On Growing Older

Of the many sweet spiritual experiences I have had, one that has stayed with me is the feeling I have had from time to time as I have watched and listened to various senior missionaries speak and function in their many responsibilities here.  It happened first shortly after we arrived in Denmark.  We were with the Telfords (the couple we replaced), the Hansens (the couple who work in the mission office), the Freemans (in Iceland), the Middlemases (in Alborg) and the two senior sisters who work in the office (Sister Hamblin and Sister Sweena).  Every brother served in Denmark 45 to 50 years ago, and Sister Hamblin was here during the same time.
We were speaking about what lies ahead for all of us, about our responsibilities, about our love for Denmark and about the privilege of serving here.  I could suddenly see in my mind how the the former missionaries looked so long ago and how they came to love this great country and people through the work they did.  As one after another spoke, I saw the young person, energetic and eager, and the person grown older with a deeper love of the Gospel, a lifetime of leadership and experience.. and a greater desire to serve.
It is a testament to me that growing old in the service of the Lord has got to be the best way of all to grow older.

I Think That I Shall Never See.....

We went out today in search of green chilies.  Our walk took us around the lake by our apartment and beyond.  We saw the effects of the storm yesterday.  All along the opposite shore was damage to trees.

 

The weather around here changes rapidly.  At one point this morning, the sky was almost clear and blue......but it wasn't long before some dark clouds came hurrying along with wind and rain in their wake.  Last week I said to Stan, "I think I am going to give up on my hair."  Without looking up he responded, "Forever?"  It would be nice actually, but I meant for the day.  It doesn't matter what it looks like when I leave the apartment, the wind finds me and mixes it up like a wild hair dryer.  The only thing I have going for me right now is a good haircut so that it lays down fairly well after such a pummeling.  And so almost every day I decide that for today....I won't worry about my hair.  It is quite liberating!

 

 

Rainy Day and Monday

The temperature is still in the 50's so it is unusually warm.  But what a blustery and rainy day!  I carried my Mary Poppins umbrella everywhere we went today but never used it.  The rain came pretty hard while we were in the center from 3 to 8.
A large storm came in over England doing damage there.  Storm warnings were broadcast here, with the police asking everyone to stay home if possible.  Around 4 in the center the wind began whipping around the building rattling the windows and whining through crevices.  The rain came.  Sirens began wailing. That kept up for about an hour.  Then a slowing down.  Our mission president called to say everyone should go home.
We called our YSA chairman and he got  hold of everyone he could.  We stayed until after 7:30 to make sure we would be there if any intrepid souls came.  No one came, so we went home!

I thought if you like those oven dials, you also might enjoy a closer look at the washer and dryer.  Let me just say that those icons don't seem to mean what you think they mean!

I also thought, that you would enjoy seeing the newest additions to our household:

Don't you just love a real live green plant?  They are both healthy and happy, and I hope to keep them that way.  The little tree is in the pseudo entryway....and he'll get decorated for Christmas!

Sabbath Sabbath Sunday Morning

We sat spellbound as our branch's Primary gave the Sunday program today.  It consisted if six beautiful children who sang and spoke.  The Primary President stood beside them them through each song and each talk.  At the end of the program, a little certificate was presented to the oldest child, now officially a young woman.  There is one in the nursery, so in a few months they will be back up to six.  In Relief Society, I sat and listened as hard as I could and got the gist of what was said.  I got the overarching theme, and came away enriched.

I made chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon to take to our YSA Sacrament meeting at 7.  Fortunately, what I had purchased was sugar of some sort, and it was brown, but somewhat more grainy than our brown sugar in the States.  I whipped up the dough and then baked it.  I played with the dials on the oven and baked several batches at different settings.  They came out crisp and thin.  I don't know if it is because of the ingredients or the oven, but they tasted good...just crumbly.  The chocolate chips here are little wafer thin discs of chocolate....and sooooooooooooooooo good!  So I took a large platter of chocolate chip cookies to the center.

Before we went to the center, we ventured out in to the suburbs to the family home of a YSA who will be leaving this week on her mission to Temple Square in SLC.  The house was filled wall to wall with well-wishers.  It was very sweet...literally.  Once again, we found ourselves at a feast of all sorts of wonderful food and desserts.

At the center, we experienced a beautiful spiritual feast.  From the piano music playing as we entered, to the reverent ordinance of the sacrament, to magnificent talks....we were truly uplifted and inspired.  These young adults have a strength of testimony and conviction that Jesus is the Christ that is wonderful to see and hear.

Afterwards they gathered for cookies.  I was in the kitchen with 3 cute young men apologizing for the crumbling cookies.  What came next was fun.  They all have had experience baking and gave me some great suggestions.  The best one was from Joakim, who is a master translator....he does it almost simultaneously as the speaker talks.  He told me that for baking, you must take the Farenheit measurement, subtract 32, divide it by 9 and then times it by 5.  He showed me how to do it, and it works!  One of the others told me how to use the other dial.  They all approached it mathematically and precisely.  If it had been young women, their advice would have been much different.

What a beautiful Sabbath day.

P-Day!

Thanks to Lia, we realized that we are indeed within walking distance from several really cool places, one of which is the Church of our Lady.  The temperature is still in the 50-'s - which is unusual for Copenhagen at this time of year.  We wore our light jackets and I carried my Mary Poppins umbrella - which by the way kept it from raining.  There were a lot of pedestrians and bicyclists out, probably because it is so nice.

Doesn't it seem that cathedrals have a certain kind of sound to them?  It is kind of a reverent echo of sounds, steps, voices.We walked inside the church ...you can see the Christus from outside and across the street.  We walked down the center aisle drinking up the beauty of each sculpture and then sat down in a pew.  Suddenly the organ rang out and echoed through the great hall.  The recital went on for several minutes and then silence again.  It was awesome.

What a Find!

It has now been 2 weeks since we touched down at the Copenhagen airport.  Amazing.  We walk along the busy streets and want to pinch ourselves.  We are really here....after all that waiting.

We walked to the center today....a beautiful sometimes clear, sometimes cloudy stroll through this city.  The buildings are old and the streets are sometimes narrow and winding, but it is a grand old city.  There are always a lot of people walking, a lot on bicycles, a great many on buses, and a few in cars...but too many nevertheless.  On the days we have a car, we actually opt to walk the distance to the store to buy groceries, even when we have a lot to buy.  Driving around here can be a little scary....all these road signs I am unfamiliar with, bicyclists who drive with break-neck speed (they make turning right an iffy proposition), pedestrians who are fearless and few-to-no places to park.  So.....we walk!

We walked part-way home tonight and went shopping - again.  I know what you're thinking....who is eating all this food?  So far this week, we have been shopping for the great and wonderful meal last night at the center.  Tonight, we shopped for ourselves - and hopefully it will last a few days.  I purchased plenty of butter, sugar, flour, what we hope is brown sugar and eggs.  I guess you know what I am going to be doing with those....cookies!  ..to take to the center on Sunday evening.  We have our own (YSAs) Sacrament meeting once a month (they also attend their own during the day).  What meeting can't be improved by chocolate chip cookies?

We took the bus home from a couple of blocks away from the grocery store.  What a ride!  In the dark, and on narrow streets crowded with parked cars, that driver had to be speeding....we were kind of thrown around as he wove his way along the road.  It was kind of fun.

It is getting dark now by 6, and the wind was blowing....I am be,ginning to understand what they say about the cold....and it isn't cold yet.  We have almost 2 months now before we get to the shortest day, and soon Denmark will go off daylight savings - which means it is going to be getting dark much earlier.  Whew!

While I was putting away the groceries, I came upon something that is going to make my life a little easier.

This little mini-food processor was in a bag at the very bag of the pan cupboard.  I pulled it out along with all the other attachments, cleaned them up, plugged it in, held my breath and pushed the button!  It works!  Hallejeulah!  In a place like this, where missionaries have lived for several years, things are purchased and abandoned when the missionaries go back to the States.  The plug is wrong for America, and besides who wants to take up valuable suitcase space with a worthless food processor, a Danish book, or any appliance that is made for Europe.  Thanks to someone, I didn't have to buy a hairdryer!  I am also the proud owner of a pair of black tennis shoes...they are old and broken in, but they work great for all the walking we are doing and keep my feet and ankles from getting sore, and a fuzzy red, white and black robe (I didn't bring a robe). So I feel a little like Maria in "The Sound of Music".....being the recipient of the goodness of others.,,,and I am grateful.  Wow...what serendipity!

Perhaps now, this newest find will handle all those pesky onions I see myself chopping for the next two years.  Now, Erin, I can actually imagine making potato dill soup!

 

Another First

Thursday night late - Actually early Friday morning, October 25, 2013

Well it has been a lovely day, but I am tired.  First of all, thank you for your prayers.  They were heard and answered.  The spaghetti sauce was very good....and so many seemed to like it.  We had about 50 YSAs there and 8 men visitors.  Possibly a good indicator was the fact that nearly every plate came back nearly clean!  We fixed garlic bread, green salad, spaghetti and brownies.

We had one huge pot of spaghetti sauce, and probably have enough left to serve another smaller meal - for maybe a dozen.  Everything else was eaten completely eaten....they loved the garlic bread!  I could have fixed another 20 slices and they would have polished it all off.  Even the very dense brownies were eaten with gusto with people asking for more.

They are amazing young adults.  I love the way they come and visit with each other and with us.  They are interesting and kind and enthusiastic and courteous.  It is also a very interesting group because there are not only Danes, but young people from many other areas.  One was from outside of London, another from Canada, another from Norway..etc.  Great fun to talk to.

I especially love their testimonies which shine through everything else they say.  One young man is twenty years old and not in school, obviously not on a mission, but working so that he CAN go on a mission.  His papers will be processed by the end of the week.  He is very personable and kind.

The two in charge of the program, a young woman and a young man, both in their mid-twenties, are both returned missionaries....he was in Portugal and she was in London.  They are as new to their callings as Stan and I are.  But they expect to take this program here in Denmark to great heights.  Within another 6 months they are expecting a bumper crop of missionaries coming home and the whole program is expected to take off.  As it is now, I believe we have 4 investigators, and there is always someone new each week.  There are six missionaries out, and several in the process of preparing to go. And we have about a dozen or more who are returned missionaries. So the missionary spirit is strong here.

It does look like we'll be quite busy here...with all kinds of things going on through each week.  Family Home Evening at the center every Monday.  This Sunday they have their own Sacrament meeting on Sunday night, separate and apart from their home wards.  Wednesday is their temple night - and we'll go.

It is all very invigorating....but I'm tired!!!  Talk to you later.

A game they love is "crud' played with the balls on these pool table, but you use your hands instead of pool cues.

After everyone had firsts and before some began on seconds.

This huge pot must hold 6 to 8 quarts....it was full to the top as you can see.  It was so heavy we could hardly lift it.

The Madsens Make Spaghetti - and Other Trials

I have already regaled you with stories of our shopping adventures, but now I must share with you how it is to cook here.  In keeping with all guidelines we have been trained in, we decided that an inexpensive fare for our first night here as Chefs-in-Charge is spaghetti - in our case - The Approved Spaghetti.  This is a long-cherished family recipe of spaghetti sauce that everyone makes and that we all love.  We thought, "How difficult can it be to make something we have made for over 40 years?"  Famous last thoughts.

We began this morning cutting onions and chopping garlic.  In a normal large recipe, we chop 4 LARGE sweet onions and 6 to 8 cloves garlic. (We three timed the recipe)   In all our shopping, we could not find an onion larger than 2 maybe 3 inches in diameter, much smaller than the average LARGE onion.  So we bought about 30 smaller ones.  Our kitchen is equipped with one very small cutting board  5 X 7 at best.  It is also equipped with many knives....all about as sharp as a table knife.  I gallantly offered the cutting board to Stan and I chopped on a kitchen plate.  Did I mention that these are yellow strong onions?

We stood in that kitchen for an nearly 2 hours peeling away the brittle skins and chopping the onions and CRYING!  The garlic wasn't so painful, but it was time-consuming.  Where oh where is the vidalia sweet onion chopper when you need it?

We carted the chopped vegetables to the center where we have put everything together to simmer for tomorrow night.  We have made enough to feed an army....that is the good news.  The bad news is that it doesn't taste like the approved spaghetti, and I am not sure that it is even tasty.  We need your prayers!  Pray that all the SYA will like that spaghetti and that a miracle will occur.....that it will be incredibly good.

We will be fixing meals every Thursday until something happens....and that something may happen tomorrow night.

I think I had better start reading cook books, or fall back on open-faced sandwiches...but even they require a flair.  Ah well.....

Danish Food Anyone?

Tuesday October 22, 2013

We walked all over Copenhagen in search of a winter coat for me.  There is no place that I have found like Macy's or Dillard's.  We walked up and down several streets looking inside little shops (think "The Shop Around the Corner" and Matuschek and Co.)  It was all kinds of fun, but by the time we got back to the apartment my feet were shot.  I was shot.  The day was pretty much shot.  We had a meal of bread, cheese and cucumbers  (open-faced sandwiches which the Danes have taken to a new level of excellence) and chocolate (they make great chocolate too!)

We also enjoy all of the baby strollers that abound here.  They are serious strollers and buggies.  Large and well padded and wind/rain/snow protected, they are a very comfortable ride for the little ones tucked inside.  Yesterday I saw a young woman bicycling determinedly towards her destination.  On the child's seat behind her was a little one all bundled up but his face....and I guess the wind on his face was too much.  He had both gloved hands holding a scarf up around his mouth and nose.  He looked like he could hardly wait for that ride to get over.

During our daytime coat-search, when lunchtime rolled around, we were a long ways from home and decided to get something to eat.  Eating is expensive here, whether in your own kitchen or at a restaurant.  We opted for a little out of the way taco shop.  Yes....I know what you're thinking.  Who goes to Copenhagen and eats Mexican food?  Well....in defense, we were told by several Utahns that it wasn't too bad.  So we tried it.  By the way, The Danish Mexican restaurant was operated by some very nice people who were middle-eastern!
We were standing in line wondering what to order when Brother Hansen walked in....he and his wife are the senior couple in the Mission Office.  They are also our next-door neighbors.  He had called ahead and ordered something to be picked up for everyone in the office.  I couldn't resist quoting from "Casa Blanca" and I'm quite sure you would be tempted too.  You know, it starts out "Of all the gin joints..."  Melissa I'm counting on you to quote it correctly.  It truly was quite an amazing coincidence.

The only place to sit was at a little bar looking outside.  There was seating for maybe 8 at the most.  The walls were decorated with old US license plates, and old fashioned posters.  We were eating when school got out so we watched the children walking along towards their homes.  It was cute....they were in the range from 5 to 11.  Bundled up and booted up.


We had the special of the day...burritos smothered in beans, salsa and nachos.  Not Tia Rosa's but not bad.

What is Wrong With This Picture? and sundry questions

I have wondered what it is about the view from our windows for this past week.  I finally have the answer.  See if you can guess:

OK...look at the lake...straight out from where I am standing (upstairs) with the camera....with the fountain streaming up.  Look at the hedge not far outside of the window. Look way down to the first level of the apartment at the couch.  Do you understand what I am getting at?  That first level is below the level of the lake!  It is a man-made lake, so there must be a contingency plan, but really....it is a little unnerving.

And speaking of unnerving....We had an adventure this morning.  We went grocery shopping for the meal on Thursday at the center.  We were in that grocery store for an hour and a half, studying labels, studying prices, studying ingredients, and generally getting a headache.  We have been carefully instructed to stay within the very tight budget, and at the same time make it a nice meal.  We just found out today that we might have far more than 40 people at our meal, because we have some visitors from Salt Lake.   So instead of spending roughly $1.25 a person, we ought to plan on .60.  Bread and milk is sounding pretty good.  It is difficult enough to decipher what products there are in our apartment, but that store was confusing!  I did understand chokolade however, you will be pleased to know.
So.....what would you do with the following?

Forget that last one!  Pay no attention to it.  It keeps turning up in the oddest of places.
By the way....if you want to see a picture of the Cantonese restaurant, look back a couple of posts to the one titled "One Week in Denmark!"

The Sabbath Day October 20

October 20, 2013

Another Sabbath day in Copenhagen.  Our little branch meets at 10:00 a.m.  Everyone comes in happily greeting everyone else.
The building is an older one...a lovely old brick building.  The interior is all done in light wood for floors, and downstairs in lineoleum. Everything is scrupulously clean.  The chapel is all wood floors and wood with lightly upholstered chairs.  We have one Young Man in the young men's program and perhaps two or three in YW. The mission president has assigned us and the two senior sisters and the senior couple who work in the office to this branch.  There is also a set of cute young elders who serve here.  With an average attendance of 35 to 40, you can imagine how their attendance is boosted with the addition of 8 missionaries.
We attended the class for YSA today during Sunday School.  There were five there....one of them taught. One of the sisters has been called to San Jose, CA on a mission.  They are all cute and very strong spiritually.....they have to be in a very liberal culture.
It has been rainy and very gray all day.  They tell me this is a typical day this time of year.  Good thing I worked so hard to get my Mary Poppins umbrella here!   This is a serious umbrella....39 inches tall unopened and is wide enough to get three or four underneath.

Musings on October 19 and an Explanatory Note

 Have you ever thought about the noise around you?  When I was a little girl, I loved to wake up to a morning when the world around me had been covered with a thick blanket of snow.  I knew before I ever opened my eyes because of the sounds, or lack of them.

The noise here in Copenhagen is different than other place I have been in.  It is obviously a large city, with traffic and people everywhere.  But the noises are muffled and it is quiet.  When you go in stores and restaurants you don’t hear music blasting louder than the conversations.  When you go to bed at night, there is a stillness that perhaps I heard when we moved to Gilbert 38 years ago.  I like it. 

It’s not that people are quiet.  When people get together they laugh and talk and have a great time.  Did you know that Denmark is considered to be the happiest country on earth?  And I think it has been judged to be that for at least a couple of years if not more.  And there are probably great reasons why that is the case, but I personally wonder if the peace brought by silence has something to do with it.

 For those of you who have requested more information about the brother Stan and I contacted this week:

50 years ago, while Stan was a missionary here, he and his companion tracted out one family and wanted to return and visit.  They returned many times and found no one at home and finally gave up.  One day while they were out working, both missionaries had a very strong impression to go back to this family.  They did…the family was home…..they were golden (they were ready for the gospel) so the missionaries taught them.  Unfortunately, Stan had to go home just a couple of weeks before they were baptized. 

He received a couple of beautiful and spiritual letters from the wife – Sister Johannessen, and then lost track of them.  One of his fondest wishes was to find them again and find that they were still strong and active in the gospel.  His wish came true this week…with a bit of a twist.

The husband and wife divorced a few years after their baptism, and one of their sons died.  Each remarried.  Their son didn’t stay active, but the daughter married an LDS and raised an active family and so far, has sent two of their children on missions.  Bro. Johannessen and his second wife are active and happy.  Sis. Johannessen is not active.

Stan still has the letters she wrote to him all those years ago, and is hoping that we can find her and give her those letters.  He wants to ask her if she can remember how she felt back then, and then to reassure her that she can feel that way again.

One Week in Denmark!

Watch out for this guy....He is pretty tough.

This is his right hand man and nearly as treacherous.

Have you ever wondered what happens to the water on your clothes when you put them in a dryer?  Frankly, I never have.  But I had to consider it this week when I learned how to use the dryer in our apartment.  Lest you flood the apartment, you must empty the water receptacle each time you dry your clothes, and sometimes it has a fair amount of water in it!  Just another little thing we take for granted in Gilbert, AZ.
Here are the promised pictures of the center:
1.  Kitchen
2. 3 4.  Game or gathering room
5.  Senior Couple's office
6.  Class room for Institute, lessons, sacrament meeting
7.  Calendar

Well, it has been a whole week here today.  Right now the temperature outside is 42...but we are warm and cozy inside our apartment.  We have been gone most of the day.  We set out from home, and since the bus was not in sight we walked to the next bus stop, and the bus was not in sight there, so we walked to the next one....and so forth until we arrived at the Mission Office for an appointment with the mission president.  It was a good brisk walk on a sunny day with orange, yellow and bright red leaves everywhere.  Our mission president - President Sederholm is an inspired man and an inspiring man.  We came away from our first interview with him excited about the possibilities to be of use in this part of the Lord's vineyard.

In the afternoon, Stan went to the temple to be a witness – again – for baptisms while I opened the center.  Since this whole week is somewhat of a holiday (Fall Break) no one came.  When Stan finished at the temple he came to the center and we waiting around for a little while and then went home – ON THE BUS.  I know we will walk it again, because it is great exercise, but it was nice to ride.

Earlier this week we walked past a little Cantonese restaurant.  It looked like a very small garishly red and gold pagoda from the outside. …not at all the sort of place I would look at and think, “This looks good!”  He has been wanting to go back to see if it is the place he remembers eating at 50 years  ago.  He and his zone ate there once a month and he has such fond memories of the sweet and sour fish.  So after leaving our things in the apartment, we ventured out to see if we could find it, and if it was possibly the same place.

I was a little nervous….looking at it from the outside I was sure we would get food poisoning.  We found it easily enough, and went through the door to find a beautiful large space with rich wall hangings and shining table tops with candles twinkling.  The table we were conducted to had freshly pressed linens and upholstered chairs.  The only noise we could hear was the happy murmers of contented diners.  We examined our menus and quickly found sweet and sour fish.  Well….you know by now, that Stan was broken up from the time we decided to find it.  This was indeed very exciting.  After being seated we asked the waitress how long the restaurant had been there…her reply was 16 years.  I was almost as disappointed as Stan was.  She was oriental and had quite a bit of an accent.  When Stan asked again for clarification, she said “60 years.”  Whoo Hoo!  This could very well be the place.

We ordered, and waited with anticipation.  Stan kept saying, “I hope this is the one!”  His memory of the dish was that it was incredibly delicious, and that the “sweet” of the sweet and sour came from raisins.  Our meals were brought to us and  his first comment was, “It’s pineapple!”  - meaning the sweetener was pineapple and not raisins.   Then he took the first bit….and was supremely satisfied.  So was I.  It was excellent.  We cleaned our plates….what a great meal.  Stan is convinced that is the place – so what if the recipe has changed a bit…..it is still wonderful.

I know you're thinking "Hey that doesn't look so bad," but the camera really cleaned it up..honest!  I don't want to lose all credibility.

In our first week here, Stan had two of his dreams come true….finding Brother Johannessen and finding that little Danish Cantonese restaurant with sweet and sour fish.  Wow….what else lies ahead

Wednesday October 16

It has been in the 50's as far as temperature since we arrived.  It is mostly gray and cloudy and the lake outside reflects deep gray which stands in stark contrast to the white swans and seagulls. There are always people walking or jogging on the path between us and the lake, some with dogs, some very fashionable, some determinedly striding forward and some casually strolling, some bicycling.  Soon I hope to be one of them....got to get on some kind of routine!
Ever since we received the call, and some time before, Stan has nurtured a small hope of finding a man whom he taught 50 years ago.  Stan and his companion had been by there many times and been refused entrance.  After one very long day tracting, the two missionaries decided to try this family again, and were invited in!  They taught them, but before the family was ready to be baptized, Stan's 2 1/2 years as a missionary ended and he went home to Bountiful.
Stan has been asking members if anyone knew him.  He kept hearing reports of his family and his circumstances.  Yesterday, someone gave him an address....and it is actually within walking distance of our apartment!  So today we walked there...along Fall-clad streets.  We arrived at the building and were able to visit the man and his wife for about an hour.  Brother and Sister Johannessen.  They were delightful.  They are around 80 years old and a cute couple with a beautiful apartment with original art all over the place. Once again I was left to my own devices....between Sister Johannessen's little bit of English and my little bit of Danish, we managed a decent conversation. We promised to go back and visit.
In the afternoon we went to the center.  Stan attended a session with the young adults, and I stayed at the center to help other young women get the activity and refreshments ready for after the temple.  It looks like we will usually get home between 10:30 and 11:00....and we will be at the center 5 nights a week.  There are many other meetings which we will attend, and we will be attending Sacrament meeting all over the stake, but we are assigned to our little branch/twig, where we will have callings as well.

Tuesday October 15

I know what you're thinking.  "My goodness, is she going to write an epistle every day?"

I assure you that we are quite busy and have a lot to do, so I don't think these long posts will continue much longer, but here is the story for today:

This is the Telford's last day with us.  They have been good to stay with us as long as they have.  Brother Telford's mother passed way this morning, which is so sad for them.  They are scheduled to leave early early tomorrow morning, so they will have missed being with her in her final days.  She was not well and not lucid, but nevertheless it is difficult for them I know.

They took us to the commune office where we registered for our card - kind of like a social security card or something.  We will need to have it with us where ever we go.  We were each assigned a physician, should we need one.  Then we went to the post office, where we purchased out-of-country stamps (What? Does anyone actually write letters and send them through a post office? Yes...Matthew, Bethany, and me.)

Next stop was the bank, where we opened a bank account for money to be transferred from the our U.S. bank...assuming there is money in there.  Danes never use checks, and using a credit card doesn't always work.  Transferring money to cash is expensive so we have a bank account.

We stopped and had lunch at a little Italian restaurant....yes that's right Italian.  It was very good.  We toured through the mission office, walked past the temple and the chapel nearby, and then strolled along the street reviewing bus stops etc.  Boy, I hope I remember all this stuff.

In the evening, we convened for dinner at a member couple's apartment.  As with most other apartments that we have seen, it was small, but so beautiful.  The foot space in the kitchen was possibly 2 1/2 feet by 8 feet, yet what came out of that kitchen is something I will dream about...our 3rd feast in 5 days!  Did I mention I had hopes of losing weight here?

Those who were there:  Bro and Sister Knudsen - who fixed the meal, Elder and Sister Hansen, the couple in charge of the Mission Office (and a whole lot of other things), Bro and Sis Brown (Temple workers), four young elders, two young sister missionaries, and Stan and me.  The table filled their living room.  When we walked in, it was beautifully set and so warm and welcoming.  From the main course to the dessert, we were in awe.  One of the young elders was from Idaho and his last name was Madsen!  He reminds me a lot of Matt Anderson at that age....cute cute cute all-American kid with freckles and neatly combed hair and so happy!  The senior missionaries ate well, but those elders really polished off a great deal of food.  I think Sis. Knudsen enjoyed that....who doesn't love to see a meal you have prepared devoured with gusto and great pleasure?
Below are pictures of our apartment.  1.  View from the front door, 2.The loft 3.Looking down from the loft  4.View of the lake from the loft window  5.Work area in the loft  6.Living room (lower level) 7.Kitchen  8.Patio

Monday October 14

Today we said goodbye to Elder and Sister Middlemas who left for Alborg, and Elder and Sister Freeman who left for Iceland.

We purchased our bus passes for the next month and rode the bus(es) to the Young Single Adult Center, with a 2 1/2 hour detour.  I would normally take about 20 minutes to get there, but after taking one bus halfway and getting on another to go the other half, we discovered that Sis. Telford had left her backpack on one of the buses.  Among other things it contained a new laptop with all of their pictures and other vital documents.  In all the time she has been in Denmark, she has never done anything like that.
She was distressed and retraced her steps to the last bus stop.  I went with her.  We looked everywhere and finally got on a bus going the same direction as the last one we had taken to ask the driver for help.  He told us that we should stay on the bus until the end of the line (about 25 minutes) and check to see if it had been found.  When we arrived we asked around ...first an older Dane who couldn't speak English (neither of us are fluent in Danish, although Sis Telford did a great job of helping him understand what we were looking for).  He tried to help us, but we didn't understand.  A younger man came along and told us in English that a backpack had been found with a computer in it.  He gave us directions to the bus barn...a long trek over cobblestones and back alleys to an industrial sort of bus garage.  We found it, where some very pleasant people returned it to us.
I thought Sis. Telford was going to kneel right there in the office to offer up thanks.  We withdrew a discreet distance and thanked the Lord for that tender mercy and for the honesty and kindness of the Danish people.  We retraced our steps and and caught the bus back to the center where we were given a grand tour.  I don't know what we will do with the Telfords...they have been so kind to us and have given us a great deal of help.
We were at the Young Single Adult center for Family Home Evening.  They were spectacular young people.  In they came laughing and visiting.  Before long, the center was filled with happy sounds.  So many hugged the Telfords and wished them well, and expressed great regret as seeing them go.  I'll bet none of them felt as bad as I did though.
A young sister gave a marvelous lesson using scriptures on fear.  She spoke so rapidly in Danish that I didn't get much....but I loved just watching them all.  Then she spoke in English, and I had to REALLY listen hard because she spoke so fast even in English.  There are others who speak slowly and I love to listen to them without such effort on my part.
Refreshments and home around 9:30....then blissful sleep.  I hope I can get caught up.

Sunday October 13

Sunday October 13

Our first time at a meeting in what will be our branch for the next 23 months.  Because it is so small, the block as it is called, lasts 2 hours.  Today it happened to be Ward Conference (make that branch conference....well... the members affectionately call it twig conference.)  We had an inspiring sacrament meeting with enthusiastic talks by the Bishop, Stake President and a couple of other speakers and some rousting hymns.
Since I am not yet on Danish time, I only got 3 hours sleep last night.  Consequently, we came home and took a nap!
Saturday night at the branch/twig party, a fairy-tale-prince handsome young man sat down and visited with us.  A after awhile he asked what we were all doing on Sunday.  We replied "not much."  He promptly invited us all to his house for dinner Sunday.  After assuring us that his wife would be fine having 8 extra people for dinner with nearly no advance notice, he was off to other meetings.  I think he may be the Elder's Quorum President.
We drove to their house around 6.  It is an old house....3 stories high with many of the windows glowing warmly against a dark, cold and wet night.  It is surrounded by trees.  I will put pictures on tomorrow.  We entered the door and hung up our coats and umbrellas, and took off our shoes (everyone takes their shoes off here when they enter a home - I'll have to make sure Stan's socks don't have holes in them!)  We walked up to the next level and entered a lovely Danish modern dining room.  The long table was set with four places on each side and a place at each end.  It was beautifully set.  We entered their kitchen/family room and visited for about a half hour and then all went in to dinner.  The food was not only delicious but so beautiful!  On a long skinny white platter that looked like a piece of modern art (when the meal was over, he washed it and hung it on the wall!) was a dish called hakkebof - large lean meatballs covered with sauteed sweet onions - yum!  Side dishes were small delicious boiled potatoes served with 2 different cream sauces, green salad, a hard rye bread/cracker with butter that was sooo tasty!  We sat around the table talking and enjoying each other's company until dessert was served....delicious ice cream with a spicy apple sauce.
We were amazed to find out that our host had cooked the meal, had remodeled the house from ground to roof in the last 3 years,  and is a computer genius.  The remodeling was quite remarkable.  I hope to post pictures.  It looked very Danish...simple but beautiful interiors...streamlined...white used extensively on walls and cabinets with darker wood floors etc.  He is in his late 20's or early 30's and has already had a career as a ballet dancer (he does look very fit).  His wife is fairy-tale beautiful and is a ballet dancer in the Danish National Ballet.  May I just say it was an enchanting evening?

Thursday, Friday, Saturday - October 10, 11, 12 Whew!

Thursday October 10, 2013

Lia and Eliza took us to the airport at 9:30 a.m.  Little Eliza was definitely not interested in long sloppy goodbyes!  So we kissed her and Lia and took our leave.  Our plane pulled out of Salt Lake City sometime around 12:30.  Despite being full and fully crowded, we had a pleasant flight, landing in the fair city of Dallas, Texas.  At least it looked fair from the windows as we raced to the airport shuttle and onto the next leg of the flight to London.

We traveled with Elder and Sister Middlemas (going to Alborg Denmark to work with young single adults), Elder and Sister Freeman (going to Iceland to work with young single adults), Sister Sweena (mission office worker), and Sister Hamblin (mission office worker).  We were scattered throughout the plane.   

We left the cocoon of the MTC where we were treated with deference and even respect to stop briefly in Salt Lake Airport where we were smiled at and wished well by kind strangers – even asked where we were going to serve – to Dallas where people stared and glared at our name badges, looking suspiciously from one of us to another.  It was a completely new experience for us.

The flight from Dallas to London was interminable!  It was crowded and I was in the middle of two tall men – and I am not exactly small!  We each watched our own little screens.  I started 2 different movies and turned them off before getting to the end….and finally watched something through to the end.  It wasn’t very memorable – in fact I can’t remember what it was!  Then I read, then I sat and looked at the ceiling, then I slept for a couple of hours.  Eventually the sun came up, and finally we arrived in London with a two-hour layover, or so we thought. 

After shouldering our considerably heavy carry-ons, the eight of us hurried through the airport to catch the flight to Denmark.  We moved from terminal C to terminal D in a bus, which for some silly reason reminded me of a C.S. Lewis bus ride.  After exiting the bus we walked as fast as seniors can walk lugging heavy backpacks, 40-pound suitcases, purses and (in my case) a 39-inch umbrella. (It has been suggested that it can double as a cane, a weapon, or even a light-saber.)  We must have walked 2 miles….I am sure of it.  We checked in like you check in at any airport and then headed for security.

A woman who must have been a drill sargent in another life, directed each of us to different line.  There were at least 27 lines and probably more.  We were spewed out of each security checkpoint at different times after having everything searched, including ourselves.  I am certain that any single one of us could have passed for a terrorist.

We regrouped at the gate for the flight to Copenhagen moments before we were to board.  I say “we” somewhat loosely since only 5 managed to find their way to the gate before the plane took off.  Stan and I were two of the five who were in the plane when it lifted off, leaving behind one of the sisters and another couple.  We were all concerned about what had happened to them, but since no one’s telephone was working at that point, we had no way of finding out.

Upon landing in Copenhagen we retrieved what luggage we could, and discovered that everyone of the five were missing at least one suitcases, and one of us – namely me – was missing both!  We couldn’t communicate with the mission president, because no one answered at the mission home, and if we went outside to see who was waiting for us, they would not admit us back in without boarding pass. 

After filing reports on the luggage, we sat down to wait and wait and wait for the next flight from London.  Happily, our luggage and our missing missionaries were on that plane.  We loaded up everything (a word of advice to anyone desiring to serve a mission – make sure you have an able-bodied man around to help with heavy suitcases) and left the airport where we found our very patient mission president and mission financial officer. 

By this time it was Friday evening in Denmark – October 11.  We drove through the streets of Copenhagen as I floated in and out of consciousness.  We unloaded the car in our apartment – which we will share with two other couples for 3 days…..great fun except there is only one bathroom.

We then all got back into the car and drove another half hour to our mission president’s home where his wife had fixed a feast for us.  Two other missionary couples were there as well as a teenage son of President and Sister Sederholme.  We thoroughly enjoyed an hour and a half with them and returned to our apartment, where we crashed!

Saturday, October 12, 2013

After 7 hours of sleep, I begrudgingly pulled myself out of bed.  We all joined together again in a neighboring apartment where we had breakfast and orientation.  We spent four hours together asking being instructed on everything from traffic laws to how to keep our shower from calcifying into oblivion.

A big treat was to walk together a couple of blocks to a large shopping street in Downtown Copenhagen, where our first stop was at a little trailer stand selling hotdogs.  I ate  “Danish Classic” which though very tasty was a little scary…..but so far no problems with food poisoning!!!!

Our next official stop was at a grocery store, which was quite an adventure.  I needed a guide – Sister Hanson instructed me on money, store brands, store layout etc.  It was a little unnerving to buy a loaf of bread that said 21.87…..which turned out to be about $4.  Oh well, the total was not nearly as much as I thought it would be….but it is still quite steep - comparatively speaking. 

We went to our branch’s ward dinner this evening.  It was spectacular.  There were 60 of us there (10 missionaries, 2 investigators and 48 members including 6 children (the entire Primary).  It was potluck and soooo delectable.  Several foods I have not had before.  It was followed by a beautiful program which included group singing.  I didn’t sing because I didn’t know the tunes and I am still pretty bad at pronunciation.

Incredible desserts ended the evening.  I visited with a lot of the members and bumbled my awkward way through several interchanges in Danish, but since everyone is quite fluent in English I had several really satisfying conversations as well.  (Don’t worry Derek….I didn’t say anything too embarrassing.)  The branch members were so welcoming and kind that I felt like a ward member coming home!

The morning of Departure

Have I mentioned how hard it is to leave?