First few weeks in Haugesund

This is a statue of Marilyn Monroe! Why in Haugesund, Norway?
Her mother was born and raised here, then emigrated to the US. They are proud of her here so they have errected a statue of her. She does have a dress on, it just doesn't look like it here.
One of Elder Humphrey's favorite desserts is bløtkake (soft cake). It is made in three layers. The first is covered with a vanilla or carmel sauce with whipping cream and fruit mixed in. The juice from the fruit used is drizzled onto the cake first, then the next layer is put on with the same fillings, and then the third. It is completly covered with whipping cream and topped with fruit. He made this for company and was very proud of his creation. Of course it is not fattening. If you don't believe it just look at him in the picture.
Approximatly thirty to thirty five kilometers east of Haugesund is the fork in the road that has a convience store, gas station, car dealership and a roadside park. This is where Elder Humphrey's grandfather on his mother's side, Torlief Knaphus, was born and raised. Back then it was just farms and small houses. He joined the church when he was around twenty years old while studying art and sculpture in Oslo. He later emigrated to Utah and did many sculptures for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. One of them is the "Handcart Monument" on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. The current owner of the property where he was raised, Jarl Skjurseike, donated a spot in the roadside park and the Torlief Knaphus family donated the plaque and a memory marker was errected in 2004. When Norwegian Mission President Lynn Poulsen and his wife, Ardith, came to Hougesund to sustain Elder Humphrey as branch president, we took them to Knapphus. Of course it rained that day.
The next week the elders who had been working in Haugesund but were transferred when we came to town, came back to aquaint us with the investigators and some of the members. We took them to the memory marker because they did not know that it even existed. This photo of us was taken that day.
The week after we attended our first meetings in the Haugesund Branch we flew to Oslo and then drove about an hour south to the town of Drammen, where we attended a mission conference for all members of the church except those that are in the one stake we have in Norway. They had had Stake Conference two weeks priviously. Our visiting authority is Area Seventy and councilor in the Central European Area, Elder Wondra. He is an amazing man. He has been a Bishop, Stake President, Mission President, Temple President, and now and Area Seventy. We were able to meet with him personally and have our picture taken with him. The conference was a spiritual uplift and we learned many things that will help us.