Last Week in Country

[dlwerden]

This is my son's last week in Bulgaria.  He is leaving with very mixed emotions (as I'm sure all of you have experienced).  Here is his letter home today:

OK, no luck on the nativity set.  Elder Turner looked for 4 months in Sofia because his mom collects them with a passion, but he was also unable to find any.  Today is my last zone conference.  Tuesday I'm making a bunch of cookies with our investigators.  Thursday I have to be in Sofia, and Saturday is the Christmas party with our branch.  Oh, and Wednesday we are doorbell ditching the less actives with cookies.  Sunday I leave for Sofia and Monday is pretty much checking out of the mission and Tuesday morning I fly home.  If there is bad weather, I will be so bummed out.

Last Sunday we had 22 people at church!  Andre, Borislava, her mom, and Nadya came.  In fact, Nadya has come every Sunday for awhile.  Things are going really well in Burgas.  In January they will have the second floor of the building we're in and if we can reactivate 2 priesthood holders we can have three hours in Burgas instead of 2 (that means we will have priesthood meeting and relief society).  I'm really going to miss it here, but i cant wait to go home too.   I really miss home right now.  What I will miss here are the people ... the missionaries, the members, the investigators, pretty much all my friends that I have made here.  It's very sad.  I will say bye to more then a few friends for the last time today.  There is such a strong sense of friendship and brotherhood in this mission.  It hasn't been easy.  We all face the same problems, though, and I think that's what draws us close together. Not everyone in this mission is the same type of person... we are all very different... but when we share the same trials it brings us closer together.

I'm out of time.  Tell everyone I love them and that I'll see them in a week.

[Richard Davies]

Last week I attended our stake's "Festival of Nativities" where they have literally hundreds of nativities on display in the stake center. They have a section devoted to international nativities and I found myself wishing I'd have had the forethought to buy a Bulgarian nativity when I was a missionary. This letter has comforted me a little knowing that this elder was unable to find one after four months of searching. Come to think of it, I don't ever remember seeing one in Bulgaria... who knows--maybe they don't exist.

This month marks 10 years since I entered the MTC (yikes! has it really been that long?) I still remember the mixed feelings and emotions I had when my time in Bulgaria was coming to an end. You really do learn to love the Bulgarians and their country. I felt as if I was leaving a part of me behind. Ten years later I still think of the good old days on the mission quite often. That time in my life has a very special place in my heart. Fortunately, although I don't know if I'll ever make it back to Bulgaria, those fond memories and experiences will always be with me.

[Blindspot]

While I was there, I don't recall ever seeing one.  I asked my wife, who is Bulgarian, and she says they probably have them somewhere, but it just isn't a Bulgarian tradition.  Anything you find is most likely imported.