A Muddy Missionary Day

Rain was the order of the day, but Mary Poppins did not go with us.  We traveled everywhere in the car, and I just put my hood up and ran whenever we got out of the car.

We traveled to Roskilde - again - to attend the mission farewells for two of our young women.  That ward is phenomenal.....they have had 5 missionaries leave in the last five months....that is amazing.  And the ward is dynamic, friendly and enthusiastic.  We always enjoy visiting Roskilde.  I love the charming building.  I have sat in that chapel in every season of the year and watched the trees outside bending gracefully in the breezes....today they were bare, but I have seen them budding out, clothed in varying shades of green and in brilliant Fall colors.

It was Fast and Testimony meeting and they opened it for testimonies for the first 25 minutes, and left 5 minutes each for the two young women to give their "farewell" addresses.  But that is the way it is all over the Church these days.  Nothing special, just kind of noting when they are leaving and coming home.

We stayed to the three hour block and then drove 30 minutes to the home of one of the girls where an open house was held for both of them.  It was lovely.  It was a beautiful rainy drive over country roads and through beautiful quaint little towns and green fields (yes they are still green in December). The family must be farmers because their home was in the middle of a large area of land that looked like it had recently harvested hay and rolled it up in whatever you call rolls of hay.  They lived down a long unpaved road.  Like everyone else, we parked in a field.

There was a great crowd there, and a lot of our young people.  We had risengrod again!  Second time in a week....and we hadn't had it before this week.  I am positively in love with it.  They brought great steaming bowls of this white milky rice in....we dished it up hot....topped it with butter, sugar and cinnamon and nuts.  It was so good!

After being there for a proper amount of time we said our good-byes and left.  We got in and started backing up and got stuck!  SK went forward and then backward and the more he tried the more mired in mud we got.  Finally, he had to eat a little humble pie and go in and ask a few of our young strong men to come outside and help us get out of the mud.  I guess all cars here are front-wheel drive, which is why, when the front wheels got mired in....we were stuck!

They came right out and pushed us out.  Benjamin was laughing the whole time....I just had to laugh at him laughing at us.  He loves to tease us, and we enjoy it. We traveled home in the dark.  It is dark now before 4 p.m.

We had time enough for a light dinner before leaving for the church over by the temple to attend the Stake Christmas Concert.  The chapel was full....probably a third of them were missionaries!  Probably a fourth of the special and beautiful musical numbers were by the young missionaries.  There were a many enthusiastic stake members there to partake of the music, and there were some investigators who must have been amply rewarded for taking the time to be there.

Between special musical numbers an emcee had little spiritual thoughts to share...once again SK came through for me and translated.  What a guy!

An Amager Day

Our little branch had their temple day today at 10:00, and considering that it is such a small branch, there was a very nice turnout.  SK worked in the baptistry - and - as he always does, enjoyed being in the temple.

In the afternoon, there was the official Christmas Primary party.  It was delightful.  We colored pictures of ourselves.  SK's was virtually unrecognizable, but then I think he was just trying to color something sensational....it kind of looked like a zombie.

The Jule Man came....he looked suspiciously like our Branch President who is a dear man.  We danced around the Christmas tree and sang wonderful Danish Christmas songs.  The children, and others sat on Jule Man's lap and received a treat.  Then of course, we had Ris Alamande and aebleskiver....yum.

Do you see his wooden shoes?

I loved the Christmas tree....it was decorated with very traditional paper ornaments...little hearts that are woven together out of two pieces of paper, and little paper stars.  At the end of the meeting Ellen, Kasper's grandmother sat in a big deep chair and read a charming little Christmas story book to the children who gathered around her on the floor.  We listened in.  She is a treasure!

We had time to go to our apartment and have a bowl of soup before going to a baptism for a young boy in our branch.  His father baptized him.  He is eleven years old, and has waited until now because he lives with his mother (divorced) and his father only has him part time.  It was touching how very emotional the father was to perform the baptism.

We must have more than a dozen missionaries there, counting the 7 of us who are seniors.  We also had 3 investigators.  One of them came in just as the meeting began and there were no young missionaries there at that moment.  So SK got up and led him to a seat in the front row, and sat down beside him.  (We have met him before....he has been to the center a couple of times and is a very nice young man from Nepal.)  I watched SK through the entire service....he translated for the young man! (He hasn't learned Danish yet, but speaks English.)  I could hear him whispering.

You have to know how much SK has protested doing that.....he has never felt that he was capable, but he is very good at it.  Isn't that marvelous?  Not only is he getting better with vocabulary, but I know his grammar is good, because Danes tell me it is....and I know his pronunciation is good, because at this point, I recognize it

After we got home Sister Hamblin came over and visited for an hour or so....she brought her essential oils and rubbed my sore aching feet.  I thought it was one of the nicest things ever.  They feel pretty good now.....the cobblestone sidewalks - although charming to look at - can be a killer on aging feet.

I made a pan of brownies and a pan of lemon bars for tomorrow....two more missionary farewells and open houses!!!!

Rays of Light

Today was a day in the temple. We have been gone about 9 hours, including the time it takes to get back and forth on the buses.  We wrapped ourselves up in scarves, coats and gloves and stepped outside, only to say "Ooops" as stepped back inside to get the Mary Poppins umbrella.  A steady drizzle dampened everything except our spirits.  SK was being SK and I think I laughed all the way to the temple.

In the temple, I had time to visit another worker....a young woman from Sweden who serves every Friday.  She leaves her home at 8:30, and travels over the bridge to Copenhagen arriving an hour later (on a good day....otherwise it could be an hour and a half).  The bridge costs her about  $40 each way.  She returns home at the end of the day..around 9:00 p.m. so she arrives home probably around 10 or so.

I spoke with her for about 4 or 5 minutes before I realized she wasn't an American.  Her English is flawless.  She also was excellent with the pronunciation of Dutch, French and Spanish names.  She has a full-time job and is busy during the week.  She is my height and slim and graceful.  She has striking blue eyes and dark brown hair (she laughed about that, remarking that she is not a blonde like the stereotypical Swede).

I asked her if she feels blessed for the great sacrifice she makes weekly of time and money to serve in the temple.  She paused for just a few moments as she mulled over her answer and then explained that she has never noticed miracles in her life or actual blessings that specifically come from her service.  Yet, she went on to say that like health you take for granted until it is gone, she knows that life just goes along better when she is sacrificing to be there.  She is certain that it would not be so good if she weren't serving.

What is going on here?  I am 65 years old!!!!! and I expected that I would be a fountain of wisdom by now.  But it seems that I am constantly learning and being inspired by people half a century younger than I.  I am in awe of their steadfastness and wisdom.

As the news gets darker, my hopes for the future get brighter.

Angels Among Us

I don't think Kasper would like being called an angel.  He is a manly young man....after all he has served in the royal guard.  But he is an angel.

He did the shopping for and prepared the meal this evening.  He arrived at the center at 6 and worked furiously for 2 1/2 hours to prepare risengrød, a very special Christmas dish that coincidentally is what you leave out for the Nisse so that they will continue to be nice.

That was dinner....risengrød.  It is rice pudding...but not just any rice pudding.  This is heaven.  He started by bringing water to a boil, then adding beautiful little round kernels of white rice.  After boiling for 2 or 3 minutes, he added marvelous Danish sweet milk.  He brought it to a boil and stirred it for an hour (on and off...mostly on).  He had three pans going at the same time, going from one to another to stir like a man with plates balanced and spinnining on tall sticks.  When it was done, the milk had thickened into a light fluffy pudding.  Kasper added salt and let it sit for a little while, then served it warm with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled over a pat of butter which slowly melted into the creamy mixture.  Ahhhhh.
Not a soul complained....in fact most people came in and took one sniff and excitedly said, "risengrød!"  Everyone had their fill and there was perhaps a gallon left, which we will serve Monday night.  
The point of all this was to start December with a very traditional Danish food, and to save money so that we can spend more on meals the next  two weeks.  I am using the term "we" somewhat loosely here.  This is all Kasper's idea.  He has great plans for next week's meal...glazed ham and brown potatoes (little white potatoes with a carmel-y coating...not too sweet).  He will do the shopping!!!  The Thursday before Christmas will be the traditional holiday meal, pulling out all the stops.
He will begin a three-year course in the culinary arts in January, but he has been cooking for years...he is passionate about it.  
The bottom line is that I didn't shop for the center this week, and I didn't stand in my kitchen or the center kitchen today cooking.  I just sat talking to the YSAs, and enjoying them immensely....and I watched Kasper ...so I can make this wonderful dessert.  He patiently explained everything he was doing and made sure I looked at each stage.
What can I say?....except that he is an angel.

Friends, Fun and Food (What?.....eating again?)

SK has a motto:  "You can eat when you can't do anything else!"  Frankly, I wish I were more like that, but eating is a grand part of life for me.....and a social part as well.

Our day started out with breakfast!!!!!  I normally sit and read while I eat some cereal and that is just great.  I enjoy that.  But this morning, Elder and Sister Middlemas AND SK and I sat down and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast while we visited.  It is so fascinating to hear about the challenges they face, and the faith that keeps them going forward....as well as the many tender mercies in their lives that reinforce their testimonies that the Lord is very aware of them, and has placed them where he needs them.

Today was also a Danish lesson, but it was here at our apartment.  I fixed white chicken chili, which was perfect on a gray and chilly day.  We had Ethan's favorite bakery find of walnut bread and then chopped fruit for dessert with whipped cream.  The five of us (the three ladies from the temple and our teacher, who is also a temple worker) sat around the table here enjoying lunch together (the second great social eating experience of the day) and conversing in Danish (I use the term conversing somewhat loosely).  Afterwards we spent an hour and a half going over the lesson....which is quite intense.  I have already felt like we have learned more in these past three weeks than all the months I sat in the other Danish lessons.

In the evening, the Brookes, the Thornes, the Middlemases, Sister Hamblin and SK and I went to a little cafe on the other side of the Nu Teater, which is a half a block away.  It had all sorts of American fare (Lia, I know you think that is blasphemous...eating American in Denmark) but I must tell you, every single one of us was very happy with our dinner...and that is unusual.  AND it was a great social experience (#3).

We finished the day by watching the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert from 2012 with guest soloist Alfie Bo, and then Tom Brokaw telling the story of the candy bomber from WWII.   So inspiring!

Sharing Something Precious

It feels like Sunday.  I think that is because SK wore a suit all day and I wore a dress, and I wasn’t cooking or cleaning up.  It also felt like a Sunday because I spent a good portion of the day in the chapel being spiritually fed. (There was an hour or so where we were physically fed with a Danish Christmas feast....it was incredible.) 

We left at 9:15 to go to the church over by the temple for Zone conference.  We stayed until it was over at 5:30.  It was a lovely day.  How can it be anything else when you are with a group of young people who are so fun and so good?  Throughout the day, a lot of the young elders were a little more giddy than usual with Christmas coming up.  It is an interesting thing.  Have you ever been in a room where a group of 7 or 8 young men start laughing out loud at something?  I guess it depends entirely upon the situation, but it could be very uncomfortable.

Each time it happened I looked at them and just had to smile.  They were happy….they were enjoying a joke and having a great time.  When they are conducting meetings or training or bearing testimony or simply making a comment related to the topic, I sometimes forget how young they are….just barely out of high school.  They were all in suits and looked so scrubbed and clean.  The young women all looked lovely and like the elders were so happy to all be together for training, for a Christmas feast and for a change from the routine.

We watched two short videos that were wonderful, and then the Assistants and the President spoke to us about them.  This Christmas season our initiative is to share the videos with everyone we meet.  They gave us special pass-along cards that will help.  I think we all came away with a strong sense of the special mission we have to bring people to Christ…who is mighty to save.  This time of year is a wonderful time to share that message.

Go to Christmas.mormon.org and watch “He is the Gift” and if you have 7 minutes and would like to watch a beautiful portrayal of “The Nativity” go to this website:

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-10-067-the-nativity?lang=eng

“The Nativity” made me cry…it was very tender.  We were asked to turn to someone near us and role-play engaging them in a conversation about Christmas and give them a card.  Sister Hamblin began talking to me and I was pretending to be someone not interested.  Then she asked why I thought the Savior was born….I couldn’t answer because my heart had been touched by the video. 

It is so amazing to think that Jesus Christ would come to earth as a helpless infant – to an inexperienced young couple.  I hope someday we will be able to see his childhood the way we watched the video today.  Mary must have been beyond description in her faith and purity and wisdom….Joseph must have been an exceptional father. 

I never tire of the Christmas story.

We all sang Christmas carols together….I love being surrounded by all those strong young voices….singing out with enthusiasm and love for the Savior.  Then a surprise….the last couple of hours we watched “Frozen.”  I was delighted to watch and listen to their reaction to that show.  They laughed at little Olaf and they oohed at the appropriate places.  Where could you find a group of people in their late teens/early twenties who could enjoy a Disney movie with such relish?

We came home with Elder and Sister Middlemas who will stay with us tonight and tomorrow night.  They came into town from a little island called Borneholm which is out in the Baltic Sea somewhere between Denmark and Sweden.  After serving in a ward on Jutland for a year, they were transferred to this little island where Elder Middlemas has been called as the branch president and his wife as the ad hoc relief society president (she just naturally puts people at ease and loves to serve).  They are stalwarts who serve where ever they are called and give their calls great relevance because of their diligence.

Youth and Age

Have I mentioned how much I love this weather?  Three degrees today....it is chilly in the apartment and so I wear a sweatshirt jacket around all the time....which I love.  As I type here in the loft I have the window open and there is a bit of cool air circulating in.  Ahhhh.

Our walk today to and from the center was grand.  There is a huge Christmas tree in Rådhuspladsen, otherwise known as Copenhagen City Hall.  It has to be 40 to 50 feet tall and decorated with white lights and red hearts.  It is just across the street from Tivoli - which is all lit up for the holidays.

Our numbers were smaller this evening at Family Home Evening.  It is most likely from the season of exams etc.  We had about 30 attend a YSA activity in Copenhagen over the weekend and I am sure many were trying to catch up with things after being gone.

I spent some time talking with one of our soon-to-leave missionaries.  She was telling me how much she loves the temple.  She went through for the first time perhaps a month ago.  She has been at least 50 times since.  She goes every day it's open (Wednesday through Saturday) and stays for one session or one session in the baptistry.   

She stays alert, because she imagines the person she is doing the work for and hopes they will accept.  I was deeply touched by her strength and testimony.  She will leave for the MTC  in less than 2 weeks.  This coming Sunday she will speak in Church and then have an open house following the scheduled meetings.  She will share the spotlight with one of her closest friends who will also speak ....and the open house will be for both of them.  They will fly on the same flight to Utah.

I am sure with her enthusiasm and the depth of her testimony, as well as her great love for her family and friends will be a strong base for her missionary work.  I am equally sure that her time in the temple these past weeks will bring sweet blessings.

We also spent time with a dynamic young man who will be attending the temple Friday.  He will go for the first session in the morning and stay until the temple closes in the evening.  He is eagerly anticipating the day and the blessings of being there.

He has much to offer as a missionary, as a member of the Church, and as a friend to other YSAs.  He is well-grounded and strong.

A few years ago, I was called as the Young Women's President and worked with teen girls in what was a sweet challenge and blessing.  I wondered how at my age I could be of any worth....but whether or not I was, there were young women who I came to know and love - who have become family and who are so important in my life.  At the same time I began working in the Mesa temple, where I was the same age as most other workers and younger than many.  It was an interesting time for me.

Here I am again with much younger people and feeling so much admiration and wonder at their steadfastness in a world that doesn't value what they value.  

I feel so blessed to have these experiences that enlarge my soul.