe their efforts from construction to design to administration. We each have unique talents to offer as we do the Lord’s work.
Talents are abilities given to us by God in His wisdom. Humility is an acknowledgement that our talents and abilities are gifts from God.
Glad Påsk – Happy Easter
There are many signs of Easter here in Sweden. They have a drink called Påsk Must which is essentially the same drink used at Christmas but with different branding. I had some left-over Jul Must which I relabeled with a chicken and it was transformed into Påsk Must.
We had it at one of the fikas.
The real deal…
Other signs of Easter are colorful feathers adorning pots and door ways. These represent the palm fronds which were used to welcome Jesus as He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. In Sweden today, both the boys and girls dress up as witches, wear headscarves, long skirts, painted faces, and visit their neighbors with gifts of drawings and paintings in return for candy. After this adventure, the children are then given large eggs (Påskägg – Easter eggs) filled with candy or chocolate made by their parents.
Feathers are the next best thing to palm fronds in a cold climate.
Of course, there are the colorful eggs and candy, but not much as far as the Easter Bunny. It is more about the chicken and the egg. It made me question why we have bunnies and easter eggs in the US. The celebrations here are more secular in nature.
Darlarna
Avesta is home to the largest Dala Horse in the world standing at 13 meters!
The workers had time off for Easter and so we took a few days to go up to Darlarna which is about a 3 hour drive north west of Stockholm.and is often described as a “miniature Sweden”. It’s filled with natural beauty that encompasses hiking-friendly forests, lakes, mountains and flower meadows – which the winters transform into terrain great for skiing and skating.
One of Dalarna’s claims to fame is its centuries-old UNESCO-listed Falun Mine, which saw the city of Falun grow into something of a superpower in the 17th century. We were able to tour the mine and learn of the fascinating stories – such as that of Fet-Mats (“Fat Mats”). He had entered the mine by himself the day before his wedding. He was found 42 years later naturally mummified by the minerals present in the water and didn’t seem to age a bit. When he was found in 1719 no one recognized him until his fiance’ who was still alive, identified him.
The legendary King Gustav Vasa is strongly associated with Falun. The Battle of Falun in February 1521 was the first scene of combat in the Swedish War of Liberation, and Vasa allegedly had to escape through a pit latrine to avoid capture by the Danes!
Well now I know why so many houses in Sweden are painted red. Falu Rödfärg, made with pigment from the mine is not only red but preserves the wood.
Kurbits is a folk art form with strong ties to Dalarna. It is most often seen on the hand-carved Swedish classic dalahäst – (Dala Horse). We visited the Nils Olsson workshop in the village of Nusnäs that has been in business since the 1920s. We watched the artisans at work as well as a 3D wood cutting machine that makes the horses into many sizes.
Helvetestfallet
We also visited Helvetesfallet, a waterfall with 30-meter-high rock walls topped with a train trestle which spans the river Ämån. We did a loop hike and only saw 2 people. It was a beautiful place with spring just beginning to emerge.
Valborg
Valborg is celebrated with large bonfires, singing, and gatherings. It’s often seen as a way of celebrating the warmth and light that spring brings. It always occurs on the evening of April 30th. Girls and boys around the age of 12 walk in pairs and circle around the fire and then light it. It’s a pretty low key event with a few vendors on site selling Swedish hotdogs (korv) and cotton candy.
We found the missionaries at Valborg.
Nancy and Bo Christer Bertilson with Eric
BIRTHDAYS X2!
Double Birthdays! Sister Kynaston from the Eskilstuna branch and Sister Svensson from the Västerhaninge Ward.
The Last Supper
We had a big dinner with all of the missionaries and called it the Last Supper as Elder Acosta, who has been in this area since October, Sister Galbraith, who has been with us since December, and Elder Bell who are all transferring to new areas. I’m excited for them, but it’s hard to see them go.
People are coming to the visitors center!
We had another tour group from the USA, a local community group and two youth groups attend the visitors center as well as some casual dropins for a total of over 100 people these last two weeks. I love having people come to the visitor’s center. I always learn something about the site or the history or just wonderful personal experiences people have had in the temple that they share.
Jordbro and Åby Gravefield near at the temple site
Last summer, we learned of ancient remains discovered during excavation for the original
Stockholm Sweden Temple. The excavation was paused to allow archaeologists to fully
uncover and document the site. A recent visitor, Bertil Rydberg, was present during the initial
dig and observed a complete skeleton being unearthed.
Just half a mile east of the temple site lies Sweden’s largest Iron Age grave field—Jordbro
grave field—dating from 500 BC to 500 AD. It is the largest of its kind in all of Scandinavia,
containing 660 ancient monuments. These include a large burial mound and around 300 stone settings arranged in circles, squares, triangles, and even in the shape of a ship.
Last week, I visited the Jordbro grave field and encountered archaeologists and students from the University of Stockholm conducting a dig. I had the chance to ask questions and take photos of the findings. Just two days later, the site was carefully restored to its original state. I felt deeply grateful for the experience and for being able to document it as part of the temple’s history.
During that same week, a youth group visited the temple’s visitors center. At the end of their meeting, an elderly gentleman was invited to share his thoughts about the temple site.
Through a translator, I learned that in 2000 AD, archaeologists discovered a temple or crematorium directly across the street from the current temple site. This structure, Sweden’s first of its kind, was pentagon-shaped with two broad sides forming a wide entrance over a stone-laid threshold. It faced a cemetery containing 200 graves and is considered the earliest
evidence of religious architecture of this nature in Sweden.
Interestingly, the modern Stockholm Sweden Temple stands in a region rich in Iron Age history. Excavations prior to its construction revealed hundreds of graves from the Pre-Roman and Roman Iron Ages. The proximity of these ancient burial grounds to the modern temple highlights a remarkable continuity of sacred space, linking present-day religious practices with those of ancient Sweden.
This is a sacred place—one where ancient people once laid their loved ones to rest. I find it meaningful that we are now building a temple here, a place where sacred ordinances such as baptisms, endowments, and sealings are performed on behalf of those who died without a
knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It makes me wonder: do these ancient people hope for such an opportunity?
Stockholm University archeology students doing a dig. 
Bernadette and Ronnie Johansen…our new friends and also friends of friends back home. We showed them around the temple and took them to the gravefield.
New Sisters!
We now have 4 sisters in the Vasterhaninge Ward! The work is really progressing here.
game night…
Note Joseph (the only guy in the photo). He is new to us and he told us of his conversion experience. He was living in Vasterhaninge a year ago and at a low point in his life. He decided to pray for help and asked God to let him know He was there. It was just 20 minutes later when the missionaries knocked on his door! Not a coincidence. He was introduced to the Book of Mormon, but then he relocated to Canada. While he was there, he again prayed for help. This time it didn’t come immediately, but it did come. About two and a half weeks later, missionaries knocked on his door again. This time he stayed committed with the lessons and was baptized last October. He has now moved back to Sweden and is living in the Vasterhaninge Ward.
Elder David A. Bednar, in his teachings and writings, strongly emphasizes that there are no coincidences in God’s work and in the lives of His children. He believes that seemingly random occurrences are actually divinely orchestrated blessings and tender mercies, reflecting God’s intimate knowledge and love for each individual. I have seen this in my own life and know it to be true. There are no coincidences only tender mercies from the Lord.
Sending love from Sweden 🇸🇪
The Lofgran’s
