Someone turned up the heat!

Forecast for Today

“ Today's High was 102^°F at 5:00pm when conditions were fair. ”

Although we knew the summers were quite warm here, this year is warmer than usual.  A young lady who I spoke with at church today said that the temp is usually between 25°C - 32°C (which is 80°F - 90°F.)  Since July began the temps have been between 35°C - 40°C (95° to 104°.)  To make it more uncomfortable the humidity is about 90%.  So for those who are roasting in the US, we feel your pain!  I am even more thankful for air conditioning than usual – not just to cool the air but to dry it out some.

Our new Mission President and his wife has traveled all over the country of Bulgaria and Turkey in two weeks since he arrived.  Even before he arrived his travel and meeting schedule appeared quite jam-packed all month long.  After arriving he stepped it up a notch – just like the weather.  Once he got here he set a goal of meeting with each missionary (all 60 of them) in a two week time period.  He did not want to wait several weeks to get acquainted with for those who are far away from Sofia.  After these interviews and meetings he has a better feel for the missionaries and ways he can help them be successful in their efforts to find those seeking the truth..We are excited to be able to help, and in some way, be involved with the spread of the gospel in Bulgaria. We are glad that we have plenty of time left to help this effort.

This week we saw the final group of missionaries who are serving in the Ukraine come for visa work.  Up until now they have had to leave the country to renew their visas.  A new law makes it possible for them to stay in the Ukraine and complete the renewal process.  We will miss the bright, shiny faces was the come for a few days to experience another culture.  But it is great that they will no longer have this interruption in the work they are doing in their own mission.

We have been busy in the mission office this week trying to keep up with the Mission President as well as keep all the office tasks running smoothly.  Zone Conference will be held this coming week and we are excited to participate.

Now that we have settled into our life here things are much more stable.  There is no more flitting around Eastern Europe!  Also the extremely hot weather has kept us from touring around and exploring our area any more. Wimps that we are!  However, we are greatly enjoying the opportunity to serve in this area.  We miss our family, but Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has stated to grandparents serving on missions, “Those little darlings will be just fine, and I promise you will do things for them in the service of the Lord that, worlds without end, you could never do if you stayed home to hover over them. What greater gift could grandparents give their posterity than to say by deed as well as word, “In this family we serve missions!” We are comforted by this blessing and strive to work diligently while we are in the Lord’s service.

Love Elder & Sister Segeberg