OHI Day in Greece

Ohi Day in Greece is the day celebrated in remembrance of the moment when the then prime minister of Greece, Ioannis Metaxas, refused to let the Italian troops enter Greece's border on October 28, 1940, during the Greco-Italian War.

 We got up early and left for the metro to get to Mars Hill for a leaving missionary testimony meeting.  It was still dark and the metro was very quiet.  The streets were very quiet.  We wondered if everyone had partied the night before and thus at 7 a.m. the roads were clear of people and cars.  It is wonderful to be able to walk the streets without watching very carefully for traffic.  You cross a lot of streets.  I took this picture because Sister Vasquez from our Salt Lake Headquarters mission asked if there were many dogs or cats in Greece.  There are three cats in this picture.  There are cats everywhere.  You will see bowls of all kinds holding water on the corners, in driveways, etc. They are for the cats.  

Too early for people but this outdoor café is always busy with people sitting and drinking and eating. 

These are ruins on the way to Mars Hill.  You can't dig many places without finding ruins in Athens. 

It is a steep climb to get to Mars Hill. 

Early morning looking at the Parthenon from Mars Hill

The missionaries arrived and we found a quiet place to sit and listen to testimonies of departing missionaries.  They were kind enough to speak some English.  One was in Greek and the other in Albanian.  I understood the English.  It is good to hear their missions in summary and think that our time will come too.  I am not going to lie.  It has been hard for me.  I appreciate my returned missionary children and how they were able to adjust and thrive.  I don't think it is meant to be easy.  It definitely is a refining process and I know that there are many things that I will appreciate more when all is done.  I feel very blessed to have this opportunity to rely on the Lord and on Kim.  He is such a blessing.  I am glad I don't have to change companions.  

Everything is marble.  They are doing a lot of renovation at the Acropolis.  Since it was Ohi day which means "no" in Greek, everything like museums and the Parthenon were free.  When we got to the ticket office to get our free tickets, we waited a few minutes to get in.  When we left, the line was very long and slow moving.  It definitely pays to go to things early.  

We did not go downtown to watch the parade or go to the museums.  We went home and got to work.  We are missionaries and there is always work to do.  We have correspondence, projects to get approved and projects to close.  We aren't really good at it yet but we are learning, studying, watching videos, etc.  

We like to take walks in the evening so stretch our legs and get away from the computer for a while.  Kim has mapped out a three mile plan that he gets up and jogs early morning while I do an exercise video.  We walk his route in the evenings.  Since it was Ohi day, we stopped at a bakery and got a treat that we shared.  

It wasn't as good as it looked but we sat in the "park" and enjoyed watching the world go by.  

Service with a Drippy Smile

 

This is near Durres, Albania

We loaded two buses with missionaries and headed for the beach.  The road was long, narrow, and winding.  One missionary told me that he talked to the bus driver after we got back to Durres that he had never driven that road and never wanted to drive it again. 

We spent the day picking up trash.  We all got pretty muddy and dirty.  The Elders were having a great time surfing down the muddy slippery hill as they took full garbage sacks up to the landing. 

It was a great activity.  The only other people we saw on the beach were two fishermen out in their boat. 

Is this like the coolest picture or what.  It could be on a calendar which I wish we had.  I never know what day or date it is. 

A Mapleton missionary here! So close to where I live in Utah. 

The bus driver did not want anyone muddy on his bus.  We were muddy and it was funny watching the missionaries trying to get the mud off their shoes and clothes. They must of done an ok job because no one was left.  

We headed back to the Durres chapel for pizza and testimony meeting.  

On the way back, the missionaries decided to tell about harrowing experiences they had on their mission thus far.  We did a lot of laughing and were very entertained.  We learned the other bus which had President Burdon on it, talked about the gospel and doctrine.  They said it was very uplifting.  We a little chastised about telling stories but felt it was worth the deviation! 

These are our Athens missionaries.  They are wonderful.  We love them so much.  They have helped us and kept us from doing things the wrong way.  I loved when we first got to Athens, that two of our Elders took us shopping and I would send them to find things.  I wish they could come with us each time we shopped because they can read the labels.  

We just keep learning and taking it one day at a time!  This Conference was such a blessing and added strength to us as we learn to serve others.  My understanding of the Savior has been widened as I see His example in so many around us. 

Tirana airport with our wonderful missionaries returning to Athens, Thessaloniki and Cyprus. 

Berat Castle in Albania

 Berat Castle, also referred to as the Citadel of Berat and castle quarter, is a fortress overlooking the town of Berat, Albania. It dates mainly from the 13th century and contains many Byzantine churches in the area and Ottoman mosques.

On the way to the Berut Castle there were farmers along the side of the road selling produce.  It seemed to me that our driver was particular who he stopped to get persimmons from and he bought a big bag.  The sweet man was so happy that we stopped at his stand. 

Berat Castle

The day we arrived in Albania, a member of our church drove us 1 1/2 hours to Berat Castle.  There were walked around and explored in lovely weather.  The only day it didn't rain.  Hurray. 

Everything was over 2,000 years old.  After exploring the castle we went to a lovely restaurant.  It was so cheap that we felt a little guilty and it was so yummy.  

Albania in the Rain and Elder and Sister Bednar

 Have you noticed that it is not longer mission president and their wives but mission leaders?

I think that is awesome.  However, it is still Elder Bednar and his very wonderful wife. 

Elder Bednar and General Authorities Visit to Albania

It was quite exciting when we got the news that we would get to go to Albania with all of the missionaries from our mission ( Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Greece and Cyprus) when Elder Bednar came to visit the members and missionaries.  We were told it has never happened in years and probably won't happen again for a long time at least.  Think of the logistics.  Just to get our missionaries in Athens to the airport on the metro was beaucoup bucks.  Then they all needed housing and transportation once they got there.  We were met at the airport by our beloved Elder Rich who stayed at our apartment when the Athen's missionaries had Covid, on his way to Albania from Cyprus. There is a lot of flying back and forth in this mission. The young missionaries stayed in the apartments of the Albanian missionaries. 

We stayed in a hotel.  It was a very small room.  However, the breakfasts were gynormous. 

I didn't get all of it in these two pictures but you get the idea.  It was a wonderful experience.  It was thrilling to be at the Convention Center and see the missionaries pour in ( while pouring outside) to be instructed by an Apostle.  

It was funny to me that Elder Bednar instructed us not to take notes verbatim but impressions that we receive.  So I tried to do that but then when I went back to my notes, I couldn't remember a lot of what he said. I think one thing that I most appreciated was the reminder to not make statements but to ask questions to understand better the situation.  I have found asking someone questions is a great way to communicate in a good way.  

Then the members of Albania came in buses.  I stood out in the foyer and had the best time greeting and hugging them as they saw my missionary tag and made a beeline to me.  They were so happy and joyous. 

Adriatic South Mission

Senior missionaries

We left the convention center to eat dinner and these missionaries stayed at the Convention Center and got to visit with Elder Bednar.  Thus the absence of our faces here. 

This is looking out over Tirana from the Convention Center.  It is a mix of old, modern and Mosques. It also poured rain the entire time.  It was a wonderful opportunity to be with our beloved missionaries, our mission president and General Authorities from the church. You can read about it in Church News. 

Alexa

 I am so glad that we grabbed Alexa from our home on our way to the Salt Lake Headquarters mission.  My favorite thing to listen to is KSL radio.  It keeps me connected to home.  It is just weird because about the time it starts to gets dark here, we are hearing the traffic report for the morning commute in Salt Lake. 

Today as we sat in the metro headed again to downtown Athens, I thought how strange my life had become.  Nothing prepared me for this new lifestyle. I'm supposed to be enjoying the golden years. Instead I am doing things that are very stressful and hard for me.  There are so many things I could have done differently if I had known that I would be in Greece doing Humanitarian projects.  Seriously. 

 We were sitting in the metro when it suddenly stopped and the lights turned off.  There we sat in the dark in dead silence except for a man that was slowly walking through the cars, yelling in Greek.  He had a paper cup and sign.  This happens regularly ....an older woman, a young child, etc.   I looked at the younger man sitting across from me and asked him if he spoke English.  He replied a quick yes.  I asked what was happening and he explained.  I think.  He might as well have been talking Greek.  I thought to myself that he probably did not excel in English in school and politely thanked him when he stopped.  We never found out what it was but we were late for our appointment.  

We were meeting with a newly formed NGO that is helping unaccompanied youth find help.  We listened to the stories of sex trafficking, others taking the youth and getting them to sell drugs to survive, etc.  We were shown a very dark, dirty apartment with the windows out, that she pointed out were places the youth were forced to go to because they didn't know where to go for help.  

Then we went to another place close by that helps take care of those that find themselves alone and pregnant.  They provide consultation, products like diapers and formula and mid wives to help deliver and teach child care.  It was very uplifting to hear how they help so many women and build a community where they feel safe.  

I feel like the money we give to these different NGOs to support their organization needs to be thought through so carefully.  This is money that members of our church donate.  That is a heavy responsibility.  I don't want to get to heaven and find out that we didn't do our homework and there were so many more worthy projects that we overlooked.  Money is not my thing.  

I just sat on the way home thinking how did I ever end up here.  Why didn't I have experience to help me understand so many complex issues.  Why do I have to learn Greek.  Why does Greek have to have a different alphabet.  Why do I have to go grocery shopping and figure out every single thing and what it has in it.  Why does driving in the car have to be so scary.  Then I thought about sitting on the park bench watching all the pigeons fly back and forth and land on the statue or the many interesting people that walked past us or how fun it is to walk the streets of Athens, Greece and recognize how amazing it is.  

I thought....this is a pretty amazing experience I am having. Take it one day at a time.  Don't be grumpy.  Good thing I have a great companion. 
  

Refugees and Art

While Utah is experiencing beautiful fall weather, we are still seeing flowers blooming in Greece.  It is like someone flipped a switch however, and it is cold in the early and late hours.  

Today we were going to an Open House for a NGO we are supporting in Athens.  They were displaying art done by the families of refugees that are detained and need a place to stay.  We circled the block several times after walking 1 1/2 miles from the metro.  We finally called and found out that the Art Display would not be until tomorrow.  We were quite disappointed.  We found out that they had college students from Pennsylvania that were helping at the center.  We walked another mile and arrived in time to meet the students that had not only come to serve but to document some of the artists that were being feature in the show.  The NGO takes the art work all over the world for display and to sell.  All the money goes to the artist.  We were able to see the art work of a refugee from Sierra Leone, Cameroon, and Iraq.  They talked to us about what they had painted.  One artist said that he had made enough money from the sale of his art to support himself and his wife.  

We were very happy that we were able to see how our support was helping some of the refugees that are detained in Athens.  It was the best missed out on that one day ever. 

 

Bunkers in Albania

 We had no idea of this snippet of history when we went to see a bunker in Tirana during our visit to the missionary conference with Elder Bednar.  Here is a little background:

Concrete military bunkers are a ubiquitous sight in Albania, with an average of 5.7 bunkers for every square kilometre (14.7 per square mile). The bunkers (Albanian: bunkerët) were built during the Stalinist and anti-revisionist government of Enver Hoxha from the 1960s to the 1980s; by 1983, a total of 173,371 bunkers had been constructed around the country.^[1][2]

Hoxha's program of "bunkerization" (bunkerizimi) resulted in the construction of bunkers in every corner of the then People's Socialist Republic of Albania, ranging from mountain passes to city streets. They were never used for their intended purpose during the years that Hoxha governed. The cost of constructing them was a drain on Albania's resources, diverting them away from more pressing needs, such as dealing with the country's housing shortage and poor roads.

The bunkers were abandoned following the dissolution of the communist government in 1992. A few were used in the Albanian insurrection of 1997 and the Kosovo War of 1999. Most are now derelict, though some have been reused for a variety of purposes, including residential accommodation, cafés, storehouses, and shelters for animals or the homeless.

This bunker was on the outskirts of Tirana Square. It was quite depressing because not only was it underground but the air was thin and in each of the rooms, it would tell about the wars that Albania has fought.  It told very sad stories of torture and human struggles.  After a while, I just couldn't read anymore and sat down while the others toured.  

 There was such a mixture of buildings at the edge of this big empty square where we stood on marble and other stone tiles that were sent from all the regions of Albania to represent their area in the Square. 

The Mosques are another interesting feature of Albania.  They are everywhere and you can hear the calls to prayer 5 times a day.  There was a group in the airport as we left, kneeling as a group in prayer.  

I am learning that there is a lot I don't know.  I knew that but now I really know that.  That is why it is good to travel and be reminded how blessed we are to have all that we do.