Lary Walker

After the missionaries and I made back to the mission home at Draminsvien 96 G, where  I met the mission President  Ray Engebretsen and his wife and visited for a while. I remember working in the mission office putting together some tracks and information that needed to go out to the missionaries in the field. I still remember that in the evening of that first day I went with the counselor to the mission president Elder Christiansen and Elder Allred. We went tracting and after a few doors and them teaching me what to say, I gave my first door approach in Norwegian. We continued several times after that. The door approach was basically good evening, we are missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and we would like to visit with you this evening. The answer was usually I don’t have time, or I’m not interested, none of which I understood. But on occasion we were able to get in. I don’t remember getting in any places that night but we had an enjoyable time working together and them teaching me my first Norwegian.

 

 

ELDER ALLRED

For the next several days I worked as a companion to Elder Allred. Elder Allred had been in North Norway in a city called Narvick . Up there he had not seen the sun for nearly 2 ½ months B, because that city was above or north of the Arctic Circle. While, I thought I was in good shape, I  got shin splints so bad that I could hardly walk and keep up with him . I thought he was a very fast walker, As he was a very fast walker, but I think I was really a green new missionary.. I also still remember him giving me the tracting book, which was a green book that folded out with pages and he told me to keep track of the streets and house numbers and the specific addresse. I didn’t think he appreciated the fact that I was brand-new and didn’t know what any of the letters were or what they meant. This was all Greek to me and I don’t think I did a very a job, but I worked it out. This arrangement was temporary until I was assigned my first companion.

A few days working with Elder Allred as my first (temporary) companion,) Elder Christiansen, who was the assistant to the president and Elder Allred put on a display in our apartment, where Elder Christiansen was the investigator, with his typical bottle of beer, (fake in this case) and Elder Allred was the missionary using the flannel board method which we use to teach all of our lessons. Underneath our suit coats, we carried a little trifold pouch that held the flannel board and it opened up and then we had the flannel board pictures that we use to teach the lessons with. It was great because it showed a picture, for example of the church of Jesus Christ founded upon apostles and prophets. One of the flannel board pictures was of the church, with the Savior being the foundation and apostles and prophets being the divine leaders of the church..

The picture on the next page shows how we taught using the family flannel board with each investigator family that we were able to visit with. It was captivating and each of the doctrinal principles was displayed on the flannel board corresponding with the doctrine that we were teaching. This little flannel board demonstration was totally for fun and caused many laughs by the missionaries who are living in the apartment complex above the chapel at Osterhous Gaten.

[Insert photo of Elder Christensen and Elder Allred]

One thing that I noticed soon after I arrived in Norway was that it was the in the middle of the winter. It was dark when we got up in the morning, it was dark when we did our companionship study, and it was dark when we were eating breakfast, and still dark when we were supposed to be ready to go out and start missionary work at 9 o’clock. It stayed this way however, the days lengthened out little by little.

We carried this pouch with us summer and winter, and used it as effective as we could with each investigator that we were teaching. In my trunk I still have this trifold flannel board and even some of the characters that we use to teach each of the principles of the gospel to these investigators. It was effective and captured the interest of the investigators and even younger children in the home.

This also demonstrates that in a dark cold long wintered country we would laugh and have fun and enjoy the company of all the missionaries that lived in those apartments.

[Insert photo of Elder Israelsen here]

Elder Israelsen

My little pocket notebook shows that on Monday, February 8, 1960 I was assigned to work with Elder Israelsen. In reality this was a great blessing because he was a hard-working farmboy from Cache Valley,who had milked cows, knew my kind of life, and was a great help for me as my first companion.

He explained tracting, missionary work, and help me with the language much more than Elder Allred did. They were both great guys but Elder Israelsen was much easier to work with, much more down to earth, and a very hard worker. I remember writing in a little notebook, the six missionary lessons we were were to use and memorizeing them. I would walk behind him with that notebook in my hand working on memorization of the lessons. Wendell had told me that he gave his first lesson in Chinese in about a month and ½ after he started his mission and arrived in China. I therefore set my goal to give my first discussion, which included the discussion about the Godhead, their nature and identity, and then related the Joseph Smith story. I did this with Elder Israelsen, to an older gentleman we tracked it up, in a month and 10 days after I arrived in Norway. I had memorized both the questions and answers in the lesson and recognized most of this mans’s answers. If he said something that I didn’t understand, we had arranged so Elder Israelsen would answer him and then turn it back to me to continue the discussion. That worked great, and a great confidence builder for me in being able to memorize and give the lessons so soon in my mission.

My little to pocket notebook and my Norwegian Bible indicate that on the 27^th day of March, Hulda Sophia Jensen Grainer was our first baptism as a companionship. She We had met her and her five children and she accepted the gospel,.she and her children had attended church and became involved in the branch. We were so excited as we were able to teach her all of the lessons, and saw her life change because of the gospel of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints.

We had felt the spirit and saw the miracle of conversion, with her and the change in her children only one of whom was close to baptismal age. But they were involved in the teaching of their mother. Because she was a fairly heavy lady, Elder Israel seven I decided that both of us would be in the font to make sure she could be lifted up after she was baptized. This was a very special day for as Elder Israelsen I to witness and felt the spirit of this special occasion, our first baptism as a companionship.

In memory after all these years, sometime early in my mission Alvin R Dyer, our European mission president visited our mission and we had a district conference at our LDS chapel in Oslo. I did not remember the date but I vividly remember that the mission president asked me to come to the stand and bear my testimony as a new missionary because I had done well memorizing the Norwegian language. This was obviously a surprise for me and that’s well it’s still is fixed in my memory. And while I don’t remember what I said, I was able to fairly easily bear my testimony in Norwegian on that occasion. I also have a very clear memory that when Pres. Dyer spoke to us he related in detail quotes from the Apocrypha about the trial of Christ. Under Jewish law he pointed out that they had a fairly clearly defined legal system that allowed the accused, Christ in this case, to have witnesses in his behalf. I have course knew about the trial of Christ from reading the Scriptures, but not in detail as spoken of by Pres. Dyer. I was greatly impressed with what he said and the details of that trial, and the witnesses called to testify on behalf of the Savior. These witnesses testimony was expressed in detail from what he read. I don’t recall if I stayed on the stand after my testimony, but after the meeting was over I approached Elder Dyer and ask him what he was quoting from? Elder Dyer reminded me that Joseph Smith had inquired of the Lord about the Apocrypha. (See D&C 91:1-5) he then told me that one of the best authors and professors relating to the Apocrypha was this Oxford University professor in England named M. R. James. Because I was so touched by the quotes he read out of this Apocrypha the relating to the trial of Christ, I wrote that information down and then went to a big library  in Oslo. My companion and I the next week went to a library there and ask about that very book. They didn’t have it, but said they could order it and have it in just a few days. A week or so later we went back to the library and they actually had that book so I purchased it. I found that the first edition was published in 1924 and then republished with further corrections in 1955. Little did I know in April 1960, that I would visit the city of kiev in Ukraine and see a larger than life size statue of Andrew the apostle. This was a miracle then and now and I will explain more later.

Today is Sunday the ninth day of August, 2020 and while looking for some information to confirm my memory about this visit of Pres. Dyer to Norway, I found that the date of that visit was 24 April, 1960 while he was and had visited several cities with good population of LDS people in Norway. This visit was, consistent with my memory held in the Osterhaus Gaten Chapel there and Oslo. My memory was exactly correct as to the event without remembering the exact date. That record is now clear and I have attached showing my memory was very accurate as to the sequence of events.

(Parentheses sidenote). Between this conference and June 21, the longest day of the year, the days gradually grow longer, but up at a much faster rate because, in January and February you have very little sun during the day .. By June 21, OSLO has nearly 24 hours of sun shine each day. They call this St. Hans Often”Evening.” They build bonfires at different places in the city ,based on the tradition, that the fires keep the evil spirits from coming to Norway. An old time tradition. But I saw those fires, which were huge, 20 foot high or more with sometimes an outhouse on the top. They would find an open lot and start the fire around 11:30 PM and let it burn until 1:30 or 2:00 AM, or when the fire went out.

This was in an amazing tradition, more than a belief today that it had anything to do with evil spirits.

I arrived in Norway in the middle of January, days were very short and very little sun, one to 1 ½ hours per day. By June 20, the sun only went behind the horizon for a few minutes, and then came backup providing a long day for this “Saint Hans Often” fires to burn out. It was quite sensational.

Of the two men in this picture, at the pulpit, the first (left), was a member of the church from Bergen who traveled with Elder and Sister Dyer(well will so (and in (a is and is in you and you will as you and is in you as you and is a you left side inside is (second)as they visited the various cities they visited  in Norway. Brother Fluga  was a professor and had a part in translating the first Book  of Mormon into Norwegian.

The picture below shows the inside of the chapel which was at Osterhuse Gaten 27 where our church services were held each Sunday while I was in that area. There was another branch at Scarpsno, closer to where the mission office was located on Dramensvien in 96 G. The picture below shows the very meeting and the people in attendance when Elder and sister Dyer spoke. It was at this meeting, I was asked to bear my testimony in Norwegian by the mission president. It was in this meeting read from the Apocrypha book concerning the Trial of Christ. It was after this meeting when he gave me the name of the book, the author and I was moved to go to a library closest to our apartment and arrange to buy that Apocrypha Book.

I think it’s appropriate to say here that 52 ½ years after I served in Norway my wife,Marianne and I were called to serve as assistant legal counsel for the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints in Moscow Russia covering the Europe East Area. That Area Covered All of the Former USSR Nations.. That was a wonderful experience and many things happened while we were there. The one thing relating to the purchase of this Apocrypha book in Norway 52 years earlier. One event became extremely relevant when I was assigned to take care of some legal issues in the city of Kiev in Ukraine. One of the members drove us around for a tour of the city of Kiev, and while driving around there was a , much larger than life, statue of Andrew the apostle. I asked what he knew about that statue of Andrew, and his response was , that tradition has it , that Andrew the apostle came to Kiev shortly after the Savior had been crucified and the apostles received the charge to go ye into all the world and testify of Jesus Christ.

When we returned home after our 23 months in Moscow Russia, I was prompted, one Sunday afternoon to find that Apocrypha book that I had purchased in Norway and see if there was anything in that Apocrypha written by  or about Andrew the apostle. We know that there is only two or three references to him in our New Testament. He was a brother to Peter, chosen as one of the original apostles, and only one or two other comments about Andrew the apostle.

Reflecting on what the prophet Joseph Smith had said about the Apocrypha, I found many pages in that Apocrypha relating Andrew the apostle . he  had left Corinth and went north over to Athens Greece, and then went further north over to Byzantinine,-Turkey today. The history reflects that he called and ordained a Bishop in Turkey. From Turkey. He traveled over to the Black Sea and then went north over up the   DnIeper to the city of Kiev Ukraine. Andrews travels were found in the “Apocryphal New Testament, Translated by M. R James, starting on page 337, found in the apocryphal writings given to me by Pres. Alvin R Dyer in 1960.

The trial of Christ ,spoken of by elder Dyer,is also in this book under Acts of Pilot supra. 95,

[Insert photos of newspaper clippings with Elder Dyer here]

I don’t remember how many floors but above this chapel were the apartments that I lived in while I was with Elder Allred. It was here that we had to carry the human waste out. In what we called “ honey buckets” so that the “honey wagon” would haul it somewhere in the city where they were properly disposed of. Missionaries living  in those apartments with me, and the others, prior and after I, had regular responsibilities to see that these “honey buckets”, when full were hauled downstairs to the “honey wagon”. I still have a clear recollection that Elder Reynolds, one of the more seasoned missionaries, was taking his turn, to empty one of those “tin bottom “honey buckets”. The tin bucket, full of human waste, he barely pulled the bucket out from under the “two holer toilet “ that were there position to catch the human waste under either one of the two toilet holes. He had just moved it out from under the seat when the tin bottom, which had rusted out, allowing all the full bucket to spill out on the floor of the apartment. I specifically remember helping clean that up.

So that you understand, these apartments were old and had been around for a long time, long before the church purchase the building. In order to use one of these two holers, you had to leave the main part of the apartment ,and go out to a a little room approximately 3 foot deep and 4 foot wide, just large enough to accommodate a two hole toilet seats. So the waste was just out of the  doors of our apartment. However so that they didn’t get to smelly out there, the two whole toilet seats were exposed to wind, rain, and whatever the storm wanted to bring in and you often had to wipe it off or dry it off before you launched your bathroom program. I was happy to be assigned to Elder Israelsen, after a few

weeks and we always had proper bathrooms after that.

[Insert photo of police]

Typical Norwegian scene, homeless man and police on horses.

[children sledding here]

The Norwegians take their children, bundle them up warm and take him outside when the rip real young this is a walking sled where the mother are one of the children can push the smaller children with 1 foot on the runner in the back and the other women propelling them along they slide really easy.

 

I specifically remember that shortly after Elder Iserslsen  and I were put together we were asked to go out to a place called Hune Foss where there was a small group of members that met each Sunday. We blessed and administer the sacrament, spoke at the meetings, gave the lessons and enjoyed meeting these people in this small group. It was not large enough to be a branch.

[Insert Horse drawn delivery wagon]

Missionaries had lived in these apartments and lived with this condition for years, before I entered the mission field so this was not a new occurrence for many of them. These apartments were just upstairs from the chapel shown in this picture. (Several pictures about)

In the back of my Norwegian Bible, last full page, was a clear blank page and I wrote this baptism of sister Greener in that book and every baptism there after I had while on my mission.

On Sunday, 22 May, 1960, sister Grainer’s oldest daughter, Terje, whom we taught was baptized by me, but taught by Elder Israelsen and I. This was exciting to have her join her mother as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and see the change in her life because of the gospel that they were trying to live. Before any baptisms could take place sister Grainer and her daughter had to contact their priest in the Lutheran Church and get his consent in writing to be able to be baptized. This was required because the Lutheran Church is the Norwegian

 

State Church and so everybody born in that country, at that time were automatic members of the Lutheran Church.

[Insert 17th of May parade picture here]

Also on that same Sunday, May 22, 1960 Elder Israelsen and I have taught Guri Carlson all the lessons and she was baptized that same day by Leo A.Israelsen and I, she was confirmed by George D Pedersen, the branch president of the branch. This was the same branch that the Grainers were members of.

On Monday, June 22 , 1960, I was assigned to work with Elder Norman Knaphus. He had about eight months left on his mission. Elder Knapus and I had a great relationship and a and had  good success.

17 May is the national independent day  for  Norway and there is always significant parades, national costumes, marching bands and young people who were graduates from different schools who marched in these parade, they were a great event. In Oso they took place on Carl Johan Gata, which was on the main street leading through town and up to the king’s palace. It was a major activity and everybody was out on the streets to enjoy the festivities of this special event.

 

This picture is in the chapel with a member of the branch wearing one of the native costume dresses. They have some amazingly beautiful costumes representing different parts of the country of Norway.

[Insert Osterhaus Gaten native costume]

Any flat surface, in this case a football field, is filled with water and it freezes and

[Insert Ice rink here]

will stay frozen rest of the winter. They may have to sweep the snow off, but they put up lights and have a open-air skating rink and the public is invited.

We passed by these ones and while and thought it look like much fun, however we did not ever put on skates and try to skate.

My first winter in Oslo there was a lot of snow. As you can see the house was mostly covered in the snow was hard enough that I walked up on the snow and that’s me standing at the roof level.

[Insert photo of snow too roof here]

 

 

 

 

Before we went through this section, I reviewed my notes from the one week I was in the mission home and there was a short Temple preparation discussion that help prepare us for the ordinances we would receive in the temple. These are sacred, and are not discussed in detail outside of the temple. We receive those covenants and ordinances with a lifelong commitment that we will honor them, wear the temple garment as instructed and live lives that are worthy of being representatives and teachers of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ as restored in these latter days.

I have always taken extensive notes and last two or three days I have found and reviewed the notes I took while in this one week mission home experience. Some of the people you will recognize. Elder Hinckley of the quorum of the 12 was one of the instructors. LeGrand Richards spoke to us about family history, genealogy, and help explain how we would teach new investigators and new members about the sacred nature, and the importance of the temple endowment and the temple marriage where we become eternal families. It was fantastic. My mission home mission president and his wife, were brother and sister Richards, and I’m sure there is some relationship. You will recall also that it was LeGrand Richards who interviewed me for my final mission interview by a member of the quorum of the 12. Marion D Hanks was one of our teachers during this one week. Brother and sister Richards, I believe had just returned from being mission presidents in Europe. I found my notes where President Richards was teaching and preparing us for our missions. For the next several pages I’m going to attach a copy of my notes so that you can get a feel for the power and knowledge we were given in this one week.

My notes reflect that on this occasion he Pres. Richards started out by reviewing the promises given in the Book of Mormon 10:3 to 6 and John 7:16 and 17 so that we could gain a personal testimony of the Book of Mormon He then relates that on November 28, 1841 Joseph Smith (see church history volume for page 461). He then quoted Joseph Smith statement “that the book of Mormon was the most correct book on the earth”. He then made this statement “you cannot take out of this gospel more than you put into it.” He then related that Joseph Smith was asked by the newspaper “what the Mormons believed” he then taught us that Joseph Smith answered that question by writing the Wentworth letters containing the Articles of Faith

As You Can See from My Notes He Then Told Us That If We Are Asked to Give a 30 Minute Speech or a Two Minute Speech We Could Do It on Each Article of Faith with the Following Scriptural References. He then Outlines Crystal References for Each Article of Faith. These Are Reflected in My Notes from That Day in the Mission Home. Additional from the Doctrine and Covenants . He further gave Us More Scriptural References to Each of the Subjects Taught in Each of the Articles of Faith. He Then Taught Us about Baptism Appropriate Manner Baptism. The Appropriate dress for Baptisms along with the Age for Baptism with Scriptural References. These Notes Continue through Pages 3,4,5, and 6 with Many Instructions, Scriptural References and Giving Us Great Knowledge As Potential Missionaries on Things to Do and Procedure to Follow. I will attach these so that you can see my notes and feel the spirit and power of the messages we received while in the mission home in that one week. This is only one of the many powerful people, including Gordon B Hinckley when he was just Elder Hinckley.

I was set apart , on the day or two after, receiving my endowments, by Apostle Mark E Petersen, another member of the quorum of the 12 apostles.

I felt so close and touched by the spirit and lifted by the power of the messages that I felt like I could fly to Norway without the airplane. It was a wonderful experience.

This picture shows, from left to right,  Aunt Vera, Aunt Maxine, dad, mom, and myself, in the back row. In the front row from left to right, is Tamra , Karen, and just to the right of where I’m standing is Mark who came to the mission home with my family.

[Insert family picture in front of the Mission Home]

Before we went through this section, I reviewed my notes from the one week I was in the mission home and there was a short Temple preparation discussion that help prepare us for the ordinances we would receive in the temple. These are sacred, and are not discussed in detail outside of the temple. We receive those covenants and ordinances with a lifelong commitment that we will honor them, wear the temple garment as instructed and live lives that are worthy of being representatives and teachers of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ as restored in these latter days.

I have always taken extensive notes and last two or three days I have found and reviewed the notes I took while in this one week mission home experience. Some of the people you will recognize. Elder Hinckley of the quorum of the 12 was one of the instructors. LeGrand Richards spoke to us about family history, genealogy, and help explain how we would teach new investigators and new members about the sacred nature, and the importance of the temple endowment and the temple marriage where we become eternal families. It was fantastic. My mission home mission president and his wife, were brother and sister Richards, and I’m sure there is some relationship. You will recall also that it was LeGrand Richards who interviewed me for my final mission interview by a member of the quorum of the 12. Marion D Hanks was one of our teachers during this one week. Brother and sister Richards, I believe had just returned from being mission presidents in Europe. I found my notes where President Richards was teaching and preparing us for our missions. For the next several pages I’m going to attach a copy of my notes so that you can get a feel for the power and knowledge we were given in this one week.

My notes reflect that on this occasion he Pres. Richards started out by reviewing the promises given in the Book of Mormon 10:3 to 6 and John 7:16 and 17 so that we could gain a personal testimony of the Book of Mormon He then relates that on November 28, 1841 Joseph Smith (see church history volume for page 461). He then quoted Joseph Smith statement “that the book of Mormon was the most correct book on the earth”. He then made this statement “you cannot take out of this gospel more than you put into it.” He then related that Joseph Smith was asked by the newspaper “what the Mormons believed” he then taught us that Joseph Smith answered that question by writing the Wentworth letters containing the Articles of Faith

As You Can See from My Notes He Then Told Us That If We Are Asked to Give a 30 Minute Speech or a Two Minute Speech We Could Do It on Each Article of Faith with the Following Scriptural References. He then Outlines Crystal References for Each Article of Faith. These Are Reflected in My Notes from That Day in the Mission Home. Additional from the Doctrine and Covenants . He further gave Us More Scriptural References to Each of the Subjects Taught in Each of the Articles of Faith. He Then Taught Us about Baptism Appropriate Manner Baptism. The Appropriate dress for Baptisms along with the Age for Baptism with Scriptural References. These Notes Continue through Pages 3,4,5, and 6 with Many Instructions, Scriptural References and Giving Us Great Knowledge As Potential Missionaries on Things to Do and Procedure to Follow. I will attach these so that you can see my notes and feel the spirit and power of the messages we received while in the mission home in that one week. This is only one of the many powerful people, including Gordon B Hinckley when he was just Elder Hinckley.

I was set apart , on the day or two after, receiving my endowments, by Apostle Mark E Petersen, another member of the quorum of the 12 apostles.

I felt so close and touched by the spirit and lifted by the power of the messages that I felt like I could fly to Norway without the airplane. It was a wonderful experience.

[Insert Lary in front of Mission Home]

I also Still have a vivid memory that Mark E. Peterson, a member of the Council of 12 apostles, set me apart 21.as a missionary. And again my memory is clear that he gave me a great blessing indicating that I would have a special ability to find and teach, and would bring many souls into the gospel. This wording was very similar, and in some aspects almost identical to my patriarchal blessing. Patriarch Swenson said in my patriarchal blessing that I would have the ability to “ferret out the honest in heart and bring them into the church”.

My mission home experience was only one week long and I took extensive notes because many of the speakers were members of the quorum of 12 apostles. There were also former mission presidents who taught us how to be good missionaries and how to use our time wisely. During this entire week however, there was not one word said about Norway or the Norwegian language.

Today, August 2, 2020 , Mariane and I have been going through boxes and papers and/or all the information we could find about my mission to supplement my memory. This information has been very helpful.

I do recall, getting up early, before 6:30, usually at 5:30 am because that’s when we got up to milk the cows!. I would then go to the library and start studying and reviewing the things we had been taught the previous day. On Friday morning, early the last day, Sister Richards, my Mission President’s wife, came into the library and graciously complimented me on rising early and using the time effectively to study. When she shook my hand,,she left a five dollar bill in it and thanked me for the good example. Back then, I could have purchased 10 gallons of gas, or a whole bunch of “Milk Nickels”, now known as fudge bars, because they only cost a nickel.

One other vivid memory I have of this week in the Mission Home was that a man came and gave each missionary one of his recently authored books entitled “Know The Bible”. I studied this book, which told about the many martyrs who had worked during their lives to bring the Bible to the common people in English. It also outlines the different canonizations of the Bible, which obviously this little farm boy knew nothing about. I didn’t have time to study it during my mission home experience, but later I had a companion who had trouble getting up in the morning and that’s when I read and studied this and other materials. I had. That has been a topick that I have studied and given talks about.

I still have a clear recollection, that after being delivered to the Salt Lake city airport, I boarded my first jet airplane flight in my life. This was on the American airline flight. I was overly impressed by the power of the Jet engines in the process of taking off, and could not understand how they could generate so much power. We landed in Chicago, after what seemed to be a relatively short period of time, and had passengers deplane and more passengers come on board and then we went on to New York where we landed. At New York, we changed planes, and left the jet airplane and boarded a much older airplane, the DC8.. This was a old propeller airplane, this flight was on the Norwegian airlines. And I remember sitting by the window and watching the runway come to an end just as this DC  8 plane lifted off the ground. I thought we were going to land in the ocean because we were overwater. We didn’t land in the water and we flew the rest of that day.  I still remember, some time shortly after midnight the pilot coming on saying that we were flying over Scotland and if we looked out the right we could see the lights of Scotland below. Sometime later he announced that we were flying into Copenhagen, Denmark, or it may have been Stockholm Sweden.

This was the end of the DC 8 flight and the beginning of an even smaller, and older airplane, that was like getting into an icebox, as we were in the middle of winter. After getting into this older airplane, it took quite a while for them to get it started, warmed up and ready to try to take off. It wasn’t long however before the pilot announced that we would be landing in Oso Norway. I have noted in my original pocket notebook, I used on my mission, and I landed in Norway at 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

This was a very small airport and I still remember clearly getting off the airplane, not being able to read anything, see anything that looked familiar, or having any clue of what I’m supposed to do. I had received no instructions, no guidelines, had no flight itinerary, and found myself in this airport all by myself with a strange language, and in a strange country. It seemed like I waited 15 or 20 minutes before I finally saw two young men coming down a hallway that had black hats. They were missionaries, and I was much relieved.

Because my assumption was correct. I was just have in my possession a copy of the original letter by my mission president, Ray Engebretsen, dated January 28, 1960 addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Wendell H Walker, Route one, Marsing, Idaho. He says that I had safely arrived in Norway and that they had been given charge by the First Presidency, to see that I was safeguarded during My Mission.

 

Jumping back a little bit, the pictures on the following page were taken from my handwritten notes when Pres. Richards taught us some basic principles about missionary work and how to prepared for any challenge that we might encounter. I reviewed these notes just this last week and was impressed to include them in this history. They were significant to me as a young missionary and very informative and helpful.

[Insert scan of notes here]

 

 

 

The fall crops would have been harvested by the end of October and we were used to working long days and long hours to finish the corn harvest. Therefor from mid-October to January 4, when I was to enter the MTC I had time to make further preparations for my mission. I often reviewed the hundred and 30 scriptures I had learned in my missionary approach class that I felt would be extremely helpful when I began to teach investigators.

We also needed to work on my mission farewell, including speakers and musical numbers and when it would be. Traditionally they were on a weeknight and we as a family needed to put an article in the newspaper and send out invitations to friends and family. Things are totally different now days, and it was not a part of a sacrament meeting.

I continued also reading the Scriptures and striving to build my relationship with my Father in Heaven so that I would be spiritually prepared to represent him in the Norwegian mission.

I should mention here that all my interviews for my mission call were completed by William Davis. Dad was a counselor to him also. By the time My Mission Farewell Took Pl., Bishop Davis had been released and Bishop Jemmett was my Bishop, and thus he spoke that my farewell. Marsing was a small ward and we were best of friends with all the active members.

 

At the farewell there was donations made by different members of the ward and a record of that was compiled and given to me, reflecting those who contributed the night of my farewell. This procedure is not followed today obviously, is donations are made online and nobody knows, necessary who contributes. This was not the case when I had my farewell. This was on two sheets and totaled over $200. My mission only costs $85 a month. These donations were significant and much appreciated. My mission call letter was dated November 3, 1959. It follows: [Insert mission call scans here]

 

Today, August 2, 2020 we finally found some of the mission call papers I had received on November 3, 1959.

We also did some studying to find out a little more about the country of Norway. We found that it was a long narrow country, the upper half of which was above the Arctic Circle. I did not understand what that meant until after I was in Norway for a period of time. We also learned from the list of clothing that I had to take into the mission home, that it was a cold, a long-wintered country.

Sometime after receiving my mission call, I received a booklet entitled “Teach Yourself Norwegian”. This was not an online course where I could listen to the sound of Norwegian words like you can today. This was merely comparing it to the English language what certain sounds would be like. I found it very difficult to make much progress, but I nonetheless gave my best effort. I remember sounds like the letter “O” in Norwegian was like “o” in the word, boat, it was a hard O.

At this time, were still milking quite a few cows usually between 30 and 40 cows and it took us about 1 ½ hours each milking, each morning and each night. We also needed to feed the cattle which included some beef cattle and our milk cows. This took time also, but dad and we boys were able to accomplish these chores and still leave time to have fun, play games, and spend the time in the evenings practicing the piano, singing together, and striving to improve our talents.

You will note that in the papers, written in handwriting, I would enter the mission home in Salt Lake City at 31 N. State St. on Monday, January 4, 1960 at 7:00 AM..

I was to bring with me among other things to good warm suits (preferably not flannel) two pair of heavyweight garments long sleeves and long legs they should be a mixture of wool and cotton for pair of medium white garments for drip diced dry shirts two pairs of shoes one hath and a light overcoat. Oh (heavy workloads can be purchased in Norway). All of this was to be put in a lightweight to suit her suitcase weighing less than 44 pounds.

We received a list of instructions that classroom work will begin at 8 AM each morning, afternoon and evening. We were to come prepared to take notes. There was no free time anytime during the week. We had to bring $100 to purchase insurance at the airport. They also said that we should arrive in the mission field with at least $100 in the form of travelers checks.

 

 

I have attached copies of the first presidency and the quorum of the 12 at the time I received my mission call, I recognized all of because we had attended conference in Salt Lake on a number of occasions prior to this mission call. After this mission home I was scheduled to fly on American airlines to Chicago and then New York. At New York we boarded a Scandinavian airline plane which I explained was a DC 8.

 

As we as a family attended Gen. conference we listen to all of the messages of these members of the quorum of the 12 and other general authorities who spoke. Thus I was familiar with all of them. The first prophet I remember was George Albert Smith, who proceeded present David O McKay. As I explained above that the BYU requires saying during Gen. conference and so we were able to attend and listen to these church leaders speak to us at that time.The first presidency at the time I received my mission call were David O McKay,  J Rueben Clark and Henry D. Moyle.   I have also added the Quorum of 12 Apostles: [Insert Quorum photo here]

I had registered with the draft board and did that on the 20^th day of October 1957 so that I could attend school. During this same time. I had to get my passport and the associated papers that go with it so that I could  serve my mission in Norway. I don’t remember any problems in in getting this documentation in satisfactory order.

A copy of the “ A Missionary Farewell Program Was Prepared and Published in the Paper Probably in Marsing and the Nampa Cultural Area. You will be interested to note that it was held on a Tuesday evening at the Marsing Ward Chapel, on December 29, 1959 at 8:00 PM

I also had set out two favorite scriptures as my model, “oh that I were an angel”: 1 my second favorite Scripture, which I have always had as my motto and tried to live by is the quote by Nephi to his father “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men save he shall prepare away for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commanded”. One further note of interest is the invite at the end of the program was “dancing in the recreation hall”.

You will note that the main speaker was Elder Joel Durrant, he was on a mission with Wendell in mission Hong Kong. He had returned from the mission and agreed to speak at my farewell at my request. There was also a musical number by four young men from the Nampa stake who were involved in the state dances and whom we became well acquainted with, and even dated some of their sisters.

The other main speaker was my former stake president, and currently the patriarch of the Nampa stake  Leon Swenson, who gave me my patriarchal blessing, after he served as stake president for many years. He was a great man and I appreciated his strength. I was obviously the final speaker but I have no memory of what I spoke about. While I have no actual memory, I think I would’ve told a little bit about the Norwegian mission, that it was a long narrow country, half of which was above the Arctic Circle and had cold long winters. In the summer it was just the opposite, with long days and virtually no night.

This farewell was held on December 29, so we probably left, as a family the next day or two, as the family went with me when I entered the mission home in Salt Lake city on January 4, 1960. [Insert farewell program here]

Times were totally different then, than now.  We did not go through the temple until the first day in the mission home. I still remember that Mom was with me in that session and pointed out some of the historic markings that still exist in the Salt Lake Temple.The Salt Lake tempe endowment session is now what is called a live endowment session. To briefly explain, the ordinance, workers actually speak and carry out, and perform all the ordinances involved in the endowment. Today, the endowment sessions are performed by video doing all the speaking and explaining each ordinance. Before it was closed just this year, 2020, for major renovation and seismic upgrades necessary to protect the premises from earthquakes, and because the Salt Lake Temple was where I received my initial endowments,my wife and I returned to the Salt Lake Temple this last fall so that we could go through it one more time and witness, and bring to my recollection the live endowment. again witness some of the unique aspects of the Salt Lake Temple.   It was a wonderful spiritual experience for Marianne and me

I specifically still remember that my mother, Beth Walker was with me in this first live endowment session with me.  She pointed out to me some of the sacred and unique features in the Salt Lake Temple and those features are still there.