Real Men Don't Eat Pasta Salad!

Actually, they do....but I just couldn't resist that title.

We had a good number of YSAs for dinner this evening...nearly 35, but I don't think we fed over 30.  This is the first time yet, that we overestimated how much food we would need....by a ton!  It may have been partly that people were going other places after Institute or that they ate before they came and weren't that hungry.  We ended up sending cooked hot dogs and pasta salad and cookies home with several...which is fine.  Very few of the young men ate more than one hot dog!...isn't that unusual?

It was a great evening....and the salad we brought home will be good for the branch outing tomorrow.  We are supposed to bring a side dish to share, and ours is already.

Earlier in the day we went to the district meeting held in the church a few blocks from the center. With our Danish class, we have been unable to attend until this week.
There were three sets of elders and one set of sisters.  The meeting lasted one and a half hours.  If you have someone special who is a young missionary, you must know that they are remarkable.  From the opening remarks to the introductions to the rousing rendition of "Called to Serve" in Danish (without accompaniment) at the end of the meeting, I was struck with not only how seriously they all take their missions, but also how much they love them.

After the opening hymn and prayer, they stood and recited D&C 4 in Danish, and then followed that up with their mission statement.  The district leaders taught from "Preach My Gospel," the "Missionary Handbook," and the scriptures.  They checked on how goals are coming, and encouraged everyone to set new goals.  They asked for a commitment to work towards the goals.

One of the APs made a comment about always being tired.  I know that is true.  Both Derek and Lia came home tired...so weary.  I have heard many say that by the end of their missions they were exhausted.

I looked at all those young people and realized they probably are all tired.  They work hard and they obey the rules.  They knock doors, they speak to people on the streets, they strike up conversations on trains and buses.  They give service hours laboring physically for people who are in need of help.  They really are good.  

So now I am trying to memorize section 4 of the D&C...in Danish!  I think attending their meetings is going to be wonderful......but we will have to stretch to keep up with these great young missionaries.

In the Kitchen

This rainy chilly day was a great day to bake! ...and so we did.

First, we did the requisite grocery store shuffle.  We narrowed our shopping down to 3 stores today and still went over budget.  That is always a bit discouraging, but easily remedied right?

Again, we are working on the idea that we may have 50 people there to serve.  It is always, and I mean ALWAYS a bit daunting to get that figured out, fixed and served.  We have been here now for 7 months and in that time have probably fixed 35 meals.  Doesn't it seem to you that I should be used to this?  Well...maybe I am getting there.

SK said today, "Do you know what I think we ought to do when we get home?"....."Open a restaurant!"   Honestly....I didn't think that was a bit funny, but we both laughed.

I don't mind the cooking, but I am always relieved when dinner is over and people have enjoyed it.  It is such a blessing to be with the YSAs ---THAT is the best part of everything at the center.

We spent 5 hours at the center this evening making sugar cookies, working on the salad for tomorrow and cleaning up.  It was 9:45 when we got home and although the sun had set, the sky was still the pale blue of a lingering sunset. This is fascinating.  It begins to get light by 5....I don't know what the offical sunrise time is.  But the days are definitely getting longer.

I had better go to bed while it is still dark!

Good Night.

Hot Dog!

Do you like hot dogs?  I have never been very enamored with them, but every now and then a good hot dog really satisfies.  The second day we were here in Copenhagen, we stopped at a little hot dog stand and had a Danish hot dog with the works.  Boy was it good.

We have also discovered the hot dogs at our favorite grocery store deli.  They are cheap and come with hot dog sauce, ketchup or mustard, and they are pretty good too.

I have been toying with the idea of serving hot dogs at the center, and it looks like this is the week.  All of the circulars from local grocery stores have wieners on sale.   Since we have not purchased and cooked our own hot dogs here, we felt it only reasonable to experiment on ourselves before we serve them at the center.

We started out at a store with a brand we know makes good things, and then made the rounds to all places with good sale prices.  We made some purchases and brought them home.  SK had 3 hot dogs for lunch and 2 for dinner....and I had several too!  We made our decision and while I went to Relief Society, SK went back to the winning store and purchased 70 dogs.  We don't know what exactly is in them for the great price, but do we ever know what is in a hot dog?

So the major decision for the week has been made, and now we'll work around the main "course."  We will have pasta salad and sugar cookies.  At any given time, I have several things I am looking forward to making, but price is the big determiner.  I am waiting for bagels to go on sale so that we can try mini-pizzas!

This evening at Relief Society, we made floedeballer.  These are delightful little confections made on a cookie-like base and dipped in chocolate.  They are a favorite with Danes, and chocolate shops have taken them to heights you can't imagine.

We each made 6.  The filling was made for us, as was the cookie base, so all we had to do was form the filling into a nice little igloo-shaped form atop the cookie and then dip the entire thing in chocolate.  Lucille Ball could have made a wonderful episode with this.  As it was, we had great fun, made a mess, and all came away with our own creations...happy.  Our little branch is wonderful, and the sisters are a joy to spend time with.  Our Relief Society President and her counselors are all so dear and function so beautifully in their callings.

The velvety filling is made from egg whites, and yes, it is like marshmallow fluff, but so much better.

The cookie base is made from marzipan, and if you are ever going to enjoy Danish desserts, you must develop a taste for marzipan.  In my case, I am utterly smitten with that stuff!  It is in cakes and pastries and it is heavenly.

Mine are the 5 on the left.....it was the best they ever looked.  Dipping them in chocolate was something of a disaster since the filling kind of listed to the right then to the left and in some cases fell right off the cookie!

No matter how they looked, they tasted wonderful!

Between the hot dogs and the floedeballer, I think I am pretty much done eating for a month.

Turning Into a Pumpkin

SK and I had time to circle the lake twice along the pathway, study scriptures and spend an hour studying Danish together, and still had time left over from what would have been the time we spent at our Danish course.  It was fun and we both enjoyed it and all of the class members, but it is time to focus more on our mission.

During our walk, we stopped to check on the swan who has been sitting on her nest.  We counted four large eggs.  We stepped a little closer to get a picture, and the swan's mate (we honestly can't tell which one of those magnificent creatures is the male) swam closer to shore, almost as if to challenge us.  I have heard them hiss...a very unpleasant sound, and I am unsure just how the swan protects itself or its nest, but I would rather not find out through experience.

Do you see the mate sneaking up on the right?  A stealth attack.

It was good to begin a new routine that I hope we can continue.  Since our days with the YSAs usually begin at 3, it is nice to have mornings to prepare.  We sit in the loft and go over the lessons in the book.  This morning rather than sunshine streaming through the blinds, we heard the steady patter of rain on the windows.  That and the darkened skies made a lovely backdrop to our study.

We have been at the center now for about 9 hours and will probably be here awhile longer....but since it is about midnight, I may turn into a pumpkin fairly soon.  It has been a very good evening.  Mondays are the night for missionary meetings....the two young sister and the two young elder missionaries come and meet with the YSA missionary committee and discuss what is being done for individuals who are being taught the gospel.  Considering their age, it is inspiring and astonishing to see how everything is conducted with solemnity and a sense of responsibility.  The feeling is very much like Ward Council meetings I have been a part of.

I spent over an hour talking with two young women.  One of them, a convert of about a year was so excited today because a friend of hers in school struck up a conversation about the church.  She told him a little bit about it and invited him to attend the center this week.  She thinks he will probably come on Thursday and she is happy happy happy.  She has told me at other times that her greatest wish is to be able to share the happiness that she has found in the gospel.  When she talks about it, her face lights up and she glows with enthusiasm.

The other one has been a member all of her life and has a very strong and mature testimony.  She said something tonight that made me think.  She said that she has wondered if she has what it would take to sacrifice her life for the gospel.  Then she added that she has wondered if she has what it would take to give her life for the gospel.  The difference is that with one you may suffer for 15 minutes more or less, and with the other you give 80 or more years of your life to live as the Lord wants you to live...which seems to be the more difficult choice. 

I love to hear these quiet and thoughtful declarations of faith. 
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On This Day of Joy and Gladness

We had visitors today in church.  A couple from California came for sacrament meeting before embarking on a Baltic cruise.  I visited with them for a few moments before meeting.  They were staying in a hotel near the church.

They were in their late 50's I would say, and he said that he had been adopted as a baby from Denmark.  He was raised in the states.  I thought it was both interesting and amazing.  I suppose there may be need for adoptions here, but I have never heard of it.  I have heard of Danes going to other countries to pick up children they are adopting.  From all of our observations the Danes love their children and cherish them.  I am guessing that it was a very unusual circumstance that led parents to give their child up for adoption to a foreign couple.

Our sacrament meeting was a very tender one with talks from our Relief Society President and her husband who is a counselor in the Branch Presidency.  They are both such beautiful examples of faith and dedication.  We love and admire each one of them.

She spoke of the scripture from Ether 12:

 27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

Her application was personal but so inspiring.  She told of a particularly trying time in her life... her reaction to the trials, her struggles to handle them well, and the point when they had come to an end. She was kneeling in prayer and had the distinct impression that they needed to go to the temple....that the Lord had a message for her.  They had 3 small children and the nearest temple was in Stockholm Sweden...no easy trip.

But they went as soon as they could arrange things.  They stayed for 2 days.  From the moment they entered, she felt an overwhelming sense of the Savior's love for her, and felt exactly the same every time they went during the two days.  It was an amazing answer to many prayers pleading for help with her sense of inadequacy.

Her husband also gave a talk that touched my heart.  His testimony is well-grounded and comes through in every aspect of his life.  As a couple, they are among the finest people I have ever known.

After such a beautifully spiritual feast this morning, we have spent much-loved time visiting with family.  We marvel that we can talk to and see our family and it doesn't cost a thing!  It helps us so much to see the grandchildren and hear about their lives and especially to touch bases with our children. They lead active and busy lives and it is a comfort that they want us still to be involved with their lives.

Sundays here are sometimes filled with activity and meetings, and sometimes - like today, they are a time of peace and reflection and renewal.

Whatever kind of day each Sabbath turns out to be, it is always a gift.

In Awesome Wonder

Well, of course the very BIG news of today is that Rebekah Grace arrived.  She weighs nine pounds and one ounce and she is a little sweetheart!  We have been so very blessed to Facetime Lia and Peter and have watched little Rebekah smile and have listened to the little noises she makes and watched her cuddle into her mother's arms.

This little one is Lia's second child and second daughter, and our fourteenth grandchild.  She is already much loved and eagerly welcomed into the world.  It seems that Eliza, her older sister by not quite 2 years, has given her approval, and so I think Rebekah has already established herself in the family.

Even after having four of my own, and being present at some of the births of our grandchildren, it is still an utter miracle to see a newborn so perfect with 10 little fingers and 10 tiny little toes, and imagine the potential ahead.  Rebekah is struggling to open her eyes to look around, and is so very responsive to her mother.

Anything else I tell you will be insignificant by comparison, but perhaps a few pictures of Denmark will be a good way to end this post.

Our friends, Elder and Sister Thorne and Sister Hamblin went for a drive last week and took pictures of themselves in large yellow fields.  Elder Thorne said it is a tradition in Denmark for a missionary to get his picture in these fields.  Hey....you can't buck tradition!  So we drove south until we found some "canola" fields.  The internet says that these plants produce bio-fuel and oil and other things.  They were everywhere!!!!!

Don't you love these thatched roofs?

We found this beautiful estate with a castle of sorts and several outlying buildings with ponds and lovely gardens.  As we strolled the grounds, I felt like I was in a Jane Austen novel.

 We also drove through some lovely little villages and beautiful forests.  The beauties of the world around us were most edifying today, but the beauty of little Rebekah eclipses everything!

Walkin' in the Rain.....

One last walk to school and back to turn in our books and formally check out of Danish class was the first order of business.  It rained most of the way, but we were happy and dry under the Mary Poppins umbrella.

We are surprised at the number of people who complain about the rain here!  So far, the thrill has not worn off for us, and I doubt that it will.  How can you not love the sound of the rain, the hush of sounds that are usually raucous in bright sunlight, the mist that hangs low over the water, the splash of footsteps on the sidewalks and cars speeding through puddles?

People look at us as though we are daft when we say that we love the rain.

A walk to the site of the new center was next.  It was in the opposite direction so we got a good walk in.  It looks much the same as it did the last time we saw it, but today we felt like it will actually be the one we will be meeting in, so it was different.  There is hardly any parking around that doesn't cost a small fortune, so that could be a problem.

On the way to the center we passed through one of the busier plazas in the city.  One side enters the walking street, and then other avenues go every direction.  There is a large construction site that looks like it won't be done for several years.  This was a Friday afternoon and it was still very busy.  I wanted you to hear the bells of the city hall.  They chime every 15 minutes .... for those who don't have watches.  Don't laugh.  When it was built many many years ago, few had watches.

Well, this blog is kind of under construction as well.  I didn't quite get the video figured out, but if I do, you will hear the bells.

There are also no grocery stores anywhere around it.  Nearly every time we serve a meal, SK invariably ends up going next door from the center to a little market there.  We plan carefully, but it is impossible to see ahead enough for the strange things.  For instance, yesterday we served soup.  We only have 27 bowls, and rather than buy new bowls before we know we will have a kitchen to serve a meal in, we have been buying plastic bowls to supplement.  I had about 25 in the closet so we didn't buy more.

When we got there, there were no bowls in the cupboard.  Other groups sometimes use the center, and I am guessing that someone else needed them.

We can easily walk to the new site (it is probably about a half a mile), but it could be a real challenge to carry large pans of dessert, a crockpot, large cans of anything and bags of groceries that distance. Depending upon the kitchen facilities there, we may be preparing a lot in the apartment and carrying warm food to the center....and I don't see that happening if we have to walk.

But it will all work out. I am still basking in the glow of knowing that we will have a center come July!