Clip Cards and Visiting Teaching

 The transportation system in Copenhagen has changed and they no longer use clip cards for the buses and trains.  Instead you put money on a card and it is scanned or you use your credit card somehow.  Here is where it is nice to be a senior citizen.
  Today was the last day to use the old clip cards and Elisa Pollard, whom I visit teach, had a bunch of clips left so we went out on the trains and buses for the day.
  She took me to this darling little street, Amagergade, where a Danish sitcom was filmed in the 1980's.

We walked a couple kilometers and asked four people before we found this apartment building where a friend who has moved to the states lived and wanted a memory picture......

and we  rode out to Frederikssund, the end of one of the lines.

Adventuring

Finally a day without anything scheduled, so I went out on the bike "adventuring".  Things I saw

 "unique" sculpture fountain.

 Two HUGE yachts.

 Besides the great fountain and "unique" sculpture.. the Marble Church, the green city buses and the Queens castle uinder renovation.  I offered to take a picture for two couples here and one turned out to be from Cedar City, Utah.

Lunch on the harbor with the beautiful Opera House across the harbor.

Mormons Bog

Last week Jim and I finished the Book of Mormon in Danish for the second time.  We read it aloud together.  This second time I started reading a chapter ahead with the English right next to it to make sure I understood it.  By the time we finished I could read it directly and understand and then go over it again  reading aloud with Jim.  It has been a good way to work on learning the language as the Book of Mormon is so familiar and you basically know what it says.

 I find there are actually some concepts I get added understanding from the Danish.

Celebrations

Two cousins came from Sweden today to do the work for their grandfather.  They were so excited.  One's husband acted as proxy while he did the baptism, confirmation, initiatoy, session and finally at the end of the day they had him sealed to his wife.  It was a very sweet day for them.
  After the temple we went to Josh and Elise Nørrung's wedding reception.  She is from Canada and he met her when he went to visit his parents who moved there recently.  The reception was very similar to those in the US.  Tonigh they will have the real family dinner and wedding celebration lasting until late into the evening.  We were happy to just go to the reception....

 plus sandwiches, chips and dip and vegetables and dip....

Super cake: marzipan icing over  cream filled cake layers.

Funerals

Tuesday they asked me to play the piano at the funeral for an older sister in the ward who was fairly inactive. This is not my strong suit, but we do what we are asked.  The hymns were fine it was when I was supposed to accompnay Hans Andersen on a solo of "The Blue Anemone".  Never heard of it? Neither had I.  I got the top hand off the internet and tried to add a few chords.  The first and last line were pretty good and the audience chimed in on the middle two lines so it worked all right.

 Before the funeral.  Most of the flowers are put on the floor and down the aisles.

These pictures are from a couple other funerals I have attended.

Graduation Time

Graduation from gymnasium is a big deal in Denmark.  Gymnasium seems to be high school and junior college. You are usually 18 or older when you graduate and then go on to university.  Each school has their own cap that the graduates wear for the week.  They also go around on trucks, making noise and drinking.  You can drink here when you are 16.
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 I tried to take pictures of the hats without being too noticeable...

 But I finally just asked to take a picture and they were pleased to cooperate.  This cute girl wanted her sister in it and told me she has a cousin in America graduating today as well.   The darling father asked if I belonged "to the church back there."  I assumed he was talking about the temple.  He said he delivered  many roles of carpet there free, because he loves God.  He was so sincere and open, I found it very touching and realized again how many good people there are in the world who know and love God. (Of course I gave him a pass-a-long card...)

This Is Summer?

We are two days into summer and this is how we dressed to go outside today - coats and scarfs.  The high was 56!  I would love just 10 degrees from those of you suffering with 100 plus degrees.

Jim and I had a very nice lunch with Tom Pollard one of the members in the ward, we really like.
Tonight we had lots of Americans at the temple  including the Nørrung Family.

 The young couple, Josh is from Denmark and his wife is from Canada, are here for a wedding celebration with the Danish side.  The Von Scheels moved to Canada, Josh , their son, visited them for a couple of months, met this darling girl, and they were married a couple weeks ago in Canada.  It is so fun to see how Heaven connects people around the world.

Sankt Hans Aften

Today is Sankt Hans Aften.  It is really a day or two late for Midsummer's Eve, but they celebrate it none the less with bonfires and fireworks.  The temple missionaries and a few others enjoyed a great barbeque at Mette and Jesper Paulsens'.

We celebrated Don Taylor's, George Hoge's, Jesper Paulsen's and Jim's birthdays.  They all fall in June.

Afterward we walked down to the lake by their house to watch the fireworks.

Last Family Night at the Hoges

Pam and George Hoge will finish their mission the middle of July.  We are already feeling sad that they are leaving.  They are so dedicated and willing.
  Tonight they had us all to dinner and we shared special experiences in the temple. We have all felt the importance and spirit of the work that is done in the temple.  I especially liked George's comment that when you start thinking of the names as people and not just names, it makes a huge difference.

 

Maglegårds Alle Chapel

Jim and I spoke in the Gladsaxe 2 Ward today.  They are back in their remodeled building and it is so nice. The Maglegårds Alle Chapel property was bought  the same time Jim was here as a young missionary, but not completed until the early 70's. It was built under the 80 - 20 plan by building missionaries.  It has been closed for a year and all of the original mistakes have been corrected.  Every available space, including the kitchen has white boards so the areas can be used for instruction.

The entry and chapel look much the same, just updated with new paint, tile, carpet etc.

 The major addition is this vestibule, stairway and elevator added to the back of the building.

The basement has had a dramatic overhaul.

 This was a very dark little hall.

All the rooms in the basement now have windows that look out with direct light and doors.
     

 The big funeral door from the chapel makes it very convenient to check on the baby sleeping outside.
An added advantage  is that the bishop sitting on the stand can see everyone as they come in ..late.

The Copenhagen Stake missionaries, half are sisters.

High Time

Each year the High Priest Activity for June is a party at Hans and Lisa Andersen's summer home on the Saturday night before Midsummer's Night.  The whole little sumer house division has a huge bonfire to burn the witch and send her to Germany.

 Everyone brought their own meat to barbeque and a dish to share.

 Then we all picked up tar torches and walked down to by the fjord for the bonfire.

 Everyone threw their torch in and soon the witch was gone...

This was a major bonfire!

Missionaries and Miracles

Today was one of those miracle days where we fed the four thousand with a few loaves and fishes.

This was the total number of sisters to work on the afternoon shift.  The morning had one more.  The brothers had 6 or 7.  But at the end of the day we had done many hundreds of ordinances.  Heavenly Father always makes it work. We are blessed with fabulous, hard-working missionaries and exceptional coordinators.
    And speaking of missionaries..they had a senior missionary conference today and they all came to the temple for a session.  President and Sister Sederholm (right front) go home July 1.

 They were all having a great time!

Choices

Today is election day in Denmark.  The Prime Minister had to call for elections before September and there were some good indicators in her favor lately so she scheduled them for today.  There are hundred of candidates running for seats in parliment.  They apparently end up in the coalition with the blue or red or exert influence there.  Which ever receives the most votes, their prime minister choice comes into office.

 These personal posters are everywhere.

This spider made a poor choice by showing up in my bathroom...he got thrown out on his ear.  This is the first one I have found in our house, so not to many around.

Oslo Opera House

As with many cities located on the ocean, Oslo has built a beautiful Opera House by the water.
We took the opportunity of seeing Cinderella, the  ballet, Monday night.  A beautiful building and a lovely ballet.  It started at 6 pm and went until 8.30 to accommodate all the children in the audience.

The bathrooms were amazing .

 From the back "patio".