NANOOK OF THE NORTH

 One of the highlights of this last week had to be  Elaine's mini-choir singing for our area Christmas devotional.  We sang an arrangement of "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night" with a lovely piano accompaniment by Elder Harrison and a flute obligato by Sister Kearon, our area presidency counselor's wife. Front row Sisters Harrison, Craven, Ezard and Wing.  Back row Elders Craven, (sister) Stay, Stay and Wing.  Entertainment for the dinner following were five talent acts put on by the employees in a Germany's Got Talent show.  We were amazed they actually voted and awarded places from 1st clear to 5th.  Wonder if anyone will volunteer next year.

The highest (and coincidentally the lowest) light of the week was our weekend Public Affairs assignment in Oslo, Norway.  Highest light for the marvelous experience and lowest light for how low in the sky the sun shines there this time of year and how short a time it shines when it finally breaks the horizon. Our assignment was to take pictures for the Norway Newsroom and to take pictures and write a article to report on the Church's popular community Christmas concert celebration.  (see article below)

 Brother Oystein Amundsen hosted us for tour of Oslo on Saturday,  Next to the ward house is a memorial to a man who operated a green house and trucking business here during the Nazi occupation.  What he really was doing was smuggling out Jews and others wanted by the Nazis.  He would hide them in the green house and truck them out to Sweden in the night - until he was caught and executed in 1944 at age 38.  Interesting they chose the Old Testament symbol of the Melchezidek Priesthood for the shape of the monument.

 Norway is home to only about 4.5 million persons, - 600,000 in Oslo.  The city is nestled down at the bottom of the mountains next to a beautiful fjord.  The country is rich from oil and natural gas development in the North Sea, and the standard of living is high, but with that comes 20 minute cab rides that cost $200 and chocolate bars for $6.

 Elaine loved the ski jump on the hilltop above the town.  No snow here today though, just absolutely frigid temps and a breeze that cut right though. The big jumping competition was going on in Lillehammer further north.

 This is  the famous Opera House designed to look like an iceberg coming out of the ocean on the fjord and yes that is salt water and yes it is freezing and yes it was sooo cold.  Some Norwegians had actually put on hats but we think they were saving their big coats for more serious temps to come. Ironically though the sun comes up at 10 and sets at 3 pm (this near the shortest day of the year), when it is up it is directly in your face the whole time as it only gets about 3 feet above the horizon in a more or less a 4 hour sunrise turning to sunset with no day in between.

Here is a picture of the Jul i Toner Christmas production at the Romerike chapel that included members as well as musicians from the community in a high quality symphonic and vocal feast.  This night about 450 were in the audience, about half were Church members.

Greeters at the concert were dressed in traditional Norwegian outfits and fed us wonderful warm rolls afterward.

Christmas Concert Warms Hearts on a Cold Night in Norway

Outside, the first snows of winter fell in the frosty December night air.  Festive candles cheerfully lit a snowy walkway to the Romerike chapel doors.  Inside, hearts were warmed by song and music that thrilled the soul of a grateful audience and welcomed the Christmas spirit.  This festive celebration was the last evening of a three-night music concert series, the idea for which started three years ago as a way to build bridges of trust and friendship between members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the local community during the Christmas season. 

This year’s concert was hosted by the Church and featured the Lillestrøm City orchestra, a 60 member choir and special guest vocal and instrumental soloists.  The choir was made of church members as well as members of local choirs, music organizations and music schools.  Practices for the event began last summer and required members of the Church to travel, some from as far as eight hours away, to meet in periodic intensive practice sessions. 

On this night, approximately 450 persons filled the chapel to capacity to enjoy professional quality voice and instrumental soloists and the choir. The choir was accompanied by a 15-member symphony orchestra and by the 35 member Lillestrøm brass orchestra which also presented its own musical arrangements to celebrate the Christmas season. 

At the conclusion of this year’s concert, attendees were overjoyed at having been part of a marvelous celebration of Christ’s birth and its organizers were already thinking about ways to make the spirit of the production available to an even wider audience next year. 

Concert sponsors recognize and honor the artistic talents of each participant and especially the production and directorship skills of the husband and wife team of Sven-Eric and Marie Lundkvist who were the inspiration and force to bring this celebration from idea to reality.  Our sincere thanks and appreciation to these good people for their talented service.