Hello from Oslo, Norway! Another country I didn’t ever think I would get to visit, not even while serving. It is a great blessing to be here . . . more later!
 |
| I won't be having this special! (Restaurant - Zizzi) |
Thank you for the emails and prayers! We love hearing from you and all that is going on in your busy lives too. It’s funny to think that when we are waking up in the morning, most of you are just going to bed the night before. And when we need to call Utah during the day, we have to wait until at least 3pm in the afternoon. It’s little things like that that make me smile and think about home, and all of you, and how blessed we are by our family and friends.
And speaking of blessings . . . after a week of rainy days last week, we finally had a reprieve! Monday AND Tuesday, no rain! And Wednesday, they said no rain, but we woke up to rain. But it did clear up, a little sun came out, and it actually got up to about 54 degrees. We even went for a little power walk after work. It felt so good! Thursday, again no rain!
I want to also mention the rest of the story . . .for those of you who read about Lord and Lady Clitheroe last week. . .I had the sweetest phone call from Lord Clitheroe on Monday. He regrettably informed me that he and Lady Clitheroe were no longer doing interviews. After all, they are both close to 90 years old. Bless his heart for calling! They have been good friends of the LDS Church for many many years. So, no miniature Downtown Abby visit for me this time. L
I had a return email from a family member and a friend, both who live outside Utah, that asked what a Pageant is. That was a good reminder to me not to assume that everyone knows! The LDS Church holds annual pageants around the United States quite a bit; Palmyra, NY; Nauvoo, IL; Manti, UT; Mesa, AZ. They all depict a historical time in history for the Mormons. The British Pageant is a historical play/musical that depicts the early days of the church when Joseph Smith sent 9 of the 12 apostles to
the British Isles in the mid 1800s to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and convert the British to Mormonism. They were very successful, with over 7,000 converts. Many of them immigrated to the United States to gather together with other Mormons in “a new world” in hopes of a better life. (The British were struggling in their own country at that time.) It has been said that the British literally saved the church. The Pageant is free to the public and all are welcome. It helps everyone who attends understand The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a little better. And, it’s just fun to watch! It is a true blessing to be involved. For those of you who are interested in seeing more about the Pageant, here is the link.
 |
| On our evening walk we saw ..... YIKES! |
On Wednesday morning I woke up to the news that my childhood second mom, Afton Zundel, had passed away the week before. I was sad for me, and for my dear childhood friend, Liz, and all of the Zundel family, but so happy for Afton and the great reunion in heaven with her husband, Bob, who passed away 7-1/2 years ago, her mother, Elaine Passey, and many many others. You know how there are certain people that are placed in our lives that can change the direction of your life for good? That was the Zundel family for me. I love them and love Bob and Afton for opening their doors to me as a young child beginning at the age of 3 years old. What I am most grateful for is that her death was not unexpected, and before I came to England I was able to visit her and tell her how much I love and appreciate her. I’m so grateful for that time with her.
 |
| Off to Olso! |
We also found out that we would have the opportunity to attend some training in Oslo, Norway over the weekend. One of our main responsibilities as missionaries is to do Spokesperson Training for key people throughout the UK who may be interviewed by the media. Our first training for members involved in the British Pageant is coming up next month. We went through training ourselves with the Joneses before they went home, but I know I was still suffering with a little jetlag at that point and don’t remember everything. The Book of Mormon musical is coming to Olso in September, so Malcolm and the senior missionaries in Germany who have responsibility over Norway were going this weekend to begin training spokespersons there. We decided to go also for another opportunity to learn. We are very glad we did. The training was great.
Unlike what you might think, the Book of Mormon musical, although pretty sacrilegious, not written by Mormons, and written only for entertainment, is a very positive event for the church. The church has adopted the campaign, “You’ve seen the play, now read the book” with Alex Boye’s picture on the poster. The response has been great. It keeps the missionaries busy in the area it is playing in, giving away lots of Books of Mormon.
 |
| Bishop Patrick Waal |
It’s always fun to try and make a connection with someone when I go someplace new. It is especially easy if they are members of our church. When I think of Norway, I think of my ‘LL’ friend Lise Solveig Hogan Tutttle who was born in Norway while her dad served in the Air Force; thus, the spelling of her first name (pronounced Lisa) her middle name, Solveig. My good friend, Kathy Bess, has a grandson serving his mission in Norway right now. And, before we left, Dan Luke from our ward came over to visit us, brought a copy of the book he had written, and asked us to give it to someone in the UK. He also said, “If you get to Norway, say hello to my brother!” We didn’t think that would ever happen.
So we found ourselves in Norway. At the training, I began asking attendees, “Do you know anyone with the last name of Luke? Do you know an Elder Mitchell?” Sure enough! Bishop Patrick Waal from Drammen whose picture I posted on FB, knew the Lukes. Dan’s nephew is one of his counselors! And yes, he also knew Elder Mitchell. He had served in his ward not long ago. We also met two missionaries there serving in the mission office (connected to the Institute Building where we held the meeting). One of the missionary’s names was Elder Mitchell. Not the same one, but he also knew him, and actually one time when they were at a meeting together, and this Elder Mitchell had lost his badge, Kathy’s grandson Elder Mitchell had loaned him a spare! And the other missionary came out with Elder Mitchell to Norway from the MTC.
How does the song go? “It’s a small, small world . . .”
Norway is cold, but beautiful. We actually came on a good weekend. The weather has been nice. It was about an hour drive from the airport to our hotel downtown. The scenery was beautiful, with rolling hills of farmland, red and white barns and Scandinavian looking farm homes. There was a skiff of snow covering a lot of the land, but the sun was shining and it was beautiful! And the accent of the Norwegians . . . I love it! Everyone speaks English, but when they are amongst themselves, they speak their native tongue. It is a beautiful sound. We went to a pub-type restaurant for dinner Friday night. The special was “Mutton Stew with Cabbage”. We just HAD to order it. It was quite tasty actually, but it won’t become a dish I’ll be ordering regularly.
 |
L to R: Elder and Sister Will and Elizabeth Cottam, Senior Couple in Germany Malcolm Adcock, our director |
Our new friend, Dag , who is the Director of Public Affairs in Norway, picked us and the Cottams up for church today. (He is the one who made all the arrangements for the training yesterday also.) I have to say, I have never been so warmly greeted by a ward in my life. Everyone was so friendly and kind. We met President and Sister Hill (mission president) from Orem, their friends the Robinsons who they just recruited and have been in Norway for only eight days, several young Elders and Sister missionaries, and ward members. They have translation capabilities there, so we wore ear buds while someone translated testimony meeting. They have such strong testimonies and feel the gospel so deeply. For Sunday School we met with other senior missionary couples and had a discussion on Utah, who we knew in common, and a little bit on building strong marriages. J But Relief Society was my favorite. Sister Cottom (Elizabeth) and I chose not to have a translator but to enjoy the lesson in Norwegian. It was President Hinckley’s lesson on the value of women. As we sang these words together, the Spirit filled the room:
Som sostre i Sion arbeider vi sammen or ber at velsugbekser pryder var dag.
Vi bygger Hans rike med flid og med iver. Vi styrker de svake, er dem til behag.
Can you guess the song? “As Sisters in Zion.” The language didn’t matter. It sounded like a choir of angels, and the spirit bore witness of the divine sisterhood we enjoy. I am so grateful for my sisters in Relief Society, and to belong to such a benevolent organization.
 |
| Before leaving Oslo today we walked around the city centre in the rain to take pictures. This is the King and Queen's Palace. The flag is flying which means the King is home. The guard looked pretty young and small! I think I could take him ..... |
 |
| From the palace looking down Main Street Parliament |
 |
| The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway. This is the Nobel Peace Center. A lot of history in this beautiful country. @ Nobels Fredssenter |
I am so grateful for my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for eternal families, especially today, as it is the seventh anniversary of my Dad’s passing. Not a day goes by that I think of him and miss him. I am grateful to know that I will see him again. I’m grateful for each of you and the way you have touched my life. We love you and pray for you, and thank you again for praying for us.
No comments:
Post a Comment