Do you trust the tour guide or not?

Yesterday was our preparation day which means it is also a day where we have some time to see the area. Five of the 10 missionaries in Iceland are new and the other 5 had not been to Gulfoss in the winter, so we decided to see Gulfoss and the other main sites on the Golden Circle.  We also decided only to do the trip if the sun was out.  When we got up I checked the weather forecast - a cold day with temperatures at the various sites at minus 17 C but even worse were the winds.  I checked out windchill factors and discovered we would be experiencing minus 10 F so I called all the missionaries and said dress for the temperature and windchill.  I planned to see Gulfoss (picture) when the sun would be it's highest and we got there as planned.  The only problem was the weather forecast was off considerably - the windchill was more in the area of minus 35 F.  Needless to say no one wanted to go on the hike down to the water falls as the wind was also blowing the water off the falls at us.  We went into the gift shop/cafe to warm up and ran into a friend who is a tour guide.  When we told him we were on our way to Þingvellir he said good as the winds are per the forecast over there and you can take the back road.  According to on-line road conditions it is impassable.  He said no it is open and you could even do it on summer tires.  So off we went in my Skoda and the Toyota van (the van only holds 9).  When we got to the back road the impassable sign had been moved off to the side and the road looked good.  About half way or 10 km the conditions got bad as the ruts were so deep you could bury the Skoda and the road had become one lane.  I drove one wheel on top the center ridge and one in the rut which seemed to work good for awhile and then the edge gave way and we plowed off the road.  All six young Elders were more than excited to push us out to no avail.  Finally we hooked up a rope and pulled us out.  The van has four wheel drive which helps.  We had a few more difficult looking places but we made the rest of the trip without incident.  As I asked - do you trust the tour guide?  What he failed to tell us was he was driving a four wheel drive jeep with 38 inch wheels.  When I saw him later he was shocked the road was bad and said the road must have blown in after he went by - a possibility considering the winds except we didn't notice any wind as we were working to get the car out.

Elder Gérald Caussé in Iceland

This past Friday, Iceland was blessed to have a member of the Seventy conduct training sessions with all the missionaries in Iceland (our zone conference) followed by a training session with the Branch Presidencies and Branch Mission Leaders. Elder Caussé then held a fireside for all who wanted to attend. He is a marvelous instructor and taught with the Spirit inspiring all who listened. We were also blessed to have our Mission President and his wife - President and Sister Olauson of the Denmark Copenhagen Mission who also taught us great messages about our Savior and His love for us and all those we are here to bring His gospel. In the picture we have from left to right the Assistant to the President Elder Soelberg, President Olauson, Elder DeCelle, Elder Caussé, Elder Teodoro, Elder Higgins, Elder Smith and Elder Fillmore. Elder DeCelle and Elder Teodoro are the two Elders serving with us in Selfoss. Elder and Sister Koyle, Sister Olauson and Eileen and I were out for earlier pictures but then went inside to get lunch on the table. It may not look like it is afternoon by the shadows but this picture was taken about 12:30 PM. As a missionary and a member of a Branch Presidency, I had the blessing of being taught by this great servant of the Lord in all meetings.

Elaine Dalton

Since the only exciting pictures of Iceland recently have been sunrises, sunsets and snow of which I have previously provided pictures, I thought I would share some thoughts from October General Conference.  Elaine Dalton, Young Women General President said "Could it be that first we tolerate, then accept, and eventually embrace the vice that surrounds us?"  When I heard her I thought yes we have seen that happen.  What really struck me was when reading her talk, I saw the footnote for the comment.  It was attributed to Alexander Pope from his 'An Essay on Man' published 1733-34.  The actions of men really haven't changed that much except for the blessings of the restored gospel to help us realize the dangers before us and also help us become better.  The following is from her talk without the footnotes:   

".... Virtue is a prerequisite to entering the Lord’s holy temples and to receiving the Spirit’s guidance. Virtue “is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards.” It encompasses chastity and moral purity. Virtue begins in the heart and in the mind. It is nurtured in the home. It is the accumulation of thousands of small decisions and actions. Virtue is a word we don’t hear often in today’s society, but the Latin root word virtus means strength. Virtuous women and men possess a quiet dignity and inner strength. They are confident because they are worthy to receive and be guided by the Holy Ghost. President Monson has counseled: “You be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone. Have the moral courage to be a light for others to follow. ...."

Could it be that we have been slowly desensitized into thinking that high moral standards are old-fashioned and not relevant or important in today’s society? ... Could it be that first we tolerate, then accept, and eventually embrace the vice that surrounds us? Could it be that we have been deceived by false role models and persuasive media messages that cause us to forget our divine identity? ... What could be more deceptive than to entice the youth of this noble generation to do nothing or to be busy ever-texting but never coming to a knowledge of the truths contained in a book that was written for you and your day by prophets of God—the Book of Mormon? What could be more deceptive than to entice women, young and old, you and me, to be so involved in ourselves, our looks, our clothes, our body shape and size that we lose sight of our divine identity and our ability to change the world through our virtuous influence? What could be more deceptive than to entice men—young and old, holding the holy priesthood of God—to view seductive pornography and thus focus on flesh instead of faith, to be consumers of vice rather than guardians of virtue? ..." 

Global Warming?

While our family in Minnesota is having a hard time believing in global warming you have to think there may be something to in when you stop at the gas station to by windshield wiper fluid and they are selling fresh flowers outside - Yes this is the outside of the gas station just outside of Reykjavík and there is no heater around to keep the flowers warm.

Just an additional high cost item - I bought a 5 liter container of windshield washer fluid (1.3 gallons) for 1295 kronar or approximately $12. Needless to say I was in a little bit of a shock considering I have to use a lot of it as the roads over the mountain are always wet and muddy and the trucks throw up so much spray you sometimes can´t see for a few seconds.

How would you like to pay $50 for a pizza?

This is an ad we received in Reykjavík Saturday (We don´t have Pizza Hut in Selfoss). As you look at the prices they are first small, medium and large. Thus the large Super Supreme is 5.170 which is a little less than $50 at today´s exchange but that goes up and down everyday so we just figure take the last two digits off the price and that is the cost in dollars - quick and easy way to figure prices. Right now the prices in restaurants do not appear to have gone up because they have been so high for a very long time - two years ago that pizza was closer to $100, but I am not sure how long that will last as the prices in the stores are going up everyday. Icelander´s are complaining about the high cost of groceries now and we thought they were high when we got here. Thanks to the improving exchange rate locally produced items are going up very little compared to imported goods.

Thin Crust Leads to Warm Floors

This evening we were teaching a lady in the town of Hveragerði where an earthquake happened last May. When we go into a home we take our shoes off and as I stepped out of my shoes on to a very warm spot I thought they had heated floors and commented about the nice warm floor and was told yes we have a hot pot under the floor. Yes the floor is warmed by a geothermal hot pot under their floor that came about after the earthquake. To give you an idea of what that would be like note the attached videos. Luckily the building is well enough constructed neither the water nor the smell come through the floor. The other pictures just show you how nice it is here in Iceland in the winter. The video and pictures were all taken in Hveragerði on Saturday January 10, 2009. The sun was coming out for the first time in many days and it was time for a nice walk.

New Years Eve in Reykjavík Iceland

New Years Eve in Reykjavík Iceland started with a bonfire. As we understand about 10 throughout the city where families gathered at 8 PM to sing and shoot off fireworks. I was sure we were going to get hit with something as they were going off in the midst of the crowd and kids were carrying sparklers that were over 2 feet long. The Elders told us last year someone let off a rocket that shot right through the crowd - I was sure we were going to see the same. About 10 PM the real fireworks started and they lasted way past midnight. We were on the second story of a house up on a hill and could see all of Rejkjavík and the adjoining cities and it was one mass of fireworks. Remember these are not commercially sponsored fireworks but individuals shooting off their own purchases. Some families had to have spent thousands of dollars on their fireworks. The man we were with said the medium ones were costing $50 -60 each and we saw one family shoot off at least 20-30 from their backyard just while we were at the bonfire and then more and bigger at midnight.