Happy birthday this week to Meghan and Paige (2/2), Jonathan (2/6) and Lizzy (2/7)
We will start with the end of the week first. Today (Sunday) we were scheduled to speak in church, this being the last regular Sunday that we will be in Trondheim. We were the only assigned speakers, so when mom got up to speak at about 20 after 1, the Branch President turned to me and said, “how much time you have will depend on how long she speaks.” Her talk lasted about 10 minutes.
When I got up to speak, I told the congregation what the Branch President had said to me, then commented that “I knew I would have a lot of time, as she is limited by the language (she always gives her talks in Norwegian), but when we get home and speak, she will not have that limitation, so all I will have time to do then is get up at the end and say ‘amen’ and sit down.”
We were asked to speak on the topic of senior missionary service and our experiences here in Trondheim. Mom gave a good talk about the blessings we have received during our time here and she also talked about the young adults we have had the opportunity to work with. She did well until she got to that point, then her voice began to quiver and it became difficult for her to see what she had written because of the tears. But, she did a good job and was able to get through with it without too much difficulty.
At the start of Sacrament meeting, the Branch President (Rune Krogstad) said a few nice things about our service here, then turned time to his first counselor, Kjell Paulsen, who asked us to come to the mike with him. He presented us with a nice painted wooden plate and a nice card from the branch.
After church we were invited to the home of Bjarne and Annali Hansen for dinner. Bjarne is the Elders Quorum president and recently received his Phd in psychology. He has a private practice here in town and also teaches at the university. Annali is educated as an MD, but has not been working much for the past couple of years, as they have a young (1-1/2 year old) daughter. Bjarne is the cook in the family and always has delicious food. They had also invited a young woman from Ghana who has been in the branch since last fall. She is studying here and her husband is studying at BYU-Idaho. She is delightful and had lots of interesting stories about the church in Ghana.
The sister missionaries are teaching a woman (Kassandra) from Honduras who does not speak much Norsk or English, so they teach her in Spanish. Turns out that Sister Berggren majored in Spanish at BYU. They invited mom to join them on Saturday when they visited with Kassandra. She said she could understand more in the lesson in Spanish than when they teach in Norsk.
On Saturday we had scheduled our second annual “polar dip” in the Trondheimfjord. This time we had recruited one additional young single adult woman (Audhild Storseth-from Norway), so we had a group of 4 (doubled from the first time I went with Terje Dorr). Unfortunately, when we got to the “sjøbadet” (sea bath) we found that the building that houses the change rooms has been torn down as they are going to build a new one a short distance away.
The platform and ladder down to the fjord were still in place, but there was so much debris between where we were and that area that we decided it would not be wise to attempt the crossing. So…we took a couple of pictures of us anxious to get in the water, but unable to do so. Mom says it was the Lord’s way of protecting us from our own stupidity.
On Thursday we flew to Stavanger to attend a zone conference on Friday. Thursday evening, Elder Jose Teixeira and his wife gave a fireside for the youth and young single adults. We got to Stavanger in time to catch the remarks of Elder and Sister Teixeira, but missed the talks from President and Sister Johansen. They had done a fireside in Oslo on Wednesday night and we were going to watch that as our institute class. We had dinner on Wednesday night, then went into the chapel to watch the fireside. We use a video conferencing system, which also allows us to participate (they can both see and hear us). There were young adult groups in Bergen and Tromsø participating as well. At the beginning, we could all see and hear each other, then when the fireside got started, none of us could hear Oslo. After several “hang up and redial” we gave up and went into the cultural hall and played a few games before everyone went home. So our youth were not able to hear what the Teixeira’s had to say, but we did, as they gave the same talks in Stavanger.
After the Thursday night fireside, we met with the other senior missionary couples from Bergen, Stavanger, Kristiansand and Tromsø to share what is happening in our various “centers for young adults”. The Hickmans, who are in Kristiansand have only been in Norway for 2 weeks and neither of them speak Norsk, and they are trying to establish a center. They have an uphill battle, but the Lord always seems to provide a way to accomplish what he asks us to do. As a result of this meeting, we did not get back to the hotel until about 10:30, and were to be back at the chapel on Friday morning at 8:30 to start zone conference, so it was a short night.
We were asked to share our testimonies toward the end of the zone conference, as it was our last. It was emotional for both of us as we looked into the faces of the young missionaries there, many of whom we have served with here in Trondheim who are now serving in other cities. It was interesting that Elder Teixeira was there (he is 2nd counselor in the Europe Area Presidency), as it was he who presided at the Richland Stake conference in November 2008 when I was released from my calling as stake president. It seemed fitting that he should be here when we were about to be released from our mission. We had a good opportunity to visit a little before and after the zone conference. The current Area Presidency is the first in the history of the Church in Europe in which all members are from Europe. The President is Elder Erich Kopieschke from Germany, first counselor is Elder Gerald Causse, from France, and Elder Teixeira from Portugal as second counselor. During the time we have been in Norway, all of them have been to a zone conference.
It was rather nostalgic to be back in Stavanger so near to the time we will be leaving Norway, as I have so many fond memories of Stavanger from 50 years ago. The city has changed a lot, but there are some things that do not change—like the 1000 year old cathedral in the center of town.
However, we have found that our hearts belong to Trondheim this time. There is no question that it is the association with the people that makes a place dear to ones heart and this time our association with the people has been mostly in Trondheim.
Construction in the church building continues. I have been photographing the progress since the end of October when they began and was hopeful (but not optimistic) that I would be able to record the completion—that will not happen unless we stay to at least the end of March. Most of the ventilation system above the main floor is complete and they will soon be putting new lighting and ceiling tiles above the main hallway, but there is still a lot of work to be done downstairs and the elevator shaft is in, but nothing more. This has been a bit of a disruption, but we have only not been able to use the building one week back in October. We have had to do a lot of cleaning and work around ladders, scaffolding, compressors, etc. but things have gone forward almost as normal.
We talked yesterday about having a dinner for the young adults after fast and testimony meeting next Sunday. Somehow it has morphed to a dinner for the whole branch. President Krogstad announced it from the pulpit at the start of Sacrament meeting yesterday and I had not been able to talk with mom since that happened in our missionary meeting that ended just before the start of church. I was watching her as she sat on the organ bench while he was talking, but fortunately she did not have here earpiece in and thus did not hear the translation.
We still have much to do and now literally so little time to do it in. Not sure if we will get a letter written next week, so this may be the last you receive from Norway. It is with very mixed emotions that we begin this week, knowing that it will be filled with many “lasts”—last time we visit Brother and sister so and so, last time we attend church here on Sunday, etc. We try not to think of these things, but people constantly remind us. The Springers will arrive next Tuesday (the 8th) and we will help them get into their apartment. We will be here for Institute and dinner on Wednesday the 9th, then spend the night at the “Rica Hell Hotel” and be off to Oslo on the morning of the 10th.
As much as we do not look forward to leaving these wonderful members and friends, we look forward to being reunited with each of you—watching ball games, enjoying evenings together, and just knowing that we can pick up the phone (when we get one) and call and talk.
Love to all
Mom and dad/Gerald and Nancy/grandma and grandpa/Nana and granddad
No comments:
Post a Comment
We'd love to hear from you!