RELEASE DATE

So, while folks at home have been dealing with record snowfall (!!!!!!) we have been waiting for a replacement couple to pop up in the church system.  Our original release date was February 17th, then April 4, and then "indefinite" because there was no one on the radar.   Finally a couple showed up last week in the system and so our release date is officially May 9th. (Nothing better than spring in Cache Valley.)  The new couple is coming at the end of April and I think it will be a bit of a stretch for them to be ready, but, thankfully they are excited to come.  We have chatted on the phone with them directly from Gilbert, Arizona, and we will have about one week to turn the office over to them in May............I am sure they will be super!  It certainly creates a mixed-bag of emotions, though. Really miss the family and friends, but we are typical missionaries and it will be hard to leave.

We have had a lovely winter so far here in Copenhagen.  Temperatures mid 30's and 40's and not a lot of wind and snow.  KNOCK ON WOOD. It has been really foggy and misty, though, so much that we have a lot of sick missionaries.  In fact, half the city is sick, according to reports.  We were at the hospital last week with one of the sisters who was having trouble breathing.  The damp settles in the lungs and stubbornly refuses to budge;  biking outside in the mist for most of the day does not help. Hopefully with the new, more flexible schedules, the missionaries can get in a little earlier at night and get out of the damp air.

Pretty much the only snow this winter thus far.

Some of these missionaries are healthy.  Some.    Last week, a few brought a new convert to do baptisms in the temple; others had business at the office and all are more than happy to share germs with each other if they can eat lunch together.  At least their appetites are healthy.  One pizza each.  😋 

Christmas Nisser (mischievous elfs)  You can't find nativities in Denmark, but lots of these.

Thankfully, we have  avoided the flu and since we had a couple of free days recently,  and a bucket list of places to see, we headed out to the west coast of Jylland.  Here you find scenic lowlands, gentle hills and meadows, and a lot of coastline along with beautifully preserved medieval towns. This part of Denmark is famous for its Viking origins and wouldn't you know it, a whole branch of Christensen ancestors.  One of the couples, always ready to explore, agreed to travel with us, so we headed west to pick up the Larsens in Århus. Sister Larsen's collection of Nisser greeted us at the door.

This church does not have the typical Danish stair-step steeple.

You can see all the additions over the years in the brick, stone  and rock work.

Egtved

Old font in Egtved

Along our way to the west coast we stopped at Egtved kirke.   Some of the first settlements in Denmark came from this area,  so the churches can be very old.  Located in Egtved By, this ancient church has been added to at least 3 different times, but the oldest part of it was there in the 1600 and 1700's where my relative Anne Jørgensdatter (Anthonius Andersen Buck) and her ancestors worshipped for many generations.  The baptismal font is of a type found in this part of Denmark and is from 1100 AD, and the altar is from 1425.  Such history in these old parishes!

One should meditate here.

Yes.  Very large.

We poked around a bit, then drove on to Esbjerg.  Outside  Esbjerg is an oddity that has a timely appeal for today - a sculpture called "Man Meets the Sea."  Four stark, white, 27-foot tall men, sitting stiffly upright, tower above the beach on a small incline.  Completely devoid of decoration, they stare blankly out to sea.  The sculpture is meant to have a "universal appeal to represent all of man as opposed to any one ethnicity."  Hmmmm.  Sister Larsen and I clambered up near the feet for a photo shot.

Jylland (the west part of Denmark)  is almost 3 times larger than the rest of Denmark and so distances between villages is greater.  Which means more driving when visiting.  Jylland is the only part of Denmark that is not an island and the bottom section of the peninsula borders Germany.  Missionaries sometimes serve in Sønderborg - within hollering distance of the border.   We would have loved to slip over the border  (against mission rules) but headed north to Ringkøbing Fjord.  We drove up a narrow strip of land about 22 miles long and one-half mile wide which separates the Fjord from the north sea.  This spit of land is mostly sand dunes and marsh grass and summer cottages.  Thatched roofs in one cottage-cluster looked like hobbit huts hidden away among rolling hills of sand and sea grass.

Aren't those just the cutest little homes!  

Wind-blown sea grass

Dog walkers on the beach with Elder Buxton.

Blustery beach  day - aren't they all?

We drove until the road petered out and our front wheel dropped into a grassy covered hole.  Stuck. It is a good thing the mission cars are small enough to maneuver because the men had to wrestle it back to a level spot.  The wind was no help.  It whistled around the dunes and down the beach with icy breath  tosseling scarfs and hats, looking for any exposed fingers to numb.  One of those "lean-into" winds which never seem to change when you turn back.  A surprisingly large herd of vacationers walked the beach  throwing sticks into the waves for their dogs.  The strange thing was that they were all going the same direction like correographed traffic.  We stayed, mesmerized by the ocean waves until our faces were stiff, then slipped, slid and climbed our way back through the dunes to the car. Balancing on one foot after the other, we tried to remove all the sand from our shoes and pant legs, but finally gave up and climbed in.  The sand salt-shakered all over the car seats and floors within seconds. Well, our sleepiness from the drive was definitely over.  Wide awake and cold.

One last stop, a light house on a beach called Hvide Sande (White Sand), with a beautiful coast and spectacular sunset from the top.

Hvide Sande lighthouse

Conical circular stairs to the top

Don't you love beach sunsets!

Nice trip and all in less than two days.  Yes.  Denmark is relatively small............ for those of us who are used to 20-hour road trips to Texas.

Then, we got back to the office to this:  Did I mention that I have to forward all the missionary letters by writing addresses by hand?  The post will not allow labels.......

One thing you can always count on - the mail does not slow down when the Buxtons slip away for a few days.

GOOD-BYE 2016

And so we say good-bye to 2016.  We have spent the full year here in Europe and love Denmark and the people here.  We have said hello to new friends and have said good-bye to old ones.  We have gained new family members and lost others.  We have learned and grown and stretched in unimaginable ways with our mission service.   We will be coming home sometime this spring, and look forward to the next chapter in our lives, even as this chapter is closing.  We will miss most,  the missionaries.  We serve with them; we laugh and cry with them; we love them.  They have blessed our lives.  They arrive semi-dazed and glassy-eyed,  then over the next few months they transform, sometimes  miraculously into confident, trustworthy servants of the Lord  speaking fluent Danish.   Some we see on a regular basis as they serve near Copenhagen.  Others we see at zone conferences or chat with on the phone.  So, not a day goes by without interaction with many.  (And I was afraid that as an office couple, we would not see the younger missionaries!)

Typical Day in the Office - A District meeting and then a place for lunch and to say hello.  Small office, many bodies.

We spend a lot of time with the AP's and the office elders.  Outstanding Elders.  Office elders are a new thing this year in the Danish Copenhagen Mission. The President wanted the AP's to have more time for proselyting, so  called one companionship to spend a day or two a week in the office for one or two transfers.  With us.  We spend a lot of time with these elders as they help with the transfers, travel, history statistics, and a million other details. They also have a tracting  area so have to double up on work. They are amazing! At the end of the year, we had a chance to have four of the six, 2016 office missionaries in one place.

Elder Allred (Germany), Elder Fairbanks (Utah), Elder Curnow (Colorado) and Elder Shuppy (Utah).  Not pictured, Elder Nelsen (Virginia)  and Elder Eaves (Texas).

AP's  Elder Murphy and Elder Hartmann - stellar young men.  Wander in and out of the office all day - with a purpose of course...........  They do a lot of the training at zone meetings. Busy.  Busy.  

We ended the year with our last Christmas Zone Conference.  Beautiful music and inspired training and teaching on the love of Jesus Christ by President O'Bryant.

Did I mention that feeding the missionaries is a big part of the Senior's assignment?

Must be Santa.  You should have seen the clogs.....

We received hundreds of holiday cards and gifts by mail in the office - all to be sorted, packed and delivered to the two zone conferences.  Sjælland Conference missionaries were flooded with gifts, but the van carrying the gifts to Jylland was broken into in the night and most of the gifts were stolen. Missionaries were disappointed, but made the most of it all.  Good object lesson...........sadly.

Sjælland Zone Conference, December 2016

Another "last" for us was Christmas at  Tivoli.  We went several times.  It is now closed for the season and more than likely won't be opened again until after we leave.  A little jewel in the heart of Copenhagen.

Christmas booths, lights, food, music all in one small city block.  And yes, the rides continue rain or shine.

Christmas with our branch

Our last Branch Christmas party - featuring a table groaning with Danish food, Danish Christmas songs, and dances around the Christmas tree with people who have become such a big part of our lives here in Denmark.  Wonderfully generous, faithful, dedicated Saints! The Danish have a word for it: hyggelig.  It means a warm and cozy time with friends and family.

Wishing all of you hyggelig and a prosperous New Year!

´TIS THE SEASON

CHRISTMAS is the biggest holiday in Denmark by a landslide.  The Danes go absolutely nuts with celebrating.  Traditions are taken very seriously from the Christmas Eve food to the dance around the Christmas tree.  And if you do not celebrate, you better stock up on food and find something to do at home because EVERYTHING  shuts down for at least 3 days, if not more.   Can't even find a loaf of bread to buy. Their big celebration is December 24th, plus "Small Christmas" often celebrated  on the 23rd.  Things start rolling in November with ornaments, lights and pine boughs.  By mid November, Christmas Markets are popping up on the weekends.  These markets, both indoor and out, specialize in every possible thing you might want for Christmas decorating, Christmas giving, and Christmas eating.  We visited some out-of-the-way markets early to get a jump start on the season.  Here are some of our favorites:

Egeskov Castle, Fuenen. We  found Egeskov Castle in September with Kendell.  We pulled up just as the doors were closing not just for the day, but for the season.  Kendell dubbed it "the castle that got away."  But, we noticed they re-opened for a Christmas market held on 2 weekends in November. Fortunately, we were able to travel back to Fuenen in November with the president and his wife for

a rare break during a few slow days.

Unfortunately, the castle itself was closed, but the view outside was spectacular.

Egeskov Slot

Egeskov, a magnificent mid-16th century castle,  is one of Denmark's best known sights.  It is called "Europe's best preserved Renaissance moat castle."  Egeskov means "oak forest" and is built in the middle of a pond on a foundation of oak trees.  The sprawling estate caters to families and contains a bamboo maze, a tree-top trail, acres of lawn, half-timbered farm buildings and even a vintage car museum.  And once a year, a Christmas Market.

This sign shows you directions to all the things you can do here.

Christmas at the castle means live music,  tiny booths stuffed with goodies and hundreds of people strolling the grounds. The day we visited, charcoal brazers warmed the crowds and the smoke hugging the ground gave a medieval feel to the festivities.  Children ran, dodging puddles and teetering on stilts while parents paused to listen to a brass band.  In an old workshop, brimming Christmas booths were lined up in two long aisles with a narrow path wedged in between.  You had to turn sideways to move.  Tangled lights, ornaments, and glass and paper balls brushed your cheeks and shoulders if you veered off the path, and stopping for too long in one place created a bottleneck.  We managed to go the whole length before being spit out at the other end.  Whew!

After Egeskov, we spent the night in another castle - Hindsgavl Slot - a refurbished , beautifully decorated  hotel with all the attached horse and pigs stalls turned into rooms.  We stayed in a former pig stall. Think modern, curved purple chairs, shockingly purple and green shag rugs, and two layers of electric shades.   Deer herds grazed  in the fields around the castle.  Yes indeedy.  

Hindsgavl Slot turned into a unique hotel

Svenstrup Gods, Borup.   The pig farm.  We visited this one last year on a whim and it turned into one of our favorite spots.  An added bonus this year - we got to tour the manor house. See post for December 19, 2015  - "Christmas at the Pig Farm" for a description.

Same pig farm,  different folks.  Elder Larsen, the Shurtliffs, Sister Trudy Larsen (temple),  me, Sister Larsen, Sister Jenson.

 Kronborg Castle, Helsingør -  Probably my favorite market of the year.  The Castle was all decked out in pine-smelling firs with apples and ribbons and berries.  Little booths were crowded into many of the ground-floor rooms and spilled over into the lower casements.  Thank goodness, the lighting was better than normal underground.   One interesting attraction was the sheep, reindeer and seal skin booths.  Every Christmas market has several.  Fur is in.  My favorite is the little lamb skins -  sad, but soft and curly.

Green pine bows are so festive with red apple garlands.

You can only see the castle lit up at night at Christmas time.

And who else would you find in the castle ballroom but ballerinas.

Check out the red wooden cloggs.  So Scandinavian.

 Mr. & Mrs. Claus.

Same  crew that went to the pig farm.  We doubled up and did two markets in one day!!   The early darkness back-lit by the castle made a magical ending to the day. 

We love December in this beautiful country where Christmas has such an emphasis, but sadly the focus is not on the Savior and his birth.  The many beautiful churches sit empty most of the year except on Christmas Eve, where  families fill the churches.  Not necessarily to worship, but because it is a tradition.   I am so thankful this year for the Christmas initiative where  members and non-members are encouraged to "Light the World" by following His example of light and love through small acts of kindness. What a blessing it is to have this guidance and focus for Christmas in a world growing increasingly away from Christ......  What a blessing that we get the best of Christmas traditions combined with the light of the gospel for a true celebration of that which matters most.........

SENIOR, Senior Couple

Not counting the O'Bryant's, we are now the senior missionary couple in Denmark. Yes.  We inherited this title from the Ottley's who left us a few weeks ago for family and new adventures in Washington State.  Kennewick.  This intrepid couple had served back-to-back missions - first in England as MLS and then here in Denmark as record preservationists.  (They captured over 1 million images at the Kommune!!)   It was time.  We miss their perennial good nature and energetic company.  They were always up for a road trip by bus, train or car, whether it be big museums or small out-of-the-way stops.  Good sports.

Here we are at a sporevejmuseet  -  an indoor and outdoor museum dedicated just to the history of the old trolley cars.

Denmark has a gazillion little museums dedicated to anything old:  houses,  recreated villages,  out-dated industries,  trolley cars,  steam engines.  These unique little sites are filled with historical artifacts and just made for tourists like us who want to experience the real Denmark.  We could always count on three things when poking around with the Ottleys:     1.  We would lose Elder Ottley, eventually,  as he went off on his own, sniffing out every little detail.  Indoors and out.  2.  We would not have to read any signage, because Elder Ottley would read everything.  Every. Word.  3.  We could fish any of the historical details out of his brain by just triggering a key word.  Perfect recall. Sister Ottley knew the drill and trailed along with the rest of us and figured he would turn up eventually for the trip home and a re-cap of our adventure.  Worked the same every time.  Loved it.

Frederiksberg Slot and Have (garden)  This old castle, surrounded by expansive lawns and gardens is now used as a military school right by the zoo in Copenhagen.   It is full of old treasures.

I mean, how do you study military stuff in rooms like these?

Anyway,  Sister Ottley was patient and kind and a good listener.  Elder Ottley could discuss any topic and was a walking encyclopedia.  There was only one down-side to traveling with Elder Ottley.  Geese.  Geese didn't like him.  Never could figure it out,  but when they saw him, they hissed and pranced with necks in the air,  then ran at him with their beaks to the ground.   I didn't realize there were so many geese in Denmark until now.  All the rural museums have them, and that's when we were glad he rambled off by himself.  His most sage advise:   "It is impossible to kick a pigeon."  We have laughed about this many times and I think he is right.  I have tried.  Unfortunately.   We miss the Ottleys and wish them all the best.

We have really felt the Lord's blessings here in the mission this month.  This miracle story is worth hearing.  Our Temple President and his wife were recently released after 3 years of service in the Copenhagen temple.  President and Sister Williams have served over 9 years in Europe as an MTC president in England, Mission President in Denmark and now Temple President.  They were ready to go home for a long rest.  After weeks of packing and farewells, they arrived at the airport early in the morning to catch their flight home.  While standing at the counter, checking luggage, President Williams had a heart attack.  Full cardiac arrest.  Fortunately, there were 3 doctors in the airport as well as airport personnel who administered first aid.  He was rushed to the hospital and eventually had a double by-pass.  Always a very healthy man, he was not prepared for this.  In all, they remained here in Denmark for nearly 3 additional weeks until he was able to travel. The hospital staff were amazed at how well he did and amazed at how many people knew and visited this American.  Sister Williams handed out church pamphlets and cards to all the staff.  What a missionary!  When the Williams left the second time, some of the hospital emergency staff came to see them off and said they generally never get to know how things turn out with the people they work on in the airport, and were thrilled to see him alive and well.  Three weeks ago, they didn't think he would make it.  One man said he felt a particular spirit working on President Williams and was very emotional about it. He has agreed to meet with the missionaries.  The Lord certainly blessed President Williams,  and we are grateful for the hand of the Lord in our lives and the lives of our family.  He is truly there for us in moments of need.

President and Sister Williams

Salt Lake City

LAST GASP BEFORE WINTER WITH KENDELL AND RUTH

Fall has plunked itself down with a thud.  It came suddenly after summer fizzled and left with hardly a whimper.  Shy as a wall-flower, summer never really tried to be friendly.  I kept asking everyone when it would arrive - all through June, July and August I wondered.  "Well," everyone stalled.  "You just never know."  I'll say!  NEVER being the key word here.  A few sunny days masquerading as summer in August does not count.  A smattering of a few warm weeks in September does not count.    Stingy Season.  One thing I worried about was our final visitors of the year:  Kendell and Ruth.  They scheduled their trip for the last of September and the first of October.  With summer so fickle, I just prayed the weather would hold until they came.  We were already fighting a few tourist-type downers:  1. Tivoli closed for the season  2.  Temple closed for fall break  3. Church cancelled because of General Conference  (we love GC, but wanted them to see our branch)  4.  Days shorter  5.   Visiting hours for tourists sites reduced.  So I was a little worried that they would not have enough to see.

Well.  not to worry.  Kendell and Ruth are ideal tourists.  Curious as cats, they scoured the travel books and poured over the maps, looking for out-of-the-way places to visit and ways to minimize travel and maximize sight-seeing.  They became experts on Frederick the 4th and Christian the 5th and read every historical word in the museums.  They knew far more that we, and ended up educating us!  Cool.  And the weather was miraculously cooperative!

We try to have all our visitors see some things that the others do not.  So in keeping with that, we visited Grundtvigs Kirke here in Copenhagen.  This massive cathedral, made entirely of bricks, is not old, but styled with  a classic combination of medieval battlements, Gothic pillars and pointed arches. Simplicity.  Dizzying heights.  Light spilling in from the high windows making the ordinary, yellow brick walls look glossy.  I don't know how many bricks were used, but one solid pillar contains 30,000 - the most bricks used in any one building in Denmark.

We did all the basic touristy things and then Kendell and Ruth went out on their own.  Went to Sweden on a ferry,  poked around Copenhagen's warren of streets,  and even rode bikes.  Brave souls.  

L-R  Hans Christian Andersen's home street,  Fredericksberg Slot,  Nyhavn,  Christianborg.

Selfie stick,  people.  I want one. They snapped this gorgeous roof-topped pano of the city from a church tower.

As for Danish food:  Kendell and Ruth loved the smørresbrød.  So Danish.  The restaurant below is famous for their open faced sandwiches.  Yes, we  they had liver....... more than once!

L-R Baltic Sea at Stevns Klint, Rosenborg Slot, Carl Bloch paintings at Frederiksberg

We went over the Big Belt to Fuenen and Ruth found her ancestral church.  She was really exited about that.  We went to Odense and strolled down the street where H.C. Andersen was born.  (Famous fairy tale guy here.)  Stuccoed houses with roses climbing the walls.  Charming.  

On one excursion we found a Halloween shop and even though Halloween is not huge here yet, this shop had all the good stuff.

On Sunday we went to our version of General Conference: a  mixture of recorded and live sessions at really strange times.  The mission president and a good group of missionaries met for conference and ate chili dogs provided by the senior couples.  It was wonderful to watch conference with family and hear the inspired words from inspired men and women.  Conference uplifts and boosts lagging spirits and helps keep us focused on the important things in life.  Facebook had a flood of quotes and praises about Women's Conference and the Saturday Sessions so anticipation was high here, and we were not disappointed.  All too soon,  Kendell and Ruth had to return home,  but we were so glad they came and loved having them.  

ANCESTOR CHURCHES AND FRIENDS

One of the unique things about living in Denmark is that we can actually go find the places where our ancestors attended church.  The churches were called parishes and almost every village had one. These remarkable buildings, cherished by the locals, are well-tended and preserved at great expense today.  And, generally stay open so you can wander around inside.  In order to find your church, you must know the county and the town of your ancestor.  In the states, records are kept in the counties, so the name of your county is all you need.  Just knowing a county name won't help you here,  and I'll show you why.

This is a map of Denmark and all the counties.  Look for Maribo, bottom right.  My Christensen line came from this county.  (Københavns on the far right is where Copenhagen sits.)

Map of Denmark

Below is a detailed map of Maribo County and all its little parishes.  Yes.  There are 109 and yes, most of them have their own parish church with their own records.   You will notice Stokkemarke - the home parish of some of my Christensen ancestors.

Maribo County with Stokkemarke Parish marked green

So here is the good news and the bad news:    If you know the name of the Parish and the county of your ancestors, you are in business, because their church records are marvelous and date back into the 1600's.  The bad news is that if you have a county where an ancestor lived, but don't know the name of the parish, it's almost impossible to research 109 parishes hoping to get lucky and find your people. Stab in the dark, since most records are not indexed.  Families didn't move around too much, so once you find them, you can do quite a lot of research.  Most parishes have on-line images of their original church books.  No index.  (The trick is reading the old Danish script.) 

So, while friends Doug and Claudia Larsen were visiting (we had so much fun!), we decided to take a drive and find Doug's and our ancestral churches.  We were actually close enough to find both in a day.  Below is a picture of the Stokkemarke Church, parish of the first Christensens to come to America.  

Stokemarke Kirke

Stokkemarke Kirke Cemetery

The picture above is the grounds - actually a graveyard surrounding the church.  Beautiful, manicured graves sites - often bordered with clipped hedges, are found outside literally every church in Denmark.   You will not find your ancestor's graves here though, because the old graves were removed long ago.  In Denmark, you  pay a grave fee and have to help with the upkeep to maintain the site, and over the years, neglected graves were given to someone else. Sometimes you see old, removed  headstones lined up along the fence.  You rarely find a grave dated earlier than the late 1800's, even though the churches are much older.

Arriving and Departing a Town.  Efficient.

Ancestral church of the Larsen family

Both churches were unfortunately closed, but we are nothing if not resourceful.  Doug had a selfie-stick.  I wish I had taken a picture of him window-peeking with his camera.

Doug and Claudia were here for about 10 days, so had a lot of time to take in all the sites and not be too rushed.  We escorted them to a few things and they did a lot on their own.  They got pretty good at figuring out their route amid the myriad of confusing streets here. Claudia is a natural navigator. Literally has a map in her head.

Canal Boat Tour.  They had absolutely fabulous weather while here.  The best weather of the entire summer.
Nary a drop of rain.  No wind.  No chilly humidity. 

Danish Pastry.  A must-try.  In the parking lot of the national museum, Frederiksberg Castle.

We had plenty of time with them to visit a Frilandmuseet.  There are several of these open-air museums in Denmark.  The one in Lyngby contains virtually every kind of Danish country dwelling imaginable.  The buildings (over 100) have been relocated to the museum from all over Denmark and are examples of rural architecture from cottages to grand manor houses, furnished and decorated in keeping with the period in which they were built.  It takes a full day to see it all because they are arranged into 40 groups with lots of walking in between.

You can see everything from windmills to fishermen's cottages to manor houses.

This architectural style is called half-timbered.  You see it all over Denmark.  Note the thatched roof.  Thatched roofs are still very common in the rural areas.
I think it is a law that these must be preserved - if you have one you do not replace it  with tile.

One of the older dwellings.  They arranged their farm buildings into a square-shape with cobble-stoned courtyards, often with a well in the center.  The animals and farm equipment were kept inside in attached buildings.  Handy for the long, cold winters.  Kitchens had huge stone ovens, but not much work space.

A room for lace work.  You can see the bobbins on the pillows.  The glass balls were arranged around the room to catch the candle-light and make the room brighter.  I cannot imagine doing hand work in these dark little rooms in the winter!

Claudia and I trooped through most of the houses.  The men kept disappearing to find the nearest bench or stone wall.

We poked around and they found parking spots.

We also had a visit from the Aagards - some temple friends touring Scandinavia.  It was wonderful to see them and the Larsens!  We hope they will look back with fond memories from this beautiful land. We loved sharing Denmark with them.