MISSIONARIES AND PUMPKINS

We had a fairly slow week.  I had days with oh, maybe two things I had to do.  Yes, we are finally getting control of our life at the office.  Feast or Famine it seems.  It will all change Tuesday when 14 new, fresh, Christopher-like missionaries arrive.  I want to hug them all and pretend they are him. I have made binders for them and readied their paperwork.  We will copy each passport and driver's license, check contact information, let them e-mail home, and feed them.  They will also get an interview by President O'Bryant and go out street contacting.  They will be falling asleep in their soup by evening.  After a night at the president's home, they will be back for orientation, then shipped out to their new areas. The AP's have been working on transfers and have bought tickets for all the criss-crossing of elders and trainers by train and ferry through-out Denmark.  Took them three days to figure it all out.  Transfer day is like Christmas. Excitement, suspense and tension.  Some in the area find an excuse to come into the office and sneak a peek at the transfer board............which is never updated until everyone is re-assigned.   Nice try!   It is truly amazing how things seem to work out with lots of prayer on the part of the mission leadership.  I'm impressed at how they keep so positive and upbeat and eager with the very low baptism rate here, but in every newsletter, they all have "miracle stories" to report of their work.  

So. We do stay busy in our little branch.  This is Relief Society work meeting.  I thought I would post a picture of the Pumpkin Parade.  Halloween is really not a thing here in Denmark, but is slowly gaining traction.  These ladies are such good sports.  Lots of laughter and Danish chit-chat as we carved and scraped and pulled out the stringy, slimy innards.  Gah...    The UTAH sweatshirt owner is a Dane.  ??  Another misisonary, Sister Ottley is standing second from the right.  The Ottleys are Records Preservation Missionaries.  They are from Kenniwick, WA and I am glad she speaks English.  Can you guess which one is the ballerina?  Bishop's wife is second from left in back.  Sister Olsen. (Mother of the ballerina)

Our ballerina is center front.  Kristina.   Prima Donna for the Copenhagen Ballet a few years back.  Now has two cute little boys and still dances regularly.