Update On Our Temple Mission: Happy New Year

Happy New Year

Planetarium Across the Lake

It’s New Years day, 2012 and the Christmas holidays are behind us. We have had a wonderful week and a half. If you read last week blog you are aware of the enjoyment we experienced with the Ilskovs on Fyn. We had a very nice week at the Temple. The Danes “close shop” between Christmas and New Years and spend the time with the family. As a result the Temple has been closed for the holidays in past years. This year we were advised to open the Temple. We didn’t know what to expect, considering the Danish traditions; however, we had moderate sized sessions all week except for the last session on Friday, which was canceled. We were happy to be in the Temple as part of the season’s activities.

We did a repeat of last years New Years Eve celebration by spending it with all the senior missionaries and young Sjælland missionaries together with the Mission President and the Queen.

President Anderson's Address

First, we were invited to lunch with Per and Dorthe Olsen. Then we arrived at the senior missionary apartments at about 5pm and ate snacks and visited until 6pm when we listened to the Queen give her annual New Years Eve address. We were served a dinner of sloppy joes, egg salad, chili with sweet chili sauce, potato chips, vegetable plate, æbleskivers, cake and cookies. We played games and watched “17 Miracles” (at least those who hadn’t seen it before. The fireworks in Copenhagen are all private and start at about 4pm and end at about 8am. It sounds like a war zone. The explosions don’t stop at all for about 16 hours. Last year we stayed with the missionaries until about 1 am and walked home because the buses stop running at midnight. This year we came home at about 9. We brought in the New Year on the fifth floor balcony of our apartment house.

The Queen's Address

There was a party on the first floor that lasted until 8am. We were able to sleep through much of it but it sounded like they were “clogging” on a wooden floor with music to match. Things are pretty quiet today.

We look forward to life getting back to normal.