Summer in Timisoara

We have been busy and so its been a longer time than normal since our last report. Below is a pictorial review with a few comments so you can see some of what is going on.  First I realized that we don't have a map of the country and that some might not have a feel of where we are in the country so here is an overview.  We are on the far west border of the country.  Immediately to the east is the border with Hungary and to the south is Serbia.  These countries are only a few miles away from where we are. There is a noticeable Hungarian influence here but very little Serbian influence.

We are fortunate to live in Timisoara which is not only in a beautiful part of the country but is also a, if not the cultural center in the country.  Below are a few pictures of our wonderful city center and one of the many summertime cultural events that take place here on a regular basis this time of year.  There is rarely a week goes by that there is not some kind of event in Centru (city center).

This photo shows the Orthodox Cathedral which stands at one end of centru and the opera house at the other end of centru. The plaza  near the opera house is where they set up for small evening events. They have a large park just out of the picture to the right where the large events take place.  They have a large outdoor amphitheater with seating for several hundred.  It doesn't get dark until 9:30 in the evening so there is always lots of activity in these two places.

There was recently a large folk dance festival here and below are some pictures of the parade that took place through centru before they went to the park for the festival.  It was a three day event.  As you can see the US was represented.  It was a clogging group and most of them were from Utah and most were members of our church.  We were happy to see them and they were really happy to see the young  missionaries.  They spent several hours together and enjoyed each others company very much.

USA

India? and Georgia.  The Georgia  group were the youngest of all the countries represented, great dancers, and were a big hit!

 This was a local group.  There were about fifteen countries represented but these are a few shots I have of the Parade.




Below are some photos of our Pioneer celebration on July 24th.  July is when, as Mormons we  celebrate the migration of the early pioneers from Illinois to the Salt Lake Valley.  July is also when the Romanians celebrate  their pioneer heritage as the earliest members of the church here.  The church has only been in Romania 25 years and all the members of the church here are first generation members so in that sense they are truly pioneers.
We had a great time with some of the early Romanian pioneers, two investigators and the missionaries. The missionaries threw the party for the Romanian members and had a menu that was half western and half traditional Romanian.  So we had rotisserie  chicken, potato wedges, mici (a fairly spicy sausage), cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, bread and some wonderful crepes for desert.  We had some live music and just an all round good time.  It was a great blend of East and West.

Some of the people and a look at the cuisine

Most of the time the Elders are very serious and hard working but every once in a while you find one  just "Fiddling around".  Here is a picture of our one piece band and musical entertainment for the evening.  This elder is a very gifted musician and played all evening long with no music.  Lots of country songs and real knee slapping, catchy tunes.  It was perfect.  He played until his left arm ached so we let him take a short break to eat and then we put him back to work.  It was fun.

The other missionaries could not resist on this one song and they spontaneously broke into some kind of stand alone dancing. It reminded me of a bunch of chickens walking around in the barnyard.  Im still not sure what it was but the members got a real kick out of whatever it was that they were doing and they seemed to really enjoy it. It is so fun being around these wonderful young people all the time.

Speaking of music here is a photo of our  missionaries practicing for a special musical number that they sang in out Sunday Sacrament meeting. They did a wonderful job. I have dubbed them the Timisoara Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  Ginny accompanied them and is our Branch musical everything.  I don't know what we would do without her.

To close out this blog I thought you might be interested in this.  We have a  river near centru.  Ginny and I have to cross it every time we go there.  This is a bridge across the river built exclusively out of over 157,000 recycled plastic bottles.  The Guinness organization is evaluating this as they believe this is the world record for such a structure.

Below is a photo I took of a typical weekend activity on the Bega river.  These swan boats and other foot peddled boats are popular recreation for young families and couples.  Just one of the many scenes we are privileged to see along our way each day.

We are healthy and happy and just thank our Heavenly Father everyday for our lives and the opportunity we have to serve him in such a wonderful part of His creation.

The 4th of July

We are having more fun than a missionary should be allowed to have, but please don't spread that around or everybody would want to take our job away.  

We have what are called transfers every six weeks.  It is the time when some missionaries are transferred from one location in Romania/Moldova to another.  Some stay in one place for several transfers and others are moved in one transfer, it all depends on the needs of the mission which is determined by the mission president. It is always an exciting time for the missionaries as they anticipate where their next assignment might be.  Below is a picture of our district ( group of 8) missionaries the day before some were transferred. We always hate to see the transfers go but we are so excited to meet the new missionaries assigned to our district. Two in this group were transferred and another went home after two years of faithful service.  He was an Arizona young man so I am sure he has already been out to eat mexican food, something that is sorely missed here by missionaries from the southwest.

                                Picture with all the missionaries along with our wonderful
                                friend and relief society president.

Same group this time with our entire district.  Absolutely amazing young people.

We celebrated the 4th of July with all the Amereicans we could find in Timisoara. And we even had a Romanian guest who wanted to join us for the evening just to practice her english and see how we celebrated our independence.  We had a great evening cookout in the back yard of the Church. Below are some of the scenes from our celebration.  Oh by the way the guest was totally confused by the english she heard because one of our missionaries is from Australia and another from Texas.  She said she understood the Australian ok but did not do well with Texican. Too many ya alls I think. She was lots of fun.

This is with all the new missionaries after transfers taken at our 4th of July celebration. There are three new missionaries, one is on his last transfer before he goes home and he is also from Arizona, and you guessed it, he says his first stop will be for mexican food.  The other two are brand new, this is their  first assignment.  They are both quite delightful, very accomplished and bright and are doing very well. Notice all the red, white and blue in these photos.

This is one of our family traditions at home, an american flag cake.  We did the best we could with what was available here. A little sloppy looking but you get the picture and the cake was yummy.

The missionaries always love it when Ginny cooks.

Yup! you are seeing it correctly. Bottled hot dogs.  We just could not resist trying these.  I cooked them but when it was time for me to get mine they were all gone, I guess they tasted ok because they went in a hurry.  Of course Elders eat great quantities of almost anything.

We had a church meeting in Oradea, a city about three hours away.  The soras  (sister missionaries) drove with us in our little car and the Elders made arrangements with a maxi taxi (large, crowded, van). The temps are in the low 80’s and today, for example the humidity was 94%, so you can only imagine the various olfactory stimulations available in such a van on the long ride to and from.

Below are some of the scenes we saw along our way and what we found in the beautiful city we visited.

One of the many, many crops grown here is sunflowers.  As we drive along for miles and miles there are sunflower fields as far as the eye can see.  There are also wheat fields and many corn fields.

In every city we have been in there has always been an area near the center of town that has a beautiful plaza, and Oradea is no different.  This is just one of the many beautiful scenes in the city.

The local Elders told us about a great place in Oradea to eat.  It is called the American Grill.  We had lunch there and as you can see our server was more than happy to pose for a photo in front of this small cafe.  They specialized in hamburgers and hot dogs, american style.  The food was surprisingly good, if you are like me and like big, juicy, runny burgers with total disregard for calories or nutrition.

This little equation says it all.  We really had an enjoyable time in this little place.

Know that we are both healthy, happy and excited about our time here in Romania.  It is such a pleasure for us to represent our Savior Jesus Christ and The Church  of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints  in this far off place. 

Bits and Pieces

Dear family and friends,

I thought today I would just share bits and pieces of some of our most recent adventures along with some random pictures that are mostly self explanatory. And an insight or two of my own as we go along the way.

First, an observation.  I don’t  know how Ginny has done it all these years.  I mean tolerate me.  She has lived with and patiently trained me, which I quite honestly thought was a pretty easy task.  I mean I have always thought of myself as a pretty easy person to get along with and to be around.  I have been living with me for only two months now and I can hardly stand me. I have concluded that I am just not quite the guy I always thought myself to be. I can just see all my children laughing and agreeing with this statement.  The good news  is that Ginny signed a lifelong, and beyond,  contract so she will just have to take the training to the next level. Thank heavens for her patient and forgiving manner and the concept of Eternal Marriage, it gives her hope that in time she can and will accomplish the task.

Random picture number one.  This is a picture off our balcony to the north.  It is of this beautiful garden carefully attended  almost continuously by an elderly , probably about my age, woman.   I just love the huge rose bush growing up the side of the house.  Very prettyl

We have been traveling a little over the past two weeks. Mostly on mission business which we will discuss in a minute but first we want to share with you a really fun P day.  For those who do not know, P day stands for preparation day, and is every monday. It is typically the day the missionaries have to do their grocery shopping, clean their apartments, get haircuts, email their families, and attend to other personal needs. The rest of the week they spend working and teaching.   Once in a while, with the mission presidents permission we can use this day for some recreation.  Our young missionaries have been working very hard for many weeks and just needed a day off. So with said permission we went to Deva, a town about two hours by bus where we took a maxi taxi for about a half an hour followed by a nice brisk two mile walk to the Corvin Castle in Hunedoara where we spent the day sight seeing.  The day was well spent and we had a great time with four of the missionaries in our district. We returned tired but refreshed and ready to go back to work. Here are some random shots of our day.

Big old dude/Big old castle.  Perfect for each other

Very fun time with some really fun young (and sometimes silly) missionaries.

They brag that this was one of the largest fireplaces built at the time in this area.

This was really fun.  This fellow was a character and I mean a character.  His job was to explain what the weapons of war were and how they were used.  The missionaries talked him into this reenactment of an assault on the castle.  After a scenario presentation we all took our places, showed our most ferocious? faces and yelled as we defended the castle from would be intruders.  There were many people in the audience, and had a grand time watching.

We also went to zone conference in Arad, a town about 45 minutes to the north.  For those who may not know, zone conference is a training session for missionaries in a large geographic area.  There were 34 missionaries in attendance.  The training goes from 9am to 5pm and is a great time for all of us.  The Mission President and his wife were there and did a great  job.  This is their last few weeks of their mission, they have been here for 3 years. They have done such a wonderful job and both are dearly loved by all the young missionaries.  The new President and his wife are reporting in early July and as I understand it are bringing 3 children with them.  These Mission Presidents and their families give 3 years of their lives, with no pay, and incredibly long hours.  They truly are remarkable individuals and totally committed to the work.  It is always a pleasure to be associated with people of this caliber.  Very uplifting and inspiring.  Below are some of the sights along the way.  This is a wonderfully interesting country.

 This is a frequent sight along the way.  I am told this is a gypsy cart.  This is such a good photo because you can see it all,  the driver, his wife and the dog. very typical.

 Here we are crossing a sizable river on a narrow bridge.  As you can see from the tracks, the cars and the train travel the same path.  Here we are following the train across the bridge.  This train is not the large cross country trains like the one we rode from Buc. but rather one of the local modes of transportation around the city.

 Just a cute little house along the way.  Typical of what we see in the country.

This is a hay field.  I found it interesting because of the way they store their hay.  They stick a long pole in the ground and wrap the cut hay around it  These are several feet tall and you see them everywhere. You can see the rows of hay in the background.  Being from a little farm town I found this interesting.  We also saw some baled hay as well.  I don't know why some are done this way and others are baled.  My guess is cost. This is a very agricultural country and once out in the country you see farms for as far as the eye can see.  Quite a beautiful sight to behold.

Comings and Goings

This has been, as most weeks are, very eventful.  We are so very busy with our missionary work and the running of our little branch. We were so disappointed to find out that our one and only family with small children is  leaving.  The father got a better job in Italy and so they are moving.  It is a wonderful opportunity for the family so we are so excited for them, this job is an answer to their prayers and they are so excited.  One of the problems Romania faces is that since becoming a part of the European Union they can move about from country to country like we do from state to state in the United States.  They can also get work easier in other more developed and economically sound countries, like Italy.  The overall result has been the mass migration from Romania.  Their population has consistently  declined for the past few years.  Good for some families but overall bad for Romania. The real tragedy is that it often splits families as one or both parents seek work in other parts of Europe leaving behind children with relatives or sometimes on their own at a very young age. 

We have had so many requests from people reading the blog to post more pictures so  they can get a better feel for what we experience daily.  So here we go with our version of a picture packed blog with some explanations as we go.

Ginny and I were invited to participate in a medical course that was sponsored  by the humanitarian arm of our church.  The physicians  were from Utah and travel around the world giving badly needed training in neonatal resuscitation.  There are so many babies lost early on due to inadequate training in this  fairly easy to perform yet technique sensitive procedure.  The response from local doctors and critical care medical support staff was just outstanding.  The training was much appreciated  and the turnout larger than expected. We were so happy to be invited to attend.  Below is a picture of the farewell dinner attended by the local physicians and the training doctors from the U.S.  It was really fun for us and a break from our routines.  It was so good to meet these wonderful people who give so freely of their time.  They volunteer their time and are paid absolutely nothing for all they do.  We are so amazed that there are so many people who volunteer and give so much and expect nothing in return. anyway here is the conclusion of several days of hard work and training. As you can see from the photo and interesting to note that many if not most of the physicians are  female. Very dedicated and talented health professionals.

Now, as requested, some everyday things we see as we go about our day, random but part of our lives here in this wonderful part of the world.  Our observation, people are people where ever you are, delightful and almost always helpful.

This is a very popular form of transportation in the city. This track is just down the road a ways from where we live and we cross over these tracks several times a day.  Cars also drive on the road/train track. The other day I was leisurely driving down the track when I heard a loud noise behind me, it was an impatient train driver letting me know I needed to get going.  Kinda scary looking in the rear view mirror and seeing a train on your bumper.  I made the next right turn.

This is a picture of the sidewalk between our house and the train track above.  We have to keep our heads down and watch all the time because if you don't, you can easily sprain an ankle or literally fall into a hole.  there are actually potholes in some sidewalks here.  No one seems to mind - just an everyday stroll about town.

Springtime here is quite spectacular.  This is a typical sight almost anywhere in town.  It seems everyone plants flowers everywhere and they grow prolifically. This one caught my eye because of the bright purple color.  Quite different than prickly pear at home.

Ginny and I try to walk 2 to 3 miles a day several days a week.  This is the view we have as we walk to Centru, the town center.  As we walk we cross a bridge over this river.  The boat in the foreground is actually a restaurant and the structure in the distance is a beautiful Orthodox Cathedral.  We are sure we will never tire of this view on our daily walks.

The above two pictures are pictures of the end of the line when we return from our traipsing about town on our various errands. Home sweet home.  The top picture is of our approach from our trips to the center of town or from our return from the church building.  The second picture is from the side of the building showing our garage on the bottom, yes we have a car though we prefer walking, and our apartment on the top.  If you look closely you can see Ginny waving from our balcony window on the 4th floor.  There is no elevator so we get additional exercise climbing the stairs.  We love where we live.

Wet in Timisoara

Today's blog is going to be full of what we lovingly call “Mormonisms.”  Those things that will mean more to those of us who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.  Much of our week is filled with serving in a Pastoral capacity as we serve our little congregation here in Romania. We were surprised after our Sunday services this week when we were asked to stay after for what was a surprise for both us and the missionary couple we are replacing.  They have been serving here for 18 months. They are just an amazing couple and the people here dearly love them. Anyway, the following photos capture the fun time we had as the congregation said thanks and welcome in their own special way.  A wonderful meal complete with many delicious Romanian dishes, spiced up with some real americanized desserts.  The desserts here are not typically as sweet as we are used to in the U.S., but these would make Sarah Lee ask for the recipe. The first picture shows some of the members of our little congregation and the second picture is of all of the wonderful missionaries we serve with.

 These young people are incredible.  They left their homes and traveled half way around the world just to serve people they don't even know.  They serve by teaching free english classes twice a week.  They teach a beginners, intermediate, and an advanced class.  They do an amazing job and the service is so valuable.  English is still the language of business world wide.  Speaking english gives the speaker an advantage in their quest to improve themselves economically.  The classes are very popular and some classes have been as large as 70 persons.  I am continually impressed with the dedication and stamina of these young missionaries. They also volunteer for organizations like the Red Cross, and how they love to see those missionaries, because they know they are going to get some real hardworking and dedicated young people who know the definition of hard work.  And all of this in addition to their rigorous schedules as missionaries teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Well enough of my bragging about our great young missionaries.  We love serving with such fun, funny, dedicated, and spiritual young adults.

The missionaries are not allowed to call home except twice a year.  Christmas and Mothers day.  Well, last Sunday was mothers day and we sat as they all called home, actually they all skyped with their families. We sat and visited with the other senior missionary couple for hours as we waited for them all to get a chance to communicate with their families.  We only had four computers so they had to take turns.  It was so fun for us because we have had children who have served missions and we remember how excited we were to visit on those two special days.

Before I close for the night I thought I would share three fun pictures. 

First:  A picture of Ginny and two missionaries on one of our rainy spring days.  It has been raining continuously for three days and nights and the temperatures have been in the 50s and low 60s. Not exactly Tucson this time of year. I kinda feel like Noah must have felt.

Second:  We went to the Timisoara temple a couple of days ago.  Yes you heard me correctly the Timisoara temple.  Well actually it is a picture of the San Diego Mormon Temple in the window of a bridal shop here in Timisoara.  All the missionaries just have to have their pictures taken in front of the store. I don't  know if the owners  know what the picture depicts but we are told its been here for a long time so it must get advertising results. Not significant just fun.

Finally:  A fun picture of Ginny and I with the first person to be baptized in this city.  She has been a member of our church since 1996.  That shows you how young the church is here.  She is so fun, full of life, and faithful. We had a wonderful time visiting with her. 

Well goodnight for now, we have a big day planned tomorrow and will be up at 5:30 am and don't plan to return until about 8pm. This missionary stuff is not for the faint of heart.
la revedere (goodbye) and noapte buna (good night).  Now you know just about as much Romanian as I do.

Finding Our Way

Our dear family and friends,

We have had a great week.  We went to the town of Oradea which is about 75 miles away for a district training session.  It was our first good look at the countryside. It is very flat and all agriculture.  Im not sure what all they grow but the fields go on forever and since it is spring and so rainy all is lush and green. The photo is typical of the countryside if you can imagine that as far as the eye can see in any direction.  Quite beautiful.

The people here continue to amaze me with their kindness and generosity.  We visited a wonderful  sister yesterday.  She made this incredible dinner of chicken breasts that were breaded with spices that would make colonel sanders want to reevaluate.  There was also a delicious rice dish with mushrooms.  Lucky for me she made a lot and I was there with two young sister missionaries and Ginny.  So she kept suggesting that I eat more so what could I say I DID. She is known to be a good cook and she sure proved it to us. She lives on the fifth floor and the building had no elevator.  She has to climb those stairs several times a day. Makes us grateful for our puny 47 stairs to our third floor apartment.   This sweet sister has a small balcony full of beautiful flowers of all kinds, she gave Ginny the lovely orchid in the picture below.  We hesitated to take it but she insisted.  We will see how long it lasts in our incapable hands.  Very, very, very thoughtful though..

I  thought I would include a few pictures of our everyday life.  First a picture of Ginny with the sister missionaries.  They live close to us and on the same road so we get to walk home with them sometimes from the church.  This is the most scenic spot on our walk home.  We often just walk to church.  I am guessing the round trip from home to church is about one and a half miles, maybe two, but pleasant and a real easy walk.  The walking and the stairs help keep us in shape.  Only very tall apartments here have elevators and the elderly really have a struggle. They have minimal provisions for the disabled here.

Next our clothes dryer.  This is the way almost everyone dries their clothes.  It means you have to do laundry often or you overwhelm the capabilities of the dryer.  We often think of Brandons laundromat and those huge 50 pound machines he has.

And last but not least another domestic goddess picture.  I insisted Ginny take this picture for posterity.  It will forever prove that I do indeed know what to do with the clothing that comes off our drying rack.  Its a hoot if you want to know the truth. 

Well its late and we have many new adventures planned for tomorrow so we  will turn on the heater (can you imagine) and get some rest.  
Post you later.  
Elder Alston