A study in learning

Our neighbor's back yard.  So what if it is a
6 story apartment building.  Everyone needs
chickens.  Also, ducks and 3 turkey's.

As we get closer and closer to the end of our Turkish adventure, I continue to wonder why we have been in this country and what senior missionary service is really about.  We only have 12 weeks from today before we fly back to the States.  We have our travel schedule and we are to be complete with this event in just a few weeks.  We actually arrive back in Colorado on April 7.

Recently our good friends, the Cluff's sent an article entitled "What I wish I knew before I served my mission".  This article was about senior missionary service and as I read it and contemplated a comparison of our service to the article author, I came to the conclusion that what I wish I knew before we signed up for this assignment would be much different than the article pointed out.

I do not plan to make a specific comparison, but the first item listed was about spending every day all day with your spouse and how difficult it may become.  I totally disagree, being with Nori has been the best and most consistent aspect of this service.  One could not ask for a better companion and support in a very difficult and strange environment.  Of course we have had our disagreements, but we have always had our disagreements.  Some of our friends might say we never get along, but it has been a blessing to have her with me every day.  She is a marvel of organization, commitment, and compassion.  Her ability to develop relationships of love with everyone we have worked with is a commodity of great value.  Her amazing ability to literally develop and conduct the young women's program is what the entire program was intended to be.  Her caring service to the Elders and the people of Turkey will be forever in the memories of all who have eaten her food and shared in our lives.  There is no greater companion.

Totally stock '56 Chevy sitting in Kisalay.
Dirty, but very stock.

The rest of the article was interesting but did in no means parallel our mission.  Enough said.  What I wish I had known or perhaps been willing to understand is that for the most part, no one really cares if you serve a mission or not.  We think it is a good example, but if we had not served, our family would still have loved us and there would simply be nothing to consider or compare.  Looking at the hits on our blog would indicate we have few if any followers even though people would say they have read what we wrote.  Based on mail of the snail variety or e-mail would indicate we have actually died and moved on to another life.

Our assignments have been totally isolated and completely under our control.  No one in our mission leadership ever calls to see if we are alive or to ask about our thoughts regarding the mission or to even advise us how to serve.  The most specific instruction we have ever gotten was, "Love the People."  We send notes to our leaders to tell them what we are doing or what we think should be done.  Usually what we do is of no interest, but as far as our recommendations to how to improve, I will simply say that I have not had a good idea in 14 months.

Kocetepe Camii Largest in Ankara, there is
a two story mall under the mosque.

About this point you may say and I know my son Adam will say, "Oh dad is just being negative again."  Derek will say, "Missions are suppose to be tough or they do not count and you should just figure out what you want to do."  Cami will say, "Are you coming home?" and Dan will not even read any of the blog.

I just want to say that after 14 months, I think I have finally figured it all out and in reality no one is suppose to care.  NO ONE!!! Except my Father in Heaven and He cares.  We went on a mission as we were instructed and we have done everything we could think to do.  We have turned over a million stones.  We simply made our own way.  We figured out how to serve without constantly paying for translators.  We figured out how to navigate this country.  We figured out to serve people even if our area leaders were not interested. We figured out how to get along with poor language skills and we rarely get lost.   We figured out what people need and we have attempted to provide all we can provide.  We literally have a following of friends we have met and attempted to serve.  We have received more communication from the people we met on our mission than all of our family and friends combined.  I think we have touched lives.  So that is the point.  Touch lives.

The local Hobby Lobby.  Gotta love the Turks
They try to use all language and then tell the
real story.  not craft, but graft.

In fact I will share a short report that the Elders here in Ankara gave to the mission president.  They told him that if the "Weaver's" wanted to start a church there would be no limit to the people that would come to hear us talk or teach.  There is a following of people that even though they do not want to join the church, will come to our apartment for family home evening and to church regularly just to see and talk to us.  A couple of the young men call me Baba (dad).  You know in this country the greeting between friends is to kiss on both cheeks.  I have been kissed by so many men that it is amazing.  I can barely tolerate kissing the clean shaven men, but the real hairy ones are definitely a challenge.  We certainly have more people to teach than the Elders.  All three of our recent baptisms in Ankara are people that have come to our FHE or have learned about the Church from us along with the Elders.  Two of them have been Iranian people that speak only the English I have taught them, no Turkish and we have no Farsi speaking missionaries.  That is a story in itself.  Teach with love.

On top of the routine things we do, I have become a full time teacher.  I teach the Tazehabodi girls, Tina and Tara every Monday, Wednesday and Friday the subjects of math, history, science, english and social studies.  I teach the growing Iranian congregation English and gospel principles on Thursdays and we teach gospel principles to the Hagobians on Monday and Javad on Sunday.  We then teach a group of people on Monday evenings with a standing open invitation family home evening which averages about 6 non members.  Tonight we teach the nature of God.  Should be interesting.  We had the largest attendance at the branch ever 86 people to attend our Christmas party that we did all the work.  It is important to remember more than half of the branch was out of town for the holiday and we had 31 nonmembers.  We finally created a social calendar and the branch now has an activity for every month.

My favorite Turkish traveler.  On the bus, a
hundred degrees on the bus, freezing outside,
Dressed for the arctic.

So we have discovered how to find a means to serve and we have created opportunities to help every day.  The only problem is we really thought we would be more busy and we would be given some direction as to what we should do.  SO, what have I learned, I have learned that it is up to me to figure out what we will do because in reality NO ONE really cares except God and I think finally that is sufficient for me.  After all we came to do his work and not the leaders in Moscow or Sophia.  We have made a difference.  We never gave up trying to do something and I think we have been successful.

Shopping for Balik (fish) at the local Sam's club, Metro.
Trout cannot get fresher.  Just pick your favorite.
Filet and clean for 8 TL or about $4 for 2.2 lbs. or 1 KG
$1.80 per lb.  Beats the cost of a license.
However I am going fishing no matter the cost this summer.