#149 "Last Sunday in Izmir" (By Grandma)

Okay, at the risk of being trite "I can't believe the end has come".  Today I spoke in Sacrament Meeting in Izmir, next Sunday I'll speak in Sacrament meeting in Orem.  So many "lasts".  I took a photo of the items I've carried to church each week.  They include Turkish Hymn books, printed copies of hymns, cookies, napkins, other cookies, corn nuts, orange wedges, speaker (bose), marker pens, I-phone, Cell phone, Skittles, and talk.  Someone else will get to carry those items next week.  Dad carries all the sacrament supplies, 2 lap tops, the i-pad, his scriptures, donation envelopes, and anything else he can stuff in his bag.  

Saying goodby is never easy.  As you know this hasn't been the easiest assignment we've ever had.  But leaving is becoming a challenge.  People we've known are saying they will miss us, etc.  We, of course, will miss them.  We've received a few unexpected gifts.  I've given a few gifts away.  I've given crocheted hot pads to about 25 people during our stay, and cookies to a few.  Yes, I know how to crochet and I can make banana-nut cookies.   Because our branch is so small we have ties to all of the members in Izmir.  We've told people we will probably never return to Turkey, but, on second thought, maybe we will.  It would be nice to look into the life here in a couple of years after I've forgotten how much I hate loooooong plane rides.

The four elders who are in Izmir came to dinner today.  I had sloppy joes made with an IKEA turkey roast.  We haven't had beef our entire time here.  WE have felt really close to these elders and will miss them.  One of the elders has been here most of our time.  And most of them will return to BYU so we'll see them in the future.  Unfortunately all of the elders in the mission who had not been accepted to BYU prior to their missions just received rejection letters.   BYU isn't the only place to go to college, but they are all interested in following up on their Turkish language skills, and BYU is developing a Turkish language program.  

After dinner I printed our boarding passes for our trip to Istanbul tomorrow.  We stay in the mission home on Monday night and then go to the airport Tuesday morning at 3:30 AM for our 6:00 AM flight.  We will be with five other missionaries that night.  Seven of us fly away on Tuesday morning.... five from Turkey and two from Kazakhstan.  We are scheduled to arrive in SLC at 14:46 via Paris Flight #DL107  Please check with the airline for delays, etc.  We will not have a working cell-phone. 

Since we've been having Priesthood and RS we have had to rent another room in the hotel.  The men go to the other room.  We are top heavy with men.  Elders are not allowed to contact females, so new converts are almost always men.  We need Sisters here.  The RS lesson today was taught by a sister by Skype.  Those in the room included me, a YSA and an 11 year old girl.  Those on Skype included two German sisters, and an Iranian woman.  The lesson was given in English and translated into Turkish.  In the middle of our meeting three people walked into the room looking for the meeting.  It was two men and a woman.  I told the men where to go, and walked them to the room.  I motioned to the woman to stay in the room with the other two.  She sort of had a snarl on her face.  She didn't look pleased to be with us.  When I returned to the room she was sitting compliantly in our tiny circle, still scowling.  After a few minutes she asked me if she could smoke?  I said she couldn't smoke in the hotel, but she could go outside.  So she went outside.  We didn't see her the rest of the meeting.  Much later she returned, all smiles and told me she was going to come again, and had enjoyed meeting me.  She said all of this in understandable English.  She seemed like a different person.  I didn't tell her I would be gone next week.   So, I wonder if she will show up next week.    We won't be there...

We have stuff all over the apartment ready to throw into our suitcases.  We keep hiding stuff when we have company.  We expect the elders back again in about one hour.  So we'll try to finish everything up tomorrow morning.  

Dad is really OC.  Have you noticed that?  I didn't really notice that until we lived together.  Well, we've lived together for a loooooong time, but we were actually in different orbits.  We've had to share an orbit here.  He really is a fanatically clean person.  And he wants to leave everything in pristine condition for the couple that comes after us.  So, we'll wash the sheets as we are leaving, and change the bedding.  We have had a cleaning lady come occasionally, and he often finds some tiny microscopic flake of dirt that she missed.  Good thing he was pretty busy in his career to not be able to observe the large flakes of dirt in our home.  But he is good at finding shards of glass when something breaks.  And with marble floors things do break.

Well, I'm rambling.  I'm very excited to see ALL of you.

'

Love,

Mother