Hawaii comes to Denmark-

All creatures, great and small have come out to welcome the sun today. In between the wind and the rain, we have long days of sunshine. We came home last night at 10:00 and the sky was still blue. Even the sun likes to stay up late during the spring here. We finally had a little Danish Bunny come close enough to capture his picture.

He couldn't resist the fluffy dandilion puffs out in our little pasture. I didn't realize that Danish bunnies have feathers for ears.

Today we have had two friendly bunnies stay in our sunny field all morning.

The rhodedendrans are blooming all over Odense. Our little chapel yard is full of whites, purples and pinks. It has decorated itself for a surprise celebration of spring here in the Odense 2 Ward.. In honor of the sun, the Mormons have brought Hawaii to Denmark.

The members brought a Danish/Hawaiian Potluck..with chicken and mushrooms on sticks, danish potato salad, green and cucumber salad, corn, baked potatoes, and lots of fresh fruit.

They created a beautiful fruit drink bar with many kinds of fruity drinks.

The tables were covered with beach sand, flowered napkins, and fruit to hold down the plates that tend to fly away in our windy Danish weather.

Little tables and chairs were set up for the children, an island of beach sand was created, and people began to gather wearing their most colorful Hawaiian outfits.

This poor pig did not survive the party. It had been roasting all day.

It is hard to have a luau without a roasted pig and hawaiian shirts.

Our Odense 2 Ward Bishop is on the left- Bishop Arriaga and Ken Hall, our ward mission leader, are helping to barbecue and eat, the roasted pig.

Everyone looks and feels Hawaiian, on this lovely sunny day. (Bishop is on the right..he is always very serious.)

The Hawaiian festivities begin with pictures, music, and lots of "alohas".

This is Mattias, a good friend. He was adopted when he was 10 months old from Ecuador, brought to Sweden where he spent most of his life, and is now here in Denmark. He is one of our most fashionable, musical, and talented young adults.

Mattias is in love with another talented and musical "hawaiian" Swede, Ulreke.

This couple did not think that they were tan enough to look Hawaiian. They put brown (dirt?) on their faces and the faces of their children to look more native Hawaiian. I wondered why their little children had such dirty faces.

The announcements and opening welcomes were all done on our little balcony in the back of the church. It was such a well planned, well done, extraordinary event... a true celebration of spring.

We felt like we were on our own little Polynesian, Danish Island (without the palm trees). Even the birds were singing Hawaiian songs.

The sun almost never sets during this time of the year. To all the Danish, American, Philippian, Burmese, Chinese, Hawaiians that happen to live in this colorful town on this unusual day- welcome to our sunny home away from home.

(This is Ken Hall and his beautiful little girl-
Hawaiian for a day)