Sunday, February 26, 2017

#144 Sunday February 26, 2017 (By Grandma)



I’m enclosing some photos this time.  One photo is of the two bags I carry to church each week.  They contain my i-phone, my cell phone, bose speaker, cookies, corn nuts, napkins, orange slices, apple slices, 15 Turkish hymn books, hymn posters, my purse,  and photo copies of the English hymns we’ll be singing.  Dad leaves earlier and carries an even heavier load with sacrament supplies, laptop, i-pad, and various other equipment like temple recommend books, tithing envelopes, and scriptures.  We walk with these items for about 15 minutes to the hotel where church services are held.

Another photo is of a birthday treat I made for the elders’ birthday.  One of the elders had a birthday this week and I wanted to do something for him.  But then I realized I hadn’t done anything for any of the elders on their birthdays.  So I made up four gift packets and called it a group birthday.  Sometimes the elders are remembered by their families and sometimes not.  I hoped that this would make up the difference.  The treat included a couple of pairs of socks for each elder.  Visitors are required to remove their shoes when they enter homes and even offices.  So holey socks really show off.  I’ve seen a few holes in our apartment.  The socks were hard to find.  They don’t sell them in department stores or shoe shops.  We had to hunt and hunt.

One photo is of cookies I baked for church….snicker doodles.  It took about 4 hours.  I have a small oven and what you see is four batches.  I used to worry that no one would show up for church.  Now I worry that I might not have enough cookies for everyone.  We always have treats after sacrament meeting and before the 2nd hour.  Once in awhile someone else will contribute to the snack. 

The last photo is of some of us in Ephesus.  We are actually standing around a baptism font in St John’s church.  It celebrates the burial place of John, the Apostle.  But we don’t think he was really buried there, because in LDS theology he still lives.  You can see a few MPs.

We received an email today from a counselor in our ward bishopric giving us instructions about our homecoming.  Luckily he told us we can relate some mission experiences and he gave us a time allotment.  I thanked him profusely but replied that we’d both need about an hour for our speeches.  So they can just plan to cancel Primary and SS that day.  I haven’t heard back from him. 

We enjoyed the visit of the Huntingtons yesterday.  They are a Humanitarian couple serving in Ankara.  Ray was a colleague of your father.  It was interesting to hear of the “work” in Ankara.  It is very different from our Branch.  It has a well-established Branch.  We toured Smyrna with them, took a ferry ride, had dinner yesterday, and talked and talked and talked.  As you know I crave someone to talk to.  Your dad listens politely, but I miss "girl" talk.  They spoke in our Branch today and flew back to Ankara.  The MP has the senior couples visiting the smaller branches now and then to offer support.  We’ve visited all of the branches except for the military branch.  That branch is on lock-down and cannot be visited.  But dad gives them a Skype lesson/fireside every other week.

I hope all of you have been well.  Evidently the flu that is hitting has been very serious.  It was what actually caused Joel’s father’s death.  One of my friends was very ill, but was told she couldn’t be hospitalized because she was too young.  She is about 60.  Several in our Orem ward have been ill.  I haven’t heard of any flu in Turkey.

While I’m writing this I hear Farsi in the background.  Our elders skype a number of Iranians and give them lessons.  They have had a number of baptisms, mainly in Ankara.  The elders come to our apartment to Skype.  They teach themselves Farsi.  I can’t imagine learning Turkish, and then also Farsi.  When the elders come they try to give 3-4 lessons while they are here.  And they have many more waiting in the background for lessons.  I gave them dinner today before they started teaching.  These elders are never invited to members’ homes.  We don’t really have any families in the area that they are assigned.  So, I feel for them.  They are good-natured young men and would benefit from a member’s meal now and then.  The other elders in our branch live closer to a couple of families, and they have invited them now and then.  But even they don’t get many invitations. 

This week I helped one of the Branch Presidents write his Branch History.  I’m supposed to be gathering all the histories in our Mission.  I knew this President would have a hard time writing his history and no one in his Branch speaks English.  So I interviewed him and wrote up his 2016 history.  Such things can be very challenging for the small branches in this mission.  Dad wrote up the history for our branch.  I have yet to receive the histories from other branches.  Perhaps they won’t be submitted before we return home. 

Dad is speaking in a fireside this week in Istanbul.  We’ll try to go and come in one day.  It should be a bit of a strain, but we don’t want to waste another day in travelling.  So we’ll catch a plane home at 11:15 PM.  I’ll interview the Istanbul's BP’s wife for an Oran History Interview.  I submit these interviews to the Church History library in SLC via dropbox.

There were two birthdays in our family this week…. Nashelle and Benson.  Karilynne’s oldest and Julianne’s youngest. I hope you saved us a piece of birthday cake.   I think the next birthday will be Scottie.  But I’m getting old, so if I forget any of you, please let me know.

I love you all,


Mother

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