In 1989, as a side trip from our Friendship Force visit to Holland, Ramona and I hopped a train to Copenhagen and then took a fairy boat to Malmo, Sweden where we were met by a Cousin I had only known for a short time. Sven, a year beforehand had visited our home state of Minnesota on business and did the research necessary to find relatives that had migrated to the United States in the 19th century. My mother, who lived in Minneapolis at the time, was the relative he discovered. Being a rather shy woman, she didn't know what to do with this person she never heard of before so she put him in touch with my brother and me.

During our short visit together I informed Sven that I had a trip planned to Holland the following year. He said that, if we would come to Sweden as well, he would bring us to the area my Grandfather was born and introduce us to the families of my mothers relatives.

When we arrived in Malmo, Sven picked us up and drove us a short way to his family home where we met his wife and daughter. Later that day we traveled to a hotel where Sven arranged to have us stay for the night. The next morning we were picked up and traveled approximately 200 miles to the home of my mothers cousin. The home was on the land where my grandfather was born and the house he later lived in until the age of twelve. There we were treated to a wonderful Elk dinner and the company of eight relatives I had not know of beforehand.

What struck me was how much these people looked like the relatives I know on my mothers side that were in the United States. After a period of nodding, smiling and broken English, we visited other sights where relatives lived (or once lived).

We also visited the family Church where many of my ancestors worshipped and were buried. I was particularly taken by the beautiful pipe organ which got its air supplied by two people pumping foot peddles. Adjacent to the Church was the grave yard. There we found numerous head stones with names of ancestors I had not previously known about.

That evening we were brought back to Malmo where we spent the night and then returned to Holland to complete our stay with the Friendship Force group.