God Our Strength Will Be

Originally, we began this mission thinking Tuesday would be our P-day but it seldom is.  For one thing, our Danish class takes up a significant portion, and these days, it requires more study time.  For another, there is often some sort of meeting on Tuesday evenings, like a planning meeting at the center (first Tuesday), Relief Society at the branch (second Tuesday), or on the third Sunday the Knudsens host a dinner for all the senior and/or temple missionaries (It is a beautiful thing!).

We have not been able to spend quite so much time with the senior missionaries as we did at the beginning in the MTC.  But I shall never forget how exciting it was to see so much capable leadership and life's wisdom concentrated in one place.  We met in a chapel everyday and it was pretty much full of seniors.  Then we would break for individual departments of 14 to 20, depending on our particular mission calls.

When we take a break from the young people of our Danish class and the young people at the center and meet with the seniors, I am reminded of what a joy it is to serve with committed individuals who love the Lord.

For example, the Hansens next door.  They are the office couple, and have been much relieved to have the two senior sisters here since October to take some of the burdens off their shoulders.  Before the sisters came, they were putting in 10 hour days at the office, sometimes longer.  And the end of the month is still intense.  All of the missionaries, as well as parents have a direct line to their cell phones. Often a worried parent will call, little realizing that they are waking the Hansens in the middle of the night.

Since Sister Hansen is the mission nurse, she too is occasionally summoned from sleep to answer a question about a health concern.  I see her get up from dinner, or leave a conversation to soothe a worried young person who has a bad cough or a pain somewhere.  She listens thoughtfully, gives them motherly advice and when deemed necessary encourages them to see a doctor.  She is so kind and caring, I think just having her listen would make anyone feel better!

They should be released in March, but have extended til April...almost 6 weeks so that they can train the new couple - who are currently waiting for their visas.  The Hansens are tired....worn out in the service, but they are stalwarts who continue to fulfill all of their assignments with great caring.  They are even home teachers in our branch and are very diligent about looking after their charges.

Brother Hansen grew up in Bountiful and graduated from Bountiful High School!!!  I think 2 years before SK.  He is the one who designed the Bountiful Brave logo - which I always thought was the classiest I have ever seen.  At age 72 or 73, he has salt and pepper hair and has the build of a wrestler.  He meets almost all incoming missionaries.  Each one who comes brings with him/her 2 large suitcases (up to 70 pounds each) and whatever carry-ons allowed.

Just as Brother Hansen did with us, he ushers the bewildered young missionaries through the airport, helps them pick up their luggage and gets them out to the van where he hoists the big suitcases into the back.  Then he drives that big van through the narrow streets like a cab driver.  He and SK are pretty amazing with their nerves of steel as well as their still-good reflexes.  (I have mentioned to SK that if something were to happen to him and I needed to hurry to get him to medical help, our best chance for him would be for me to wrestle him into the driver's seat of the car and let him drive!!!)

The couple we replaced were an amazing couple.  They made great sacrifices to be here....they came back after they were released because there was no one to serve at the center until our visas were approved.  They stayed for nearly 2 months - not as official missionaries, but as a couple who loved the YSAs and wanted to keep things running smoothly.  Within a month of getting back to Bountiful, Brother Telford had an operation on his back and one on his shoulder.  They stayed longer than they had planned just to help us get trained.

We get a weekly compilation of emails from seniors all over Denmark and Iceland.  There are possibly 10 or more couples.  I am amazed at what they are accomplishing and how enthusiastic they are about the good they are doing.  One couple here in Copenhagen are photographing genealogical records of the country...at the request of the government!  They were trained to use specialized camera equipment and they spend their days at the archives patiently photographing page after page of the old tomes and dealing with equipment malfunctions.  They are also learning Danish...both of them!

I have thought we were uniquely blessed to be able to work with the YSAs - and we truly are, but what a sweet privilege it is to serve with such incredible seniors.