January 25 – 31, 2010 from Trondheim, Norway
Dear Family and Friends -
Some days our “missionary work” takes twists and turns. Monday we had to buy a new printer for our Outreach Room, order some more supplies for missionaries, had 14 to FHE (our group is growing). The day began with a doctor’s appointment for Nancy—just a follow up to make sure things are going well—and they are. The Dr. told us he would not be here after the end of February, as he would be taking “paternity leave” to stay home for 8 months to take care of his new daughter while his wife goes back to work—she has already been home for one year after the birth of the baby, now she goes back to work while he stays home to care for the child. This is all at full pay for both of them.
Tuesday was our district meeting and the zone leaders (Elder Hunsaker and Elder Harris) were here to spend the day with Elders Henshaw and Richardson. They made good contributions to the district meeting and were glad to be able to partake of our pizza lunch afterward. We met the elders at the church in the afternoon to participate in teaching one of their investigators.
Wednesday we started the day by picking up Nadia Haugen, (one of our YSA who had been to America for 3 weeks), at the train station (she was arriving by bus from Oslo) took something to the sisters and then to the elders and then home for breakfast. It seems we spent the whole day getting in and out of the car. We had a good institute dinner (prepared by Egil) and a good class discussion. A new institute teacher, Oscar Berg has been called and he taught the lesson tonight, so Gerald was able to enjoy the day. After institute, a few of the YSA stayed around to play some games for a while. When we were coming home at night, it was “what did we do today”?
Thursday, Gerald and Shina went to visit one of our less active young single adults at the café where he works. They had a good pastry and were able to visit for a few minutes. Afterward, we went to visit one of the older members in the branch, Jan Erik Carlsen, who is recovering from a skin infection. He was feeling a little down, so we went to visit. He loves music, so I played his piano for him while he and Gerald talked. Occasionally he would come over to the piano and sing along with the song I was playing, then go back to talking again. He was in better spirits when we left.
Friday night we had an International Night with the YSA. We had Lisa from China, Shina from Nigeria, Sister Moholt said a few things about Denmark, we talked about Norwegian differences to all. Of course, we had to add a few American things. We had a great time together.
Saturday afternoon we had another baptism. That is five baptisms in about six weeks. This man is a refuge from Nigeria. When he came out of the water, he had a new smile on his face.
Sunday was a great day. On the fifth Sunday and we knew that the Priesthood and Relief Society would have a combined lesson so the missionaries asked if the new converts could tell about their conversions. We only had time for the two from Nigeria (Shina and Victor) and the one from Mozambique (Benildo). They all spoke with great confidence about their conversion and how much the gospel was making them happy. It was like a bit of heaven. All have such different backgrounds. Shina was raised going to boarding school which he says is common in his country. Benildo is here studying on a scholarship offered to only four people from Mozambique. He leaves at home a wife and two small children. The baby was born a month after he left. When we were watching his family pictures on Saturday, he reached up to the computer screen to stroke the baby’s face. He came to Norway to get a degree and find the gospel for his family.
In Sacrament Meeting the sister converts told about their conversions. One is a young sister (Lisa) from China who joined the church about 6 years ago in Cypress and the other a 50-ish Norwegian woman (Anny). Anny told of the Word of Wisdom problems she had to overcome. She has been taking lots of medicines and is trying to work out of those and she has lost 40 lbs. She is doing great.
There was a group of about 9 students (studying to be teachers) in attendance at church for the whole 3 hour block of time. They are finding out about other religions, as they will teach religion in school. One of the branch members suggested that they attend our meetings to get first hand knowledge. Two weeks ago there were 3 and last week 20, so we are getting a lot of opportunity to help them know what we believe. The missionaries and several of the YSA sang in sacrament meeting. Considering that they had not practices together, it turned out well. Gerald sang with them and I played the piano.
One of the less active sisters (Catherina Bjørnevåg) we have been visiting attended with her 4 children; this is their 3rd week in a row, so we are quite happy to see them in church each week.
We are enjoying this opportunity to be in Norway sharing the gospel with the people from all over the world and seeing the happiness it brings into their lives. We serve with wonderful young missionaries and good, strong members who fellowship these new converts. It is exciting to look at the congregation each week and see the various nationalities in attendance. God is certainly blessing the missionary work in Norway and at the same time blessing other nations through those who are joining the church here and will return to their own countries to strengthen the church there.
Love to all,
Mom and dad/Gerald and Nancy/grandma and grandpa/Elder and Sister Sorensen
Sunday, January 31, 2010
A small incentive - a grand gesture
1.23.10
So since most of us are not going to Twin Lakes this coming year - read down a few posts to see why or why not. Mom decided to offer us an alternative solution since we'd all like to go to Norway, but may not be able to afford both Twin Lakes and Norway. We appreciate all that mom and dad do for us and even though they are thousands of miles away, they are still looking out for us and helping us achieve goals that might otherwise be impossible without their help.
It sounds like there are several of you who are not going to be able to make it to TL this summer, so we thought we would offer an alternative--a trip to Norway. Mom said she would pay $1,000.00 (note there is a . before those last two 0's) of travel expenses for each family who come to visit. We have room for you to stay here (as long as everyone does not come at the same time) and can take time to show you around the area, feed you good norsk food and translate (mom will) for you.
2.1.10 - side note to our traveling to Norway this summer: We are sorry, but not surprised, to hear this (alison/jeff are not going). We would rather return to a new grandchild and a healthy mother than risk losing both somewhere over the ocean. Norway will be here for centuries to come. Maybe Lea or Lucas or Abbey or the new baby will get called to serve here in the future. We will just keep sending pictures so you can enjoy what we are enjoying. If you have to wait for the ultrasound at 18 weeks to know if travel would be advisable and then have to travel by week 20, that does not leave much time to make plans. We hope to come back again sometime.
Your baby now has a name--Noah--I can't come to Norway or Noah for Norway
Love, MOM
So since most of us are not going to Twin Lakes this coming year - read down a few posts to see why or why not. Mom decided to offer us an alternative solution since we'd all like to go to Norway, but may not be able to afford both Twin Lakes and Norway. We appreciate all that mom and dad do for us and even though they are thousands of miles away, they are still looking out for us and helping us achieve goals that might otherwise be impossible without their help.
It sounds like there are several of you who are not going to be able to make it to TL this summer, so we thought we would offer an alternative--a trip to Norway. Mom said she would pay $1,000.00 (note there is a . before those last two 0's) of travel expenses for each family who come to visit. We have room for you to stay here (as long as everyone does not come at the same time) and can take time to show you around the area, feed you good norsk food and translate (mom will) for you.
We know that Alison and Jeff will not be able to come, but hope some of the others of you will be able to make it.
Love,
mom and dad
Are you sure?! We might come if that's the offer. :)
We met up with Nadia and the Christiansens tonight. Fun to visit with them and thanks for the gifts. The kids love the animals and Lea loves the necklace. She's going to wear it every Sunday.
Nadia didn't get a chance to shop at Walmart so she gave us the $20 you gave her. Would you like us to send you something with it? We are sending a small package with Nadia to put in her suitcase. Enjoy!
Thanks again for all you do.
Love, Alison and fam
We met up with Nadia and the Christiansens tonight. Fun to visit with them and thanks for the gifts. The kids love the animals and Lea loves the necklace. She's going to wear it every Sunday.
Nadia didn't get a chance to shop at Walmart so she gave us the $20 you gave her. Would you like us to send you something with it? We are sending a small package with Nadia to put in her suitcase. Enjoy!
Thanks again for all you do.
Love, Alison and fam
We tried for this option: Steven/Rozann may go at this time instead of us. So we're planning to come May 12 - May 26th. I talked with Caryn and they are planning to go for the Independence Celebration for the 17th, but are only going to stay for a few days. They includes: Caryn, Jim, Marissa, Shayla and Trenton. Can you handle all of us for a few days!? I told her they would have to rent a car if all of them went as your car wouldn't hold all of them even if we weren't going at the same time.
Took Abbey to the doctor today. She has two very infected ears. She was up until midnight last night and finally fell asleep after I gave her some motrin. Now I know why. There is some wheezing so we get to do breathing treatments for her every 4-6 hours. For now, she's sleeping and happy to have that.
Love, Alison and fam
Took Abbey to the doctor today. She has two very infected ears. She was up until midnight last night and finally fell asleep after I gave her some motrin. Now I know why. There is some wheezing so we get to do breathing treatments for her every 4-6 hours. For now, she's sleeping and happy to have that.
Love, Alison and fam
2.1.10 - side note to our traveling to Norway this summer: We are sorry, but not surprised, to hear this (alison/jeff are not going). We would rather return to a new grandchild and a healthy mother than risk losing both somewhere over the ocean. Norway will be here for centuries to come. Maybe Lea or Lucas or Abbey or the new baby will get called to serve here in the future. We will just keep sending pictures so you can enjoy what we are enjoying. If you have to wait for the ultrasound at 18 weeks to know if travel would be advisable and then have to travel by week 20, that does not leave much time to make plans. We hope to come back again sometime.
love,
mom and dadYour baby now has a name--Noah--I can't come to Norway or Noah for Norway
1.31.10
dad's advice to those traveling: Fly into Trondheim and not Oslo.
For those of you who think you might be coming to visit in Norway, the best way to handle your money will be to get a check to Kristin and have her put it in our bank account. Then when you get here I can draw money from Gesa in Norwegian kroner. There is an ATM fee of 1% when doing this, but it is cheaper than the fee they charge at the banks to change your currency. You can decide before hand how much you will need and then if you use less, can be reimbursed when you get home. If you use more, we may not let you leave the country.
love,
mom and dad
Don't forget to get your passports right away! Takes time and money too!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Haiti Hurricane - help on the way
Tuesday Jan 12, 2010
The magnitude 7.0 quake -- the most powerful to hit Haiti in a century -- struck shortly before 5 p.m. and was centered about 10 miles (15 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. It could be felt strongly in eastern Cuba, more than 200 miles away, witnesses said.
A friend of Kristin and Jonathan's is a doctor - he took a crew down to Haiti to help out. It's amazing the out-pouring this poor country has received and it's just seems not enough still. Countries all over the world are sending relief, doctors, support, everything they can to help these people recover. I hope the help continues even after time goes by so they can rebuild. What a blessing the Saints of the LDS church are - they are so grateful and accommodating to those who are coming to help them. I'm touched by their out-pouring of love and welcome attitude to complete strangers from a foreign country. - alison
The magnitude 7.0 quake -- the most powerful to hit Haiti in a century -- struck shortly before 5 p.m. and was centered about 10 miles (15 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. It could be felt strongly in eastern Cuba, more than 200 miles away, witnesses said.
A friend of Kristin and Jonathan's is a doctor - he took a crew down to Haiti to help out. It's amazing the out-pouring this poor country has received and it's just seems not enough still. Countries all over the world are sending relief, doctors, support, everything they can to help these people recover. I hope the help continues even after time goes by so they can rebuild. What a blessing the Saints of the LDS church are - they are so grateful and accommodating to those who are coming to help them. I'm touched by their out-pouring of love and welcome attitude to complete strangers from a foreign country. - alison
Another note from Chuck - what a blessing it's been for them to share their medical skills. Prayers for the people of Haiti and those serving them.
Love,
Kristin
----- Original Message -----
From: Gayla Peterson
To: Gayla
Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2010 8:43 PM
Subject: Haiti - Friday's News
I just got this message today. It's about yesterday (Friday). They managed to get a flight out of Haiti today on an Air Force Plane They are staying the night in Orlando and flying home tomorrow (Sunday). Chuck gets in at about 5:00pm. I'm so happy!
We are sleeping on the tarmac at the Port-au-Prince Airport. Not too much more I could say... We were evacuated - it felt literal - from Leogane this morning at about 10. We had just enough time to talk to the Bishop and pass along a bunch of money. Say goodbye to all of our friends from Bavaria, Cuba and Menonite - I know its not a country. We had just given the cubans all of our supplies in anticipation of having to get out quick with the helis and then Tim Mooney and Stan Phillips showed up with the helicopters. They are in for an adventure! We took a few minutes to orient them.
Just like everything else we have experienced here there were a number of small miracles that took place. Everything that the ward in Leogane has done for us to make us comfortable and safe. For instance, Frere Eddy has been our driver and computer provider and good friend for the past week. I really wanted to make sure that he knew that Stan and Tim were here and he was needed to pick them up tonight, etc., etc. I had just asked the young man from the ward that Bishop Pierre-Louis had assigned to us for the day, to go and let everyone (Bishop/Frere Eddy) know that there were guys there to replace us and they needed the same help and voila! Frere Eddy shows up.
We are sleeping on the tarmac at the Port-au-Prince Airport. Not too much more I could say... We were evacuated - it felt literal - from Leogane this morning at about 10. We had just enough time to talk to the Bishop and pass along a bunch of money. Say goodbye to all of our friends from Bavaria, Cuba and Menonite - I know its not a country. We had just given the cubans all of our supplies in anticipation of having to get out quick with the helis and then Tim Mooney and Stan Phillips showed up with the helicopters. They are in for an adventure! We took a few minutes to orient them.
Just like everything else we have experienced here there were a number of small miracles that took place. Everything that the ward in Leogane has done for us to make us comfortable and safe. For instance, Frere Eddy has been our driver and computer provider and good friend for the past week. I really wanted to make sure that he knew that Stan and Tim were here and he was needed to pick them up tonight, etc., etc. I had just asked the young man from the ward that Bishop Pierre-Louis had assigned to us for the day, to go and let everyone (Bishop/Frere Eddy) know that there were guys there to replace us and they needed the same help and voila! Frere Eddy shows up.
The helis dropped us off at the heli landing zone at the @ Port-au-Prince airport, in other words the tarmac. I broke down a bit on the helicopter ride out because I am so grateful for the opportunity we have had to be here and help a few people. This has been such an incredible experience. Seeing the growth and maturity of the church has been extremely satisfying. Chuck gave one of his classic analogies. When he was Branch Pres in Leogane 20 years ago they planted a little mango tree in the front part of the grounds by the chapel. Now that is a beautiful 30+ foot Mango tree with 100s of mangos (unfortunately not yet ripe). That summarizes the growth we witnessed and were blessed by. I had to catch myself the other night when I met the Stake President. I thought he was a young man looking for church activities and then I met the mission president who looked even youger than his missionaries! I almost congratulated them on how self-sufficient the church is here. How there are no foreign missionaries (and there hasn't been for some time). They don't need us and its awesome and then I quickly realized that that was about me and the fact is it is about the church, that is the way Our Heavenly Father wants for things to go! He just needs good people to live the gospel and he will make it all work regardless of the place or the circumstances. There are huge military transports landing and taking off every half hour or so. And there are tons of pallets and supplies here at the airport- I hope they start to make it out to where they are most needed. The airport is a little city all by itself.
After a few hours hanging here with Arthur Brice and Chris Roberts from cnn - yes we talked and yes they said they were going to do a story on us - they were waiting while their photographer went for a helicopter ride with Jeremy. Anyway, after just sitting here the choppers took us over to an orphanage - House of God Orphanage I think its called. The doc from the orphanage flew down with us to Santo Domingo. They are buzzing right now because there is a good chance the kids will all be able to get out soon. In fact I just overheard one of the guys talking abt all of us flying out tomorrow with the orphans in a military transport leaving around noon?! the orphanage was a blast. We just sat with the nannies and the kids came and jumped all over us. Gary has never been so worked over. He had a child on each knee one on his left shoulder and a cute little girl that combed every hair on his head. We had fun talking with the nannies. They have seen a lot of white people - adoptive families -but this is the first time they have seen white people speak their language. Most of the kids are spoken for, but it sure was hard to pry them off of us and return here to the airport.
Please pray that we can get a few hrs sleep tonight and please continue to pray for us to make it home soon! We can feel those prayers very easily and know that they have been answered to allow us just a little time away to help these incredible people. Hope to see you soon!
Craig, Gary, Steve and Chuck
Craig, Gary, Steve and Chuck
Text message from Chuck today: Just landed in Orlando on an AirForce transport with 83 orphans, total 193 people, most of us on the floor. Like Noah's ark.
From Dad: Thanks for sharing these wonderful messages. We don't know how well off we are until we read something like this and it certainly makes the pain and suffering real. We made a donation through the Church's website to help in this effort. It is wonderful to hear of so many dedicated people--doctors, nurses, construction, etc.--take time from their families and life at home to go spend time helping the people and the country get back up and functioning again.
love,
mom and dad
Jan 18 - 24, 2010
Like all of the others since we arrived here (except perhaps the days Nancy spent in the hospital back in September and October) this week has gone all too fast.
We began with a great family home evening on Monday evening with the largest group we have had since we arrived in August. There were 13 people present—even with 4 of our active young people out of town or unable to attend. It was a room full and we had an enjoyable time. We are finally getting these things organized so we don’t have to give lessons every week and do refreshments, etc. We put together a FHE chart and have had people sign up for the various responsibilities and they are doing a wonderful job. The group of 13 included one young man (Justus) from Ghana (Gaye and Bud—note he is from Accra) whom the sisters had contacted on the street a day or two earlier, invited to come to FHE and he did. They met with him later in the week to teach him a little about the gospel and he is very interested. When I mentioned that my sister and brother-in-law are in Accra at the temple, he said, “I have seen your temple, it is a beautiful building.”
During the day on Monday we spent some time trying to get a few things we need to keep our Outreach Center working effectively. Nancy received some vinyl lettering from Kristin for a sign she is putting together, so we had to find something to put the sign on.
On Tuesday was our District meeting with the missionaries here in Trondheim plus Elders Liddle and Gardner in Ålesund. Elder Henshaw leads these meetings and always does a very good job. We talked about using church tours (of the building interior) to help contacts feel at ease and know what to expect when they come to church. There are some powerful messages given as one walks around the church. Lunch after district meetings is always Pizza. We are still trying to find a good “combination” pizza with “everything” on it. The choices are pepperoni, sausage and onions, ham and mushrooms, beef and onions and cheese. But it is pizza.
One of the older members of the branch, Jan-Erik Carlsen, was in the hospital last week for a skin infection (he was hospitalized for about 3 weeks around Christmas time for a skin infection which had him in a coma for about 10 days and required some skin grafts to repair some of the damage). I visited him on Tuesday after District meeting and he said he would be able to go home that afternoon. He was planning to take a cab home. I told him we would take him home, which we finally did around 5 p.m. We stopped and got a few things from the store first, then made sure his house was warm and he had what he needed, then Nancy sent over some dinner for him—which he greatly appreciated.
On Wednesday, Elder Henshaw had to go to Oslo for a District Leaders conference, so I met him and Elder Richardson at their apartment at 5:45 a.m, dropped Elder Henshaw off at the airport bus stop and brought Elder Richardson home for breakfast and study time, then we went to the church to meet with some of their investigators. Nancy used the day to catch up on some ironing and preparation for her talk in church on Sunday.
We had a good attendance at Institute on Wednesday night (after a good dinner of chicken and pasta and salad, prepared by Torunn). The attendance was not as good as at FHE, but the discussion was good. Next week we should have Nadia and Robin back from extended Christmas vacations—Nadia to the US and Robin to the Ukraine—so that will help. Some of those who would normally attend had class projects they were working on with study groups.
We had an appointment on Thursday evening with Erik and Åsta, but Erik called around noon and said he had to work overtime, so we had to reschedule for Sunday evening. We had been trying to get an appointment with Catharine Bjørnevåg on Friday evening, but her phone has not been working, so we decided that it was a good day for a drive to Skaun (about 45 minutes). When we arrived, her son, Joe Matthew (5) answered the door with a plastic bucket in his hand. We found when his mother came to the door that the bucket was because he (along with most of his siblings) had been throwing up most of the night and morning. Everyone in the house, except Catharine, was sick—including her husband, Frode, who was now off to the store for medicine (we did not pass any stores close to the house, so we are not sure how far he had to go to find the nearest store). Catharine has not been active in the church for several years, but had come to a primary activity back in October with her children and we became acquainted with her there, started to visit and have made good relations with her and her family. Frode likes to play basketball and we convinced him to come in and play with us when he picked up the family after the primary activity, so we got to know him a little better also. We visited for a short while, made an appointment for next Thursday afternoon and headed back to Trondheim.
On Friday I took Jan Erik to the pharmacy to pick up some prescriptions, then to the store to restock his pantry and refrigerator. We then joined the sisters in a meeting with Justus, the young man from Ghana. He had read the parts of the Book of Mormon they had asked him to read and had some good questions. Shina (baptized in December) was also present and gave a wonderful testimony of how the gospel has blessed his life. He told Justus that it has not been easy, there have been many obstacles, but it has all been worth it. Justus is going to be out of town for the week end, so was not at church on Sunday, but should be at FHE again on Monday.
Still lots of snow and not so”0” degrees. Last night it snowed most of the night and now we have three new inches of snow with more expected throughout the week. Then Friday it is back to “colder” again.
Saturday, the elders held a baptism for Benildo Balate from Mozambique. Shina, who was baptized December 5th, performed the baptism. That really brought a lump into your throat and a few tears in the eye to see him using his priesthood. Shina was very scared but did a great job. Benildo is a student and has a wife and two children in his homeland. Several students we have met have families “back home” while they continue to study here.
Many investigators are working on Masters’ degrees or else they are from the refuge camp here—quite a contract—but all humble and ready to learn. Another baptism is scheduled for this coming Saturday for a man from Nigeria who is a refuge.
With the sisters we visited a young family Åste and Erik. Åste is a member and Erik is not. They have twin daughters that are 2 ½ yrs old. Åste is 19 and going to school to be a teacher. Erik works construction. They are remodeling an old home and it looks very good. Erik and Åste read all that we suggested just after we left last time. The sisters gave them a calendar for a week with several chapters to read in the Book of Mormon each day. We also left a Liahona there. We have an appointment for next Sunday evening.
Sunday we had a large (20) group of teachers visit at church. They came to the whole block of meetings. Priesthood, Relief Society and Sacrament meeting were very full. Elder Henshaw did a special Sunday School class for them. It would be interesting to know their evaluation of their observations.
I (Nancy) gave a talk in Norwegian about church organization. Gerald had made me practice a lot saying all those words I still had a hard time saying. If I was listening to me I don’t know it I would have understood all that I said. The missionaries translate the meeting in English to those wearing headsets. I told Sister Engebretsen that if I mispronounced south east to please interpret it correctly. The way I had been saying it was like “south cheese”. Note: She did a good job and everyone was proud of her, most of all me!!!
On Sunday Gerald teaches a young man in Priesthood meeting and then the Temple Prep class during Sunday School. He also goes to pick up investigators and perhaps take them home after block time. I play the piano in Relief Society and the organ in Sacrament meeting.
We skpye most of our family on a regular basis. It is great to see and talk to them.
One of our Young Single Adults (Nadia) has been in the US since just after Christmas and will be returning home on Tuesday night (we will meet her at the train station at 9 p.m.). She spent time in AZ and in UT. She was able to meet Alison for a few minutes on Saturday. The couple she stayed with in AZ are Clyde and Nancy Christensen. Clyde was one of my missionary companions 50 years ago and they served a mission here in Trondheim about 5 years ago (they were in Bergen when we were there on vacation, but we did not know about it until after we had left).
We pray that the Lord will continue to bless each of you and your families. We are truly blessed to be here in Norway at this time.
Love,
Gerald and Nancy/mom and dad/grandma and grandpa/Elder and Sister Sorensen
We began with a great family home evening on Monday evening with the largest group we have had since we arrived in August. There were 13 people present—even with 4 of our active young people out of town or unable to attend. It was a room full and we had an enjoyable time. We are finally getting these things organized so we don’t have to give lessons every week and do refreshments, etc. We put together a FHE chart and have had people sign up for the various responsibilities and they are doing a wonderful job. The group of 13 included one young man (Justus) from Ghana (Gaye and Bud—note he is from Accra) whom the sisters had contacted on the street a day or two earlier, invited to come to FHE and he did. They met with him later in the week to teach him a little about the gospel and he is very interested. When I mentioned that my sister and brother-in-law are in Accra at the temple, he said, “I have seen your temple, it is a beautiful building.”
During the day on Monday we spent some time trying to get a few things we need to keep our Outreach Center working effectively. Nancy received some vinyl lettering from Kristin for a sign she is putting together, so we had to find something to put the sign on.
On Tuesday was our District meeting with the missionaries here in Trondheim plus Elders Liddle and Gardner in Ålesund. Elder Henshaw leads these meetings and always does a very good job. We talked about using church tours (of the building interior) to help contacts feel at ease and know what to expect when they come to church. There are some powerful messages given as one walks around the church. Lunch after district meetings is always Pizza. We are still trying to find a good “combination” pizza with “everything” on it. The choices are pepperoni, sausage and onions, ham and mushrooms, beef and onions and cheese. But it is pizza.
One of the older members of the branch, Jan-Erik Carlsen, was in the hospital last week for a skin infection (he was hospitalized for about 3 weeks around Christmas time for a skin infection which had him in a coma for about 10 days and required some skin grafts to repair some of the damage). I visited him on Tuesday after District meeting and he said he would be able to go home that afternoon. He was planning to take a cab home. I told him we would take him home, which we finally did around 5 p.m. We stopped and got a few things from the store first, then made sure his house was warm and he had what he needed, then Nancy sent over some dinner for him—which he greatly appreciated.
On Wednesday, Elder Henshaw had to go to Oslo for a District Leaders conference, so I met him and Elder Richardson at their apartment at 5:45 a.m, dropped Elder Henshaw off at the airport bus stop and brought Elder Richardson home for breakfast and study time, then we went to the church to meet with some of their investigators. Nancy used the day to catch up on some ironing and preparation for her talk in church on Sunday.
We had a good attendance at Institute on Wednesday night (after a good dinner of chicken and pasta and salad, prepared by Torunn). The attendance was not as good as at FHE, but the discussion was good. Next week we should have Nadia and Robin back from extended Christmas vacations—Nadia to the US and Robin to the Ukraine—so that will help. Some of those who would normally attend had class projects they were working on with study groups.
We had an appointment on Thursday evening with Erik and Åsta, but Erik called around noon and said he had to work overtime, so we had to reschedule for Sunday evening. We had been trying to get an appointment with Catharine Bjørnevåg on Friday evening, but her phone has not been working, so we decided that it was a good day for a drive to Skaun (about 45 minutes). When we arrived, her son, Joe Matthew (5) answered the door with a plastic bucket in his hand. We found when his mother came to the door that the bucket was because he (along with most of his siblings) had been throwing up most of the night and morning. Everyone in the house, except Catharine, was sick—including her husband, Frode, who was now off to the store for medicine (we did not pass any stores close to the house, so we are not sure how far he had to go to find the nearest store). Catharine has not been active in the church for several years, but had come to a primary activity back in October with her children and we became acquainted with her there, started to visit and have made good relations with her and her family. Frode likes to play basketball and we convinced him to come in and play with us when he picked up the family after the primary activity, so we got to know him a little better also. We visited for a short while, made an appointment for next Thursday afternoon and headed back to Trondheim.
On Friday I took Jan Erik to the pharmacy to pick up some prescriptions, then to the store to restock his pantry and refrigerator. We then joined the sisters in a meeting with Justus, the young man from Ghana. He had read the parts of the Book of Mormon they had asked him to read and had some good questions. Shina (baptized in December) was also present and gave a wonderful testimony of how the gospel has blessed his life. He told Justus that it has not been easy, there have been many obstacles, but it has all been worth it. Justus is going to be out of town for the week end, so was not at church on Sunday, but should be at FHE again on Monday.
Still lots of snow and not so”0” degrees. Last night it snowed most of the night and now we have three new inches of snow with more expected throughout the week. Then Friday it is back to “colder” again.
Saturday, the elders held a baptism for Benildo Balate from Mozambique. Shina, who was baptized December 5th, performed the baptism. That really brought a lump into your throat and a few tears in the eye to see him using his priesthood. Shina was very scared but did a great job. Benildo is a student and has a wife and two children in his homeland. Several students we have met have families “back home” while they continue to study here.
Many investigators are working on Masters’ degrees or else they are from the refuge camp here—quite a contract—but all humble and ready to learn. Another baptism is scheduled for this coming Saturday for a man from Nigeria who is a refuge.
With the sisters we visited a young family Åste and Erik. Åste is a member and Erik is not. They have twin daughters that are 2 ½ yrs old. Åste is 19 and going to school to be a teacher. Erik works construction. They are remodeling an old home and it looks very good. Erik and Åste read all that we suggested just after we left last time. The sisters gave them a calendar for a week with several chapters to read in the Book of Mormon each day. We also left a Liahona there. We have an appointment for next Sunday evening.
Sunday we had a large (20) group of teachers visit at church. They came to the whole block of meetings. Priesthood, Relief Society and Sacrament meeting were very full. Elder Henshaw did a special Sunday School class for them. It would be interesting to know their evaluation of their observations.
I (Nancy) gave a talk in Norwegian about church organization. Gerald had made me practice a lot saying all those words I still had a hard time saying. If I was listening to me I don’t know it I would have understood all that I said. The missionaries translate the meeting in English to those wearing headsets. I told Sister Engebretsen that if I mispronounced south east to please interpret it correctly. The way I had been saying it was like “south cheese”. Note: She did a good job and everyone was proud of her, most of all me!!!
On Sunday Gerald teaches a young man in Priesthood meeting and then the Temple Prep class during Sunday School. He also goes to pick up investigators and perhaps take them home after block time. I play the piano in Relief Society and the organ in Sacrament meeting.
We skpye most of our family on a regular basis. It is great to see and talk to them.
One of our Young Single Adults (Nadia) has been in the US since just after Christmas and will be returning home on Tuesday night (we will meet her at the train station at 9 p.m.). She spent time in AZ and in UT. She was able to meet Alison for a few minutes on Saturday. The couple she stayed with in AZ are Clyde and Nancy Christensen. Clyde was one of my missionary companions 50 years ago and they served a mission here in Trondheim about 5 years ago (they were in Bergen when we were there on vacation, but we did not know about it until after we had left).
We pray that the Lord will continue to bless each of you and your families. We are truly blessed to be here in Norway at this time.
Love,
Gerald and Nancy/mom and dad/grandma and grandpa/Elder and Sister Sorensen
Steven update
Hello,
I hope you are enjoying winter weather like we have in Arizona this last week. No snow or freezing temps, but a change in climate like something AZ has not had for 10 years here. From Wed-Friday we had a least 6 inches of rain, 5 on Thursday alone. That’s more rain than we have had for the last 18 months. We have learned to really appreciate the rain while living here in the desert. A 4 y/o girl said the prayer, by herself, in Primary today and the first thing she said was, “please send more rain.” (Her grandparents and parents are ranchers and the cattle need water as well as the plant life it brings.)
Well, in case you haven’t noticed yet, this is Steve(n). Rozann and I set a goal to write twice a month, and she said that meant one for her and once for me. Not only that, but she has left me with the kids for the weekend, so I have nothing to do and nobody to fight over the computer with, so I guess I am writing my first bi-monthly update today.
Rozann’s Grandpa Woodward died this last week. He lives in Paul, ID, near Burley (which is near Boise). He owned and ran a dairy for as long as I’ve known him and he will be missed. Rozann and I did not know how old he was until she found out today he was 93. His health has been declining gradually for the last 5 years. We have taken the kids to their house, still near the dairy, the last two summers, so we hope they will remember him, but I don’t think they have really seen the friendly, storyteller that he always was. My greatest memory of him will be the way he charmed all of our wedding guests as he and Grandma were greeters at our wedding reception. He always had a little joke or story for everyone, and a Tootsie roll for the kids. Anyway, Rozann flew out to SLC yesterday, where she met her sister, Maleah, from Colorado and they drove up to Paul today. They stayed at her aunt’s house overnight and had 2-3 inches of snow by the time they woke up this morning, so driving was a bit more of a challenge than we are used to in AZ, but they made it. Most of her siblings, 8/11, will be there for the funeral tomorrow, Monday. She will be flying back home on Tuesday.
In the mean time, I am doing my best impersonation of a responsible father. I find myself not thinking much of myself, and thinking a lot more about where my kids are, what they are doing, and what they will need to eat for the next meal. Fortunately we have some very nice families in the area that are helping a lot. One family, Shumways, invited us over for Sunday dinner tonight. I am taking all the kids to another family’s house tomorrow morning so I can be to work by 7, and that mother is taking Tanner, Brianna, and Ashley to school and Shay to another mother who has a couple young children at home. After work I will pick up all the kids from three different houses and we’ll see what we can do for a couple hours before they go to bed. Tuesday I don’t have to be to work until 8, so I can probably drop the kids off at school and Shay off at our friends house before work. Finally Rozann will be home on Tuesday, assuming all goes well, but not too well so that she wants to return home. I certainly have greater love and appreciation for her when she is gone. I don’t get much done when I am thinking about the kids so much. I’m grateful for the support she gives me, by being a wonderful wife and mother.
Work has been busy this month, and hopefully will be for the next few months. Usually the snowbirds (winter visitors to AZ) leave between April-May, so that causes business to slow down for the summer. The new therapist has been working well, and I enjoy sharing the load this winter, although it still seems like there is not enough time in the day.
Tanner, Brianna, and Ashley went to a basketball clinic yesterday and are preparing for the beginning of basketball season. It’s usually from Feb-March and ends just in time for baseball to begin. I think the season starts late because of a shortage of gyms for practices because of jr. high and high school teams practicing in their own gyms, and only one elementary school gym in town. Anyway, they practiced some basic skills, then had a drawing for some Phoenix Suns prices. Brianna was the only winner from our family, coming home with a hat, backpack, wrist bands, and an extra large t-shirt, which she will be able to wear for a night gown until it wears out. They are excited to begin basketball.
Shay always wants to join right in with her older siblings. When I handed in papers to sign T, B, and A up for basketball yesterday, one of the mothers had some old jerseys she was giving away and she gave one to Shay. She promptly removed her jacket and put on the jersey. As she and I walked into the gym the other kids had already begun stretching as a group, so Shay observed closely. Then they split up into groups according to age and lined up to practice shooting. Shay wandered right over where A and B were in line and figured she was dressed and ready to be part of the team. She reminds me of myself, ready to play, just from watching older siblings play.
All in all these Sorensens are doing good. Rozann and I will be participating in a half-marathon this Saturday, so wish us luck and send any advice you might have. My goal is to finish without stopping or walking. I’ve always considered running as a boring event, but I actually find that it clears my mind and brings increased self-esteem after I run. I must be getting old.
Anyway, we love you all and thank you for your love and friendship.
Love,
Steve, Rozann, T, B, A, and S
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Norway/US visit
1.7.10
Hi Sister and Elder Sorensen,
Ok, so I finally made it to Arizona after spending most of Monday at Gardermoen, standing in line at Newark for over 2 hours only to discover that I have to spend the entire night at the airport. One good thing came of it though, I didn't have to go to Denver then Phoenix but straight from Newark to Phoenix. And also got to know a few other people who were having a blast at the airport. So, I have been here since Tuesday and I have already been to the hospital once. Great! But all is fine. Just wanted to let you know that I haven't called Alison yet but I'll do it to night or tomorrow. I might not be able to see her before after I get back from Utah, but I'll give her the stuff you sent with me and I'll get the sweaters for you, sister Sorensen. If there is anything you would like me to get for you, just let me know. I do get to bring two suitcases for 50 pounds each... Gotta like Continental for something...
Take care!Nadia
We are happy to hear that you are safely in AZ. It has only been -23 here the past couple of days--I bet you wish you had some of this to share with your friends in AZ? We missed you at FHE and Institute this week, but we know you were thinking about us as we were thinking about you (and wanting the weather you are having). Sister Engebretsens mom is anxious to have you. I talk with her (chat online) occasionally and she asks about your plans. Ask her to see the latest picture of Sis. E on a spark.
1.14.10 - alison's family has been sick for way too long - Lea had been home for a week with the flu - she missed the first round we had back in October.
Is Lea feeling better today? Hopefully she is back to normal and enjoying school. Nadia is in UT now, so she should be contacting you when she returns to AZ next week. We are going to Oslo tomorrow for a zone conference. We fly out at 0720 and back at 1935 (7:30 p.m) so it makes a long day, but they are always good days. Here is how my day began today.
This week it is my turn to talk in church. I have written my talk and now Dad is translating it. I have to speak on church organization today--10 minutes and a limited vocabulary--a five minute talk that takes 10 minutes to give.
We were able to meet up with Nadia at the home of Brother and Sister Chritiansen - they served a couple mission in Norway from 2004-2006. Brother Christiansen served with dad (back when) and dad was his first junior companion. They were companions for 5 months and were at church for the last Sunday together. Dad and Brother Christiansen were sitting on the stand and a woman in the back of the church collapsed. They rushed back to help her. Someone had gone to find an ambulance, but it was going to take 2 hours for it to arrive. So dad and Brother Christiansen took the woman in the back of a taxi to the hospital. She died on the way there in their arms. (I don't remember details from dad's story, this is all from Brother Christiansen, but I do remember hearing this a few times from dad.) He told us (Jeff and I), that he and dad wanted to stay and attend the funeral for this woman, but their mission president told them no and sometimes you just need to move on. He asked if dad had a better record of it in his journal as he didn't have all the details or wanted to see what dad remembered.
We sent a small package back with Nadia for mom and dad and enjoyed the candies she brought to us from Norway. Thank you!
Hi Sister and Elder Sorensen,
Ok, so I finally made it to Arizona after spending most of Monday at Gardermoen, standing in line at Newark for over 2 hours only to discover that I have to spend the entire night at the airport. One good thing came of it though, I didn't have to go to Denver then Phoenix but straight from Newark to Phoenix. And also got to know a few other people who were having a blast at the airport. So, I have been here since Tuesday and I have already been to the hospital once. Great! But all is fine. Just wanted to let you know that I haven't called Alison yet but I'll do it to night or tomorrow. I might not be able to see her before after I get back from Utah, but I'll give her the stuff you sent with me and I'll get the sweaters for you, sister Sorensen. If there is anything you would like me to get for you, just let me know. I do get to bring two suitcases for 50 pounds each... Gotta like Continental for something...
Take care!Nadia
We are happy to hear that you are safely in AZ. It has only been -23 here the past couple of days--I bet you wish you had some of this to share with your friends in AZ? We missed you at FHE and Institute this week, but we know you were thinking about us as we were thinking about you (and wanting the weather you are having). Sister Engebretsens mom is anxious to have you. I talk with her (chat online) occasionally and she asks about your plans. Ask her to see the latest picture of Sis. E on a spark.
We will look forward to seeing you when you return. Do we need to meet you at the train or plane terminal?
love
Elder and Sister Sorensen1.14.10 - alison's family has been sick for way too long - Lea had been home for a week with the flu - she missed the first round we had back in October.
Is Lea feeling better today? Hopefully she is back to normal and enjoying school. Nadia is in UT now, so she should be contacting you when she returns to AZ next week. We are going to Oslo tomorrow for a zone conference. We fly out at 0720 and back at 1935 (7:30 p.m) so it makes a long day, but they are always good days. Here is how my day began today.
It turned out OK as we received packages from Kristin and Ryan and got a new tire.
Wed 1.20.10love,
mom and dad
She is feeling better and back at school today. She ate dinner last night - the first thing she had eaten since Sunday. She was still sluggish yesterday, but we went to her soccer practice and although not up for practice really wanted to just play. She did most of her homework from missing school and is doing better. Her stomach is still hurting, but I think it's mostly because she's hungry, but nervous to eat - doesn't want to throw up again.
Glad you got a new tire and fun packages. Have a safe trip to Oslo.
Love, alison
Glad you got a new tire and fun packages. Have a safe trip to Oslo.
Love, alison
This week it is my turn to talk in church. I have written my talk and now Dad is translating it. I have to speak on church organization today--10 minutes and a limited vocabulary--a five minute talk that takes 10 minutes to give.
Hope you had a chance to meet up with Nadia this week.
Love
MOM
Alison:We were able to meet up with Nadia at the home of Brother and Sister Chritiansen - they served a couple mission in Norway from 2004-2006. Brother Christiansen served with dad (back when) and dad was his first junior companion. They were companions for 5 months and were at church for the last Sunday together. Dad and Brother Christiansen were sitting on the stand and a woman in the back of the church collapsed. They rushed back to help her. Someone had gone to find an ambulance, but it was going to take 2 hours for it to arrive. So dad and Brother Christiansen took the woman in the back of a taxi to the hospital. She died on the way there in their arms. (I don't remember details from dad's story, this is all from Brother Christiansen, but I do remember hearing this a few times from dad.) He told us (Jeff and I), that he and dad wanted to stay and attend the funeral for this woman, but their mission president told them no and sometimes you just need to move on. He asked if dad had a better record of it in his journal as he didn't have all the details or wanted to see what dad remembered.
We sent a small package back with Nadia for mom and dad and enjoyed the candies she brought to us from Norway. Thank you!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
More AZ visitors
This is rare for us since most or our family lives by each other with the exception of Rustin who probably gets 1 or 2 less visitors than our 3. :)
Ken and Geri came to stay at their condo in North Scottsdale and were kind enough to stop by and see Steven and his family, then drive to the other end of the Phoenix valley to see us. We had a great time and really enjoy having visitors come. Although they did get lost because their GPS took them somewhere else to find our house. I guess we're still too new for GPS to find. :) They are trying to visit all the Temples they can get too - amazing! What great examples they are to all of us. There are now 2 Temples in AZ, one more to be dedicated out farther from Phoenix and hopefully 2 more in the next couple years to be built in the Phoenix valley.
Unfortunately, they came to enjoy the beautiful weather and we had the worst wind/rain storm in about 20 years! The Salt River (which is completely dry and we drive through to get out of our area of town), was flooded - there is only one bridge out of Laveen and that's how we all get out to get to shopping, dining and church. They did get several days of perfect weather - totally worth it then! :)
1.15.10
Ken and Geri drove out to our house today. They spent a couple hours with us and Lucas chatted "Grandpa's" ear off - he was busy the whole time. He had Ken go outside to pitch so Lucas could play baseball. :) Jeff had the day off because he had worked so many hours these last couple weeks and even worked last Saturday. So they were nice enough to give him a day off and he was able to spend time at home with us and Ken and Geri.
Their time-share is about 4 miles from Kristin's old house, so it was a long drive to get to our place, but they were nice enough to come and we enjoyed it. They're staying for another week, but are going to visit all the temples in the area: Mesa, Snowflake and even drive over to Vegas for a day or two.
Lucas was thoroughly confused to see Ken walk through the door. I could see the wheels turning and making a funny face trying to figure out why Grandpa Sorensen was standing at the door. For sure, he tells everyone that grandpa is in Norway...... :) Steven's kids had the same reaction.
Hope you enjoyed your trip to Oslo.
Love, Alison
Glad to hear that Ken and Geri were able to not only visit, but find all of you home. Tell Lucas we are still in Norway and it is still cold. I think Nadia is coming back to AZ this week, so hopefully you will have contact with her soon. We had a good trip to Oslo and the conference was very uplifting. It is always good to see the other missionaries in the zone and there is now even another couple in our zone. They are in Tromso, which is quite a ways north of us. They say that they are scheduled to see the sun for the first time this year on the 21st, so everyone is looking forward to next week.
1.22.10
Glad to hear that your house, yard, trees, toys all stayed where they belong. We are also glad to hear that Nadia called, I was going to tell her that if she did not call, she was going to have to carry her suitcases home from the train station because I would not be there to meet her. But I didn't have to threaten her. You will enjoy meeting her. She was a missionary on Temple Square and she is studying English in school, so she does speak very well. Tell Lea to score a goal for grandpa today and one for grandma also.
On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 10:39 PM, Alison Risenmay <sorenmay@yahoo.com> wrote:
Nadia called me today. I wasn't expecting her English to be so clear. I was expecting a heavier Norwegian accent and there was hardly any at all. We'll be meeting up tomorrow afternoon. I am taking Rozann to the airport - Grandpa Woodward passed away this week and she's going to the funeral in Idaho, aftewards we're going to meet up with Nadia.
Looking forward to meeting with her. We survived a massive rain, wind storm and are happy all of our trees and toys are still in our yard and standing in the same place. Others were not so lucky and have lost trees, trampolines and play structures. Ken and Geri left today and called to see how we survived - I think we took the brunt for the entire Phoenix area. We lost power several times and was happy the longest was an hour and once more while everyone was sleeping. That one reset all clocks and alarms - luckily we made it on time to school, but there were more people there at 8:55 than usual - looks like more clocks were reset than just ours. :)
Lea is playing soccer tomorrow in probably the only field in the area that isn't flooded. It'll be chilly, but we're looking forward to a fun day in the wet and muck. :) have a great day and stay warm!
Love, alison and fam
Ken and Geri came to stay at their condo in North Scottsdale and were kind enough to stop by and see Steven and his family, then drive to the other end of the Phoenix valley to see us. We had a great time and really enjoy having visitors come. Although they did get lost because their GPS took them somewhere else to find our house. I guess we're still too new for GPS to find. :) They are trying to visit all the Temples they can get too - amazing! What great examples they are to all of us. There are now 2 Temples in AZ, one more to be dedicated out farther from Phoenix and hopefully 2 more in the next couple years to be built in the Phoenix valley.
Unfortunately, they came to enjoy the beautiful weather and we had the worst wind/rain storm in about 20 years! The Salt River (which is completely dry and we drive through to get out of our area of town), was flooded - there is only one bridge out of Laveen and that's how we all get out to get to shopping, dining and church. They did get several days of perfect weather - totally worth it then! :)
1.15.10
Ken and Geri drove out to our house today. They spent a couple hours with us and Lucas chatted "Grandpa's" ear off - he was busy the whole time. He had Ken go outside to pitch so Lucas could play baseball. :) Jeff had the day off because he had worked so many hours these last couple weeks and even worked last Saturday. So they were nice enough to give him a day off and he was able to spend time at home with us and Ken and Geri.
Their time-share is about 4 miles from Kristin's old house, so it was a long drive to get to our place, but they were nice enough to come and we enjoyed it. They're staying for another week, but are going to visit all the temples in the area: Mesa, Snowflake and even drive over to Vegas for a day or two.
Lucas was thoroughly confused to see Ken walk through the door. I could see the wheels turning and making a funny face trying to figure out why Grandpa Sorensen was standing at the door. For sure, he tells everyone that grandpa is in Norway...... :) Steven's kids had the same reaction.
Hope you enjoyed your trip to Oslo.
Love, Alison
Glad to hear that Ken and Geri were able to not only visit, but find all of you home. Tell Lucas we are still in Norway and it is still cold. I think Nadia is coming back to AZ this week, so hopefully you will have contact with her soon. We had a good trip to Oslo and the conference was very uplifting. It is always good to see the other missionaries in the zone and there is now even another couple in our zone. They are in Tromso, which is quite a ways north of us. They say that they are scheduled to see the sun for the first time this year on the 21st, so everyone is looking forward to next week.
Hope you are all feeling well.
Love,
dad and mom1.22.10
Glad to hear that your house, yard, trees, toys all stayed where they belong. We are also glad to hear that Nadia called, I was going to tell her that if she did not call, she was going to have to carry her suitcases home from the train station because I would not be there to meet her. But I didn't have to threaten her. You will enjoy meeting her. She was a missionary on Temple Square and she is studying English in school, so she does speak very well. Tell Lea to score a goal for grandpa today and one for grandma also.
Give Nadia a hug for us. Also give your kids a hug from us.
love
Dad and momOn Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 10:39 PM, Alison Risenmay <sorenmay@yahoo.com> wrote:
Nadia called me today. I wasn't expecting her English to be so clear. I was expecting a heavier Norwegian accent and there was hardly any at all. We'll be meeting up tomorrow afternoon. I am taking Rozann to the airport - Grandpa Woodward passed away this week and she's going to the funeral in Idaho, aftewards we're going to meet up with Nadia.
Looking forward to meeting with her. We survived a massive rain, wind storm and are happy all of our trees and toys are still in our yard and standing in the same place. Others were not so lucky and have lost trees, trampolines and play structures. Ken and Geri left today and called to see how we survived - I think we took the brunt for the entire Phoenix area. We lost power several times and was happy the longest was an hour and once more while everyone was sleeping. That one reset all clocks and alarms - luckily we made it on time to school, but there were more people there at 8:55 than usual - looks like more clocks were reset than just ours. :)
Lea is playing soccer tomorrow in probably the only field in the area that isn't flooded. It'll be chilly, but we're looking forward to a fun day in the wet and muck. :) have a great day and stay warm!
Love, alison and fam
Twin Lakes - mark your calendars!
This will be our first year ever going to Twin Lakes without mom and dad - impressive since I'm the youngest (almost 31 - how old does that make you feel!?) and wasn't born when they first started going. Responsibilities are being delegated and we're just trying to figure out who's going at this point and what cabins we have.
Kristin is in charge of making sure we keep the cabins another year. :) This is a HUGE responsibility - no pressure, but the cabins are hard to come by and our group keeps multiplying and replenishing - what can you do!? :)
1.19.10
You may have plenty of cabin room this year. Maybe Ryan will want to give up the cabin at South Twin and come occupy ours? Generally Del has a one bed cabin which he does not use and we have ended up with it (the one Steve and Rozanne stay in).
From all the emails sent back and forth: Here's who's going.
Caryn/Jim and whatever extras they bring
Kristin/Jonathan and fam
Kraig/Stephanie are not going - Norway is calling out LOUDER
Ryan/Cheri/Anita - of course! They have a posh cabin and their own boat, what else do you need really!?
Rustin/Deeana - not for sure what their plans are
Steven/Rozann - planning to stay in AZ instead, they have a few other obligations to take care of: girls camp, work and Norway also calling for them to come.
Alison/Jeff - we are not going. We tried to go to Norway, but apparently doctors/flight attendants and most likely the pilots and all other passengers are not a big fan of delivering a baby on the plane. Me neither! Althouh I would only be 25 weeks, doctor's suggestion was this: you're 30,000 feet in the air, over the ocean (she could have stopped there and I would have said okay I'll stay home), but she added more: if you go into labor or your water breaks, Noone can help you........translation - you could die in a plane - great thank you very much, I will stay home!) So no Twin Lakes for us, no to Norway for now and no to any other plans we had for traveling since all were to be done in July and we're due in August. Oh well - feel free to come visit AZ. :)
Kristin is in charge of making sure we keep the cabins another year. :) This is a HUGE responsibility - no pressure, but the cabins are hard to come by and our group keeps multiplying and replenishing - what can you do!? :)
1.19.10
I received the Twin Lakes info. today - We are scheduled for July 24-31. Let me know your plans when your figure out what you're doing.I know we have our cabin #16 - the one we are in.We have mom & dad's cabinWe have Caryn's cabinWe have the one bed cabin.I don't want to do the deciding where to put everyone, so reply to all what you would like and we'll work from there.Kristin
You may have plenty of cabin room this year. Maybe Ryan will want to give up the cabin at South Twin and come occupy ours? Generally Del has a one bed cabin which he does not use and we have ended up with it (the one Steve and Rozanne stay in).
President Johansen (mission president) was here on Monday and as I was taking him back to the airport, he said, "when the weather gets better, why don't you and Sister Sorensen take a few days and drive somewhere to enjoy the country?" I told him we will probably drive to Mo I Rana when the weather gets better and then keep going for a day or two after our meetings on Sunday. We will be getting a new car in March or April (which we will pick up in Oslo) so he suggested that when we do that we take a few days to make the trip and enjoy the scenery along the way. He said he wants to keep the couples happy so they will recommend to their friends that this is a great place to serve. We already know that even without any "vacation" trips.
I had another tire on the car go low earlier this week, after already replacing two of them, so on Monday I went to the tire shop and replaced the other two. I told Elder Arnesen (the elder who works in the mission office and handles money) that I was going to replace the one that was going flat on me and would replace the last one just because I did not want to have to go back for a 4th time to get a tire.
love,
Mom and DadFrom all the emails sent back and forth: Here's who's going.
Caryn/Jim and whatever extras they bring
Kristin/Jonathan and fam
Kraig/Stephanie are not going - Norway is calling out LOUDER
Ryan/Cheri/Anita - of course! They have a posh cabin and their own boat, what else do you need really!?
Rustin/Deeana - not for sure what their plans are
Steven/Rozann - planning to stay in AZ instead, they have a few other obligations to take care of: girls camp, work and Norway also calling for them to come.
Alison/Jeff - we are not going. We tried to go to Norway, but apparently doctors/flight attendants and most likely the pilots and all other passengers are not a big fan of delivering a baby on the plane. Me neither! Althouh I would only be 25 weeks, doctor's suggestion was this: you're 30,000 feet in the air, over the ocean (she could have stopped there and I would have said okay I'll stay home), but she added more: if you go into labor or your water breaks, Noone can help you........translation - you could die in a plane - great thank you very much, I will stay home!) So no Twin Lakes for us, no to Norway for now and no to any other plans we had for traveling since all were to be done in July and we're due in August. Oh well - feel free to come visit AZ. :)
Sunday, January 17, 2010
HELLO TO ALL!!!
Here another week has ended. We went to Oslo on Friday for a zone conference. We get up at 4:30am, take the bus to the airport at 5:40 and leave for Oslo at 7. We were the first ones to arrive. We all go to Oslo as our zone covers from Alesund to Alta--about 12 hour drive in between. We would all have to fly thru Oslo to get anywhere else, so they just have the meeting there. We practiced door approaches, "teaches" about baptism, and helping investigators make a commitment. There is always room for improvement. Last week we told you about the mission fast for 40 days. Monday was our district's day to fast. The mission has some lofty goals for this year and the Lord is helping us. The elders have two men to baptize in the next couple of weeks. It always amazes me what the people know and what they have learned. They are both from Africa. One is a student and one is a refuge. Their faith is so strong.
We had a sister and her four children come to church today. We have visited them twice and also attended a showing of her sculptures. She brought the children to the Juletrefest and was at church again today. YEH!! She asked Gerald to bless her little girl that is almost three years old. So that will happen one of these first Sundays.
Last Sunday we had an appointment with a less active member and discovered that he was also has a wife. While we were there his step brother came to visit with his wife and child. So we visited two less active members. When their schedules can work, we will meet with them again. How did that happen?
Thursday night we visited two of our members who live in different directions from Trondheim. We went to one at 4:30 pm and the other at 6:30. The first one speaks English and the second one scolded me (Nancy) for not speaking Norwegian. I am understanding more, but Norwegians talk fast and run all their words together.
Last night we went to dinner at a member's home. There were six missionaries, her four sons, and a few other friends. She is from the Philippines and we had an excellent dinner. After one of the elders gave a message about the Book of Mormon in Norwegian which they all understood--I understood some. Then the sister gave a testimony about the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I asked the elder what she talked about. He said she spoke in Tagolag--news to me. But I knew what she was talking about. I have learned to "read" the gestures when people are talking--it doesn't tell me everything, but it gives me a clue as to the subject.
The weather has warmed up this week. We were at 0 degrees Centigrade. The Norwegians say it hasn't been this cold in 50 years. Well, welcome to Norway! -23 is about 14 degrees F. We had about two weeks of that kind of weather. Last night the wind blew and the snow drifted to different places, but there is still plenty on the ground. The roads and streets are well plowed. Also sidewalks are plowed. They do have good equipment to keep people going. The weather doesn't seem to slow many people down.
The missionaries do a lot of street contacting, but not many want to talk with them the last few weeks. They ride the bus and contact there. Trondheim has a great bus system. The missionaries are all over town riding the bus.
Here are a couple of pictures. One is a sunrise out our apartment window (this is in the previous post). The other is our Trondheim missionaries at the airport in Oslo waiting to return to Trondheim after zone conference.. From left to right: Nancy, Elder Henshaw, Sister Molholt in front, Elder Richardson and Sister Engebretsen.
Our love to all,
MOM and DAD, Gerald and Nancy, Elder and Sister Sorensen, grandma and grandpa
Saturday, January 16, 2010
1.16.10- the view
When we were sitting at the dining room table yesterday morning, we looked out at the sky and saw these beautiful pink clouds and blue sky over the snow covered hill and I could not resist taking a picture. There is beauty all around here! Yesterday it warmed up to -0.5 and we did not see anything lower than -3. This morning it is -0.8 and the wind has been blowing most of the night, so there is no frost on the car windows. We would like to think that spring is just around the corner, but know that is just wishful thinking.
love,
mom and dad/grandma and grandpa/Gerald and Nancy/Elder and Sister Sorensen
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Why crime does not pay in Norway
As I told you a week or so ago, I was caught on camera speeding on my way to the Trondheim airport. I expected the fine to be high, since a simple parking meter violation a week or so earlier had cost me $50. (300 Norsk kroner). Yesterday I received a letter from the police dept advising me that the fine for the speeding ticket is 2600 Norsk Kroner, or about $450. US. It is enough to get my attention and I will be sure not to exceed the speed limit for the remainder of our time in Norway. The other option is 3 days in jail--it may not be a bad choice, depending on how warm the jail is.
We were studying Alma 30-31 the other night for our Institute lesson and verse 60 of Alma 30 caught my eye related to this experience, where it says that the devil "...doth speedily drag them down to hell." I guess I could use the defense that "the Devil made me do it" and I was not driving, but being dragged.
Anyway, life goes on. It has been cold here the past few days (-23C), so we try to move quickly from one warm place to the other. One of the sister missionaries said, "now I feel like I am really in Norway!!" One of the modes of transportation when the roads are covered with snow and ice is a "spark"--a kind of scooter with runners and a seat. You stand with one foot on a runner behind the seat, kick (spark) with the other foot as on a scooter and move down the street of sidewalk. I saw them a lot in my first mission here, and have seen a few in the past few days. One of the members "rode" one to church on Wednesday night so I had to show it to Nancy and some of the others who had never seen one. Sister Engebretsen's first comment was, "can we try it?" So here is her picture on a spark.
The cold does make some nice pictures. Here is the Ila dock on the edge of Trondheim. The haze in the distance is the fog coming off the "warm" fjord waters and mixing with the much colder air.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Jan 4-10, 2010
Hello Family and Friends
I know how to write email, but not to send it to all of you. Gerald usually sends the weekly update, but he let me have the computer long enough to do it. I usually get to use the computer when he is in the shower--if I hurry.
This week we visited a young couple who aren't married but have twin daughters. She is a member and he is not. They were very warm and friendly. We took the sister missionaries with us. After teaching them, he asked about Gerald's family in the church in Norway. He said well I would be the first generation of my family. We have a scheduled date to go back and visit in a week. They live a little more than an hour from Trondheim.
Tonight we visited a young man who has been less active. We think that he is married--not a YSA--but was happy to see us and their friends stopped by, so we had a good "teach". We will go back and visit them again next week.
Both of these visits were young (not single) adult age Norwegians which is very good. It seems like most of those who have baptismal dates are Nigerian or other nationalities than Norwegian. This means that they are students and will be leaving when they finish their education here. So Norwegian visits are great!!
The weather was unusually cold this week. We haven't had any new snow, but most of the week has been -23 to -17 C. Tonight it is only -7 C. Let's see cloud cover, yes, more snow, maybe!
We heard that Cheri had a nice birthday and that Tyler will be 9 on Tuesday. Happy Birthday!
Last night we had the Juletrefest. This is the end of Christmas season. Jul-Christmas, tre- Tree, Fest-party. So they moved the big Christmas tree in the cultural hall into the middle of the floor and walked around it singing traditional Norwegian songs. After that the children played musical chairs. It was fun to play Jingle Bells and then stop for them to scurry to their chairs. Altering the time fast and slow made it more fun! We had a less active sister and her three children attend.
This week the mission had a special conference call. Missionary work for Norway over the years has been very slow. It is beginning to progress, but the President thinks we can do better. Following the call and during the next day or so all the missionaries in Norway were to fast. We are to fast for listening ears for the missionaries to find those who the Lord is preparing to be taught, to strengthen those preparing for baptism and to soften hearts of less active and investigators waiting to learn. This will be a 40-day fast following with districts taking turns fasting. President Johansen wants us to let the Lord know that we are ready and willing to be his hands in missionary work.
One of the men came to church and rode his "spark'. A spark has a seat, long runners in back for someone to pump like a scooter and then ride or coast or keep pumping like a scooter. Gerald saw many of these when he was on his mission. We had seen very few and Brother Hansen's is old. See a few pictures of it.
Keep being good examples. Invite the missionaries for dinner. Love the missionaries as your brothers and sisters. We sure see the great work that they do and the testimonies that they give. They are wonderful!!
Love,
Dad and Mom; Gerald and Nancy, Grandpa and Grandma, Elder and Sister Sorensen
Sunday, January 10, 2010
JANUARY 2010
Hard to believe that we are into 2010 already. I remember when we were worried that the whole world would come to a standstill at midnight Dec. 31, 1999 because all the computers would crash. We made it through that and now it is 10 years later.
This has been a busy and fun week. On Saturday afternoon the branch had a "yuletrefest" (Christmas tree party). We all gathered in the cultural hall at 4 p.m. and there was traditional norwegian songs while children and adults joined hands and danced (OK walked) around the christmas tree. Mom played the piano for some of that and also played the piano while those who wanted participated in a little musical chairs.
On Wednesday evening, Harald Hansen, one of the members, rode his "spark" to the church. He normally rides his bike down on week nights, but because of the snow and ice, he dusted off his spark. A spark is kind of like a sled with a seat, long runners and handles behind the seat so the driver can steer, while standing on one runner while kicking (sparking) with the other foot, like riding a scooter. I saw a lot of these in Norway 50 years ago, but have only seen a few this time around. Maybe because I did not know anyone 50 years ago who owned a car and now everyone owns at least one. He put it inside the front entry of the church and when I came out and saw it, I found him and asked if it was his. I then went to find mom and told her she needed to come and see this. Sister Engebretsen was with her and when they saw it, Sis. Engebretsens first comment was "can we go ride on it?" So we took it outside where those who were brave enough (in -20C weather) took it for a ride up the sidewalk.
On Thursday afternoon, I noticed that one of the back tires on the car was getting low, so I took it to the local tire shop and found that it had a leak around one of the studs. That resulted in a new tire. But it is better than being stalled on the side of the road in -20 weather trying to change a tire, especially when there really is no room on the side of the road to do such things.
Exciting things are happening with missionary work in Norway, as there are an unprescedented number of baptisms planned for the months of January and February. Missionaries are working hard and are exercising great faith that the Lord will help them find people who are ready to hear the message of the restoration of the gospel, and it is happening! Today there were 5 investigators in church. We finally got a translation system so those who do not speak Norsk can put on a head set and listen to while someone translates the meeting to English. I had the opportunity of doing it for the first speaker today, then Elder Henshaw did the rest of the meeting.
We are so blessed to be here in this beautiful, if cold, country. We are noting that the days are light a little longer now, so we are hopeful that spring is not far away. We found out this evening when we went to visit a young couple who live in an apartment building just up the street from us that there is a field nearby that has been flooded and kids were out playing ice hockey.
Love to all,
mom and dad
This has been a busy and fun week. On Saturday afternoon the branch had a "yuletrefest" (Christmas tree party). We all gathered in the cultural hall at 4 p.m. and there was traditional norwegian songs while children and adults joined hands and danced (OK walked) around the christmas tree. Mom played the piano for some of that and also played the piano while those who wanted participated in a little musical chairs.
On Wednesday evening, Harald Hansen, one of the members, rode his "spark" to the church. He normally rides his bike down on week nights, but because of the snow and ice, he dusted off his spark. A spark is kind of like a sled with a seat, long runners and handles behind the seat so the driver can steer, while standing on one runner while kicking (sparking) with the other foot, like riding a scooter. I saw a lot of these in Norway 50 years ago, but have only seen a few this time around. Maybe because I did not know anyone 50 years ago who owned a car and now everyone owns at least one. He put it inside the front entry of the church and when I came out and saw it, I found him and asked if it was his. I then went to find mom and told her she needed to come and see this. Sister Engebretsen was with her and when they saw it, Sis. Engebretsens first comment was "can we go ride on it?" So we took it outside where those who were brave enough (in -20C weather) took it for a ride up the sidewalk.
On Thursday afternoon, I noticed that one of the back tires on the car was getting low, so I took it to the local tire shop and found that it had a leak around one of the studs. That resulted in a new tire. But it is better than being stalled on the side of the road in -20 weather trying to change a tire, especially when there really is no room on the side of the road to do such things.
Exciting things are happening with missionary work in Norway, as there are an unprescedented number of baptisms planned for the months of January and February. Missionaries are working hard and are exercising great faith that the Lord will help them find people who are ready to hear the message of the restoration of the gospel, and it is happening! Today there were 5 investigators in church. We finally got a translation system so those who do not speak Norsk can put on a head set and listen to while someone translates the meeting to English. I had the opportunity of doing it for the first speaker today, then Elder Henshaw did the rest of the meeting.
We are so blessed to be here in this beautiful, if cold, country. We are noting that the days are light a little longer now, so we are hopeful that spring is not far away. We found out this evening when we went to visit a young couple who live in an apartment building just up the street from us that there is a field nearby that has been flooded and kids were out playing ice hockey.
Love to all,
mom and dad
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Family snapshots - Ryan edition
Pictures of Ryan and Cheri's kids: Bracken, Camron, Meghan and Paige. The boys are attending Eastern Washington University in Cheney, WA. The girls are Juniors in High School. Meghan had knee surgery at the beginning of soccer season and is unable to play any sports this year. Paige is playing for both her and Meghan in soccer and basketball. They recently acquired a new pup: an olde English Bulldogg/Chow mix, named Hogan.
Bracken, Meghan, Paige
Meghan and their new dog.....Hogan.
Ryan and Cheri
Paige and beau
Bracken
Meghan
Camron
Paige
Cheri and Paige
Bracken's birthday - Nov 28th
Camron and Hogan the winking pup!
Ilsa (Cheri's mom) Meghan & Paige
-23 degrees
1.6.2010
How does one dress for that? Long johns, wool socks, slip, skirt for the bottom half. White short sleeve shirt, white long sleeve shirt, red sweater, dressy scarf, black wool sweater for the top half. For outside black short coat, wool scarf, hat, gloves. Nice to have seat warmers in the car. Not too many people out today. Yesterday was -18 maybe up to -13. Just checked since this morning, hmm, up to -19.
How does one dress for that? Long johns, wool socks, slip, skirt for the bottom half. White short sleeve shirt, white long sleeve shirt, red sweater, dressy scarf, black wool sweater for the top half. For outside black short coat, wool scarf, hat, gloves. Nice to have seat warmers in the car. Not too many people out today. Yesterday was -18 maybe up to -13. Just checked since this morning, hmm, up to -19.
The only places colder than Norway are Finland and Russia. When you don't have to be out in the cold constantly, it isn't too bad!!
We are surviving. We have gone to drinking more hot chocolate and even decaffinated tea in the evenings.
Love to all from the land of a lot of snow and much cold!!!
MOM
1.6.2010
Paige has once again graced the front page of the TCH….Picture #3 was the photo, they could have chosen #10 where she actually looks like a BBall player (with one leg).
Sorry for the cold weather….just let us know when Hell freezes over.
Ryan
1.6.2010
I believe it already has, but I am afraid to drive out there to see. Here is how mom dresses for this cold weather. The last two mornings when it has been -22 and -23, I have found that the anti-lock brake system on our car (VW Polo) freezes up and does not work until after I have driven for a while and things in the engine compartment warm up. This is a really good feature on the VW, where the anti lock brakes don't work in the kind of weather where they might be needed. They work fine in the summer.
Have a good day,
Love,
dad
Week of Dec 28, 2009 - Jan 2, 2010
Attached for your information is our latest weekly update. We pray that each of you has had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We are looking forward to 2010 and all that if will bring. We are grateful to be missionaries here in this beautiful country serving with some wonderful young missionaries and good people. We are getting to know our geography well as we meet people from all over the world here.
May God bless you in all that you do,
love,
Elder and Sister Sorensen/mom and Dad/Gerald and Nancy/grandma and grandpa
Week of December 28, 2009-January 3, 2010
Trondheim, Norway
Like all the others, this week has gone by way too fast. We arrived at the Trondheim station from Mo I Rana at about 7:30 on Monday morning after a long train ride through the night. The train was packed, no empty seats and we were lucky enough to get 2 of the 6 seats in the car that did not recline (“bulkhead seats”). There had been a couple of inches of snow in Trondheim since we left, so I had to uncover the car before we could return home. Once home, it was time to get the laundry in and take a nap (after a good breakfast). The rest of the day was pretty slow as we cleaned the apt and made preparations for Family Home Evening. Many of the young single adults have gone out of town for the holidays, so there were only 2 of them at FHE, plus Harald Myhren (branch clerk), an investigator (Metei, from Iran) and the missionaries. We had a good lesson and then enjoyed playing some games.
We had been invited to “middag” (mid day-dinner) on Monday by Turid Hansen last week, but she called on Sunday and said she had to take care of her mother on Monday and could we do it another day. That worked out well, as we were too tired to go visit on Monday afternoon.
We had our district meeting on Tuesday morning, after which we had pizza for lunch with the elders and sisters. This has become a tradition that they all enjoy. We then went to IKEA to buy some things that we still needed for the elders apartment. Here is a view from their apt in the daytime.
We planned to spend New Year’s eve at the church from 8-midnight with the missionaries, young singles and investigators, so much of Wednesday was spent shopping for the food for the evening on Thursday. Everything closes at 1 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, so we could not let things wait to the last minute. I found that one of the tires on the car was low Tuesday afternoon and was lucky enough to find a tire shop open and they did a repair for me—at no cost!!
New Year’s Eve we had been told is a time of fireworks all over town and the place to be is on the bridge near the cathedral. We had a group of 10—Sisters Engebretsen and Molholt, Elders Henshaw and Richardson, Harald Myhren, Shina Elegbede, Zeng Zhau, Nadia Haugen and the two of us. Harald is the branch clerk (62 years old, never married) and he is always at the church, so he gets invited to everything we do. We enjoyed chips, dips, salsa, open face sandwiches (smørbrød) with meat, cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, and rice krispie treats. After eating (and while snacking) some played “Farkle” a new game Kristin sent for Christmas (the package arrived on the 30th) while others played “nertz”. Sister Engebretsen likes this game as much as Nancy does, so they were trying to teach Shina (from Nigeria) and Zeng (from China) the intricacies of the game. I don’t think they were too successful. Finally at about 1145 we walked to the bridge to enjoy fireworks to usher in the New Year. There were quite a few people there already, many who had been celebrating for some time already, and they may not remember the midnight hour. The fireworks were great—just like a 4th of July at home only they were going off everywhere. There was a main display sponsored by the city, but some of the ones being shot off by citizens were almost as impressive. We headed back to the church at about 1230 and started taking people home. We finally got to bed around 2 a.m. so we could wake in the morning to have breakfast for the missionaries here at 8. Here is a picture of New Year’s eve and breakfast. We enjoyed Norwegian waffles and some enjoyed them with ice cream, strawberries and whipped cream, while others were more traditional—eating them with brown cheese and jam.
In the early afternoon on New Year’s Day we went to the church where Nancy and Nadia defrosted and cleaned the refrigerator and cleaned the kitchen drawers. I kept busy by repairing the ping pong table and tightening up screws on the stackable chairs in the cultural hall and the out reach room. A couple of week ago, Elder Henshaw sat on a chair and it sounded like it cracked, so after he stood up and sat down again, I watched the bottom of the seat and sure enough, it was cracked, so we put it away so I could repair it later. I got that one glued back together earlier in the week and noted that several others had loose screws in various places. So on New Year’s day I celebrated by tightening screws on the chairs (58 chairs with 10 screws each). At about 3:30, the missionaries and several investigators plus Shine showed up and we ate some more, then played games and visited for several hours before everyone left to go home.
On Friday evening we visited a less active man and his non-member wife and 10 year old daughter. They come from India and have been in Norway for about 17 years. He joined the church before he met his wife. We had a nice visit with them and invited them to church on Sunday (they did not make it).
Saturday was sports with the missionaries and young single adults at the church from noon to 2 p.m. There were 8, including 4 young missionaries, Shine, Metei and a Chinese student who is a friend of one of the YSA. The sisters had seen him on the street a couple of days earlier and invited him to come join us. Since there was an uneven number, I “had” to play.
Today (Sunday) Nancy and I taught the English speaking Gospel Doctrine class, which turned out to be the Gospel Principles class, as there were 6 investigators, one recent convert (Shine), 4 missionaries and Nadia. The investigators were from Nigeria, Iran, Palestine, the Philippines and Norway. All were Christian except the man from Palestine, who is Muslim. Nancy also played the organ in church, so her talents were well used today.
Shine was baptized on December 5 and has struggled a bit because of discussions he has had with his best friend from Nigeria (who is also studying in Norway—Stavanger) and some anti-LDS information he gave to him. We have talked several times to answer his questions and reassure him that he has made the right decision. On Friday he went with the elders to teach a young man who is also from Nigeria. Shine told him that this (being baptized) was the best decision he has made. He told him of some of the struggles he has had and his concern that his family may disown him, but he said, “it is all worth it”. Earlier in the week Sister Engebretsen had told him to check out the BYU-Idaho website, he did and found an article about a young student there who is from Nigeria. The young man was not a member of the church when he began school, but has since joined the church. He and Shine have communicated through facebook and it has done a world of good for Shine to see that there are others from his country that are making the same choice and finding the same happiness that he has as well as facing some of the same challenges.
This next week will get back to more of what is “normal”—whatever that is. Tonight we are taking Nadia to the train station at 10 p.m. so she can take the night train to Oslo. Tomorrow she will fly to the US, where she will spend a week with the Christensens (a couple who were here about 4 years ago) in Gilbert, AZ, then fly to Utah where she will spend a week with Sister Engebretsens family, then back to AZ for a week before returning home. She has been counting the days for weeks now. She served a mission on Temple Square, but had to come home in her first year due to illness. We will miss her for the 3 weeks she will be gone, but she will return very excited about her experiences. We have given her phone numbers for Alison and Steve in case she has a few minutes to visit.
We are grateful to be here in Norway working with the wonderful people here to help introduce them to the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. What a blessing it is in our lives and we know that the Lord is blessing our family and friends while we are away.
Love,
Mom and dad/Gerald and Nancy/grandma and grandpa/nana and granddad/Elder and Sister Sorensen
Trondheim, Norway
Like all the others, this week has gone by way too fast. We arrived at the Trondheim station from Mo I Rana at about 7:30 on Monday morning after a long train ride through the night. The train was packed, no empty seats and we were lucky enough to get 2 of the 6 seats in the car that did not recline (“bulkhead seats”). There had been a couple of inches of snow in Trondheim since we left, so I had to uncover the car before we could return home. Once home, it was time to get the laundry in and take a nap (after a good breakfast). The rest of the day was pretty slow as we cleaned the apt and made preparations for Family Home Evening. Many of the young single adults have gone out of town for the holidays, so there were only 2 of them at FHE, plus Harald Myhren (branch clerk), an investigator (Metei, from Iran) and the missionaries. We had a good lesson and then enjoyed playing some games.
We had been invited to “middag” (mid day-dinner) on Monday by Turid Hansen last week, but she called on Sunday and said she had to take care of her mother on Monday and could we do it another day. That worked out well, as we were too tired to go visit on Monday afternoon.
We had our district meeting on Tuesday morning, after which we had pizza for lunch with the elders and sisters. This has become a tradition that they all enjoy. We then went to IKEA to buy some things that we still needed for the elders apartment. Here is a view from their apt in the daytime.
On Friday evening we visited a less active man and his non-member wife and 10 year old daughter. They come from India and have been in Norway for about 17 years. He joined the church before he met his wife. We had a nice visit with them and invited them to church on Sunday (they did not make it).
Saturday was sports with the missionaries and young single adults at the church from noon to 2 p.m. There were 8, including 4 young missionaries, Shine, Metei and a Chinese student who is a friend of one of the YSA. The sisters had seen him on the street a couple of days earlier and invited him to come join us. Since there was an uneven number, I “had” to play.
Today (Sunday) Nancy and I taught the English speaking Gospel Doctrine class, which turned out to be the Gospel Principles class, as there were 6 investigators, one recent convert (Shine), 4 missionaries and Nadia. The investigators were from Nigeria, Iran, Palestine, the Philippines and Norway. All were Christian except the man from Palestine, who is Muslim. Nancy also played the organ in church, so her talents were well used today.
Shine was baptized on December 5 and has struggled a bit because of discussions he has had with his best friend from Nigeria (who is also studying in Norway—Stavanger) and some anti-LDS information he gave to him. We have talked several times to answer his questions and reassure him that he has made the right decision. On Friday he went with the elders to teach a young man who is also from Nigeria. Shine told him that this (being baptized) was the best decision he has made. He told him of some of the struggles he has had and his concern that his family may disown him, but he said, “it is all worth it”. Earlier in the week Sister Engebretsen had told him to check out the BYU-Idaho website, he did and found an article about a young student there who is from Nigeria. The young man was not a member of the church when he began school, but has since joined the church. He and Shine have communicated through facebook and it has done a world of good for Shine to see that there are others from his country that are making the same choice and finding the same happiness that he has as well as facing some of the same challenges.
This next week will get back to more of what is “normal”—whatever that is. Tonight we are taking Nadia to the train station at 10 p.m. so she can take the night train to Oslo. Tomorrow she will fly to the US, where she will spend a week with the Christensens (a couple who were here about 4 years ago) in Gilbert, AZ, then fly to Utah where she will spend a week with Sister Engebretsens family, then back to AZ for a week before returning home. She has been counting the days for weeks now. She served a mission on Temple Square, but had to come home in her first year due to illness. We will miss her for the 3 weeks she will be gone, but she will return very excited about her experiences. We have given her phone numbers for Alison and Steve in case she has a few minutes to visit.
We are grateful to be here in Norway working with the wonderful people here to help introduce them to the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. What a blessing it is in our lives and we know that the Lord is blessing our family and friends while we are away.
Love,
Mom and dad/Gerald and Nancy/grandma and grandpa/nana and granddad/Elder and Sister Sorensen
bits and pieces
A girl from Trondheim, Nadia is coming to Arizona. She is going to be in Tempe for a week, then to Salt Lake, then back to Tempe and then home to Norway. Mom and Dad gave her our phone number here in Laveen and we are looking forward to meeting her.
Bits and pieces of the emails we have sent back and forth regarding her visit. We'll post any updates about her visit to the Arizona.
1/1/2010
Please give a warm welcome to Nadia Haugen when she calls you. She is from here in Trondheim and will be in Tempe next Tuesday for a week, then Salt Lake for a week and then back to Arizona for another week.
Bits and pieces of the emails we have sent back and forth regarding her visit. We'll post any updates about her visit to the Arizona.
1/1/2010
Please give a warm welcome to Nadia Haugen when she calls you. She is from here in Trondheim and will be in Tempe next Tuesday for a week, then Salt Lake for a week and then back to Arizona for another week.
Nadia was a missionary on temple square but had to come home early. She had to have her appendix out and then became depressed. She lost her mother a few years ago and the Christensens in Tempe were the missionary couple here. They really helped her a lot. She has your number and will call you. Hopefully you can get together. She will be 23 this next year--know any "anxious to marry" men. She is so excited to go shopping at Wal Mart. I will send $20 with her and she can buy for me. She says my wardrobe needs brightening. Anyway she is looking forward to meeting you.
Dad will send you a picture of her later.
Happy New Year!!
Love,
MOM
1/2/2010
Here is a picture of Nadia Haugen. She is sitting next to mom at the end of the table. This was part of our new year's eve celebration. Hope you are doing well.
We'll be happy to hear from her and hang out.
-Alison
Love,
mom and dad
She was in the video of New Year's eve - Dad mentioned she was coming to the US in 3 days.
1/2/2010
We'll be happy to hear from her and hang out.
-Alison
1/3/2010
If you know any eligible men (she is 23) who would like a date, you may inquire. Sister Engebretsen is setting her up with one of her cousins while she is in UT.
We just returned from the hospital. Mom had an ear ache most of the night, so we finally went to the emergency room at 6:30 this morning. She has an ear infection in the ear canal, but still had ear drops from the last time, so he told her to take those and it should clear up. They did a blood test and there is no virus.
love,
dad
1/3/2010
Can we set her up - we may have a couple options.
Sorry Mom has an ear infection, but happy it's just an ear infection and nothing more. I'm up at 6:00........I miss 1 o'clock church. :) Not sure how my kids are going to handle being woken up if they don't get up in time. They should, but sometimes they don't and we have a half hour drive ahead of us.
Happy first Sunday of the year. Hope your ear feels better Mom.
Love ya,
Alison and fam
Happy first Sunday of the year. Hope your ear feels better Mom.
Love ya,
Alison and fam
1/3/2010
Sure, you can see what will work when she calls you. I don't know what the couple she is staying with will have planned for her, but she will probably be interested if she has time. She told me today that her best friend in America is setting her up with her husband's friend. He said he dated a girl in his singles ward (don't know where he lives) and on the first date, she lit a cigarette and later asked if he wanted to smoke a "joint" or sniff a little coke. I think that was their last date.
Hope everyone does good this morning, change to early meeting time can be hard. We appreciate all that you do with your family.
We had a good church service today. Mom and I taught the English gospel doctrine class. There were 6 investigators, one recent convert, 4 missionaries and Nadia. The investigators were from Nigeria, Iran, Palestine,The Philippines and Norway.
Mom came home from the doctors and took a nap. She felt better when we went to church (I think just knowing what the problem was gave her a lot of relief.). She played the organ for Sacrament meeting.
love,
dadSunday, January 3, 2010
Family update - Steven edition
1/3/2010
January 3, 2010
Hello there,
We have had fun this last two weeks as the kids have been home from school on vacation. They go back to school tomorrow, but they’re not sure they’re ready to go. I have enjoyed the vacation with them, but I’m also ready to get a few needed things done.
Christmas was good with the usual opening of presents in the morning. However, afterwards we went and hiked Vulture Peak with our friends (Tyler & Sara Smith and their 6-mo son, Grant). Steve and I took turns carrying Shay, so we got quite the workout. We had Christmas dinner in the oven while we were hiking, so when we returned four hours later, we all enjoyed a delicious meal.
The day after Christmas, we loaded up and travelled to Flagstaff (3 hours away) with Steve’s sister (Alison & family) to play in the snow. We got there about 3p, and I was prepared to hear moaning and miserable, freezing kids after a short time. However, Tanner, Brianna, and Ashley had a grand time and played until dark. Shay, however, was not very happy when I took her down on a sled for the first time. We got snow in our faces as we went down the hill and that was enough for her. She cried until I finally took her back to the car and warmed her up. Once warm, we bundled back up again to go out and just watch everyone.
Tanner got his wish for Christmas and got NFL Madden for the Wii. He spent the majority of the break playing with friends (here and at their houses) and playing new Wii games. Ashley got a makeup set this Christmas (Brianna received one last Christmas), so they have enjoyed putting makeup on together in their bedroom. Shay has enjoyed her new toys but more truthfully has enjoyed having siblings home to play with. The town recently paved a section at the end of our road that was dirt before. It’s the latest novelty, so the kids have enjoyed riding scooters and bikes down the hill.
New Years Eve we played games with the kids and ate goodies. Then as they went to bed, we had a few friends over to play more games until midnight. Instead of staying up really late New Year’s Eve watching a movie, the kids watched a movie first thing New Year’s morning. I thought it was a great idea. I may try that next year too. J New Years Day I went running around the neighborhood and the kids rode bikes with me. Afterwards my sister (Raquel & family) came from Gilbert to spend the day with us. We had a fun time playing games, eating yummy food, and relaxing.
Yesterday was a working day. The kids had a primary activity in the morning and a friend’s baptism at 11a. Afterwards, Steve recruited Tanner’s help in fixing a tree of ours that was leaning due to a big windstorm a few weeks ago. Then a friend gave us a bike and Steve and Tanner spent the rest of the afternoon repairing the tube and brakes. It will be a new bike for Tanner, so he was excited to fix it up.
It’s been fun and relaxing. We’ve had a great Christmas vacation right in our very own home. Happy New Year.
Love,
Rozann and family
Friday, January 1, 2010
Scouting Awards - Hunt edition
We held Dallin's Eagle Scout Court of Honor on 12/30. Interestingly enough, we opened a time capsule today that we made in 1999/2000 to be opened in 2010 (I forgot I had it, but we'd done it in activity days with the 8-11 year old girls 10 years ago & one of them reminded me recently - I found ours & we opened it today). On Dallin's paper it said he'd be an Eagle Scout - whooosh - just made it.
Brendan was also honored to receive his 3rd Eagle Palm - must earn 15 merit badges after achieving Eagle. It was a wonderful evening & I'm a proud mom! (and gratefully DONE!)
Love,
Kristin
Note from Dad:
What a great evening and a good way to close out 2009. Congratulations to Dallin and Brendan and to Kristin for helping them get there.
Note from Alison:
Dallin has chosen Jeff to receive the merit pin for helping him in scouting. Jeff is honored and was lucky enough to be Dallin's Weblo's leader for a short time when we lived near the Hunts in Scottsdale, AZ. The two are very similar and were always creating some sort of experiment. Congrats Dallin! Congrats Brendan for earning another Eagle Palm!
Note from Dad:
What a great evening and a good way to close out 2009. Congratulations to Dallin and Brendan and to Kristin for helping them get there.
love,
dadNote from Alison:
Dallin has chosen Jeff to receive the merit pin for helping him in scouting. Jeff is honored and was lucky enough to be Dallin's Weblo's leader for a short time when we lived near the Hunts in Scottsdale, AZ. The two are very similar and were always creating some sort of experiment. Congrats Dallin! Congrats Brendan for earning another Eagle Palm!
Brendan receiving his 3rd Eagle Palm from Brother Bodmer
Dallin trying not to poke his mother - Kristin
Eagle's Nest: Brendan, Dallin, Jonathan and Kraig and others
Dallin & Grandma Jones
Dallin and his projects
Dallin, Jonathan, Brendan
Dallin, Jonathan, Kristin and Brendan
Aubrey, Dallin, Brendan
Calla, Elizabeth
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