Aug 15th, my Birthday and my Year Mark!

Well this was one of the best weeks ever! That training we did really whooped us into shape. We hit the ground running this week and doubled our lessons and contacts. We even found a family that is very interested. It was an awesome week and I hope it continues. But this week we also had an exchange with the district leader on my birthday and it was nice because they were from my MTC group so it was like last year all over again. But you'll see from the pictures I had a good time. Then for P-day we celebrated my year mark by going to get fish and chips. One of my new favorite foods. It was on this beautiful road.
Birthday breakfast

Everyone who knows me well, knows how much I love a hammock.
The chocolate cake that my English class got me. It was really good.


My strawberry cobbler I made myself for my birthday.



My new favorite meal!
Elder Loynes, my new companion is basically a British version of me. Its quite nice and makes for good conversation.
All this beautiful water and I can't get in, but I WILL be back to swim someday!

Leadership Training in Cyprus Aug 2010

President and Sister Charles spent 4 days in Cyprus with the Assistants, Zone Leaders, District Leaders and Trainers. (Yes, I am now a trainer.) We read and discussed principles from the Scriptures and Preach My Gospel. We watched video clips , we role played evaluated and role played some more. Through it all we became more unified, we felt the Spirit time and time again, and we rejoiced and were edified together.

The role playing throughout the 4 days proved to be most beneficial. Each group rotated between President Charles, Elder Mortensen and Sister Charles. As the week progressed more and more of the principles taught were brought into the role play situations. Knowing of the desire of Pres. & Sis. Charles to have some fish and chips 'English ' style, I knew of a place and was able to track it down. No one was disappointed! Pres. Charles was enjoying himself so much he wouldn't even look up for the picture.

July 25th - Misc pics

As for the last few days, I was in a threesome in Lemassol. We had a good time but on Sunday I had the weirdest experience of my mission. I went to church without a companion. The senior couple brought me to Pafos to conduct the meeting so they were technically my companion but no young missionary was with me and it felt so weird. I did not like it. But I conducted, taught and returned to the other elders. I was also hit by a car this week. I was not hurt. In fact I didn't even fall off my bike. I did more damage to his car than he did to me. I have one tiny scratch on my hand and I shattered his side view mirror and broke his rear bumper off. But I wasn't hurt and didn't even fall off my bike. We both weren't going very fast.



Sun setting on the Pafos Coast line


Elder Lohman playing mini golf on his last p-day.


This is the Pizza Hut we ate at on P-day.

July 11th

Greek chips

New companion for 5 weeks, Elder Lohman.

July 11th - Saga of the bike

In Cyprus every missionary pays 100 euro to use a bike. I did this and was given a blue and silver bike. It was in probably the worst shape I have ever seen. It hardly changed gears and the brakes were bad. But I am no one to complain. And I am fairly mechanically inclined so I tinkered with it and got it use-able. It has been all down hill from there. This week the part of my bike that changes gears in the front was given the ok to be repaired. So I took it in. They told me my bike wasn't worth repairing but they did anyway. On the way home, my back gear changer lodged itself in my tire and broke off. So I took it home and took the part from a parts bike we had and fixed it up. This patch held but I told our president on Cyprus that it was going to die soon and what the repair guy said. On Saturday, we were riding to look for a bike shop and my rear gear changer again lodged itself in my tire and this time, (just showing how good of a handy man I am) it actually bent the tire. I sure got it on good. But my bike was walked home where I threw on a spare tire that had a flat. I then spent the next hour fixing the flat. I finally got one tire to hold air so we set off. We were on our way home and plop. There went my tire. I was out of parts so I gave up and called back the president and told him I would need a new bike. They were not happy with this as many people are asking for new bikes but reluctantly agreed. Today they came to go shopping with me. They loaded the 2 of us elders, the 2 broken bikes and the pres and his wife in the car and drove to the bike shop. Thankfully we found a decent bike and a lady that spoke enough English for president to agree to buy the bike. I rode home a happy missionary. Then we rode to the internet cafe. Sadly, on the way, a very un-cautious woman threw open her car door and hit me. Catching my pedal and smashing it to pieces. Brand new bike. 1st ride. Broken. I stopped and just looked at her. Then she had the audacity to tell me that "I can go" like I was the one at fault and she wasn't going to press charges. I wasn't in missionary attire but believe me it took everything I had not to tell her just what I thought of her. But such is life. Its in the past now.