The Errand of Angels

Thursdays are always met with some fear and trepidation.  Today was no different.  

Things got off to a great start with our Danish class.  Doris was there, and I visited with her about seeing someone from the Church's Social Services.  I spoke to the person in charge of the Copenhagen area and they are happy to see her.

I don't know if I told you that Doris was baptized when she was 8 or 9 years old and within a few months, her father declared to his newly baptized wife and children "We are Catholics and we will go to the Catholic church."  That was the end of Doris's time in the LDS Church.  She is actually a member and so is eligible for help.  

When she first talked to me about the Church and about her depression, she asked if our church had any help available and I told her I would look into it.  I made several calls and now Doris hopefully will receive some assistance.  Her appointment with the Danish counselor is still 2 weeks away.¨

She had a job interview yesterday and it went well but she won't know for awhile if she got the it.  I hope for her sake that she will.  It will help her I know.

Our teacher is now teaching more and more in Danish and using fewer explanations in English.  So it is getting a bit more intense.  One young woman today began to cry in frustration because she did not understand.  I know how she felt!

We came to the center immediately after class and started to work on the dinner.  I don't know why some meals are so difficult!  This one shouldn't have been so bad, but it was.  Mostly because I completely underestimated the time everything would take.  

I slow-cooked a LOT of chicken and cut it up, then made my own cream of chicken sauce (about a gallon and a half, and mixed that together.  It took time.  Then SK and I began cutting vegetables.  He cut up a ton - well 6 very large red, yellow and green peppers.....mincing them perfectly, but it occupied him for some time.  I began cutting the brussels sprouts.  To my horror, they took forever!  I had nearly 8 pounds!  They had to be sliced in very thin slices.  SK started on the shallots.  By this time people were coming for class.  I started some rice cooking.

It was clear....we would never get this dinner off the ground.  Just about that time, four sister missionaries came in looking for investigators who had said they would come tonight.  They all came in the kitchen and asked if they could help.  I gave each one a cutting board, a knife and a bunch of sprouts.  

One of the investigators came so two of the missionaries left to attend class with him, and the other two stayed for the next hour helping me do everything from setting the serving tables to chopping garlic.  They were angels!!!!!

I suspect it was also the sister missionaries who did a whole lot of dishes.  When I went in to start cleaning someone had filled the dishwasher and washed up several of the serving dishes.  

You know, in a big wide world filled with cares, getting a meal on for our YSAs isn't that big of a deal...and yet it is to me.  And for some reason, the Lord cares too...at least it appears that way.  We work as hard as we can, and He always sends help in some form or another....Missionaries to help prepare, recipes, preparation utensils, the perfect seasonings, whatever.  Without that extra help, we could not do this.  No one, and I mean no one has ever referred to me as Janis the great cook.  

When everyone got out of class, the meal was ready (if you can count a huge pan of mushy rice as ready).  But it tasted OK and everyone was a good sport about it.....and SK took the fall and said he had cooked the rice.

And the funny thing?  People raved about the brussels sprout salad!!!  It was good....but not good enough to ever do that again....unless those sisters show up to help.

One more meal tucked under our belts....pun intended.