ODDS AND ENDS......
ENGLISH CLASSES
SO, OUR INCREDIBLE ELDERS PASSED OUT 700 FLYERS FOR FREE ENGLISH CLASSES !!! THE FIRST FEW TIMES ABOUT 6 -8 SHOWED UP..AND ABOUT 6 CHILDREN WITH A GRANDFATHER....THEY WERE SO FUN..THE ELDERS TAUGHT THEM SO WELL..USED UNO CARDS FOR A GAME WITH COLORS AND NUMBERS ...
THEY START WITH A PRAYER AND A THOUGHT...
ONE DAY WE HAD A YOUNG MOSLUM BOY AND HE REFUSED TO PRAY..SO FIRM THAT YOU ONLY PRAY IN THE MOSQUE...SO WE WENT ON W/O A PRAYER
I LEARN ALBANIAN WHILE TRYING TO HELP THEM LEARN ENGLISH...
THEY FEEL LIKE THEY CANNOT GET ANYWHERE UNLESS THEY KNOW ENGLISH...WHEN WE HAD A YOUNG POLICEMAN COME TO ONE OF OUR ACTIVITIES..HE SPOKE EXCELLENT ENGLISH (THEY HAVE TO FOR THIS JOB). I WAS TELLING HIM I'D LIKE TO MEET HIS MOTHER AND TELL HER WHAT A GOOD SON SHE HAD..AND HE SAID..'.'NEVER A WORSE MOTHER"....
THEY DON'T HAVE A" W" IN ALBANIAN..SO IT IS A LITTLE TRICKY....LIKE OUR ELDER WEB...IS ELDER" UEB"
I HAVE ANEW FRIEND.
....ALBINA...SHE SPEAKS VERY GOOD ENGLISH..BUT WANTS TO IMPROVE AND PRACTISE...SHE BRINGS ME NOTES FOR ME TO PRACTISE..I GAVE HER THE PAMPHLET ON THE "RESTAURATION" IN ENGLISH..SHE WAS THRILLED...SHE BROUGHT IT BACK ALL MARKED UP AND UNDERLINED WITH QUESTIONS.
THEN I GAVE HER A BOOK OF MORMON IN ENGLISH (AND AN ALBANIAN ONE,,JUST IN CASE IT WAS HARD FOR HER TO READ.)
SHE WAS THRILLED...SHE TELLS ME WHERE TO SHOP AND THAT SHE WILL INVITE ME TO HER HOME AND COOK ME A LITTLE MEAL...SHE IS MARRIED..AND HAS ONE DAUGHTER, 4 YRS. OLD. SHE IS LUCKY TO HAVE A JOB..SHE MAKES $250.00 A MONTH AND WORKED FOR 3MONTHS W/O PAY BEFORE THEY HIRED HER.
SHE IS WELL EDUCATED AND HAS HIGH HOPES FOR THE FUTURE OF HER COUNTRY. SHE GAVE ME HER PHONE NUMBER AND CALLS IF SHE CANNOT MAKE IT OR IS LATE..
IT HAS BEEN FUN WITH OUR NEW GROUP OF CHILDREN..FROM 8-13....WE DO HEAD, SHOULDERS KNEES AND TOES...ALL IN ENGLISH..!!!!!
THREE SISTERS LEARNING ENGLISH
WATER
YES....WE ALL DRINK FILTERED WATER...THE CHURCH PROVIDES THE FILTERS FROM THE U.S. AND WE CHANGE THEM PERIODICALLY. ONLY THE MISSIONARIES HAVE FILTERS...THE CHURCHES DO NOT...EVERYONE BUYS BOTTLED WATER...WE DON'T EVEN SIP WHEN WE BRUSH OUR TEETH !
SUCH A BOTHER TO ALWAYS HAVE BOTTLED WATER IN THE CHURCH..WE ARE HOPING WITH THE APPROVAL FORM THE FM GROUP IN GERMANY TO GET ONE OF THOSE WATER DISPENSERS WITH THE BIG BOTTLE ON TOP!!
WHEN WE EAT OUT THEY BRING US BOTTLED WATER...IT COSTS ABOUT 50-70 CENTS AND IN THE STORES IT IS ABOUT .17CENTS. AND...YOU NEVER HAVE ICE CUBES..THEY ARE NOT MADE FROM FILTERED WATER !!!
DOCUMENTS
WE ARE THE FIRST ONES TO APPLY FOR A TEMPORARY RESIDENCY PERMIT TO STAY HERE....YOU CAN ONLY STAY FOR 90 DAYS OTHER WISE....WE HAVE HAD TO OBTAIN MANY DOCUMENTS ..ORIGINALS... FROM SALT LAKE..AND THE MISSION OFFICE. THE ELDERS MOVE AROUND EVERY 3 MONTHS SO DON'T USUALLY NEED RESIDENCY.
CRIMINAL RECORD FORM UTAH...WE COULD NOT FIND ANYONE WHO DID FINGER PRINTING SO WE BOUGHT A STAMP AND DID OUR OWN..MAILED IT TO UTAH FOR THE RECORD. OUR LAND LORD,...HAS HAD TO GET SEVERAL DOCUMENTS PROVING WE ARE LIVING HERE..HEALTH RECORDS...ETC......COPIES OF PASSPORTS ETC ETC ETC...IT HAS TAKEN TWO MONTHS..WE ARE NOW WAITING FOR APPROVAL...
THEY ONLY ACCEPT BLUE INK ON EVERYTHING....AND IT HAS TO BE STAMPED.....THE ELDERS GOT STOPPED ON THE BLVD. FOR NOT HAVING A PERMIT TO SET UP A TABLE......THEY WERE TOLD WHERE TO GO WITH THEIR DOCUMENTS FOR THE PERMIT...SO THEY WENT TO THE STORE , BOUGHT A STAMP, FIXED IT WITH THE CHURCH LOGO WROTE UP THEIR DOCUMENT ON THE COMPUTER...STAMPED IT IN BLUE INK AND SIGNED IT...THEY LOVED IT !! STILL WORKING OUT A FEW GLITCHES WITH IT, HOWEVER !!!!
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SO, WE WERE TOLD AT ZONE CONFERENCE WE HAD TO HAVE $100.00 AMERICAN DOLLARS ON HAND AND 100.00 EURO FOR EMERGENCY...
SO WE WENT TO THE BANK TO GET 200.00 AMERICAN DOLLARS.......FIRST WE HAD TO GET EURO FROM THE ATM...OUR VISA WAS CHARGED $253.48 FOR $200.00 EURO AND THE ATM CHARGE WAS $4.53....WE WENT TO THE TELLER AND PAID $162.54 IN EURO AND RECEIVED $200.00 IN AMERICAN DOLLARS.........
SO..THERE YOU HAVE IT !!!!!! NOT SURE I GET IT !!!!
