DK On-Line

DK of course stands for Denmark, not for Donkey Kong or the Dead Kennedys (good 'ole punk band in their time). Facebook has enabled an explosion of contact between old LDS Danish missionaries from 1986-88, when I served. I have still been wary of Facebook, I know it is not as creepy as MySpace but I am not sold on so much open access to lives. But the ability to gain so much contact with people, the memories of which are fading fast, is enthralling. Currently many missionaries I knew are interfacing on facebook and it is thrilling to be connecting with them again.

 

 

I never really went to any mission reunions. I don't really like reunions, I've never gone to any high school ones. I love the gospel and thought the missionaries I served with were great, but the mission was frustrating in Denmark. Low baptismal rates, never saw my President much, cold weather, it was tough. I learned so much from my mission but never really felt I had made much of a difference there. I always felt I could have worked harder, done something more to make a difference. The danish people were great too, but I doubted if anyone there would remember me. I never thought I would ever see the land or people again, but that changed in 2004.

It was exciting to hear that a temple was being built in Denmark, but more unusual was that the temple would be built out of an existing building, the Priorvej chapel I had actually served in. Of course I wasn't planning on going, no way I could afford it as we were renting in California with 5 kids. That is where charity came in and bestowed the most amazing gift on me. At my institute the students knew about the temple and set about without my knowledge in raising money to send myself and my wife over there. I was blown away when they gave this gift to me. It was the greatest trip to be able to share my mission, the land, and the people with my wife. The danish people I came to know from my mission embraced me like I never thought possible.

My mission president, DV Jacobs, was the new temple president, and I was able to speak with him for a sense of closure on my mission. But the real healing for me took place during the dedication of the temple, as President Hinckley gave the dedicatory prayer it struck me when he said:

"We thank Thee for this land, where the restored gospel was first preached more than a century and a half ago. We thank Thee for Thy faithful servants who have come here as teachers of Thy divine truth. We express our gratitude for the many thousands who have responded to their message over the years."

The spirit bore witness to me that I was numbered among the faithful servants, and it had not been for naught, that I had made a difference. Before I left Denmark that same witness was borne to me multiple times as I heard similar testimony from many of the Danish saints. I am grateful that facebook connects me again to those Danes and missionaries I shared so much with.