Show Elder Jan an R. R Christensen Writes it From Norway Our thanks to Elder Jan Jan Christensen son of Mr Cleo Christensen for his n new newsy e w s y Christmas letter from Norway dated Dec 10 He lie starts off by thanking us for the Messenger and nd telling that all of his companions com corn anions have become readers of r the Manti ManU paper Other parts of his letter follow Well you see Im I'm writing from the city of on the west coast up north quite a way This is the same city that I came to over t two to o years ago when I first came here At that time I worked here only a very short time before I received a anew anew new companion and we were sent sc-nt to a neighboring city of Molde 1 to open the work there I I Ivas was vas there a 3 full year and then in March larch I was transferred hack here as Branch Dranch President So you see I really haven't been 4 1 moved ar around und too very much I really do enjoy the work here and we are kept quite busy My 1 companion is Paul H. H Engh from Salt Lake City He has been here now for 9 months with me and so he is coming along quite well with the lan lan- guage He has been here with me since I came back to Aale Aale- sund last spring Ive I've really been in this part of the district for some long time but I also think that Ill I'll be here until about April too as Im I'm now serving as Supervising Elder for this Southern Trondheim district so Ill I'll probably not be changed until just before Im I'm released in the spring I feel that the work is showing showing showing show show- ing much progress here and we weare weare are lre getting a great deal of sati satisfaction satisfaction sat sat- i in that Our meetings ere arc rc being well attended now an ann andall and andall all n of the branch organizations re growing We Ve have a wonderful wonderful wonderful won won- Sunday School and it is just growing by leaps and bounds We Ve have divided the classes classes' as much as we have room to in our meeting hall and we wc now need more room It seems funny too because we weare weare are meeting in iii a new meeting hall which we secured the use of just this summer and it is larger than any other place that the Church has ever had here herein in Right now we are arc preparing a n slice little Christmas program to tobe tobe tobe I f be given next week when we are I also to have a 3 visit from the I Mission President He and several several sev sev- eral oral others will be here to give s a big concert this weekend So Sowe Sowe I we have secured a n large conce concert concert con con- ce cert t hall and are doing lots of oft t advertising d for it We Ve hope to get a real good sized crowd out The papers here arent aren't as co cooperative cooperative cooperative co- co operative as the Messenger 1 but butI I hope to get a good here One One- of the pianists who is isi i coming is a personal friend of Grant Johannesen and his sister sis sis- k i ter tel gave Grant his first piano f lesson His name is Adolph Lei Leh Leroy Le- Le i h roy second counselor t in the Missi Mission n. n Well VeIl Grant Jas J. J was vas recently here and gave several several sev sev- eral concerts in the district and fl got some of the most favorable reports that Ive I've seen these Nord Norwegians Norwegians Norwegians Nor Nor- d give So Im I'm hoping I that through some such way we can get the editor to give us usa r a good on the concert Have several other and j some quartet arrangements too so o it should be a fine concert We Ve have recently organized the M 1 MIA I A here and also two Primaries which are really going go going goi go- go i ing great and are being well t attended We Ve have been very I fortunate with our contact with the y you youth o u t h here and mostly through the schools As I think I mentioned before be before before be- be fore when I was here two years ago I was invited into the j school chool to help out with the in ini instruction instruction in- in i of basketball each Friday Friday Fri Fri- i day afternoon This Ibis went welli well welland i rind and made contact with many of Ii me the teachers and students This i same practice has been kept u up p since that time with the Elders 4 here in town after I left etc Recently because of this same t j contact we were able to go into the school and show films to i 1 over students in 10 classes 1 g In all of the classes we were able to speak to them briefly i. i i anc and in m all cases to mention our M AZ MA I A and meetings held each i a week t h j Then we were were also invited invitee into a club of graduating sturn stu- stu 1 rn ii dents who have an organization I 1 meeting each week in in inthe the club We Ve were asked to give given n a lecture on the church our belief etc We Ve really had a afine afine afine fine evening and they were very interested all of them My Iy companion spoke of the activities activities activities ties and I spoke on the doctrine They had many good constructive constructive constructive tive questions to bring up after we were fini finished hed Since then quite a few of them have come out to our M 1 I A and we hope to go back there again soon to speak that is if the priests in inthe inthe inthe the school dont don't put a damper on it One more good source of contact contact contact con con- tact with the youth has been a tennis class which I taught last summer I was able to get permission permission permission per per- mission to use the courts of the the tennis club two mornings a week in the summer so I sponsored sponsored spon spoil Bored a class and instructed from to 1030 on Wed Ved and Sat mornings free of charge of course and so they really flocked flock flock- ed to it I had 42 enrolled in inthe inthe the class with age ranging from I 6 to 16 a few older occasionally occasionally occasion occasion- ally too So many of these have since that time lime been ac active active active ac- ac tive in our Sunda Sunday School and these other organizations that we have for them Our trip recently down to the dedication of the Temple in Switzerland was a marvelous experience I suppose that you have heard plenty about it from some of the others who were there so I wont won't go into much detail The temple is just beautiful beautiful beautiful beau beau- and is in such a wonderful setting fetting The Tine sessions there were very inspirational and all of the he Saints who were able lo 10 go there here expressed much joy at having such an opportunity one which they have long waited waited waited wait wait- ed fo for The Prophet and the theother theother theother other authorities who were present present present pres pres- ent were at their best and it was vas a 3 thrill to be among them It was a thrill to meet with Karl Keller and Paul Hulme and many of the other who vho were there As Karl mentioned mentioned men- men we spent some time to together together together to- to gether and amid it was a fine reunion We Ve came together and we willbe will willbe be je sailing together next spring So we had a fine time together even cven though it was very short Our session at the Temple didn't allow me to attend the concert given by the Choir at Zurich se 0 o that was one of the disappointments disappointments disappointments of the trip but everything else ls was glorious i n trip and an experience which will vill never be forgotten and it will vill always be among the highlights highlights high- high lights of my my mission Well VeIl now the time is passing so 0 swiftly and soon it will be Christmas time again Ones One's thoughts so easily drift towards home lome and the many friends and folks there Here it looks like it 1 will be an extra special Christmas with one of the big attractions which is usually absent absent ab- ab sent at Christmas here on the west vest coast where we have so much rain Yes that is snow In n the past few days it has been constantly snowing without a let up Now we have well over two feet and so near to the he it will have to rain raina a lot to get the snow cleared So we may even have a white Christmas here too I suppose that hat it will be the same there I do enjoy the Norwegian Christmas' Christmas and this will be my third bird one here Ill I'll be thinking of you and my many other friends there in Manti tanti and around a- a round there and hoping that you have a 3 very enjoyable holiday holiday hol- hol iday day season and a richly blessed n new lew w year Please extend my regards to your folks and to any of the many friends there who may happen to be around Ill I'll close for now and will be seeing you before another Christmas comes around a I hope to get another note or two off to you before then hen too Thanks again Vaun for the Messenger 1 subscription tion I do ap appreciate appreciate appreciate ap- ap it very much Well VeIl h bye ye e for now and have a very merry Christmas and joyous new year Sincerely your buddy Elder Jan R. R Christensen U 1 |