Goings and Comings

This last week we said goodbye to 11 missionaries (Elders Wilde and Whittier left a week earlier). Pictured are Sisters Fronk, Langford, and Slack; and (back) Elders Hanson, Sewell, Mattox, Smith; and (front) Elders Humphries, Flora, Leonard, and Hunt. This picture is taken at the Monument to the Martyrs overlooking Tirana.

At their goodbye dinner in our apartment, I told the elders they could take off their ties, and they lined them up on the sofa, which made a great picture. Albania imports a lot of ties from Italy, and the elders take great pride in their tie collections. They refuse to pay more than $10 for one. Even the President (Marty) is getting interested after receiving three new ties for Father's Day--chosen by Elder Turley and Elder Mattox, our two office elders. The orange striped tie on the left is his.
The new missionaries are Sister Bentley from Sandy, UT., and Elder Swenson from Alpine, UT. We're very excited to have them. We currently have only 38 missionaries, as missions are being "balanced" around the world and most European missions are losing missionaries.

We had just finished up training the new missionaries when Marty had to fly off to Cypress (via Vienna) to attend meetings with Elder Wondra and the new mission president of Greece. While he was gone I caught up on some mending and ironing, and spent Saturday morning with the Young Adults and missionaries at a retirement home in Tirana. I took my guitar and we sang a few fun songs as well as "I Am a Child of God" and "Count Your Many Blessings" in Shqip (Albanian). "Count Your Many Blessings" is a favorite with the Albanian saints, and we sing it often! Sister Bentley is pictured here with Jeffrey, an investigator, and two men of the retirement home. These two gentlemen were really getting into the music, clapping and singing along (the man in the blue shirt has no teeth), and the other was a musician (accordian) and singer. He sang for us and still has a terrific voice!

Also, for the first time in the year since we've been here, I braved the traffic and drove the van to a shopping center that is just outside Tirana. I think I can do this. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can... I went to the shopping center for my first trip because it has a large underground parking lot. Parking on the streets of Tirana is very difficult and is what has kept me from behind the wheel--that and the crazy drivers in this country. I also deliberately went out at 3:00 when many people are off the streets for lunch and naps. My return trip was at 5:00 and the traffic was busier and the traffic circles were jammed with cars and trucks all trying to muscle their way into position for the desired exit. Scary!