Fast December Fades Away...

In late November we took a day off and, with Susan and R.Q. Shupe, visited Apollonia, an ancient seaside city founded by the Greeks in 588 BC and later inhabited and built up by the Romans after the city sided with Julius Caesar in the war with Pompey. It was once a thriving city of 50,000 inhabitants, but an earthquake in the 3rd Century AD rerouted a river and led to the city's decline. The dog in the picture adopted us at the entry point and followed us throughout the extensive ruins, keeping a respectable distance, but seeming to be there to keep an eye on us or protect us.

The large bunker that we saw on the drive is not so ancient, but unfortunately was built to last. We liked the graffiti on the bunker.

My camera ran out of battery so I did not get pictures, but we also visited the large amphitheater in Durrës, which is the largest ancient amphitheater in the Balkans. It is said to have seated up to 20,000 people and was used for gladiator combat. It is only one third excavated, and there are houses built over part of it. Sadly, there are many ruins in Albania that, for lack of interest or money, have not been excavated and are disintegrating beyond repair. Many that have been partially excavated are unavailable for visiting (mosaics covered over with sand, for example) or are not preserved. Many have been looted or razed for development. The communist dictator Hoxha had no interest in preserving historical sites and, in fact, destroyed many beautiful places of interest. Fortunately, the southern city of Butrint was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been excavated and is a fascinating place to visit.

One of our December activities was caroling in the Qendër (Center) of Tirana with all the Tirana missionaries and a few members. It was very cold and a light rain threatened and eventually shut us down, but we were able to sing for 35 minutes. This year Lindita Grimci arranged for us to be "legal"--she obtained permission from the city for us to sing (last year we just met and sang)--and arranged for amplification so we could be heard above the traffic and the mosque's call to prayer. Later while downloading the pictures from our camera, I noticed the ironic juxtaposition of our missionaries singing songs of the birth of Christ under a huge communist-era mural. The light, once restrained, is now shining on this wonderful country!

A huge City Park Mall has opened a few miles outside of Tirana, bringing new shopping possibilities for us. It's very fancy for Albania--and for us! Marty likes the Food Court with an AFC--Albania Fried Chicken--patterned very much after our KFC in the U.S., but not nearly as tasty.
Cookies. I made a LOT of cutout cookies in December. I made five large batches of dough, and Sister Shupe and I rolled, cut, and baked 75 cookie trees and stars for the Young Adult Christmas Party. The youth had never frosted and decorated sugar cookies, and they really enjoyed it--especially the eating part. We decorated the trees with M&M's, which are available here (made in Turkey).

I joined TWIG (Tirana Women's International Group), a group of expat women who get together for companionship and cultural events. Every year TWIG hosts a holiday bazaar in the shopping court of the Sheraton to raise funds for activities and to benefit an orphanage. I attended a few craft mornings with some women from the group to help make items for the bazaar and have enjoyed getting to know women from several different countries who are all here with their husbands who are working for their various embassies, or as consultants for the military or businesses. I baked and decorated four dozen gingerbread men and women with candy canes, and three dozen sugar cookie Christmas trees and put each cookie in it's own cellophane bag. I also donated three of my Christmas ornament creche balls that I made just for the event. I did not stay for the bazaar as it was on a Sunday, but I was told later that the cookies were a huge hit, sold out early, and people kept coming back to the baked goods table looking for them. They sold each cookie for a little more than $2.00 each (200 Leke)! By the way, the molasses for the gingerbread cookies was sent to me by my sister Nancy. She emptied out a large plastic Karo Syrup bottle, refilled it with molasses, taped it up really well, and sealed it in vacuum seal bag. It arrived without spilling a drop, and believe me, is much prized!

Elder Kushlan left us on Dec. 20, as he needed to get home to attend university in early January. He was scheduled to finish his mission Jan. 6 and didn't want to leave quite this early, but it was the only day a flight was available for him. This IS Albania, after all. There are not many flights in or out of the country.

Christmas Day we hosted 12 missionaries from Tirana in our apt. for feasting, carol singing, and exchanging of white elephant gifts. The three other LDS missionary couples hosted missionaries, and in some outlying cities, the missionaries got together and created their own feast. Pictured above are six of the missionaries singing their version of the "12 Days of Christmas" Albanian style. The Bairds, LDS family at the U.S. Embassy, gave us a frozen honey ham and it was soooo delicious with au gratin potatoes, orange rolls, peas, fresh pineapple and mandarin salad, with mint brownies for dessert. We had a great time. One of our white elephant gifts was a "missionary banana".

Edi Leaves for the London Mission!

When we first met Edi Çyçi (pronounced Choochi), we thought he had spent much of his life in America because his English is so good, hardly without accent, and his speech is sprinkled with American idioms. He said he learned it from television and movies. So it was fitting that he has been called to an English-speaking mission, the London Mission, and he left on Saturday, November 28 to go into the Preston MTC. We're excited for Edi and know that with his firm testimony of the gospel and love of our missionaries, whom he loves to be with, that he will be an excellent missionary himself. His mother joined the Church this year, and we're hoping that maybe Edi's mission will soften his father and brother's hearts.

We're Thankful

Since our mission is small we decided to bring everyone in for a Thanksgiving feast and afternoon movie. After debating back and forth whether to ask the Shanghai Chinese restaurant if they would provide a meal for us at their restaurant, I decided that maybe I could make dinner for 52 people. Was I nuts?!

I assigned the Tirana sisters to come up with table coverings and decorations, and invited the missionaries to provide the desserts.

The Assistants and Marty spent half a day on Wednesday in the cold, musty basement, sweeping, mopping, removing junk, stacking the huge stash of chairs we have down there, and setting up tables and chairs. I scrubbed a decade of grime off the plastic chairs and Marty cleaned the dirty basement kitchen by himself, even cleaning out the refrigerator. The basement was transformed, especially after the Tirana sisters came in with their clever decorations. I made place cards and told the missionaries that if they messed with them they wouldn't get dinner. (This was a trick to intersperse the newer missionaries among the older ones. The missionaries naturally gravitate to their MTC groups, and I wanted to "mix it up" a bit.)

I cooked six 12-lb. Butterball turkeys that the Bairds were able to buy for us through the U.S. Embassy, and one 6 1/2 lb. half turkey breast we found at the Conad Supermarket. I made tons of gravy, six batches of Parkerhouse and orange rolls, and got help on the last day from the Snow's, our Humanitarian Aid couple in Vlore, who whipped up all the potatoes (office elders and Assistants peeled), and helped me make the dressing. I put together a large fruit cocktail/fresh mandarin orange/banana/mini-marshmallows (sent by my daughter Emily)/and whipped cream salad that was devoured as the first course. Knowing that I had limited oven and stove space, the rolls, gravy, and most of the turkey were cooked ahead and frozen for thawing and reheating the day of the dinner. Getting it all together and hot at the same time was a trick. The green beans didn't heat up in time and had to be served along with the second round. There was enough food for seconds, and we had the equivalent of two turkeys left over! With all those side dishes, I guess we didn't need so much meat. Remind me never to go into the catering business.

Elder Turley and Mugleston's huge Apple Pie (they peeled 28 apples), one of many desserts provided by the missionaries. We had mixed decor as the 1st Branch had already started putting up their Christmas decorations.
Motra Kennedy, a happy Brit likes our Thanksgiving tradition! Also at her table (round to the left) are Sister Korita, Elder Allen, The Shupe's, (Institute/Outreach couple), and Elder Hixson.
The Tirana sisters decorated the tables with flowers, Thanksgiving-themed crayon artwork, small Thanksgiving cutouts to scatter on the tables, and candy. L. to R., Sister Boyer, Sister Bentley, Sister Larson, and our Albanian mini-missionary, Sister Korita, who is serving for twelve weeks until January when we get a new sister and will have even numbers again.
Gravy for a crowd! I think it was at least two gallons and was yummy, if I don't say so myself. My Kitchen Aid Mixer has gotten a good workout on our mission. Hope it holds out another year and a half.

After dinner we came up to the first floor where we had set up a theater using my computer, a multi-media projector, and some good speakers, and watched "UP" which all but the newest missionaries had not seen. The missionaries loved it! Afterward, they had seconds of dessert and went on their way happy and thankful for one another, for their missions, and for a little diversion from their long days of hard work.

Elbasan Open House

Saturday was the open house for the new Elbasan chapel. The people of that branch really did a nice job of cleaning and setting up classrooms to demonstrate the different aspects of the Church. Lindita Grimci, our Public Relations Specialist, helped to organize the event with support from our office elders. I brought flowers for various rooms in the building, and also the refreshments. Sister Grimci arranged for Marty to have a meeting with President Topi of Albania to extend an invitation to him, and he promised to send some of his deputies. Instead he sent some counselors, which we were told is a much higher position than a deputy. Since Elbasan is over an hour from Tirana over a winding mountain road, we felt very honored to have not only President Topi's representatives, but several other government officials from Elbasan and Tirana. There were two media representatives taking video for the evening news. The Director of the Committee on Cults from the Ministry of Culture of Albania, Mr. Rasim Hasanaj, came to the open house as well. He has become friends with Elder D. Todd Christofferson, whom he met during the apostle's visit to Albania in June. Mr. Hasanaj was invited to attend the BYU International Law and Religion Symposium that was held at the beginning of this month in Provo, Utah, and met again with Elder Christofferson for lunch. We would like to have the Church recognized as a religion instead of a cult. Currently there are only four recognized religions--two sects of Muslims, the Orthodox Church, and the Roman Catholic Church--so this interest in our church is very welcome.

In addition to the special invited guests, we welcomed several visitors from the community, including a large number of children and young people. There were so many young boys and girls, that the missionaries had to let them into the building in small groups to usher them through the different exhibits. We hope some seeds were planted in their hearts that will produce fruit in later years.

Center: Mr. Rasim Hasanaj, Director of the Committee on Cults in the Ministry of Culture, and another visitor from the Ministry is next to Marty on the end. Agim Grimci, a member from Tirana is on the left.

Some of the members of the Elbasan Branch, along with missionaries who worked on the event.

President Topi's Counselor listening to a presentation by Sister Xhaferaj on the Church's programs for families.

One of our Albanian missionaries, Elder Celaj, is telling some of the young visitors about the Book of Mormon.

When the day was done, Marty and some other men retreated to the basketball court out back for a quick pick-up game. Apparently, the old guys won.

Alma's Mission Call

In case you were curious about Alma's mission call that I mentioned in the last post, she opened it this morning in District Conference, and her call is to Salt Lake Temple Square--English Speaking! We're thrilled for her and were secretly hoping that would be where she would go! She leaves in early March.

13 New Missionaries

Alma Osmëni

13 new missionaries arrived after spending almost three months at the Provo MTC. Back l. to r: Elders Seevers, Buys, Thorpe, Vance, Klein, Dittmer, Griffith.
Front L. to R.: Elder Fredrickson, Sister Hiland, Elders Mugleston, Loose, Roney, and Skousen.

First day: Interviews with Marty, trip to the Embassy to register, a bit of street contacting with seasoned missionaries, and then dinner and bed.

Second day: Breakfast, a trip to the Monument to the Martyrs overlooking Tirana, an hour of training, pizza lunch, and assignments to areas and a new companion/trainer.

This trip to the monument was particularly tender and memorable. The autumn morning was sunny and beautiful as we arrived up the hill above Tirana. As we fanned out into the large open space in front of the Mother Albania statue, we noticed two people lying down on the concrete wall that overlooks the city, heads together and chatting. We moved away from them into the shade and passed out copies of the hymn and Elder Oak's 1993 prayer, dedicating the land and people of Albania for the preaching of the gospel. Elder McGlothin noticed the two young people sit up and exclaimed, "That's Alma Osmëni!" Alma is a member of the church who has just received her call letter from Salt Lake to go on a full time mission. She has not opened the letter yet, as she's speaking at District Conference Sunday and wants to open it then. Marty invited her to join our group. She explained that she had come to the monument with a copy of Elder Oak's dedicatory prayer translated into Albanian , unbidden by us and unaware of our intentions to be there, to read it aloud and ponder her upcoming mission. Marty invited her and her friend to join our ceremony and after a hymn and prayer, we took turns reading aloud the dedicatory prayer. Alma then read aloud the prayer in her language and took a moment to thank the new missionaries for their sacrifice and service, and challenge them to work hard and bring more of her people to Christ. We gave the missionaries five to ten minutes to be by themselves to ponder the dedicatory prayer and consecrate themselves to help fulfill the promises Elder Oak's prophesied.

Departing Missionaries

Eight excellent missionaries, returning home to the states and England. L. to R.: Elder Kelley, Elder Bruneel, Elder Johnson, Elder Hewett, Elder Oakey, Elder Abley (England), Elder Tracy, Elder Harline.