I Lost My Wallet, Was Cursed At, and Biked Until My Legs Fell Off

Zone Conference March 23, 2018

ΓΕΙΙΙΙΙΙΑ ΣΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΣ (yaaaaa sahs): means “hello” in Greek

ΜΠΟΥΚΑΜΝΟΥΜΕ (Boo kam noo meh): “how are we” in Cypriot

Well, let's jump right in to this week. shall we?

TUESDAY: We got donuts, which was lit. They were the best donuts I have ever had in my entire life, by the way. We went down to the bus station to ride to Limassol for District Meeting. I fell asleep on the bus, and when we got to the church building in Limassol, I realized that I didn't have my wallet with me. That meant it was either stolen or still on the bus. The Sampsons arrived in Limassol about 15 minutes after we did, and Elder V. E. did a quick exchange with me so that we could rush down to the main bus station in Limassol and try to find the bus. We got there, and there were four buses in the middle of what looked almost like an airfield. So, Elder V. E. and I just started running towards the buses to check if my wallet was there. We checked three of the buses and were on the last one, rushing so nobody saw us (hard to explain but Cypriot "officials" aren't easy to deal with and like to deny access to stuff simply because they can), and Elder V. E. stepped up into the bus when we heard it—an angry, old, Cypriot bus driver: "ΜΠΟΛΑΚΕΣ!!!! ΕΞΩ! ΤΩΡΑ! ΕΞΩ ΤΩΡΑ!!!!!!!!" (That means '*&%($ OUT! NOW! OUT NOW!!!!!!').

Elder V. E. stepped down the steps and said, "Get out of the bus, Elder Müller!” (I stayed in still searching for my wallet and under pressure then)

“You're making this Cypriot really mad, Elder Müller! GET OUT OF THE BUS, ELDER MÜLLER! HE'S REALLY MAD, ELDER MÜLLER! THIS IS NOT GOOD, ELDER MÜLLER!"

Eventually, we got the station manager to radio the correct bus, and I picked it up at the station after District Meeting was over. We also got to do service for one of our members here. We cut down a type of palm tree, and I got to use my expert Floridian knowledge to convince everyone to just lop everything down. Don't worry, those things always seem to grow back no matter what you do.

WEDNESDAY: We went to the charity shop and met a lady who just came back from Ohio! She was right next to Medina County, visiting a friend. (Our family lived in Medina County, Ohio for several years!) She has also been to Florida so that was pretty cool. 

We went to the refugee center for the first time and got to play some football with some kids. It is only the first floor of a home and little garden right now, but they want to grow into a proper center. We are very excited to help out there. Editor's Note: Elder Müller did not say which refuge center this was, but after doing some sleuthing on Google, I discovered The Learning Refuge, which fits the description he gave. I will confirm next week if this is indeed the correct center. Elder Müller is very excited about being able to serve here.  

Our language classes went well. English class was infuriating for me though. We had two Russians (one male one female) and an Ukrainian there. We were discussing talents and asked everyone to describe the talents of the other students in the class. THE TWO GUYS JUST SAID THE LADY IS A GOOD MOM AND A GOOD WIFE. I think that is fine, but then they didn't want to hear what her other talents were, THEY JUST ASKED "SO WHAT TALENTS DOES YOUR HUSBAND HAVE?” What the heck, guys? She is an individual too! I was so mad.

THURSDAY: We did a lot of finding and then had a lesson with our friend. He was apologetic about coming across some anti-Mormon literature. We did our best to answer his questions and concerns, but when we left, he still was not very satisfied.

FRIDAY: This was a good day. We visited our member up the hill and got to ride our bikes all the way down. Elder R. had a dream the night before, and we decided to kind of find the things in his dream in our area and see what happened. So, we biked down to Geroskipou and were trying to find somewhere to eat lunch. Everything was closed for some reason, so I suggested we go into a local mom and pop grocery store and get some stuff for sandwiches. As we went in, Elder R. saw a guy loading a van with stuff. So, we ran over and started to help him load the van. Turns out, he owns the store! We spent an hour unloading a shipment of two water pallets from outside to into the storage room. One of his employees helped us and spoke perfect English, but when she spoke Cypriot, it sounded like Arabic, haha. By the time we biked back home, we had fulfilled our wish to find the things from Elder R.'s dream. They all led to finding opportunities.

We did a lot of study to answer our friend's questions and went over to his place. We shared Jacob 2:27 with him, and he was immediately satisfied. He said it didn't matter what we said or anyone else said. What matters was what the scriptures say. It showed us that he really thinks the Book of Mormon is scripture. He's amazing!

SATURDAY: We did service with the horses. They had puppies there because their mother died, and they were in horrible living conditions. It broke my heart a little bit, so we asked the guy who they belonged to and if we could find them a home, would he give them away for free? He said he was just going to "get rid of them," so, guys, please pray for the puppies. We went to the charity shop again and had a great time with our friends there. We went with our investigator to play football at 1:30, but only the other elders and one other guy showed up. So, it was pretty boring and hot. I couldn't run because my legs were so sore from biking all day long on Friday. We watched the Saturday Morning Session of General Conference at 7 pm at the Sampson's home. It was really good.

SUNDAY: Sunday was an amazing day with our investigator deciding to come to church for the third week in a row! The chapel was almost full, which is amazing here. And, everyone was quiet for ten minutes before Sacrament meeting started. You could actually hear my prelude music!!! Testimony meeting was very good, and the Spirit was strong. After church, we went with our friend to the Branch President’s home in Pissouri. It is about thirty minutes away and up on a hill/mountain. We had a BBQ out by their pool and spent most of the afternoon there. Our friend is starting to feel more comfortable around the members, and yesterday was a big step, I think. We watched the Sunday Morning Session of General Conference once again at 7 pm with the Sampsons. It was a lovely day.

This weekend, I reflected a lot on where I was six months ago, where I am now, and where I will be in six months. Tomorrow is my six-month mark as a missionary. I can't believe that it has been that long but also that short. Time is weird on a mission. It is long and short and messed up. I am very grateful to be here in Cyprus and serving a mission. It is a wonderful experience unlike any other. I love you all and miss you.

- Elder Müller 

- Πρεσβύτερος Μούλερ

Editor's note: Elder Müller was not able to upload any pictures today.

Here are some photos from other sources!

District Meeting

District Meeting