All-American

It will be a full week-end for most of our YSAs.  We had institute tonight, tomorrow night is temple night with dinner following, Saturday is the evening session of stake conference, and Sunday is stake conference and our own YSA sacrament meeting at 7.  They are always incredible and I always come away lifted and inspired.  

It will also be a full week-end for us as well.  We have all that plus on Sunday right after conference, there will be an open house for the Hansens.  They will leave Tuesday morning and I know they are full of mixed emotions.  They have collected some wonderful wonderful reminders of their stay in Denmark, and they are struggling to get everything packed up and sent home.  They can only carry so much with them, and so they found a packaging place that hopefully will get some of their things home to St. George safe and sound.

Immediately after the open house, all of the senior missionaries will go out to our mission president's home to dinner.  It will be the formal farewell dinner for the Hansens, the Garriots and the Ivies.  They all came out at the same time and are now tearfully saying their farewells to people they have come to know and love.

Then of course the week starts over with Monday family home evening.  Our chairmen, Louise and Morten have as a goal getting 50 people out weekly to our center on Thursdays.  I hope we can do it!  On the other hand, I don't know how I will do at the meals.

SK has not been helping me for the last month, because we were asked to teach institute in English for those who don't speak Danish.  There is consistently a count of 6 or 7 who want to attend the English class.  SK can't fix a meal by himself so he teaches.  So I hustle around the kitchen while everyone is in class and try to get everything ready on time.

Tonight I was caught .... the larger class which usually gets out at 8:30 came thundering out at 8:15!  I was cutting bread slices.  The menu was meatloaf, funeral potatoes, green beans and peanut butter bars.....can you get any more American than that?  Several had never tasted any of those items (well...everyone has had green beans!) and they seemed genuinely interested.  

Of course you can't go wrong with funeral potatoes, and it seemed that the meatloaf was a hit.  SK liked it, so that makes it a hit in my book.  The stress of the evening came as people started arriving at 5!  I love these guys and it is so fun to talk with them....but I began to realize that we might have a larger turnout tonight than usual.  

I figured that I had made enough meatloaf for 25.  I thought (wrongly so) that since there is a YSA weekend in Stockholm, we would have fewer people.  I made plenty of funeral potatoes and had bread enough for people to fill up on.  By the time institute started we had 35...and I don't know if more showed up.  I cut the meatloaf in very thin slices and got 33.  Gulp.  It might be that meatloaf did not appeal to many of them...I don't know.

I can't tell you how many times in the last months I have troubled and troubled the Lord with pleas for help with our meals.  In the vast eternal plan, our meals don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world (kind of reminds me of a line in "Casablanca!"), but I always want them to be nice and taste good.  Tonight I was also pleading that there be enough....and somehow there was.  I don't know how.  But I am grateful.

Conversations with YSAs were especially wonderful tonight.  At one point, I was sitting in the kitchen with 5 young women.  I asked them what they did to relax.  

"Sleep!" one answered.

"I create....paint or draw or something similar where I lose myself in what I am doing."

"I just kick back and read or listen to music or just think."

Then one said "I read my scriptures."

Another chimed in, "I go to church."  She elaborated....she has always loved church.  She wakes up on Sunday morning and thinks, "It's Sunday....I get to go to church today!"  She said that she has never lost the "butterflies in her stomach feeling" because she gets excited about it.  She has been a member for several years....she teaches the three-year-olds in primary.  Isn't that cute?

Most agreed that Sunday itself is a good tool to bring a sense of balance and peace.

What do you think?  Pretty great right?

It is exactly 2 a.m. and for relaxation, I am going to go to bed!

Ho Hum

Wednesdays are interesting islands of time smack dab in the middle of the week.  They are a preparation day, a study day, a shopping day, a baking desserts day, a missionary day, a center day/evening, and a homework day.

We find ourselves spending more shopping time at Metro (heretofore known as the Costco Wannabe), mostly because they have items in bulk....not necessarily because of the prices.  We also went to several stores who reputedly carried Crisco.  We not only did not find Crisco, but  have concluded that shortening does not exist in Denmark.  We went to one store in particular which even has an "American aisle" ---to no avail.

What we did find was an American off-brand of peanut butter, which was pretty costly, but we got it anyway.  At the center, I made peanut butter bars....a marvelous combination of peanut butter cookie base, a layer of semi-sweet chocolate and peanut butter frosting.  It will be my first attempt to serve peanut butter anything.

Do Danes like peanut butter?  Our first clue might be that it hardly exists here.  But on the other hand, a young woman made some peanut butter candies awhile ago, and told me that everyone loves it.  We'll see. 

SK got the tires changed this morning....snow tires off and regular tires on.  One of the APs said that he did it himself on their car, without getting any soil on his white shirt!  I believe him.  Those young missionaries can do just about anything...mostly because they don't know they can't.  I love that kind of faith and optimism. 

But senior missionaries have to be a little more cautious about attempting such things.  As it was, SK expended a fair amount of energy just pulling the four regular tires out from underneath our bed, hauling them out to the car, loading them up and getting them to the auto shop.  Then he did it all again in reverse with the snow tires...which are now resting nicely underneath our bed!

He also went to a dentist today.  One of his crowns fell out.  He had a great visit with her and was quite impressed with how she did things. 

Those were his adventures for the day, while my day was far more mundane.....laundry, baking, cleaning and studying.

That is perfectly fine.  I like mundane days!

Preparation Day Can Be a Lot of Things

Back to Danish class!  It seems like we have been away longer than it really a week.  There were only seven there this afternoon.  We have had nearly 20 from time to time, but our numbers have been shrinking, and currently we have about 12 in the class.  I truly enjoy all of our classmates.

One...Mary, is from India.  She is in her 20's and has the most delightful Indian accent when she speaks English.  Her voice is soft and gentle, and her manner is as well.  Both she and the other young Indian woman have what is called a bindi or a little red spot on their foreheads.  Mary's is just below her hairline, and the other has one between her eyebrows.

Mary has pointed out my birthmark several times.  It is a little red square between my eyebrows and it gets redder when I am very tired or feeling stressed.  She noticed today that it was popping.  Isn't that funny?  I have another friend who told me years ago that it is a "worry" mark.  I hardly ever notice it......but to my way of thinking, I believe it should be identified as a "beauty" mark.  If only that was all that was needed to be beautiful!

We took a detour on the way home and walked through Tivoli.  What a lovely little spot that is.  There was a live band performing.  The entire audience was white-haired.  The band reminded me of Lawrence Welk's orchestra.  There was a soloist who did  a very good impression of Dean Martin singing "That's Amore."  People sat in lawn chairs, on the grass and on benches.  The sunlight made everything sparkle.

Flowers were blooming and trees are getting greener by the day.  We sat for awhile and watched a little duck couple waddling through the park and quacking a conversation.  There were magnificent peacocks strutting around the grounds and geese and other birds....all very tame.

Even though there are thrill rides, the atmosphere is much more relaxed.  There are people of all ages, but it seemed that there were more seniors and teens than any other age group.  I am sure as the season progresses there will be more young marrieds with little ones.

We have been listening to conference talks.....what a wonderful thing it is to have all those talks so immediately available to us.  They are inspiring and motivating.  We will have our stake conference this weekend, which I am looking forward to.  We also have two senior couples coming into town to be ready to be released from their missions.  They, along with the Hansens will leave bright and early Tuesday morning.  So from this point on, the week is going to be packed with activity.

Preparation days are a good thing.  I think I will try to schedule a weekly preparation day even when we are through with this mission.  It is a great tool in so many ways, and giving myself a day to prepare physically (laundry, cleaning, planning, organizing), as well as emotionally and spiritually goes a long long way to keeping me calm!

For now, it is time for early bed.  Good night.

Up In The Night

We did not have our Danish class again today....last day of our Spring break....sigh.  It is also the last day of the Easter holiday.  All the stores were closed and the streets of Copenhagen seemed quieter than usual.  

With our free time, we should have been studying, but we did what we love to do.....we set off to see the sights!  We went to one of the beautiful parks in Frederiksberg....the lovely grounds that surround the Frederiksberg Castle.  Not Frederiksborg....where the Carl Bloch paintings are housed, but a Castle that lies within the city limits.  It is huge....and it is beautiful.  

Doesn't this look inviting?  Imagine how it will look in all these pictures when the trees are fully leafed out.

A distant view of the castle

Getting closer!

A view from in front of the castle

The pictures give you an idea of its beauty, but you wouldn't be able to hear the wind rustling through the trees, or the noisy honking of geese...or the haunting cries of birds large and small.  The wind carried the sounds of children's laughter and the soft banter of happy conversations.

Hey!  Do you think he thinks she is pretty?

We saw what we think is cranes in their great nests high atop grand old trees.

The castle is set back in and up above the gardens, giving a magnificent view of ponds, gently flowing rivers and streams and grassy fields.  People lazed in the grass, picnicked on blankets, strolled with their dogs, jogged or speed walked, and sat contentedly on benches - all soaking up the sun.

We loved being a part of it all.  We ended that portion of the day by ambling through a cemetery. Flowering trees, daffodils and stately trees gave it an air of hope, serenity and beauty.  Cemeteries can be so lovely!

FHE tonight was fantastic...as always.  I spent some time visiting with a returned missionary from Temple Square.  She loved that mission...who wouldn't?  From all that she told me about her experiences, it must have been incredible.  She said that she saw miracles all the time...both large and small.  She said that Temple Square is a mission of miracles.

One experience she shared was seeing a young woman wander in to Temple Square one morning.  The missionary approached her and began a conversation.  The young woman lived in the area and had many questions about the Gospel and the Church.  She wanted to know more and had gone to Temple Square many times, but no one ever talked to her!  This day when my friend talked to her, she was elated and had her first missionary discussion that afternoon.  She was baptized 2 months later, and is currently serving a mission in San Francisco.

You know....one thing I love about visiting with these marvelous YSAs is the way their testimonies come through in their conversations.  Sometimes it is a simple statement, sometimes it is there between the lines.  But it is always there. 

Family Home Evening was over by 9, but CRUD and great conversations carried the evening until after 1 a.m.   

It is such a nice thing to be able to sleep in!

A Day Appointed Unto Us.....

Sundays are particularly enjoyable.  Our little branch is always a  joy to attend.  Our numbers are few, but the members are so dear.

Today Sister Hansen gave a beautiful talk about the Savior and touched my heart.  She even read a quote from an Ensign article that Lia put together last year!  She and her husband will be leaving in 10 days to return to their home in St. George.  They have been a mainstay in the mission for a year and a half, and we - like everyone else - have come to depend on their wisdom and knowledge.  I am certain that they are weary and need to go home to rest, but they will nevertheless miss Denmark.  They have loved it since Elder Hansen was here 50 years ago.  They have Danish ancestry - Hansen - and have visited the sites of their forefathers.  Their children have a strong Danish identity, because they have been raised with stories of Denmark.

Our Sunday School lesson was given by an intelligent and intense young man who thinks deeply and passionately about life.  He led a thought-provoking discussion about manna.  He asked why some individuals, and perhaps all at one time or another put "food" ahead of God....meaning anything that we place our priorities on.   He also wondered why people complain...about manna (they remembered the food they had once eaten) and why people who seem to be living a righteous life sometimes complain when things don't go their way....(theoretically saying, "I am tired of manna and deserve much better). I always enjoy it when he teaches.

After church, Elder Thorne drove us home and took a detour through some of the sunlit countryside near the church, specifically the beach that looks out across the water to Sweden.  It reminded me of long lazy Sunday afternoons when I was young and our father and mother would load us into the car to take a drive....for the sheer joy of it.  Our mother loved it, and Dad was only too willing to oblige.  And it seems like all of the rest of us loved it too.

Elder and Sister Thorne and SK and I had a nice Easter lunch....ham and funeral potatoes (Would the Israelites have complained about funeral potatoes?), and then while SK took a much-needed nap and the Thornes went for a walk, I read my scriptures and studied a conference talk.

I am learning what I can do today to try to be perfect.  It is soooooooooooooo hard to even attempt it, but there is a way to begin that even I can do.  I'll let you know how it goes.

There are preparation days, and then there are preparation days but Sundays can prepare our minds and hearts for the coming week better than any other day.  I hope that while we serve as full-time missionaries we can harness the power of the Sabbath Day.

How Beautiful a Day Can Be When Touched By......Chocolate!

Does it seem to you that Saturdays roll around with great speed?  It makes my head spin!

The weather could not be more beautiful.  It is cool....just cool enough to wear a lightweight coat, and the skies are a marvelous shade of blue with clouds hurrying by overhead.  There was clear clean sunlight all day....aaah.

We took the bus to the temple.....or two buses.  I guess the holiday weekend has brought many people to the city.  Unlike Thursday, when it seemed no one was out, today there were crowds of people.  Have you seen the double-decker tour buses?  They are in nearly every major city.  There were many many of them out today...each packed with people bundled up and ready to see the sights.

Tivoli is pulling in the crowds again after its long winter sleep.  The flowers are blossoming and the rides are running.  Taxi cabs are everywhere in traffic, people with bicycles built with a passenger back seat for two are parked along the street outside Tivoli and Stroget.

At the temple, we saw several people we know.  Copenhagen is a large city, but the LDS population is relatively small, and we are becoming acquainted with more and more people.  So even a small session of 30 people will have someone in that we know.  There was another senior couple here for the weekend to be with some ward members going through the temple for the first time.

It is such a beautiful temple, and it is even more special to know and be known by people there.

A quick stop at the grocery store helped us prepare for Easter Sunday. (You'll be happy to know that most stores AND the post office were open today - right smack in the middle of the 5-day holiday weekend and doing a brisk business.  They have restored my faith in the Danish enterprise system! )

We then went to the center where Elder and Sister Thorne joined us for the first half of "Ben Hur." Later Elder and Sister Hansen joined us for dinner and the last half of the movie, A.K.A. "The Chariot Race."  I never tire of that movie.  It is certainly one of Hollywood's finest efforts at making a truly Christian movie.  I think it stands the test of time, and is still an excellent movie.

We had some of the leftover chocolate mousse cake.  (I am smiling as I type this)

It was a lovely end to a lovely day.

All Good Things

Today was the day!  This was to be the day of our great sightseeing....and it was.  It was chilly, and very windy.  We walked to another local museum which was built by a man named Carlsberg.  If that name sounds familiar to you, it is because it is the name of some very famous beer....Danmark's own.

He built a spectacular museum which houses art.  We looked through the special exhibits of French and Danish sculpture and French and Danish painting.  It was most enjoyable.

I know.....I took way too many pictures of the courtyard....I am only showing you a few here.  But as you can see, I was quite taken with its beauty.  See SK standing there in the doorway on the right?

Views from the inside looking out and down.

I love sculptures!

SK showing you the skyline of Copenhagen...with Tivoli directly behind him.

SK says this is a waterway .... I prefer to call it a moat...around the castle at Christiansborg Castle and the building where the parliament meets, which is below.

After spending a few hours there, we thought we would wander through Frederiksberg Park.....reputedly one of the most beautiful, at any time of the year.  We have wanted to do that for months and today seemed like an ideal day.   Our apartment was on the way, so we stopped in for a few moments.

While we were there, the Assistants to the President called.  A few weeks ago, an invitation was extended to the young missionaries to come to lunch at a member's home.  She is 85 and has fed the missionaries every year at Easter for the last 20 years.  She seemed much younger.  When the invitation was extended, she asked that they bring Elder Madsen and his wife.

She had two shifts for the meal....one at noon and one at 5.  We both had forgotten about the lunch (!!!)....we were blissfully wandering through the museum.  But thanks to the call from the Elders, we cleaned up real fast and were ready to go when they came to pick us up just a few minutes later.  The elders mentioned that perhaps SK had known this sister when he was here 50 years ago.  

They were driving a large van, and I was notably impressed at how the elder negotiated his way through the little one-way streets and busy main thoroughfares with ease.  We drove by the large Frederiksberg Park which whetted our appetite to visit there on the next free day we have.

When we got there, the sister looked at SK for a moment, asked a few questions and then pronounced that he was not the one she thought he would be.  He asked, "Shall we leave?"

She answered, "No, you can stay."

It was all kind of funny.  She put out several kinds of bread...two kinds of rye bread...dark and thick and nutty and dense.  There were many different kinds of toppings for open-faced sandwiches, which are a very Danish meal.  The sister had instructions about what to put with what.  For instance, shrimp was slathered with mayonnaise and topped with a boiled egg.  Smoked salmon was topped with dill, remoulade sauce and cucumbers....ahh.  A very delightful frikadiller or meatball was served with ...well, I put tomato, cucumber and something else with it.

Dessert was crackers and soft spreadable cheese.  And then a final treat was little chocolate eggs filled with marzipan.  Marzipan is an almond paste and it is absolutely delectable.  I am unsure why it has not caught on in the states, but if you have Danish ancestors, you should cultivate this taste!

You would have been so proud of each of the young elders.  They tried pretty much everything as they chattered away in Danish to our host.  The ate the liverpostei, the fishy fish filets in oil, the lard topping..which they said is very tasty, the very salty dark brown gelatin.  They were all so polite, yet so cute!  No wonder she loves to feed the missionaries,

I tried out my Danish and asked a few questions....and listened carefully for the answers, but to tell you the truth, most of the time I just talked in English and one of the elders translated for her....then translated for me when she answered.  They are all comfortable conversing in Danish and caught all of the conversations.

When dinner was over, the two APs each shared a message from the Book of Luke about Easter.  She seemed to enjoy it as much as I did.  Have I mentioned how impressed I am with these young missionaries?  After doing what they do in the mission field, how can they possibly fail at anything?

We got home in time to join a group of senior missionaries at a little Greek restaurant across the street from the apartment.  We were too full to eat, but had dessert with them.  It was a pleasant time to sit in the candlelight and enjoy everyone's company.  It is still, after all these months so interesting to see and hear these people talk about their missions here....going back and forth between 50 years ago and today.

One thing is certain, their missions today are vastly different than what they were so long ago.  Could they have ever imagined that they would be back after all those years, retired from long careers, husbands, fathers, grandfathers, church leaders?

I wonder if the young elders ever look at them and think "Someday I will do that!"...or perhaps they just can't even imagine being 70.  At age 21, I thought a 30-year-old was ancient.

Perspective is an amazing thing.