Our Faculty Meeting in Bucharest, Romania

Last Tuesday morning found us on an airport shuttle to Larnaka, Cyprus to catch a plane to Bucharest, Romania for our CES Faculty Meeting for all Seminary and Institute Co-ordinators in Eastern Europe. It was exciting to fly to Romania to meet with all our counter-parts in the whole of Eastern Europe. There in Bucharest we joined the group which consisted of Elder and Sister Kitchen (serving in Muldova), Elder and Sister Westergard (serving in Slovenia), Elder and Sister Mower (serving in Greece), Elder and Sister Erb (serving in the Czech Republic), and Elder and Sister Vargas (serving on the Island of Cyprus). The Co-ordinator for S&I (Seminary and Institute)in Eastern Europe and facilitator of our meetings is Marin (pronounced "Marine") Iachamov (formerly of Muldova, and now living in Bucharest, Romania), and "Felice" (we never did learn his surname), co-ordinator for all southern Italy. (Felice has about 100 teachers in his care.)

Marin creates and executes all our travel plans as well as our hotels, etc. He's a genius. I don't care what you need to know - he KNOWS it! From tekky stuff down to every last detail of Gospel Doctrine and S&I. He is currently serving in Bucharest as a Branch President and has a gorgeous, sweet, lovely wife and two beautiful children, a boy and girl. Marin is so good and so smart and so entirely loveable. I wish I could be around him more often. He came to Cyprus the second week we were here and literally saved us from imploding - our job was so overwhelming. After our conference ended he took us and Felice, along with the Westergard's following in their car behind us to Northern Romania to a city named Brasov. It was there we explored the historic Pelisor and Bran Castles

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Pelisor and Peles Castles are still the homes of the Romanian royal family. (Yes, Romania has a royal family. They were restored to their kingdom after the fall of communism.) They are opened certain times of the year to the public. We visited Pelisor Castle the smaller of the two, and only passed by (walking) Peles Castle the large castle. Of course you can read about these two castles on line and view plenty of pictures at your leisure. I will only post a few pictures of them so as not to bore you with a travelogue.

Pelisor Castle you will be interested to know has only 54 rooms. Our former home in Los Angeles, CA (which is an historic monument) had a mere 34 rooms - such slackers! Ha!

Before we began our two-day junket in northern Romania we spent three days in workshops designed to increase our teaching skills. In Eastern Europe teaching S&I is a very tricky ordeal. Our students often have to Skype with us for lessons and they must be created to be precise and to the point in a very short amount of time. Many of our students cannot attend S&I at the branch church buildings, so they have to do home study with our assistance. I am so grateful for our experiences in Los Angeles teaching home study Seminary, we would have been groping in the dark to figure out how to do it otherwise.

We learned some recently created techniques which are used to teach 10 minute lessons in segments, rather than taking an hour or more to teach from the church manuals. And yes! It can be done. We are proud to say we have mastered this technique and will be using this week in our S&I classes here in Cyprus.

It was also very useful for us to meet together because we suffer alone/together certain difficulties unique to our callings, and talking through them helped us find more creative methods of overcoming them.

On Friday we left northern Romania to return to Bucharest and we drove the scenic route so we could visit and view the culture of this beautiful country first-hand. It was an experience we shall never forget. We spent Thursday night in Brasov at a Pensionne - that's like a bed and breakfast, and our room was so pleasant, albeit we had to climb three flights of stairs to get there. Our room was very large, with a balcony facing the city center, taking in the rooftops of the homes in the area where it was located. It was indescribably beautiful, peaceful and restful. It was also very quaint and very European, with wood paneling and marble floors - far better than any hotel in the area. Our bathroom was first class, with all the modern amenities.

We enjoyed the Romanian language very much. It seems to be a combination of Italian and slavic dialect. We understood much of the language because it is a Romance language based on Latin. I'm so glad we brushed up on our Spanish before we left on our mission. Marin assured me I would be speaking it fluently if I only lived there for a couple of months, and I believe he is correct.

Friday afternoon about 3 PM we arrived back in Bucharest at the airport and said our farewells to Marin and Felice. Felice was on his way back to Milan and we were on our way to Cyprus. We boarded our plane to Cyprus at 7 PM and arrived in Larnaka just after 9 PM. It's about a 2 hour and 20 minute flight. We drove home via the shuttle once more and arrived in Nicosia at about 10:15 PM and were back in our flat at about 10:30 PM.

I am following this blog with another one about our travels to the above mentioned castles - and pictures.

Our Monthly Journey to Famagusta

Today we traveled to Famagusta in the Northeastern section of Northern Cyprus (or Turkish Cyprus) to visit with our good friend and member Destiny. Today her friend Godwin (also from Nigeria) came as well. Destiny is feeling much better than the last time we visited, she had been ill with anemia. She said today that after the blessing she received last month from the elders she felt better almost immediately. She certainly looked much better. (Below is a picture of Godwin and Destiny)

I'd like to tell you a little bit about Godwin. He is a friend of Destiny and Jolly (who left to go to school in Denmark last month). As members of the church too often we take for granted our membership and that we feel free to walk among the saints and serve in the kingdom of God here on earth. Well, Godwin cannot be baptized because he lives in the Turkish sector of Cyprus and missionaries are not allowed there yet. The brethren in Salt Lake City are hard at work trying their best to open up all Turkish lands to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Right now Cyprus is not afforded the same blessing as Istanbul, Turkey. Godwin has read the Book of Mormon and knows the church is true, he asked again this morning if the elders could baptize him, but alas, we had to deny him that privilege again. We did have Sacrament Meeting and partook of the Sacrament, although Godwin did not partake of the bread and water because he is not yet a member. Members of the church are not even allowed to pay their tithing to the church if they live in Turkish Cyprus. We were amazed at the strength of character Godwin exhibits, especially because he attends our meetings but cannot yet be baptized. He said he wants to be faithful so that when the time comes he doesn't have to realign his life with the teachings of the church, he will be living them fully when the time comes.

Elder Vargas and I were the two speakers for our little Sacrament Meeting and Elder Vargas and President Fulton (our branch president) prepared and blessed the Sacrament for us. Elder Christensen conducted.

Another Opportunity to Serve in the Nicosia Branch

As a side note for the weekend. For your information Elder Vargas was announced as the second counselor in the Nicosia Branch Presidency today in Sacrament Meeting. The Nicosia Branch Presidency is: President Andrew Fulton, Paolo Martins, First Counselor and Elder Antonio Vargas, Second Counselor.

(The most prominent building in front in this picture is where the Nicosia Branch meets - it is located on the third floor. The woman walking in the lower part of the picture is myself, holding an umbrella. Here many of the women use umbrellas to shade themselves from the sun, as it is so HOT!)

President Fulton is from the USA and works at the Grohe Company here in Nicosia - it is a European company that designs and produces bathroom fixtures. Paolo Martins is originally from Portugal and works at the UN in Nicosia.

President Fulton's wife, Bekka (short for Rebekka) is an artist and designs cards and other items of interest. You can find her artistry at:

http://www.seewhatiseadesigns.com/p/custom-work.html

Brother Martins wife, Paula works too, but I do not know the company or location.

Elder Vargas' wife no longer works to make a living, but is serving a full-time mission with her husband on the Island of Cyprus. (Of course, that is ME! Ha!)

Interestingly, Elder Vargas did not need to be set apart for this position, his name only needed to be presented to the congregation for being sustained to the calling.

Another tidbit of information - because in the Greece Athens Mission there are no wards, obviously there are no bishops, however while there are branch presidents and a district president (no stake president) the Mission President, President Freestone acts as a stake president and is the last word in all issues. The district president reports to the mission president, President Freestone.

Also FYI - currently the Primary President is not available on Sunday so Elder Vargas teaches Primary as well. I am the Relief Society Pianist so I do not teach Primary.

Ancient Ledras

This morning we visited the original Lusignan - era Benedictine Abbey, the Church of St. John the Evangelist which was sacked by invading Mamalukes in 1426. But Agios Ioannis was completed in 1662 on the ruins of St. John's Cathedral. It is the State Church. It is unbelievably small, and by no means a cathedral in the sense of the word today. But it is a beautiful Byzantium architecture and is filled with unbelievably gorgeous Byzantine frescoes and wall murals. The rules are - no pictures can be taken inside the church, so the pictures we took of the outside will have to suffice.

Relative to the size of the chapel - for those who remember the original Pomona Ward Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in Pomona, CA, this is a very good comparison. And for those of you who have your ward located in the Los Angeles California Stake Center, please note - the old Pomona Ward Chapel is an exact replica of the LA Stake Center!

Baptisms in Larnaka

Today we drove down to Larnaka for two baptisms. A young man named Marvellous (yes, that's really his name - he is from Nigeria), and an eight year old girl named, Rebecca. Both members of the Larnaka Branch. We were invited to come by Elder and Sister Christensen, the senior missionary couple for Larnaka.

The baptisms were performed in two places - the young lady, Rebecca was baptized in the back yard swimming pool of President Ivanov of the the Larnaka Branch.

He and his wife have a home right on the Mediterranean Sea, which is a short walk from their back yard,

so the second baptism was performed in the Mediterranean.

It was interesting to watch Marvellous and the two full-time elders assigned to Larnaka and the two witnesses walking wayyyyyy out into the Mediterranean for the baptism. There were many beach goers who were swimming in the sea who witnessed the proceedings with much enthusiasm. We were fascinated to

view the scene.

Afterward President Ivanov and his wife hosted a fine meal for all who attended, and after we enjoyed the food and fellowship we dismissed ourselves to drive back to Nicosia trying to beat the oncoming darkness. Elder and Sister Smith of Paphos also left early for the same reason - however, they had at least a 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive back home.

We sang, "Teach Me to Walk in the Light" as the opening hymn and then for the closing hymn we sang, "I Am A Child of God". Sister Christensen gave the baptismal address and a brother from the Larnaka Branch who is from Bulgaria gave the address on the Holy Ghost.

Marvellous and Rebecca will both be confirmed tomorrow before Sacrament Meeting in Larnaka. A happy day for all in attendance.

Our Weekly Schedule on the Island of Cyprus

A little bit about our work here in Nicosia. We begin each day with couple study and prayer, and we close each day with prayer. On Monday we observe "P" (Preparation Day) day. That is - we clean house, do our laundry and go grocery and other shopping. Then Monday evenings we usually teach 1 or 2 investigators with the young elders and then we direct the YSA Home Evening. Tuesday afternoons we have District Meeting at 2:30 PM, we alternate weekly District Meetings in Nicosia or Larnaka, and at 6:30 PM we have our Greek lesson (love it!). We may also teach investigators after that. Wednesdays we share teaching appointments with the young elders. Thursdays, Institute Class - 7 PM, I teach the Book of Mormon. Fridays, we teach investigators with the young elders and then have YSA Activity Night. Twice a month on Friday night I make dinner for all in attendance, and twice a month I make a dessert for all. After the new school year begins I will be cooking a lot more because students will be coming to the church during the day. So I will be making lunches and snacks and probably more dinners. The YSAs will come to the church during the day because they need to rest, read or play games and fellowship between classes. We also provide space for them to study quietly if need be.

Once-a-month we drive to Famagusta on the Turkish side, or to Gierne (in Greek, Kyrenia) to meet with the Nigerian members who are students in colleges in those two cities, to hold a Sacrament meeting. Once-a-week we will be having Skype sessions with the students to provide them with Institute classes come September.

Now for a little more on the Island of Cyprus: Cyprus, from the Greek word pronounced kupros, meaning copper, is a prominent land mass in the northeastern Mediterranean Sea, off the shores of Cilicia (southern Turkey) and Syria on the continent. Measuring about 150 miles / 240 kilometers long and 40 miles / 65 kilometers wide, it is one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean.

The history of Cyprus reaches deep into ancient times. Although the pagans regarded it as the birthplace of their non-existent false god Zeus, Cyprus was the scene of numerous events in Bible History, where some Bible translations refer to it by the name Isles of Chittim or Kittim. As the above Scriptures from Daniel specify, Kittim is also a place involved prophecy of the last days.

As its name indicates, Cyprus has extensive copper deposits which attracted many conquerers to the island over the past 3,000 years. In their turn, Egyptians, Assyrians (see Ancient Empires - Assyria), Phoenicians, Hittites, Greeks , Romans, and in more modern times, Turks and British all controlled the island to some degree. It was also taken during the third Crusade.

During Old Testament times, many Jews had already settled on the island, and many of their descendants were converted by Paul and those associated with him during his travels.

Paul's group travelled from Salamis to Paphos on the island, and while at Paphos, Sergius Paulus, the Roman governor of Cyprus became a believer in Jesus Christ (Acts 13:7,12), despite the efforts of Elymas the sorcerer to prevent his conversion. For his wickedness, Elymas was temporarily deprived of his sight by Paul (Acts 13:7-11). Barnabas and Mark were later active there after they separated from Paul (Acts 15:36-39). The Jews and converted Christians were expelled from the island during the reign of emperor Hadrian (reigned 117-138 AD).

What prominent apostle was from Cyprus? (See Acts 4:36)

We will also be visiting three other cities on the island (Larnaca, Limossol and Paphos)to establish, support and assist the YSAs and Institute teachers at least twice per month. Once-a-year we are planning to have YSA Conference. This is essential for unity and support of the YSAs on the island. (See the map below - we are based in Nicosia, in the middle of the island.)

We love the youth of the church. They are the same no matter where you live on the earth. They are exuberant and excited about the Gospel, and they find it so easy to bring their non-member friends into their circles to hear the missionary discussions. We are so proud of them all.

On Sundays we are very busy during the three-hour time block. I often play the piano for Sacrament Meeting as well as for Relief Society. We will also be teaching the investigators "Gospel Principles" very soon. Then, twice a month we meet with the YSA representatives to plan their activities for each month. It is also our duty to teach new member post baptismal lessons, which we do several times a week because of the influx of new members.

Many days of the week we drive throughout the island to familiarize ourselves with the locations of members or other landmarks useful to our callings. We also visit members in these hours to encourage them about coming to church. Our branch is small, as are all the others.

And our new members are often ex-pats, so they do not stay here. They are students or they work here for awhile, then leave to go to other countries or back to their home country.

Arriving in Larnaca, Cyprus

Today we received some pictures of us taken when we arrived at the Larnaca Airport from London. The pictures were taken by Sister Smith. She and her husband were there at the airport along with two other missionary couples on the day we arrived. We were so happy they were there to greet us.

Even though Cyprus is a small country - and an island, we were grateful for the three couples who came to greet us. We were "strangers in a strange land", but not for long we were greeted so warmly by all of them. And Elder and Sister Smith drove up to Larnaca all the way from Paphos, which is on the far western side of the island, a great distance just to say, "Hello".

As I've said before, Elder and Sister Niebuhr (we replaced them in the mission) then drove us from the airport to the car rental agency to have Elder (Tony) Vargas sign his name on the rental agreement so he could drive once the Niebuhr's left the mission. We didn't know when we were preparing to leave that in Cyprus one drives on the left side of the road, as do the British. Since Cyprus was a British protectorate from 1878-1960 that custom remains.

It is so hard to get used to at first. Plus our car is a 'stick-shift', which makes driving even more difficult. But Elder Vargas has mastered it now and we do okay. We remark all the time while on the road how we see signs stating, "Attention! Drive on the Left!" Many people come here on holiday/vacation and drive and have a hard time because they forget to drive on the left side of the road.

After we left the car rental agency we drove to Elder and Sister Christianson's flat and had some lovely desserts and rested. We talked a bit and Elder Smith, who is also the Branch President in Paphos asked us lots of questions about our knowledge of Cyprus and the missionary work. Then we prepared to leave with the Niebuhr's for Nicosia, which is about a 40-45 minute drive from Larnaca, to settled into our flat.

The Niebuhr's had taken a hotel room, right across the street, so we could move into our flat immediately. They were very kind and helpful to us for the few days they remained on the island. It was important for us to learn about how to do things here in Cyprus. How to shop for food, how to pay the rent and utilities. How to find where everything is located (we're still working on that one!)