Saturday, November 29, 2008, we had a Service Project at the Tirana 2d & 4th Branch building. This is also where we hold all the Institute Outreach programs. The building needed a good cleaning so we got the young adults together (about 30 showed up) and for nearly 4 hours we cleaned inside and outside the building. Above picture is of Nettie (on left) and Besmir cleaning the walls of the lobby.
Outside garbage removal with (from left to right) Mergis, Edward and Armarildo.
Cleaning the kitchen with Elsa, unknown and Alma.
I got hurt and I want everyone to know about it. One of the rose bushes got me. Meri Hoxhje thought it was pretty funny.

We were even able to get the old tress tree out of our "office" and up on display for the next month.
Late Saturday we traveled to Durres to say goodbye to our friends the Muellers. They leave for Switzerland on Monday. We've really enjoyed their friendship. They've been running the seminary program here in Albania for the past 18 months.  Picture is of Brother and Sister Mueller with Sonja and Brisi Sarachi.
Mom makes friends where ever she goes. This sweet sister just loved to smile even without many teeth.
After the usual party jokes and skits there was the dancing. I've decided that Albanians really love to dance. For those of you who have asked for a little music and dancing on this blog, please see the below effort by Sister Shupe. She is truly dancing her way into the lives of all the Albanian Saints. 

We've had some rain this week. Its been cold and there is a lot of mud in Tirana. Just walking around town you'll get some mud on your shoes and pants. But Thursday, November 27, 2008 was a gorgeous Thanksgiving Day. The sun was out, temperatures mid-day were mild, and we had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal at the mission home.  Picture above is from our balcony as rain was coming down early in week.

The above two pictures are taken from the 4th floor of the mission home looking east towards Mt. Dajti on Thanksgiving Day.
Over 36 missionaries were fed at the mission home, but before we ate we all sang. "Come, Ye Thankful People" and "For the Beauty of the Earth".  Mom had a hard time getting through "For the Beauty.... " because we sang it last year at home. Thoughts of home are very close to the heart on days like Thanksgiving. Above picture is of missionaries singing.
Elders Smith, Lindsey, Owens, Maddox, Hamilton and Flack waiting for the feast to begin.
Shoes are left outside in Albania because they tend to get pretty dirty from the dirt and mud. Picture is of missionary shoes, well worn and a little muddy left outside mission home.
Mom enjoying the moment.

Mom with Sister Liz Neil. Sister Neil is the mission "Mom". She is a great cook and the Thanksgiving meal was spectacular. I had two helpings of everything and was came before dessert.
After the meal the missionaries were allowed to watch "Remember the Titans" down stairs before we all returned to the Neil's upstairs apartment for dessert. The meal, company and dessert were all wonderful. This Thanksgiving day in Tirana, Albania made me even more thankful for all my blessings. 

"For the beauty of the earth, For beauty of the skies,

For the love which from our birth, Over and around us lies

Lord of all, to thee we raise, This our hymn of grateful praise.

Saturday was Super Saturday for all the seminary students here in Albania. The weather was cold and rainy, so we didn't get everyone out that we wanted, but there were just over 40 seminary students in attendance. Some had to drive over 2 hours to get to Tirana. Mom ran the show with her "Scripture Mastery" program. Everyone was drawing pictures to remind themselves of the 25 New Testament scriptures to be learned this year.


Mom getting into the swing of things, dancing with the seminary students after she had made sure they were up to date on their scripture mastery lessons.
Recently baptized member of the Church, Juli, dancing at the Seminary activity.
While Mom was dancing with the Seminary students I was running across town to get the food. I purchased "byrek" which means pie. We had cheese, meet and spinach pies for lunch with the seminary students. This is picture of small Byrek stand in Tirana. You can tell that it has gotten cold. I'll be wearing a hat from now on (plus a scarf and a sweater and a heavy coat).
Between the Super Saturday activity and the evening Institute class, we visited with the mother of three of our YSA(Young Single Adult) girls.  The three of them and one older sister are the only members of the Church in their family.  Their parents love the Church and see how it has blessed the lives of their daughters, but they have not been baptized.  Their mother must have kissed me 30 times while we were there, thanking us for helping their daughters.  Before the visit was over, she had agreed to taking the missionary lessons, being baptized (because she already has a testimony that the Church is true) and invited us to celebrate Christmas with them.
After Institute on Saturday, we're trying to organize a choir.  Picture is of Sister Niel practicing "Silent Night" with members of the choir. Sometime in December we'll be singing in Tirana's city center.

Early Sunday Mom and I headed out to Elbasan. A city located southwest of Tirana. Edmond Dukaj and his wife Valentina drove us there. 
Street scene in Elbasan.
Its a little hard to see, but this is a huge metallurgical complex called the Steel of the Party. Built in 1974 by the Chinese before Albania's break with China. At one time it employed over 8,000 people.  Now, all but a couple of small factories are shut down. Apparently it is almost impossible to bring the complex up to international environmental standards.
This is how they would get the mountain rock to the steal factory in Elbasan. Apparently these gondola buckets don't work much any more. 
The winding road to Elbasan is narrow and a bit dangerous.
You never know what you'll meet on the roads of Albania. Anyone want a little goat cheese?
Mountains of Albania have made it difficult for this country to have commerce with itself.  The mountain ranges tend to run from the southwest to the northwest. Getting food or products from central or western Albania to the coast requires traversing lots of mountains.
Elbasan was a trading post in the 2nd century B.C. called Scampa. It was at the junction of the Roman Via Egnata which ran from the Albanian coast to Byzantium. The Ottomans built a fortress there and gave the city name, "Elbasani" which means in Turkish, "the place for raiding other people's territory." You've got to love the Turks for their directness. Elbasan can be seen in the background as we were coming into the town.
Edmond Dukaj at fruit stand on way to Elbasan. Mom and Mrs. Dukaj sat in back and Edmond and I were in front. Amazingly, in spite of our lack of Shqip language skills we had a very enjoyable ride over and back. Mom helping Valentina with her English and Valentina helping Mom with Shqip. Edmond makes his living driving a late model Mercedez as a chauffeur
The Church rents a small building just off the main square "quender" in Elbasan. It was here Mom and I spoke in Sacrament meeting. The chapel was warmed by two small electric heaters, but it was not enough. I had on a full sweater under my suit coat, but felt I needed to put on my winter coat and hat even as I spoke. Picture is of Mom and the Dukajs (Edmond & Valentina) in front of church building. You may recall this is the couple whose daughter Kamryn met in an Oceanside, CA bank just before we left for Albania. They live just 2 blocks from us in Tirana and are becoming good friends.

Monday, November 17, 2008 was another pleasant day in Tirana, Albania. This is picture of street where we live. This small vegetable stand is always located at the same place. I think gypsies are running it. Notice the laundry hanging from the windows. That's the way you dry clothes in Albania.

Monday evening we held Family Home Evening in our apartment. We had a great turn out. Picture is of three sisters: Blarlina, Brisi and Ledjanna. Ledjanna hopes to be accepted to BYU's English Center this next year.
The four young adults on our new couch are: Brisi Sarachi, Eddi Pina, Roan and Ema. Eddi recently served a two year mission in London, England. He is presently the Branch President in Durres where Mom and I spoke last month. He is dating Brisi. Engagements in Albania go on forever, literally years before people are married. Eddi and Brisi will in all probability be engaged 3 to 4 years before they marry.
We had over 20 young adults in the apartment. Mom and I gave the lesson; afterwards we had cookies and tangerines.

Tuesday, Novemeber 19, 2008 was the baptism of Eldorado Lubonja. He is 20 years old and presently attending the University of Tirana. He comes from a very prominent family here in Albania. His grandfather was head of Albanian television and fell out of grace with the Communists. The grandfather ended up jailed for many years until the Communists lost power in 1991. Eldorado has been dating Alma Osmeni, one of the young adults who attends the Institute, for 10 months. After his baptism he spoke briefly and said, "An angel brought me to the Church." I was honored to baptize him.

This has been a busy week for Mom and I. We generally walk all around the city of Tirana. This is a city of approximately 700,000 people. Entire tire country of Albania has only 3.5 million people and many are moving to Tirana. It is the only place in the country where people can find work. There are however many beggars on the streets. I took this picture of the old lady with her hand out because it reminded me of Albania. Her hand is in the sun light symbolic of a country where things are still difficult but there is hope. Mom and I visited a high school early one morning because one of Mom's English students asked us to come by and visit her high school English class. The class of approximately 40 students were classic teenagers. The boys all sat in the back and the girls were all in front. They asked us questions about our family. Mom showed them some pictures. We really had a great time and the teacher invited us back.

Mom with student, Dorin and English teacher.

Another picture of a couple of wonderfully painted apartment buildings in Tirana.

Saturday we had an activity night with the Institute students. One of the games we played had boys against the girls. As you can probably figure out the girls were winning and found the boys very amusing.

The highlight of the week was the baptism of Frida Rada a young lady that Mom and I met the first week we arrived here in Albania. I was very surprised when she asked me to baptize her. For the past week I've been memorizing the baptismal prayer in Shqip (Albanian). Trying to get the accent right on words like "autorizuar" is not easy. By the time Sunday rolled around, I had the prayer memorized, but as soon as I stepped in to the baptismal font I forgot everything. But I had planned ahead and posted the prayer by the side of the font just in case. So the prayer was partially said from memory and partially from the posted paper. It was a wonderful experience. What made the evening even more amazing was that after the baptismal service a young man, Eldorado Lubonja, who I had met a couple of weeks ago, asked if I would baptize him this Tuesday evening. So I'm keeping my "posted" prayer handy and getting ready for another baptism. The work moves forward. The joy that I feel from helping these young men and women discover the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be described. That I can play just a small part in all of this is quite amazing to me.