Albania and Elder Adams--May 29-31, 2012

Imagine that you've served a year on your mission.  You've learned your language, love the people, the culture, the food.  In a day's notice, you are moved to a new country with a new language, new culture, new food.

Or imagine that you've served a year on your mission.  You've learned your language, love the people, the culture, the food.  And is a day's notice you are moved to a new country with the same language, similar culture, same food but a whole new mission, and that mission speaks a different language.

This is what happened to our proselytizing elders in Montenegro.  Now we are going to Zone Conference.  The training was great and the fellowship fun, but this time the most meaningful part was for us to experience Albania through Elder Francis' eyes and to meet Elder Schouten's old companion, Elder Adams (Elder Adams was also transferred from the Adriatic North Mission--to Macedonia).

We are passing vineyards and olive trees in Montenegro.  We are leaving Europe and going in the direction of the Holy Land.

We slow down once for cows, once for these sheep and once for two huge pigs.

In the center of Tirana, Albania is a statue of Albania's most important national hero, Skenderbej, who defeated the Ottomans in the 1400's.

Standing at the statue and looking around us, we can see the museum,

the Opera House where the LDS Albanian District Conference was held,

 and a mosque.  Eighty per cent of the population is Muslim.

                        This is a bag man who sells bags to stores.

Then we headed down the streets where Elder Francis used to work and live.  We went to the Church meeting house, to his favorite sandwich shop, met other missionaries and Church members.  There are two million people in Tirana.  It is a bustling place.  Elder Francis is used to being around Church members, other missionaries, saying "hi" to everyone on the street.

The next day we met Elder Adams. . . a long lost friend for Elder Schouten.  Elder Adams is serving in Macedonia.  They are not allowed to knock on doors.  They have to be approached.  In one week they taught 4 lessons.  Elder Adam's companion is used to teaching 30 lessons in a week.  He says, "It's killing me!"  Elder Adams taught one lesson during his first six weeks in the mission field.  He says, "This is great!"  It made me appreciate a little of the contrast of what our two missionaries are going through.

Now, guess who we also met?

Elder Lewis grew up down the street from Craig's brother Todd and Tracy Brown in Highlands, Utah.  Ericka and Zoe (now Jacob's wife) were in his Primary class.  He was so excited to meet us.  Even though he didn't know us, it was like we brought a piece of home to him.  He said that his mother sent wedding pictures of Jacob and Zoe to him.

Sister Ford (lower left corner) spoke to the missionaries about "Now is the time."  I remember when she spoke to the senior missionaries in April, she told about a time when she had to go home to Great Britain.  She said, "When I am in the mission field, I think about home.  When I am at home, I thing about my mission."  We need to not let time slip by.  We need to focus on the moment.  Time is a treasure.  If well spent, it can bring us sweet memories.

On the way home we stopped for a funeral, for a wedding, for a fender bender, for a tour bus whose back tire slipped off the tiny road, and for this cow.  Now back to work.