Chapter 30
Stayed with Leo & Gunnel Liljengren, Visits Farsta Centrum Kyrkan and
Upplands Vasby Church
After we arrived from Southern Sweden, where we have two days of exposures in North
Sweden.We visited local churches and their ministries. Then, I stayed with Leo and Gunnel Liljengren. They have two children – Marie and Anika.
Their two children have finished college studies and were working. Marie and Anika were living, their own lives and in their own apartments. They always visit their parents.
Swedish young women and men, after reaching ages of maturity, and have their own jobs, go out of the family home. They want to live independent lives. Or, these may be part of the training, parents gave their children. At early age, they want to br independent. I have some short times to talk with them in my short stay in Upplands Vasby. They were both young and intellegent. They have clear and concrete plans for their young lives.
Leo told me when I arrived. “Rudy, would you like to stay with us at home? You will be with us for less than a week. We can learn more by being together. And it will be lonely, if you stay in a hotel.”
I stayed with Leo and Gunnel the next 5 days. On my first day, we have supper together in their home. We stayed for a time sharing some remembrances of his visit in the Philippines and Panay.
Then, we went to rest for the night. It was very cool. Winter has come. And strong. Temperatures was 4 centegrade below zero. I woke up bit shivering but I love the coldness of winter. It was the first timeI experienced the beauty and wonders of winter.
The weather was clear. There were mild snows. Perhaps, he wants to trees to have more soil and grasses on their roots, as winter deepened. Leo was in his garden near the house. He was pushing a Wheel Borrow filled with grasses up the hill about 50 meters away. He put the grasses on the roots of the trees. Trees were will cared in Sweden. I helped Leo. Perhaps, he wants the trees to have more soil and grasses on their roots, as winter deepened.
I also helped Leo got all the garbage in their kitchen and put it in a black garbage bag. Every day, he said, garbage collectors came. They made sure, all areas were clean. Then, we went for coffee and breakfast. He said. “Rudy, you have worked. You have paid your meals this morning.” Then, he laughed.
Swedish couples all worked with their children. Their were no helpers in most Swedish homes. They cooked food. They washed dishes. They swept the floors. The clean the toilets. They laundry their clothes. And all were always clean. Swedish homes, back in 1989 were provided with gadgets and technologies that made works easier and fast – water heaters, rice cookers, dish washing machines, laundry washing and drying machines and all gadgets that make living a bit easier.
It was a bit costly, to have those gadgets. But Sweds were paid good salaries. Business and industries, were trained to give good wages and salaries to their workers and employees. Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA’s) between workers and capitals were made, making sure the interest of workers were protected. Labor unions were strong. The really worked hard to protect labor. There seems to be no “yellow” labor unions in Sweden.\
Upplands Vasby is a municipality in Stockholm, in east central Sweden. It is located between Stockholm and Arlanda Airport.
On the 2rd day, after breakfast, I saw Gunnel, readying herself to go hiking. It was his way to exercise. There were some snow around. But the sun was bright. Gunnel often go hiking in the forest.The forest were clean. The trees were big and tall. Underneath, all were clean. She invited me to go hiking with her. I joined her. We were in winter garments. We walked briskly, sometime jag. We walked and jag about a kilometer, on the mountain thrail.
We reached an area with wide clearings and with many people working. I heard, another construction will be made, a housing cooperative.
After some rests, we went back home. Gunnel told me, it was her way to have a healthy life and being strong. Hiking and walking twice a week on the mountain thrails.
That afternoon, I joined Leo to visit the office of Upplands Vasby Municipal government. Leo was an elected official in Upplands Vasby. He was a politician. That day, they have a meeting. He introduced me to his group. We have some sharing. I shared with them some of the developments that time in our country – the new government after, President Marcos, the dictator was thrown out of power and living exciled in Hawaii. Then, for about an hour, the officials met.
Since, I cannot understand what they were talking, I went down to basement, where outside, there was an area with flower gardens. I sat down on the bench. I looked at the different flowers. Big and beautiful flowers. And soon, perhaps, they will weather, under the snow of Sweden’s heavy winter.
The following day, I joined Gunnel and Leo to the church. They have an activity. It was a Cooperative Day. The members came. Each have some products to sell to the community. Some bought the products of the cooperative. There was an invited guest who shared his experiences on cooperatives and their plans.
There were some sharing on the cooperative movements in Sweden. The lecturer talked in English. I thought, he did. He wants me to understand some of the cooperative works in Sweden. I listened well, trying to understand most of what he shared. I learned the many kinds of cooperatives in Sweden. There were banks ran by cooperatives. Some gasoline station, operating nationwide, ran by a cooperative.
Big restaurants, with branches in many cities were ran by cooperatives. Some housing villages were ran and managed by cooperatives. One of the big taxi company, that operates in some cities of Sweden was ran by a cooperative. There were housing cooperative. There were fishing companies ran by cooperatives.
A bus company ran by a cooperative. And many housing villages were operated by cooperatives. I heard, most priests and pastors in Sweden were members of cooperatives. And they have a cooperative store and loan services ran nationwide. The priests and pastors have other cooperative business enterprises.
The successful running and management of cooperatives was major reason for the progress of the nation and progressive lives of the people. Profits from business and industries, ran by cooperative go back to the members, in forms of dividend. In the Philippines, big profits of business enterprises, goes to the banks of stockholders and shareholders, most of them rich families and powerful families. Oligarchy was one reason for the poverty of majority of Filipinos until today. Cooperatives were the major source of the wealth and good life of the people in the Scandinavian countries.
It was also during this time that I learned the history of the Christian Hymn “How Great Thou Art”. I thought this was an American song. A member of in Upplands Vasby, asked me if I know the song “How Great Thou Art.” I said, yes, we sung it in our country. It is a popular Christina Hymn. He asked me if I knew the history of the song. I said no. I don’t its history.
He told me, “How Great Thou Art” was a very popular Christian hymn that originated in Sweden. It was written by a Swed hymn writer, Carl Gustav Boberg, (1859-1940). He was from the town of Monteras. His song was translated into German. Later, it was translated to Russian by an English missionary Stuart K. Hines. It was popular hymn among Russian Christian congregations, until today.
In 1948 Dr. Billy Graham held a Crusade in Stockholm. George Beverly Shea saw and heard it sang. He loved the song. He popularized it with Cliff Barrows in most Billy Graham Evangelistic Crusades worldwide. In a few years, “How Great Thou Art” was sung by Christians in many countries around the world
“How Great Thou Art” was ranked 2nd most popular song by British Broadcasting Corporations (BBC)’s Songs of Praise. It was 2nd to “Amazing Grace” another Christian hymn, that was very popular in Europe and the United States.
I sang the song often, when I am alone. There something in the song that lifts my Spirit up. It lift my heart, and reached out to height, to the presence of the great & wonderful God!
HOW GREAT THOU ART
1. Oh Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the world Thy hands have made
I see the stars , I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power through out, The Universe displayed.
Chorus
Then sings my soul, My Savior, God, to Thee
How great thou art, How great thou art
Then sings my soul, My Savior, God, to Thee
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
One thing I also learned in Sweden. There were no “squatters” in Sweden. There were no suatters and slums in Sweden, either in the cities or in the countrysides. Unlike in our country, the Philippines, where millions and millions of Filipinos living in squatters and slums area. This was one of the evils of an elite democracy.
They were called “squatters”. For they just “squat” in the piece of land owned by the rich or by the government. And often, they’re forced to vacate their homes. They were called “squatters”. A very unfortunate situation, being “squatters” in our own country, the Philippines.
Perhaps, it is now time for our people think of a Federal government. Federalisms may weaken the holds of the elites in the our government. The kind of Federalism in the Scandinavian countries, in Germany, France, or a mixture of it, as in Russia, Italy and Japan.
Part of the series The Ministry Years (chapter 31 of 48)
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