Holiday Weeks

 Holidays and Zone Conference highlight the last couple of weeks.  Branch leaders are busy traveling and getting together with family and friends leaving us a little out of the loop.  But in spite of that we have had some lovely and meaningful interactions with some of the branch members and with missionaries.

Our dear Iranian couple that are called Joseph and Maria by the branch have invited us over twice, once with the young missionaries and we have begun new member lessons.   They have been members for over a year but they have such limited English and very little Greek that they don't always fully understand what is being taught.  In spite of that the Spirit is strong and they have wonderful receptive spirits.  It is wonderful to see them touched by the Spirit and share sweet simple testimonies of Jesus Christ and his gospel.  They love company and love to share what little they have.  

They live in an architectural marvel of glass, tile, swimming pools and fine art.  The previous senior missionaries became aware of the owner of the home and her desire to have some help live in -- so Joseph and Maria are a perfect fit.   The owner is an Iranian woman who has lived away from Iran since the time of the Iranian revolution who obviously has significant means.  This home is one of two on Cyprus.  The other is in Paphos.  We've been treated to some lovely Iranian cuisine which we know took hours of preparation.  So far the food shared includes skewered meat and vegetables, barbecued in the Iranian way.  We are not sharing their photo since they are refugees.

We have had a bit of time to explore Larnaca and Oroklini (our suburb) and have enjoyed the old churches.  The Old Archangel Michael Church is just up the road. 

The Church of Saint Lazarus is in the center of Larnaca near the beach. 

The Church of Saint Lazarus is built over the supposed tomb of Lazarus.  The claim is that Lazarus, Jesus' friend, who he raised from the dead, later left Judea and came to Cyprus where he was the bishop.  His tomb was found centuries later and this church was built over it to commemorate him.

On Tuesday after New Years we accompanied the other senior couple, the Holts, who are leaving in about a month, on a visit to one of the three castles in the north that they have not seen.  Kantara Castle is located on the top of the mountains on the east end of Cyprus where the land juts out in a long pointed peninsula.  Stunning views and a fascinating old castle.  The road getting there was very narrow but other than the rain that drenched us as we came down from our tour, it was amazing.

On our way back from Kantara we stopped at the grand mosque in Northern Nicosia.  

This week was Zone Conference for Cyprus and we had great meeting with Missionaries and President and Sister Nelson. 

 I also had a fender bender with a bollard along one of the tiny streets near the Church of Lazarus.  My first and only hopefully,

We met a wonderful family who operate a lace shop in the village of Lefkara.  They were most gracious and genuine.  You'll note in the photo below the meticulous work involved in a dying art of Lefkaritika embroidery.  The designs are intricate and a cherished skill among village women.  The photo shows us with the gentleman owner of the shop.  He took us upstairs to his home to show us the tablecloth that was his wife's dowry and has adorned their table for 53 years.  It was exquisite and manifested the quality of the workmanship.  It took her two years to complete.  They then picked the most delicious oranges and mandarins and sent us off with a bag full.  We may have patronized their business and will cherish those sweet memories on the streets of Lefkara.

 

In a discussion with the son he recounted his encounters with young missionaries years ago during his time at University in Nicosia.  He made the comment that it was crazy how many different Christian churches there are in America. Afterwards I thought that it is an indication of the religious freedom that we enjoy and that is widely enjoyed in the world of our day.

We have been on Cyprus now for almost a month.  We're still adapting, trying to remember to stay on the right sight of the road, hoping to someday identify the right food ingredients to follow a recipe in metric measurements, but grateful each day for the sweet, sacred experience we are having on the Island of Cyprus.  We were told recently that Cyprus is one of two of the poorest countries in the European Union and we see evidence of that frequently.  We are thoroughly enjoying the January weather, though we're being warned of the heat that summer will bring.  Until next time, God bless.