Zone Conference, Salamis Revisited, Barnabas Museum and Larnaca Branch

We never tire of the majesty of the variety of trees and flowers here.  If you look carefully you'll see a cactus weaving its way up through the flowering tree. 

 

Our Zone Conference held in Nicosia.  Elders and Sisters, 

we love them all.

Our gathering outside at Liberty Monument which I believe we referred to last blog.

Somehow we always have to/like to eat when we're together.  Elder and Sister Lamb, the senior couple in Nicosia, are a lovely addition to our Island missionaries.

Somehow we missed sharing this photo from a previous Zone Conference but it captures some elders who have since returned home.  They leave a significant void in the mission and our hearts.

Lovely ladies in the branch, Rumi and Pauline.

Elder Kiddle with Jules, a friend from Congo.  He keeps Elder Kiddle on his toes with his French.

Roseanna and Mary.  Roseanna is from the Phillipines and Mary is 

from Nigeria.

We've visited Salamis previously but it's always a stop when we have visitors such as we did this week with Toby Osborn's sister, Laurel.  It's hard not to be impressed with ruins dating back to 11th Century BC

Oh how we love our Larnaca Elders Wahl and Bartsch, 

such a great team,

Those mosaics are just stunning.

We always marvel at the architecture and time these structures must have taken to create, given the tools they had to work with, to say nothing of the heat they worked in.

A Roman bath with very little privacy!

Roman latrine, again privacy clearly was not an issue.

Beautiful tiled floor.

Elder Wahl just performing a little weeding service.

The majestic Mediterranean as far as the eye can Sea.

Barnabas Museum from an ancient church.  This is where Barnabas was born and his tomb is just next to this old church.  All of this is in the Turkish occupied Northern Cyprus.

Venetian Palace ruins in old Famagusta.

The Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque originally known as the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas and is the largest medieval building in Famagusta, Cyprus.

Elder Bartsch atop the walled city of Famagusta.

How many types of Baklava are there?  No idea, but they're all delicious.

Anyone for Turkish delight?  Beautifully prepared and presented.

And then we strolled through ghost town which is the portion of Famagusta that was destroyed in the conflict of 1974.  Once a thriving resort and seaside town, the ghost town of Varosha has sat abandoned since the 1970s. While you're not allowed to enter the fenced-off areas, you can still have a stroll or bike ride around the area to explore the deserted buildings and rubble—a time capsule of what was once the most glamorous spot in Cyprus. 

Laurel, Meredith and Roland at the beach in Ghost Town.

Sun worshippers at every turn.

Games following Family Home Evening.

Young men still boys at heart when it comes to games.

Our clock ticks ever so fast and we've got a lengthy list of things we hope to accomplish and enjoy.  Until next time, God bless.  It's an abundant life and we are ever so grateful.