Winding Down, Missionaries, YA's

This is the second time I have written this, so if you got something before and no news was on it, that is why.  We aren't sure what happened, but here goes again.

It is hard to believe we only have three weeks left.  We have been trying to "clean" this apartment to leave it somewhat nice for the new couple.  And no, a couple has not been called as yet, we we are hoping before we leave, someone will have been.  So we are going to Plan B.  The Volz's (couple in Vlore) have volunteered to come to Tirana Monday through Wednesday and take care of FHE and Institute on Wednesday.  Then they will return to Vlore and take care of their commitments at their Center the rest of the week.  This is wonderful of them to do this and will greatly bless the lives of our YA's.  The Willis', another couple in Tirana, know of our situation and are willing to help out where needed.  We haven't talked to them as yet, but will do so soon.  It is going to be hard to leave and not have someone here full time to take over, but we have enough faith to know the Lord is mindful of our needs and things will work out.  There are missionaries that used to be in our district we need to go and see before leaving, and the Lamis' also.  We are all having withdrawals not being together, so we need to go and say goodbye.

We have had six YA's called to go on missions this month.  Four are going to England, one to America, and we don't know where the other one from Durres is going as yet.  Both Jona (Yona) and Erblina will be coming to the Provo MTC in November, then Jona will go to England and Erblina will go to Minnesota.  We are excited about them because if they can come a few days early, we can pick them up and take them around SLC and to the temple before they have to go to the MTC.  They are excited as well, as we have been very close to both of them.  At Church today two more YA's told us they wanted to start working on their papers.  As one, Ola, was just baptized five months ago, she will have to wait a few months, but Jola (Yola) can start on her's right now.  Sidi is also working on his papers, and come October he will have been a member a year and can go.  What blessings these YA's will be as returned missionaries, they will have a strong testimony, a greater knowledge of the gospel and really learn how the Church functions.  They will be a great strength to the rest of the YA's when they return. 

I have been playing the piano in the 2nd Branch for a few months now, and sometimes I even play it in 4th Branch.  Today was one of those days.  It doesn't matter how the notes are written, the members sing the way they learned the song, even though it is wrong.  It is like I am playing a solo at the end, because they are finished with the song and there are still notes to be played.  Before I am finished they just start singing the next verse.  It is a lesson in futility to try and change anything.  But I am stubborn enough that I still play as it is written. 

We had a swimming party with the YA's yesterday and we were preparing ourselves for the bathing suits the girls wear.  They do not sell one piece suits here, or if they do, we have never seen any.  The girls do not understand "modest" and even though we have taught dress standards many times, they continue to dress the same way.  Hopefully some day, "modest" will catch on and they will understand the need to look better.  We had 18 boys show and only one girl; the girl did not go into the water, so our fears were unnecessary. 

It is going to be hard to leave our YA's as we have grown to love them so.  We have bought 5 x 7 pictures of Christ and framed them and will put our testimony on the back as a little gift of our love for them.  We are having a gathering on August 19 to say goodbye and give them some last thoughts from us.  They are so used to having couples come and go, they will be able to move on, and so will we, but it will be hard to say goodbye.  Living in an apartment is wonderful for missions, but we do miss our yard, garden, patio (not the myrtle) and flowers.  Of course, we miss our family most of all and will be happy to be home with all of them.  We will be content to let our grandchildren serve their missions, and give them love and support as they serve.  We are proud of Sami and her desire to serve, and know there will be many more following.  Thank you family for all your love and support.

Frankfurt, Temple, Asplunds, Sunday dinner

June has come and gone and our heads are spinning from how fast it went.  It was a very full month with the highlight being able to go to the Frankfurt Temple.  The Church has a Temple Patron Fund which basically allows those attending for the first time in nations where temples are not easy to get to, to attend the temple free of charge.  They make whatever contribution they can, and the fund covers the rest.  This is a great blessing in the lives of struggling nations where attendance at a temple would be an impossibility otherwise.  We took ten new endowees and five returns, plus two children.  Nineteen in all including us.  It was a wonderful experience and will be one of the highlights of our mission.  Getting Albanians anywhere is always interesting, but taking them into airports, changing planes, and all that goes with it, was quite stress related.  One sister, Prendë, just could not understand that her luggage would be with her when we landed in Frankfurt.  She wanted to go back up in the plane and find her luggage.  We had to physically pull her along so she wouldn't miss the connection.  The Rome airport is a nightmare.  We know the Lord was blessing us because we made it from point A to point B.  There will be many stories to tell about this.  The real blessings came at the Temple.

Many had prepared family names (thanks to Sister Volz) to take, and these were the main focus during the week.  Tears came readily when they walked in the first time and saw the beauty of the temple.  The temple workers were wonderful to our little group, and the Temple Presidency couldn't have been more patient and loving.  Believe me it is always a worry when you take Albanians anywhere, they are a very different breed.  But they were on their best behavior and except for a few mishaps, the week went well.  Saturday we had a 2 1/2 sealing session with the temple president, where the family names were sealed.  It was a very spiritual sealing and many were overcome with emotion. 

The Asplunds, a couple over all the Centers in Europe, came and took us siteseeing Thursday.  We played hooky (with permission), and it was a wonderful day.  We ate ribs and real salad, saw the Rhine River with little villages along it, even shopped in one of the villages.  The countryside was beautiful and it was a day to remember.  We will be forever grateful to the Asplunds for their kindness that day and the whole time we have been on our mission.  They have always encouraged us to find a new Center and have visited Albania four times, so we feel quite close to them.

Today is Fast Sunday and, as always, we have the missionaries in our district over for dinner.  Today was a special occasion because one of the Elders (Anderson) will be leaving for home on Tuesday.  We also had Elder Holmes (from Woodruff) who is also leaving Tuesday and his companion.  That made eight elders to feed.  They know how to eat.  We had a 4th of July lunch with homemade ice cream and cookies after.  They were all holding their stomachs and moaning.  Why they eat so much, I don't know, but they do love home cooked meals. 

We just had apartment inspections (which we do quarterly before transfers) and in one of the apartments I asked the elders what color their drapes were supposed to be.  They said grey.  I said I don't think so.  We told them  how to wash the curtains and hang them back up in case they felt the need to do so.  At 10:00 p.m. that night we got a call, telling us "yep, we were right, the curtains were white".   These elders are wonderful and we learn to love them.  It is always hard because we lose so many, but there is always room to love those who come to us. 

Time is going fast.  First we wondered how we were going to fill our time, now we are wondering how we are going to get everything done we want to do.  But that is how things go.  We are still very grateful for the opportunities we are having and can feel the Lord's hand guiding us as we go.  We are not enjoying the weather (today real feel 106), but we love those whom we serve and will have great memories when we get home.

"50th" Anniversary Trip, Latest News

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.

Budva, Missionary transfers, Center

On April 18 and 19, we went to Budva, Montenegro for a couples conference.  Budva is beautiful.  It is right on the Adriatic Sea and it is hard to believe it is the same sea as  in Albania.  It is amazing how much cleaner things get when you get out of Albania.  All the couples from the Adriatic South Mission were there except the Willis'.  It was fun to get to know the couples better and exchange ideas.  Pres. Ford talked about the goals of the mission and making Albania a stake by the end of the year 2013.  When you are with a group like that you know it is going to happen.  Then when you get back to reality you hope it will happen. Conferences like this are good for couples because it unites and helps us to be more supportive of each other.  We all have our different responsibilities, so we work independently just doing our callings.  But we are here as missionaries and we want to see the Lord's work move ahead in this part of His vineyard, and we can help each other when the need arises.

We had seven new missionaries come two weeks ago, and major transfers within the mission.  Our 2/4 branches went from 12 missionaries down to four.  They are spread so thin, it is going to take a lot of effort to take care of all they need to do.  Missionaries were sent to Montenegro and Macedonia, as well as two more to Kosovo.  More missionaries were sent to cities outside of Tirana, which has left Tirana with a skeleton force.  Two missionaries have been assigned strictly for interviewing and advancing members to the Melchizedek Priesthood so we can become a stake.  Two of our favorite missionaries were sent to other cities.  One, Elder McBride from Idaho, had been with us for 10 months.  Elder Anderson, from Logan area, for seven months.  They were hard to  lose.  But we got two new ones that are here ready to work and excited to be in the mission field.  They are going to be wonderful. 

The Center is doing great.  Our Institute class on Wednesday night is now divided with new teachers.  One on mission prep. and the other on Preparing for the Celestial Kingdom.  We still have Saturday night together, and our averages are great.  We try and leave the Center by 9:00 p.m. at night, and sometimes we have to send the YA's home.  They love to be there.  We are preparing for the YA Conference this summer and trying to find a place that will be good.  With the money situation here, most of the funds have to come from Germany and they are very particular about how they are spent.  Now if it was for EFY,  money would be no object, but the YA's are different.  We have to work around their rules and they aren't always workable.  But things will work out, they always do.

Our time is going fast, and we feel we have, in part, accomplished what the Lord wanted us to do by getting the Center.  It was a group effort, and we are so thankful it is now a reality.  We are still trying to help the YA's understand the gospel and to put Heavenly Father first.  We are so sick of hearing, "I am so busy".  We just hope someday Heavenly Father doesn't say that to them.  We have a wonderful Council President in Ani, and he has great vision.  We are thankful for his leadership.  They have a word in Albania "avash, avash", which means "slowly, slowly".  We see little improvements all the time and it gives us hope.  We love the gospel and are so grateful for the bounteous blessings we have been given.  It is wonderful to be able to serve the Lord full time.

Hospital, visits, meals

We had our first encounter with a public hospital.  We have been to the Greek Hospital which is private and one you could feel safe  in, but last Sunday night we went with the Zone Leaders to Mother Theresa's Hospital to visit an investigator's brother.  Margareta said it would mean a lot to her brother if we went to visit him.  So we did.  There were no lights on the stairs, the hallways were dimly lit and dirty, the rooms weren't much better.  It was hard for us to see the conditions the "common" people have to endure.  He had a blessing from the Elders before his surgery, and we just had to have faith and trust in the Lord, knowing His will would be done.  These are the things that are really hard for us.  Most of the people are so poor, they cannot afford the kind of care they need.  The medications are almost useless, yet most people when they are sick want to go to the hospital because they think they will be helped there.  It is just sad to watch.  Luckily he is home now and doing better.  We think Margareta will be baptized next week and hopefully the Elders will be able to teach the rest of her family.

We went on an appointment with the Laprakë Elders Thursday night to very humble people.  They are Romas, which are a form of gypsies here in Albania.  They live on $30.00 a month, eat one meal a day, the kids can't go to school because they can't afford to buy the books, the father is out of work (as are most of the investigators in Laprakë), but you could feel the Spirit and know they really want to learn about the gospel.  Because they have no money, it is hard to know how to handle things.  The Elders brought the older son to Institute Wednesday night and he enjoyed it very much.  It costs 60 cents to take the bus round trip, and of course they can't afford to let him come.  Sixty cents!!!  It is hard to imagine when we have so much, they struggle with so little.  It would be so easy for us to give him the money to come, but sometimes we just don't know what is right.  When members and investigators realize they can get help from the Church, it becomes the first thing they go to.  Then  word spreads and pretty soon more and more are asking.  It is a hard life here, but the Church is not to be taken advantage of either.

One of the customs in Albania is when people come to your home, you give them refreshments.  This family bought wrapped chocolate candy, and juice to feed us.  Of course, they don't eat or drink any of it, but would feel insulted if you refused.  Before we left, they asked if we would come back and visit.  It is hard to say no, but it is also hard to go when you know their circumstances.  After we left them, we went to the Balas' home so Glen could to see if she would accept a calling.  Now the Balas do not have money problems, and just kept bringing out food and drinks.  You go from one extreme to the other and just accept what is offered.  I was glad the Elders were there so I could give some of my treats to them. 

We have had a few elders and one sister go home for sickness and other reasons.  It is hard to lose anyone because we have so few missionaries.  We will be uneven until July which is a long time.  Pres. Ford is working on getting some mini missionaries (missionaries called for a short time that live in Albania) to help out until then so the areas won't have to be closed.  We will be having major changes in April which we know will affect our District greatly.  We have been so spoiled by having the cream of the crop in our District, at least we feel we do.  However, if Laprakë Anderson gets transferred, our food bill will decrease dramatically.  He knows how to eat.  We will have one last meal together next Sunday, celebrating Glen's and Zone Leader Anderson's birthdays, then we will just see what happens.  We love the missionaries and they are very good to us.

We are always learning new things in Albania, some good, some not so good.  Glen continues to drive like an Albanian.  He will have some nasty habits when we return home.  We have started to take road trips just to see some more of the country (with the President's approval, of course).  We can now go to three other countries which we intend to do in the next few months.  The Center is doing great, and the weather is warming up.  So life is good and the gospel is true.  What more could we ask. 

Pictures

 The oldest olive tree in Europe, it is over 2000 years old.  This was in Montenegro.

 Some of the S & I teachers in the walled city in Croatia (Dubrovnek).  That is Sonya and Marco on the left.  He is 6'6" and she is about 5'1".  They make a fun couple.  Ian (behind me) & Sue Preston are the CES Couple. 

 The walled city in Dubrovnek.  It was so interesting to walk through and see the different levels.  The sea was beautiful.

Our District Elders after lunch on Fast Sunday.  They eat so much, they are in pain.  They have to stretch out for a while.  Elders Behr, Anderson, Anderson, Hadlock, and McBride.  They are wonderful.  We are spoiled to have such good Elders.

Grand Opening, Zone Conference, District Conference

From the time we first arrived we have been working on finding a new Center.  Now that that has become a reality, it is hard to put into words the difference it makes in our YA's.  They are so excited to have "their" place, where they don't have to share it with any one else.  We had our grand opening Friday, Feb. 17 with a short program, then dinner and dance.  We had 85 people there, which was standing room only.  Glen spoke and told of Elder Perry's vision, Pres. Kashari (District Pres.) said a few words and Pres. Ford (mission pres.) also.  We fed them sloppy joes, Greek salad, rice with corn, and drinks with cookies and brownies for dessert.  It always amazes me how much food they can eat.  It is fun to have a workable kitchen and rooms for recreation and institute, plus library and computer room.  It will take us a few weeks to get the walls with pictures and make things really workable.  We have a big screen TV, new ping pong table and a Foosball table.  If we could find an air hockey table, we would get that also.  All in all we are pleased and excited to see how happy the YA's are with their Center.

It seems for the last few weeks all I have done is cook.  We had Zone Conference with Elder Kopechke and the AP's asked for my advice on what to have for lunch and hinted it would be nice if I would cook. Plus Pres. Ford had already asked if I would prepare the lunch for the visitors, mission presidency and the district presidency the next day.  I am tired of cooking and hope we don't have any more big events for a while.  We were well taught by Elder Kopechke and of all the Area Presidency, he has been the best to lift the missionaries.  Because he came, they decided to have District Conference which was a disaster.  There were no venues available at such short notice, so Fahti got involved and we rented the Millennium movie theater.  Well, the seating was for 250 and we needed at least 400 hundred seats.  They brought in chairs from everywhere, the sound system didn't work in the back, very little lighting, and too many speakers.  The president of the Frankfurt Temple and his wife came also and they spoke for 20 and 27 minutes.  That left Elder Kopechke about 10 minutes.  Of course, he blamed it on the Albanians taking too much time (there was one Albanian speaker, Pres. Kashari).  It just goes to show you how Germany looks upon Albania.  It kind of left the whole weekend on a sour note.

We have been doing a lot of visiting with the Elders to investigators and members.  It is always a wake-up call to see how some members have been baptized without really understanding the principles of the gospel.  One member we will visit again tonight, has a cross on her wall, believes all churches are true, but likes our Church best because of the Holy Ghost.  The missionaries are starting from scratch teaching her and her family the gospel.  Glen and I had a picture of Christ framed today to take to her in hopes she understands it is the risen Lord we reverence.  We want to get that cross off the wall, out of her ears, and off her neck.  We had a great baptism last Saturday of Jenny (15), James (17) and their mother.  James was so ready to be baptized and we can see a future missionary in him.  Jenny is quiet, but we know she has a testimony also.  Their mother is very happy and their father showed up for the baptism.  It is hard to convince newly baptized members that our meetings last three hours.  This is always a work in progress.

Things are going good.  We are now in the Adriatic South Mission which includes Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania.  The headquarters will still be in Tirana, but it is exciting to see all the Balkins now part of missions.  Since we are supposed to stay within our mission boundaries, our boundaries have now been enlarged and we can go a lot further.  Of course, I am sure we will still need permission, but it is exciting nonetheless.  It is our year mark today and we are looking forward to our next six months and the opportunities we will have with the Center. 

Ramazan & Silva, Trip, Catch-up

The other day we took some food out to Ramazan and Silva who live in the most humblest of circumstances.  Ramazan's pension hasn't come for five months and they are really struggling right now.  Ramazan is partially crippled, has asthma and terrible headaches.  He asked for a blessing from Glen (the Elders had to interpret) and the minute the blessing was over, Ramazan felt peace and started breathing better.  Silva was baptized about six months ago and is a faithful member.  Ramazan knew the gospel is true but because of his problems cannot come to church very often.  Pres. Ford went to see him with the Elders and gave permission for Ramazan to be baptized. They all felt he should not be denied any of the blessings of the gospel.  It was the most wonderful experience.  It took both Elders to hold and baptize him and he was so happy.  They both have such great faith.  They love having us come to visit them and always ask how our family is doing.  They don't speak a word of English and we don't speak Shqip, but we communicate through love.

We took a trip up through Montenegro into Croatia (Dubrovnik) for an S & I Workshop.  We were given special permission by Germany and Pres. Ford to go.  It was absolutely beautiful.  We went with the Prestons who are the CES couple and had a wonderful time.  It is amazing when you get out of Albania how nice and clean other countries are.  The horns didn't honk, there was no garbage on the ground, the sea was clean, the colors of the sea were just unique.  We also stopped to look at the oldest olive tree in Europe which is over 2000 years old.  We know there are some older in Israel, but it was really neat to see this one.  When we got to Dubrovnik which is right on the sea, we went to an old walled-in city.  You would look down the little alley ways and see steps go up five stories high to each level of living.  In 1991 the Serbs in their ships bombed Dubrovnik and destroyed many buildings and rooftops.  These have all been repaired in the old city, but in the rest of the town you can still see the destruction.  There were 14 S & I teachers at the workshop and all of them YA's.  As we listened to them we knew these were the strength of the Church in Albania.  Their testimonies are so strong and their willingness to serve is amazing.  I wish I had been that strong when I was 18 or so years of age.

The Center will be up and going next week.  We get the keys on Monday, then we will start moving the furniture in.  We will have our grand opening on Feb. 17, when the YA's will celebrate Valentine's Day.  The YA's from the whole district will be invited plus Kosovo, and we will have an Institute Seminar on Saturday with Elder Fingerly and a few others from Germany.  It should be a "grand" occasion and we are all looking forward to it.

Just a follow-up on things I wrote in my last Blog.  I talked about Fahti and the problems we were having with him.  Well there are always two sides to every story, and we found that Fahti was also a victim as well as stocking Majlinda. She had not been completely honest with her accusations.  Glen and the Elders were able to teach him about forgiveness and true repentance, and he made some great changes. He was baptized Dec. 24, and has been a wonderful addition to our membership.  He asked Glen to confer the Aaronic Priesthood on him Sunday.  He bought a suit, white shirts and ties, and comes to church every Sunday dressed to worship.  He has been amazing. 

All in all things are going good.  We are excited about our calling and what lies before us.  We have a new YA Council Presidency and committee and they are excited about their callings.  The Branch Presidency is doing well also, every time Pres. Beleshi doesn't want to deal with something, he turns it over to Glen.  Changes are taking place and we see good things happening in the Branch.  Always remember life is good and the gospel is true.

Ups and Downs; Life goes on.

It seems the  time goes by faster than I remember.  It has been five weeks since we last sent out a blog.  I will try and repent and make them more often.  We have been up and down about our Center.  Last week, it was a for sure, then the next day the wheels came off again.  It seems we started at the top getting permission, instead of going through the ranks.  That didn't set well with the ranks and they have put us through a week of torture.  When the Area Presidency says yes, then sends it to the Presiding Bishopric for there stamp of approval, then they send it to someone else, then the FM Department gets  hold of it and wants to know why they were not in the loop.  Anyway we have learned quite a lot about the bureaucracy of the Church, and hope we don't have to experience this again.  We haven't heard from Pres. Ford yet, but the contract was supposed to be signed today.  Anyway, I hope I don't need to retract all this information.  Glen and I are wore out with all the red tape.  But it will be wonderful when (not if) it happens.

We had a wonderful investigator named Fati.  He has been coming to church for months.  He pays his tithing faithfully (with special permission), and is always smiling.  He asked me to speak at his baptism in Shqip, which the Elders were going to translate for me.  Anyway last week in a meeting with the Elders his true character came out.  It seems he had a 13 year live in affair with our R.S. President (before she was R.S. Pres.), she broke it off, he began to stalk her, even coming to church to keep an eye on her.  When the missionaries started giving him the lessons, he became very interested in the gospel.  The problem is, he is still stalking her and it has gotten out of hand.  So he has been forbidden to come to our branch, which he ignored.  Pres. Ford met with him which went way bad, and Pres. Belishi (our branch pres.) has tried to talk to him, but he won't listen.  Tonight Glen has an appointment with him, and we will see what happens.  It breaks our heart because we really like Fati, but his actions go against everything we believe in.  Have I ever told you about the Albanian temper!  Fati was so mad, his nose started to bleed. 

I have been baking cookies for Christmas.  Since there are no chocolate chips, I cut up candy bars.  Since the shortening is in short supply, I use a lot of butter.  One cup (1/2lb) of butter, is $2.25.  These are very expensive cookies.  Of course, you can't get good brown sugar in the market, you have to go to the American store, so these cookies are like buying gold.  When I am baking for the Center, I use the dark brown sugar which you can buy in some stores here.  This is just a whole new cooking experience for me.  The missionaries don't care, they just like homemade items. The Y.A. don't care, they just like my homemade cookies.   Pres. Ford has a new rule that more than one companionship cannot be in a home at a time, which makes Sunday dinner a day long affair.  He is afraid they will stop acting like missionaries, which does have a lot of merit.  But Elder Warburton made the comment that he didn't know Sister Stacey very well, because she makes us act like missionaries.  I think that was a compliment. 

Now that Glen is in the Branch Presidency, we see good changes taking place.  He is able to teach and train.  Callings are being issued and Pres. Beleshi is anxious to have things done right.  Bro. Topi is the 1st counselor and he speaks very good English, so he translates for Glen and Pres. Beleshi.  Christmas will be very different for us, but we will be more focused on the Savior which is good.  We have a little tree all decorated, and I love to sit and enjoy Christmas music while enjoying the tree.  It calms my soul and helps me feel peace.  We love the gospel and are grateful to be able to serve.  There is much to learn when you are in a foreign country, and everyday we try to be more accepting of their ways.  But one thing we aren't accepting of is the lack of respect for the gospel.  Members need to learn and understand the teachings of the gospel, to strengthen their testimonies, and to help build His kingdom.  The Church will not grow if the members are not strong.  We see great potential, and just hope and pray someday they will understand the purpose of life.

Life is Good, the Gospel is true

We have just returned from almost finalizing arrangements for our center.  YES, WE HAVE FOUND A CENTER!!!  We are so excited and happy.  Of course, Germany has yet to stamp their endorsement, but according to Pres. Ford, all the stars are aligned in our favor.  So by the end of this week, all news should be good - we hope.  You can tell there is still a little uncertainty, but we feel very good about it.

It has been quite some time since I have written in the blog.  This past month has just sailed by, and  now we are in the throws of planning our Thanksgiving feast.  Pres. Ford has asked me to organize it, but if they had their way, they would go to a restaurant.  Can you imagine taking 50 people to an Albanian restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner, when all but three are Americans.  That would be sinful.  Yesterday at dinner, I asked the missionaries if they thought 75 lbs. of turkey would be enough for them and 50 lbs. of potatoes.  You can't believe how much they can eat.  I made two large lasagnas, three loaves of garlic bread, peas and carrots, Greek salad and for dessert, banana and coconut cream pies.  They cleaned the lot.  Two ate so much they could hardly breathe.   But it was fun.  We feed four elders and two sisters every Fast Sunday.

The YA's had a Halloween party which was very successful.  We had between 60 - 70 people there. There were prizes for the best costumes, they did karaoke , made a pinata and filled it with candy, and, of course, ate all the food prepared.  Then danced afterward.  They really get into Halloween.  We even carved pumpkins and used them for some of the decorations.  We also had District Conference that weekend so it was a very busy weekend.  Elder Wright, an Area Seventy, came and gave some great talks.  He is a close friend to Pres. Ford as they are both from England.  We took him to see a couple of the places for a Center and he was very favorable to us having a stand alone Center.  The Church really doesn't like stand alone Centers, and will only approve five of them for next year.  Elder Wright told us ours would be one of them.

Two of our best friends in the YA's have left for jobs outside of Albania.  Neti Lapi and Besmir Gjoni.  Neti is trying to earn enough monies to help him on  his mission, but Besmir is trying to earn enough monies to support himself and help his family.  That is one of the greatest resources here for families in Albania.  Their children go to other countries to earn monies and send them back to help the families.  With all the problems in Europe, this may become a problem, because the job market is drying up.  We see so many people just walking the streets, sitting in  cafe's drinking coffee and smoking, and wondering where they get their money.  We have learned it is from children working outside of Albania. 

A few months ago I wrote about Bro. Lami being baptized and doing so well.  Things have changed and he has gone back to drinking and abusing his family.  Yesterday after church, Glen gave Sister Lami a blessing to give her strength to know what to do.  Bro. Lami gets very violent and has physically abused the two older girls and Sister Lami.  After dinner yesterday we got a call from Sister Lami asking for help, so Glen and the four Elders jumped in the car and drove out to their home.  The police had been and taken Bro. Lami, so they had to go back down to the police department and fill out the forms.  The Branch President met them there. He works for the police department and hoped they would keep him overnight (which they didn't).  We will probably have to find a place for them to live here in town if Sister Lami decides to leave him.  This has just broken our hearts because he was doing so good.  Earlier in the week, we had given a lesson to Leta and her kids on families and temple marriage.  She wanted to know if they could be sealed together without Tajipi.  They all have a desire, but of course it won't happen now unless some miraculous changes take place.  (This next is from Glen).  It was a hoot listening to the Elders talk about what they were going to do if Tayipi was still there and was still in a drunken and violent condition.  (I think they have watched too many movies.)  Then, when the call came to the Elders that the police had arrived, their plans ran wild.  We were going to arrive with our dark suits on.  I would put on my sun glasses, and we would drive rapidly down the Lami's lane, slam on the brakes, jump out of the car and tell the police we were CIA and that we would take care of things now and that the police could go home. The elders were laughing so hard they could barely breath.  WAY too many movies!!

Things like this always put a damper on our lives, but we know this is the Lord's work and He is very aware of the righteousness of His people.  We love the gospel and are so grateful for our testimonies and the strength we feel from serving in the Lord's vineyard.

Llogora, Apolonia, Street Vendors

These last two months have been very busy for us and we are glad things are settling down a little.  On August 20 we were asked to pick up the presenters for EFY and take them down to Llogora, then wait until Wednesday and take them back.  They came from Portugal, Holland, Germany and England.  We borrowed the old blue van from the office elders since it held nine, and had so many different conversations going on in the van in different languages, it made us smile.  We then went back down to Llogora on Monday, August 29, to the YA Conference which we were basically in charge of, and had a good time with them.  We had 69 YA's go which was the biggest conference ever and except for a few encounters, most went really well.  It is a little harder to chaperone YA's than it is seminary students and by midnight we just had to call it a night.  We are glad it was only for three days because we were extremely tired by Wednesday night.  We saw new members welcomed, testimonies strengthened, and friendships formed.  We had a dance and they danced their native dances, it was so fun to watch.  Albanians enjoy parties.  I made over 400 cookies for family night up there and they ate almost every one.  They love homemade cookies.

Elder Clayton from the First Quorum of Seventy visited and wanted to have a fireside with the YA's.  We had a good turnout and the visitors wanted food after, so I fixed them food.  The next morning they had a meeting with the missionaries in the Tirana area.  As couples we usually don't go to these meetings, but for some reason they wanted the couples there also.  Being obedient we went.  The next week (last week) we had three men from BYU Idaho come to talk to the YA's , presenting a program for online courses at reduced costs, to give opportunities to these members they wouldn't have otherwise.  There was a lot of interest in this and we are grateful for this opportunity.  Of course, this was a fact-finding mission, but we feel it will happen.  We also went to Apollonia last Tuesday, not Paul's Apollonia, but the Albanian Apollonia.  At first we thought it was Paul's, but in doing research there was another Apollonia above the Black Sea and this was where Paul went.  However, we did learn that the Greeks founded Apolonia in 620 BC, and the Romans conquered it after that.  Festus and Agrippa visited  around 34 AD, and Caesar visited in 48 BC.  Pompey visited also.  So many important events.  Not much of the city remains, and the excavation is going very slowly, but is was still fun to see what we could.  So much ancient history here in Albania.

I thought it would be fun to tell you a little about the street vendors here in Tirana.  You can buy everything on the street from underwear to jewelry, used shoes, cigarettes (most everyone smokes), plus all kinds of fruits and vegetables.  On the busy streets they set up their areas around 9:00 a.m. and stay there until 9:00 p.m.  They sit on boxes, foot stools, whatever they have all day long.  It just amazes us to see so many of them.  The sidewalks are very wide, and they are on both sides, leaving the middle to walk down.  Then there are also the beggars, Romas (Gypsies) with young children, begging money.  They keep their child covered and we believe drugged so they will sleep.  It is a sad, sad thing to watch.  Some are more industrious and when you stop for a traffic light, they run out and wash your window before you can tell them no.  But at least they are giving a service for our  dollar.  What happens in the winter months we will soon find out, but we know there won't be nearly as many unless they are in a protected place.  We have our favorite places to go to buy fruits and vegetables and our rolls and bread.  We try and stay away from the yummy pastries, but every once in a while we can't resist.  There is also a form of ice cream here that is really good.  Each vendor makes his own, and we have a favorite place to stop for that also.  We aren't suffering.

Glen got his time with Germany.  Elder Fingerle who has been so against a stand alone Center for us, came with Elder Clayton.  He asked Glen a question and for the next 40 minutes they were in deep conversation.  We understand he looks more favorably on a Center now, so it is just a matter of finding the right place.  Things are looking up and we are grateful for that.

GO UTES !!!!!!

Life is interesting in Albania

It is hard to believe it has been six months since we left our home for the MTC.  In some ways it has gone by very fast, and in other ways not so fast.  But always interesting.  Last night we got home from a place called Llogora which is down south not too far from the Greek  Border.  We were asked to pick up some presenters that had flown in from Germany, England, and Portugal and take them to Llogora for EFY.  We stayed there (at the resort) until Wednesday and brought some of them back.  This is the same place we are having our Young Adult Conference next week, so it was good to be there and have a look around.  Our impressions were luke warm, but the Albanians think this is a great place to stay.  We were very happy to come home and have a tuna fish sandwich today.  The food was interesting!!!  One thing we have learned is that Albanians eat anything and everything.  (Well not quite anything, but definitely everything).

A few weeks ago, our Center was broken into and our computers stolen.  The police could find no forced entry, so that means someone had a key, or someone fixed a door so they could get in.  It makes you feel violated to think this could happen, and by someone who has been to the Center and knows what we have there.   They will never be found.  The black market is alive and well here, and we probably will never know who did it.  There are so many keys running around for the 2/4 building, and a set or two have been lost, so who knows.  They left everything very neat for us though, like we are sorry to do this, but ----. 

Glen has become an Albanian driver.  We had to borrow the mission 9-passenger van to take everyone to Llogora, and he drove just like the locals, only he doesn't stop for the bumps and holes in the rode.  As you are driving along the highway and there is a hole or bump, the cars in front you almost come to a complete stop so as not to damage their car.  They go from 100 kph to 5 kph in seconds, and you are lucky not to ram the back of them.  Glen doesn't mind playing chicken to get ahead of them so he won't have to stop when they slow down.  I am surprised my foot hasn't gone through the floorboard by now.

Things are basically the same.  Still no Center, but we continue to look for a place.   We had a branch family night (on a Wednesday), and Pres. Beleshi asked us to furnish "a" game.  When we got there, he thought we would be in charge of all the games!!!  (Poor translation) We played musical chairs which they loved, and the sisters backed us up with the game of spoons.  Albanians seem to be able to make their own fun and come up with things to do which is always fun to watch.  The night was successful for those who came.  We have been told the Yugoslav  Embassy  has been approved to buy,  plus some additional property next to it for a church here.  We are all very excited about this as the Church in Tirana needs ownership.   This will make a great difference to the membership here in Tirana and we know will bring a greater Spirit to the members. 

Sometimes I think our age is catching up to us as we never feel quite rested.  But we know the Lord is watching over us and we will continue to work as hard as we can to accomplish his purpose for us here.  We love the YA's and are grateful for our calling.  Life is good, the gospel is true, and we are alive and well.

Pictures

 Our 4th of July Party.  We had Elder Fay (from England) hold the flag and made him an honorary  American for the day.  Elder Smith is in the middle in front, he just went to Kosovo.  Elder Moyes, the redhead on the back row graduated from Viewmont. 

 This is byrect (boo-rect).  It is a pastry they keep rolling with oil to make it flaky.  They put cheese or something in the middle.  It is so filling, you have to eat it slow.

 Brother Lami in the middle.  So proud.  Elder Loose on the left went home, and Elder McBride is from Idaho.  He has adopted Glen as his father, grandfather, whatever.  He is a fun Elder.

All of us and the flies at the Lamis.  They  have four children.  All are now members.

New Mission President, Brother Lami, this and that

We finally had our interview with Pres. Ford.  My heart goes out to new mission presidents who have transfers two weeks after arriving, not to mention everything else they have to deal with.  But it was a very positive experience.  He is all for a new Center and is going to call Frankfurt to see exactly what they will be willing to do.  As he has been an area authority, he knows everyone we need to deal with, which is a very positive thing.  Anyway we will see what happens.  Some of our concerns he has already recognized and knows very aggressive training has got to be done for the leadership of all the district.  He is a no nonsense type person and gets right to the point.  He wanted to know if my faith was strong, and I told him if it wasn't I would have gone home months ago.  But I know the Lord has a purpose for us and we are to fulfill that purpose.  And we will!!!

For one of our last hurrahs, before we lost half the district to transfers, we went out to the Lami's.  Bro. Lami was just baptized about six weeks ago and is a great person.  Before he was baptized, the Elders could not say anything nice about him.  How the Spirit changes a person.  There were 10 missionaries allowed to come to his baptism, those who had worked with the family before, so you know he has been a hard case.  We bought  him a white shirt for Sundays, and when Glen was out there before, just with the Elders, he went and put on his white shirt and Sunday pants, also a tie he had, and came out and modeled for Glen.  Glen put  his name tag on Bro. Lami, and he beamed from ear to ear.   It was a sweet experience.  When we were out a few weeks later, they cooked us corn (field corn is what they eat) over an open fire (it was already 110 F.), brought us byrect, and then a dessert, which they make like rice pudding, but put a couple of beaten eggs on the top and bake it.  They made a drink out of plums they grow, which you could have chewed, but just treated us royally.  They live off the land, and away from the city quite a distance.  We are to come out often. 

We also visited the Topi family.  They are an active family in the ward who speak English.  Bro. Topi is over the security at the American Embassy.  The security guards are made up of Albanians.  When you visit anyone, they always serve you a drink and cake or something.  You need to remember not to eat before you go.  The sisters then took me to Mylinda's Iftiu's home, who is our RS Pres. and, of course, she also fed us things.  Mylinda is a seamstress and is making me some skirts.  She does a pretty good job.  A few days later, our Zone Leaders, who are in our district, called and wanted us to visit the Cara family, who went inactive in 2007.  They were sealed in the temple in 2002, but Motra Cara got her feelings hurt by a member of our branch, and they stopped coming.  They spoke some English and could understand us.  We invited them to come back, told them we needed them and they needed the Sacraments of the Church.  They have two YA daughters who have gone the way of the world, but we hope and pray they will all come back into activity.  They are special people.  They fed us ice cream, little cakes, and water.  It is a good thing we walk a lot!!!  They do get their feelings hurt if you don't eat. 

Our internet seems to be down more than it is up.  We will probably have to change the modem.  It is very, very frustrating, but other than that our spirits are up and we are moving forward.  Glen still hasn't found Pres. Apostoli a wife, but he will keep looking.  We speak in Dega 1, tomorrow for Sacrament mtg. on missionary work, and we are trying to get prepared for our YA Conference the end of Gusht (August).  Some words I think in Shqip (sh-cheep ((Albanian Language))) so it is best to use them.

We had a 4th of July party at out apartment with the Elders and Sisters of our district.  The A.P.'s also attended.  One of the A.P.'s (Elder Fey) is British, but didn't seem to mind.  We took a picture of him holding the American flag.  He was a good sport.  We have also had home-made icecream.  Life is good !!!!

This is Brissi Beleshi (on the left) and a friend (non-member) at one of our activities.  We were up at the monument where Albania was dedicated and the wind was blowing a lot.  Brissi speaks very good English, but we have a hard time keeping her coming. 

This is Besmir Gjoni who just went to the temple for the first time.  He had us help him with some family names so he could do their work while at the temple.  He did his grandfather, uncle, great grandfather and great grandmother.  His family is Muslim, but they gave him permission to do this work.  He was so excited to go and it was so fun to help him get ready.  Glen taught him the temple prep. lessons.

This is Neti Lapi getting the names and numbers of two girls that stopped to talk and we invited them to stay for the activity.  They came out a few times, but nothing happened.  Elsa, in the purple, was working with them.  The girl in the back next to Elsa is Besmir Marku's sister.  They are Muslims and her father won't let her get baptized.  Besmir is baptized and is one of our strongest members.  His sister will be 18 soon and we hope then she can be baptized.  Neti is in our branch presidency and is preparing to serve a mission.  Glen has been teaching him the missionary prep. lessons, and he is getting all his medicals done.  He is 23 and is so excited to finally be going.  That is Besmir Gjoni next to Neti who is also in the branch presidency.

The Road to Elbasan, New Mission President

Last Sunday Glen and I were to assigned to speak in Elbasan.  To get to Elbasan from Tirana we have to drive over the mountain.  It winds back and forth all the way up and down.  Of course in  Albania there is not much to protect you from going over the edge and it is a sheer drop-off.  Riding on the passenger side, I can hardly stand to look down.  The road is very narrow and cars  travel at top speed going around the bends.  Glen went to pass a truck when a dog darted out in front of us.  He slammed on the brakes and the dog ran back which was a good thing because we couldn't get back to the right side of the road, we had to go forward to pass the truck.  We made it without having a head-on, but it was scary.  Of course, Glen thrives on roads like this.  It was much, much worse than driving on the road to Hana.  I never thought I would be excited to be back on the roads in Tirana, but I was that day.  My heart started beating normally again.  On our way home, Glen stopped to take a picture of the valley below and met a women from Bulgaria.  She saw his name tag and of course a conversation ensued.  As he was explaining about our church, and living prophets again on the earth, she wanted to know if they had been reborn.  Glen said no, then she asked how we knew he was a real prophet.  Unfortunately we didn't have any pass along cards with us, but as Glen was looking through his scriptures for a card, she got excited thinking they had gold on them.  Anyway she and her husband drove off, but we hope someday they will see the missionaries and talk to them.

We were asked to speak on the topics forgiveness and choose not to be offended.  Albanians get very offended and need this talk every week.  There is a branch is Fier which used to be the strongest branch is Albania.  The RS Pres. and YW Pres. got into an argument and the branch took sides.  Then a new branch president was called, but because he was missing part of his arm, the members decided he wasn't whole, so he couldn't be called of God to preside over the branch.  An apostacy took place and the branch went inactive.  There are only between five and 15 members that are active or semi-active to this day.  They even had a piece of property to build a chapel on.  So sad.  I took my thoughts from Elder Bednar's conference talk in 2006 where he addressed this very subject.  It is hard to understand how people can be willing to give up their eternal salvation for such little things. 

Yesterday we met our new mission president.  Both he and his wife are wonderful.  They are like a breath of fresh air.  Elder Ford was an Area Authority, lives in England and has a law practice.  They are only in their fifties, which makes us feel really old, but they are very sharp and fun.  They both have a great sense of humor and are going to be a real blessing to this mission.  They met with our zone yesterday, and today met with the outer zone.  The missionaries were a little apprehensive at changing mission presidents, but I think they are very pleased with the Fords.  We lose 13 missionaries on the 12th of July.  This is a big group and most of our leadership, so the others will have to work very hard to fill in the blanks.  Pres. Ford is actually going to interview the couples, so we are really looking forward to our interview.

Since our last post where we were told we could not have a new center, things have changed.  Now we are to try and find someplace, not very expensive, that could be used as a center.  So we are looking again.  It seems two other places in Europe need a stand alone center, and if they are looking at doing it for them, then they will have to do it for us also.  Kind of sad, if you ask me, but we will take what we can get.  This has been a very frustrating four months for us.  We feel we have been hitting brick walls everywhere we go.  We can understand why couples struggle with going on missions.  We don't expect things to be perfect, nothing is, but we do expect a little cooperation with meeting our needs.  There are so many different departments in the Church, and so much protection over each department, they have forgotten how to work together for the common good of the Church.  We are all members and we all want to see the gospel move forward, that means we all need to work together for this to happen.  Someone forgot to tell that to Germany.  Anyway, we are pleased with their decision and now need to find the right place.

 

T

A picture of a shepherd watching his flock up on a hillside in Kruje (crewee).  We were visiting the ruins of a castle and stopped to eat at the restaurant in the white building. 

Us and the Prestons overlooking Tirana where Elder Oaks came in 1993 to dedicate Albania for preaching the gospel.  Sister Preston just had an emergency appendectomy at the Greek hospital and is doing good.  We are all a little anxious about the doctors and hospitals here, so this is good news.

The chapel in Elbasan  which was built out of the city and no one can get there unless they are bussed.  The Albanian way of life needs to be studied before chapels are built.  People don't have cars, and regular buses don't run here, so they hire mini buses to take the members.  I am not sure who pays for the buses.

This is in Kruje again.  A favorite pass time for men is to sit and play games (dominoes).  They have no jobs, and this occupies their time. 

Cars & Trucks and things that go

We have now adjusted to all the crazy drivers and pedestrians who run in front of the cars anytime they see an opening.  Glen and I usually wait for the light to turn green for us.  We make sure the cars and trucks and motorcycles have stopped before we cross.  Just when we think we are safe and start to cross, along comes a bicycle and almost runs us over.  They just don't understand "right of way" here.  You can't even be nice and allow one driver to go through, because five or six will follow him without stopping.  They are crazy, crazy, crazy drivers, and a little scary, well actually a lot scary.  Now that we have a car and drive in this crazy town, we are always so very grateful to get to our little apartment safely, park the car, and only drive when we have to.  Actually it is easier and safer for us to walk where we have to go in the city, and only use the car for distances. 

We received word, on our anniversary, that Germany is not in favor of us having a bigger Center.  They don't want to put money into Albania, they are too busy with other projects.  We haven't given up, we are just going to wait for our new mission president and see how he feels about it.  Being a general authority, he may have more pull or at least more clout.  Elder Causse who is the first counselor in the Area Presidency and also in the 1st Quorum of Seventy will be here in Tirana on Thursday and wants to speak to the YA's that night.  We are hoping to show him our numbers and space in hopes of getting a little sympathy.  We understand he likes Albania.  Meanwhile we forge ahead with our program.  We have enlisted the help of Pres. Apostoli who is in the district presidency to work with us in finding YA's.  He is the one Glen is supposed to be finding a wife for.  He is a wonderful man, retired, and has lots of time on his hands, so he is excited to work with us.  And the YA's love him.

We had a little retreat last week with our mission president and the other couples in Albania.  Pres. & Sister Neil go home the end of this month and it was good to spend a little time with them.  We went to Durres and stayed in this hotel on a side street that turned the lighting off when the sun came up to save on electricity.  Luckily in our room the outlets still worked.  We went to a museum that had artifacts dating back to 7th Century BC.  Durres is a town right on the coast, and a lot of travel came across the Adriatic Sea in bibical times.  It was quite interesting.  We then walked across the street to an ice cream restaurant and sat on the outside area enjoying the cool breeze from the sea.  Then we walked to the amphi theatre, which is the second largest in the Balkins, and dates back to the Christian era  of  900 AD, where we could picture the gladiators, animals and people sitting and watching things take place.  We also walked underneath to see the places they kept the animals and slaves and whatever else they would send out into the arena.

We spoke in 1st Branch two Sundays ago, this next Sunday we go to Vlore to speak, then on the 4th Sunday we go to Elbasan.  Vlore is down south on the coast,, so we will go the night before and stay then come home after Church.  It is a three hour or so drive.  The summer has hit, very  hot and humid and we aren't to July yet, which gives us something to look forward to!!!!  Our health is good, we enjoy walking the streets of Tirana, and for the most part people are friendly.  We are doing good.

One more thing.  I don't know if we told you about Amarildo.  He comes from an atheist family.  They are not happy with  him joining the church and do not like him reading the B of M at home.  He is a faithful priesthood holder, but can never leave home in a white shirt and tie.  So Glen and I bought  him a white shirt an tie which he will leave at the church.  He wore it Sunday for the first time and was able to participate in passing the Sacrament.  He was so happy.  Little things we take for granted are so wonderful to people here.  It was very humbling to us.  There is another man who was just baptized, and cannot afford to buy a shirt, so we will get him one also.  Blessings, Blessings, Blessings!!!

Pictures

This is up on the top of the hill in the castle ruins overlooking Shkoder.  You can see the mountain range in the back which divides Albania from Montenegro.

This is from the same ruins overlooking the three rivers that flow into the lake on the other side.  The middle of the lake divides Albania from Montenegro.

These are the three members in Shkoder we spoke to in Sacrament meeting.  The bars on the window is where the meeting was held, but the Spirit was strong.  The man in the hat, Brother Zef, is the one going to the temple for the first time.  He is very excited.

This is a cart full of goods attached to a motor scooter.  They go anywhere and park to try to sell their wares.  The group of people in the corner are around another cart willed with used shoes.  You see these quite often.  That is Flat Stanley having his picture taken for Zoey.

This is a picture of Tirana from our balcony.  The colored buildings are on the corner intersection of where we live.  Right down from our balcony you can see the alleyway we walk up to get to our apartment.  Streets are very narrow and very crowded.
(now that I have learned how to do this, I can send some with each blog,  hopefully.)

Mother's Day, Shkoder, other

It is Mother's Day today, so Happy Mother's Day to all of our special persons.  They celebrate Mother's Day in Albania, but it is always on March 8.  I wanted to take flowers to all the mothers in our branch, but it didn't work out.  It is also election day in Albania (yes on a Sunday) which makes things interesting.  Pres. Neil wanted all the missionaries to stay in their apartments after going to church in case there were any problems, like riots in the streets, etc.  So far it seems relatively calm, but there could be some repercussions later in the week when the votes are all counted.  In talking to most people, it will not be a fair election no matter what.  Anyway, so much for Mother's Day.

Two weeks ago Glen and I went to Shkoder to speak in Sacrament Mtg.  We went a day early to make sure we could find our way.  Shkoder is beautiful.  There is the remains of a 14th Century Castle there with one wall dating back to 400 BC.  It was so beautiful to get on the top of those grounds, they were way up on a  hill, and look over the valley.  You could see three rivers all flowing into the lake, and part way on the lake was Montenegro.  Shkoder is very dominant Catholic and practicing Muslim.  Very  hard for missionary work.  The Sacrament meeting consisted of four elders, three members and us.  There was also an inactive member that came and wanted to participate any way he could.  They finally had to force him to leave.  It was quite interesting.  But the three that were there were wonderful and such a spirit.  One of the members is going with the group to the Frankfurt Temple for the first time this month.  It really was a delightful weekend.

Yesterday was a very interesting day.  Sonja and Marco were married nine months ago civilly, which they have to do, then three months later went to the temple to be sealed.  Well they had never exchanged rings so yesterday they had a ring ceremony in Durres.  Durres is about 30 miles away, but there is a chapel there, and Sonja served her mini mission in Durres.  Pres. & Sister Neil picked us up around 9:00 a.m. we drove to Durres, by 10:00 a.m. and waited for Sonja and Marco to arrive, which they did finally at 11:30.  All the guests were waiting all that time.  Finally they came and Sonja was in a wedding gown and all the trimmings.  The ring ceremony took place in the chapel with Pres. Neil presiding and speaking.  Then there were tables of food and ceremonial dancing in the cultural hall.  There were members and non-members alike, and some of the outfits were quite interesting.  Most of the female population here wear five inch spiked heels and it is fun to see them walk and dance.  We were happy when we got everything cleaned up and were able to leave.  Then I had two piano lessons, and we had a YA baptized at 6:00 p.m.  After we went upstairs to the Center while the YA's played ping pong, worked on the computers and visited.  Finally we closed everything down around 8:00 p.m. and came home.  It was a long day.

Friday our district went out to lunch again and the missionaries took us to another Albanian lunch.  Glen likes it all, I am still a little cautious.  Saturday night Glen took three YA's out to dinner while I was teaching piano, and enjoyed more Albanian food.  Then he taught Neti missionary prep.  We also had our activity on Friday night up at the Monument (which is where Elder Oaks went to dedicate Albania for preaching the gospel in 1993).  The gate was locked so Glen and I had to get down on our stomachs and crawl under the gate.  Everyone else jumped the gate or when through a small opening in the fence.  Then we learned there is a path to take that circumvents the gate.  Boy that was a sight!!  But it was a great night.  We had two non-members join us and the security guard (who said if we would call him he would open the gate) and a couple stopped to talk that have a son going to the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.  They have a daughter named Sara!!  So, of course, we had to tell them about our family in Omaha.  Good things always come when we are doing what we should.