In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.....

It was another day of sunshine.  The day dawned with not a cloud in the sky.  It would have been a perfect day to stroll around the lake with all of the other people traversing the path , but we got up and went to work on our Danish....with me casting a longing glance outside every now and then.

Melba did not attend class today....still a great deal of trouble at home.  I hope she can get things resolved.  

We each gave a little speech about our apartments.  I have wondered how beneficial it is to learn Danish by hearing people from India, Ghana, Korea etc speak it.  We all have different accents but for the most part we are learning to understand each other.  So it probably IS a good thing.  

We had a good turnout this evening at Institute, with two visitors.  One of our visitors, a young man from Pakistan,  met one of the YSAs at a museum today. She invited him to attend Institute, and he came and stayed for over two hours.  He spoke with several YSAs about our church and it was very interesting to hear snippets of conversations he was having.  I think the young members of the church are quite eloquent about what they believe.  He is not a Christian but he must have been interested in what he saw and heard here, because he told me that he will join us again on Monday evening.

The other visitor was a young man from the States...Virginia I believe.  He had a great time playing CRUD and stayed late with several others.  I hope we will see him again....he seemed like a nice young man.

Our YSA group is a dynamic and interesting one.  We have over 80 who attend....at least 2 or 3 times a quarter, but we seldom have more than 35 on any one given night.  So the makeup of the group is always a trifle different than the week before, etc.   But I always enjoy spending time with various ones, and tonight was a great time to visit.  

As I write this, it is very very late....perhaps I should say very very early.  We stayed late visiting with a few of the YSAs.  We enjoy them immensely, and sometimes the best conversations are late when most everyone has gone home.  

I spent most of my time in the kitchen, and conversed  with several YSAs about all kinds of topics.  I learn all kinds of things from them.  It is always interesting to hear about how they view WWII.  I have read many things saying that the Danish people were heroic people during the war. They saved many people from the concentration/death camps, helping many  to escape to Sweden and safety.

I guess the YSAs don't necessarily agree with that....in fact, they are a little ashamed that Denmark fell so quickly to the Nazis.  I don't see how any country could have stood up to the power of Germany at that time.  But it certainly sounds like the people of Denmark did everything they could to help people in need....and I think that is heroic.

We served barbecue chicken sandwiches, baked potatoes, cole slaw and two large large pies (a chocolate cream and a banana cream)....the pies were to celebrate pi day (3.14).  Nothing was outstanding, but nothing was a disaster.....and I am grateful.  It is not so stressful these days, but it is always time-consuming and energy-consuming and I still drag home thoroughly spent.

But it has been a good day.....and I am grateful for each experience we have of spending time with the YSAs and getting to know them better.