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| Elder Muller's District in Paphos |
Welcome one and all to Week 1
in Nicosia!
Nicosia is the capital
city of Cyprus and is divided in the middle by a green line. On one side, we
have the Greek Cypriots. On the other side, there are the Turks. Don't worry,
we are all very safe, and there are never any issues.
TUESDAY: I was still in Paphos. We had Elder H.
with us and went to go and visit some members with the Sampsons. We had an
adventure trying to find a box for a package Elder R. needed to send home, and then
we had District Meeting. The meeting was great with everyone actually talking
and having a good time. I went to go say goodbye to our friends in Paphos, and
that evening, we had an activity in the church. We watched the Messiah
performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Only a few friends came, but it was
very good. Also, bacon flavored potato chips are amazing.
WEDNESDAY: Transfer
day! We got up, and I finished putting my stuff in the suitcases. We headed
over to our friend's apartment and had breakfast with him. He made some great
food, and it was really hard to have to say goodbye. He was the first person on
my mission that I have truly taught, and I will always remember him for that.
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| Delicious! |
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Elder Muller's FriendThe Tiger above them is now called "Jeremy"
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| Elders R., H. Muller and their friend |
We went and said goodbye to our friends in the charity shop as well. S. and J.
demanded wedding invitations, and J. took my picture so she won't forget me,
haha. They are absolutely hilarious! Elder Sampson picked us up, and we
proceeded to pick up Elder A. and leave Elder R. with Elder C.
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| Elder A. and Elder Muller Leaving Paphos |
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| Together since October 2017Together in the MTC and served since December in Paphos |
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| Brothers in the Gospel |
We drove to
Limassol and picked up the sister missionaries and had a family road trip to Larnaca,
jamming the whole way! We had to wait in the airport for everybody to gather
and then send off the missionaries who were leaving. Then, Elder H., Sister H.,
Sister S., and myself went downstairs and waited for our new companions. Once
they were here, we headed off, and Elder S. and I were on our way to Nicosia.
We got to the apartment and went to work. That night, we unpacked and went to
bed.
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| On the road to Limassol |
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| On the road to Limassol |
THURSDAY: We tried to
find a bike shop in the morning but were unsuccessful. We had weekly planning
and talked about our district and our responsibilities as the District Leaders
(learn more about what it means to be a district leader on an LDS mission). We
went out and started talking to people. On the way home, I had a little mishap
with my bike, a curb, and my elbow and knee. I got a scrape on my elbow and one
on my knee as well, but nothing serious at all.
FRIDAY: Friday was
a long day. We went and did service at a football pitch with a friend of the
other elders. He is from China. In the evening, we went to the Fleming family’s
apartment for dinner and an area review and planning meeting. The Flemings are our senior missionary couple here in Nicosia. On our way there,
we made friends with a music shop owner, and he let me play guitar and piano.
It was great to play. Dinner was great, and the Flemings are awesome. We were
exhausted at the end of the day because we were biking the entire time. We visited
a bunch of members and less-active members, and it was sooooo hot.
SATURDAY: We went
running this morning because we both need to work off the 50 pounds of candy my
mom sent! ;) I am in much better shape than I thought. I was barely winded
after 20 minutes of jogging (don't laugh you fitness nuts). We had a missionary
correlation meeting with the branch president and all the missionaries. A
random less active member, a very old Cypriot man, showed up for the first time
in years. We had like six hours of finding and biking. Biking in Nicosia is so
much better than Paphos. The hills are wussy hills here. My bike chain fell off
twice, but I fixed it all up. We got a call from a guy named F. who spoke only
French and very little English; he wanted to come to church on Sunday, so
we said great! Then 30 minutes later, we stopped on our bikes and
talked to this guy from Cameroon who also is named F. and only spoke French.
Except, this guy wasn't interested at all. So, we were like, "funny
coincidence"! BUT NOPE! Sunday, we met the guy from the phone,
and guess what, that's right: SAME GUY! On the way home that night, I was
fixing my bike chain for the second time, and some drunk Cypriot guys started
yelling at us. They seemed to think they knew about our church. Except, they
were combining Jehovah's Witnesses, Amish, and aliens, I think. It was pretty
funny.
SUNDAY: F. came to
church, and our branch president translated for him. I gave a talk and
introduced myself. We did family history, and Elder S. is really good at it. We
did a white board activity in Ledra, and it was great. We had really good
conversations. The gift of tongues is real. Once I was in the groove, my Greek
was flowing, and I had a some really good conversations with people. (White board activities are successful in busy city areas.)
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Example of a White Board Activity
Missionaries in Thessaloniki
(Not Elder Muller)
Thoughtful questions written on White Board
Leads to wonderful discussions! |
That's about it for my
week. It is really hot here, but that is everywhere in Cyprus. Stay safe
everybody. Love you all!
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