The First Y. M. M. I. A. in Denmark

V< i ? « I r Front row: Gustaf Peterson*, Andrew Jenson, Fred Anderson; bacU row: C. A. F. Orlob, Soren C. Jensen. The First Y. M. M. I. A. in Denmark By Andrew Jenson, Assistant Church Historian At regular council meeting held in the Latter-day Saints hall, in Store Regnegade 26, Copenhagen, Denmark, Wednesday evening, Nov. 19, 1879, attended by Niels Wilhelmsen, president of the Scandinavian mission, Carl C. Asmussen, president of the Copenhagen conference, and Andrew Jenson, president of the Copenhagen branch, a Young Men's Mutual Improvement As- sociation was organized in the Copenhagen branch, with the following officers: Andrew Jenson, president; Gustaf Peterson, first counselor, Fred Anderson, second counselor, Chr. A. F. Orlob, secretary, and Soren C. Jensen, treasurer. This was the first regularly organized Y. M. M. I. A. in the Scandinavian mission, but soon afterwards similar organizations were effected in the larger branches in the mission, nearly all of which have had a continued existence ever since. The first regular meeting of the Y. M. M. I. A. organized in Copenhagen was held Novem- ber 26, 1879, on which occasion the officers of the association were set apart, and an interesting program rendered. Soon afterwards a library was commenced, which circulated among the members of the association for a number of years. Of the officers elected on that occasion all except one are still alive.

FIRST Y. M. M. I. A. IN DENMARK 163 Thus Andrew Jenson is now a resident of Salt Lake City, Utah, engaged in historical labors. Fred. Anderson, the second counselor, is now a resident of Inverury, Sevier county, Utah, where he acted for a number of years as a bishop's counselor. Chr. A. F. Orlob, the secretary, is now an important officer in the Z. C. M. I., Salt Lake City, and Soren C. Jensen, the treasurer (now an aged man) is a resi- dent of Salt Lake City. Gustaf Peterson, the first counselor, is the only one of the officers who has "gone to the other side." At the time of the organization he was the translator for Nordstjar- nan (the Church organ in Scandinavia in the Swedish lan- guage). He died laboring faithfully in his calling, April 18, 1881, and was buried in the city of Copenhagen.