Last Month of Mission

This is the last entry of the blog of our mission to Albania. It's a month late, but we have been a little busy. It has been an eventful three years, and I have not even written about all that has happened. We're very glad we had the opportunity to do our part to help the God's kingdom grow in this tiny country. We loved the people there, the young missionaries, the missionary couples, and all others we served with. We're so grateful to the Area Presidency: Elder Kopischke, Elder Caussé, and Elder Teixeira for their guidance. We're grateful for all the support people in Frankfurt, Germany, and in the U.S. who make running a mission so much easier. We appreciated having medical advisers and mental health advisers, who volunteered their time to help the missionaries with their health problems. We have so many new friends and feel it a privilege to have been asked to serve.

Sue and Ian Preston planned a couple's retreat for two nights, in Durrës. The Junckers, humanitarian couple in Kosovo, were able to come down and join the five of us couples in Albania. We had a great time together. On our "P-Day" we toured the museum and amphitheatre in Durrës and had ice cream at our favorite gelateria on the beach. This picture was snapped while we were waiting for our lunch at the Fast Food restaurant--no really, that's what it's called. Around the table from the left: Mike and Sue Smith who serve in Vlorë as Branch President and Center for Young Adult directors; Bruce and Ruth Wilson, Humanitarian; Glen and Virginia Stacey, Center for Young Adults in Tirana; the Junkers; The Prestons; and Marty. I took the picture.

June 13-17, we moved for five nights to the Rogner Hotel, so the apt. could be entirely painted and cleaned. Things looked great for the Ford's arrival.

June 2-9, we had a visit from the RQ and Susan Shupe, former missionary couple and good friends. They spoke at a fireside and visited with many of their Albanian friends. As they walked down the Rr. Myslym Shyri, shopkeepers would call out to them to say hello. They are remembered fondly in Albania!

We visited with Elida and Edi Çuçi, and Mira Xhaferaj to wish them goodbye. Unfortunately, Edi is taking this picture, so is not in it.

June 5, Sunday, Elbasan for Sacrament Meeting and the saints there held a "Linger-Longer" in our honor. The Young Women's group sang "God Be With You, 'Til We Meet Again" for us. The Shupes were able to see Elder Grisi Merepeza again and we were able to say goodbye to the missionaries in Elbasan.

June 6-Sister Sue Preston had not been well for a few days with abdominal pain and nausea. Because she missed church in Elbasan, Elder Preston asked Susan Shupe and I to come and see her during the second hour. After visiting and speaking with Sue, I felt it was very important for her to see a doctor and called Dr. Dahl, our Area Medical Adviser. He did not answer, as his phone was off during Church, but he called me right after the meeting, and then called Sister Preston. He advised her to go right to the hospital, suggesting the American Hospital. Marty and I felt impressed she should instead go to the emergency entrance of the Greek Hospital, which she did, after taking the hour-and-a-half trip over the mountain from Elbasan. After a few tests, the doctors determined that she had an infected appendix, and sent her right into surgery. There was a Greek doctor on call, who performed laparoscopic surgery on her--the only doctor and hospital in Albania that offered that minimally invasive kind of surgery. The doctor said that her appendix was possibly only hours away from bursting. We feel that it was a series of miracles that led to the positive outcome from Sue's emergency surgery.

June 6, Monday evening, we held a dinner for some young Albanian couples--some married, most not, and played some games together. It was my birthday, also, and we celebrated with cake that Greg and Judy had ordered for me. It was a wonderful chance to say goodbye to some of our favorite people.

June 9-Thursday, and the very day the Shupes left, Elder Causse arrived to interview and "release" us from our mission. It was a wonderful visit and we were grateful he took the time to come and thank us for our service. He stayed two nights, and held a two-hour meeting with the missionary leaders Friday morning.

June 20-21, Marty and the group of soon-to-depart missionaries, took their "death trip" to the Valbona region of northern Albania. Missionaries who complete the Progression Program in one year, are able to take an extra P-day to see a part of Albania they would not ordinarily be able to visit during their mission. I stayed behind for this "adventure" trip. They saw some beautiful scenery, but had to spend the next day driving home over bumpy mountain roads, and Marty arrived home with a bad cold. You can see the pictures here.

While Marty and the departing elders were on their trip to Valbona, I had all the sisters in to the apartment to have a Motras' Baking P-Day. The sisters had been asking me for months if I could teach them how to make cinnamon rolls, and I finally was able to find the time to do it. Fun, and Yummy! Back to Front and L. to R., Motras Reed, mini-missionary from Vlorë whose name escapes me, Leit, Hoxsie, me, Reynolds, and Halabuk.

The very next day, June 22, Elder Fingerle, our Area Seventy, and President Charles, of the Greece Athens Mission, arrived for a CCM meeting. Marty soldiered through, despite feeling pretty sick.

June 26, Sunday, we spoke in the Third Branch, and said our goodbyes to those good people. We came home and packed the last of our belongings, because Monday morning we were moving back to the Rogner for the last two nights in Albania. Monday, the apartment was given one last cleaning by Motra Çoka, our wonderful housekeeper.
June 28, Tuesday, Sister Juliet Ford and President Andrew M. Ford, from Leicester, England, arrived in Tirana to replace us. Our "release" happened as they stepped off the plane. We drove back to the mission office and home, and spent a few hours with them, showing them around, explaining how things worked, answering any questions they had, and then the Fords drove us to the hotel for our last night in Albania. That was a bittersweet moment, leaving behind a three-year calling. I very much regret that we did not have a picture taken with the Fords on that last day.

June 29, Wednesday, we flew to the U.S. via Munich and Chicago to San Diego. We went to Emily and Peter's home in San Marcos because our grandson Andrew had waited a month so we could be at his baptism. Our daughter Erin, with her son Joshua, flew in from Kentucky so she could be with us as well. We had a wonderful reunion with our daughters, and on July 4th we drove home to Los Altos in a car that we had loaned to Peter for three years. Two weeks later, we visited with Greg and John in Utah, and had a family reunion with all my brothers and sisters in Provo. It's been a wonderful homecoming!