gormleysinnorway: Sisters Conference

Dear Friends and Family;

We had a busy week last week as you can see. We drove about 2,000 km and saw more of beautiful Norway. Sister Gormley has been fighting a bad cold, but she is finally getting better. We started off by driving to Sisters Conference in Oslo with Sister Davidson and Etchells. We had a fun road trip with them. Sister Gormley has been working a month on this conference. She put together a 60 page booklet on health for the young sisters. It included recipes, ideas on physical & emotional health, ideas on positive attitude and many other ideas. It was an amazing document. If you are interested I can send you the file. Sister Gormley then presented it to the sisters. She is so out of her element, but is doing so well. There were many speakers and and other classes to help the sisters. I was in the kitchen, We fed them 5 meals. Sister Torgesen was in charge of the food. It was great. President and Sister Hill are so loving with the missionaries. We then traveled down to Drammen to see our old friends, Almar and Ruth Nystad. They are such dear people. They were so kind to me when I served here as a young missionary. Elder and Sister Brostrom, from the office, took us up to Jevnaker to see the glass works. We then drove over the mountains to Haugesund. We saw some wonderful scenery. Friday the Elders and I took a trip north to Stord while Sister Gormley recuperated at the Hiltunens. They are always so kind to house and feed us. We were able to visit several inactive members. It is always special to testify to them. We went back to Haugesund and put on a Halloween party for the Branch. Elder Killpack and Sister Gormley led the charge. Everyone had fun. We had a Baptism for a young sister, Mathea Bruland, on Saturday the 29th of October. They don't have a font in Haugesund so Elder Merritt baptized her in a Fjord. It was a little chilly, but no one minded. It was a special experience. On Saturday after the baptism we drove a couple hours up to Sauda to help the missionaries teach Willem Veenbrik, He is 67 and lost his wife last year. All of his family in the States and Denmark have joined church. I believe he will as well. While in Sauda we found the old Branch President from Haugesund who is inactive. We had a real nice visit with him. We invited him to come back. On the way we went by the Memorial of Torleif Knaphus at his birthplace in Knapphus,Vats, Norway. He was born in 1881, was baptized in 1902 in Oslo and moved to Salt Lake in 1906. He did many of the sculptures at Temple Square including the Handcart Monument. He also did the Hill Comorah Monument. He did the Angel Moroni for the Washington DC temple and may others. Quite the artist. We enjoyed church in Haugesund on Sunday. We have really become close to this Branch. A sweet Filipino sister, Sarah, fed us an amazing dinner after church and we headed home. We were so glad to get back to Stavanger. Monday for family night the YSA put on a Halloween party for the Ward. Sister Gormley was decorating again. Everyone had fun. Time is marching. I can't believe it is November. We miss you all. Hope all is well.

Love, Eldste & Søster Gormley