YSA date for the Shurtliff Challenge to the Trolls
Mom being so cold INSIDE that she is wearing gloves!
Kære Familie Monday, February 26, 2018
I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but it seems like we are close to having just 2 months left. Many people are starting to ask about our departure date, and though I would like to keep it a secret, it doesn’t really seem fair to them when they have a right to know and to plan. It doesn’t look like our replacement couple will be here until July, so that will be a problem for the YSA program that they need to prepare for. As far as we know, President has identified a couple to come but they have not received a call yet. He was thinking July – after the month-long holiday month – and it looks like that will be the reality if the church gives them 5-6 months to prepare and get a visa for Denmark. The couple he mentioned is like us, they don’t have any Danish experience. We get lots of entreaties to stay for another 2 years, or to go home for 6 months and come back, or to have all of our family move over here. Any takers on any of those 3 options? It makes us feel good that we are appreciated and they think we have done a good job (the best ever!) but I am sure they say that to all of the missionaries. The next couple will make them forget us pretty quickly. It will be hard to leave (except for the language) especially with a number of weddings shaping up for June and July. We would like to celebrate these special days with them.
Winter has hit with a vengeance that last few days and will continue for the next couple of weeks, it looks like. We are not getting snow, though some is forecast for next week, just bitter cold temperatures. The next few days, highs are 25 and lows are 17-20. With humidity and the winds, it feels extremely cold. I am attaching a picture of our lunch today in our apartment. Mom is eating with gloves on and her hands and nose feel ice cold. She sometimes cannot get warm enough. We felt sorry for a couple of girls last night after a fireside and gave them a ride home in our car, rather than make them wait for busses. I would hate to be biking or contacting outside in this weather.
This has been a crazy week for preparing lessons, etc. I mentioned in one of the vacation messages that I wouldn't have time to look at any more properties until after Monday. The reason was that Thursday night Institute was my turn to teach the lesson again. Then I had a talk in Sacrament meeting on Sunday. I have known about that for 4 weeks, so it should have been mostly prepared, but of course I saved the actual putting it together until this week. A 10-minute talk should not take that long to prepare but I spent a couple of hours on it when I actually sat down to work on it. It was rather nice to have that much notice (i.e. as Haley likes) as I could think about the topic over the weeks and relate pod casts, scriptures, and Institute quotes to it. Maybe that was also a hindrance though, because I had so many notes and things I wanted to include that it was way too much material to sort through. I will attach a copy of the talk, in case you want to read through it. (I still write it out so I can be coherent when I have to pause after every sentence for the translator.) Then on Saturday afternoon at 3:30, just as we got home from our YSA troll hunting activity, the HP group leader called and asked me to teach the HP’s group on Sunday. He has been in the USA traveling and no one assigned a teacher for the week. I am sure he did know that I was also talking in Sacrament meeting. I wanted to say no, but of course I told him I would be happy to. My attitude is usually so bad for things like this and I need to get better, but he did not even know for sure what lesson I should give and asked me to make a call to verify so I did not repeat the one from last month. I just wanted to think about my talk and relax after the busy week it has been. However, I worked on a lesson for a couple of hours right away to get it done and enjoyed the topic and preparation. (The Sabbath Day is a day of worship.) The Ensign had some good ideas that I more or less followed but I found an excellent quote from Sherri Dew and 3 very short video segments that emphasized some of the important points.
Then today (Monday), it was my turn to teach our My Plan lesson before FHE so I worked on that this morning. So, a lot of time spent putting lessons together. I guess I should mention as well, that at FHE at 6:59 pm, mom volunteered me to give the 15-minute spiritual thought, as they did not have one. That obviously did not get any preparation time!
For the Institute lesson, we started out with just our American student. Then after about 10 minutes, a new girl came in. She is from Bolivia and is working as an Au Pair for 2 years. Her English is a little weak compared to the Danes, but she has not learned any Danish yet. In any case, if we could get all the English speakers to come at one time, we would have a class of at least 4, but as you know, there are weeks when we don’t teach at all.
We had 2 come to the My Plan class tonight. Each of them has attended 3 lessons, but it was the first time they had met each other. That shows how crazy attendance has been. 7 people have attended a lesson but we have never had more than 3 in the same week. The lessons are good, so they are missing out on some good material that I think would help them accomplish goals at this stage of their life. It is just low priority for them.
Last Monday, we enlisted ourselves to help with the setting up of the new Ballerup apartment. We went to IKEA to purchase 4 kitchen chairs and 2-night stand lamps (that we hadn’t found on our Saturday used furniture shopping) and then met the Koch's at the apartment. We had to assemble the chairs, move some furniture around and just help with some clean up. Elder Bryner was hanging window blinds for the 2nd or 3rd day and he was exceeding his own allotted time for it and hence had some frustration with the process of getting the apartment ready. The Wheelers arrived Tuesday. We left about 3:00, so we could get to FHE.
We had our monthly stake YSA Council meeting on Wednesday night. President O'Bryant came to this one as well as Sister Ericksen from the RS presidency. Jens Anderson was not there. Gismo conducted and the meeting ran smoother than last month. She did a better job of moving it along so we didn't get bogged down on a topic. Mom updated the group on the budget status, which I hope they appreciate, as we have never worked within a budget before. We started talking about youth with Asperger’s disease or other social issues where they may not be comfortable in the large groups we get out. Apparently, Sister Ericksen’s son is one of those, and Christian Olsen is another, President Olsen's son. She believes it is now getting to be a common problem and we decided it is a topic that all the YSA could learn about so that we are more sensitive to their needs. We addressed stress last year as a monthly theme and had several speakers on it. My rough guess would be that if we did a survey, most of our YSA would list stress, social issues, etc. as factors that they face quite often and must deal with. It comes up in our conversations quite frequently.
President O'Bryant reported on the success of passing out books at the BoM Musical. Since it opened, the #'s have increased every week from 1300, 1400, 1700, and 2300 books last week. He thinks the increases have been because the crowds have increased. That may be part of it, but the missionaries have told us they are getting smarter about their methods with better positioning, etc. I also think positive publicity through the media is helping create some interest. The show’s run has been extended 3 weeks because it has been so successful. I puzzle why people would want to see it, but it seems the Lord is taking a negative event and turning into something good. Before the show started, they ordered and had a lot of books in the office (maybe 10,000) but everyone seemed skeptical they could pass out that many. Now we are coming up short and have started rationing them to 300 per performance. They have ordered 20,000 more books but they can't be printed fast enough and it looks like there may be at least a week where they need to take time off and skip performances all together as they will run out of books. This seems like Denmark is being "flooded" with copies of the BofM in a miraculous way. It would be wonderful if it was resulting in a lot of teaching, but the seeds aren't sprouting yet. They have only taught lessons to two people as a result of the musical so far but have been invited into a few more homes as they have been knocking and the people will say, “Yeah, I saw your show and got a copy of the book”. Each book as a leaflet with our church addresses and a phone # they can call for more information. The call center has been mostly silent – indicative perhaps that accepting the free gift is politeness or curiosity, but not a burning desire to learn more.
Mom mentioned the large turnout for Institute – 51, and that we had 3 university journalist students attend. The Musical has generated a lot of positive press for the church and this visit came out of that I think. They wanted some insight on the local Mormon scene and heard about our weekly Institute gathering from some of the missionaries. 2 of the Journalists went into the Missionary Prep class and ended up being the investigators taught by the YSA as they practiced teaching the plan of Salvation. Thrina Stokholm and Isak Østergaard seemed really excited by how fun it was to teach them. They said they seemed interested and asked some really good questions. It was a way positive experience for these kids that are preparing for their missions. All 3 students stayed around after the lesson for at least 30 minutes talking with various people. It seems like they had a positive experience, and if nothing else, they witnessed a large group of people their ages having fun without smoking and drinking and being engaged in the study of religion (The Book of Mormon in this case).
While mom was at Danish class on Friday, I went to the Taastrup apartment to hang a white board on the wall for the zone leaders. It took about an hour plus the drive time both ways and was pretty successful. The board was about 5'x4' and was quite heavy. I anchored it with 3 angle irons on the bottom and 3 screws through the frame on the top. It was not a cement wall and so drywall anchors will hopefully be enough to support it. The screws for the top were not long enough because the frame was thicker than I remembered, but I found 3 that would work in my tool box. I had to move and raise the middle angle iron once as it was out of line with the 2 sides. I used a new level I had bought with a laser light to line up the bottom of the brackets, so it took me awhile to figure out what went wrong. Then it dawned on me that the laser light shines about a quarter inch above the bottom of the level. Since I was measuring from the middle, the two sides were a quarter inch higher than the middle. Duh!!!!
I end with just an editorial comment about our efforts to find a vacation location. Somewhat painful, agreed? I did not realize we were so opinionated or so different as a family! I have just always assumed that you like whatever I like (why not?). Mom says that is one of my many faults. Thanks to everyone for the time you have invested. I think the vacation will be all that much better because we have all been passionate about it. Since we are not going to my perfect property, it will be great because we have tried to accommodate everyone. Perhaps you should make notes of how we can improve the process and make it simpler for future vacations. We can have a family council about it as we sit under the stars, making s'mores around the fire pit.
Closing thought:
Elder Bruce R. McConkie expressed so clearly: "If we, as a people, keep the commandments of God; if we take the side of the Church on all issues, both religious and political; if we take the Holy Spirit for our guide; if we give heed to the words of the apostles and prophets who minister among us—then, from an eternal standpoint, all things will work together for our good." (April Conference, 1980)
Love, Dad.
Kære familie, 26 February 2018
We probably have all dreamed of the perfect Sunday—maybe it is a peaceful morning where you study the scriptures, listen to good music, meditate, arrive to church early to enjoy the prelude music, listen to good talks in sacrament meeting and uplifting and inspiring lessons, maybe have family time after church, or do genealogy, or visit the sick and needy, write letters to missionaries😊. But in reality, the Sabbath Day doesn’t often look like your ideal Sunday. In reality, the Sabbath Day can only be what we make of it, regardless of the demands on our time, the chaos at home, or whether or not you can hear any of the sacrament meeting talks. We can worship the Lord whether we are playing with the children in nursery, traveling to meetings, or fixing dinner for a hungry brood after a late meeting block. The Sabbath Day looks different when you have a young family, or a family of teenagers, or are empty-nesters. But it can still be a day of worship, a day of delight, a day of gladness, and a day of service—just ask any of you who have spent the Sabbath Day mucking out houses after a flood in Houston.
My Sabbath yesterday was a busy one, and I was exhausted at the end of it. But it was the kind of exhaustion that brought me joy and gladness. It was a day when I could see the Hand of the Lord in my life, and one where I felt I was fulfilling my purpose. After some great couple study and scripture time, I began preparing 4 lasagnas for our fireside dinner. I felt it was with ‘simpleness of heart,’ but that may or may not be how someone else looks at it. I listened to several articles in the Ensign while I worked. With the lasagnas prepared, Dad loaded them in the car (which is like a refrigerator at 26˚ F outside), and I knew I didn’t need to think about it again until it was time to pop them in the oven much later. After church, I made Rice Krispie Treats and Unbaked Cookies (gluten free), for a dessert. They, too, could be set aside until after the fireside. Dad made a green salad, and I had bought prepared garlic bread loaves which just needed to be heated. The hardest part was making sure I had packed and loaded everything I would need for the dinner into the car because we would not be coming home again until after the fireside. I made the desserts while Dad napped; and he made the salad and set up tables while I practiced the piano—I am accompanying the stake choir again for stake conference. Before that I played for ward choir practice and listened to great talks in church, including one by Dad which was exceptional—probably because it was the one I understood the best j/k. I am always inspired by music and feel that is a big part of my worship on Sunday. As a result, I really LOVE playing in Primary where I am taught the gospel in the simple words of the Primary Songs. We had an excellent turn-out for our fireside—36 YSA, including a couple of inactive YSA, one whom I had never met, and several who only come sporadically. The speaker engaged the YSA while she talked about love. It was a great evening that went on well past the speaker finished as the YSA mingled and visited. That gave us a chance to finish cleaning the kitchen and visit with the YSA’s who popped in to help or just to talk. I came home tired but fulfilled. Doesn’t that sound like the perfect Sabbath Day? What is so great is that each Sabbath Day is different—each one brings different opportunities, different people to meet and serve, and different ways to worship and fill our spiritual wells with oil.
The dinners and FHE refreshments were organized for all of January and the first week in February. But nothing has been organized since then. It really takes someone going around to individuals and shoving a sign-up sheet in front of them and saying, ‘Which meal do you want to prepare?” When we leave a sign-up sheet on the white board, no one ever signs up. So, this week I have done a lot of food preparation—beginning with a Mexican layer dip for Monday, sweet and sour chicken for Thursday, sandwiches on Saturday and lasagna on Sunday—and, of course, dessert for the last three meals. It is not just the making of the food that is so time-consuming, it is the shopping. I honestly don’t remember all the stores I went to last week, nor the number of shopping trips. But it all worked out. Sometimes I don’t even know that I am doing food until the last minute. On Wednesday night (late), for example, I got a text message from one of the YSA’s that they would do food for Thursday. I had already planned and shopped for dinner, and in fact, had just finished cutting up 3 kilos of chicken into bite-sized pieces and putting them to marinate overnight. But, I thought, I can just cook them tomorrow and freeze them for another time. But on Thursday, just after I had come home from language class, I received a text saying that the YSA wouldn’t be able to do dinner after all. I was really glad that I already had something in the works, although I still needed to pick up some things from the store. I would have done that on the way home from language class, but now I had to do it as I walked to the center—with an already full cart of food. But it turned out fine and we fed a lot more people than usual—almost 30. In fact, we had 51 people, including us, at institute that night (some come after dinner, just in time for the lesson). We had 4 missionaries, 3 non-member journalist students who wanted to see what the young people do in our church, 5 other investigators, as well as some inactive YSA that we don’t see often. I had made two fruit pizzas for dessert and had to cut them into very small pieces. We did have enough dinner, however—one serving left, which Dad ate for lunch the next day.
The activity on Saturday was in connection with ‘The Shurtliff Challenge.’ This was a ‘date’ activity where you could join with other couples and have a free date. The ‘date’ was to find the wooden trolls—the treasure hunt trolls that I spoke about nearly a year ago. Most of the YSA’s had never heard of them. We went to one location where there are two trolls close enough together where you can walk. It didn’t turn out quite as expected as we only had two couples who had actually arranged a date for the event. Everyone else just showed up—free food? Fun? Something to do on a Saturday—in 32˚ temperatures? We had 4 girls and 9 boys—15 with us. I had made ‘sack lunches’ for 25 people but all the food got eaten anyway—except one sandwich, which Dad ate for lunch yesterday…. We met at noon, walked to the first troll where some started eating their sandwich. It was so cold, you didn’t really want to take your gloves off. But the sun was shining—a beautiful day, actually, for Copenhagen in February. The second troll required a longer walk and we even climbed a hill through brambles and trees to get to it. By then, we had warmed up a lot—my hands were no longer cold (in my gloves) and Dad was regretting the 3rd layer he decided to wear. The kids had a lot of fun—a lot of joking and teasing—for instance we asked our non-member YSA who joined us if he wanted to be baptized right then. We were looking at a lake that was iced over in many places. We were all laying on a hill where we had just taken a picture by some little yellow flowers—the hope of spring—and the kibitzing began. One young man decided to climb a tree which was also good for a laugh. I really think they just enjoy being together, which is what it is all about—good, wholesome fun. They completely finished my double batch of chocolate chip cookies.
I went to the Family History Center again on Tuesday afternoon. This time I got some real help. The sister that helped me had served a 2-year mission at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. She is an expert on Danish/Scandinavian genealogy. She resolved all my concerns—but did it a bit too fast for me so I’m not sure how it all happened. We looked at a lot of documents before we finally determined that one of my names was a sister and not a daughter. It did not negate any of the work I had already done for that name, but now I will be able to seal her to the right parents. We printed off cards for the parents to have their temple work done and then I can do the sealings. The sister also resolved a duplicate name that was keeping me from finishing some work on one family line. All-in-all, it was two hours well spent. I want to go back again when the Polish/German specialist is there and discover more family.
The Prince Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark, died two weeks ago. I’ve been curious about the reaction of the Danish people. There were times when he wasn’t so popular—wanting to be called King because he was married to Queen Margretha but having to settle for the title of Prince. He was a French count before he married the then Princess Margretha, heir to the throne. The Danish constitution was changed in her lifetime, just so that a female could become the head of the Royal Family. There wasn’t a direct male heir, so the crown would have been passed to a cousin 3 times removed, or some such, who was not a very desirable choice. King Fredrik IX had only 3 daughters. She is the second longest reigning magistrate in Denmark—46 years. Her husband was 83 years old and died of complications due to pneumonia. He was also criticized because it took him so long to learn Danish and he never learned it very well. We have been learning about Danish politics in our language class which I find fascinating (much more so than our last unit on the drinking culture in Denmark?!?!?) We watched a documentary on Queen Margretha and Prince Henrik and their life together. His father warned him that by marrying the Princess, heir to a throne, he was choosing a very public life and it was certainly that. Several years after their marriage he asked for his own money—an allowance, if you will, and the parliament passed a law where he would get 1/10 the amount of money given to the queen each year. It was significant enough that he was happy. He said that he wasn’t even able to go to a store and buy his own cigarettes. The queen gets about 13 million dollars a year, so Henrik got a little over 1 million dollars—not bad for not having to work, except for making public appearances. The Prince Consort lay in state for people to come pay their respects, and then last week there was a private funeral. He was cremated as he refused to be buried next to his wife who will be entombed in Roskilde Cathedral along with other Danish monarchy. The press did soften towards the Prince late in his life when he was diagnosed with dementia. –Just a bit of Danish trivia.
Med kærlighed, Mom
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