Getting Around

I forgot to take a picture of the best part of the day.  We went out to the mission home in Holte and had dinner with the Sederholms and our old neighbors, Ulla and Bo Keyser.  We were so glad to make the connection as they are moving to Stensby in South Sjealland,  in two weeks.  We also went to visit Mina just across the street. We had the best time dancing around a Christmas tree with live candles at her home one Christmas.
It was delightful to see the inside of the mission home and all the changes.  They put in a new kitchen which is beautiful and a good thing, as Sister Sederholm does a lot of cooking for all the missionaries coming and going.

   However, I did take some pictures on my bike ride today and found many ways to see the sites in Copenhagen.. Here are a few:

 Swan boats on the lakes( the moat that protected the old city.)

These are 4 person strollers for nursery schools to take the children out on field trips.

These are the new super duper bikes you can rent for $5 an hour.  There are also some regular bikes you can put a 20K coin in and borrow it and then return it and get your 20K back.  

BYU Study Abroad

BYU has organized their first Study Abroad Program in Denmark. It is a 6 weeks program and the kids are staying with members and using the Church's Young Single Adult Center for daily classes, which are mainly Danish language classes and cultural/history/ classes.  They will have several field trips around Denmark and basically sounds like a great way to spend the summer and earn some credits.
    One of the few boys is Taylor Hoj from our home ward in Holladay.  We invited him for dinner today and enjoyed a good visit with his mom, Shauna, via Skype.  Probably half of the students came to our ward today, all girls. Tayler will be a good addition to the group.

Farewell

We are bidding farewell to another missionary couple, Lee and Pia Ringheim Jensen.  They are going home early for medical reasons and we wish them the best of luck.  Tonight we had a dinner in their honor.  Their neighbors, Mont and Terry Timmons (Theta and Bill Timmon's son we know from Holladay) were here to visit them so we invited them as well as the Hansens.

 I made the traditional flæskesteg, and frikidellers, with brown sauce, red cabbage, and tonight. fabulous new little potatoes. (I didn't realize potatoes came in so many varieties with so such different flavors)

and lagekage for dessert.

Swan Update

Checked with the swans this week. Dad and Mom are being very protective and probably for good cause. There were only four of the six signets hanging around home.  Perhaps the other two flew the coop, except that they don't feathers yet.  So I will assume they ran off with the circus...

 Like all growing families they have moved to bigger quarters. This nest is just around the corner but is big enough for everyone to come home to get cleaned and fluffed up.

As I said, the father is pretty protective and didn't like me being so close..

   He came up the bank toward me and the lady and her dog also got the message and we cleared out.

How to see The LIttle Mermaid

The Little Mermaid is probably the most visited site in Copenhagen and there are many ways you can do it.

    By bus....

By boat/Canal Cruise

By bike....

By Segway..the motorized wheels and some

Even walked.....

The Tourists are Coming....

Today I rode down to the harbor to see how many cruise ships can dock at the same time.  I still don't know, but today I could see six.  It still amazes me that they don't stay in port overnight because it is too expensive.  They come in, drop a tour off, get new supplies and pick up another tour.

This artist had set up shop on the harbor.  I liked his watercolor of NyHavn

Let Them Eat Cake..

This is one of our favorite cakes - chocolate chip oatmeal. It works well for two as it just gets better as it sits, but it is also easy to share with the chocolate chips and nuts on top and no icing to stick to whatever you cover it with. (imported chocolate chips from America)
   I took a piece to a handicapped sister who speaks little English.  We actually carried on a sort of conversation for 15 minutes, using pretty basic words on both sides. It didn't matter she was happy for the visit and I was happy to be there.

I miss my good cake pans from home.  I will be bringing one back with a cover on it in October.The sizes here are a bit different and it is always interesting to see how my American recipes using cups instead of deci-liters work.

Healthy Children

Fotex is a store similar to Walmart, food, clothes, etc.  Nowhere near as big, but a popular chain.  This is what they offer the children who come shopping with their parents.

It says; " For children, take a free apple here from the counter ".

Sankt Hans Dag

Last night the high priests celebrated Sankt Hans Day /Misdummer's Eve at Lis and Jens Andersen's summer home on the Roskilde Fjord.  We had a lovely barbeque and then joined all the residents of the area carrying lighted torches to the beach to light the bonfire to burn the witch and send her to  Brocken in the Harz Mountains in Germany to join all the other witches there.
  A bit of a combination of two celebrations.  Sankt Hans Day celebrates John the Baptist's birthday 6 months before Christ's and is usually celebrated on June 23, but this community always celebrates the Saturday before so all the weekend visitors can participate.

The witch is getting a good start..

This is a serious fire.  It could never happen in Utah, the state would be burned up.

There was a short speech and then everyone sang two traditional songs special for this holiday.  It was especially fun for the Hansens and us to be part of this unique Danish tradition.

A Super Saturday

We had an excellent Saturday with so many people in the temple.  Our Open Baptisms on Saturday mornings are going so well.  Today there were 10 including some new members the missionaries brought and a great family coming to do the work for the names the grandparents are finding on their Family History Mission. This family has three boys, one just came home from a mission, one is leaving on a mission next month and the 12 year old, whose goal is to come and do baptisms for the next 17 weeks.  I don't know why the 17 weeks, but a good goal.  Both sessions were almost full as well as the ordinances.                                                                                                                          

 

It was also the last day for our great group of sisters from Esberg.  They have had a wonderful week.  The common denominator for most of them is that they are all living the gospel alone in their homes.  Either their husband is a nonmember or  inactive or they are widowed or divorced.  They are a great strength to one another. 

  

Welcome, Welcome!

We are so excited, Don and Kayla Hansen, our first new missionary couple, arrived today!  They are trained and ready to go.  We will ease them  in tomorrow and then they will start full speed on Wednesday when we open for next week.  They are from Bountiful and their Stake President is one of Jim's partners at the Medical School, Chris Jackson.  They loved the training with Dick and Kathy Walker in the Salt Lake Temple this week.  We have many connections. They said there were 18-20 couples going to various temples around the world.  The work moves forward....

 June 21, tomorrow, the longest day of the year.  This is what the weather page says.  Sunrise 4.24 AM, Sunset 9.58 PM.  Note the 63 degree high..

Relief Society Fieldtrip

 Esberg is a lovely city on the opposite side of Denmark, facing England.  Ten to twelve Relief Society Sisters and a couple of husbands have come from there to spend  Wednesday through Saturday in the temple.  They are staying at the temple housing, and coming to the temple for almost all of the sessions.  It is so lovely to have a core group, then we can do all of the ordinances most sessions.  There are several temple workers in the group who come more often and it has been delightful to see how they have grown in confidence and ability and love of the temple.
  We showed one of the new films last so we didn't get out until 10.  But that is okay because it is still light.  This is what it looked like last week at 10.40 pm.  I will try to remember to take a picture on the 21st.

 
     

Visiting Teaching

I have a new visiting teaching companion and three new sisters, all of them under 30.  Benedicta and I finally were able to get our schedules together and visit Charlotte today.  We both rode our bikes and met at Charlotte's.  It was a warm day and sitting outside in the courtyard of her apartment was just right.
In our ward we are always a month behind in the messages, so I shared Elder Anderson's talk about "Spiritual Whirlwinds."  The youth in Denmark certainly have their share.  I'm not sure either of these girls come from active homes, but they are rocks.

 Benedicta and Charlotte look so much alike and their hair is the same lovely red.  It is hard to believe they are not  related in any way.

On the Balcony

We live in 4F which means we are on the fourth floor and the end apartment.  Two doors down is Jana and her companion and their daughter.  The weather was so  beautiful today, as we walked by, we could  talk through the window. Amanda is pretty shy with English.

Yesterday I noticed some small trees in the Aldi (grocery store) garbage.  I pulled out 5 and I am trying to resurrect them.  I planted one in my neighbor, Bjarnes's pot, one in Jana's and one in the Sister's Apartment, all along our balcony.  I have two on my end. It will be interesting to see if they can be revived.  But since they were free, it was worth a try and a fun project.  We can have a regular forest.....

Out and About

Monday and Tuesday are shopping days.  I try to get down to the Lakes and check on the Swan Family every week.  Look how fast they are growing!  They are getting to be good at foraging off the bottom of the lake.

The roses are in bloom around the city and these were beautiful on the way home.

 Such a lovely entrance...

Old Home Ward

Ten years ago we lived in the Søborg Ward.  It has since been realigned and most moved to the Gladsaxe Second Ward where we spoke today.  It was like coming home.  We know so many in the ward and feel very comfortable.  I was amazed at how many are regular temple attenders or temple workers.How we love them for their dedication.  Jim and I talked along with Jacob Sederholm, the Mission President's son. who has just returned from a mission to Tacoma, Washington. I asked him if it was a little strange coming "home" to Denmark from the states, especially since he has never lived her.
  We went to the usual third Sunday Missionary Couple dinner at the Warnsdorfs tonight..we were the only ones.  They were very nice to have it for just us.  They have a beautiful home with many wonderful treasures.

Saturday

We have made it to Saturday this week and it turned out to be a great week.  We were worried with our decreased number of workers as the missionary couples were gone.  However, the Lord provides, and we always had enough workers to do what needed to be done.  Some days we felt like we were experiencing the loaves and the fishes as workers and patrons showed up unannounced.

We had a large group from Sweden come today including these missionaries and sisters for baptisms.  We also had around 18 -20 Americans who are picking up the Baltic Cruise tomorrow, old Danish Missionaries and families and people on business.  It is always fun to see who comes.

Friday Stories

Georgia Nielsen, far right, was a missionary with Jim 50 years ago,.  She married a man from Denmark and has lived here and raised her family here. She is now widowed and several Fridays a month loads up her car and brings a group to the temple over the $40 bridge and then home in the afternoon over the $40 bridge again.  Whoever signs up first gets to come.
   Today Grace Banks (in the red) came. She and her husband were one of our first marriages, in January.  She is 37 and it took 4 years for her to finally commit to marrying an old friend from high school.  As you can see, she is expecting in December and considers it a great blessing as all of her sisters  took years and extra medical help to have children. It was so fun to share in her happiness.

Summer Planting

They replanted the flowers on "Temple Square" today. It is done four times a year and these are our summer flowers.

 I will add a better picture later, but this is what they looked like at 10 pm when we came out of the temple tonight.

Tivoli Bike By

WE purchased a gold card to Tivoli Gardens which allows me and four other people in free.  It is a great deal when visitors come.  Yesterday I biked down and met the Woods family, minus Josh who was one of our Danish missionaries.

  Josh comes here on work quite often and brought his wife and two little girls.  I just walked in with them and then turned around and brought the grandparents of a returning missionary in. It's great to be able to do when my schedule allows it.

I took this picture to try and show the buggy behind Katie.  It is a four baby stroller and there was another one just like it behind.  They must be a borne have (child care) taking the kids for an outing. You put your child in care early here.

Happy Birthday!

June 10 is a big birthday day in our family. It is Jim's birthday, our oldest son Chris's birthday and his oldest son Jake's birthday.  Jim is more than happy to pass the celebration on to the younger generation.  Consequently we celebrated with a piece of Danish Pastry, a Twix Bar and tonight a real cake.

A regular progression of nuts, all almonds of course since anything else gives Jim mouth ulcers (cancres).
We hold a special Tuesday night temple session the 2nd Tuesday of every month for two wards and afterward they have treats.  Tonight they all sang Happy Birthday to Jim.  He wasn't able to keep it under wraps after all.