10/25/25
We’re sitting at our table working on different things this afternoon as I start writing this week’s post. It’s the usual set up, we’re both on computers across from each other working away at projects. Today I’ve spent time on our upcoming missionary Christmas fireside, sorting the branch directory and making lists about what updates are needed, planning our cookie drops for later in the week, and working on updates to the Iceland district unit history. Todd has spent time on vehicle/mileage details for the missionary cars in Iceland, preparing a training meeting for our upcoming emotional resilience class, answering emails and dealing with Iceland mission business. It’s been a calmer week here and we’ve welcomed it.
But that has also led to some homesickness for me. We’ve been on our mission for 13 months now and you would think the homesickness would be in the past. Most of the time it is. But I did have some rough days this week. Our girls and their families are doing well without us. But they each have challenges they are facing and sometimes it is hard to be unable to run to them and help. I miss that part of my life. We are all growing stronger as we manage trials and challenges while we are apart. And, they are adults with supportive husbands and others to help them. As we all know, challenges are part of our mortal experience. Sometimes they seem heavier and harder than at other times, but we gain strength and increase our faith in Jesus Christ as we turn to Him as we face our challenges.
In our Come Follow Me lesson this week we have been studying about Joseph Smith and the time he spent in Liberty jail. He, and several other church leaders, were imprisoned in Liberty jail for several months during the winter of 1838/39. You can read more details about this story here. They suffered in severely at the hands of wicked and prejudice people. During his suffering Joseph Smith received inspired revelation from God that encouraged and uplifted him through his trials. The Come Follow Me lesson makes this statement: “When we or people we love are suffering, it is normal to wonder if God is aware of us.” I do know God is aware of me and of our family. I love Him for the blessings He is giving us. Our challenges will never compare to those of the prophet Joseph Smith and his family and they pale in comparison to the suffering of our Savior Jesus Christ.
In Doctrine & Covenants 121:7 the Lord tells Joseph, “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment”. As I’ve sorrowed and wept over missing my family this week, I appreciate the timing of this study. I know my sadness and sorrow is just for a moment and I know God loves and is caring for our family. I know He is mindful of you and your family too. In all of the work we are doing, whether we are in Iceland or in Oregon or in any other place in the world, our Savior Jesus Christ has felt what we are feeling and He is here to bless and succor us on our dark and sad days. Maybe the challenges don’t go away, but He does help us carry them.
And so our mission work continues. The days are, literally, getting darker. Today’s sunrise was at 8:47 am and sunset at 5:33 pm. Not too bad, but we are losing six minutes of light every day. That changes things quickly! We also had our first real snowflakes of the season. The dark and cold months are here bringing more opportunities to find light and peace through our Savior and our service to Him.
One of those opportunities came to us on Sunday. We attended the Spanish branch where I played the piano for sacrament meeting (and survived to tell about it!) and Todd gave a talk on tithing. Our good friend Nura translated his talk into Spanish and there were 10 branch members in attendance. We love the Spanish branch and we are sad to see it getting so small.
There were more members and friends in the 1st branch, which we attended just after the Spanish branch sacrament meeting. Four of our six elders were still out of town so we had Elder Nielsen & Elder Bredthauer to run the show. They did a great job. It was Elder Bredthauer’s first Sunday with us and he was quickly making friends in the branch. Below you will see him with Prince & Jennifer who are both learning from the missionaries, and Vicky who is a new member.
I also made some new friends. Natalie & George Potter attended our branch while on vacation this week and they are lovely people. They were so friendly and so thrilled with Iceland. They stayed through both hours of church, which is unusual for tourists, they contributed to the meetings, and it was fun to get to know them a little bit. We hope the remainder of their trip was wonderful.
On Monday as the season continues to change we dealt with snowflakes in the sky but not sticking on the ground. It poured rain, sleet, and some snow all day and was a cold and dreary mess. But Tuesday’s blue skies welcomed us with this view of Mt. Esja. I took this picture out of our bedroom window and you can see her covered with snow. She’s a beauty. Todd and I took a chilly walk around the bay and cut it a bit short because of how biting the wind was. It definitely looks like winter is here.
We had many zoom meeting this week. One of them was our new zone council meeting. During this meeting our zone leaders and district leaders who were in Denmark for training shared with us the plans, changes, and goals for this transfer. Currently we are the smallest zone in the mission and there is a lot of work for all of us to do. We look forward to the day when we will have more elders here to help with the work. But for now, our small group moves forward.
The four elders in Denmark flew back to Iceland later that day. Todd and I were scheduled to drive to the airport to pick them up so we left early to go do some exploring. It was a cold day, the high temperature was about 39 degrees F. And there was a stiff wind blowing which made it feel even colder. We bundled up and enjoyed the beauty of this part of the country.
Our first stop was at Hafnir, a town on the Reykjanes Peninsula not too far from the airport. There is a beautiful little church here that is built next to the remains of a Viking settlement that dates back to 900 AD.
In the picture below you can see mounds in the grassy field. Throughout this field are the remnants of the Viking longhouse that once stood here.
Also on display is the anchor of the ghost ship Jamestown that washed ashore here in 1881. The story of this ship is pretty fascinating! Early in the year the ship had encountered a storm in the north Atlantic ocean that damaged their ship. The crew were rescued and the ship was abandoned. It drifted, unmanned, for months until finally beaching on the shores of Hafnir. The locals used the wood and cargo from the ship to build many houses and considered it a great blessing. You can read more about the ghost ship Jamestown here.
It was very cold and windy and I admire these Icelandic horses for being out in the wind. They all had their backside to the wind, stayed together in a group, and stood very still. Maybe that is good advice for when challenges blow into our lives. Gather with those we love and trust, turn away from the challenge & misery (don’t wallow in it), and find strength in the stillness of our faith in Christ.
Our next stop was Valahnúkamöl, cliffs at the coast near the Reykjanes Lighthouse. The cold wind continued and Todd stayed out exploring much longer than I did. I found the views of the coast from inside the sun warmed car were wonderful! 🙂 Fun fact — the sea stack in the picture below that sits just off shore is named Karl. You can learn a bit about him here.
Check out this basalt that is fracturing into columns as it breaks off into the ocean. Basalt columns are visible in so many places in Iceland. These ones are very interesting — they show that column structure after they break but when they are solid it is not obvious.
The Reykjanes Lighthouse sits in a beautiful location looking out to sea. It was built in 1907 and you can learn more about it here.
Before heading to the airport to pick up the elders we had time to do a drive through Grindavik. This town is constantly in the news in regards to its status so close to the currently active volcanic system on the Reykjanes peninsula. Only a handful of people currently live there and the city is trying to regain its growth and vitality. Several businesses operate there and everyone has to be aware of the constant threat of earthquakes and impending volcanic eruptions. The town feels very quiet as you drive through and there are examples of the destructive nature of the volcano everywhere you look. It is fascinating.
In the center of town there is a display showing pictures of when the town was evacuated during past eruptions. I cannot imagine living through a scenario like this, it would be terrifying.
How would you feel if a road in your town looked like this?! Iceland is a wild place!
We did make it to the airport for our scheduled pick up and we’re glad to have all eight elders back in Iceland. This was our fourth trip to the airport in one week. 🙂
On Thursday we had 5 different meetings and enjoyed them all. We had a missionwide zoom meeting in the morning. Todd taught the Iceland elders in companions study after that. Next I had a food storage meeting with Sister Mogenhan and Sister Hutchings. Then Todd and I had a meeting with Elder & Sister Davis in Denmark. They have been on their mission for one week and they are preparing to join the other senior couples to facilitate an emotional resilience class starting next week. We appreciate their willingness to jump right into a big assignment!
Later that evening we had our final meeting of the day with Faith and her daughters Great & Mirabelle. Faith was baptized in May and her daughter Great is learning from the missionaries now and will be baptized soon. We had family scripture study with them in the Book of Mormon and we helped them put different church apps on their devices. Great & Mirabelle loved the Gospel for Kids app and both started coloring and doing the mazes & dot to dots. They are adorable and Faith is excited to learn all she can about how to live the gospel and help her girls increase their knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ.
On Friday afternoon we made a visit to our friend Stephen who hasn’t been to church for a while. He was happy to get some cookies and he plans to come to church this Sunday. We hope that he will. After seeing him we took a walk along the inlet and saw some minke whales out in the freezing water. There were some whale watching cruises enjoying the action too.
Skarfagarður Lighthouse —
This week ended with a few fun things. We had some good visits and cookie drops Saturday afternoon. While we were out we met with our friend Doroth at the church for a quick visit. Tomorrow, Sunday, Doroth is getting baptized! You’ll get to read all about it next week, but for now we met with her to go over how the things will work for her baptism. Todd showed her how to stand and they practiced “the dip” a couple of times. We made sure she has the clothing she needs, and we walked through where she will dress for the ordinance. Doroth is so excited to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! We are very excited for her.
We also made time for hanging Christmas lights. They will shine for the next two months at least! In fact, two months from today is Christmas so it is definitely time to hang the twinkly lights up. Todd says it’s too early to put up the Christmas tree, though. So this will have do do for now. 🙂
We finished the week off with a wonderful dinner with Ásta and Wes & Karen Mogenhan. Ásta takes care of all of the financial accounts for the church in Iceland. She does a lot of work to make sure things are in order and she helps us out of trouble whenever we mess things up. Ásta is absolutely wonderful. The least she deserves is a delicious meal. Below is the view through the restaurant window looking directly at Hallgrimskirkja.
And how about a picture gallery of our meals?
Now we’re at the close of another week. The first few days of the week were rough for me. Fortunately, as the week went on I regained my peace and through the Spirit of the Lord I am feeling back to myself and happy to be here working in the kingdom of God. If you’re feeling down, remember these words from our Savior, “Peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment”. And maybe, hang some Christmas lights. That will help too! See you next week.
Check out Todd’s social media pages for more pictures and videos. You can find him here:
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