The whole world has its eyes on the Odense Center for Young Adults

On Thanksgiving day, November 25, I opened Facebook and discovered this beautiful, happy picture.. of Julie and Brynjar Hafsteinsson. Snow has returned to Denmark and with it a flood of memories of the good "kids" that we left behind.  How I miss the snow, and those "kids."

Julie's family lived only a few houses down from us near our country cottage in Odense and Brynjar is from Julie's favorite land, (another part of the Danish Mission) Iceland.

Brynjar was a student in Horsens, Denmark (about two hours from Odense)..when he met the Elders.  He was baptized a little over a year ago on November 20, 2009 by two of our favorite enthusiastic missionaries- Elder Christiansen and Elder Ramsey.

This is Horsens where Brynjar began his life as a new member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
He and Julie became good friends through the year and often attended activities, Family Home Evenings, church and celebrations with us at the Center for Young Single Adults in Odense. 

Before the New Year, Julie and Brynjar were a couple.  In a land where dating almost never happens, and a with a center full of men and only a few girls..this was a small miracle

Julie had met her "Knight in Shining Armor."  Love this picture.  They are on one of Julie's family's black horses- who was also our fine neighbor in our pasture behind our house in Odense.   (remember to click on the pictures if you want to see the pictures enlarged)

Just after we left Denmark for home, Julie and Brynjar were married during the late summer of 2010.  Our Young Single Adult Center was designed to provide a place for young single adults to gather, grow spiritually and socially, make life long friends, and some even fall in love.

Julie is a returned missionary and Brynjar has now been a member for a year.  What a happy couple.

I am so glad that Odense has a safe haven for young single adults- a place to find a refuge from the storm and chaos of single life in Europe.

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For a place that serves no alcohol, offers no cigarettes, and seldom hears a word of swearing, (except maybe during a game of Crud at the pool table) it is a very fun and lively place to be.  I can still hear Jonathon, Julie's brother,   with our guitar in the computer room, singing "I can swallow the Ocean for you," while Elder Wilberg was doing the dishes in the kitchen, and I was listening to Japanese poetry from Dan's fancy telephone..In the game room a wild group of young adults were playing a championship game around the pool table, and an active game of foos ball.. while eating rice crispy treats (called "rice crispy cake" by the Danes) and having a fine relaxing time at the end of a great Family Home Evening.  Who could ask for a better place to be? 

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This fall I noticed an increase in the number of people from all over the world- looking at our blog.  The little flags on the side of the post kept track of the countries that were looking for all kinds of things, from "the whole armor of God," to "steadfast soldiers are not made out of tin."  I discovered that mormonmission.blogspot.com had written another article about our center in their blog.  What a nice surprise. Here is a copy of that article. (click to enlarge it as well as press on the increase size scale on bottom right corner of the post)
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It is a welcome extension of our mission to continue the stories, memories and sweet testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ that we shared while we were privileged to work in the basement of our little center in the middle of Odense, Denmark.

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In this article you can discover why the Church, at great expense and care, has established over 60 centers for young adults all over Europe.  Senior Couples, at their own expense, are called to serve as managers and enthusiastic supporters of these programs.  We work with our very capable student leaders who are in charge of the many activities and spiritual events that take place at the center.  Our main purpose, above all the great activities and scripture classes that are taught,..our Main purpose is to "Bring people to Christ." 
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And when you get home from a mission like this, you have a connection with these young adults that you will never forget.  There are phone calls, and facebook messages, and fine friendships that continue across the sea.  What a blessing to have been in their lives for eighteen months.  What a privelege it is to watch them to continue to grow.  We are looking forward to hearing about other romances at the center.  I wish for every single young man that was looking every week for his "eternal companion" at the center- that each of these deserving young men will take more than five minutes to discover the art of dating.. I think that since we have left there have been some effort to do just that.  Enough said for wishes.

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One theme that I used over and over again as we lived and worked in Odense was a scripture from 1 Nephi 16:29, D&C 64:33.. 
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"And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things..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." 
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There were times that the center was alive with students, and other times when there were only one or two.  Sometimes it was discouraging.  The students had to come from far and wide, by train, by bike, sometimes all together in one car.. but I loved the small, intimate gatherings the best (though it wasn't always good for our attendance records)..

This was a fine place for real friendships to grow..a place for food, lots of hungry students,..a place for enjoying one another..a place for young adults to use their Priesthood to bless and even baptize one another.

The spirit of missionary work is always at the center.  In Odense we have had at least two young Elders and two young Sisters to teach young adult investigators, and new members. They are a spiritual arm of our center..working together with the young adults to gather Israel one day at a time.  They are fine examples to for our students. They often had mini-missionaries (young men and women) who stay with them for several weeks..going tracting, teaching and learning what it is really like to become a missionary.  Many of our students are preparing to go when they become 19 or 20.

Thank you for noticing that in Odense, Denmark..we have a great center with the most amazing young single adults.

We have been given a basement of furniture, computers, a library, a well used guitar, a pool table, a foos ball table, a kitchen, a full refrigerator, chalk boards for great lessons, Institute Manuals for
studying the scriptures, comfortable leather chairs, and wireless internet..What a fine place to be.

During this Thanksgiving season, as I look at this little snow covered church in Odense, I am so grateful that we were sent to this lovely place and were given the opportunity to serve these fine students.
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In D&C 67: 2 the Lord says.."Behold and lo, mine eyes are upon you and the heavens and earth are in mine hands- and the riches of eternity are mine to give."  I know that His eyes are on this little basement center in Odense.  What a wonderful gift we have been given.

So here's to the best Center for Young Adults in all of Europe..thanks again for the opportunity we have had to serve you.  May God bless you all.  We love you, Sist W

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.