Ethiopian Dinner

On February 24th we were invited to the apartment of the people who live right above us for dinner. We had said hello to them several times and then the first time I was at the library helping immigrants with their school work, one of the people I helped was our neighbor upstairs, Raheel, who is from Ethiopia. We invited them for cake and a visit a few weeks ago then they invited us to dinner. We thought it would be just us and her and her boyfriend. But when we arrived we found out that in her religion, Episcipal Ethiopian, the last Sunday in February is the day celebrated as the day Angel Gabriel appeared to the virgin Mary. So Raheel had invited many of her friends, teachers and family over for a celebration and dinner. This picture is of some of the people at the dinner. The food served was meats, sauces and salads put on a crepe made of flour. Another crepe is taken and torn into pieces which are used to pick up the food with your fingers. No utensils are to be found.
Part of their religious service is playing a large drum and singing and dancing at the same time. This is our hostess, Raheel on the drum.
Another guest playing the drum and singing or chanting. Everyone else is clapping their hands and moving to the beat of the music. Some of the people sang along with the music and others, at appropriate times, would let out a shrill cry. Very interesting.
One of the guests, sitting next to Sister Humphrey, was from Afganistan. They talked for some time and he was very friendly. He said that about ninty percent of the people from Afganistan support the U.S. presence in Afganistan. The only ones who don't are supporters of the Taliban.

Super Weekend

Elder Humphrey dressed for winter (we had just come into our meeting house) in the Branch President's office.
We invited the Elder's over for dinner, cake and ice cream on Elder Watts' birthday. We also invited some members over, Linda Bennett and Evey-Martine Brogan.
Because both Elder Watts and Evey-Martine are from England they enjoy talking with each other. L-R: Elder Brian Welch, Elder Guy Watts, Sister Humphrey, Linda Bennett, Evey-Martine Brogan.
This past weekend we had a youth conference for the branches of our church in northern Norway. The youth and their leaders from Alta, Narvik and Tromsø were in attendence. This is a photo of several youth and leaders playing a hot game of Phase 10 while we waited for everyone to arrive. L-R: Viliyana, Tova Nyman (behind Viliyana), Ingeborg
Nyman, Christine Peterson, Per Ole Nyman and Elder Humphrey. Viliyana, Christine and Elder Humphrey are from Tromsø and the Nyman's are from Narvik.
As part of the youth conference we did a Saturday morning service project. We all went to the Red Cross house and cleaned, prepared for painting, sorting through old storage items. They are restoring their building and asked us for help. A good time was had by all and the Red Cross (Røde Kors) was very happy for the help
In the afternoon on Saturday we went bowling. There is one bowling alley in Tromsø and some of the people at the youth conference had never been bowling before. Later that day we had a pizza fest and a bon fire marsmellow roast in the snow. The next day we had a breakfast and then held church services for them and the Tromsø branch. Many of the youth and leaders spoke and bore their testimonies. It was a great youth conference.

Sun, school and visits

A view of the sun coming over the horizan on February 2, 2008 at about 11 am. This view is right outside our apartment door looking south, southeast.
Elders Brian Welch (from Omaha, Nebraska) and Elder Guy Watts (from England) doing dishes at our apartment after a meal we gve them.
Elder Humphrey and a student, Martin Mortensen, at the Borgtun Elementary school. We go to the school and tutor students who need help with their homework one afternoon a week for about two and a half hours. They are students who need help with work ethics, or are slow learners and need help. They stay after school one day a week and receive help. We are being a help to them and those we serve with always ask us why we are in Norway, so it gives us an opening to tell them our message.
We are visiting the home of Harriet Larrsen, an elegent lady who is the mother of a member from another branch of the Church (Bodø). Harriet is on the right and her daughter, Anna Katrina, the member on the left.
These last two photo's got out of sequence and I don't know how to change their locations on the blog. This is a group of the students in one of the class rooms at Borgtun Elemaetary School that we help with their homework. This type of curtain is very common in public buildings in Norway.

Winter time in Tromsø

The last Sunday in January we woke up to about eight new inches of powdery snow. We tried to get out of our apartment complex but got stuck. We called Jørn Lomax, a member who lives close by, to help us get out of the snow. He tried to back down to our car and he got stuck. Here am I, Jørn's wife, Britannia and her sister, Christine pushing his car as he tries to get out of the snow. We, with the help of some other people, finally got us both out and got to church just in time for Sacrament Meeting, but not in time for the first meeting we were supposed to have. Life above the Arctic Circle.
Relief Society Enrichment dinner. The first social held in our new Branch meeting location. Left to right: Åse Svendsen, Viliyana Antasova, Sister Humphrey, Evey-Martine Brogan, Åshild Ulriksen.
Another view of the Enrichment luncheon with a late arrival, Eliane, third from the right.
Sister Humphrey and one of her boys that she helps with English at the Red Cross help center for immigrants. She does this three hours one day a week. While she is at this location, Elder Humphrey is helping with adult immigrants at the city library. The adults have to take language, Norwegian history, math and other classes, paid for by the government, so that they can be knowledgable about life in Norway. Everyone who immigrates to Norway must learn Norwegian.
We hold Institute classes on Thursday evenings. Here Viliyana, Evey-Martine and Elder Welch are acting out a Book of Mormon story that they used as an object lesson one evening. Others were in the action story, but not in the picture.