The Spirit Speaks All Languages

Our Sabbath began and ended with Church.  We attended our little branch where Kasper and his sister Emma spoke.  She is just home from California where she served her mission in San Jose.  She looks wonderful and gave a lovely talk.  She didn't appear to have problems with Danish, although I have heard young people get up to give a talk after living in England or the U.S. and mention they needed to get back into the Danish language.

We had a nice group in Sunday School.  We meet with the YSAs of the branch, and if there are no investigators, the young elders also attend our class.  They are always so eager to answer questions and make comments.  I love those young men and so enjoy their enthusiasm and excitement for the gospel.  They both speak Danish quite well.

Relief Society was also (as always) interesting and inspiring.  Our fairy-tale princess gave the lesson...two conference talks....one about music, which of course was a perfect subject for her.  She was inspiring as she warmed to the topic and bore her testimony about its power in our lives, comparing it to the gospel.

We had a little while at home before I did my visiting teaching.  I normally do it on a week night, but I don't think I have had any free nights so far this month.  Visiting Teaching here is a joy and I love Anna....the one sister I visit since Sarah left to return to her home in New Zealand.  Anna translates in our meetings and also works at the Liahona during the week translating the Ensign, Friend and Era into Danish.  She is a cute friend and I always love to visit with her.

From there we went to the center where we visited awhile with several of our YSAs before our ouncil meeting. We are missing several of our council members, including sweet Emilia who is now serving her mission in Manchester England.  There are others whose lives are getting busy with other things who weren't there....but that is kind of the nature of the YSA program.  They are all in a state of flux to some extent, and their lives can change from moment to moment.

Our sacrament meeting tonight at the center was lovely and was interesting.  This is the night before most of the YSAs will leave for Festinord....a four-hour trip to Jutland (the mainland) which begins officially bright and early Tuesday morning.  We were missing many of our regulars, who, no doubt, were home getting ready.  In fact, we had only 5 Danes!  But we had several from Spain, 2 from Mexico, 1 from Canada, 1 from the States, and 4 or 5 from England.  They are all here on their way to Festinord.

As luck would have it (luck really has nothing to do with it) two of the speakers (Ceasar from Mexico and SK from Gilbert Arizona) prepared and gave their talks in English.  The third speaker, Helene, a Dane and our Co-chairman of the program, prepared and wrote out her talk in Danish.  When she realized that the majority of the congregation could not understand Danish, she read her talk (written in Danish) and simultaneously translated it for us into English....just once or twice she came to a word and said it out loud in Danish in a questioning tone, and each time Morten or our high Councilor Thomas gave her the English word.  Even in English, much of her talk came straight from her heart and I was deeply touched with her ability to express sublime thoughts in another language.

Festinord is always held in English because that is the language nearly all Scandinavians speak very well, so it is the most commonly spoken among these northern countries when they are together....even though their mother tongues are similar and can often be understood from country to country.  English is also the common denominator among other European countries so I am happy about that!!!!  I understand everything that is said in English!

We will be heading out in the morning too for Festinord.  We will drive and take the ferry, which will save some driving for SK.  I am looking forward to it, but I know from last year that this is really where our age shows.  Last year, we never got enough sleep, and I think we are heading into it this year feeling tired.  Typically, people stay up into the early morning hours and get up early to participate in activities.

They leave for their homes at the end of the week pretty well spent.  But it is a good thing, and we know personally of several marriages have come of this yearly tradition....good strong temple marriages.  Many of our young people will come home with names and email addresses and will start up correspondences that just may turn into something wonderful.

We may be sharing a room with another senior couple.  If that is the case, I don't know when I will post, but I will give it my best shot.  With just slightly over a month left in this mission I don't want to fall short just as we near the finish line.

Until we talk again.....