We have been on our mission for almost one year. We went to the MTC June 29th. Dad said that time whizzes by, and that is true. I still count down the days until we return home, but I don't look at the counter daily and I did previously. So we should still survive until March...... if we make it through the summer, that is.
We spent two days in Istanbul. That means that we spent about 11 hours going to the airport, waiting in the airport, flying, departing from airport, and then returning back to the airport, waiting in the airport, flying, and travelling to our apartment. We spent about 8 hours in the Mission Conference. But it is a nice adventure, and Istanbul is cooler than Izmir. We stayed in the villa and had some delicious food there. We also had pizza at the Mission Conference. For some reason, the pizza came with pickles. I ate four.
When we returned to Izmir, our apartment was 95 degrees. That was a warm welcome! Our apartment is on the fifth floor and heat rises around here.... like everyplace else. Even though we had all doors and windows shut, the heat seemed to creep in. The only cool place in our apartment is inside the refrigerator. We requested a walk-in refrigerator from the mission office. They denied my request. It is really hard for dad and me to crawl into our present refrigerator if we want to cool off. But we can if we crunch enough and turn sideways. I'd think if they really want sr couples they should be more accommodating.
I noticed in Dad's email that he didn't mention our trip to Denizli. Denizli is an inland city about 4 1/2 hours away from us. We never use miles, and I don't "get" kilometers, so I know distances better by how long it takes to get there. We've gone to D several times. A few weeks ago an Iranian was baptized there. There are a number of refugees placed there and given jobs in factories. We visited an Iranian family... husband, wife and 16 month old. Since we were visiting they invited us to lunch. They joined the church in Ankara and join us for church via Skype. They invited a neighbor couple to join us. They were also Iranians and have been in D for 7 months. They appear to be interested in the church. We just picked up a Farsi Book of Mormon for them.
As you know Dad is BP of a HUGE area. So that is why we were visiting. We took a taxi to the train station, and bought a ticket to D. It was a 4 1/2 hour train ride. When we arrived in D we took a taxi to the apartment and visited for about an hour. After the visit (I'd taken some little books for the child) we took a taxi to the bus station. Dad had decided that the bus was leaving earlier than the train by one hour. And they serve "food" on buses.... drinks and snacks. A steward pushes a cart up and down the aisle. But by the time we reached home, we'd been busing for 6 1/2 hours. The bus arrived at a distant location, and we had to take two more buses to reach our neighborhood. But we didn't have to wait for the train.. So this trip involved 11 hours of commuting for about one hour of visiting. I guess there is value in that? Be grateful for the short distances you have to travel for your assignments.
Our MP is big on contacting. I think it is interesting that Tanner is also big on contacting. In our area we don't have big membership to count on to give us referrals. He wants our JV's out there contacting like mad. I really applaud those who are able to do that. But I think our JV's do it with good grace and don't seem to be discouraged when they get bashed. I think the unity/harmony/humor in companionships keeps them sane. The MP truly believes there are those out there who are ready for the message. It is a matter of the needle in the haystack.
I "served" snicker doodles this week at church. I also brought nuts and dried apricots. Everyone here loves dried apricots. As you know, we have become less fond of apricots because of the abundance of dead apricots in our back yard. But dad even bought a pack last week. Maybe we'll acquire a taste for them again?
We are gearing up for your YSA Conference this week. It will be five days and include English, Turkish and Russian speakers. Luckily we are not in charge. We have been in charge of lots of stuff, but not the over-all chairman. We were able to get a bargain hotel, but it doesn't have stuff for powerpoint, microphones, etc. But someone else has to worry about that. Where is Roger? It has a tiny elevator and if we all use the elevator, it will take most of the conference time. We expect the temperature to be mostly in the 100's with lots of humidity. It is right next to the Sea. So we'll give you a full report next Sunday when the conference. Since we'll be at the conference next Sunday our Branch will be without us. Last time we were missing they said that the singing sounded like an alley cat choir. So I guess our attendance counts for something.
Julianne sent me a schedule of your activities for the coming week. Good thing she is the event planner. It would have put me under the table. I do hope you will all have a good time together, and be very cautious and safe. WE will be thinking of you.
Love,
Mother
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