Twas a dark and Stormy night and the moon was shining bright...

Twas a dark and stormy night...and the moon was shining bright
And somebody said, "Jack, my boy, tell me a story--and this is the story he told.

I think it all started when someone jumped into the icy Odense harbor

and swam through the dark waters of the sea.

Some called him a "Sea Man". Someday he was going to be the captain of a great ship.

Then he started lurking in the shadows near our house. He even helped us cook unusual foods at the center. Maybe there was something in the food.

His dark shadow could be found everywhere. He had great power and influence.

Even the horses loved him. I know that he fed them strange food.

Last Tuesday night we planned a nice, quiet Family Home Evening at the Odense Young Adult Center. I made ordinary food but when I began to serve it...it became:

1. Spider potatoes,

2. bloody vampire bat wings,

3. goblin drumstick bones,

4. mummy dogs,

5. and swamp salad

Instead of singing normal hymns, we all joined together to sing "My Darling Frankenstein" to the tune of "Oh My Darling Clemintine."

When we uncovered our favorite Rice Krispie Treats, a ghost was dancing on the top.

Some tasted the ghost and found it to be sweet and delicious.

We sang another spooky song called "Have you seen the Ghost of John?"

There was a chill in the air. (Click on the song so that you can sing it with us)

Loise was in charge of the Family Night lesson. She began to tell us about an ancient celebration called "Halloween." Some one was watching her .. was it the ice man from the harbor? It was a dark and stormy night. Mark just kept smiling.

Then I was going to give a spiritual thought, but it turned into a dark tale of a skeleton woman that got so cold and hungry that she ate herself and tried to eat her husband.

I felt the breath of someone dark .. breathing on my neck. (pause here)

I turned and saw..."The Grim Reaper !" He was dressed all in black, with a dark veil over his head. His robe looked suspisciously like black bed sheets. They were tied at the waist with a sailor's knot. (How interesting)

Our Family Home Evening took a turn for the worse when he began to tell a scary tale in a strange new language- Greenlandic Danish. We were chilled to the bone when a giant professional wrestling monster jumped through the kitchen door.

In a frenzy, we all ran to the pumpkin room in our center. (Most Outreach centers do not have a pumpkin room). We didn't know what to do.

Many grabbed knives and began to stab each juicy pumpkin.

For hours they scooped out seeds and chiseled faces in the pumpkins.

It was a gruesome sight...on this dark and stormy night. (And of course, the moon was shining bright).

Elder Francis couldn't stop carving. Every little cut had to be deep and sharp. Over and over again he stabbed the pumpkin. Paul just sat there trembling.

Allen could hear a wolf howling through the woods as he cut deep into the flesh of his pumpkin head.

Asker tried to warn us about the dangers of using sharp knives on Halloween but we just kept cutting.

Hours went by and the group was getting restless.

They were starving. They found a tub of apples floating in sea water.

Was the grim reaper trying to drown our hungry guests?

He challenged them to grab an apple before it was too late. They could only use their teeth. No hands were allowed. (He must be trying to drowned them).

Time stood still, as they frantically grabbed apples from the chilly waters. (I think that I have used the word "Frantically" too many times)...but they were very hungry.

The grim reaper was hungry too. Who could survive this terrible tale?

Mighty Asker saved the night and the grim reaper went down in defeat.

The dreadful night was almost over. The Grim Reaper tempted Elder Francis to eat one last apple. I still think there was something about the food.

The grim reaper looked on, as Rene lit the pumpkin faces. We ended the night judging each pumpkin. One was the most scary, one was the most cheerful, one was the most creative, one was the most Danish, one was the most well lit, and another was the most "Martha Stewart." (although few people know who Martha Stewart is here).

After that, all was well at the center. Asker, our hero saved the day. . or did he?

We don't know where the grim reaper went that night- Maybe back to the deep, dark harbor. But after the lights were turned out, and we were ready to go home, the pumpkin heads began to glow brighter, and brighter, and some say that some of us are still using sharp knives and eating crisp, juicy apples dipped in sea water.

It was a dark and stormy night, and the moon was shining bright,

and somebody said, "Jack, my boy, tell me a story" and THAT WAS THE STORY HE TOLD.

It was just an ordinary day-Our Scary Mission in Odense

It was just an ordinary day. We were all gathered for an ordinary picture at Zone Conference. Maybe there were too many flash cameras, maybe we had too many object lessons or maybe it was just the weather but..

Our mission on this side of Denmark began to act a bit strange...
(click on the picture for a better view)

We were down right spooky. No one knew why. It was the beginning of a very long season of unexplained events.

Our Elders replaced the Mormon Tabernacle Choir with rock music.

Elder Francis kept showing us his muscles in the middle of a basketball game.

(A clue to the problem may be the man in black with the guitar...more about that later).

Missionaries met in dark rooms... Having too much fun.

The sky clouded over and our cat began to howl at the moon...during the day.

Out in the corner of our backyard someone began to dig.. what looked

like a grave.

He used an old, rusty red shovel. Day after day he came. The hole grew bigger and bigger. What was he trying to bury?

People came from far and wide to see what was happening in our backyard.

Our neighbor revealed that he was digging a lake...It will be the newest, smallest, greatest lake in Denmark. I think that we will get a boat, and a beach umbrella. We are about to have beach front property in our backyard. (now back to my story...wouldn't want to get side tracked)

Day by day, we have noticed other very odd things in the land of Odense. Hans Christian Andersen still haunts this city. Many years ago, he began to cut out paper dolls to tell his stories. Some were pretty dark and spooky.

Every where you look you can find his smiling, diabolicle sunshiny face..a face that he cut with sharp scissors in the middle of the night.

If you were to fly over our house (or google map search) you would discover a mysterious field where they say Hans Christian Andersen still cuts giant smiling faces. He haunts our neighborhood only a few blocks away in a strange garden that can only be seen from the sky.

There have been other odd, mysterious things happening in our little country cottage. Every so often, my gold ring slips off my finger and is lost for days. One morning, I poured some Wheaties into my cereal bowl. There in the bowl was my missing ring.

The other night, I was tossing potatoes in their sauce (for our spooky Halloween Family Home Evening). I left the room for a moment to answer the door. JJ, our friend and neighbor, came to visit. He looked into the scalloped potatoes that I was almost ready to put in the oven, and found my lost gold ring.

Things have gone a little crazy around here lately. Our horses have begun to dance in the fields.

...and our cat (her real owner is the man building the lake) is climbing in strange places chasing imaginary friends around our house. A few weeks ago she jumped through our window with a little black field mouse in her mouth.

We have seen a wild hedge hog lurking around our front door and dangerous circus camels grazing in the middle of town. We are haunted with wild danish beasts.

Have you ever heard of Danish Modern Furniture? Odense has a style of its own...exotic porcelan patio chairs..

...with matching porcelan flower pots. How would you like to have the last picnic before the snow, in this tidy little surprise cottage on the edge of a reindeer farm. (I wonder what Alfred Hitchcock would do with this little piece of real estate)

Some say, in the last few months we have had familiar friends fly in from another world. They flew into our lives for just a few moments and then they were gone. Here is an old photo of Scott when he was a little boy with his yellow plane birthday cake. And here is Scott and Kathy flying into Denmark on a Tivoli airplane. (an interesting coincidence)

There were sightings of Kathy sitting in a tiny Tivoli wagon in the middle of Copenhagen.

And then someone saw Scott in his own Tivoli wagon on the same cobblestone road.

Could this be Kathy in a giant apple lounging in our huge Bilka store in Odense.

There is a dark forrest not far from where we live. Some say Kathy, Carl, and Scott were seen riding through the forrest on little wooden horses.

The last time Kathy was spotted was by this cold, dead body right in the middle of town square. As I said before, this is a spooky time to live in the middle of Denmark. Someone once told us that Odense is more dangerous than New York City. This may be evidence that this is so.

Not long after Kathy and Scott left, we think we saw our good friends Niki and Dennis Larson looking all over Denmark for their lost luggage.

It was Dennis's Birthday. Doesn't he look a little scary. I think his spirit is still haunting the airport, whispering, "give me back my luggage."

The forrest is empty now, waiting for the snow.

Elder Wilberg still rides through the woods on his little wooden horse, looking for the ghosts of summer's past. What a spooky story this has been.

Other than that, things are pretty much back to normal here in our Fairy Tale Town.. but a mission is always full of surprises.

Beware of the next post.. there you will meet the Grim Reaper and see what they do with knives for Halloween in Denmark. Don't be afraid..they say Denmark is the Happiest country in the world. You will find out if this is true in our next haunted post. See you there !

The Story of Paul- Li Cong- from the best learning center in Odense, Denmark

Summer has come to an end and fall has filled the Hans Christian Andersen Saturday market with pumpkins and sun flowers.

We are on our way to the cold side of Denmark. Rain and wind howl through the colorful trees. I need to catch a few pictures before the leaves are gone. Even the ivy on the old brick buildings has turned to red and gold. We still have some little pots of porch flowers on the cobblestone walks.

About two months ago we met a young man from southern China. He had been in Denmark for only two or three months. His Chinese name is

Li Cong but here in Denmark, he likes to be called "Paul."

Paul was taught some fine principles at an early age. His parents taught him to be respectful and kind. He comes from a city where people are friendly and love to talk. He felt very lonely here because he didn't speak Danish.

Paul's grandmother is a devout Budhist. She prays for hours daily and is a spiritual leader and guide of his family. The whole family lives in the beautiful city of Fuzhou.. a harbor city with manicured gardens, fountains, and temples. In a country where there is a high price to pay for more than one child in the family, Paul is an only child..a precious son. There are many new things that we have learned from Paul, and many new things that he has learned from us.

Paul learned about God from his Grandmother. I had the privilege of introducing Paul to Jesus Christ..for the first time. I started with the humble birth of the Savior. We felt the spirit of Christmas in the middle of August.

This is a map of Paul's home town. He misses his home, and sometimes finds life in Denmark to be full of stumbling blocks.

Paul's family taught him how to pray- sweet, sincere prayers. He has been struggling with high tuition fees and did not want to face his teacher on the first day of school. He prayed that his teacher wouldn't be there that day.

Surprisingly, he was not. Paul was thrilled. He thought his prayer had been answered. That night, when the Elders taught him (in our Outreach Center Basement) Paul thought maybe he would pray that his "tuition- seeking" teacher would (maybe) go to the hospital instead of being healthy enough to attend class. We suggested that his prayers should be directed toward solving his tuition problem, not getting rid of the teacher.

Paul has learned to love the teachings of Jesus Christ. He comes to the center almost every day with questions and a soft heart. His parents taught him long before he came here- not to drink or smoke.

He loves to play basketball. On Saturdays, he, the Elders, and all kinds of guys (from China, India, Africa, and Denmark) gather down by the harbor to play.

He has come to our house for "friendship Family Nights" with candle lit dinners and American Football in our backyard.

Here are Elder Francis (from Pleasant Grove-Utah),

Paul(from the Fuljan province of China),

Elder Valgren (from Denmark),

and JJ (from Greenland)--- after a night of American football.

Paul asked if he could introduce us to Chines food from his hometown...by cooking for us at the center. We went shopping with him at our local Asian Markets to pick up won ton wrappers, ground pork, green onions, dried, clear chinese seaweed flowers, sweet chunks of colored sugar, lots of ginger, and all kinds of unusual ingredients--including a "secret" spice" that he brought from China. We gathered in our Relief Society kitchen upstairs.

Our downstairs kitchen was way to small for this project.

Elder Wilberg, Paul, Elder Clayton, and JJ all learned from Paul, how to make real won ton soup, and icy cold seaweed flower soup dessert with liche nuts and peanuts. I made Chinese (American) Chicken salad topped with fried won ton strips. (I'll add the recipe later) This meal took many hours.

When our family night group gathered for dinner that night they tasted and smelled many new and unusual flavors from China. Thank you Paul, for bringing China to Odense.

A few weeks ago, Paul decided that he wanted to be baptized. We were out of town when the Elders called us with the good news. When they asked him who he wanted to baptize him--He said, "Sister Wilberg" would be his first choice.

It was a great compliment but Paul needed someone who had Priesthood authority to do this important work.

We have been studying about modern day prophets during the summer.

Paul has enjoyed hearing about them. When he was asked who he wanted to speak at his baptism, he replied " Thomas S. Monson" would be his first choice. But President Monson was not able to come.

Paul's favorite church song is "Follow the Prophet". We sang all nine verses at the center for Family Home Evening last month. He took home three copies of the song to share with his Chinese and Indian roommates. He said that he wants to sing it in the shower and on his bike on the way to school. (If you click on the lyrics you can sing it too..it will stay in your head all day.)

You might try clicking on the second page to find a new verse and chorus designed especially for Jonah... and sing "Swallow the prophet, Swallow the Prophet, Swallow the prophet, don't go astray.."

About three weeks ago, Paul was baptized. JJ (a member for six months, from Greenland) baptized him. This was JJ's first baptism as a Priesthood holder. His little sister (left) and his mother on the right, who had never been to any Mormon church, were visiting from Greenland. His mother proudly watched her son, all dressed in white, having Priesthood authority- baptize Paul and celebrate this great occasion.

Elders Valgreen, Clayton, Paul, JJ, and Elders Barnard, and Francis.. all gather for a traditional picture in the front hall in the Odense Church Building. They all have enjoyed teaching and learning from Paul during these past weeks.

Elder Clayton, one of Paul's best friends, spoke about "Baptism" during the meeting. JJ, and Elder's Barnard, Francis, and Clayton sang a children's song about baptism.

Elder Barnard spoke to Paul about the gift of the Holy Ghost.

After Paul was baptized, he also spoke. He told us how much he appreciated Jesus Christ and he gave thanks for the many things that he had learned in the past few months. We are so happy to have Paul as our friend and new member here at the center.

Thank you, Paul for giving us the opportunity to teach you. These Elders will never forget this event. We are looking forward to tomorrow, when you will receive the Priesthood for the first time.

Elder Barnard and Clayton ordered an English, Chinese Bible as a gift for Paul from America.

Sister Hatton, Sister Davis, Sister Carroll, the Elders and friends enjoyed the day with Paul.

JJ gave Paul a little keychain with the Name of Jesus engraved on it. He also gave him a card that records the meaning of the name "Paul."

"Paul" is an Israeli name that means- "small one, lively, happy, a positive person, a person who will light up your day...Paul is a name to be proud of."

This is a pretty good description of this good young man.

Elder Clayton and Elder Barnard were transferred from Odense only days before Paul was baptized. They were the Elders who spent the most time with him, preparing him for this important day. They were able to return for Paul's baptism. We all miss them. They gave us their all while they were here.

Paul, "Li Cong" has been an amazing student and friend during these past few months. I have had an opportunity to teach him, in English, many things, from the stories of Jesus, to Joseph Smith finding the golden plates in the Hill Cumorah. The two of us have begun an "Introduction to the Book of Mormon" class with two students who read together every night..

the two students are Paul and me. I think it is the smallest Institute class in the world. Thank you, Paul for bringing your soft, honest heart to the best learning center in Odense..in the basement of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Activities for Young Adults- out of small things

What did we do during the "sol-skin" summer exodus from the Outreach center?

We optimistically chose a summer theme-
"Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work, and out of small things proceedeth that which is great."

--D&C 64:33

Picture: Mads Held and Maria Frederiksen at our Mission Zone Conference on their summer mini-mission with our full time Elders and Sisters.

These are some of our summer "Small Things":

1. We had many Friendship Family Nights- We met anytime during the week. This is a time when we invite two or three people to the center, in our home, at the park, or even at their home, to sing a song, pray, have a message, and play games. Many of these friendship family nights have been filled with people from all over the world. Family Night is a great time to "gather Israel."

2. We had our first International Night. We invited all the single Filipino's in Odense (and all of our young adults) for a great Philippine meal..

Picture: Missie (a new member) and a friend.

for Karaoke with the Elders and Sisters.. (great success).

For raw egg tossing, grape passing with a spoon in your mouth, and a potato sack race (with black garbage bags) and the old movie "the Music Man".

That invitation brought fifteen enthusiastic Filipino nannies that gathered at the center with the Elders and Sister Missionaries. There were two members and the rest were wonderful visitors.

3. We taught a guest class on gospel basics on Sundays.. To teach English speaking visitors who came to Odense for their summer vacation or students from all over the world who were interested in learning about the gospel. We have spent a month getting acquainted with Paul from Northern China. What a great opportunity we have had learning about China from Paul, and sharing the gospel in English with him. He plans to be baptized in the middle of September. Our summer has been enriched by this great young man who is full of questions. More about him later.

4. We started a "Live and Learn" blog for the center: to teach anyone out in cyberspace about the Prophets of the Church, and to let our traveling students know what was going on at the center during the summer. All through the summer we told stories about the latter-day Prophets (during each family night) and served food that each President would have eaten during their time in office. (Our new blog: wildmountainactivities.blogspot.com) This fall we will begin to teach on the blog and at the center an "Introduction to the Book of Mormon" class.

5. We celebrated Family Home Evening and St Hans night: at our little cottage, with a bonfire and then floated little paper lanterns (hot air balloons) up in the sky, with messages written on them about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Small Family nights are great at our home, for young adults who like to come over one by one. Many are looking for a comfortable, peaceful place to visit, especially if they are alone in the city. This could even be a breakfast, or lunch visit and message.

6. We went to and wrote about Fest I Nord 2009- Young Adults traveled miles to come to this annual event. These girls drove 30 hours from Estonia to come to Randers, Denmark. One of them was a new member of the church. They spoke perfect English. It was a pleasure to pick up Rander's Garbage with them. I wrote a full report on Fest I Nord 2009 with many pictures.. including the spiritual talks given to us during our evening firesides. Just scroll down to visit these posts. It was an amazing experience.

6. We met family members who came to visit our great students: We have learned about Qaqoroq, Greenland from JJ and his sister who came to visit our center. We have looked through books about Greenland with them, tasted dried seal, talked about what it was like to grow up in Greenland. We enjoy this little connection that we have with students from all over the world. We visit with our friend and neighbor, JJ almost every night at the end of his school day.

Pictures: Emil and Asker hugging at the end of their school year, Asker and his cousin, Jonathon and his girlfriend during the summer.

There is a little poem written in 1845 (about the time the Mormon Pioneers were making plans to move west). It describes our "sol-skin" days here in Odense...and how little summer choices can direct our lives.

Little Drops of Water

by Julia A. Fletcher Carney in 1845

Little drops of water,

Little grains of sand,

Makes the mighty ocean,

And a beauteous land.

So the little moments,

Humble though they be,

Make the mighty ages

of eternity.

So our little errors

Lead the soul away

From the path of virtue

Far in sin to stray.

Little deeds of Kindness,

Little words of love,

Help to make earth happy

Like the heaven above.

I am so grateful for the little moments that filled our summer with

"sol-skin, blessed sol-skin, when the happy, cheerful moments roll.

When Jesus shows his smiling face,

There is "sol-skin" in my soul."

Who knows what the fall will bring- maybe the evening stars will return to Odense. Life here in Denmark is always a surprise.

Picture: The Odense building as it looks at the end of our day.. about 10:00 to 10:30 at night. September darkness has replaced our midsummer night sunsets.

Our "Sol-skin" Danish Summer

There is a song that Mormons love to sing when the sun comes out in Denmark. Here is the English/Danish version of the first line:

"There is solskin (soul-skin) in our souls today..." ("solskin" means sunshine)

Then the cheerful chorus:

" Oh there's sol-skin, blessed sol-skin,
Where the happy, cheerful moments roll,
When Jesus shows his smiling face,
There is sol-skin in the soul."

-- Pictures: Summer on the grass in front of the Hans Christian Andersen Museum
Something happens to Danes in the summer. "Sol-skin" really does get under their skin.
When the sun comes out, they leave all their cares behind and begin a well desrved holiday.

--Pictures: Family night at the Jensen's and Isabella graduates, standing with Michael, her cousin just returned from a mission to England.

Some are so moved by the sun that we probably won't see them until the first snow.

--Picture: wonderful old home in awsome Aasum (oh-some) near our home in Odense.

In our wards (Odense 1 and Odense 2) - some have opened their little cottages by the sea.


--Pictures: Home across from the Odense Chapel, Kaertemine Acquarium, and water near the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen.

Others retreat to their little garden cabins only a few miles from their homes in Odense. These cabins often have no electricity, or phones. This is Etta's strawberry cottage. She rides her bike here almost every day to weed her strawberry garden and pick lovely little fresh strawberries to share with friends. (I have written about her before..she is a very young 85 years old.)

--Pictures: Etta took us to her little cottage. The inside is full of sculptures, drawings and paintings. In the left corner of the picture is a drawing that she made of the cabin. She is quite a lady.

This manicured yellow cottage is across the lane from Etta's cabin. The small rock garden is near the Hans Christian Andersen museum. What would "sol-skin" be without flowers ?

Our young adults have done all kinds of exotic things during the "sol-skin" months.

Julie found a cool retreat in Iceland.

--Picture: Julie and Kiddy Bardardottir

Isabella went to India where she worked in an orphanage and taught young children some reading skills.

JJ (from Greenland) was baptized four months ago and then went on an internship out to sea for three months on the Clementine Maersk. He wants to become a captain of a ship someday.

This summer he traveled to China, South Korea, Malasia, Holland, England, and Germany.

In his spare time he takes missionaries out on the Svendborg Sound not far from Odense.

--Pictures: JJ, Sister Hatton, Elder Clayton, Sister Reed, Elder Barnard, Sister Burton

with Sister Roberts at sunset.

JJ has become our next door neighbor while he continues his education.

What a privilege it is to live next door to such an inspiring young man.

--Picture: Elder Clayton and JJ at the Young Adult Center

Some families enjoyed their "sol-skin" months at home. Bishop Held tore his achilles tendon while playing frisbee with his boys. He has been on crutches all summer.

--Pictures: Mads, Sofie, Lene (Mom), Keith (Bishop), and Emil in front of their great old farmhouse. Emil and Mads at a summer event,Emil and a friend studying at Chef School.

Both Emil and Mads served as "Mini-missionaries" during the summer. They lived and worked with the missionaries for a week. They also attended a youth conference in Denmark. One of their helping hands days was spent cutting down some noxious weeds in the community. This proved to be harmful to the skin as well. It took a while for their rash and cuts to heal.

The summer "Sol-skin days" are full of surprises.

Some of our students and ward members never left Odense- but their minds and hearts took a long vacation from Church. May was "I'm too busy studying" month. June was "I have final exams"month.

July was "I'm on a holiday to recover from exams" month. August was "this is our last chance to relax before school starts" month.

--Pictures: tour boat and ducks along the Odense River that goes down the center of

town.

Summer is over and we have had about a week of September wind and rain. I think that the sol-skin virus is almost over in Odense. I am looking forward to the colorful stormy days of fall...with lots of hot soup and students coming back home to the Young Adult Center.

Picture : Julie riding one of her family's beautiful black horses that sometimes graze in our backyard.

Fest I Nord 2009- Goldfinger and Candlelight

On March 1, 1846 Brigham Young, the second latter-day prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, instructed the weary pioneers camped in the middle of Iowa, to build a large campfire and clear away the snow. He then told them, "I want you to sing and dance and forget your troubles." Everyone, old and young, danced to the music and calls of the fiddler. He later wrote, "If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving."

--D&C 136: 28



We have been dancing and singing ever since.



On July 31, 2009, the young single adults in Randers, Denmark gathered to celebrate their last night of Fest I Nord with a James Bond Extravaganza.


They dined and danced to the vintage 1950's tunes of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

It was an International Grand Ball. That night we stepped into the world of James Bond.

The last night of Fest I Nord began in the afternoon. A beauty parlor appeared in one of the classrooms for make up and fancy hair do's.

Here is Jolene ready for the ball.

This was a night for formal attire--

gowns, bow ties, tuxedos,...

And lots of flowers.

Balls of light were hung accross the ceiling of the ballroom. Dates and party goers gathered in the halls.

A red carpet welcomed the honored guests... with large candleabras with tall tapered candles.

Hours were spent setting every table with porcelan plates, folded napkins, stem glasses and polished silverware. Diamonds and glitter were scattered down each table with candles lighting the room.

A James Bond car appeared and the guests followed the red carpet into the hall.

Everyone was given a cocktail of bubbly 7-up as they entered the dance. (in real glass cocktail glasses)

Lennie and Rene became a James Bond Poster.

The room was filled with beautiful gowns, lights and a line of James Bond Guests.

Anne Fredericksen arrives on the red carpet with her happy date..along with guest from Copenhagen.

If you look at the ribbons on everyone's wrists you will be able to tell where they all came from. (or at least where they are going to school) Remember red stands for Denmark, yellow for Sweden, Blue for Norway, orange for Finland, and green for all other countries. James Bond would have been proud of this international guest list. There must have been some spies among us... We know that there was royalty. All of the Fest I Nord guests were from a "Royal Generation" ...members of the House of Israel. It was an impressive gathering.

The dinner began with a shrimp, chicken salad. I am trying to track down the recipe. The dinner was presented by Martin,the chef- We dined on beef, turkey, and scalloped potatoes. Julie and Mark sat across from Sara and Benjamin.. long time friends from the Outreach center in Odense. Missie came with a new friend from the Philippines.

Rene and Jolene arrive with their dates for an evening of dining and swing dancing.

I think that this is Aske's first Fest I Nord. He arrived with his beautiful date from Greenland, Catrine. She is going to school in Aalborg (in northern Denmark). and is one of the leaders in our center.

Michael returned home from his Mission in England, just in time for Fest I Nord. Lasse, our official James Bond, is dining with special guest, and Stake President of Arhus Stake... Kurt Fredericksen. .

Dan came to Randers with us from Odense. He and his date are ready for the grand ball. James Bond squirt guns were found among the weapons and five giant icecream cakes were covered with James Bond Posters made of marzapan.

Lennie, Julie, Katrine, and Aske pose with their dangerous squirt guns, in the eye of the tiger. (I think that is the title).

James Bond was everywhere...Movies on the wall, danger on the icecream cakes, diamonds on the table, mysterious men in black and white, and glamorous women. The night ended well past midnight. I can still hear Frank Sinatra singing "I Did it My Way."

Fest I Nord - Under the Sea

After the classes, the sports, the Helping Hands Storm, and the firesides- Fest I Nord comes alive with wild and crazy parties. Mormons know how to party. This is an especially important week for Sara and Benjamin (from our Odense Outreach Center). They just became engaged. Congratulations to you both. Welcome to our first big party - Under the Sea.

Between the serious, inspiring firesides and the evening parties, we had some very professional entertainers. We began our under the sea extravaganza with our dryland syncronized swim team, performing behind blue sheets of shimmering water... Dancing and diving to beautiful classical music. Their graceful movements, lovely goggles, and daring dives (into the dry water) thrilled the crowd.

Then we were privileged to have a few "Deep Thoughts" and silly songs from Elder Scary (Lasse Ilskov) and his friends. He claims to be a major in "Righteousness" at BYU and called us daily to repent and find our eternal companions at Fest I Nord. He began the evening with this decree from heaven. (Click on the decree and you will want to share it with your friends).

There were many returned missionaries at Fest I Nord, and many who were about to go on missions. The following song, written by Elder Scary, is a reminder of what it is like to put romance on hold for 18 months or two years, while you serve an honorable mission.

Then the dance began "Under the Sea."

There were fish swimming on the walls..

Missie and her friend are sitting on the beach with a buried treasure and an old ship wrecked at sea.

There was a "Live" volcano erupting by the purple lights of the "Festibar."

You might not know that Mormons drink... 7-up, Fresca, Squash, virgin strawberry dacquiris and even water. This bar served a drink with blue ice that lit up. We love good drinks.

We all dressed up for the under water experience. Jolene painted fish gills on her face, Dan wore goggles and we wore what is fashionable for missionaries to wear under water.

It was a grand ball. The hall was full of music and erupting volcanoes.

The floor was covered with lights.

We were all under the sea, and no one got wet. Welcome to the world of good, clean, fun... Fest I Nord at its best.

Fest I Nord 2009 - 500 Helping Hands

On Thursday, July 30, 2009- five hundred young people, with a few older folks, went out to save the world from garbage.. in the cleanest town in Denmark. It was a "Helping Hands" project from the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints. As we put on our yellow vests and new leather work gloves we were ready for the day. Kim Holst, our Fest I Nord leader, gave us final instructions and encouragement as we prepared to face a stormy day.

This was our schedule for the last part of Fest I Nord. What a week !
(click on the schedule for a bigger view of the events)

Rene (originally from Esbejerg) and Mark (from Greenland) are ready for the big day. We are the biggest Mormon Helping Hands project that they have ever had in Denmark, and the largest Helping Hands ever held in Europe at one place on a single day.

We gathered in our big hall with a false ceiling from our "Under the Sea" dance the night before. (I will write about the evening events in the next post) There were newsmen and city workers to hand out our gloves and orange road jackets ( a law in Denmark for road workers).

Everyone participated in some way. There were grave sites to clean (maybe some of Elder Wilberg's family sites- His Grandfather, Dines Peter Talboe, was born in Randers). There was play equipment to paint and garbage to collect.

It was a great day for friendship, fun, and working in the rain.

This would be one of our last dry pictures of the day.

Seven busses took us to roads all over the community of Randers.

The two girls on the left are from Estonia. They drove 30 hours from Estonia to Randers for this experience. What a cheerful part of our group. I think one of them just joined the church about four months ago. I'll show you a dry picture of them later.

As the clouds began to gather, two by two, we walked the streets of Randers. This was our street. Where is the garbage? Our charge was to walk two hours into the town on one side of the street, eat lunch, and then walk two hours back on the other side of the street..picking up anything that wasn't growing.

The trek was hard. We felt like pioneers blazing a trail through this treacherous weather. (Notice how much garbage Elder Wilberg has collected).

There were wild snap dragons along the way and little gardens of potatoes, beets, strawberries, and the smell of fresh dill.

The bag was heavy and we were tired and hungry but we had no time to rest. It was a dark and dreary day. The clouds were getting darker and we saw some lightning. But we kept moving down our path looking for garbage hiding somewhere in the bushes.

Four horses saw us from far off and came running to thank us for a job well done.

Twice, large rain clouds dumped buckets of water on us. The wind howled around us. I tried to find shelter in the bushes and Elder Wilberg created a black plastic bag rain coat...but we found no relief. We began to laugh in the rain. This was our mission...miles from home, hiding in the bushes against the trials of the day. Every day is a surprise when you are on a mission.

Many people saw us working on the road. Some asked us "What in the world are you doing?" Others invited the "soaking wet helping handers" to come into their barn out of the rain. The city workers commented on some of the young people singing "Singing in the Rain" as they cheerfully picked up McDonalds cups and straws. McDonalds was our biggest garbage offender. Next time we will invite them to put on the Helping Hands Vests and join us along the roads.

The day was done. The busses picked us up and took our bags. Later they weighed them. Together we picked up 1.2 tons of garbage in the cleanest town in Denmark. (according to Elder and Sister Wilberg). The world should remember 500 kids who spent the day giving a little service to the beautiful little city of Randers, Denmark.

If you click on each of these pages below, you can read the article that appeared in the Deseret News about our event. Now the world does know.

See you at the next post. It will describe the amazing evening events of Fest I Nord.

Fest I Nord- Great Leaders Speak- President Douglas J. Olauson-President of the Copenhagen Denmark Mission

Wednesday night, at Fest I Nord, we heard from our own mission president- President Olauson--President of the Copenhagen, Denmark Mission. He is a former Chaplin (27 Years) for the United States Navy. During a testimony meeting the day after his talk, a sister missionary who had served under President Olausen said: "I loved to see my Mission President. He is like a loveable teddy bear."

A few months ago, he gave us these special coins. I wrote about them in a past blog entitled "The Whole Armor of God..." He has great love for his missionaries. We carry these coins with us to remember who we are.

I think that his message here at Fest I Nord was the best talk I have ever heard him give. He has a genuine love for these young adults. He reminded us that we are the "sum total" of our choices. He recalled a season in his life when he made some pretty dumb choices.

At the age of fifteen he had a great desire to be popular. One day, he and his buddys decided to go cliff jumping into a shallow reservoir. Some of his friends gathered at the bottom of the cliff. They cheered him on, "Come on, you can do it." He hesitated at the top. He thought, "This is stupid." He would have to run, leap out to miss the rocks, and hope that the water was deep enough to land safely.

His friends kept encouraging him. He thought as he jumped, " I am so young. Why am I doing this?" But he couldn't let his friends down.

He ran as fast as he could, leaped across the rocks, and painfully belly-flopped into the water. Fifteen guys cheered- Yah!..and then one of the fellows said, "Whats for Lunch?"

President Olauson thought, "I just about gave my life for these guys, but all I was worth was five seconds of entertainment."

At Fest I Nord President Olauson asked all five hundred students to write down two things..(not to share with others):
1. I chose the right. Write down a time when you made a wise decision.
Describe what happened.
2. I didn't choose the right. Describe a time that you were not proud of
your choice, something that you were sorry about.

President reminded us to not get so complex in our decisions that we forget to turn to God for answers. He read this sweet story about a man who believed that God lived under the bed. Click on the pages to enlarge them for reading.

He asked us "turn to someone next to you- (take three minutes to tell each other) and ask "What have you learned about life by choosing the right?"

Keep a list of your good and not so good choices every day.
He asked us to remember- there is a right and wrong in decisions. We have a choice. Heavenly Father is not forcing us to choose the right. He will guide us but he wants us to freely choose the right.

Lorenzo Snow once said, "The Lord has not given us the gospel that we may go around mourning all the days of our lives."

Elder Wirthlin of the twelve continues in his article "The Abundant Life".." The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a religion of mourning and gloom. The faith of our fathers is one of hope and joy. It is not a gospel of chains but a gospel of wings."

The Savior proclaimed, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10

There is joy in the effort to choose the right. Thank you, President for helping us to think about our daily choices. See you again, next year at Fest I Nord.

Fest I Nord 2009 - Great Leaders Speak- Elder Robert C. Oaks

Every night we gathered in the auditorium for an uplifting fireside. On Tuesday night we met Elder and Sister Robert C. Oaks of the second quorum of the Seventy. He opened Fest I Nord with the first message focused on our theme-- "Choose The Right."

Elder Oaks is the President of the Europe Area. This was his last assignment as President before returning to the United States. President Oaks is the first LDS Four Star General for the United States Air Force and was a fighter pilot during his long career. He and his wife have moved 33 times in the past 50 years. He has been a traveling general authority for

9 1/2 years.

If you click on this article from the LDS Church News, you will discover that this man has spent his life focused on making quick, decisive choices.

He is a man who knows what it means to "Choose the Right."

The President spoke to us about the consequences if we decide to choose the wrong. He asked the question, "What's the big deal about choosing the right? Why not choose the wrong?"

He reminded us that choosing the right is choosing joy and happiness in this life and through the eternities. He said: "If you want something to really get tough, watch what happens when you-Choose the Wrong."

He quoted Romans 6: 18-23 ..."For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.. the wages of sin is death (spiritual death) but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord."

Proverbs 5: 22-23 - When someone chooses the wrong-"..he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. He shall die without instruction and in his folly he shall go astray."

Jeremiah 5: 21-29 "Hear now this, O foolish people...without understanding

(you) have eyes and see not, (and) ears and hear not.. Your iniquities have turned away these things and your sins have withholden good things from you."

These cactus flowers waited to bloom until we moved into our little room for Fest I Nord. The windows collected just enough moisture to water the delicate plants and the sunlight warmed the window sill enough to open their petals. President Oaks reminded us that the windows of heaven are waiting to bless us even if the weather has been difficult and we continue to "choose the wrong."

He quoted Malachi 3: 7-12. "...Ye have gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you...

prove me now here with, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out blessings, that there shall not be room enought to receive it."

President Oaks concluded his talk by asking this haunting question: "Do you really want to say 'Lord, shut the windows of heaven?" We are so grateful to be surrounded by these young adults who are gathered here because they are trying to make good choices. Thank you, President and Sister Oaks, whose bags are packed and ready to return to the states,

for taking the time to remind us all to "Choose the Right...not the wrong."

Fest I Nord 2009 - a time to choose-Part 2

Fest I Nord in Randers, Denmark

Our days began in a big tent next to the kitchen. (see the school map-part 1)

Here we met and talked to sleepy Fest I Nord "campers" for breakfast (Lunch and dinner). This Italian (the boy with dark hair)- a returned missionary from Chile, told us that he was a nurse. I think that he was studying in Sweden. He knew at least four languages, loved to travel, but was ready to settle down. He joked with us about the idea of going from table to table asking each girl- "I am looking for an eternal companion, are you interested?" We laughed with him all the way through breakfast. It may take him at least a week to find his "eternal companion."

Our Danish breakfast was often mysli (granola), milk, fruits, vegetables (like these sliced red peppers), sometimes sausages balls, with orange and apple juice. My favorite new breakfast was thin rye bread spread with berry jam topped with a slice of white cheese.

Meal Time is a great way to get acquainted at Fest I Nord. One day, we sat across from Mark Hvistendahl who goes to school in Northern Denmark. He and his sister (also at Fest I Nord) are from Greenland. I think that he is a returned missionary. His parents are the only active members of the church in Greenland. I think, that he and his father are the only men who hold the Priesthood there. I asked him what kind of foods that he ate in Greenland. He said, "whale, boiled seals, and (his favorite) reindeer."

There are no trees in Greenland, but lots of bushes. Do you know why? Because the ground is frozen most of the year. You learn something new every day at Fest I Nord.

After breakfast, and an early morning devotional, the young adults had many choices. Some chose to go to spiritual classes taught in several tents and classrooms at the school

There were many good teachers. The Copenhagen Temple President taught a class on Temples: Past, Present, and Future.

Our stake president, President Fredericksen taught a class. Mark and Rene, some of our outreach leaders were there.

This year President Fredericksen's daughter, Anne, became a Young Single Adult. This was her first Fest I Nord. There were many activities outside during the day. There were all kinds of sports events. I will put some of the game rules on our outreach blog..wildmountainactivities.blogspot.com as soon as I have a chance.

Mads Larsen, one of our students, played in a football (soccer) tournament that lasted all week. There were boys and girls teams. The Norway Team of boys won the final game against Sweden.

I think the Sweden girls (wearing green and black-one girl even wore green hair) played to the finish...taking the Fest I Nord football championship.

There were many other games and activities. Rene- our student council President, and Mark (from Greenland) started the day with a short game of croquet.

There were jump-ropers, both girls and boys.

Rene, our great leader, teaches a group how to play ultimate frisbee.

Rounders is a very old version of baseball. It is a favorite ballgame all over Europe. It is often played with a flat bat and a tennis ball. (see our wildmountainactivities.blogspot.com blog for rules). I still cannot figure out how three players can be on one base and then run all together home for a triple score.

We signed up to help with sports because we wanted to be out with the kids. We handed out equipment, showed people where the different games were being played, and talked with kids who needed a friend, or had injuries that wouldn't let them play on a team. We played croquet with some friends from Sweden, the Helmstads. He is a new Bishop. He and his wife signed up to be leaders at Fest I Nord. We discovered that one of their daughters is studying to be a cellist in Odense. We are looking forward to meeting her and to attending her concerts. Though they are not musicians, all of their children have studied to be professional musicians.

The Helmstads easily won the croquet challenge. We went back to handing out sports equipment. We need some practice actually playing these sports.

There is an old Scandinavian Viking game that the kids love to play all over Europe. It is called Kubb. It involves tossing sticks to knock over blocks of wood. There is a queen in the center and a team of 4-6 on both sides.

There are blogs that describe with great enthusiasm, how to play this game. (I will try to put the rules on our outreach blog). They even tell how to make your own Kubb set. You'll feel like a true Fest I Nord Viking if you choose to play Kubb. It is also a good way for these Scandinavian (I Think) girls to meet two great boys from England.

There was a Gospel choir class to learn to sing a Gospel Song at our Fireside in the evening.

It was a week to find new friends, relax with old friends, and enjoy all kinds of great, memorable events and activities. Thank you Fest I Nord, for giving people from all over the world- a place to celebrate the good things of life.

Welcome to Fest I Nord 2009- part 1

This past week we went to the world's grandest convention. We met in Randers, Denmark where 500 young single adults gathered to celebrate the good things of life.

The young adults (between the ages of 18-30) stayed in Tirsdalen School, a large campus with a swimming pool, football courts, a huge gym and auditorium, a large student kitchen, and lots of rooms for our kids to camp for almost a week.

The halls were full of colorful student masterpieces, and paintings by famous artists.

There were young adults from at least twenty one different countries.

Here are some of our kids from the Odense Outreach center with friends.

-- Mark, Anje from Finland, Rene, Julie and a friend.

We registered kids all day on Tuesday. They came from Australia, Spain, Germany, Estonia, Greenland, Iceland, USA, England, Italy, Canada, Russia, Romania, The Phillipines, China, Korea, South Africa and all of the Scandinavian Countries.

Michael (a recently returned missionary from England London Mission) and Mads (recent graduate from Gymnasium) clamped ribbons on everyone's wrists to identify their country... red for Denmark

yellow for Sweden

Blue for Norway

Orange for Finland

Green for all other countries.

If you click on this map you will see, up close, the places where we met, danced, ate, and enjoyed a week of getting to know 500 kids who spoke at least 21 different languages. Our Stake President describes why we gathered and the importance of our theme--"Choose the Right."

This is our program for the first few days. (Click again to read the small print)

We gathered for the first time in the big auditorium with our friends from Romania, Sofie (a championship boxer) and Missy from the Phillipines.

Jolene and friends are ready to begin Fest I Nord 2009.

Julie, Mark and Dan relax on the stairs. This is Dan's first Festi Nord.

We are prepared to hear our first guest speaker, President Robert C. Oaks, member of the second Quorum of the Seventy. The message for the whole week...Choose The Right. What a week !

Our "Choose the Right Banner" is covered with all kinds of things that have been given to us to choose. These are some of the world's best kids..(I'm sorry, I know that they are adults). We love them. This is Part 1 of a full week of fun and friendship. See you in Part 2.. an underwater surprise.

Hans Christian Andersen- The Poor boy of Odense

I want to tell you a story about a man with three heads. 204 years ago, a little boy was born in a poor village in the heart of Odense, Denmark. His name was Hans Christian Andersen.

Odense has been around for over 1,000 years, but its most famous resident is still- Hans Christian Andersen. He was born on April 2, 1805, the same year that Joseph Smith was born in a little town in the United States.

Every Day on the way to our outreach center, we pass by the "Hans Christian Andersen Village" where HC Andersen was born (you never call him Hans- but it is alright to call him HC).

Odense is often called a Fairy Tale Town because of the hundreds of famous tales that he wrote during his life time. These tales have been translated into over 152 languages. He wrote 168 original fairy tales. Some had cheerful, happy endings- like the Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea, and the Emporer's New clothes... but others were dark, tragic tales- like the Little Match Girl and the Steadfast Tin Soldier.

His tales are often short and full of wit and charm. Take time to read the original voice of HC Andersen. You will be charmed- like the rest of the world has been through for over 150 years.

This statue was begun before HC Andersen died. It was placed in Odense in the center of town, behind ST Knud's Kirken (Church) where he played when he was a child. Today there are all kinds of reminders of this creative man and his stories all over Odense..(as well as Copenhagen, Solvang,California, New York City, even a multi-million dollar amusement park in Shanghai, China.)

Our daughter, Kathy and Scott, her husband-- met HC in his museum when they were here a few weeks ago. We visited the little slum house where he grew up in the poorest part of town.

They discovered that the people of Odense have a wonderful sense of humor about their story teller. Hans Christian Andersen invited them to sit with him on his bench.

He left his feet under this real foot stool.

He let us hold his finger in the middle of town square...and is still traveling all over the world attached to letters and packages.

He tells his stories on the Odense River. This paper hat (now Tin) was a boat for his steadfast tin soldier.

And here is the Steadfast Tin Soldier, himself, teaching us all how to be steadfast even if we are have serious problems. (I have actually read this little story and plan to introduce you to this soldier and his 24 brothers- soon)

Andy Warhol has become a HC Andersen fan. We can now wear HC Andersen whenever we want.

I was so surprised, when we were sitting at a red light and I looked up to discover that Hans Christian Andersen can now tell us when to walk across the street. These walking lights are scattered all over town.

Hans Christian Andersen has hidden his tales in these twisted pillars on a cobblestone square.

His stories are told upside down and sideways in these imaginative pillars.

Every time we visit them we discover a new story.

Every one is reminding us to never forget this Fairy Tale Man.

Let us celebrate his 205 th birthday with the next part of this story.

An unforgetable Christmas Gift for a Fairy Tale Town...

I started this tale with a promise that you would meet our three headed man of Odense...

Once upon a time, during a rainy day in December, a big Christmas gift appeared right across the street from the old train station.

It was wrapped in green Christmas plastic.

Many gathered to see what their gift would be. No one could unwrap it, so they brought a big crane to carefully remove the pretty green wrapping.

All of Odense gathered to see the greatest Christmas gift in 200 years. What could it be? Everyone began to clap, especially the man with the black hat. You see, he had created the gift.

This was a very solemn occasion. Every one held their breath.. the man who made the gift took off his hat.

The crane lifted the wrapping and strange, lumpy feet appeared, standing on colorful blocks of stone.

Between the toes of the odd feet was a little toad.

Then came some arms that twisted around each other. If you looked closely, you could see little children and people climbing up the arms.

Can you see the Danish flag, flying proudly over this unveiling?

Next came colorful dancing dolls, with strange poses, and round hair do's.

Some were rusty brown, and others wore curley clothes in bronze green.

The twisted arms were holding a tower of Babel. I am not sure why. Maybe it is because everyone was confused when the tower of babel was finished in the Old Testament. Even the languages were confused. Maybe this will happen when the city of Odense discovers this gift posed right next to a park where kings use to live.

The crowning surprise was a golden egg resting on the shoulder of a man with three heads.

The gift was finally unwrapped. Some were astonished and proud of this magnificent gift, especially the man with the black hat. Others were shocked. Some were even angry. Who was this three headed twisted man, with three big noses, and lumpy melted legs ?

The man with the black hat proudly announced, with lots of flowery words, that this was the statue of their beloved Hans Christian Andersen. He told the Christmas crowd that the statue had three heads in honor of HC Andersen's three personalities- The most important head was because he was a fairy tale poet. That head was called- "The Improvisor." The second head was because he wandered all over the world. It was called "The traveler." The last head was because he was "a strangely complicated human being." It was called "The Shadow." It was a "trinity portrait of Hans Christian Andersen." The sculptor was a famous modern Danish artist named Bjorn Noguard.

Some say that the three headed HC Andersen was inspired by this paper cut made by the first hans Christian Andersen many years ago.

One time Hans Christian Andersen was asked when he was going to write his autobiography. He answered:" I already have, it is called 'The Ugly

Duckling'."

As I look out the window of the train station. I see - in bronze, stone and a golden egg, an ugly duckling that may never become a swan. Thank Heavens. I don't know what this town would do with a three headed swan.

It's summer now. The Christmas gift has become part of the every day life in Odense. Some still wish that the 3 headed man would become a swan. As for me, I've become quite fond of this ugly duckling.

I guess the moral of this story can be found in Ether 12: 23- 29

"If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble...If they humble themselves before me..I will make weak things become strong unto them."

Have fun reading the little stories by our famous story teller from the "wrong side of the tracks" ( I don't think that is a Danish thing to say)...

Enjoy the tales of Hans Christian Andersen the humble cobbler's son who became so famous that the whole world has heard of our little town called Odense. Thank you H.C.

Midsummer night surprise- Sankt Hans Aften

Summer in Denmark is full of surprises. It combines all the seasons in one. The day may begin at 3:00 in the morning when the sun rises. There may be an early morning rain, or a little fog. Then comes the sun and birds singing all over the meadow behind our house. We could have a strong cool breeze next or dark clouds dumping rain all over Odense. (This bridge is called the Lillebaelt Bridge on the road to Fredericia).

The sun and shadows show off the prettiest buildings with all their details and fancy designs. This beautiful building can be lost across from the train station but it shines in the morning light.

The Odense River welcomes the sun with lazy river boats right in the middle of town.

Last week we were getting ready to shop and cook on our Monday Preparation Day...for our Tuesday night Family Home Evening. I was making the dough for Brigham Young's favorite dessert - breakfast donuts.

We were studying about Brigham Young that week. Elder Wilberg was talking to our friend and landlord Detlef Riedel outside and discovered that Tuesday would not be an ordinary day at the center. It was a traditional Holiday that began around 965 AD . On June 23 we celebrate "Sankt Hans aften" or the evening before Saint John the Baptist Day. We decided that we did not want to miss the celebration so we moved our Family Home Evening to our house.

We invited anyone who wanted to come, prepared a Brigham Young Meal (I am sure that John the Baptist will not mind), and served Jello (a salad that was invented during the life time of Brigham Young. I think that is why we have such a connection to Jello salads of every color and kind. (Thank you Benny Madsen, for bringing us this gift from Utah). I made Brigham Young Donuts, a dessert that he liked to eat for breakfast often served with a roasted pigeon or two. We did not want to roast any pigeons, so we served oven roasted chicken.

The sister missionaries, Sister Brown and Sister Hatten came to dinner along with Mattias, Dan, and Ulrika. We got acquainted with Brigham Young, thanks to Elder Wilberg, and then began to celebrate a "John the Baptist Evening"...the longest day of the year.. a midsummer's night celebration.

To celebrate this long day, people all over Europe, light huge bonfires. In Denmark they like to put a "scare a crow" like witch in the middle of the flames hoping that all evil spirits will float away to a witches mountain in Germany. Detlef Riedel is from East Germany. I asked him if he minded that the Danes were sending their evil spirits to his homeland. He assured me that it was not a problem. I wonder what John the Baptist would think about this little tradition. Carl, and brother Reidel tore down an old lamb shed in order to build a good fire.

The mission president told the sisters and elders that they could stay out a little later on this night to enjoy the Danish custom.

We gathered around the fire to relax, roast marshmallows, and enjoy the long summer's night. Since there were no evil spirits among us, we did not need an old witch to roast.

Steffen and Birte Vestergaard, Detlef and Yvonne Riedel, and all of our company gathered around the fire to sing.

There is a special patriotic song that is sung at this event called "Vi Elsker

Vort Land" (vee elske vort lan)- "We Love Our Land." This is the national song of Denmark. It is easy to love this land, especially on such a beautiful sunny night.

In the last few years, teens and children use the bonfire to celebrate their last days of school. They toss their old notes and school papers into the big fire.. a good way to begin the summer vacation.

Detlef Riedel introduced a new experience for this event. He had some lanterns that he found in Germany. They became "hot air balloons" as

he lit the little disc under the lantern.

They floated high into the night sky. What a memorable night.
I've been thinking about John the Baptist since then. I wondered why they chose the lightest day of the year to celebrate his day.

Maybe someone will find the little messages that we wrote on the lanterns.. "Christ is the Savior of the world," "He loves you, seek Him,"

"Learn about him on Mormon.org."

John the Baptist knows a lot about light. He prepared the way for Jesus Christ, the light of the world.

In John 1: 6-9 (JST of Bible) it is written..

"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came into the world for a witness.. to bear witness of the light, to bear record of the gospel through the Son, unto all,

That through him-- men might believe. He was not that light, but came to bear witness of that light.. Which was the true light which lighteth every man who cometh into the world.. Even the son of God."

The sun finally went down in Odense about 11:00. I think that John the

Baptist would be proud of our cozy bonfire. I treasure the light. I guess that this is why we are here. To help shine a little light on a very dark world... To help anyone, who is willing to look, see- that Jesus Christ, himself is the light. Good night, Odense. Thank you for the long summer night.

A Weekend with Picasso of Odense

This weekend we were invited to the home of Etta, our 85 year old friend who lives in downtown Odense.

Her home is full of paintings, ceramic sculptures and family memories. As a young student she attended art school and through the years she has painted and sculpted all over her house.

Even her doors are decorated with Etta's family and favorite art pieces.

I remember reading a book about Pablo Picasso and seeing his home. He was so much in love with painting that he seldom had time to hang his growing masterpieces. He use to pay his bills with checks. He knew that his signature was so famous that few people would actually cash his checks. This is Etta's hall way leading us down the paintings and drawings of her life.

With great effort, Etta prepared a feast for us. Her love for color filled the table with clear blue plates, a bouquette of bachelor buttons and carnations. She served creamed asparagus, frickadeller (meat balls), and a salad of strawberries, peas, raisins, onions, and greens.

She fed a crowd- Elder Barnard, Elder Smedley, Sister Brown, Sister Hatten, Etta's friend kristine, Elder Wilberg and me. We ended with a delicious Danish dessert.. Rodgrod strawberry pudding with cream.

At the end of dinner, Etta's friend showed an interest in going to a movie night at the center the next night. One of our Young Adults had asked us to show, again, our Mobster and Mormon Movie.

In the last four weeks we have shown this movie to a small group of three, a group of one, and a group of twenty teenagers celebrating the end of school. They were all Danish and understood the Mormon Utah Humor in this very American Film.

Kristine decided to invite Ette to our movie. They both know very little English. So that evening, we watched Mobsters and Mormons with Etta 85 years old, Kristine- 34 years, a Burmese Boy who had come to meet with the Missionaries. (He didn't speak English or Danish, he speaks Burmese). It was also our 45th wedding anniversary. Noone understood the movie. Etta said that she had plenty of things to do at home, so we watched only half of Mobsters...and then we went into the living room and had passion mouse chocolate cake and sandwiches.

It was a very unusual anniversary. We will never forget the night we had passion mouse chocolate cake with the "Picasso" lady from Odense. Thank you, Etta, for riding your bike to the center, in the rain to watch a movie that you could not understand, and then staying for dessert. I think the next movie that you might like is "Baptists at the Barbecue."