tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31765318329156332222024-02-02T08:55:42.741-08:00Vargas Family Values At the LDS Chapel in the City of Jerusalem - 2014.Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.comBlogger171125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-78465044025087989392016-02-26T11:18:00.000-08:002016-02-26T11:18:22.079-08:00The Most Wanted<blockquote>By the time I was born my mother already had one son, and he was the apple of her eye - and was till the day she died. No one else ever mattered among my siblings but him. So I knew from the get go that I was just another kid to her, nothing was more important than he was. This is how I remember my place in the family. And even though I was the first daughter that made no difference. Now I know this sounds like I'm jealous and carrying a grudge, but seriously that couldn't be further from the truth, my older brother was THE only child our mother ever had! Let me tell you what I know: Mother was a paranoid schizophrenic, so her ability to create normal, healthy relationships was severely impaired. Of course as a child I didn't know what was wrong, I just knew things weren't right.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Therefore I can truthfully say that I am NEVER found smiling in any of my early photographs EVER. In my early photos I am very somber even as a baby. I'm fairly certain I knew where things stood with my mother even then. It wasn't until I was about 14 years old that I realized she was mentally ill. By the time I was 17 she had been in and out of the mental hospital so many times I couldn't count them. Yet she continued having babies, finally arriving at the number 8 by the time she finished. At the age of 15 I delivered her last child because she was so manic she refused to call for the doctor. I didn't call him until she had already delivered.</blockquote>
<blockquote>This - is - how - my life was ... chaotic!</blockquote>
<blockquote>My mother's parents both knew she was "off" even as a young girl. It appears from everything I've ever heard (from those who knew her best), that she was what people in those days called, "A handful."
</blockquote>
<blockquote>My mother was physically one of THE most beautiful women I've every known. She was able to maintain her figure till the day she died. From what I remember she always dieted and exercised to maintain her figure. I can even remember as a young girl that she hand-made her own makeup because she didn't like the colors available to her. People used to mistake her for my sister, and I was proud of that!</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE0CPSphyphenhyphenz816j0M9A_Kf_Lqq0dbG5DxQTt9U2t-fz7HsgOJ1btkGenVe_JHEXjChzLopI8bh5tE3zR3_oVs6FuQBUGy70y33tNROmP3rqih2TjDKRkuYav1faD2XE-mkzIXrBbRor1k4/s1600/IMG_2950%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE0CPSphyphenhyphenz816j0M9A_Kf_Lqq0dbG5DxQTt9U2t-fz7HsgOJ1btkGenVe_JHEXjChzLopI8bh5tE3zR3_oVs6FuQBUGy70y33tNROmP3rqih2TjDKRkuYav1faD2XE-mkzIXrBbRor1k4/s320/IMG_2950%255B1%255D.JPG" /></a></div> <blockquote> Left - Ann Kirkpatrick Lindgren - My Mother
</blockquote>
<blockquote>Now, even though my life was chaotic there were also good things that happened to me as a child. Like cousins! I'm still in touch with many of the cousins that I grew up with, and they are still very important to me.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Sadly I am no longer in contact with my siblings. That will be addressed in another part later.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Till tomorrow then. . . </blockquote>Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-47470971709123118762016-02-25T11:00:00.000-08:002016-02-25T11:02:59.326-08:00Torn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNF61j2IKgIZpAFMUfu3BEF72b-5ilsjvjV_ejOe5Up9cj26aEnE7OpWjc_jOnQDAnUN5NhO7hAkKI_QH6trtES2ph_4Zn6obDvr32uU1rY5XVXlhSM8U5mlfk9_jwpMFN6kGWziQ72pM/s1600/Ida+Elisaberth+Svensson+Lindgren.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNF61j2IKgIZpAFMUfu3BEF72b-5ilsjvjV_ejOe5Up9cj26aEnE7OpWjc_jOnQDAnUN5NhO7hAkKI_QH6trtES2ph_4Zn6obDvr32uU1rY5XVXlhSM8U5mlfk9_jwpMFN6kGWziQ72pM/s320/Ida+Elisaberth+Svensson+Lindgren.jpg" /></a></div>
<blockquote></blockquote>The picture is of Ida Elisabeth Swensson Lindgren, who was/is my paternal great-grandmother, and who I resemble most in my family.<blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote></blockquote>I have decided to return to blogging as a form of therapy. Ha! I really need to hone my writing skills and use them properly, as in writing my family history. Which history I have promised to my family for years. So within the next few weeks I have committed myself to spend time each day (time permitting) writing little snippets of my memories.<blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote></blockquote>For years I have been plagued by the thought of criticism from my family, especially my birth family. But as I am no longer associated with them I am going to choose to do it my way and write things the way I perceived them, without discretion.<blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote></blockquote>I shall tell my story, my way.<blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote></blockquote>If you happen to come across this blog post - wish me luck, unless you are a disaffected family member, then I advise you to write your own history your own way and let the readers attempt to judge who was right.<blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote></blockquote>Here's to tomorrow's post! Cheers!<blockquote></blockquote>Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-44017023410050808342014-09-24T00:36:00.001-07:002014-09-24T00:36:11.618-07:00Another Doctor VisitSo this time my primary doctor referred me to a surgeon. I saw him today and he made it very clear to me that he would not be willing to perform a hernia repair on me because I am too high risk since I have had more than five hernia repair surgeries. He said only under life-threatening circumstances (i.e. A strangulated bowel) would he consider surgery. He said I am too fat, have hypertension and I have exhausted all surgical options for my health. Basically I am screwed. Death is my only option now! Are any of you listening? This is MediCare in action, or to be precise, ObamaCare! Forget death panels, they now just consign you to extreme suffering and death and have done with you!<div><br></div><div>And for you who think I am being overly dramatic - my husband was with me this time. He heard it all.</div><div><br></div><div>While it's true that I am everything he stated, I still believe I should have an assurance that should I have another episode of a strangulated hernia, as I did six weeks ago, that I should have options. Whatever happened to laparoscopic surgery? That's the least invasive method.</div><div><br></div><div>I decided this afternoon that I will go on and live my life in the best way I know how and let the chips fall where they may! I am not giving up! I want to live! I will not just lay down and die!</div>Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-12946916109291947812014-08-06T17:52:00.001-07:002014-08-06T17:52:45.176-07:00My Health<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Here I am sick again. Another bout with a bowel obstruction. Makes me sad. This time I was blessed not to have surgery, but I was in hospital for three days with an NG tube down my throat into my stomach. No food or water for those three days either. Just Potassium Chloride, straight Potassium and two different antibiotics all being pumped into me rapidly. I was dehydrated within just a few hours after the attack started. Tony was with me every minute of the day except at night while I was sleeping. I am so grateful for that - it was really hard to be in hospital this time. I was given so much morphine and it didn't even touch the pain! And what did I get in return? A freaking major headache! Then the nurse wants me to take Tylenol and puts it in gelatin and tells me to eat it - gelatin melts, but the dry crushed Tylenol sticks to the NG tube and rubs against the side of my throat - ack - such pain!</span></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEz3_Q3bpx5CJHNoYX-AW036XkZFOu_fF1t3a_ATPltJt88D3g56P0282j03qbgMbOwUtuQJNaPRN10mxGndNU5joE7yCqUVsNarjDAegYGpufBt4RRsA7kUDR84d1LkWy33oONRHEOrk/s640/blogger-image-507239367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEz3_Q3bpx5CJHNoYX-AW036XkZFOu_fF1t3a_ATPltJt88D3g56P0282j03qbgMbOwUtuQJNaPRN10mxGndNU5joE7yCqUVsNarjDAegYGpufBt4RRsA7kUDR84d1LkWy33oONRHEOrk/s640/blogger-image-507239367.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plus I'm not allowed to sip water to get the offending junk down! Oy! I choke and choke till I almost die!! So if you think I look bad in the picture, you're right.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">On Thursday night when I went to the ER I thought the pain from the strangulated bowel was horrible, but then after having two injections of Morphine I sat bolt upright on the gurney because the pain had moved to my chest and back and was so excruciating that I couldn't breathe. I felt as though I was going die, I couldn't scream or cry because the pain was so bad. The nurses performed two EKGs on me, which showed I wasn't having a heart attack, however my blood pressure was sky high and remained so until the pain subsided. This was when the ER nurse/practitioner told the nurses to prep me for major surgery and called the surgeon. But when the surgeon came he said no to any surgery until he ran some tests. First a CAT scan was performed, which confirmed the bowel was strangulated. The pain was still horrible as I was taken to radiology to get a complete set of X-rays with dye of my entire digestive system. When the radiology tech rolled my gurney down the hallway to get the X-rays he left me alone in the hallway where i writhed in pain and was moaning, hospital personnel just kept passing me by, not even looking at me, not even asking me why I was lying there all alone. A very unpleasant experience while suffering the tortures of the damned! And scared to death. Then finally, after a long time the technician came for me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After the tests were over the surgeon told me he wasn't going to perform surgery because he was concerned after seeing my test results. He said my insides are complicated and that even though this will happen again that it is best for now to just take one day at a time. So I am.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">What does that mean? I just go on with my life as usual and wait for the next attack. Limbo...</div><br></div>Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0Lancaster Lancaster34.664822 -118.190945tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-90051115908137948402014-01-16T07:51:00.000-08:002014-01-16T07:51:59.767-08:00Post Mission to Cyprus<blockquote>Here we are - home again. WOW! Can we say, "Culture shock?" The adjustments are just beginning. We have been mostly resting and sorting our belongings, trying to find a place to store things.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>We went to COSTCO the second day we were home as there was no food in the house at all. We gave Ramona and Dan and family almost all of our food storage when we left, so we barely had anything available. We stocked up on canned goods since we hadn't been able to grow a garden in the past two and a half years.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>Unbelievable! We sold our BIG house in Los Angeles, CA, moved to a small one-bedroom apartment in Hollywood and divided our time between LA and our new home in Lancaster. Mainly refurbishing and painting and cleaning. We didn't really live here until about a month before we left on our mission. So now everything old is new again! Ha!
</blockquote>
<blockquote>Not hearing Greek spoken or reading any street signs in Greek has been a shock! I keep translating everything from English into Greek, how funny is that?
</blockquote>
<blockquote>I'm certain we will settle in/down fairly soon. The sleep deprivation we experienced while on our mission has taken it's toll on both of us, and we are trying to keep from having any meltdowns in the interrum, until we have recovered.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>We have already eaten a steak dinner at Black Angus and had In N Out Burgers too! The steak dinner tasted like it was made in Heaven! We haven't had any decent beef since we left home, only pork, chicken and fish. Cyprus is the island of pork! And yet they do not have decent hams or bacon at all.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>The fourth night we were home I set out to prepare a lovely enchilada dinner, with rice and beans and salad, but whilst I was toasting the rice in my rice pot it suddenly for no reason EXPLODED! Yes it did! It blew up rice and oil in my face, which also flew all about the kitchen and family room. SCARY! Tony cleaned it all up while I sat on the sofa in a daze. Later I realized I was in shock. My upper body ached so badly from the tension and adrenalin rush I experienced. I am recovered today (the next day), and am a little apprehensive about cooking. Of course today we will go to Walmart and get new pots and pans - I will NEVER use my old ones again! Lesson learned.</blockquote>Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-40750311506235629342013-12-23T11:55:00.000-08:002013-12-26T00:57:38.517-08:00We Are Leaving for Home!<blockquote>Not exactly - that is - leaving for home. We are taking a circuitous route via Israel and England! But we have only four more days till we do leave. A year and-a-half certainly goes by quickly! And we leave with mixed emotions of the highest degree!</blockquote>
<blockquote>We love our mission, and especially the Young Single Adults (YSAs) we have had the opportunity to serve. And we also love the Nicosia Branch members we have had the opportunity to serve! So we are very torn about leaving all those whom we love.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
On the other hand, we have waited all our married lives to get the opportunity to go to Israel and we are really ready to go there! Our dream of a lifetime is soon to come true!</blockquote>
<blockquote>
So let the celebrating begin, we are on our way home! Somebody tell Caroline we are on our way! Goodbye Cyprus.</blockquote>Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-32868741161734091082013-12-02T02:17:00.000-08:002013-12-02T02:22:19.239-08:00The Downward Spiral<blockquote>Well folks - here we go on the downward spiral! We will be in Israel three days after Christmas! All our plane tickets and hotel reservations are confirmed for the two week tour(s) of Israel and England. We have now officially decided we can get "trunky"! Ha! That's the Mormon missionary term for, "I cannot wait, I am going home!" We have so many plans of things to do after we get home:</blockquote>
<blockquote>1. See all our kids and grandkids!</blockquote>
<blockquote>2. Go to Cholo's to eat.</blockquote>
<blockquote>3. Go to COSTCO! Ha!</blockquote>
<blockquote>4. Go to Disneyland!</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Gosh! There are so many things we want to do - I'd be really challenged to write them all down!</blockquote>
<blockquote>At any rate we are winding down with our duties here in Cyprus, and saying our 'goodbyes' to all. This is going to be hard, because as all missionaries do - we have become so attached to the people here!</blockquote>
<blockquote>We can now see that we will never have time to do all we wanted before we depart for Israel. There are so many events scheduled for December.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>First - Our final CES/YSA Conference here in Cyprus, December 2-5. We will be hosting the CES/YSA couple from Athens, Greece and our Area CES Director as well. We will be finishing up all the CES business here on the Island and for Athens too. Neither couple are being replaced. Instead the church is sending one YSA couple to do the work both in Athens and Cyprus. Interesting idea. We'll see how it works out.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Second - The Nicosia Branch Christmas Party, December 14th. Lots of food and fun at the Nicosia Chapel.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>Third - The Nicosia District Zone Christmas Party, December 20th. Again, food, fun and a trip to the retirement center to sing Christmas Carols and read to the residents. Always a lovely party!
</blockquote>
<blockquote>Fourth - The Nicosia Branch Christmas Program and Farewell to President and Sister Vargas. A beautiful program with lots of Scripture reading and Christmas hymns and songs.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>Fifth - The Nicosia Cyprus Branch Missionaries all get together for three days of celebrating. There will be delicious food, games, movies and memories to be made! Maybe a trip to the Troodos Mountains if there is any snow.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>Then on December 28th at 10:30 PM our flight leaves from Larnaca, Cyprus to go to Tel Aviv, Israel! Where we will stay 10 days, then off to England to visit Sister Michelle Wu in Leeds, England, and the Nicholls family in London, England. After five days we will return home on January 11th to LAX Airport via Heathrow Airport in England.
</blockquote>
Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-39960684196612730922013-11-14T03:06:00.000-08:002013-11-14T03:06:04.954-08:00The Biblical Family Tree<blockquote>This is for all the doubters who do not believe one can trace his/her family history back through Davidic lines:
</blockquote>
<blockquote><b>Possible Descendance from Adam and Eve via King David</b>
<i></blockquote>
<blockquote>Each entry is supposed to be the son or daughter of the previous entries. Subentries are used for people with multiple wives.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote><i>Alternatively, consider the Tree of Life website for some "non-biblical" genealogy....</i>
</blockquote><blockquote>
Adam (0-930 after creation, 3760-2830 B.C.E.) and (Chava) Eve. Children: Cain, Abel, Seth, Azura. Genesis 2-5.</blockquote><blockquote>
Seth (130-1042 after creation, 3630-2718 B.C.E.) married his sister Azura. Children: Enoch, Noam. Genesis 5:3.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Enosh (235-1140 after creation, 3525-2620 B.C.E.) married his sister Noam. Children: Cainan, Baraktel, Mualeleth. Genesis 5:7</blockquote>
<blockquote>Kenan (Cainan) (325-1235 after creation, 3435-260 B.C.E.) married his sister Mualeleth. Children: Mahaleel, Rashujal. Genesis 5:9.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Mehalalel (395-1290 after creation, 3365-2470 B.C.E.) married Dina daughter of Barakiel. Children: Jered, Danel. Genesis 5:12.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Jared (460-995 after creation, 3300-2338 B.C.E.) married Baraka daughter of Rachujal daughter of Enoch and Noam Children: Enoch, Azrial. Genesis 5:15. Enoch taken up to heaven and transformed into the angel Metatron (11c. English manuscript)</blockquote>
<blockquote>Enoch/Chanoch (630-1422 after creation, 3138-2773 B.C.E.) married Edna daughter of Danel. While alive Enoch was a shoemaker who was completely devoted to God, and he bound the lower and higher worlds together as he stitched shoes. Bible uses the phrase he was no more instead of he died suggesting that he ascended directly to heaven, accordingly he was transformed into the heavenly scribe, angel Metatron. Enoch is associated with Elijah in Jewish mysticism. Children: Methusela, Barakil. Genesis 5:18.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Methusalah (695-1664 after creation, 3073-2104 B.C.E.) married Edna daughter of Azrial. Children: Lamech, Rakel, Eliakim. Genesis 5:21.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Lamech (882-1559 after creation, 2886-2109 B.C.E.). Genesis 5:25. Noah and Naamah First man to be married twice (with 'Adah and Tsilah). Killed Cain.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Noah (1064-2004 after creation, 2704-1754 B.C.E.) married Naamah (Genesis 4:22) daughter of Tzilah and Lamech son of Methusael son of Mehujael son of Irad son of Chanoch son of Cain. Flood occurred 1664 after creation. Children: Shem (father of Semitic people), Japheth (father of European people), Ham (father of African people).. Genesis 5:28-10:1.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Noah and Naamah Shem (1564-2064 after creation, 2204-1702 B.C.E.) married Sedeqetelebab. daughter of Eliakim son of Methusalah. Shem is identified by Rambam as Malchizedek king of Shalem (=Jerusalem). Children: Arphaxad, Elam, Asser, Loeb, Aram, Gec, Hoel, Gheter, Mechec. Genesis 10:1, 10:21, 14:18-20.</blockquote>
<blockquote> Arphachsad (1666-2069 afer creation, 2102-1664 B.C.E.). Genesis 10:22.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Shelah (1701-2104 after creation, 2067-1634 B.C.E.) married Muak daughter of Kesed. Genesis 10:22.
Eber (Neber) (source of Ivri or Hebrew) (1731-2161 after creation, 2037-1573 B.C.E.) married Melka daughter of Madai son of Japheth. Children: Peleg, Yoktan. Genesis 10:24.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Peleg (1765-1974 after creation, 2003-1764 B.C.E.). The dispersion following the story of the Tower of Babel occurred shortly after Peleg's death. Children: Reu, Kaber. Genesis 10:25, 11:16</blockquote>.
<blockquote>Reu (Ragau) (1795-2002 after creation, 1973-1734 B.C.E.). Genesis 11:18.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Serug (1827-2027 after creation, 1941-1711 B.C.E.). Genesis 11:20. The governor of Ur , who, following the Gutian occupation, founded the 3rd Dynasty of Ur. Children: Ur-Nammu, Ur-Engur, Ur-Nahor.</blockquote><blockquote>
Nahor (1857-1976 after creation, 1911-1763 B.C.E.). Genesis 11:22. Children: Sulgi, Dungi, Terah (Turgi)</blockquote>
<blockquote>Terah (Turgi) (1886-2131 after creation, 1882-1677 B.C.E.) married Amthalah = Amethelo Or Unk. Born Ur Kasdim. Died Charan. Manufactured idols. Children: Haran, Nahor, Abraham. Genesis 11:24-11:32. Abraham and Isaac by Rembrandt Abraham, Sarah and the Angel</blockquote>
<blockquote>Abram (Avram) (b. 1948 after creation, 1812 B.C.E., d. 2123 after creation, 1637 B.C.E.) (changed name to Abraham [Avraham]). First Jew. Brith beyn Habetarim 1996 after creation. Left Charan, 2003 after creation. Entered Canaan (Cna'an) 2013 after creation. Circumcised (first Brith-Milah) at age of 99 (2047 after creation).</blockquote><blockquote>
Some of the details in this section come from Alex FINKELSTEIN falizwim at inter.net.il and his website.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Married (1973 after creation) Sarai daughter of Haran. (changed name to Sarah). Born 1958 after creation, d. 2085 after creation. Child: Isaac.</blockquote><blockquote>
Took Hagar as concubine 2033 after creation. Child: Ishmael (2034-2173 after creation).</blockquote>
<blockquote> Took Keturah as concubine 2088 after creation. Children: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, Shuah.
Genesis 11:26-25:8.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Details from Matthias Storm - Isaac Blessing Jacob Isaac (Yitzchaq) (b. 15 Nisan 2048, d. 2228 after creation, Chevron). First Jew circumcised at normal age of 8 days. Sacrification (Aqeydah) occured 2075 after creation. Isaac married (2088 after creation) Rebecca (Rivcah) (b. 2078 after creation, d. 2207 after creation) daughter of Bethuel. Children twins: Jacob and Esau (Esaw) both born 2108 after creation. Genesis 21-28.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Jacob and Laban Jacob (Ya'acov) (b. 2108 after creation, Canaan, d. 2255 after creation, Egypt, buried in Hebron [Chevron]). Jacob left Canaan and entered Charan 2185 after creation where he worked for his uncle Lavan. On his way there, an Angel changed Jacob's name to Israel. Jacob and his sons returned to Israel. He left with his family to join Joseph in Egypt 2238 after creation.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Jacob first married (2192 after creation) Leah (b. possibly 2164 after creation, d. 2214 after creation) daughter of Lavan</blockquote>.
<blockquote>Children: Judah (b. 15 Sivan 2195 = 1565 B.C.E., d. 2314/2324 = 1440 B.C.E.),</blockquote>
<blockquote>Reuben (Reuven) b.2193-d.2317(1567-1443BC),</blockquote>
<blockquote>Simeon (Shim'on) b.2194-d.2313(1566-1447BC),</blockquote>
<blockquote>Levi (b. 2195 after creation = 1565 B.C.E., d. 2332 after creation = 1428 B.C.E.),</blockquote>
<blockquote>Issachar (Yesaskhar) b.2197-d.2319(1563-1441BC),</blockquote>
<blockquote>Zebulin (Zevulun) b.2197-d.2307(1563-1453BC), and
Dinah b.2198(1562BC). Moishe MILLER moishe at langsam.com claims to be a descendant of Issachar.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Jacob next married (2192 after creation) Rachel (b. possibly 2164, d. 2209 after creation) daughter of Lavan sister of Leah.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Children: Joseph (Yosef) b.2199-d.2309(1561-1451BC),</blockquote>
<blockquote>Benjamin (Beniyamin) b.2208-d.2317(1552-1443BC).</blockquote>
<blockquote>Yathirah was Benjamin's twin sister and died young.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Jacob had two children by Leah's maidservant Bilhah (also daughter of Lavan?):
Nephtali (Nafthali) 2198-d.2331(1562-1429BC),</blockquote>
<blockquote>Dan b.2198-d.2323(1562-1437BC)</blockquote>
<blockquote>Jacob had two children by Rachel's maidservant Zilpah (also daughter of Lavan?):</blockquote>
<blockquote>Gad b.2198-d.2323(1562-1437BC),</blockquote>
<blockquote>Asher b.2198-d.2320(1562-1440BC)
Genesis 25:26-29:33.</blockquote> Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-5323053181754640862013-11-13T01:15:00.000-08:002013-11-13T01:27:37.754-08:00Trunky? You Bet!<blockquote>Today it became official. We are going to fly home from London on 11 January, 2014! We already have our airline confirmations! We received them via email today from the Mission Travel Office in Utah. Very excited and sad at the same time!</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hJAhFMpmtKxiTckiIxdbuRNgh6vYcJQnDmBMs-U28POGENuM3nRqPqU6QWZtak5zz9zLmKZs5Xt5upoC-IMT3xPqhYhangVak43dlsNNJBsDx8kP7cS_wHH5DYetvJZxPs0cm_CHIsg/s1600/59671152.LondonatNight09copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hJAhFMpmtKxiTckiIxdbuRNgh6vYcJQnDmBMs-U28POGENuM3nRqPqU6QWZtak5zz9zLmKZs5Xt5upoC-IMT3xPqhYhangVak43dlsNNJBsDx8kP7cS_wHH5DYetvJZxPs0cm_CHIsg/s200/59671152.LondonatNight09copy.jpg" /></a></div>
<blockquote>We leave Cyprus for Israel on 28 December, 2013 where we will stay for eleven days (two of those days are travel time). After we are finished there we will fly to London for a five day stay, with a stop in Leeds to visit our missionary, Sister Zhang Wu. (AKA Sister Cute!)</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFtg-46N3j9DAuNV8xvA12HsMlGZ4J0xquTj_vmdSnco-X4Y3xDr0DYKRoWxEoKSp5ZM3vy8nCY0j03CwjfnvceBLQKQu_6KsTC5RJGRfrJMwB-Z5UJebHiPBpWeg3jt3GOLo_jyp46c/s1600/Night-picture-of-jerusalem3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFtg-46N3j9DAuNV8xvA12HsMlGZ4J0xquTj_vmdSnco-X4Y3xDr0DYKRoWxEoKSp5ZM3vy8nCY0j03CwjfnvceBLQKQu_6KsTC5RJGRfrJMwB-Z5UJebHiPBpWeg3jt3GOLo_jyp46c/s320/Night-picture-of-jerusalem3.jpg" /></a></div>
<blockquote>All our travel plans to London have been finalized and we are just waiting for our hotel confirmation via our travel group to Israel. We are excited to be included on the Daniel Rona Travel Tour to Israel. Daniel Rona was born in Israel and he and his son Steven are the only LDS tour guides certified to lead tours there. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZMEMYY8r452LRBHKfWdTJ01n74M_INMyVuC8andEjYDvyPSUviGQS7fBnXn-OgYmkIFttxqJK6zC9mLebLOBxd1aIYAxxTF9L7v0Ac2qKhw6WXMyuIDF2DkDP6aDERjhwybN4Z53E2vo/s1600/img-daniel-200x218.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZMEMYY8r452LRBHKfWdTJ01n74M_INMyVuC8andEjYDvyPSUviGQS7fBnXn-OgYmkIFttxqJK6zC9mLebLOBxd1aIYAxxTF9L7v0Ac2qKhw6WXMyuIDF2DkDP6aDERjhwybN4Z53E2vo/s200/img-daniel-200x218.png" /></a></div>We searched diligently to find an LDS group we could travel with and were so fortunate to sign up for this tour, because it was in the exact time frame we needed. The next tour isn't until February, which is long after we were scheduled to leave Cyprus. Plus - the tour that Rona Travel provides is exactly what we want to see, since it is highly doubtful we will ever return to the Middle East. We are very pleased with all this and the way it has turned out. (Daniel Rona - right)</blockquote>
<blockquote>Most of you know we were scheduled to leave the mission on 6 January, 2014, but we were given permission by our mission president to leave two weeks early in order to meet our tour group in Israel and because we were called to serve our mission a month earlier than we had planned. We are also not being replaced by a CES missionary couple, so that makes a huge difference as well.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>We are happy the new YSA couple will be able to take over our new flat that we have been enjoying for several months now. It is truly a find for the price and they will be very comfortable living in it. We also just got our new mission car about a month ago - a brand new Opal Corsa. It isn't even broken in yet, it runs well and after having a seven passenger van for so long we are grateful for the ability to park almost anywhere - which is SO difficult on the Island of Cyprus!</blockquote>
<blockquote>I will probably only make a few more posts here and then I will preserve and close this blog, since we will no longer be serving as missionaries, thus closing a most important chapter in our lives. Thanks in advance to all of you who have followed our blog and been supportive of our endeavors to serve the Lord.
</blockquote>Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-4550136631769272182013-11-05T12:29:00.000-08:002013-11-06T03:54:09.968-08:00Our Mission is Winding Down Now<blockquote>Here it is the end of October 2013 and our mission is winding down. We have done everything and more than we were sent here to do. The blessings have been unbelievable, and our cup runneth o'er! It will be strange not to have the blessings of being full-time missionaries any longer. I hope our health and stamina will continue so we will be able to enjoy our time at home with family and friends. We hope to be able to attend more social functions that we had to miss while we were gone. Re-connecting with our children and grandchildren will be delightful. And we will be traveling quite a bit as well. We have several places we need to visit such as Utah and Arizona, middle California and some other exotic places, such as Oklahoma! Ha!</blockquote>
<blockquote>We have made our plans for traveling in Israel and England and just about have everything set for that. Of course visiting Michelle in Leeds England is a priority, and we may visit a couple of other places as well, we do not know just yet.</blockquote>
<blockquote>In June after Ewa-Solange graduates from high school we will be taking her on a long church history tour as her graduation present. Our present will be to have her all to ourselves to spoil and fawn over. We will never have the chance to have her alone with us for a period of time again, so we really can't wait for this to happen. She may not appreciate it as much now as she will when we have passed on, but we know she will like being with us at least.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>I began this draft around the end of October, since then there have been some major changes in our life. We received an urgent text from Greg one evening (early morning for him) in which he told us Miguel had been admitted to the hospital for chest pains and wasn't doing very well. We waited several hours to hear back from him because it took his doctors quite awhile to complete the necessary tests and to admit him to CCU. It was still several days before we actually knew what happened, and even now, four weeks later he finally has enough information to understand what occurred.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
We know now he actually did have a heart attack, but a major contributing factor to his chest pains was a genetic syndrome called, "Myocardial Bridging". He was put on several major heart medications and after nearly a week was sent home to begin recuperation and to wait for therapy to help overcome the damage to his heart. Now, four weeks later he has obtained a new heart specialist who says he was on all the wrong medications and is not being treated correctly. He has told Miguel he will have now live the rest of his life on a Vegan diet and change his sedentary lifestyle. He has already begun walking the dog (Gus) again. He has returned to work, but his employer is making certain he doesn't have any work overload because of the stress involved.</blockquote>
<blockquote>We are so sorry to see such a mega change in Miguel's life, I mean, whoever dreamed our son would have a heart attack at age 42! And we are so glad his new doctor feels he can help him completely recover and just learn to deal with the "Bridging".</blockquote>
<blockquote>We are also sorry because Miguel and Greg cannot come to Cyprus to join us on our trek homeward. We had such plans to share this Island with them. But Miguel cannot fly just yet because of the stress that it would cause his heart, so he has asked us to go on without them and enjoy our trip to the max and share it with them via pictures and descriptions. So we are going on to Israel.</blockquote>
<blockquote>We will be in Israel for eleven days and then we will travel to England to meet with Michelle (Sister Wu)and visit London for a few days. Then we will go on home to the USA to meet our family and friends once again - which will make us so happy!</blockquote>
<blockquote>We will also be able to spend some time with Miguel and to give him lots of hugs and kisses!!
</blockquote>
<blockquote>We leave for Israel on 28 December, 2013 and expect to arrive back in Los Angeles around 9 January, 2014. Viva Israel!</blockquote>
Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-55603573513189343032013-10-15T03:32:00.000-07:002013-10-15T03:32:10.524-07:00CES Conference in Romania September 2013<blockquote>This conference was very special as there will never be another one. So we are grateful to have had this last experience with our counterparts from many other countries. The church is heading in a different direction for CES and YSA and many of us will be the last of our breed. As for Greece and Cyprus we will not be replaced with CES couples, this has been a source of disappointment for us because of all the great work the Lord has allowed us to do. Both with our YSAs in southern Cyprus and with the others in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. We have been coordinators of the CES effort here on an Island that is divided into two separate nations, and as you know the church is not recognized, nor sanctioned by the TRNC. We have had to go there without wearing our missionary badges and have had to perform our duties quietly and have been made to sorrow for the YSAs there without any connection to the church except though us. It has been one of THE most remarkable experiences of our lives together.
</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLn_Fz-VtFXdkpQLskp7TrnY9vvwsUXUG30A85GHfq_QoiQHy41089CgeJmK8XUlg42gaxBMiA8KEkgWrAQ_dU_-8jhn2ZsJAV4X31p3PAfArsJYk_RLZ_TaU-GQVWQNDRfqRM_enKQ6U/s1600/DSCF0846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLn_Fz-VtFXdkpQLskp7TrnY9vvwsUXUG30A85GHfq_QoiQHy41089CgeJmK8XUlg42gaxBMiA8KEkgWrAQ_dU_-8jhn2ZsJAV4X31p3PAfArsJYk_RLZ_TaU-GQVWQNDRfqRM_enKQ6U/s320/DSCF0846.JPG" /></a></div>
<blockquote>I will not attempt to identify those in the picture because they will have no meaning to anyone but us - but you can see us clearly. Our time spent together was remarkably spiritual, and the bonds we've made as missionaries in the great CES program of the church has been phenomenal. We shall never forget one another, we are linked together forever now.</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWdEV6oFxLDsusEjfSZt3-8S47zxULAhn79pvGUDGk-lw47g5lCmR1P3FRtrm0-SIrf7mTCd31M_KowJSMjtyR4x48dNt3QSqOQnoeiQDj5h72mxu2KALKh8hz0W7Fl_iw0wKzshDBVo/s1600/DSCF0856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWdEV6oFxLDsusEjfSZt3-8S47zxULAhn79pvGUDGk-lw47g5lCmR1P3FRtrm0-SIrf7mTCd31M_KowJSMjtyR4x48dNt3QSqOQnoeiQDj5h72mxu2KALKh8hz0W7Fl_iw0wKzshDBVo/s320/DSCF0856.JPG" /></a></div>
<blockquote>None of us will be replaced, and that in itself is sad to me. But when the Lord's leaders take us in a different direction it is always better, we just have to wait and see what will come.</blockquote>
Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-57908455238310657212013-09-11T11:42:00.000-07:002013-09-11T11:42:39.338-07:00The Long, Hot Summer!<blockquote>We are finally saying goodbye to our last long, hot summer in Cyprus. The early mornings and evenings are cooler, but it is still very hot during the day time. We are grateful for the bit of rest from the heat. Today was spent sitting at home waiting for the the car rental agency mechanic to come and check out our car - this time it is very serious, the brakes have gone. We have had to have two new alternators put in the car, four new tires and countless other mendings. Apparently Avis Car Rentals finally felt we have a lemon and gave us another car to use permanently, a KIA. However, we will be receiving a brand new car (not from Avis - rather, Church owned) sometime this month. It will be CES issue, so it is a micro-mini car - an Opal Corsa. But it will be useful for the next few months we are still here.</blockquote>
<blockquote>In fact - we leave our mission here on January 9, 2014 - less than four months from now. Unbelievable!! My how it has flown! We are happy to have been here, and we will be happy to be reunited with our family and friends, and to sleep in our own bedroom, and use our own things again. But I'm certain we will leave here with very mixed emotions. We love the Island and all the people, but being out of the USA this long has been taxing on our wallet and our emotions. We long for familiarity and the modern life-style we live there. Here, in Cyprus, life is very slow and very behind the times. I always compare it to about the 1980's in America. Except the bathrooms are late 1920's! Ha!</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2bjv7vc1g3aI0rzdUVnYnQLb_JpYDHQ3jrDTaeCmV074V2YQyBUeQRq3PV25MNiGk_hq8SPjxZBoZGaa2Pug7cI2G_BAr1uDTsjgRlhhgJ_s_g4imOIX_ViVEvYAK_efmLRsr3sVNHY/s1600/IMG_0563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2bjv7vc1g3aI0rzdUVnYnQLb_JpYDHQ3jrDTaeCmV074V2YQyBUeQRq3PV25MNiGk_hq8SPjxZBoZGaa2Pug7cI2G_BAr1uDTsjgRlhhgJ_s_g4imOIX_ViVEvYAK_efmLRsr3sVNHY/s320/IMG_0563.JPG" /></a></div>
<blockquote>The water on the Island is very salty and hard to deal with, it pits all the chrome fixtures in our flat and doesn't taste all that great. The water is safe to drink out of the tap here, but we still use bottled water for drinking purposes, as it is much more palatable.</blockquote>
<blockquote>People here are having such a hard time economically that they rarely smile, and their heads are always down in thought. With the banks crashing this past year almost every small business has folded, and many have left the Island to find work elsewhere, as there is none here. Many city folk have left the larger cities and gone back to their home villages just to survive. There they can fish, grow gardens and live without electricity. The cost of living in Cyprus is very high, and what you get in return is very small.</blockquote>
<blockquote>We will leave Cyprus soon, but Cyprus will never leave us! We are inseparably intertwined with this lovely country, the people, the customs, the language and the food. We shall never forget our time here and the great opportunity we have had to serve the Lord's children in this area of His Kingdom on Earth.</blockquote>Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-83889989077089235322013-06-26T12:30:00.001-07:002013-06-26T12:30:24.564-07:00So Much Going OnThere is so very much going on in our lives that I find it difficult to journal it all. I don't feel inspired to share everything about our mission, and we both post a lot of pictures on Facebook because it is easier than doing it on our blog.<div><br></div><div>We have now entered the long hot Cypriot summer season, so we will complain vehemently about it. Summer in Cyprus is nearly unbearable. We stay indoors and avoid the heat as much as possible. At the end of each day I feel like I have taken a bath in Kool-Aid. (You remember spilling it n the floor as a kid and it stayed sticky for a week even though you washed the floor thoroughly?)</div><div><br></div><div>Our work takes us to the north most days, and we travel so much in doing this. We have students/members who are very isolated from the church because they cannot cross the border and enter the south to attend with us. For them our visits are crucial, since they have no other contact with the church.</div><div><br></div><div>We are friends with them on Facebook and we have Skype sessions with them as well. But it's not the same as participating in church meetings and activities. We all long for the day when an agreement is arranged to allow the missionaries to freely proselyte in the north. We are fairly certain this will not happen in our time here, and now we only have six months left of our mission, so we aren't certain if we are making an impact - just to leave abruptly. This is the hard part. We love all our members of the church, and we are particularly drawn to those in the north because of their inability to fellowship with all the saints here on the Island.</div><div><br></div><div>There is the dilemma - the fact of the short time we have here. We'd need to stay a lifetime to really finish the work, but we are only called for a very short period of time.</div><div><br></div><div>Below are pictures of camels that we visited as a Zone activity a couple of weeks ago. Interesting.</div><div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05QB-8s6jbp0386ToaeOGYO-wOKOlKhkQRh9nWXWKuVUXyt9oLpydFgt-HPkGMTdKteE2jRyMFW_hA0UWYXVq8Xaxb1FgT4iaeYH3252vCr3XfhPuiAD0wuIFuLmbyeqHBNO7XYBVuVU/s640/blogger-image-1655595623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05QB-8s6jbp0386ToaeOGYO-wOKOlKhkQRh9nWXWKuVUXyt9oLpydFgt-HPkGMTdKteE2jRyMFW_hA0UWYXVq8Xaxb1FgT4iaeYH3252vCr3XfhPuiAD0wuIFuLmbyeqHBNO7XYBVuVU/s640/blogger-image-1655595623.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The camels were shedding their warm winter fur, and their coats looked like when sheep are sheared.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These are dromedary camels, so they only have one hump. I was not adventurous enough to ride them, although other senior couples did.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I trust all is well at home. We are excited that our grandson Josh left today for the Provo MTC (Missionary Training Center), where he will live for the next nine weeks as he is trained to speak Mandarin Chinese. He will be serving in Calgary, Canada among the Chinese people, we are very pleased he has accepted this call, and we know he will excel in the work.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9gKpRlciKPKfAAaaFQw6mznBYfWXH-x_Pl2ZLtda0EvyuOpa6DLXX8jeBeWFOT0giwZGGQf42SSbSfgZ1TJpSrH3-GNsoVdNqYcRb3O5ilXmEy6ywgJRKZ95z4zkTmwKYv76QIUoRPA/s640/blogger-image-821881629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9gKpRlciKPKfAAaaFQw6mznBYfWXH-x_Pl2ZLtda0EvyuOpa6DLXX8jeBeWFOT0giwZGGQf42SSbSfgZ1TJpSrH3-GNsoVdNqYcRb3O5ilXmEy6ywgJRKZ95z4zkTmwKYv76QIUoRPA/s640/blogger-image-821881629.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Our daughter Ramona made this wonderful missionary shirt and tie cake for Josh's farewell. He is pictured here with seven of his siblings who are very pleased for his example to them. He certainly has a large cheering section at home.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We know God will bless him in his work in teaching and preaching the Gospel in Calgary among our Chinese brothers and sisters.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div></div>Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-21606384570085096602013-03-25T08:39:00.001-07:002013-03-25T08:43:53.188-07:00Easter in CyprusI have not had time to blog about our mission lately, and I apologize, but I am going to make some time right now to share with you all how Easter is celebrated on this lovely Island. Byzantium reigns here, especially during Easter season. The world celebrates Easter on a different day/month than do the Orthodox. It is THE highest Holy Day in the Orthodox faith, far more prominent than Christmas. It is begun with a 40 day fast from meat. Even fast food places such as McDonald's serve veggie burgers and fish during the 40 days of Lent. Here is the timeline for the celebration, which lasts the whole month of May this year.<br />
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Easter Celebration in Cyprus<br />
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Easter is the most sacred of all holidays in Cyprus. According to the Greek Orthodox tradition, this year we are celebrating it in May. During this Holy Week, Cypriots will come together to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ with religious rituals, sumptuous feasts, singing and dancing.<br />
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The Easter celebrations begin on the Saturday of Lazarus (the day before Palm Sunday) when children go from door to door, singing the ‘Lazaros’ and collecting eggs and money.<br />
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On the morning of Palm Sunday, churchgoers are given crosses made of palm fronds, which they take home and keep on their icon-stands for the rest of the year.<br />
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From the Monday onwards, fasting and reflection in the day lead up to the Passion of Christ in the evening.<br />
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Tuesday is devoted to scripture reading and on the Wednesday, the faithful are anointed with holy oil or a spring of oregano – a herb which is believed to have healing powers.<br />
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On Easter Thursday there is the grand ceremony of the dying of the eggs. This custom dates back to Byzantine times when a ring-bread was baked with a red egg in the middle. The red eggs symbolise the resurrection of Christ: the egg stands for the birth of new life and the colour red represents the blood of Jesus. The eggs are then put on display until Easter Sunday.<br />
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Good Friday is a day of mourning for the death of Christ. This is the time to serve special soup, made from lettuce or lentils, and sesame paste and vinegar (in memory of the vinegar Christ was given to drink on the cross). Sweet foods are avoided and it is considered a sin to work with a hammer or nails or to sew on this day.<br />
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On the evening of Good Friday the procession of the Epitafios takes place. The Epitafios represents Christ’s funeral and a decorated bier is carried around the streets, followed by a band or choir, cantors and clergy, women carrying myrrh, scouts and guides and the local people. It is a wonderful sight to behold as all along the route flowers and perfumes are thrown onto the Epitafios.<br />
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On Holy Saturday the food for Easter Sunday is taken to the church and blessed by the priest. At midnight, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrated. This is considered one of the most important rituals of the year. Bells are rung and candles are lit from the Holy Light inside and outside of the churches.<br />
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In the evening, the traditional supper is served which includes traditional Easter bread and a special lemony lamb soup called Magiritsa, followed by Flaounes – special cakes made of local cheese, semolina, sultanas, mint and yeast wrapped in pastry.<br />
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The big focus of the holiday is Easter Sunday, when families make their way to church for the service. The Lenten fast is finally broken after the Easter Sunday service. Families gather together to crack the red-dyed eggs before eating them and to wish each other with the words ‘Jesus has risen’ to which the traditional reply is ‘Yes he has’. It’s said that the person with the last remaining uncracked egg will enjoy good luck throughout the year.<br />
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On Saturday 4th May, firewood will be gathered in the chapel courtyard ready for the evening, when the effigy of Judas will be burned on the lambradja (bonfire) to symbolize his punishment for the betrayal of Christ.<br />
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The evening will climax dramatically when the church lights are put out and then relit to the ringing of the bells, to symbolize Christ’s resurrection.<br />
<br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT98Gs-7iEMgK0SDUYVUJ6OKKQ0md-2tDo-xa6MjLlLhk0pufFFSAI7lYYuJJ3TTCVNWOt4tyF1Eesgh2pgIGQRuNnotF0qSiK4FZuEU6_5N2bendwW1RPcHcLzrk5nui5DnSt5lJRHc4/s640/blogger-image-1519743340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT98Gs-7iEMgK0SDUYVUJ6OKKQ0md-2tDo-xa6MjLlLhk0pufFFSAI7lYYuJJ3TTCVNWOt4tyF1Eesgh2pgIGQRuNnotF0qSiK4FZuEU6_5N2bendwW1RPcHcLzrk5nui5DnSt5lJRHc4/s640/blogger-image-1519743340.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm24NKoY_AsXwLZWf2x5yirLiuUGfZaRGscXGNREE_kgql-iBbfkQaoDbFnAvnivP__YID73O4pXwfaPRBhhiGESiJmOywRRRj0NmjvWjejBfqbd2eyeJ6oGr4tIClb1XE0mtLoYnrYis/s640/blogger-image-1602702492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm24NKoY_AsXwLZWf2x5yirLiuUGfZaRGscXGNREE_kgql-iBbfkQaoDbFnAvnivP__YID73O4pXwfaPRBhhiGESiJmOywRRRj0NmjvWjejBfqbd2eyeJ6oGr4tIClb1XE0mtLoYnrYis/s640/blogger-image-1602702492.jpg" /></a></div>Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com1Nicosia Nicosia35.158785 33.359978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-61765406555284857262013-02-15T06:08:00.000-08:002013-02-15T06:08:56.198-08:00Life Is Full of Change!<blockquote>We are now in our seventh month as missionaries on the Island of Cyprus in the Middle East in the Mediterranean Sea! Our lives are very busy, as you know. However, last Sunday before we began the Nicosia Branch Conference President Freestone called Elder Vargas to be the new Nicosia Branch President. The previous president unfortunately lost his job here and has to return to the states by the end of this month. We are sorry for their loss and all the upheaval of moving internationally, certain the Lord will direct their lives for good and plant them where they are needed now. Due to this new calling our lives become just a bit more complicated. We already have enough work to do, and our workload was due to increase as we are implementing another Institute class in Limmasol on the 23rd of this month. We will have to teach it once-a-month until the Limmasol branch president can call and sustain another teacher for the branch. Our YSA group has grown tremendously in the past few weeks because the Limmasol YSAs have been attending our Friday night activities. Two weeks ago we had 26 in attendance with nine of them being investigators. We know the Lord will strengthen us to carry this burden and mainly it is a matter of time-management. We will have to carefully arrange our schedule in order to accomplish everything necessary. This call will last only until Elder Vargas can train another priesthood bearer to assume the responsibility - we are hopeful it will happen quickly.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Our dear friend and YSA, Michelle Wu is currently in the process of preparing to receive a mission call. We have given her all the Temple preparation classes and will begin teaching her the Missionary preparation lessons next week. We are excited to be part of this phase of her life and love her very much. The Lord has blessed her tremendously since she has come here, especially in finding the church and being baptized. Her progress has been nothing short of spectacular!</blockquote>
<blockquote>We continue ever faithful to the Lord and His commandments, and feel the many blessings we have received are because of our firm commitment in the faith.</blockquote>
<blockquote>If you have not already pledged your time, talents and all you are blessed with to the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ then I implore you to do so. You will never be disappointed.</blockquote>
<blockquote>With much love - until the next time.</blockquote>Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-7679569060580976532013-01-27T06:14:00.000-08:002013-02-05T05:43:42.493-08:00Some Information<blockquote>My dear readers, I have chosen to inform you of two things. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have been for 50 years now. I am not a sometime follower of my faith, I have served in our church for 42 years in every capacity possible, and have served along side my husband as he has served as well. Our children were reared in the faith, and it is sad to us that only one of them has chosen to follow it as well. This does not mean we have abandoned our children or demanded them to return to our faith, quite the opposite. One of the major tenets of our faith is everyone has agency. Agency to choose their own path and make their own way in life, because we teach "God will force no man to heaven." I do not nor have I ever required any of my friends or family members to be members of the church. And because we are currently on the Island of Cyprus in the Middle East serving as missionaries does not mean I preach the Gospel in every post on this blog. However, the time has come that I must.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9jv0RQ8-8jUrWffGJShRtn9sGq3fZwHKYl4cr32khkrq91Vuu0tpJaZwXpkghseTgENBB6QQiWyJ4jAZ3Veoji96d6eWTGpsPkSk70LifZn-4I7ANMVG39f4bIMeDnwwR66Qa6CAcJA/s1600/IMG_0940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="239" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9jv0RQ8-8jUrWffGJShRtn9sGq3fZwHKYl4cr32khkrq91Vuu0tpJaZwXpkghseTgENBB6QQiWyJ4jAZ3Veoji96d6eWTGpsPkSk70LifZn-4I7ANMVG39f4bIMeDnwwR66Qa6CAcJA/s320/IMG_0940.JPG" /></a></div>
<blockquote>If you do not want to read my testimony, then don't. I will not take it personally. But if you are really interested in me, my husband and our family then you must know I shall always bear testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel.
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<blockquote>Elder Vargas and I serve as Church Education Service (CES) Missionaries and directors of the Young Single Adult (YSA) program on the Island. We co-ordinate the Seminary and Institute programs in the four major cities here. We teach Seminary and Institute classes here, and Elder Vargas is second counselor in the Nicosia Branch Presidency. I play the piano when needed and teach in Relief Society (the church women's organization) when called upon as well. We also teach and preach investigators right along side the young Elders as well. We love our work. It is challenging, tiring and absolutely fulfilling. We love working with the young Elders here, they are a total inspiration to us! They sacrifice everything to go out into the world for two years to preach the Gospel, as do we.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeuPvA5Osr5vQULt3eXIfk76nC-jzKXI50Tvv3CLMlUZanwE6057maPzwiQvtvrDCjwpDElC_j_6DbAAlbkBJOHHmQBiCaONcaIUqb9B7H60Yzt57zqF-YY9U0whYNdt0ggqc0s_OpgPM/s1600/IMG_0936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="239" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeuPvA5Osr5vQULt3eXIfk76nC-jzKXI50Tvv3CLMlUZanwE6057maPzwiQvtvrDCjwpDElC_j_6DbAAlbkBJOHHmQBiCaONcaIUqb9B7H60Yzt57zqF-YY9U0whYNdt0ggqc0s_OpgPM/s320/IMG_0936.JPG" /></a></div>
<blockquote>We know our service is necessary. The youth of our church are some of the most valiant individuals on the earth presently. They can now serve missions at the age of 18 (young men) and 19 (young women). Here on the other side of the world the missionaries have been serving at the age of 18 for years. Only in the states were missionaries sent out at age 19 (young men). And now that this has changed we will see a new spurt in the growth and strength of the church. We are excited at the prospect of it all!</blockquote>
<blockquote>I want you to know that Joseph Smith was/is a prophet of God. He translated the Book of Mormon while under the influence and power of the Holy Ghost. He restored the ancient Church of Jesus Christ which includes, prophets, apostles, evangelists and all other appendages necessary for the salvation of mankind. He lived for Jesus Christ and he died in Jesus Christ. He was a martyr and gave his life's blood to bring the world the truth. His successors have also brought the truth to God's children, and the present leader of our church, Thomas S. Monson is likewise a prophet, seer and revelator. I am proud to be a member of this church and especially to be counted among the numbers of missionaries who are teaching and preaching the salvation of the Lord. We are preparing the world to usher in the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is God's handiwork and will bring us closer to God than anything available on this earth. I have read it many times and have prayed to know that it is true - and it is. I want it said that I make no apology for being a member of God's church. I do not spend time denegrating other faiths, nor do I want to. If you already believe in Christ then all the better! Come and listen to what we have to say and we will bring you more of His truth.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>I DO NOT worship Joseph Smith nor Moroni, they were prophets. I worship the one true and living God and His Son, Jesus Christ - Savior of the World! I believe in the power of the Holy Ghost, the third member of the God Head, he is my close and ever-present friend, my comforter; and he testifies always of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>If you want to know more about our Savior then contact The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and ask for the missionaries to come and teach you. You will not be disappointed.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Now, may the Lord always bless and keep you in all that you do and say, and may He bless and keep your precious families well and safe. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.</blockquote>Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-63502194508087343122012-12-19T03:54:00.001-08:002012-12-19T03:54:37.837-08:00Salamis in Northern CyprusWe have travelled to Salamis three times since we have lived on the Island. Salamis is located east of Famagusta in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. We love to go there because it is said that it is the place where Paul the Apostle first set foot on Cyprus. There is a special feeling when we stroll throughout the ruins there. It takes at least two visits to view all the ruins as it was a very large city in it's day. In about 300-400 AD there was a great earthquake there which left the city in ruins. The really neat feature about this archeological site is we are free to walk among the ruins, sit upon them and touch them! The Turkish government has done very little to preserve the site. It would prove extremely costly and time and labor intensive as well. The beauty of the inlaid mosaic streets and marble colonnades is incredibly well-preserved. Below you will view many of the pictures I took while there the last time (about a month ago).<br />
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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0z2_PwTMlVUrTd253_x8SZemImWzQ0sO4ANk-Lov7LMVnXuYhP8tAONQ5Vc7LOA-d27n7BwjHVB0FXkQcRbIXYluG0vNYXepxZvXGoONT1fatTsIKB5ep876j73Q5BEXZt9NbdSNQOA/s640/blogger-image--827068776.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0z2_PwTMlVUrTd253_x8SZemImWzQ0sO4ANk-Lov7LMVnXuYhP8tAONQ5Vc7LOA-d27n7BwjHVB0FXkQcRbIXYluG0vNYXepxZvXGoONT1fatTsIKB5ep876j73Q5BEXZt9NbdSNQOA/s640/blogger-image--827068776.jpg" /></a></div>Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-27773993446319972272012-12-18T14:04:00.001-08:002012-12-18T14:04:26.714-08:00Christmas 2012 In CyprusWe have truly learned to appreciate living in Cyprus during the Holidays! Since 98% of the population profess the Orthodox faith there are NO restrictions on street decorations and every store has three or more Christmas trees in the windows! There is no shortage of nativities either, it is amazing! There are even HUGE menorahs on the sidewalks in all the major cities as well. Not Christian I know, but festive none-the-less. Everyone says "Καλά Χριστούγεννα", or Merry Christmas! Even at the gas station!<br />
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Even in the foyer of our apartment building are Christmas decorations!<br />
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<blockquote>When we arrived in Athens it had been raining on and off and everything was quite wet, but we believed we would be able to enjoy the city/country even so, and we were not disappointed.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Driving into the city of Athens is really like driving into any metropolitan city in the world. Lots of people, lots of traffic, and lots of cars.</blockquote>
<blockquote>We left the airport in a van driven by Elder Clark who is a senior missionary from Canada. His wife was born/raised in Australia and works in the Athens Mission Office. Elder Clark is very humorous and outgoing, a delight to be with. Sister Clark is quick and sharp and knows everything about everything you need to know! Ha!</blockquote>
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<blockquote>Elder Clark drove us to President and Sister Freestone's home in Athens where we met with all the other Greece Athens Senior Missionary Couples. A lovely buffet luncheon was served and we then convened for a meeting, which lasted the better part of the day. We then all piled into cars and met for supper at a local Athenian Restaurant call, "Three Pigs". The food is of course authentically Greek and very enjoyable. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After supper we departed with Elder and Sister Maxwell to go to their home which is very deep in the city of Athens. After we arrived we chatted for a bit and then went to our room and to bed. We were very tired because we had gotten up at 4 AM to make it to Larnaka in time for our 7:40 AM flight to Athens. (President and Sister Freestone (left) with Elder and Sister Christensen below.)</blockquote>
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<blockquote>
The next day we all met together to divide up couples in vehicles to go to Mars Hill for a special testimony meeting. Okay here I'm over my head in ways to describe my feelings of being on Mars Hill. Whilst we were bearing testimonies down below us were young people protesting the Greek government in a park. Their shouting was a little disturbing, but since we had nothing to fear we pressed on with our meeting. Just being on that rock where Paul once stood and testified of the Lord was so overwhelming. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(Ascending Mars Hill with the Acroppolis in the background.) And believe me, Mars Hill is just a BIG rock, and behind it is the Acroppolis rising above the entire city in splendor. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Seeing those ancient ruins from Mars Hill is something I shall never forget. After our testimony meeting we said goodbye to President Freestone (Sister Freestone did not come with us.) and pressed on up the hill to the Parthenon, et al.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
To ascend the hill to the Acroppolis is a medium hard climb - and good walking shoes are a must. At each level of the Acroppolis there are sights which are unbelievable - the theatre being one of them. I don't remember how many it seats, but it's HUGE! (From above the theatre - senior couples to the right.) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is still used upon occasion for concerts/plays, etc., even though it is thousands of years old. The stonework is still very beautiful. Although if I were to go there for an event I would definitely take a thick sittable cushion, cold stone and human backsides don't work well together. Ha!</blockquote>
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Part 3 is next - stay tuned!</blockquote>
Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-62736689029515297962012-11-07T05:56:00.000-08:002012-11-07T05:56:16.984-08:00Athens, Greece Finally!In this post I will attempt to write notes about all the pictures I post here and make comments regarding what we learned in Athens about their ancient civilization and their current state of affairs. To be fair I only write what I have observed or was told concerning current Athens - all or part may be true. You the reader can read online about current Athens. You are also welcome to make comments that may be pertinent to my remarks, etc.
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We arose early in the morning (4 AM) in order to catch our shuttle to the Larnaka Airport to make our flight to Athens (Athena). I tried to sleep on the 1 hour and 10 minute flight, but to no avail. I was far too excited. There are currently four couples assigned to the Greece Athens Mission on the Island of Cyprus, we were all invited to go to Athens to meet with the other senior couples in Greece for a 'Senior Couples Conference'. Three couples stayed in the mission home, we were invited to stay with Elder and Sister Maxwell <b>(pictured below)</b> who far out in the suburbs of Athens. The Maxwell's are from Ireland and are an absolute delight to know. We are very thankful for all their kindnesses to us while they hosted us.
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<blockquote>After we arrived at the Athens Airport we rode back to the Mission Home with Elder Clark and two of the other missionary couples. Elder and Sister Watson had arrived the same week to begin their mission and so they rode with President Freestone (our Mission President) so they could become better acquainted.</blockquote>
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As we entered the City of Athens I began to take pictures out the van window:
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As you can see in this photo there is graffiti on the fence - it is on almost every flat surface in the city, and they don't paint it off!</blockquote>
<blockquote>Our first view of the 1896 Athens Olympic Stadium while driving into Athens
from the airport. I really felt a chill when I saw this - I have ever wanted to see it up close and personal. Let me tell you a short story about this stadium: It is built upon the original grounds of the first stadium, which was built in 776 BC - that's right BC! When the stadium was being built the contractors ran out of time before the Olympic games started, so they had to build wooden bleachers on one of the sections to accommodate the patrons. The stadium is all completely built of Pentelic Marble - that's right the whole place! Everything you walk on or sit on is MARBLE, except the track! This is the end of the first installment of this part of our trip. More tomorrow.
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Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-8573888052351732402012-10-13T02:12:00.000-07:002012-10-13T02:48:15.360-07:00This and ThatToday I have some time so I am going to blog about this and that - whatever comes to mind, hopefully with some pictures to boot! Here's a picture of a interesting traffic sign on Leoforos Kennenty. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<blockquote>First of all let me tell you about my recent health concern. After several days of being really sick with what I thought was the flu I finally called our doctor here. She is called Dr. Lucy because her name is difficult for non-natives. She is married to a Cypriot and has two children. She is also an American born and raised in New York - accent and all! I LOVE and adore her, she is a real person and cares about all her patients. I consider her more than my doctor, she is also my friend. We struck up our friendship almost immediately upon meeting one another. We had to visit her after we first arrived in Cyprus because we were struggling to make Cyprus Immigration happy with our medical papers so we could get our visas to live here. One is allowed to live in Cyprus for only 90 days, then one must have a Cypriot Visa in order to remain a legal citizen.</blockquote>
As I stated before I was really sick and called Dr. Lucy for help. She told me to meet her at the hospital emergency room so she could assess my illness. Now mind you - this was the week when we were without a car, since Tony had to return ours because the lease ran out and our mission president didn't want to renew it. (Our New Car - an Opal 7 passenger) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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He was negotiating with another company to provide us with another car. Consequently Tony had to call a taxi to take me to the emergency room at Aretheion Hospital in Strovolos, a bit of a distance from our flat. When we arrived at the hospital I was struggling so hard to walk and could barely hold up my head I was so weak. I also was having trouble thinking and holding my eyes open. When I told Tony I was calling Dr. Lucy I told him, "I feel as though I am dying." <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Little did I know how close to the truth that statement was. Dr. Lucy met us right away and she had me put into an examination room immediately. She decided to keep me in the emergency room for awhile to keep an eye on me and to pump me up with a Ringers IV with potassium. She told me I was having an electrolyte "crash". About half an hour later I was feeling somewhat better, but when I tried to get up to walk I couldn't do it. So she decided to admit me to the hospital for further treatment.
She then sent me to a doctor who is a nephrologist at the hospital his name is kind of difficult to pronounce, it is - Dr. Efthyvoulos Anastassiades. Is that a mouthful or what? But I liked him immediately. He is THE most thorough doctor I've ever met. Right away he started asking me questions that lead to some answers that only I had known all my life. I have been having symptoms of an illness called 'Familial Mediterranean Fever'(FMF) all my life. I kept saying to myself, "How does he know this?" His questions lead to an almost certain diagnosis of FMF. He was asking me about my family and what was their origin. Of course he could see by looking at me I am of northern European descent, and I told him my father's family were all Scandinavian.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Then he asked, "By any chance was my mother Scottish?" I said yes, with English and a tad of Portuguese. BINGO! He asked if I knew about FMF, I said yes I did because I have a couple of cousins who have been diagnosed with it and two others who have been diagnosed with Thalessemia as well, both diseases are exclusively found in descendants of people who are from Eastern Europe as well as the Middle East. He said he was fascinated by this because I am an American by birth. Then he asked me how long I'd been having fevers and stomach pain, I told him all my life. I cannnot remember not having these symptoms. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(Our friend, Christina came to visit me at the hospital and brought treats for my visitors - here she's enjoying one of the goodies she brought.) Okay - so the upshot of all this is I have to be tested at the Neurologic Institute here in Nicosia, the only place in the whole world where they have experts on this malady. Can you believe it? And we got sent to Cyprus on our mission. There are 14 original genetic markers for FMF, but more than 150 more have since been discovered, so even if I don't test positive for the first 14 that will not mean I don't have the disease. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(Christina also brought me this lovely bouquet of roses.) I will be given the medication used to control the disease, and if it works - then I definitely have the disease. Because the medication will not work if I don't have it. I am excited at the prospect of finally finding a way to be alleviated from these symptoms and constant episodes of being laid out flat for a week unable to function.
<blockquote>This time the disease really tore me up inside and caused a complete electrolyte imbalance almost killing me in the process. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I do not want to go home, unable to complete our mission, I want to feel well and be able to do this work. Dr. Lucy told me that FMF is no small thing, because eventually the patient develops what is called amyloidosis, which doctors have now discovered can be the pre-cursor to lymphoma, among other ailments causing a failed heart, etc.
(This beautiful bouquet of flowers was delivered to me after I got home from the hospital. They were sent by my dear friend Linda Mylonas, a member of our little branch here in Nicosia.) [A side note: Dr. Lucy is very proud of the Neurologic Institute because they have discovered a method of testing the blood of pregnant women that makes it possible to find neurological disorders in unborn children instead of having to use the method called amniocentesis, which is very invasive and dangerous for the mother and unborn infant. This is a major scientific breakthrough for such a small clinic in such a small country.]
</blockquote>Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-82078209274628179612012-09-29T12:37:00.000-07:002012-10-03T01:56:21.710-07:00Another Visit to the Ancient Walled City of LedrasToday, in the middle of an absolutely crazy day we decided to go down to Ledras and see if Famagusta Gate was possibly open. We had taken pictures of the exterior, but we wanted to walk through it as well. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So when we got there we discovered it was open and we walked through it all the way out the back and found a HUGE party going on! It was national ice cream day in Cyprus and there were booths all over the back part of the Ancient Wall where they were handing out free ice cream for everyone. How fun! We need this in the USA, so I can get my fill of ice cream for free! Ha! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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However we didn't take any, we just walked through and returned through the gate. I hope you enjoy the pictures because it's really very charming to walk through this as it is nearly 700-800 years old. I could visualize the Venetian vendors all along the inside wall 500 years ago selling their wares on a Saturday afternoon. It's truly a thrill to live here and take part in the culture when we can.
On Thursday we also visited "Aphrodite's Wall", which is an aquaduct that is found in Larnaka and was still in operation until about 1953! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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How amazing is that? We also visited St Lazarus Cathedral in Larnaka as well. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Orthodox Catholics believe Lazarus was buried in the church, <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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and even claim to have artifacts consisting of parts of his skeletal remains. I am a skeptic, but others believe.
Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-88995246824966307912012-09-22T08:52:00.001-07:002012-09-22T08:52:53.884-07:00We Travel to Lefke in North CyprusThis post will inform you all of what it is like to travel to the Northern, or Turkish side of Cyprus. As we visited Gloria today in Lefke we were struck (as always) with the stark differences between the northern side of the island and the southern side. Just a reminder, we live on the southern side. As usual we do not wear our name tags when we pass through the border patrol as they are not amenable to our faith, and some others as well.
Our primary focus of these Saturday excursions to the northern side is to bring comfort and peace to those members who cannot worship with us in the south because their passports/visas do not allow them travel between the two sides. Many countries do not allow their citizens to travel into Cyprus because they have no agreement to do so. Therefore, we must travel to them to bring them assistance, spiritually speaking.
As I said, today we visited Gloria in the north. Gloria is a spunky young adult woman who is in the third year of her studies at the European University of Lefke, Cyprus. She is in her third year of studying and will graduate next year - hopefully. Before she came to northern Cyprus she had been Young Women President and Relief Society President in her ward in Nigeria. Gloria is one of eight children and was raised in the Anglican faith in there. Her parents remain in that faith but she says all seven of her siblings and herself continue in different faiths. They are not interested in hearing about her faith at all, but they do not make her life difficult because of her dedication to it. Here is a picture of Gloria in her very tiny apartment just off campus:
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Gloria has been invited by her school friends to attend other religious meetings and when she declines they ask why. She says she tells them, "Because you only have part of the truth - I want all the truth." She is not shy about sharing her faith, nor afraid to speak of it to anyone who will listen.
As long as we are on this island we will continue to serve those in the north as best we can. Today we were able to teach Gloria a short Gospel lesson from Matthew 3, then Elder Vargas prepared and administered the sacrament to all three of us. After that we visited with her some more and found out some things she is in need of. The next trip back we are going to try to bring her what she has asked for. God bless Gloria.Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-65476524051978798262012-09-18T12:59:00.000-07:002012-10-03T01:57:06.506-07:00Our "P" Day Excursion to Saint Nikolaos Monastery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGJ0v3wUaahPyw7-d1JZ2qPu8UkKDaanW73iHpn7nRszRuKZ02nXD4tZbv42moyvsj7Yr3hLzxLtGfhcr2gd82-bYNn7CbTD1XR36yOQEI5QPV7TzrGgUNSa2tnje0Vxde1x1pr01C_c/s1600/Tonys+Phone+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="239" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGJ0v3wUaahPyw7-d1JZ2qPu8UkKDaanW73iHpn7nRszRuKZ02nXD4tZbv42moyvsj7Yr3hLzxLtGfhcr2gd82-bYNn7CbTD1XR36yOQEI5QPV7TzrGgUNSa2tnje0Vxde1x1pr01C_c/s320/Tonys+Phone+014.JPG" /></a></div>
About a 45 minute drive northwest of Nicosia where we live is the village of Orounta, Cyprus. There is located a beautifully restored monastery called Saint Nikolaos. It was restored by seven nuns of the Orthodox Church. Yes, seven nuns. They hired out the heavy work to rebuild the living quarters and then they did all the finishing work themselves. There are huge orchards and gardens surrounding the monastery, all of which are kept by the nuns. The monastery was built in the 1500's and the last of the monks who originally lived in and kept it were all murdered by Turkish dissidents.
<blockquote>Then the property fell into ruin. But eleven years ago these seven nuns came to the rescue and restored everything on the property. It is not huge, but it's very large indeed. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqOGk_ZTmztWdDr1uxhaYrIjScO1jvBHBn_xnJtYqRrqrVuplb0ieOjruf_J5_S6oTs2lOiTj_McRLxGH0PmpqDIo2oC3dM5FgLZaut3f41A-5ZP7FWhPMIsW4ppy4q1f6wMFKfditMqs/s1600/Tonys+Phone+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="239" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqOGk_ZTmztWdDr1uxhaYrIjScO1jvBHBn_xnJtYqRrqrVuplb0ieOjruf_J5_S6oTs2lOiTj_McRLxGH0PmpqDIo2oC3dM5FgLZaut3f41A-5ZP7FWhPMIsW4ppy4q1f6wMFKfditMqs/s320/Tonys+Phone+011.JPG" /></a>When we arrived we found no one on the grounds or in the courtyard, and after walking quite a bit I decided to sit down on one of the benches in the transition between the courtyard and the monastery chapel. In a few moments a nun came into the area, said, "hello", and went into a door just across from where I was seated. She soon came out with two very cold glasses of mint tea, served on a tray with napkins. We thanked her and started up a conversation with her. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsW-pGez37X7ozYQtpyN29abJPbm36PMJlTJKc7qB4lAW9RgSV6V-H95CMQcy3IOGNPKPW4orkG3rgLyyfzU6iNDh_JNbkILeAMTa1Wy-lmbZm32vaXQBDtaCM5TUclEDKW4qHDeCQSEo/s1600/Tonys+Phone+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="239" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsW-pGez37X7ozYQtpyN29abJPbm36PMJlTJKc7qB4lAW9RgSV6V-H95CMQcy3IOGNPKPW4orkG3rgLyyfzU6iNDh_JNbkILeAMTa1Wy-lmbZm32vaXQBDtaCM5TUclEDKW4qHDeCQSEo/s320/Tonys+Phone+013.JPG" /></a></div>
She spoke in broken, but very understandable English. We enjoyed her company very much, and the surroundings were so peaceful<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhNDrhg74aeIwGAD8VI6bgBganiUPGjti0JE7xF02UiL91wcl1ylPqxIa89ggs1uEKYEIyqNnqEnH0tQYvA05-egO1IfssKABaF3sfDYbf8k7XRQR67UY_5It58PnSqi5r6dNCakTkeI/s1600/Tonys+Phone+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="239" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhNDrhg74aeIwGAD8VI6bgBganiUPGjti0JE7xF02UiL91wcl1ylPqxIa89ggs1uEKYEIyqNnqEnH0tQYvA05-egO1IfssKABaF3sfDYbf8k7XRQR67UY_5It58PnSqi5r6dNCakTkeI/s320/Tonys+Phone+017.JPG" /></a></div>
. It was truly a little bit of heaven, and I could understand why these nuns had chosen this place.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Elder Vargas took several pictures which I have shared here for you to enjoy.</blockquote>
<blockquote>We hope to visit all the ancient landmarks on the Island while here, and we plan to share them all with you on this blog.</blockquote>
Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176531832915633222.post-62100576686828656832012-09-18T12:04:00.002-07:002012-10-03T01:57:46.090-07:00Some Trivia<blockquote>Our "P" Days are always interesting. I mean we dust, vacuum, mop and do general cleaning. Two weeks ago I thoroughly scrubbed down the "cooker" - that's the kitchen stove for those of you who don't know how Europeans identify certain appliances. It was very messy. I didn't clean the oven though, I saved that for another day - and it will take an hour or more just to clean that. Typically "cookers" are only apartment sized kitchen stoves. We do have a couple of members who own their own homes and have regular sized kitchen appliances. But for a flat (that's "apartment" in Euro-speak) everything is down-sized for space saving purposes. Our flat has a space set aside in the kitchen for a dishwasher, but do you think we have one? NOT!! Instead we use the space for the kitchen trash can and extra storage.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Anytime we need to turn on an appliance we have to turn on the appropriate master switch located in a nearby wall, then turn on the appliance. Even the cooker. Before we take a shower we must turn on the master switch in the hallway to heat the water, wait for a bit and then shower. Having the master switches though is handy because we do not get charged for the little bit of energy used by the appliances, etc., when we have them turned off at the master switch.</blockquote>
<blockquote>We have a hallway between our living room and bedrooms/bathroom that is closed off and was set up as a pantry. It is my intent in the future to remove the items in the 'pantry' to uncover the door and make it useful once more. It cuts off the air-flow between the rooms, making it extra hot in the summer.</blockquote>
<blockquote>When I wash a load in the washing machine it takes approximately 2 hours to complete. It is a front-loading machine, and for a 'white' load I can only put in 3 of Elder Vargas' white shirts and three set each of our underclothing. Very small load indeed. Therefore I must wash clothing three times a week, or I cannot keep up with the laundry. And because of the climate here sometimes we have to shower twice a day, thus creating double the laundry afterward. It is one of the annoyances of life here. In the summer time I do not use the dryer (located on our balcony terrace) to save on electricity because we have to run the air-conditioning so much. I'd rather be able to use the air-conditioning than put a load in the
dryer. It's a choice I have to make. So to dry our clothing here is a picture to show you how it's done:</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLaRHxuI2eUzmpRiDWL4gyHCg8ZHvBEl4r8v65CcjnUbMPWnDaPWDbKdr4pD0Z6YFkiLYPbYk0aTiibsRQ-p0zr_ovWfb5lzIiG0D6Zyhof-jFikQcm_tR6Vp6ZB6TJ5CdRlKPwL8yDGA/s1600/Mobile+Pics+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLaRHxuI2eUzmpRiDWL4gyHCg8ZHvBEl4r8v65CcjnUbMPWnDaPWDbKdr4pD0Z6YFkiLYPbYk0aTiibsRQ-p0zr_ovWfb5lzIiG0D6Zyhof-jFikQcm_tR6Vp6ZB6TJ5CdRlKPwL8yDGA/s320/Mobile+Pics+002.JPG" /></a></div>
<blockquote>Everyone on the Island owns these portable clothes drying racks. Many people place theirs out on their balconies. We also have a clothes line on our balcony, but I will only use it for sheets, etc., not our personal clothing. But that's just me. One other note on drying our clothing on the rack in the kitchen - even though I use fabric softener in the wash load all the clothing is very stiff after they dry. I told Elder Vargas he could probably screw on his socks, they are so darn stiff! Elder Vargas has taken to ironing his own white shirts/trousers. He says I did them for him for more than 40 years so it's his turn. I'm not crying! Ha! Also, after I prepare the meals and we have eaten he gets up from the table and washes all the dishes. I put the washed/dried utensils, pots & pans,etc., back in the cupboards and drawers and put any left-over food in refrigerator containers.</blockquote>
<blockquote>He even washes dishes for me when I'm preparing meals for church. This week I made food for twenty two hungry missionaries for Zone Conference. I do not make all the food, there are three other sets of missionary couples who bring food as well, but it's still a big chore for all of us. I also make meals for the Young Single Adult activities. They have Family Home Evening on Monday nights and Activity Night on Friday nights. Consequently I do do lots of cooking!</blockquote>
<blockquote>Transfers are next week for the young elders/sisters and we usually drive a couple of them to the airport, or pick them up at the airport, etc. The young elders/sisters are transferred between Greece and Cyprus in this mission. Our mission home is in Athens, Greece and it's a two hour flight for any transferring missionaries from Athens, Greece to Larnaka, Cyprus. And Larnaka is a 40 minute drive southeast of Nicosia where we are stationed. We do lots of driving here.</blockquote>
Susan Vargashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040640761777599450noreply@blogger.com0