Mini Vacation to Saranda

After a three-day visit from Elder and Sister Collinridge, an Area Psychologist who came to talk to the missionaries about handling the stress of a mission, we took a two and a half day trip to southern Albania to handle the stress of our mission. Lavender wildflowers were carpeting the inland hills and plains, and trees were blossoming throughout the countryside. It was a delightful contrast to the noisy, polluted city and we developed a new appreciation for the beauty of this country.

We spent a night in Gjirokastër, now declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It has very steep cobblestone hills that we drove up and down, and we toured the large citadel at the top which was used during King Zog's reign and during the Communist era as a prison. We were the only people touring the fortress. Albania could use some tips on attracting tourists. A good start would be modern, comfortable hotels, and potable water. The Relax Hotel in Gjirokastër is not high on my recommendation list. Our room was very small with the tiniest TV I've ever seen. The shower in the bathroom across the hallway had no stall but just drained into the floor. The small towels were obviously line dried (read "very stiff") and the twin beds were--well...we might as well have been sleeping on the floor. At 25 Euros for the night, I think we got taken. Marty reminds me that it did have a balcony. Yes it did, and it overlooked the locale that kept me awake well in to the early morning hours. (A locale is a neighborhood bar/cafe.)

The next day we drove to Sarandë or Saranda, on the Ionian Sea, and spent a night before driving home along the coastal highway. While in Sarandë, we took a side trip to the ancient ruins of the city of Butrint, also a World Heritage Site, very close to the border of Greece. The ruins were fascinating, and we spent a couple of hours there. Again, we were alone except for a small school group which raced through and disappeared well ahead of us. Unfortunately, the nice museum we had paid for with our entrance ticket was closed. When we arrived back at the entrance, the ticket man insisted that the museum was not closed, so maybe the caretaker had taken a smoking break. We're told we missed seeing some nice objects.

At least half of the long distance of the coastal highway was under construction. The road cuts along the side of the mountains that rise out of the Adriatic. At several points the road was only one lane and very dangerous to navigate. Much of it was just dirt and rocks blocked by huge construction equipment, and extremely bumpy. We were grateful to arrive at home safely. I was so happy to be back home sleeping on my own sofa. (Our sofa is the most comfortable place for me to sleep with my painful shoulder--which is very gradually improving.)

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We've Been Booted!

Yes, we got the Boot when we parked near a  grocery store Friday evening.  Found out later it was a disabled parking spot.  There was a policeman nearby when we got back to the van, but he said that we needed the special police unit, and he called them for us.  He told them we were Americans and two cars showed up in a hurry.  One of the policemen spoke excellent English and apologized up and down for booting our car, and said he had waited for 10 minutes, but "had to do his job."  We told him S'ka gjë (it's nothing).  He took Marty to the station to pay the $30 fine (red carpet treatment, we're sure), and we were on our way in no time.  The ice cream didn't even melt.

Below is a front and back picture of two of the 100 favors I made for the District-wide Relief Society conference next Saturday.    The "mature" couples came into Tirana for the Branch President's Mtg. this morning and while we waited, the wives helped me assemble the favors.  It's a laminated refrigerator magnet (my daughter sent magnet tape from Michael's) and a small Greek dark chocolate bar with almonds (excellent!) and some gel candies.  The Anonymous quote says, "Live so that people who know you but don't know Christ, will want to know Christ because they know you."  Translated into Albanian, of course.

IN-N-OUT

OUT: Elder Lindsay, Elder Zurcher, Elder Cradic, Motra Neil (me), Elder Kramer, and Elder Smith.



N-IN: l. to. r. zig-zag: Elder Allen, Elder Smedley, Elder Fisher, Elder Scadden, Elder Hagen, Elder Hixon, Sister Larson.

Well, really it's OUT-N-IN, the BIG transfer week. It happens only four times a year in our small mission, in January, April, July, and October. This week we lost six outstanding missionaries and gained seven. I'm standing in for Sister Rose here, who was with the other sister missionaries at a farewell lunch and couldn't come to the monument with us. Busy week. Lots of meals, lots of laundry, lots of interviews for the President. Sad to see 'em go. Glad to see 'em come. I'm grateful for a small mission. It would be hard to do this every six weeks!

Albania is In!

NATO that is. Flags and banners are up everywhere, like these over the Opera house in the Center, and huge celebrations throughout the country celebrated the official entry of Albania into NATO yesterday. The banners say: "NATO: This is a Miracle of Freedom!" One large fountain at the Zogu i Zi (big roundabout at the main entrance to the city), was surrounded with new poles topped with the flags of every country that belongs to NATO. My sister Virginia commented so aptly: "It is a miracle. Freedom preceeds the growth of the Gospel all over the world. Let freedom ring!"

Missionary's Dream Contact

Robert Sina, a young man who is a security person at the Casa Italia mall in Tirana, saw our name tags as we passed him in a hardware store and chased us down. Robert told us (in very good English) that as a high school student eight or nine years ago, he was contacted by the missionaries and began studying the Book of Mormon and coming to church. He joined the army after high school and lost contact with the church as he served in various Balkan countries. He's been back in Albania for a month, is no longer in the army, and wants to pick up the lessons with missionaries again! Now that's a missionary's dream!

Visit with Mrs. Berisha

The Snow's and Sister Grimci, who is a long-time member and pediatrician, arranged a visit with Mrs. Berisha, the Prime Minister's wife. Mrs. Berisha is also a doctor and is interested in pursuing joint humanitarian aid ventures with our church and her own foundation, particularly the wheelchair program. We hope to bring in from 250 to 500 wheelchairs, primarily for children and disabled workers. l to r: Sister Snow, Dr. Berisha, Marty (behind), Migena Ceci (member and new physician from Fier who came to help translate), Elder Snow, and Dr. Berisha's personal assistant. April 5 Note: We've just learned that the project has been approved by the Church for 500 wheelchairs!

First Tourist Trip--After 9 Months!

Krujë, Albania. The town sits high on the mountainside. George W. Bush visited Fushe-Krujë, the town at the bottom of the mountain in June, 2007. The cafe he stopped in is named after him. He may not have been much liked in the U.S., but the Albanians love him!

Cobblestone street and reconstructed bazaar. All tourist shops, some with interesting goods. The rough woolen rugs are made in several of the shops and remind us very much of American Indian rugs. Throughout the country we see women hand-spinning wool into yarn as they walk along herding their sheep.

New castle within the old (reconstructed) castle that houses Skanderbeg museum.

We took a real outing on our P-Day, which is supposed to be every Saturday! It was a beautiful Spring day and we went to Krujë, a picturesque mountainside town famous for being the hometown of Gjergj Kastrioti (Skanderbeg), the national hero. The castle, now partly restored, was where Skanderbeg defended against the invading ottomans during four different sieges in the 15th Century. It fell to the Ottomans after his death. There is a castle-like museum built within the walls of the old castle. Among other things, it houses replicas of the helmet and swords that are reputed to have been his and are now in a museum in Vienna. The goat head helmet is very interesting and you see it on many signs throughout the country.