Greg and Judy

Wonderful, wonderful day! Judy was lovely. Greg was handsome and happy in love.

Summer in Tirana

It's been a lovely summer. Hot, the missionaries would say, but I'm mostly indoors with the air conditioning.

Marty and I walk a loop around town a few times a week in the morning, and sometimes around the artificial lake on Saturdays. The Qëndër (Center) is relatively quiet early in the morning.

We had dinner a few nights ago at the Rogner Hotel with the Shupe's and noticed this unusual sign (the one on top). You have to live in Tirana to appreciate this. The street lights are on the driver's right corner, and if you're first in line you cannot see when the light changes, so everyone behind just honks to tell you to begin moving. Or they honk to tell you where they are because it's usually not where they should be. (See my last blog about driving.)

We picked up a small watermelon last week for 60 cents. There's no such thing as seedless watermelon here yet. No seedless grapes, either. The fruit is tasty, but there much less variety than in the states.

We've been to one wedding celebration and one open house for a member family departing to live in the United States, the former joyful, the latter, very sad. This is a phenomenon we do not see in the U.S.--friends leaving to change their country of residence--for good!

We're going to Preston, England this Wednesday-Saturday for a Mission Presidents' Seminar, which I look forward to once a year. We'll be taking a tour of early church history sites, going to the temple in Preston, and getting instruction from our area presidency and Elder Perry.

The work is going well and the missionaries are working hard. They're wonderful men and women who cheerfully give a good chunk of their young lives to serve here in Albania. We admire them so much.

Marty is spending two days and one night at our two-night boy's camp. We'll miss girl's camp because we'll be in England. Those who know me well know how sad I am about that.

Our son Greg is getting married in the Salt Lake Temple to Judy Schvaneveldt on August 29 and I am coming to the United States for the wedding and reception. Yeay! It will be the first time I've met Judy in person. Our daughter Erin is having her new baby on September 2 or 3, so of course I have to stop by Lexington, KY on my way back to Tirana to see her family and the new baby! Great timing, Erin!

Driving in Albania

Now that I've gotten up my nerve to drive in Albania, I thought you might like to know what it's like.

• We drive a Volkswagen Sharan Minivan (not sold in the U.S.) in a country where the automobile of choice is a Mercedes. (Click on underlined words to read more about it. This is interesting!)

• The top speed limit is 80 kilometers--about 50 miles per hour.

• There are sudden speed limit reductions to 40 kilometers, usually near gas stations or small towns, and policemen with radar are always lurking there.

• When we are stopped for speeding, the police recognize we are Americans. They salute, shake hands, and send us on our way, sometimes motioning for us to reduce speed. Some smile and say "Obama!" or "Bush!" and give a thumbs up sign.

• Except for the main highway, roads are poorly maintained, often unpaved. Guardrails? What are those?

• You have to watch for missing manhole covers and drainage grates that are stolen for scrap metal redemption and take months to get replaced, if ever. Missionaries have walked into these in the dark, narrowly escaping serious injury.

• There are no "bump-outs" for left turns, so people going straight get stuck behind a left turn red light, then try to muscle their way into the lane to the right.

• Apparently it's o.k. to turn left or right from any lane!

• When the electricity goes out in a section of Tirana, so do the street lights. Policemen could use a lesson from the Americans on how to direct traffic.

• Young Albanian male drivers do not like to be behind a line at a stop light. They weave left into the lane of oncoming traffic and make their way to the front of the line and go through the red light. Or they pass on the right.

• The driver in the next lane does not understand the concept of his blind spot. Do not drive in it!

• Drivers see a friend walking on the street, and stop mid-street to visit with them. Apparently, you can double park and leave your makinë (car) in the street to go into a shop.

• Normally friendly, helpful, happy Albanian people become maniacal when behind the wheel of a car. So do some Americans I know--intimately.

• Pedestrians do not have the right of way. Pedestrians do not use crosswalks. Pedestrians do not watch street lights. Family and friends hold hands and cross together, thinking there is safety in numbers.

• Large intersections are free-for-all traffic circles. Beware!

• This is Europe. All cars use diesel, and most cars have not recently had their smog check. ;-)

July Zone Conferences

We held two terrific zone conferences this week. The groups seemed small, as we now have 38 missionaries and only two couples. The topic was "Attributes of Christ," Chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel. My talk was about pioneers and the attributes they exhibited in making their incredible sacrifices, and I showed clips from "Trail of Hope," and a You Tube clip of President Hinckley speaking about the three men who lifted and carried the weakened handcart saints across the freezing Sweetwater River. I also spoke about my pioneer ancestors. Marty's subjects were "Obedience" and a clarification of mission rules, and in the second half, "How to Develop Attributes of Christ." We had previously visited Brother Vogli's workshop and obtained a small block of marble. Marty used our sculpture of Christ and told how Brother Vogli works it into the finished product, softening it first with water. He likened that to the Spirit working on our hearts, softening them so we are open to change.

I cooked for the inside zone--taco salad, with Rudi's ice cream and homemade hot fudge for dessert. The outside zone ate pizza, but did get my cinnamon rolls for snack, and Sister Snow's handcart brownie dessert. That consisted of a square brownie, with mini round cookies for wheels, a thin breadstick for a handle, topped with a scoop of ice cream and fudge sauce. Creative!

Aftermath of a Lunch

Mission Council lunch.  It was fajitas for 13.

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!

One Year!

Marty and I have been here one year now! We arrived last year on Sunday, June 29. As they say, time flies when you're having fun!

When our visitors or missionaries fly home to the states, their flights are usually at 5 or 6 a.m. which means we have to arise between 2:30 and 3:30 a.m. to get them to the airport in ample time for their international flights. In the last five days, we've made the early morning airport run three times.

Friday, June, 26, we took Sadush Malku, who was leaving for the Provo MTC before going to the Italy Milano mission, and Elder Vail, who sadly, had to leave to go home to Alpine, Utah because he was experiencing an eye problem that couldn't be treated here in Albania. Fortunately, Elder Vail and Elder Malku were able to travel together. We hope Elder Vail will recover and be able to be reassigned to finish the remaining six months of his mission in the states.

Saturday we took Emily, Peter, and their children to the airport to go home to San Diego.

This morning, we took Elders Wilde and Whittier to the airport as they left their missions one week ahead of their normal release date so each could attend family events.

Also today, we said a sad goodbye (another airport run--but this time at noon) to Elder and Sister Chatfield, who served an 18-month mission as a proselyting couple in Vlorë. Elder Chatfield was branch president in Vlorë, and also gave patriarchal blessings to English-speaking members throughout the country. The Chatfield's are returning home to the Boston area. We will greatly miss them. There are only two couples besides ourselves left in the mission.