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.