On the Road Again - Again

Over hill and dale.....past beautiful fields yellow with rapsoile blossoms, through the rain and hail, from city to city, the intrepid senior couple travel to inspect missionary apartments!  Kind of breaks you up, yes?

Actually, except for the fact that it is quite difficult to fit all of these little trips in to what is getting to be a very packed schedule, meeting with the young missionaries is a lovely experience.  We visited two today....the first one was about an hour to the west of us.  (You actually can't go much farther than an hour in any direction without falling into the sea!)

We left our apartment early - around 7 and fortunately were going in the opposite direction of the heavy traffic coming into Copenhagen after a long holiday weekend.  The skies were dramatic with thick roiling black clouds with an occasional glimpse of blue.  The lovely farms with surrounding acres of green and yellow stretch the width and breadth of this island.

We got to the young elders' apartment a couple of minutes after 8.  They were ready for us...two handsome young men as clean and shining as any mother would desire.  Their white shirts were pressed, their hair neatly combed, their cheeks with the blush of youth, their smiles showing beautiful white teeth.  Wow....the combination of the two of them would make any young woman weak in the knees!

Their apartment was as clean and well-organized as any we have seen.  Everything in the kitchen in its place, beds made, floors vacuumed, dishes done and put away....you get the idea.  In the living room, there were shelves with their pamphlets and Books of Mormon ready to be given away and pictures of their favorite temples and favorite scriptures on the walls.  There was a very large white board on one wall with their goals and appointments....it was very detailed.

I looked at them and was amazed at their youth and their energy and their devotion...and their good cheer.  How can you  not love these guys?  I told them to take pictures of their apartment, every room and the view out the windows of the old Danish buildings set amidst a riot of glorious flowers and Spring-green-leafed trees.....and send them to their mothers!  When my children were on their missions, I longed to see the places they lived....you know....it is hard to explain....you just want to know how they are getting by and if they are doing OK.

We traveled back towards Copenhagen to see the young sisters......another set of beautiful young people.  Perhaps it is their beautiful smiles and sparkling enthusiasm for what they are doing that is so attractive.  How can anyone resist them?  We visited with them quickly because they had an appointment, and we were late getting to them.

We offered to take them to their appointment --- it was raining and they would have had to take a couple of different buses.  They were thrilled to get a ride!  They gathered up their supplies and bags, put their coats on and SK and I stood ready to go, but they kind of paused.  I wondered what they were waiting for.  "Do you mind if we say a prayer before we leave?"..one of the cute sisters queried.

Oh of course!  How could I be so thoughtless?  That is what we always do before leaving our apartment, and the young ones do as well.  She said a beautiful prayer in Danish, and we were off.  We dropped them off in a large housing area that was mostly high-rise apartment buildings.  I watched them as we pulled away and said a little prayer that they would be safe....of course they will be.  I know they are watched over by angels, but they seem so young.

We stopped by several stores searching for specific items for next week's zone conference.  This will be our mission president's last zone conference, and consequently - his wife's last.  She wanted to fix something special for lunch and asked what they would like.  The unanimous response came back "Cafe Rio!"

I told her I would be happy to help, and since I was in charge last time, I will take charge this time and give her a little bit of a break.  They are in the throes of moving.  They are going to be living in a hotel the last two weeks of their mission, while the mission home is being made ready for the new mission president.

We found pork shoulder at a very good price and purchased 20 pounds.  I got a third of that started in the crockpot tonight and will freeze it after it is cooked.  We will just warm it up on the day of zone conference....it works very well that way.  My crock pot won't take more than about 8 pounds at a time.

Now I need to do a little planning for the meal on Thursday.  Melissa will be back and is planning on a really lovely meal.  I am torn about that, because they will have so little time to see Denmark, I hate to have her spend a whole day Thursday cooking.  I am thinking we ought to do something easy and simple that can be made Thursday afternoon.  I'll see what she thinks.  She is such a wonderful and efficient cook that it is hard not to want to turn the meal over to her....but there are so many things to see ...I'll let you know what we decide.

Kaerlig Hilsen!  (Best Regards in the best and warmest way)