Dear Grandchildren,
Antalya, or Antalia, was the place where the Apostle Paul apparently first came ashore in Asia Minor during his first missionary journey. It is the closest port town from the city of Paphos which lies on the west end of the island of Cyprus, from which place Paul sailed. (I know, you want to know all of this stuff.) Of course, Paul was born and raised a few hundred miles to the east of Antalya, in a town called Tarsus. For one day last week, Grandma and I attended the mission presidents’ seminar for the Europe East Area in Antalya. But we never went to the town. We landed at the airport, were met by an agent (to our surprise), and were driven eastward in a van to our hotel, which was about twenty miles away. We thought that we would have to take a taxi. In fact, we had looked on line about the cost for a taxi from the airport — $31 per person. Just before we walked out of the airport door, there was a fellow holding a sign that said "LDS Church." We strode up to him and he asked, "Mr. and Mrs. Brown?" We sensed that something was up. So naturally we said "Yes." He led us to a van and told us that the driver would take us to the hotel. Which he did. We arrived about a half hour later, were met by some of the EEA staff from Moscow, were given our room keys, were told that the area president wanted us to join the mission president group for lunch, and were then ushered into the room where the fourteen mission presidents and wives were finishing their lunches. The room had a spectacular view of the Mediterranean Sea. It turned out that I knew three of them, besides our own mission president. One, whose bishop I was when he and his wife were newly married, presides over an area larger than the United States with fifty-six missionaries and seven branches. I noticed that he was on his phone several times during our brief stay in that hotel. Amazingly, he has become fluent in Russian during their two and a half years.
Well, I am not fluent in Russian. And I am a long way from mastering very much Turkish. I feel a little better after meeting a minister for a local Christian congregation who has spent ten years in the country and has yet to master much Turkish. Somehow, I suspect, that lets me off the hook a little. Well, very little.
Today we were nine in our Sacrament Meeting with three joining us by Skype. One of the persons was a fellow who came with one of our member women. It appears that he was mostly curious. But another man is a recent convert from another branch, and just last week received the Aaronic Priesthood. So I invited him to bless the Sacrament. It was his first time. He had written out the prayer on the bread and practiced it before coming to the meeting in the hope that he would get a chance to say that prayer. He was really pleased. He works as a security agent on a cruise ship line and is headed out to sea in the next couple of days. Of the three joining us by Skype, one gave a talk from Germany where she is visiting family. The electronics were a little tricky, but it worked out. We could hear her well enough and she had provided a written text for our Turkish speaking translator. All in all, it was a good experience. We shall now evaluate whether we want to repeat this kind of contribution from members who live at a distance. I was encouraged.
Ok, I will tell you what Grandma and I were doing in Antalya. The area presidency, through the mission president, invited me to come and talk to the mission presidents and wives about characteristics of the Savior that they could share with their YVs. So I picked out a number of distinctive elements that I thought were most impressive from the records of the Savior's ministry and made an outline. I sent the outline to the area executive secretary who was to put it into a packet for everyone. But I saw no packets in the room when I was talking. I noticed that the first counselor of the area presidency was typing like mad during my presentation. He came up to me after the meeting and asked whether he could share his notes with the others in the room as a file of information that they could refer to. I said yes. One of the wives, whom we met on a trip to Egypt with the Maxwell Institute, said that she had taken four pages of notes. It was a heady time, with me standing in front of people who represent real consecration in their callings. I also felt humbled to be in their presence. They do exhibit real dedication, far more than I do.
I love you and pray for each of you.
Grandpa Brown
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