MORE VISITORS FROM HOME

We were so pleased when Jordan and Emily decided at almost the last minute to come visit.  Airline prices dipped suddenly and they snapped up tickets.  And Shayna and Adeline (granddaughter, yeah!!!) were able to coordinate with Jor and decided to come too. Schedules matched, timing matched and with a few key strokes on the internet all was arranged.    Our visitors  had planned a tricky itinerary which involved Utahans and Texans meeting in New York,

Just a little tired!

sharing a 7 hour lay-over, then flying to Copenhagen via  Dublin, Ireland (overnight stay plus tour).   Complicated, but do-able on a normal day.  But normal flew out the window when  the Delta hub went down and people and planes all over the world were backed up like a Los Angeles freeway on a Friday.  Just hours before departure time.  Could things  be worse?  Well, yes they could. Shayna discovered the night before leaving that Addie's passport had expired.  To make a long story short, miracles occurred.  Did you know that if you can find some place open to take your passport picture in the dead of night,  (the hardest part) you can obtain a passport in person in Dallas?   In hours?  And Jordan was actually able to get on an earlier flight;  Shayna a later one, and both ended up in New York in time to catch their flight to Ireland.  All was good.  Hurrahs.  Just one last catch:  most of Shayna's luggage booked a different trip.  A 5-day trip.  And not to Denmark.  We adjusted.

They wanted to see it all, so we got right to work!  The first day they fell in love with Danish hot dogs.  They are called pølser and you get the best ones at little wagons on the street.  Just pick your sausage, add dried onions, pickled onions, relish, mustard, ketchup and remoulade (a peculiar Danish condiment) and tuck in.  Served on a napkin.  Kind of sloppy, but yummy.

This picture was actually taken by Kendell on a later visit, but you get the idea.  Kendell and Ruth fell in love with a different Danish dish.  Future post.

We tried to show each set of visitors a little something different.  On a trip down the coast to Stevn´s Klint, we detoured and found an unusual Danish church.  I love the churches in Denmark.  Each one is unique on the inside, but most are generally white-washed or red brick on the outside.  But this one was unusual:  yellow- that unique mustard color found on old houses here.

This wonderful church and cemetery was found in Gammel Havdrup.

Every churchyard has a cemetery, manicured and lovely.

Seeing and playing in the freezing Baltic Seat at the Klint (cliff) is always a big hit!

Lovely harbor village, Rødvig

On our way back, we found a cute little couple hitch-hiking.  Or rather, they found us.  They had docked a boat, then walked 12 km along the coast to Stevn's Klint and needed a ride back to their boat. Their crew mates were getting worried.  Since we had a van, we stuffed them in with us.  As a result, we found a cute little fishing village, toured the harbor, and climbed aboard our new friends' sailing boat.  What a way to travel Europe!  They were from Germany and were crusing the coast.

This little cutie came all the way with her mom.  We loved having her and introducing her to her ancestor's homeland.

We saw all the castles and  took bunches of pictures.  Jor arrived with a  selfie-stick and it worked wonders, but you can't use them inside the museums.  Museum people are afraid you will stumble into  prized artifacts and break them.  One does tend to get a little silly  with selfies.

Adeline and Grandpa at Frederiksberg Slot garden.

Christiansborg palace where the current Queen holds receptions - hence the cute shoe covers.  These relatively new tapestries tell the whole history of Denmark.  Fabulous.

Another stop was Christiansborg .  I had never been to this one.  This is where the parliament meets currently, and formal receptions are held in majestic rooms. 

Jordan answering the phone in the copper-potted kitchen.  The butler wanted the soup brought up NOW!
And the royal horses having baths.

You can also visit the kitchens (not in use now, but full of copper pots.  Oh, the copper!)  and the stables,  Emily's favorite part.  The horses get the royal treatment and live in marble stalls.  Yeah.

Besides the Fish Kiss Spa, Adeline and the crew couldn't wait to get to Tivoli.  Tivoli is a very compact amusement park with beautiful flower gardens and restaurants and rides.  One of the rides pulls so many G's that you can't scream.  Of course they tried it.  But, Shayna freaked out most on the sky swings.   Grandpa and I just held the popcorn and said, "Have at it."

Even super moms and dads need a break.  So glad they could come and have a little vacation.

One evening this crew joined us for the missionary couples monthly dinner at the Knudsens.  You know, the place where we had kangaroo.  They met our office friends and mission friends and had an authentic Danish meal crowded  in a tiny Danish apartment.   Another evening we went to the temple where Adeline and Jordan did baptisms for the dead.  Addie and Jor were able to perform baptisms for some of our ancestors born here in the 1800's.  Our family also attended the branch where we proudly introduced them to as many as possible.

Thank goodness the Ortman clothes showed up in time for church.

After sacrament meeting we had a special experience with our family.  We drove to the mission office where Elder Buxton was set apart as the interim Mission President by Elder Sabin (from the Area Presidency in Germany)  and President O'Bryant.  After that,  President O'Bryant was given a priesthood blessing since he was leaving within a few days to go to Salt Lake for a heart procedure.  It was wonderful to see my two men worthy to stand in and assist.  What a great blessing for all of us.

And, we got the following announcement a month early:

We'll be home in time for the big event!!!!  So excited.  It was hard to see our visitors go, but school was starting soon.  Love having family visit and sharing Denmark with them!

DESTINATION ICELAND

Iceland is one of those places which was never on my bucket list of countries to see.  Not even remotely. I am just not enamored with...... well, ice and cold and anything resembling either.  Our Mission President goes once every 6 weeks, at least, because after all, it is part of The Danish Copenhagen Mission and we have 2 couples and 8 elders serving there.  Iceland Elders are actually called to serve in Iceland, learn Icelandic at the MTC, and even stay there an extra 2 weeks  because the language is so difficult.  We have recently had to send a couple of elders to Iceland on temporary emergency transfers and the Danish elders line up to go.  Beats me.  And, with the Icelandic soccer team being so popular in the Olympics, and good advertising and marketing, Iceland has become THE VACATION DESTINATION.  Did you know that they have free layovers for up to 4 days with Icelandic Air?    So hop off the plane in Reykjavik, stay a few days, and hop back on and finish your trip.   Everyone here asks, "Have you been?" or "When are are you going?"  Pressure.

So, armed with brochures, travel guides, maps and information from the Brookes and Anissa (took advantage of the lay-over in May), we decided to take the plunge and bought tickets for July.  My thinking was that Icelandic weather in the dead of summer can't be too bad?  Surely?  How cold can it be in July?  Can I just say that it was a good thing I took a coat........... and an umbrella.

Iceland is not very close, considering.  It is a 5- hour flight through two time zones.  But, other than the cold, rainy weather, I was quite pleasantly surprised.  Things are different there.  For starters, Reykjavik is not an old European city like Copenhagen.  It is a newer, sprawling town, with houses of startling colors and surprisingly flat-topped roofs, lined up on sloping streets.  The sharp smell of the sea saturates the air.  The Shephards, a record-preservation couple from Springville, UT picked us up at the airport and squired us around the city. Nice people.

City of Reykjavik as seen from the tower of the Cathedral shown below.

Hallsgrimskirkja 

The Reykjavik Cathedral (Hallsgrimskirkja Church), the main landmark in the city, sits atop one of the small hills within the city and can be seen from almost anywhere. It is massive and was inspired by the fascinating shapes and patterns formed when lava cools into blocks of basalt rock.  Inside is a humongous pipe organ and outside a statue of Leifur Eirikkson.  It is believed that Eirikkson discovered America 500 years before Columbus. We stayed in a cute little inn, just 100 yards from this beautiful building.

You can't beat Iceland for bizarre and fascinating landscapes.  The place is literally lava rock, spongy moss, waterfalls and glaciers with hot thermal vents thrown in for good measure.  Geothermal fields dot the landscape with miles of white pipe zig-zagging across the landscape and along the highways into the cities.  Houses in Iceland are heated by pumping this hot water directly from the geothermal fields to your radiator.  The water is so hot, that cold water has to be added and then, residents keep windows open in the winter so the heat doesn't suffocate them.  Of course, hot water from the tap is REALLY hot and has a faint sulfur smell. Thankfully, cold water is really cold and delicious.

Geothermal  steam vents

First picture shows  a huge steam vent.  These spout off everywhere.  The picture just above shows the hot water pipes zig-zagging across the hills.  This pattern keeps the pipes from breaking during earthquakes.  You can see the "spongy" moss -covered lava in the foreground.  Many areas are off-limits for walking because this moss takes a thousand years to form and one step ruins it.  BIG fines if you are caught traipsing around the moss.

Since we will probably never return to Iceland again, we took the plunge and did two tours.  The first was an 8-hour guided tour along the southern coast and was called The Golden Circle Tour. Massive tectonic plates from the east and west meet here amid huge waterfalls and rings of ragged rocks. (þingvellir National Park)  Everything was soooooo green.

The rocks jutting up beyond  the black sand shore are called The Three Sisters

The Golden Circle Tour

Our second tour was a bit more grueling.  Fourteen hours on a small bus.  Our very Scottish guide was superb -  entertaining, funny and supremely knowledgeable about all things Icelandic.  He knew everything from the peculiar gait of Icelandic horses to the stories and fables of the trolls who live in the hills.  He chatted for about 13 of the 14 hours.  We stopped at many places and trooped about, then climbed back in the bus, wet and dripping.   I swear, the humidity on that bus was over 100 percent.  Surely. We stopped for lunch and had lamb stew - a very popular food.  One highlight was the Jökulsarlon Glacier and bay where we got up close and personal in an amphibious boat.

Jökulsarlon Glacier and bay 

Because the ground is volcanic with a thin layer of soil you can't dig 6 feet down.  So the graves sit above gound with a light covering of soil.

The waterfall on the top right is the inspiration for the Cathedral in Reykjavik.  (The water fall is in Sveitarfelagið Hornafjöður.)  You can see how the basalt was formed into abrupt, shingled chunks of rock when the lava cooled.   The whole cathedral was constructed to mimic the rocks around the waterfall and the shape of the waterfall itself.  Both are stunning. I can see why tourists want to visit this most unusual country.

On Sunday , the Elders picked us up and took us to Selfoss, a small town with a tiny branch of the church outside Reykjavik.  We were the speakers for sacrament meeting and enjoyed meeting the Icelandic Saints in this small, cold corner of the world.  We even have 2 Elders in the north in Akureyri, located about 49 km from the Arctic Circle where they go for months in the winter without having the sun rise above the mountains.  The Akureyri Elders have had several baptisms this summer.  They are so excited with the work. The Elders who serve here absolutely love the people and the country. When they fly to Copenhagen for meetings, they cannot wait to return.  The love of the people and their homeland seems to be universal with missionaries in the church.  It is a simple truth.  You love those you serve.

SUMMER HOUSE and GOODBYES

The city locals have a very Danish solution to bring a little "summer country living" into their apartment dwelling lives.  You know,  a retreat, a get-away, a place to hang out in the summer, a reprieve from the noise and traffic of the city.   They call it a Summer House.  Now, you might think this is not a unique idea.  Many people in the USA have cabins, campers and RV's which they flock to in the summer for a way to escape the summer heat  and yard work.  Well, this is the same, but different.  Our friends, the Warnsdorf's have talked about their little summer house and how they love to go and get away.  Often they go for the afternoon or for a day, and invite friends for dinner.  She told me that it was near a lake and had a garden and beautiful flowers.  Country living at its best. Couldn't wait to see it.

She invited us for dinner at their summer house a week ago after we closed the office.  We picked up the Brookes, and after driving for about 5  minutes, Elder Buxton started looking for a parking spot. Not a good time to run an errand when we are already late, I thought.  He told us all to hop out, and I stared first at him and then out the window, blankly.   All I saw was a big park properly hedged  like all good Copenhagen parks.  We piled out and headed toward a smiling Elder Warnsdorf standing by a big, red gate in the hedge.  Filing through,  I realized that what I thought was a park was actually a cluster of little summer homes  screened by a tall,  green hedge.  I was totally fooled. I had driven by this place a dozen times.  We single-filed through a maze of paths between smaller hedges which separated each miniature cottage and garden.  Glad for a guide, I was lost after the first 2 corners.   There must have been at least 30 little households in this rabbit warren of paths, and yes, there was a miniature lake.   A tiny,  summer cottage village hidden right smack dab in the middle of the city! This is Danish compactness at its finest.

The Warnsdorff's Summer Cottage

After a half-dozen turns, we opened a small, private gate and saw their little home at the end of the walkway. Perennials bordered one side and grass the other.  The  yellow clapboard house had white wooden trim, and a tiny picket fence front porch with a table for dining.  Decidedly quaint and totally charming.

Front porch of the Summer Cottage

Inside, it's one summery room.  Living room and kitchen.  Light furniture.  Floral patterns on every fabric, plate and dish towel.  No bathroom and no bedroom.  REALLY.  They never stay overnight.  It is just for a day visit.  Oh, my word.  (There are charming tiny bathroom buildings outside along the paths; each shared by about 4 households who take turns cleaning.)  You would never guess you were in the city, except for a glimpse of buildings above the hedge; and near-by church bells chiming during dessert. What a fun evening.

Tiny, but fully decorated Danish style

GOOD-BYES

We did say good-bye recently to some very dear friends here. First to leave was the Johnsons.  Polly Rae and Stanley.  They were  the MLS couple on Bornholm and stayed with us every time mission business brought them to Sjælland.   What a wonderful couple!  Stan is a quite a successful artist and a student of the gospel.  He was the branch president on Bornholm.  And,  Polly can do absolutely anything. One of those high energy, has-to-keep-busy kind of women.  And that she did.  Took care of the branch members, the missionaries and every investigator with love and a happy, positive outlook.  In her younger days she rodeoed (you know the lady who rides two horses standing up), raised 9 children, and before the mission supervised fire crews in southern Utah. Yeah,  one impressive lady.  They have returned home to Parawon, Utah and we miss them.

The other couple who left last week was the Brookes.  Not only our wonderful friends, but our neighbors and Denmark exploration buddies.  Sister Brookes searched out all the cool things to see and Elder Brookes led the way.  We have done a lot of sightseeing and train riding with them.  Salt-of-the-earth type of people with generous and kind hearts.  They also attended our Branch with us.  We tried everything to get them to stay, but nope.  They had been here two years preserving records at the Frederiksberg Commune and made big friendships with all the Danish people there. Sister Brookes especially needed to get home to the grandkids.  I understand that.  They headed home to Orem, Utah after one last train ride with us.  We shall miss them.  We do miss them.

One of our last outings with the Brookes (right) and Ottleys.  Elder Ottley, true to form, was off exploring.  Jor, Em, Shay and Addie will understand.

Meeting and making new missionary friends is an added bonus of missionary service.  The Lord has sent some of the best people found in the church to us!  They become like family.

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It's been a very busy couple of weeks here in the mission.  Unexpected things happen when your mission president goes home for a few weeks for surgery!  I'll explain sometime.  Hope everyone had a fantastic August.....

MEMORY LANE

A few weeks ago, we went on a little tour of Jylland.  This is the biggest "island" in Denmark, to the west of Sjælland, and where Elder Buxton served a good share of his mission.  Our purpose was to re-visit some of his old stomping grounds.  We met up with the CUV couple in Århus (The Larsens) and headed north to Skagen.  The Larsens are always up for some exploring and shopping and poking around  museums.  Too bad they live so far away.

Larsens and me on the beach in Skagen

Skagen is famous for two reasons: their wrist watches which are made and sold world-wide,  and the place at the northern tip of Denmark where the North Sea (going east) and the Baltic sea (going west) meet.  We planned to check out both.

We stayed overnight in a quaint little hotel in Skagen with one of those fantastic Danish breakfasts. Even had gluten-free cereal and bread!  Bright and early we drove up the coast to watch the seas come together.  We parked at the access point with all the other tourists (July is the Big Tourist Month), then trudged down the beach, the wind pushing us from behind.  You know when you arrive, because the land runs out and the sea surrounds you on three sides.  It is NOT a friendly meeting.  The two oceans come together with huge crashing of waves and much protest. You can actually see two colors trying to mix - the North sea an angry green and the Baltic, a dark blue. They do battle beginning just a few meters from your feet and continuing out for miles.  I think the North sea has an edge in the battle; it is much more aggressive and turbulent.

Battle of the Seas

Some intrepid souls took off their shoes to wade in the shallows,  tip-toeing around the jelly fish lying in wait in the wet sand.

Tankers waiting in line

The wind provided a free sand scrub to our faces as we turned back.  We took our time walking through dunes dotted with tufts of sea grass and watching the freighters and tankers off shore lined up and waiting for an escort  into the harbor miles away.  We hear it's either windy or freezing or both on the point, so we felt very lucky to have some sun with our wind.

Colorful and brave street-side flower bed

After the wind bashing, we drove into Skagen, a charming village with narrow cobblestone streets and perennials and hollyhocks crowding up against yellow houses.  We did find the watch factory and Elder Buxton may or may not have folded to pressure and bought one.  ALL the missionaries want a Skagen watch to take home. Or so he claims.

Harbor at Hirtshals

 Our next stop was Hirtshals.  Elder Buxton's memories were of an old sea-side village with a huge fishing fleet moored in the harbor, and ruddy faced, jaunty old fishermen puttering around their peeling boats, and sailing out daily to bring  fresh fish for the markets.  We did find a harbor and we did find fishing boats, all painted in bright colors and bobbing in the bay.  I know the fishing industry is not what it was, so I am guessing tourists hire many of these boats.

Probably the best salad I've had in Denmark.  And yes.  A hamburger on the right.  The Danes attack them quite successfully with knife and fork. 

After trailing up and down the harbor to satisfy the men, we women picked the first restaurant we saw and insisted that we go in.  Hungry!  We managed to snag seats overlooking the bay and the food was fabulous!  Both beautiful and tasty.

White lighthouse and German bunkers

We lingered and watched the sea and the boats.  Hirtshals is also home to old German bunkers scattered up and down the coast and watched over by a white, stone lighthouse.  After lunch we poked around inside and tried to imagine "life in a bunker," from a German point of view.  A notch up from life in a trench; they actually had stoves for heat and cooking.

The USU Aggies need this formidable statue

Last stop on the nostalgia tour was Hjørring.  We drove around trying to find old addresses, but nothing looked familiar.  Elder Buxton insisted that somewhere there was a statue of a stone bull near his old apartment.  Found it!  Bull still threatening.  Apartment gone.

These old missionaries are a strange breed.  They are so thrilled to return to Denmark that they almost kiss the ground on arrival.  Their wives are a bit bemused, but have heard all the "Denmark" stories for years, so smile indulgently as they reminisce like brothers,  yet again.   The missionaries want to recreate, re-find and rediscover their missions and the happiness they felt here.  And, amazingly, even though much has changed, they do find what they are looking for,  considering they have aged as much or more than the places they visit.  The Denmark Missionary Spirit weathers the storms of life pretty well...........

SENIOR CONFERENCE

Each summer the mission holds a 2-day conference just for the Seniors.   It is a time to meet new couples, renew acquaintances and get some training by the president.  Since we just received 3 new couples, we decided July would be a good month for the conference.  My first question was, "So, who is in charge of this?"  Well......good question.  No one seemed to know the answer, but had a lot of good advice from last year.  Long story short and by process of elimination, (couples too new, couples too far away, couples out of town ) we won the honor.  Our first plan was to get on a cruise ship to Norway and stay two nights.  Lots of space there for conferencing.  Lovely meals.  Relaxing. The mission president's response:  "Great idea.  But you better buy one-way tickets."  Taking that as a "no," we came up with an alternate plan.

The first day was play day.  We met and drove to Kronbørg Slot in Helsingør to tour the castle and catch short scenes from Shakespear's Hamlet.  This castle is know as Hamlet's Castle or Elsinore, because it is believed that Shakespeare used Kronbørg as the setting for his play.  Hamlet, if you recall, is  the Prince of Denmark.  Well, for the 400th anniversary of Hamlet, the castle celebrated by producing short scenes in the very rooms where they took place in the play.  Duels,  murders (half the cast dies) a crazed queen and even a ghost.   Between scenes, the actors strolled about and interacted with the tourists. Here is our favorite:  Polonious.   True to form, he's self-absorbed, long winded and comical - like the kind of dad you don't want your friends to meet.  He was appalled at our slaughter of the Queen's own English and tried coaching us with no success.  Funny guy. Booming voice.

Forslunds, Polonious, Buxtons

We strolled around and caught whatever scenes we could.  The times were posted, but some overlapped.

Confrontation in the King's Apartments

Halmet's mother meeting her demise with a drop of poison in her wine

We climbed  the tower ( the Danes do love their circular stairs) and took a picture with our backs toward Sweden.  After weeks of rain, the weather actually cooperated for us.

Kronbørg Slot from the roof

Tunnels under Kronbørg

We took the President down in the maize of tunnels to see Holgar Dansk.  It was so dark in one stretch that he hit his head on a low doorway.  Ouch.  Apparently, the soldiers were quartered underground in caverns which open up from the tunnels you see below.  Hardly any light and the floors are not cobble-stones, but ankle-breaking rocks.

The legend is that someday Holgar Dansk is to wake and rescue Denmark

We stayed  until the castle doors closed, then walked  to a Chinese Buffet and stuffed ourselves full of sushi and shrimp, and pretty much cancelled out any calories we burned climbing up and down castle steps.

The next day, we ate breakfast and held meetings until lunchtime.  The good news was that there is a handy-dandy conference room in our apartment complex just two doors from us.  The bad news:  it was way too easy to talk ourselves into making the food for both meals.  No one wanted to haul catered food from miles away.  Marathon cooking  after the castle trip, but lots of help.

Much to President O'Bryant's surprise, senior missionaries are not given training in the MTC on how to interact with young missionaries.  So we talked about big things like, "Do not mother too much or a missionary will leave the mission still needing a mother," and "Don't be too quick to solve their problems.  Let them figure it out by going to the Lord," and "Don't give counsel opposite from the President and APs even if you think missions back in your day did things better,"  and "Marriage after a mission should be on the Lord's timetable, not some arbitrary time period suggested by you."   We also talked about little things like dignified hand shakes (one hand) and calling them Elder and Sister instead of  'you guys'...... guilty.

We also received inspired council about what we are "becoming"  as missionaries.  We get so tied up in "doing" that we quit "becoming."  It is ultimately what we become, not what we do that will exalt us.  Here's a good thought:  we are all like Peter - we start out a little rough but can grow to become strong witnesses.  We should see all missionaries and ourselves as the Lord saw Peter.  Remember he was named Peter the Rock early in his ministry and grew into that name.

And a final thought:  "A testimony of Christ has the power to remove fear and change the world."  We need that today, don't we?

Ended with a temple session and a picture on the temple steps.  Couples left to right (new couples in bold):

President and Sister O'Bryant, Elder and Sister Michaelsen (Iceland), us, Elder Bryner (behind us) front: Elder and Sister Ottley, back:  Elder and Sister Shurtliff; front:  Sister Johnson (Bornholm, husband not here) middle behind her:  Elder and Sister Larsen, back: Elder and Sister Yates.  Front: Sister Warnsdorf (husband not here), middle:  Elder and Sister Brookes, back right:  Elder and Sister Forslund.  The Shepherds from Iceland were also not here.

JULI I KØBENHAVN and BORNHOLM

July.  You know that hot, blistering month back home in Utah?  Burning sidewalks, overheated, sweaty bodies and sweltering bar-b-ques?  Fourth of July parades?  Well, you'd hardly recognize summer here in Denmark. Since the middle of June, we have had rain nearly every day.  Buckets of rain.  And warm? If the temperature gets up to 72, it's a heat wave.  Yesterday, the high was 57.  Rule #1:  Always take a jacket and an umbrella, even if the sky is pretending to be cloudless.  For warm bodied-people, this is heavenly.  For the rest of us, brrrrrr. We have had a few days of nearly 80, with sun, and it is definitely warm and sticky.    Humidity runs the show here, and is the weather boss.  It can make or break your comfort zone.  Not complaining; at least the lawns are green with no effort at all.  Apologies to Hayden and Jackson, our gardeners back home.

I mentioned in the last post our fellow senior missionary, Elder Johnson who had a mini stroke.  He is doing well, by-the-way, and he and his wife are actually headed home in August.  We escorted them back to Bornholm a few weeks ago for two reasons.  First of all to make sure he got home alright, and secondly, to speak in church.  Bornholm has a very small branch and Elder Johnson is the branch president.  One of his counselors is a former missionary, and the other counselor is a current missionary.  The missionaries generally bless and pass the sacrament, and often speak, as well.  Let's just say that there is a lack of priesthood brethren here, so missionaries are vital.  The branch has a tiny, stage 1 chapel and you hardly need a sound system.  Some older members insist on it, however, so they can hear you well enough to  correct your faulty Danish when you are at the pulpit.   Bless.  Currently, there is 1 set of Elders serving on Bornholm along with a missionary couple.  The Elders consisder Barnholm to be a plum assignment, but few get the opportunity.

Bornholm is a pile of rocks located off the coast of Sweden.  Getting there involves driving across the bridge to Sweden, driving about an hour across to Ystad, Sweden then hopping a ferry to Rønne, Bornholm. The ferry holds over 100 cars plus buses and runs like clock work.  If you are late, you are left on the pier.  After swiping your ticket, you drive in to one of 10 or 11 lanes for boarding.  Then, it's up the ramp and attendants point you to your spot.  There are two layers of vehicles.  After the first layer is full, it is raised up so the second layer can drive in. Crazy.  If you suffer from claustrophia, you will hate this.  Cars hanging over your head and bottomless ocean under your feet.  Nice.  You then crawl out of your car, and go up to the sitting area.  Huge windows line the sides and if you are first to board, you can snag one.  They go first.  Lots of areas have tables and there is food and drink and souvenirs to buy.  Pretty plush.  Before the ferry maneuvers into the Rønne pier, everyone scrambles to get back in their car.   You'd best remember where you parked because when that ferry docks, you better have your motor running.

The harbour at Rønne, Bornholm

Some lovely branch members, the Mogensens (their son is serving a mission here currently) escorted us around for sight-seeing.  One stop was an old medieval village with costumed "inhabitants"  near Gudhjem.  As you can see they really get in to it.  Even had a friar admonishing his congregation, old muskets and cannons booming, and smoke from open fires and the artilllery rounds hanging in the air.

The padded and buckled knight on the far right is a recent convert to the church.  First baptism on Bornholm in 8 years!!  He blessed the sacrament for the first time while we were there.

The main attraction on the island is  Hammerhus Slot.  A huge, crumbling fortress strategically placed on a rocky cliff with breath-taking drops to the sea below.  The wind was blowing a bit, but instead of producing white caps the wind pushed the water into shifting, corrugated ridges and grooves.  Mesmerizing. Green bushes tumble wildly down to the sea and tiny, purple flowered vines cling between the bricks of the old walls as if holding them together.  Elder Sakurada is modeling a wreath made from this spidery vine.

Bornholm is a rocky island

Hammerhus Slot

The stories this place could tell of scores of years protecting this little, rocky, island, of people living and dying, of battles won and lost.  Bornholm has been coveted and fought over by many monarchies because of its strategic location off the coast of Sweden, and is fiercely proud enough to have its own flag.

Typical white round church on Bornholm

On the way back, we toured the coastline (just takes just a couple of hours) and stopped by this white round church.  These are distinctive to Bornholm.  Beautiful grounds, as usual.

We hope to visit Bornholm again.  The members there are close-knit, but warm and friendly to guests. The spirit is the same no matter how large or small the congregation.  How wonderful for the Elders there to get the experience of running a branch.  On this last transfer, we lost most of the experienced leadership in the whole mission.  But, younger, eager missionaries step right up and fill the positions and the mission carries on without a miss-step.  Impressive.  Being on a mission is truly a workshop for life.