Our Apartment:

FREEZING, DARK and WET!  

The apartment is on the bottom of the floor that has been newly remodeled.  The first few days was hit and miss and spark with the electricity.  But its doing better now because they came and fixed it with duck tape!  The bathroom floor is beautiful (blue and white) with water that springs from the shower area.  There is a whole in the tile that drips water to a pipe in the middle of the room.  There is no heating in this room but we do have freakishly hot water that can scald us or freezing water if you turn it the other way….. So mix the both and wait to dip and drip on a floor that is warmer than a block of ice.  Pictures coming.   Outside is a view of garbage from 300 years ago and an old dog that barks around 11:00 pm to 1:00am to wake up the Rooster who crows at 1:00am, 3am  5am 6:30-7:30 on schedule.  

Our heater worked only one day in -5 C and when it did, the neighbor came over and explained that the motor was keeping him up that night.  My thought WOW!  I would think that the -5 C would keep you up like it did us!  Later, we learned that the campfire smell was coming from all their houses burning wood—thus the wooded donkeys—and only the apartments have no heat except if you can get electricity.  We bought a portable heater that I drag from room to room and leave in the bathroom for ten minutes before bathing so my butt doesn't stick to the seat!

But Lorin got the electricity to work, a washing machine, two heating units that we negotiated with the neighbor to use until 10:30 at night and then 5 in the morning. And a plug in draggable heater.  He also ( and I am still amazed with him that he was able to get a new gas/electrical stove working with the help of a workman  (you get a workman to come and 5-6 show up because NO ONE HAS WORK HERE!)  Lorin, how I still can’t believe it, got a man building a cabinet for us in our bathroom( only place to set my toothbrush and make up is in the bidet—a low oval basin used for washing one's privates—and possibly something to guide the water in the bathroom.  I LOVE THIS MAN I MARRIED!!!!  HOW YOU CAN TALK TOOLS WITHOUT ANY WORDS IS BEYOND ME!  BUT HE DOES IT!  Oh and the men are building a cabinet for our new church building “store front”.  Fabulous!  

So I am writing you all from my new kitchen table with new cabinets with a new stove and water filter (that I stole from the mission office) without my down coat and wool blanket that I'm sure 50 other sheep herders have used from the local hotel-our landlord left for us.  I made soup yesterday and it all worked!  We were invited to a lovely dinner with our new members tonight. All is well with our little Shqiperia Zion!  That is until 1:00am when the cock crows—Hey that gives me an idea to speak about Peter the apostle at church, repentance, and patience next week!  Perfect!

Love Mom