ANKARA Sept. 28, 2013

Ankara, a new city and a new assignment. 

The "Villa" Front Entrance.

As you all know, we have been officially reassigned to serve as MLS missionaries.  We now live in the Old Portuguese Embassy, which has been converted into the Ankara Branch building.  The Building is a 4 level arrangement that is divided front to rear with 3 levels of apartments in the rear and 4 levels of church space in the front.  It is a virtual maze and almost impossible to describe in any detail.  It is about 45 years old and was originally built as the private home of a wealthy family that either could not figure out how to live in it or they just went broke trying to heat, cool and just reside in this monstrosity.  It was then leased to the unwary Portuguese and they used it for an embassy for 25 years before finally abandoning it and finding a new home.  Fortunately for the property owner the LDS Church showed up and fell in love with this giant money pit.  Now we are modifying the whole thing and watching the money flow.

 

One of three spiral stair cases in the "Villa"

There is a set of young Elders living in the basement apartment just below our main or zero floor apartment.  Up two flights of spiral marble stair cases the last humanitarian couple in Turkey will live until they complete their assignment.  The Edwards go home to Lehi, Utah on November 21, just 1 day after we complete a full year in the country.  We will miss them tremendously.  They are the greatest people and such fun to be with.  We live in Daire (apartment) 2 on the ground floor.

Skylight at top of top stairwell

Ankara as noted is the capital city and is such a contrast to the other cities we have lived in since our arrival in Turkey.  We live in a wealthy upscale area with lots of embassies and few camii (mosques).  The people are not as friendly as Izmir, but they are good people and seem to live a more western life style.  It is a residential neighborhood with few businesses or services.  We have to trek a ways to get groceries or any of the daily services.  The public transportation in Ankara is the least user friendly of all our experiences in Turkey.  There are buses close by, but you have to function on a spoke and hub arrangement.  In other words, you travel back to the center of the şehir (City) then catch a bus back out in a different spoke to get to your destination.  It is a minimum of an hour to anywhere. 

Outside looking in.  Cleaning the windows
for what would appear to be the firs time ever.

The “Villa” or money pit or Church has a three-car garage and an enclosed driveway so we keep thinking we should lease a car, but then my good and honest companion reminds me that we are not supposed to drive while serving in Turkey.  Oh well, a motorcycle should be ok.

It is great to have members close and we are able to share meals and enjoy each other’s company.  The branch may as well be in America.  We have 61 members of which 53 actually live close enough to attend regularly and we have only 4 inactive members.  There are 3 Turks and 1 student from Mauritania, an Islamic country in North Africa that just recently joined the Church. Except for two couples who are employed by British Petroleum, the rest of the members work for the US Embassy in some military or state department job.  It is typical in every way to the Wards in the US.

The folks who work for the embassy have full access to a commissary and all the American foodstuff you can imagine.  They are not supposed to let others get things from the commissary, but they were kind enough to gift us with a jar of Kraft Miracle Whip Light and a loaf of American wheat bread.  It was like nectar from the Gods, a real sandwich with Turkish mystery meat.  Of course the jar of Miracle Whip probably cost the American taxpayer $7000 for being shipped into Turkey, but I am not complaining. 

Entrance to the back or the apartment area.
Copper door, Kueli Ev (Towered House).  Our entrance.

I finally got my foot into a real shoe and it seems to be improving.  It is still swollen and hurts after walking for a while, but it is improved.  Some days I am tempted to go and get it re-x-rayed and hopefully I will need to go home to have another surgery.  Then I remember I committed to do 18 months and I will stay to the end even if I am cripple.

Sonra görüşürüz. (See you later)

We think MLS stands for More or Less Slaves.  It is our duty to do whatever the Branch President wants done that no one else will do.  Oh well, no thinking just doing.  Every bishop should have a set of senior missionaries.

Gate from the copper door to Kuleli Sokak (street).
Leaving the property onto the street.