Manwaring Mission to Albania

In a communist museum / cafe March is upon us and the weather is gradually getting warmer.  We still have some cold spells now and then, but we are seeing a lot more sunshine lately and we are really enjoying it! On the last Sunday in January, Kathy finally spoke in Sacrament Meeting. Pretty much all of Bardhi’s family came to support her. Kathy was a little nervous, but gave an excellent talk about forgiving others and not holding grudges. When she finished, the young girls were so proud of her that they started clapping! It was so sweet for them to come.  After church, we had them over to our house for lunch.  Kathy gave Klara, the one who helped her the most, a necklace to thank her.  We also gave Bardhi’s wife a flower, and the family a Book of Mormon. The young girls were given copies of the Friend magazine and they loved it! Kathy is also teaching piano lessons to the girls. As we have mentioned before, most people in Korçë heat their homes with wood-burning st...

  Dear Family and Friends, We started another letter weeks ago, but have put it on the back burner for a bit. This will be the most different letter we have ever written. It is real life with no sugar coating or holding back. We have had a month of tears, heartache, and sacrifice—and definitely our hardest and most humbling month here. Yet, we know we are supposed to be here and we are finding peace. When you start to get a little older, you have to say goodbye for a season to friends that you love, although some of our friends were so young. Four dear friends have passed away unexpectedly within the last 6 weeks, and also the young sister of another friend. Two of those friends were very young with young families—they just didn’t wake up one morning. We are so heartbroken for their amazing spouses, and their beautiful children. We are so far away—we feel helpless, and we are unable to serve any of them. In the words of one of the obituaries, “you didn’t know that the last time you...