Saturday, January 2, 1982
Mom saw an ad in the newspaper that said that you could advertise in an American newspaper that you were looking for someone to marry. Mom wrote to the ad. She specified that she was looking for a Mormon man to marry, and he was to be about the same age as her.
Saturday, January 16, 1982
A man, name Ed Law, responded to the ad. He lives in California. Mom is excited about having this new pen pal. I wonder if he is the answer to my prayers.
Friday, January 22, 1982
We have had so many Elders come and go while we have lived here. Today Elder *Dave Kalani stopped by to say goodbye because he is getting transferred. He told me that if I ever made it to America to be sure to look him up. He is half-Hawaiian and one of the most humble Elders we have ever had. I told Elder Kalani about Ed Law and that he lives in California. Elder Kalani looked at the address and said it wasn’t too far from where he lives, so I promised him I would look him up once I got to America.
Monday, February 9, 1982
Mom and Ed are already serious about getting married. Mom has asked me to put an ad in the paper so that she can sell her things, too. Our goal is to move by April or May, depending on how fast Mom can have her business and apartment sold. I am excited about how quickly everything is falling into place. It’s happening a lot faster than I could ever have imagined. I have moved into Mom’s apartment because I am pretty much here most of the time helping Mom with selling and packing up her and Elisabeth’s belongings. I don’t have to pay mom for living here, this way I can save money on rent.
Wednesday, March 3, 1982
We have already sold a lot of our stuff. We are hoping that Mom will be able to sell her business and apartment, too.
Monday, April 26, 1982
I have been busy packing some of our belongings and mailing them to Ed. It costs a lot to mail the boxes, so we are only keeping the most sentimental things.
Mom’s apartment looks pretty empty now. We have borrowed a table and some chairs so that we have something to sit on. The things we haven’t sold, we will have to leave behind.
We bought our plane tickes today. We will be leaving Denmark, Friday, May 28, 1982.
Tuesday, April 27, 1982
Mom got a letter from Ed today. Mom has written to him that she has been married three times before. Now Ed is not sure if he wants to go ahead and marry Mom. Mom wrote a long letter to explain the marriages. There are only 21 days left until we plan to leave. I don’t know if we are leaving now. It was all going so smoothly. I pray that the Lord will continue to look out for us and that he will continue to prepare the way.
Sunday, May 9, 1982
Ed called today to wish Mom a Happy Mother’s Day. It looks like he still wants us to come. Good thing since we pretty much have sold everything and the plane tickets are non-refundable.
Monday, May 10, 1982
A few weeks ago, I found out that my friend Marie had gotten married. Marie and I had once talked about when the time came we would be the bridesmaids at each other’s wedding. I was hurt to find out that I had not been invited to celebrate her big day.
I happened to run into Marie today. I asked her why I had not been invited to her wedding. She told me that since I was a Mormon it would have been awkward for her to have me there. I didn’t know what to say. We had once been so close. I would have never guessed that our friendship would have turned out this way. Marie apologized for not inviting me, and then she said; “Besides my parents didn’t want you there because of your religion, they were afraid you would be trying to bless the food and praying the whole time.” Even though I hurt inside I told her it was OK and wished her luck in her marriage. Now I was looking forward even more to immigrating to America.
Wednesday, May 12, 1982
Mom got an offer on her apartment a few days ago, but she did not accept it. Mom was starting to think she would have to take a loos on both her buisness and her apartment.
Today a man came and bought both her apartment and her buisness for the price that she was asking.
Sunday, May 16, 1982
I was asked to give a farewell talk at church today. I didn’t think I would cry, but when I looked at some of the members, I couldn’t help it. I will miss our small branch. At the end of the meeting, we sang, “God Be With You Till We Meet Again.” It was difficult for many in the congregation to sing the song. Through lots of tears and heavy hearts, we said our goodbyes.
Monday, May 17, 1982
I had hoped I to see Per one last time before I left Skive, as I was packing the last of our things, I got the feeling that if I was to see Per, to go outside. I thought it was odd. The feeling was so strong that I went ahead and went downstairs and looked around outside. To my suprise when I looked up the street, I saw Per walking towards where I was standing. I could not believe my eyes! He was carrying a baby, and a lady was by his side. I stood in disbelief as they walked towards me. When Per saw me, he smiled. When he got up close he asked what I was doing there. I told him that I was just finishing up some things because my mom, sister and I were moving to America. I had just come outside to take a break. Per intrduced me to the lady standing next to him. It was his wife. The baby he was holding in his arms was their daughter. He and his wife were in town visiting his parents. Their baby wasn’t feeling well, so they were on their way to the pharmacy to pick up some medecine for her.
I saw Per walking down the middle of the street with his wife and baby. Mom’s apartment was on the left on top of the clothing store. The pharmacy was right across the street where it says Normal.
After we had talked for a few minutes I went back upstair. I thought it was crazy that the feeling was so strong and then it turned out he was there! Sometimes things happen that can’t be explained.
4 years agoI had seen a picture of Per in the news paper. I had cut it out and put in my wallet. I took the picture out of my wallet.
I cried. I thought about throwing the picture out. Instead I put it back in my wallet. I was glad to see that Per was married. For so long I had hoped and dreamed that someday we would get married. At the same time I knew it would not be possible since he was not a Mormon. I felt like I was finally able to close an unfinished chapter of my life. It made it so much easier to leave Skive.
Tuesday, May 25, 1982
Mom handed over her key to the new owners and then we took a train to Copenhagen. We still had 3 left days before we were to board our plane for America. Mom called her Aunt Mabel in Copenhagen and asked if we could stay with her for the last few days that we were in Denmark. Aunt Mabel was happy to have us come and stay with her and her family.
When we arrived at Aunt Mable’s house I noticed that she had a cat, but I thought, “We are only staying for a few days, I should be able to endure it.” By the end of the first night, I could feel my lungs were hurting.
Wednesday, May 26, 1982
When I woke up this morning my lungs were in a lot of pain. I didn’t tell anyone about it. After all, it is only going to be a few more days and we will be off to America.
Thursday, May 27, 1982
I can tell I am getting a fever and that I am getting sicker, but still, I didn’t say anything to anyone. I just wanted the days to hurry by so I could get on that plane. Aunt Mabel started to notice that I was not eating. I made the excuse that I was just excited about moving to America. We only have one more evening left in Denmark. Our plane was leaving in the morning.
On this last day, Mom, Elisabeth, and I went to the post office to mail some of the last of our things since they were too heavy for us to take with us on the plane. As we were standing in line at the post office I could tell my fever was getting higher and I felt like I was about to pass out. I hurried and went to sit by the side of the wall. Elisabeth followed me. She asked me if I was feeling okay. I had exchanged my money for American dollars, but I still had a little bit of Danish coins left in my pocket. I gave Elisabeth the last of my change and asked her to go buy us something cold to drink.
By then, Mom had mailed the package. She came over to ask if I was all right. I told her that I needed something to drink. Elisabeth returned with the drinks and the three of us sat on the ground to drink them. The cold drink made me feel a little better.
When we got back to my great-aunt’s house, I could no longer hide that I was not feeling well. It was obvious that I had a fever and my lungs were in a lot of pain. Mom called the doctor so he could come and have a look at me. While we were waiting for the doctor, I told everyone I was fine. My cousin Patrick was there. He said, “I was going to show you some pictures, but it doesn’t look like you are up to it.” I told him I would be fine. As we were sitting on the couch looking at the pictures, I could tell I was going to pass out. I thought if I just focused on the pictures hard enough I would be able to see them. No matter how hard I tried, everything went black. When I woke up I was laying on the sofa and my cousin Patrick was putting some strong-smelling stuff under my nose to help me wake up. I opened my eyes and saw family members standing around me. They told me to hold still, the doctor was on his way. I was very tired, so I fell asleep. Two hours later, Mom woke me up to tell me that the doctor was there.
The doctor listened to my lungs. He said that due to my allergies to cats, I had water on both lungs and it had turned into double pneumonia. The doctor told me that he was going to call for an ambulance so that I could get to the hospital right away because he was worried my fever since it was so hight. I told the doctor, that there was no way I would to the hospital because we had plane tickets and were leaving in the morning for America. The doctor told me that I was in no shape to travel on such a long trip and that my pneumonia was life-threatening. I told the doctor that our plane tickets were non-refundable, and we didn’t have enough money to buy new tickets. The doctor could tell I was determent about not going to the hospital, so he said, “I will write you out a prescription. Make sure to pick these pills up first thing in the morning and then get yourself checked into the nearest hospital when you get to America!” I thanked the doctor and told him I would get it taken care of as soon as I got there. Mom took the prescription.
It was a long painful night.
Friday, May 28, 1982
The next morning I felt well enough to get up and go. On our way to the airport, we stopped at the pharmacy to pick up my pills. When we got there, Mom had lost the prescription. I was not able to get the pills I would need to make the trip. Our plane was leaving soon and there was no time to turn back to look for the prescription.
When we got to the airport, I happened to see some Missionaries. I wanted to ask them if they could give me a blessing, but there was no time. When we got on the plane I could hardly believe we were on our way to America!
Once we got in the air, I looked out the window and I could see we were leaving Denmark. So many thoughts went through my mind. I was sad about having to leave Grandma behind, but I hoped we could send for her as soon as we were established in America. I felt bad that I had not been able to meet my Grandmother Lund because I thought now I would never know what she is like. I also felt bad because I had tried to call Dad to let him know I was leaving. But I was unable to get a hold of him. The last time I visited with him I told him I thought about moving, but I had no idea it was all going to happen so fast.
Our first flight was from Copenhagen to London. It took an hour and a half. As we were flying, I could tell my fever was coming back and I was in a lot of pain. I was starting to pass out again. I put my head back and held very still, hoping I would stay alert, and that we would land soon.
The flight seemed to take forever. When we landed in London and were about to change planes for Los Angeles we could tell something was wrong. There were endless lines of people everywhere. I had never seen so many people in one place before.
An announcement came over the loudspeaker saying they were on strike. They announced that they didn’t know how long the strike would last, and no one was to leave the airport in case they were to announce when the planes were flying again. They said if we left the airport and our plane was announced and we weren’t there we would lose our plane ticket and would have to buy a new one. Then they added, again, that they didn’t know how long the strike was going to last and that it could take hours or it could take days.
Planes were landing and no planes were leaving. We were in a crowd of people. There was no place to sit. I needed to lie down, or I would certainly pass out. I went to sit down on a corner of a table that was already full of people. The man sitting next to me could tell I was not feeling well, so he let me have his seat. Then the person next to him let me have her seat also so I was able to partly lie down. I didn’t know how I was going to survive the rest of the trip.
We only had American currency and there was no way to exchange it for English money. We were not able to buy food or anything to drink. I didn’t care about food, but I did want something cold to drink so that the fever would go down. I said a silent prayer and asked the Lord for help.
Out of the crowd of people, I saw a lady walking towards me. She said, “I have been watching you and I can tell you are not feeling well. She said that she had brought four pills with her for her trip just in case she would need them.” I didn’t know what the pills were and at this point, I didn’t care. The lady told me to take two pills now and take the other two pills in about four to six hours. I thanked her for them. I found a drinking fountain and swallowed them. I went and sat back down.
The pills helped for the next four hours. Then the fever came back. I took the last two pills, and by now it was almost impossible to make it to the drinking fountain because of the crowd of people who were there.
People were everywhere. Babies were crying and some adults were shouting in frustration. When I came back out of the bathroom, it was almost impossible to walk back to where Mom and Elisabeth were. I saw Mom talking to a lady from Germany. This lady could tell I was not feeling well so she gave me her apple and told me to eat it so that I could get better. I was not hungry, but I thought I better do what she asked because I had not eaten much for days. I asked Elisabeth if she wanted half the apple, and she said that she was not hungry and told me to eat it so that I could get better.
I ate half the apple and Mom ate the other half. Four more hours went by and the pills I had been given had worn off. I prayed that we would be able to board our plane soon.
Finally, after a total of ten hours of waiting in the airport, they announced over the loudspeaker that our plane was ready for boarding. Out of all the planes in the airport, ours was the first to leave. People started to clap and shouted “Hurray!”
As we were standing in line waiting to put our luggage on board, I felt too weak to carry my suitcase. Mom and Elisabeth could barely carry their own. A man who was standing in line could see I was having a hard time, so he offered to help me. I was so grateful!
We got situated on board the plane and it was announced that, due to the strike, there was limited food and drinks on board. It was a 10-hour flight and a lot of people had not eaten for a long time. Most people were just happy that the plane was leaving, but still, tension was high and some people were upset, and babies were crying. An announcement was made that they were able to get enough food for everyone to have one meal and one drink.
The first five hours were horrible for me. I did not think I could make it to the end of the flight. I thought if I just sit back and keep still I would make it. I started to pass out again. I told Mom to call the stewardess to see if there might be a doctor on board. The stewardess came over to see what we wanted. At first glance, she could tell I was not well. She said, “We have no doctor on board and I don’t know how to help you.”
There happened to be a nurse sitting close by and she could tell I was in terrible shape. The nurse told the stewardess to announce over the loudspeaker to ask if there was a doctor on board. The stewardess announced, “There is a passenger that needs a doctor’s help. If there is any doctor on board, would you please come forward?” No one responded. The nurse was worried. She took my pulse and said I was in critical condition. I could tell I was passing out again. This time I honestly didn’t think I was going to make it. The nurse asked the stewardess to make the announcement again asking if anyone with any medicinal training could come forward and help because a passenger was in critical need.
A man stood up. He said, “I am a doctor. Who needs help?” They brought the doctor to me. When he saw me, he took my pulse and he checked my fever. He told the stewardess that I needed to lie flat. She took us to the “First Class” section of the airplane, where there were enough seats that I could lie down. The doctor gave me some pills to swallow. He then instructed the nurse and the stewardess to quickly get my clothes off and get some ice. They took off my top and the doctor instructed them to put ice under my arms, around my head, and on my chest. They also placed an oxygen mask on my face to help me breathe.
The ice melted quickly. The stewardess brought more ice. The doctor looked frustrated. He turned to Mom, and angrily said, “How could you travel with your daughter so sick?! I am on vacation. I was not planning on working. Your daughter is lucky I am on this flight!”
The doctor gave me some pills and got my fever and pulse under control. The doctor said I was dehydrated and I was to drink as much water as I could. Even though there was a shortage of water and food aboard they let me drink as much as I was able. They also let Mom and Elisabeth do the same.
When we finally got to Los Angeles the doctor said to Mom, “When you have gone through the check-out make sure she gets to the hospital as soon as possible!” We got our luggage. I could hardly walk, but the ice and the pills I had been given helped me to make it a little farther.
All the other passengers walked through the check-out without any hassle. When it was our turn, there was a security guard who stopped Mom, Elisabeth, and me. She told us to come into her office. Our luggage was brought, too, and they went through it very carefully. The security guard then looked at us and said, “I am going to do all in my power to make sure you get sent back to Denmark!” I couldn’t believe what was happening. I had made it this far only to find out they were going to send us back. If I was to be sent back I knew I wouldn’t make it. I prayed with all my heart that the security guard would soften her heart and let us through.
The guard looked at Mom and asked, “What is wrong with her?” I needed to lie down, but I did all I could to sit up straight and pretend that everything was all right. Mom said, “It’s been a long flight and being stuck in the strike in England has taken a toll on all of us. She just needs a bed so she can get some rest.” The security guard said, “Ha, it will take a lot bigger toll on her when you are sent back to Denmark!”
We were in her office for over an hour. A second guard came in and said to the first security guard who was holding us, to let us go. She said, “We have gone through all their belongings and all their papers, there is no reason for you to hold them. You need to let them go!” The first security guard looked very upset. She reluctantly let us get on our way.
Once we were in the main lobby, Mom could call Ed to let him know we were in Los Angeles. I laid down on a nearby bench and waited for Ed to pick us up.
When Ed arrived you could tell he was upset. He told us that he had come earlier and waited for us. He finally noticed that the screen said there was an airline strike in England. He went home and waited for us to call him. Ed mentioned he was tired and it would be hard for him to get up in the morning. Mom was about to tell him that he needed to take me to the hospital. I felt bad because by now it was 2:00 a.m. American time. I didn’t want to add any more stress to the situation so I whispered to Mom not to tell him that I needed to go to the hospital. I told Mom that we would go to his house and get some sleep and we would worry about it in the morning.
When we arrived at Ed’s house, he showed us where our beds were. I was so glad to lie down again! As I got into bed, I was I was going to die. I was sad that I wouldn’t get to live in America and see more of it, like I had planned. I thought my mission on earth must be done and I was happy that I had been able to help Mom and Elisabeth get to America.
Saturday, May 29, 1982
This morning, Mom and Ed came into my room so we could go to the hospital. As I woke up, I was surprised I was still alive. I was too weak to move let alone to get out of bed and go anywhere. I asked Ed if he would give me a priesthood blessing so that I would be strong enough to get out of bed and get to the hospital. Ed told me he would be right back with someone who could help him give me a blessing.
While he was gone Elisabeth brought me some water. I was surprised at how thirsty I was.
Ed came back with a neighbor who could help him give me a blessing. When they were done with the blessing, Ed asked me if I felt strong enough to go in the car. I told him I was very tired and maybe if I slept for a little longer I would be able to go to the car.
I slept for two hours. When I woke up, I took a deep breath and it didn’t hurt. I could tell my fever was gone. I got out of bed and felt better than I had in a long time. I looked out the window and saw the sun was shining. I could see they had an orange tree in the backyard. I had never seen an orange tree before. I was excited to go pick one right off the tree.
When Mom and Ed came back to the bedroom, they were surprised to see me standing by the window. Ed said you look like you can walk to the car now. I told him I was fine and that I didn’t need to go to the hospital anymore. He looked at me in disbelief, because he had seen, first-hand, how sick I had been.
A little later Ed came back again with some antibiotics. I asked him what the pills were for. He said it was for my pneumonia, just in case it was not all gone. I took the pills and thanked him. But I never did swallow them, because I was all better.
I said a prayer and thanked Heavenly Father for answering my prayer about coming to America, a task that I knew seemed impossible. He had opened all the doors! I also thanked him for getting well again. I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father. He made things that were impossible, possible. I could not have done it without His help.
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