9/20/25
It is hard to believe that the first year of our mission is over. On September 16, 2024 we entered the MTC and on September 24, 2024 we came to Iceland. In some ways it has been a long year! And in so many ways it has really flown by. We have several friends who started their missions the same time we did and served a one year mission. Those friends are now back home and we have another year to go! We are grateful for the opportunity to continue serving the Lord and His people in Iceland. We are grateful for the love and support of our family. And we are amazed at the growth we have gained over the past year of serving as missionaries. Missions are difficult and missions are wonderful. Our mission scripture is 1 Nephi 4:6-7, “And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. Nevertheless I went forth . . .” The Spirit is blessing and guiding us as we are going forth serving in Iceland. We know He will continue to do that in year two! So, here’s to the beginning of the second half of this amazing experience! Thank you for being here with us.
We started this week with the end of our Ring Road trip. We went to the Akureyri branch for church on Sunday. This branch is small but so lovely. The members there always welcome us with open arms. We love visiting with them. Elder Nehren, one of our young elders, is currently the branch president in Akureyri. It was fun to see him in action!
Several of my friends in the Akureyri branch read this blog so I want to say hello to them! And they now have their photos in the blog so you can see these wonderful women. Below on the left is Elspa and on the right is Karítas.
And here is Jackie on the left and Johanna on the right. We love these good women! 🙂
Tammy & Steve Tolley were also in the branch last Sunday. They were senior missionaries here in Iceland, living and serving in Akureyri, until just last June when they went home. They were back in Iceland for a few days and we got to see them at church. It was a fun surprise!
Todd was able to do a temple recommend interview for a sister in the branch and we enjoyed the branch potluck after church. Good company and good food! What’s not to love?!
After church we drove home to Reykjavik. It’s about a five hour drive and, if the weather is nice as it was for us, it is lovely. We completed our trip around Iceland by Sunday evening, tired and happy to be home.
Monday morning we got to meet and work with Cheryl & Curt Hutchings who have just begun their mission as a senior couple in Iceland. They will be living and serving in Akureyri and they are going to do a great job! They have been waiting for several months for their visa applications to be approved so they could finally come here and we are so happy they have made it.
We got to help them with some of their preliminary work to set them up for life in Iceland. The Mogenhan’s also did so much work to help the Hutchings get off to a great start. We are grateful for senior couples and all the things they do behind the scenes. Of course, we got to spend time at Nova working on phones. 🙂
After a couple of days of work and visits they flew up to Akureyri to get settled and begin their work there.
I had to share this picture of Elder Geertsen because I think it is so funny! At our institute class we have dinner each week and I always make sure there is a salad or vegetable of some sort. This week I was teasing Elder Geertsen about his vegetable choices when his whole plate was full of pasta and garlic bread. To make me happy he put a vegetable on his plate. He did eat it! I watched him get that entire piece of broccoli down! We had a great class and the kids really enjoyed each other’s company and the Spirit that was there. Todd taught a wonderful lesson on obedience and the power that comes when we do what God has asked us to do.
Mid-week Todd took me on a surprise outing to the Reykjavik Botanical Garden. We’ve never been there and it is so lovely! There are several different gardens to wander, including one full of native Icelandic plants. It was a nice place to go walking and I loved admiring the flowers. There is also a small cafe in the middle of the gardens and I saw the most amazing looking tomato soup. We will have to be back there soon to sample it and enjoy more of the beauty of the area; we didn’t have time to see everything and there are more places there that I want to explore.
After a week of adventure last week having meetings on our computers along the Ring Road, this week we had many meetings on our computers in our apartment. The scenery wasn’t quite as stimulating!
Below left: meeting with President Davidson & Elder & Sister Meiners to discuss the Emotional Resilience program.
Below right: Iceland north district council meeting.
We were able to participate in a meeting over zoom where President Pearson, the Europe North Area President, and Elder Christofferson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, both spoke. They were in Denmark and we were glad we could hear their counsel and testimony. They both spoke about the importance of the Book of Mormon and that the Book of Mormon is the converter to Jesus Christ. If you would like to know more about what it means to be a latter-day apostle of Jesus Christ, click here. And if you’d like to read the Book of Mormon and draw closer to Jesus Christ, click here. 🙂
I was able to join Todd this week for his companion study lesson with the elders. He normally teaches solo but we shared the duties this week and it was fun to be part of the group. They had a discussion on effective training for new missionaries when they come to Iceland. And we talked about different ways to do personal scripture study. It was a good class and these are really terrific young missionaries.
We also had a couple of super fun screen meetings with family members this week. One was a birthday call with our youngest daughter, Erika! Happy Birthday, Erika! And I had a lunch date with our granddaughter, Iris. She is just about 4 and can hold her own in any conversation! I love one on one dates with her. They are hilarious and sweet! We are so grateful for the technology that allows us to do our mission work, present and participate in meetings, and spend time with our family even though we are all so far from each other.
In a much needed screen break Todd took me hiking at Krýsuvíkurberg Cliffs. I love this place. We had a morning without any scheduled meetings and no rain, so we dashed south to the cliffs for some cold fresh air and sunshine. It was about 40 degrees F (5 C) and there was a good wind blowing that made it feel cooler. But, wow, the cold was worth the views. We walked along the cliffs out to the lighthouse and enjoyed every minute.
Yes, that is Todd in the picture below. No missionaries were harmed in the taking of these photos. 🙂
We finished up this week with more zoom meetings and computer work. We are having a good time working with Elder & Sister Meiners in Denmark and look forward to getting to know them better. He and Todd both had their careers in the Church’s seminary & institute department and all of us came out on our missions a year ago. We have quite a bit in common! As well as a group assignment to work on together in the mission.
And, for the last meeting of the week, Todd teaches a Saturday night leadership class with the young mission leaders in Iceland. Currently the class has Elder Benzley & Elder Nielsen, our zone leaders, and Elder Moyer & Elder Geertsen, our district leaders. These are great young men and we love working with them.
Thanks for joining us for another week! Each week as a senior missionary is definitely different. Last week we were out and about and this week we were more at home. But no matter where we are the mission work continues. As we begin year two we are excited to do more of all the above — live, work, and serve the Lord in Iceland. It is a privilege and a blessing in every way.
Check out Todd’s social media pages for more photos and videos. You can find him here:
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