A trip around the lake...

We went to Söderköping on the opposite side of Vättern from us here in Skövde. It was a great 24 hours away from home. The kids were happily deposited with Farmor and Farfar, and we were able to drive 4 hours without mediating arguments, protecting victims of unfair attacks, or asking if anyone needed the bathroom. Lovely!

We were scheduled to speak at the AoG/Pingstkyrkan in the morning. The pastor met us around 8pm and showed us up to the hundred-year-old apartment over the Baptist Church. He put breakfast supplies in the fridge and inquired if we had our own linens. We had (that's what you do in Sweden). So, all in order, we all took a walk through the cobbled streets of a town on the Götakanal... a canal that crosses southern Sweden joining the North Sea to the Atlantic. Quaint shops and flower boxes in apartment windows lined the streets. The town square was deserted on this rainy Saturday night. We walked and got to know each other and discussed Mozambique, Bible translation, and the church service the next morning.

Sunday morning we had a nice visit with a new church. We spoke to about 100 people who now are acquainted with Mozambique, Tete, Bible Tranlsation needs around the world, and our family's unique part in it all. Our little video didn't work again. We must be doing something wrong. It was exciting... the power went off once and messed up the projector, the microphone wouldn't stay in place, and the adjustable lectern adjusted itself quite loudly a few notches lower. *BANG* right in the middle of the appeal to pray for the Nyungwe people. That woke them up at the end for the important stuff!

We chose to drive home around the south end of the Lake... so, we actually drove around the whole of Vättern over the weekend. It would have been lovely, but it was still rainy and gray. We had glimpses of 500 year old castle ruins through the fog and rocky coastline and lots of red cottages at the edge of green forests. Rolling farmland, and the official town of peppermint sticks in Sweden. We stopped and bought big heart-shaped peppermint suckers for Farmor and Farfar just to see the looks on the kids faces. Well, grandparents probably never get their own lollipops!

Now we are home. Mikael is at a leadership meeting at church. Katie and Jake are in school. John is watching the kids' channel while I type away. I've had a phone call about visiting a friend tomorrow afternoon. Now John and I will get the clothes out of the dryer before we head to town to turn in my cell phone for repairs. Suddenly, I can't SMS. I need to. They will fix it. Good.

Have a great week!