Day 2 of the Senior Conference

While we were at the second day of our senior conference, Derek and Kate were out seeing the city.  It seemed quite pleasant to me.  It has been one of those mercurial days as far as weather goes.  The wind has been constant, but the sun has only occasionally put in an appearance, but when it has come out, it has been glorious.  Dark and dramatic clouds have been the order of the day.

Derek texted us at one point:  "It is 113 degrees in Gilbert!  It was only a few years ago that the thermometer hit 122!  What is going on here?  It's hailing!"

I think they must have enjoyed it all....Derek is like me.....we find rain in nearly every circumstance welcome.

Meanwhile, back at the mission conference.  We started with breakfast together, and heard from President and Sister Sederholm briefly.  They are both so dear, and such tremendous leaders.  Their testimonies shine through in everything they do and say.  We will miss them.

After our morning meal, we all piled into cars and headed up to the castle at Frederiksborg.  That is where all the Carl Bloch paintings are.  I am unsure how many times I have been there now, but I never tire of it.  I see more each time.....and that may be due partially to the fact that there is so much to see!

Sister Morgan is showing off the beautiful scenery surrounding the castle....see the swan in the background?

This is the small room that houses the Carl Bloch paintings.

Even the view out the windows could be a work of art.

Look at that ceiling!  Every room had magnificent ceilings.  What is SK saying here?

This was an exciting exhibit of the queen's clothes for the last 50 years....with videos of her in the outfits.

How would you like to sleep in this bedroom?

Elder Thorne reserved a "classroom" for lunch....we each packed our own.  We all laughed to see the entrance - it looked like an old-fashioned storm cellar from Kansas!  We  down the steps to a lovely but spartan room that looked frankly, a little bit like a dungeon painted white.  But the company was good and the lunch of tuna sandwiches was OK.

Afterwards we said our goodbyes to many whom we may not see again until a future missionary reunion in SLC.  As we drove home, I realized that I have come to love these other senior missionaries and admire them....and I will miss them right along with the young missionaries and our YSAs.

As I write this, it is 10:06 p.m.   It is still light outside, but not the light of day.  Even with the overcast skies and set sun, overhead it is a pale blue....and it will remain like that for some time....probably another hour or two.  The sun rises tomorrow at 4:25 a.m., but I remember last year it was light far earlier than that.  It will set tomorrow evening at 9:58....the longest day of the year at 17 hours and 32 minutes + a few seconds.  Contrast that to Gilbert (suffering under the heat watch) which has 14 hours and 22 minutes.  Amazing.

Both these pictures were taken at 9:30 p.m.!

Derek and Kate have been doing more sight-seeing today....and are at this moment on some of the thrill rides at Tivoli!

We attended the baptism of Alma this evening.  She is the mother of one of our YSAs who was baptized several months ago.  They are both so cute and so very happy to have the Gospel in their lives.  It was a treat to be there and feel the sweet spirit of peace and joy.  The young elders were cute too.  There were a couple of very new ones - as in just here a couple of days - and they looked nervous, but happy.

I wish I could hold on tight to all of the impressions of this beautiful day.....the many sights, the many thoughts that flickered through my mind being with the other seniors in that stately and ornate castle, the warmth of spending time with friends, the joy of watching young missionaries do what they came here to do, the beauty of some divine music played at Alma's baptism, and all the other sweet feelings that have come this June 20th.