6/17-23/2008

Notice the Change in Font. I'm playing catch up. It's been a long and emotional three months.

Leaving South Africa was like leaving a piece of me behind. It was not a permanent placement, but one of my snapshots in life. It was a snapshot that took a while to develop, but like any strong snapshot, it lingers enough to encourage one to look again. I’m sure that there will be another opportunity to be once again in the southern tip of the African continent. Jennifer Moenga had returned home to Botswana from LTSP and was a part of the contingent of pastors at the educational event in Botswana, and she was the one who arranged for the visit to the game park. In receiving, I have learned that I need significant lessons in hospitality.

Then, it is was off the to land of the midnight sun. Dawn had been doing a good bit of family lineage research, so we knew that her grandmother had come from Karlskoga, Sweden at age 17. Her grandfather had come from the same area at age 4. So from midwinter in South Africa to the midsummer nights in Sweden we flew. Nearly 3 hours from Stockholm a bed and breakfast, “Krey Hotell” provided a base of operations. In Karlskoga, the library had an office for a volunteer who was tracing the history of those who had left Karlskoga to emigrate to America. Via email, Dawn had shared her research and had questions about her grandparents. Kjell Nordqvist who had to be in his 80’s had done the family research for Dawn tracing her roots back to 1530. With some clues from Kjell we went to Dragerfors, the bottom of the lake at Karlskoga and went to the church yard. Dawn went down to the south 40 and wandered for nearly and hour. Lazy me stayed near the old church and new church. I had about three more rows to go when Dawn reappeared and wondered if we were done. She joined me and about 3-4 head stones later we found the family plot for the parents of her maternal grandmother. What a find.

Her grandfather’s father had been recruited to come to Worchester, MA to work in the wire factory that was making barbed wire for the settlement of the west. At a later date, they moved to Cleveland to be a part of the steel and iron ore processing there. But we were able to see a preserved home of what the workers at the Balfors Foundry were offered as a part of their employment. Two rooms for your family, of sometimes up to 8 or more. A profound sense of belonging slowly emerged from my wife of nearly 40 years.

The last 3 plus days we “toured” Stockholm. Churches, museums, and the mid-summer night celebration took our time and attention. It is truly weird to have the sun go down at 11 pm and rise at 1:30 am. I got a little confused one night.