Saturday, January 2, 1982
Mom saw an ad in the newspaper that said you could place an ad in an American newspaper to find 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 named Ed Law responded to the ad. He lives in California. Mom is excited about having a 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, I should make 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 quickly Mom can sell her business and apartment. 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 here most of the time, helping Mom sell and pack up her and Beth’s belongings. I don’t have to pay mom rent, so I can save money.
Wednesday, March 3, 1982
We have already sold a lot of our stuff. We hope Mom can sell her business and apartment soon.
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 we have somewhere to sit. The things we haven’t sold will have to be left behind.
We bought our plane tickets today. We will be leaving Denmark on 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 all 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 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’ve pretty much sold everything and the plane tickets are non-refundable.
Monday, May 10, 1982
A few weeks ago, I learned that my friend Marian had married. I just happened to run into her on the street today. She gave me her new address and invited me to stop by before I left for America.
Just before I left Skive, I went and visited Marian in her new home. It was beautiful, and we had a really nice time together. When I left her house, I felt sad knowing I would most likely never see her again.
Tuesday, May 11, 1982
Mom got an offer on her apartment a few days ago, but she did not accept it. Then she regretted it, because now it is starting to look like she would have to accept whatever offers she got and take an even bigger loss on both her business and her apartment.
Wednesday, May 12, 1982
Today, a man came and bought both her apartment and her business 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.” Many in the congregation found it difficult to sing the song. Through lots of tears and heavy hearts, we said our goodbyes.
Monday, May 17, 1982
I had thought about Per for the last couple of days. It had been more than two years since I had seen him last. I wished I could see him just one last time.
Today, as I was packing the last few things, I got the strongest impression that if I were to see Per, I should go outside. I thought it was odd. The feeling was so strong that I went downstairs and looked outside.
To my surprise, when I looked up the street, I saw Per walking towards me. 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 I lived in the apartment above the store where we were standing. I was busy packing because my mom, sister, and I were moving to America. I had just come outside to take a break.
Per introduced me to the lady standing next to him. It was his wife. The baby 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 medicine for her.
I saw Per walking down the middle of this street with his wife and baby. Mom’s apartment was on the left, above 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 upstairs. I thought it was crazy that the feeling was so strong, and then he turned out to be there!
When I got back upstairs, I cried. For so long, I had hoped and dreamed that we would get married someday. At the same time, I knew it would not be possible since he was not a Mormon.
It has been more than 4 years since I cut out Per’s picture from the newspaper and put it in my wallet. I still had it, so I got it out to look at it. I thought about throwing it out. Then the lyric to a famous Danish song came to mind.
“Glemmer du, så husker jeg det ord for ord
Alting brast, men det gør heller ikke spor
Minderne har jeg da lov at ha’“
Roughly translated: “Even though it didn’t work out, I am allowed to have the memories.” Then I put the picture back in my wallet.
I was glad to see that Per was married. I felt I was finally able to close an unfinished chapter of my life. It made leaving Skive so much easier.
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 days left 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 of our time 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, so 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 hurt. I didn’t tell anyone about it. After all, it is only a few more days until we are off to America.
Thursday, May 27, 1982
I can tell I am getting a fever and sicker, but I still haven’t said anything to anyone. I just wanted the days to hurry by so I could get on that plane. Aunt Mabel noticed I wasn’t eating. I made the excuse that I was just excited about moving to America. We have only one evening left in Denmark. Our plane was leaving in the morning.
On this last day, Mom, Beth, and I went to the post office to mail some of the last of our things, since they were too heavy to take 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 over and sat by the wall. Beth followed me. She asked me if I was feeling okay. I had exchanged my money for American dollars, but I still had a few Danish coins left in my pocket. I gave Beth 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 just needed something to drink. Beth 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.
While we were sitting on the couch looking at the pictures, I could tell I was going to pass out. I thought that if I just focused hard enough on the pictures, I would be able to see them. No matter how hard I tried, everything went black.
When I woke up, I was lying 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 tired, so I fell asleep. Two hours later, Mom woke me to say 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 about my fever since it was so high.
I told the doctor there was no way I would go to the hospital because we had plane tickets and were leaving for America in the morning. 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 that we didn’t have enough money to buy new ones.
The doctor could tell I was determined 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’d take care of it as soon as I arrived. 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 for 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 saw 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 hadn’t been able to meet my Grandmother, Lund, because I thought I would never know what she was 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 him, I told him I was thinking about moving to America, but I had no idea it would all 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 they didn’t know how long the strike would last, and no one was to leave the airport in case they announced when the planes would resume flying. They said that if we left the airport, and our plane was announced and we weren’t there, we would lose our plane ticket and have to buy a new one. Then they added, again, that they didn’t know how long the strike would last and that it could take hours or maybe even days.
Planes were landing, but none were leaving. We were in a crowd. There was no place to sit. I needed to lie down, or I would certainly pass out. I went to sit at a corner of a table 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 take her seat, so I could lie down a bit. I didn’t know how I was going to make it through 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 any food or drinks. 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.
Amid the crowd, I saw a lady walking towards me. She said, “I have been watching you, and I can tell you are not feeling well.” Then 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 two of them. Then I went back to lie down, but I couldn’t. There were way too many people, so I sat down and rested my head on my legs.
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 Beth were. I saw Mom talking to a lady from Germany. This lady could tell I wasn’t feeling well, so she gave me her apple and told me to eat it so I could get better. I was not hungry, but I thought I’d better do as she asked, for I had not eaten much for days. I asked Beth if she wanted half the apple, and she said she wasn’t hungry and told me to eat it so 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 we could board our plane soon.
Finally, after ten hours of waiting at the airport, they announced over the loudspeaker that our plane was ready for boarding. Among all the planes at the airport, ours was the first to leave. People started clapping and shouting “Hurray!”
As we stood in line to check our luggage, I felt too weak to carry my suitcase. Mom and Beth could barely carry their own. A man in line saw I was struggling and offered to help me. I was so grateful!
We got situated on board the plane. It was announced that, due to the strike, there would be very limited food and drinks. It was a 10-hour flight, and many people had not eaten for a long time.
Most people were just happy that the plane was leaving, but tension was still high. Some people were upset, and babies were crying. Then they announced they had just received 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 sat back and kept 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!”
A nurse happened to be sitting close by, and she could tell I was in terrible shape. The nurse told the stewardess to announce over the loudspeaker that they were looking for a doctor on board.
The stewardess announced, “There is a passenger who 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 medical training could come forward to help, as a passenger was in critical condition.
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 checked my temperature. 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 Beth 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, a big, heavy, manly-looking security guard stopped Mom, Beth, 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 were 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 told the first security guard 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 the screen read “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 it was now 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 we would go to his house, get some sleep, and 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 sure I would die in my sleep. I was sad that I wouldn’t get to live in America and see more of it, as I had planned. I thought my mission on earth was done, and I was happy to have helped Mom and Beth get to America.
Saturday, May 29, 1982
This morning, Mom and Ed came into my room to take me to the hospital. As I woke, I was surprised to find 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, Beth 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 finished the blessing, Ed asked me if I felt strong enough to get into the car. I told him I was tired, and maybe if I slept a little longer, I would have enough strength 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 that 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 to come to America, a task I knew seemed impossible. He had opened all the doors! I also thanked him for getting well again. I am so grateful for Heavenly Father. He made the impossible possible. I could not have done it without His help.
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