HALF WAY!!!!!!!

Can you believe that we are half way through our mission??  Where has the time gone???   We can still remember getting off the airplane after 26 hours, lost luggage, driving on the wrong side of the road and being totally clueless to communicate.

Well, it is 9 months later, we can both drive on the left side of the road, we have everything we need, Bill can communicate a little (me no at all) and we LOVE being here.  What an adventure it has been - we have learned so much and know that we have lots and lots still to learn.  We are grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who is so patient and understanding.

This was in preparation for our game night for FHE.  Can you put all the books in the Book of Mormon in order? and stack them faster than the other team?

 FAMILIES ARE FOREVER!!

No words necessary!

Elders Dixon & Teal.  Elder Teal had a mishap on his bike. Luckily the injuries were minor!  An answer to prayers the whole way we were driving to pick them up.  We ended up taking him to the hospital and it was totally night and day different from the one we took Sis. Deely to earlier (THANK GOODNESS!)  This one actually looked and functioned as a hospital.  Haven't seen the bill yet and that may change where we go next time.

Today was a long day and it isn't over yet.  We spoke in the Pafos Branch, stopped by the Limassol branch, are white boarding with the missionaries, teaching Seminary and meeting with the District President - all in a day's work.  We love keeping busy and working with these great people.

Today we spoke about Pioneers and Faith.  How grateful we are for the legacy that has been given to us. The sacrifice and effort given to the work and glory of God.  May we each day strive to do a little better and be a little better.  Love you all!!

The past week was great but we don't have a lot of pictures to show for it.  Probably the highlight of the week was meeting our new Mission President - Pres. Heder and his family.  He has brought his two teenage daughters with him and the whole family is delightful.

The Heders are originally from SLC but currently live in Pleasanst Grove, UT. He is an attorney which may come in handy during his time in Greece.  They have 4 other children, all boys.  The two oldest are married and away at graduate schools, Austin Heder is playing football at BYU and Brooks  Heder gets off his mission to Mexico in two weeks and will come here for a month before going back home and attend BYU.  We feel blessed to have them in our mission and look forward to wonderful times ahead.

We had a little 'meet and greet' at the chapel when they flew in prior to meeting with all the missionaries on the island.  I picked up some flowers to brighten the room (Bill couldn't understand why) but they were lovely (at least I thought so).  The poor family was functioning on very little sleep, jet lag and pure culture shock.   They were heading on the next day to do the same thing in northern Greece, Thessoliniki.  I'm sure by the time Sunday came around they were all exhausted.

The sister missionaries kidnapped my phone again but they always leave such sweet selfies =

These two sisters go home in August and will be dearly missed.  They are working hard right up to the end and chances are very good they will have multiple baptisms before they leave.  I hope I didn't just jinx them!?!?!

Whiteboarding down at the seaside.

Sis. Indelicatro and Panyiotis passing out cards.

Elder Jacobsen and Sis. Linekar

FAMILIES ARE FOREVER!

Monday morning:

Today is a wonderful day - the sun is shining and we had our walk at the seaside.  We are looking forward to this week:  a new month, payday, a new president, missionary lessons, talk preparations, Sunday lessons to prepare, etc.  The month of July will mark the halfway point of our mission - hard to believe isn't it???  It has really gone by fast and the next few months promise to do the same.  There is still so much we want to do and accomplish.

We took the sisters out to a nearby city to do some contacting and saw this herd of goats making their way down the road.

This day we went to visit a sister in the city of Agia Napa which is a tourist community.  During the months of November through April it is pretty much a ghost town but once the good weather comes it is booming.  This is one of the coastal areas that is very popular.    Sis. Miriam is from the Philipines and her service contract is over in September.  She has been here for 8 years.  We are so excited for her to be going home to her family.  

 The colorful boat you see is truly a PARTY boat in all ways.  The music was blasting and I know they were way over the 'person' limit.  People just kept getting on and on.  In the top picture you can maybe see the big black boat that is decorated to be a pirate boat - another party boat.

This was one of the small seaside places that people and families can come to spend the day. So incredibly beautiful.  This little lagoon was only about waist deep and perfect for young and old.  There is almost always a nice breeze blowing to keep things a little cooler.

WE always find a chapel when we go sightseeing.  We loved this one because of its blue roof. It is up on a hill overlooking the sea.

OKay, I know this is kind of lame but I had to celebrate that I actually cooked a whole meal.  It doesn't happen very often!  WE usually just grab something on the way home or fix something fast and easy.  I actually tried making the cauliflower rice that everyone is talking about.   Not too bad (I liked it better than Bill did).

We are doing great.  We have learned so much over the past 9 months and yet we know there is still so much to learn.  How grateful we are for this opportunity and adventure.  I sometimes wonder how we will adjust when we get home - our schedule is so different than what we knew and who knows what the future will hold.  But that is what makes life great isn't it?  You can experience new things and learn and grow and share and serve.  So grateful for the Lord's tender mercies which we see every day here and know are happening at home.  He truly does listen to and answer prayers.  His plan is a perfect one that we each must try to live and help others along the way.