De Ja Visa

 The week was going along swimmingly when mid-course we received a dreaded email from the Travel Dept~ "We're sorry to inform you, you will need to re-apply for your India visa, changes have been made that require new responses-1) All missionaries, going to either mission will put as their airport destination city- New Delhi, 2) All visas are for the duration of 1 year, 3) the new departure date is February 22 or before."

 Although we were a tad dismayed at the thought of another delay, we quickly dropped everything, jumped through the hoops, and filled out the online paperwork (again) and promptly returned it in person back to the Travel Department by the next day. She said she had 2 of the 6 elders' applications as well, so once the other 4 submit them, they can then send them all off in a batch. (Heavy Sigh.) No, don't mistake our sigh, mind you, we have no problem in staying here longer in the Church Headquarters mission, it's only a matter of adjusting your mindset. And it's just helpful to know when you have to buy your last bottle of salad dressing, that's all, since we had started to thin down our supplies. And who knows? It may be very evident in hindsight the purpose for our delayed departure. We consider this more time to assist our kindred dead with our access to several temples and to see Music And the Spoken Word live every week. What blessings! These are two of the many perks we surely won't enjoy in India. In turn, we have felt the joy of actively gathering Zion on the other side of the veil. It's pointless to worry about the 1 year limitation at this point. 1) Policies could change, 2) we could end up in SriLanka, which is part of the Bengaluru Mission but requires a different visa, 3) we could come right back to where we are now, 4) None of the above. For now, all we need to worry about is the next step in our 23 month mission so we will put all trust in the Lord to figure out those details when the time comes. Until then, Carpe Diem!

So on to the rest of our week~ 

It's time for "Great Moments in Family History!" We attended the Oquirrh Mountain Temple to do the baptismal ordinances for Rob's great great grandparents Andreas Larrson Finn, Carolina Andersdotter and their 5 children (and their spouses and a couple of their sons too) with our Swedish genealogist friend Collette and her niece Nicole. 

                                                 Points for spotting Nicole, the photo bomber.

On my very own, with a little further digging and research, I was able to find additional family members; spouses, parents, and some grandchildren, which for me has the same sweet satisfaction as working on a jigsaw puzzle, I just have to find that missing piece! In Sweden, each son takes on the father's name as part of their surname as do the daughters, But at some point in history, they switched to keeping the same family surname the same as their father's surname, so it can be tricky to know which it is. Also when they immigrate to America, some of them simplify the spelling of their last name, for example, from Andreasson to Anderson, or their first name from Johannah to Hannah, Lovisa to Louisa. So that too can be sometimes confusing. It's been a real sleuthing job to look at dates and names and I admit it can be tedious at times but I thoroughly love it, which surprises me, I never thought for a minute I would be a family historian-type. My greatest discovery was when I saw another Swedish record that showed a marriage in 1868 of Andreas to a woman named Maria Sophia Andersdotter. What? I thought Carolina was the mother to all these children!? Then I started putting the pieces together- Baby Lovisa was born on October 31, 1867, and suddenly there's a marriage to a new woman with the same last name as his first wife in 1868. Are you coming to the same conclusion as me? Carolina must've died in childbirth or shortly after and perhaps it's her sister, 10 years younger, maybe a widow, maybe never married, who steps in to take the job of caring and raising this newborn baby. It was literally the night before going to the temple that I found his second wife, Maria Sophia so thankfully we were able to include her with the experience of being in the temple together with her kin. It was a beautiful time spent in the temple and of course, one of the workers knew a pastor from India that she had met and interviewed when he came to visit Salt Lake for a world religion convention so she gave us his contact information. You just never know when you meet people inside the temple what the purpose might be. We are never surprised anymore when this happens, because it is practically every time, the norm now, not the exception.

  Another temple meeting in the Bountiful Temple with the Tews. They served with my brother Bill & wife Rusty in Austria and they had friends who served in Sri Lanka who they put us in contact with. The badges are a sign of instant comraderie to start up a conversation!

Today 3 siblings and their aunt came in to the Familysearch Library.  (Yes, the new name was made official on the 10th! We will refer to it hereafter as the FSL) Their mother had passed away in the hospital that very morning. They were from out of town with a lull in their schedule, they said their mom loved doing family history so they thought to come here. I have never seen a family so exultant as they watched their family lines populate. I think their emotions were so tender and jubilant as they talked about family members and perhaps in this discovery, felt a very close connection to their mother. Perhaps she was still very near. It was very beautiful to watch and listen to their experience, without being directly involved. Unfortunately my photo doesn't capture a bit of the emotion they were feeling.

                                             The aunt, daughter, and two sons on the phone 

Last of all, just some photos and videos of extra special friends we have mentioned in past blogs~

Tab and I clad in our earmuffs

                        Marie who's NOT wearing her earmuffs, I might add!

Last of all~ Take a moment and watch this video of our sweet friend Reid who works at the FSL every weekday. He is truly The Greatest Showman! You can see his exuberant spirit shine through and his impressive talent too. It's everyday people we meet and come to love that make living a joy and serving a mission so rewarding. Carpe Diem everyone!