One Activity Right After the Other

Let me just catch up on a few things and add some supporting pictures.

First the flood.   Well, it started raining about 3 in the afternoon Saturdaz and rained hard all night long until about 5:00 in the morning.  When I say hard it's like buckets full.  The city was filled with water.  The streets, many homes, underground parking, businesses lower than 3 feet and all buildings close to any drainage..

Note the high water level on the house 

this is a street just outside our apartment

 The pictures tell the story better than the words.  A few of our church members had their homes flooded and one's home was destroyed. I mean they lost everything.  But here's the good part of the story... Members of the church in Durras and Tirana hearing about the flooding and loss in Vlore started collecting clothing, bedding and other things in an effort to send some relief.  After a week of donations they filled a truck full of stuff and sent it down here.

The Bishop and the Relief Society are still in the process of distributing it to needy families.  It was a tremendous outpouring of generosity and charity for their fellow saints in Vlore.

4 weeks later things are pretty much back to normal.  All the mud has been picked up and hauled off and the flooded businesses are back doing business.

We had a mission conference last week which was most inspirational.  A councilor in the Area Presidency was here and spoke to us for about 2 hours.  We met the new missionary couple replacing the Whites.  They take over the responsibilities of the mission office.

We have had a couple of really good youth activities this past two weeks.  The bowling party was fun and the Halloween party went off quite well.

 Again some pictures will help more than the words.

We continue to teach Institute class in Lushnje and Fier each week along with attending the one here in Vlore.  I am still serving on the High Council and spoke in sacrament meeting last Sunday.

We spent a week with the Europe Area YSA leaders and enjoyed learning from them all the thiings that are going on with

YSA's in all of Europe.  They are a great couple serving in Frankfort Germany and are from Utah..

I won't take time to mention the fantastic game night, the workd wide broadcast for YSA, general conference, or sharing family home evening with ward members.

Lots of love to all our friends and family in Lewiston, etc..........