Odd & Ends That Made Me Smile

11/15/25

Here we are again, my friends! For this week’s post I’m going with a random list of odds & ends. There may be no rhyme or reason to some things, but they were part of our week, they made me smile, and for that I am grateful! Let’s get started and see what comes up throughout the post:

• For some reason it makes me smile to start out with this picture:

On Sunday we were in church in the Selfoss branch and Todd was sitting up front with President Bragi and Brother Jóhann. Bragi & Jóhann were wearing matching socks and Todd’s socks were not nearly as interesting. It made me laugh and want to buy Todd some of these socks so he will fit in with the cool guys! I’m just not sure if he would wear them?! This view made me happy as we started out our week. Todd spoke in sacrament meeting about how important it is that we remember to be humble and recognize we can choose how we act in any situation.

We had a combined Relief Society & Elder’s Quorum meeting in the Selfoss branch. There were 5 sisters and 2 brothers attending and Bárður & Þórstína shared the opportunity to teach. They did a wonderful job including me as the only class member who does not speak Icelandic. Although, I am finding I know a few words that can help me have a clue about what is being said. But I really appreciate their kindness to translate for me. Todd & Jóhann taught the two young men who were in attendance and helped them both set up their church accounts.

• We attended the baptism of Prince Ikem. Prince is from Nigeria and he is in Iceland doing a master’s degree at the university. He is an amazing addition to the Reykjavik 1st branch and he is on fire with his newly found testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Prince asked me to be a witness at his baptism and it was a real pleasure to fulfill that responsibility. In the picture below you will see Prince with Elder Nielsen & Elder Moyer.

• Great Okundolor was also baptized Sunday. Her mom, Faith, was baptized last spring and Great was excited to join her mom as a new memer of the church. Great is 8 years old and she and her mom and sister are lovely and fun! They are full of personality and we love having them in the branch.

Before the baptism began I was sitting behind Great, Prince, & Elder Nielsen dressed in their baptismal clothing. It was a special view to have. These are very different people who have come together to make covenants with God and begin a new life through Him. It is an honor to help teach, mentor, and minister to these good people who are coming into the fold of the Good Shepherd. We were so happy to be part of this joyous occasion.

• Okay, time for another story that absolutely made us laugh this week! On Monday night at Institute Todd was teaching the class from D&C 131 about Celestial marriage. We believe that men and women can be married for all eternity — not just until death. (If you would like to learn more about Celestial marriage, click here.) As part of his lesson Todd put up a picture from our wedding, 33 years ago. (Next week is our anniversary!) Here is the picture he showed the class:

I mean, I don’t think we’ve changed much in 33 years. Do you?! The picture came up on the screen and the class thought it was just a random wedding picture until Todd said, “This is Pamela & I on the day we got married.” The kids freaked out! They did not believe it was us! Okay, they believed it was me, but they were incredulous that it was Todd!! We were cracking up! Two of them, Vicky & Yaw, got up and went up to the TV where the picture was displayed. They’re looking at it and looking at Todd — they were trying to see the resemblance! It was hilarious. We all got a good laugh out of it. I mean, I think he looks the same! Maybe just a bit older? But still incredibly handsome and charming! Here is the class:

And, in case you don’t remember what we look like, we took this picture today:

Not much has changed in our looks in 33 years! Let’s just say, those kids made us both feel old and we had a great time laughing with them about it. We’ll see what they all look like 30 years from now! 😉

• Next fun thing is this guy:

At the beginning of November the Hjálparsveit skáta í Reykjavík, or Reykjavík Scout Rescue Team, has its annual fund raiser selling these little keychains. The rescue team is a volunteer organization that was founded in 1932 and has about 300 volunteer members. You can read more about them here. When people need help in Iceland the police can contact the rescue team for volunteers to do ground rescue operations. We live in a wild country and, unfortunately, rescues are often needed. We were happy to support the fundraiser and purchase our own scout rescue team keychain. But I think we will use him as a Christmas ornament instead of a keychain! When we decorate our tree he will get a place of honor. We’re grateful for all the people who give their time and service to rescue others, both physically and spiritually. 🙂

• We had a zone activity on Thursday that was so fun. We went with the elders and other senior couples to a terrific museum here called Perlan. (You can find out more about Perlan here.) It was fun to do an activity with the whole group and to learn more about the geology and natural forces that shape Iceland. There’s an amazing new volcano movie/experience that makes it feel like you are journeying into a volcano. We all enjoyed it.

There is a man made ice cave inside the museum that we had fun exploring. It brings back some memories of our Alaska years.

None of the elders had experienced anything like this before and it was fun to watch their reactions. Below you will see L-R: Elder Benzley, Elder Nehren, Elder Bredthauer, Elder Moyer, Elder Geertsen, Elder Young, Elder Monzon, & Elder Nielsen.

I told them to do something goofy for a picture and most of them decided to lick the ice. Okay, I don’t think they are actually licking the ice! I hope they are not actually licking the ice. Let’s all pretend they are not licking the ice! 🙂

How many missionaries can you fit inside an elevator? For this one, the answer is eight.

• The Davidson’s came to town for the Iceland Zone Conference and we had them over for dinner along with the Hutchings and the Mogenhans. It is so fun to work with these good people. We had a nice dinner and a good visit and enjoyed each others company.

• We had a wonderful zone conference on Friday. We left our home at 8:45 and got home that night at 7:30 pretty exhausted. We enjoyed the meetings, felt the Spirit, and learned from our young mission leaders as well as from President & Sister Davidson. The Iceland zone is doing great things! The elders are working hard to be obedient and to fulfill their roles as missionaries. While our numbers are few, they are making a difference in the kingdom of God. Below is the Iceland zone.

Back row, L-R: Elder Benzley, Elder Geertsen, Elder Ramos (service missionary), Elder Bredthauer, Elder Moyer, Elder Nehren, Elder Young, Elder Monzon

Front row, L-R: Elder & Sister Hutchings, Sister & Elder Mogenhan, Sister & President Davidson, Todd & me, Sister & Elder Jensen (service missionary coordinators)

And because I love these people so much, here are the mission companionships: L-R: Elder Moyer & Elder Benzley – our zone leaders, and Elder Bredthauer & Elder Nielsen – our greenie & his trainer.

Elder Geertsen & Elder Monzon – our tech elders & Spanish elders, President Nehren & Elder Young – Akureyri branch president & his companion

At this time we only have eight young elders here. Elder Young goes home in three weeks at the end of his mission. We currently have three elders who are serving in the states waiting for their visa approvals. We hope they will arrive soon! Our numbers are dwindling.

We also really love the senior couples we work with too. Below you will see, L-R: Sister & Elder Mogenhan and Elder & Sister Hutchings. The Mogenhan’s are the Iceland office couple and the Hutchings are the Akureyri couple. They all do a lot of work to keep things running smoothly for the mission in Iceland.

And of course, our wonderful Sister & President Davidson. We love and admire them so much. They work harder than you can imagine and we support them and strive to lift their load as much as possible.

The old ladies of Iceland! I’m glad to be in this club! We were working with the elders on a food storage project during our meetings at zone conference. We wanted to be sure they were listening and taking the information seriously when Todd told the elders to pay attention or they would be subject to a three granny smackdown! Ha! We are happy to be the three grannies keeping these boys in line! 🙂

And, of course, you know who these people are. The last the best?

• When we had finished up at the church we took the Hutchings to the airport to fly back to Akureyri and then we met the Jensen’s at Costco. This was hilarious and fun and definitely made me smile! There is not a Costco in Denmark. Every time the Davidson’s come to Iceland they bring an extra suitcase so they can make a Costco run and take things home with them. The Jensen’s have never been in a Costco before and were very curious about this magical store. We met them there Friday evening so they could experience Costco for the first time. While Todd and I picked up a few groceries, the Jensen’s ran around like kids in a candy store! In fact, the moment we walked in the door they were confronted by these massive TV’s and Elder Jensen was stunned! Here is photo proof of their excitment!

They could not fit a TV in their suitcase to take back to Denmark, but when we met up with them at the end of their shopping they had bought a new suitcase to carry all of the candy they were taking home with them! The whole experience was fun and made me smile! It’s the simple things in life, like a suitcase full of candy, that can bring us joy. 🙂

• Our week was so busy that we needed a break, and had time for a break, on Saturday. Todd is such a good companion. He scooped me up for a field trip to get me out of the house for some fresh air and ocean waves. He knows if we are at home I will be working but if he gets me out in hiking boots I will get a breather. And, wouldn’t you know it, he was right! Look at this view!

I went for a long, chilly walk on the beach, enjoyed the ice and the wind and the sunshine. The picture above is at about 2 in the afternoon, not long before the sun would be setting. Yes, that is ice along the tide line in the picture below.

This guy also makes me smile. 🙂

While I was out walking Todd took the drone for a spin and got some beautiful photos and videos. Check out the bird’s eye view:

In the picture below you can see me on the beach in my red coat. The open sea is at the bottom of the picture. At the top of the picture is an inlet that is full of the ice you see in the pictures above.

• What do you think of this? The official name of this sculpture is “Lobster by the Ocean”. Pretty creative, right?!

• We’ve come to the end of the post with just a couple more pictures to share that made me smile this week. Christmas lights and decorations in the mall. Yes, please! While Todd and I were waiting to meet a friend at the mall we were enjoying the decorations. Near us was a mom with a toddler in a stroller. The little girl was also enjoying the Christmas decorations. She was pointing at them saying, “Wow!” “Wow!!” Over and over! I agree with her! Wow!

• And, finally, Todd and Prince went shopping for a white shirt and tie for him to wear to church. Prince was baptized last Sunday and he needed some new church clothes. It was fun to step back and watch these two men figure out what Prince needed. We’ll see if he can tie his tie. Todd may be helping him out with that tomorrow! But now Prince is all set. Soon he will have the Aaronic priesthood and be able to pass the sacrament and he will be ready with his white shirt and tie. (You can read more about the Aaronic priesthood here.)

Thanks for reading through some of the odds & ends that made us smile this week! There were loads of other things going on with us; it was a very busy week. We love being busy in our work and we know that we are doing good things. It’s nice to be able to serve and be happy together. I hope some of the things in this post made you smile too.

Check out Todd’s social media pages for more photos and videos. You can find him here:

https://www.facebook.com/todd.e.richardson.2025

https://www.youtube.com/@todde.richardson