Well we made it to 50 years. Quite a feat. Since we weren't on a cruise with our kids, we decided to tour some of our mission. We left Thursday, May 24, and drove to Kosovo. The countryside was beautiful, kind of reminded us of Switzerland with little hamlets all over. The weather was rainy and overcast most of the time, but it only added to the beauty of the country. Pristina, (capital) was not all that exciting. We ate at an Irish Pub for a late lunch, then that night had institute with the YA's - we really taught institute since the teacher couldn't come. But it was fun. I had made some cookies for the elders and we shared them with the YA's. The next morning before leaving for Macedonia, we drove to the only attraction in Pristina which is a statute of Bill Clinton. When the Serbs were trying to kill off all the Muslims in Kosovo, Pres. Clinton stepped in and sent help to stop the invasion. He is a top man among the Albanians who live there and even in Albania he is really liked. We loved Macedonia. Skopje just happens to be the birthplace of Mother Teresa and was the headquarters of Alexander the Great. We took the elders to lunch at McDonald's and had a Big Mac, French fries, and a shake. I don't remember the last time we had a Big Mac, but we weren't hungry until breakfast the next morning. The Jonkers (Yonkers) who are the Humanitarian couple there, drove us around for a few hours and showed us sites they loved. It was a great afternoon. The next morning we drove down to a town called Ohrid (pronounced Oakrid) where the Apostle Paul is said to have baptized Llydia. So much history in Macedonia, it was just neat to think of all that happened there. When we finally crossed over the border into Albania, we were so close to Greece, if we had had time, we would have made a little side trip. All in all it was a fun trip.
Before we left on our trip, Pres. Ford called to ask us if we would like to chaperone the group going to the temple in June. When we got back he had received permission from Germany for us to do so. We are excited because we will spend five days in Frankfurt. Of course, most of them will be at the temple, but we will take some time to see the city. We aren't sure if Sister Hanci is going as she tends to create problems wherever she goes. Last time she tried to hug the guard with an automatic rifle. She is full of life and doesn't speak a word of English, but she is a handful. We love her, but will be happy if she doesn't go on this trip.
The last big transfer really fouled up the organist for the 2/4 branches. In the 4th branch (our branch), we have a 15 year old who plays beautifully and he has agreed to play. But the 2nd branch has been singing without a pianist. After the branch president kind of complained that the Spirit was definitely missing, I consented to play. I told him I was better than nothing, just. Anyway last Sunday was my first time, and Sister Kashari, the chorister, told me through sign language (no English) to watch her. Well she doesn't lead, she sings the wrong notes, she slows down, speeds up, anything but what she should do. So I just play how the songs are written, and will start training some choristers who can lead, and hopefully Pres. Gjini will release her. She is ok with a chorus, but not with a congregation.
We had Zone Conference Wednesday, it was good to be with all the missionaries in our Zone. Neti's (one of our YA's ) mission call has arrived, and we will pick it up tomorrow at the Mission Home so he can open it. There are five more getting their papers ready and we are excited for them all. We had a fireside with all the Branch Presidents and their wives last Sunday where they talked about how the gospel has changed their lives. It was a good evening. Everything else is going good. We seem to be very busy; time is going by fast, and we are still waiting to hear when our release date will be. But it will come.
