EDITOR'S NOTE:  Several of the old posts were actually put in today or yesterday.  You may want to take a peek at August through November.  

Surgery! Another Baptism! Moves.

Surgery!  Dana's hand had big-time pain and numbness causing great discomfort and loss of sleep.  Nine doctors later, each of whom spent a lot of time with her trying to diagnose and prescribe was an  unpleasant but caring, personal experience.  Total cost: about $200.00.  Surgery was free.  

Acute Carpel Tunnel surgery.  Doc #9 also found fluid in the hand that he had to remove.  They had to do the surgery soon; waiting could have produced nerve damage and loss of feeling in some of her fingers.

Is that pretty or what?  A piece of art.  Surgery seems to have been successful and Dana's on the mend.  Lots of people have been helping her do things like cooking for 30 and cleaning.  Putting on makeup is a challenge, and no, Norm doesn't do it for her.  She would never trust him - for good reason.  One of Dana's biggest frustrations has been that she hasn't been able to cut her own hair as she has done so often.  So she went to a salon and paid the $90. for someone else to give her one.  And there are a lot of missionaries and YSA who are having to go elsewhere for their cuts.

The branch lawn mower is a hovering machine.  No wheels.  Works well on flat ground but the grass belonging to the church lies on a very steep hill, making it very difficult to maneuver.

Hardest lawn he's ever had to cut.

Yonas, our awesome investigator living three hours north of the church, was baptized!  Stian baptized him and he was taught by Elders Linge and Brown.

Dennis, gotta love him.

Mali and her brother, Daniel, two of our very faithful, caring young adults.  Mali was baptized last summer.

Maria, our awesome new YSA Council President, savors a bite of Sister Springer's yummy chocolate cake/brownie.

Sam, our wonderful new YSA Council VP is one of five new YSA we received in August.  Somebody opened the window during FHE so he grabbed a snuggy.

Moves Day!  Otherwise known as transfer day.  Elder Linge, one of our awesome zone leaders, successfully completed his mission and has now returned home.  Having a great sense of humor he is known as a champion of one-liners.

Elder Brown, our other terrific zone leader and solver of all our technology problems was transferred to Romerike to train a new missionary.

Elder Anderson was born in Trondheim four months ago, meaning he came to us as a new missionary.  The fearless hunter has seen a lot of success in Trondheim.  He is moving to Tonsberg  as a senior companion.

How do you turn these pics the right direction?  We'll work on it.  Sister Fredrickson, also born in Trondheim six months ago has earned a reputation for hard work and strict obedience.  Having worn a coat during the entire month of July we can only imagine her situation as she moves to the city of Bergen this winter.

Moves Day, November, 2011.  Sisters Fredrickson, Grass, Springer, Mergens and Floyd.  Elders Brown, Anderson, Springer, Linge, and Bischoff.  A good group.

Baptisms and Other Things, October, 2011

Benedicte was baptized!  A wonderful new member with a strong testimony.  We love her!
She was taught by Elders Anderson and Bischoff, two awesome elders.

That's right, Dennis at the entire apple in two bites.  A professional chef and real funny guy, Dennis was baptized last spring.

Finally got a good shot of Georg and Ann Helen's daughter, Natalie.  Sister S. gave her some Milk Duds from the USA.  European chocolate is a lot better than American so go figure why someone would bring chocolate from the USA.  

Anyway, Torunn and Corrie took the 3 1/2 hour drive with us to the island of Smole to put a coat of paint on the new wood of Georg and Ann Helen's home.  Georg had been in the hospital and needed some help.

Torunn, Sister S., and Corrie, angels from heaven who are always anxious to help someone in need.

Kinda blurry, but yes, Gjermund was baptized in the Trondheim Fjord by Elder Bischoff - in October!  

A cloudy, drizzly day produced a little sunshine at this spot just before the baptism.  A wonderful experience!

A few gathered in our very small apartment before Gjermund's baptism.  Sisters Mergens, Fred, Grass, Floyd, Elder Brown, and Myhren.

Since Yonas lives three hours away from the church Elders Brown and Linge taught him mostly through Skype on our cute little laptop.  Yonas was later baptized, pics to follow.

Pelle and Mac; what would we do without them?

Halloween, Norway-style!  Meyken does her best to reproduce Gjermund's beard.

The bald, bearded Viking knows how to bite an apple!

Audhild and Sister S dressed as the scariest creatures they could think of, namely as Sister Springer and Elder Bischoff.

Rock, paper, scissors?

Benedicte, next to Audhild, was once a brunette, then blonde, and now pink! 

Having a blast!  Elder Bischoff, Sisters Mergens and Floyd, Elders Linge and Anderson, and Aaron.

"And what do you feel," Maria asks Robin, "brains or eyeballs?"

Sister Springer's favorite thing, a mouse!  You look great Linda.

Norwegian Vikings preparing for their next attack.  Sam, Aaron, Daniel, and Joakim.

The fantastic Audhild, always looking to help Sister S, making sugar cookies for the YSA Halloween party.  

Zone Conference/Members October, 2011

Catherine, a beautiful Norwegian mother with her beautiful children.   

Wonderful members, Joakim, his grandmother Synnove, Joakim's wife Lisa, and brother Robin

Sister Fred mowing Gjermund's hair, as in shaving it.  All except the beard.

P-Day in the YSA room.  Starting at the left, Elder Anderson, Sister Grass, Senor Elder Bischoff, Sisters Fredrickson and Floyd, Elders Brown and Linge, Gjermund, and Sister Mergens.

Sister Springer's yummy spaghetti casserole at zone conference lunch.  Missionaries love her vittles.

Zone Conference, October, 2011.  Next to the Springer's are Mission President and Sister Johansen, Corrie, and the Steed's (Bergen couple).  Long second row shows Elders Olsen, Wilkins, Winters, Shigley, Bischoff, Craft, Hollingshead, Sisters Fredricksen, Grass, Floyd, Mergens. Last row are Elders  Linge, Stewart, Anderson, Whitehead, Isaksen, Brown, and Facer.

Totally awesome American member Mac.

Zone Conference/members, October, 2011

Sisters Come to Visit

Sisters have arrived!  Dana's sisters, MoNene and SuEllen came to visit the end of September and stayed for six days.  It was nice to see them again!

Oh heck!  First stop was the town of Hell located next to the airport.  And they thought they were here to vacation!

After escaping Hell they found themselves walking in old Nazi bunkers scattered along the shore of the Trondheim Fjord.  

Having escaped the Nazis the sisters bravely went to the Passion Flats of Trondheim, one of the many hills overlooking the city.

They stood on the bridge crossing the Nidelva River just as a women's rowing team sped by.

They enjoyed a visit to the ancient Nidaros Cathedral and saw sculptures of saints embedded in the side of the structure built in the 1100's.

The sisters rode to an island about 31/2 hours away to visit a fisherman and his family.  Georg, Ann Helen, and their daughter, Natalie, honored their guests with a fresh catch of lobster and crab, a delicious meal.

During their trip they kept seeing white bags like those above containing cattle feed.  Some farmers have fun by adding the graffiti.

Pretty scenery and even better looking women.

They enjoyed the view from The Queen's Chair at the tourist town of Geiranger.

Nordfelt nerves of steel were evident as they stood on the cliff overlooking the Geiranger Fjord.

What a sight!

They stopped to pay homage to a Norm look-a-like.

Enjoying the wait for a ferry.

Wow!

Made a stop in Alesund, considered by some to be the prettiest city in Norway.  Alesund, like Bergen, is located on several islands.

Along the way the sisters stayed overnight in cabins like this one.

They traveled 8 hours to the east to Oslo, enjoying beautiful mountain vistas along the way.  In downtown Oslo they posed in front of the royal family's palace, located just two blocks from the Oslo Center for Young Adults.

Unlike the guards at Buckingham Palace, these guards will speak to you.

Frogner Park in Oslo is a favorite place to visit.  Unsophisticated Americans call it Naked Park.

In Oslo we met good friend, Elizabeth, as well as Mission President and Sister Johansen and others.

Oops, Frogner Park pic out of order.

Frogner

The Johansen's invited us and others to a simple breakfast that turned out to be a wonderful feast.  The Burton's, Pedersen's, and AP's, Elders Moyes and Vaughn were also invited.

Our first home!  During our seven months in the Oslo area we lived in this apartment in the town of Bekkestua.   The sisters had stayed overnight in the guesthouse located near the apartment.