Teisevsvej 23...A Place Where I Used To Live

 In the summer of 1985 I got on a train in a suburb outside of Copenhagen (København...) and traveled west. The train crossed the island of Zealand (Sjælland...) until we came to the North Sea. They disconnected the engine and pushed the train onto a ferry.

Very cool.

I forget how long it took for the huge ship to travel to yet another Danish island, but when the ferry stopped, the train disembarked on Funen (Fyn...). From there, the train continued west until I reached the amazing city of Odense, Denmark, the small Scandinavian country's third largest city.

I got off the train and met one of the most interesting people I've ever met, Daren. At the time I was a LDS missionary. Missionaries are assigned a companion and Daren was mine. Last week I got a text message from Daren. He sent me a picture, a picture of a house on a little street just north and a little east of the city center. 

It's where we used to live.

It's been a long time since I left that house, once again leaving by train. Before I saw the picture, I had no idea of what the house looked like, but seeing it now, I remember. I remember our entry was on the side of the house. Once inside, we went downstairs. Our apartment was in the basement. When I arrived, the place was a pit. Daren would agree. Thankfully, some of the members of the local congregation came over and patched holes in the walls and painted. 

I only lived at that address for four months. Not long, but, a life can change in four months. I'm not saying living in that house changed my life entirely, but I did make a life-long friend, several actually. I fell in love with Odense (birthplace of Hans Christian Anderson...). That structure is where we returned after insanely difficult days, after the highest highs and the lowest lows. It offered shelter from storms, from hot summer days, from insults and bullies, from dejection. It's where we ate most of our meals (not a lot of member meals for us...), and got up early to do it all again. 

I'm glad Daren was there when I arrived. Even though we only spent two months together, I felt like he was a big brother for me--I still feel that way. I've loved seeing pictures of his adventures as his family discovers the magical land the locals call Danmark, and seeing Daren re-discover the land that's stolen our hearts.

It's just a house, one of millions in the small country, a place where I used to live. I'm glad he sent the picture...I nice gesture he didn't need to do. Then again, if you know Daren, it's not surprising at all.