Malta - Week 35

This week's highlights include a Zone Conference in Rome, a visit from Shon Hiatt, Gozo and more!

After a great weekend with the Morrises, we dropped them off at the airport on Monday afternoon.  We had to fly to Rome that same day for Zone Conference on Tuesday, so I don't know why they didn't book us on the same flight. Our flight was just a few hours later.  So after dropping them off at the airport, we drove home, finished packing and headed back to the airport.  That's when the drama began.  

As we were driving to the airport that evening, we got a call from the Elders saying that Elder McPhie had forgotten his passport, so the two elders went back home to get it.  At this point they couldn't make it to the airport on the bus on time, so they needed us to come get them.  That wasn't too far out of the way, so we went and picked them up.  We lost a little time, but we were once again on our way to the airport, when we got a call from the Sisters.  They were trying to check in at the airport when Sister Alvarado discovered that she had forgotten her passport!  We were already running late, but we decided to run back to our apartment, find our key to their apartment and go to their apartment to get the passport.  When we got to the apartment, we realized that even though we had a key to their apartment, we didn't have a key to the outside door.  So we just started ringing all the buzzers in hopes that someone would let us in.  After ringing frantically for about 5 minutes, a man in the apartment above us poked his head out the window and asked us what we wanted.  We explained the situation and he buzzed us in!  We raced upstairs to their apartment inserted the key and it wouldn't budge!  I tried, the Elders tried and Steve who was illegally parked in the road abandoned the car and came in and tried.  But we could not get the door open!  Sadly, after all of our efforts, we could not get in to get the passport!  

Time was ticking and we were afraid of missing our flight, so we finally left to the airport.  We frantically called the mission president, but he was still on his flight home and couldn't answer.  When we made it to the airport, Sister Alvarado was practically in tears and we only had 10 minutes left before they closed the check-in gate.  Pres Morris finally called us back and Steve and I offered to miss the conference and bring Sister Alvarado back with us so that her companion could still go, but he said "no".  The two Sisters had to go home and they were invited to tune into the conference by Zoom.

This time the conference was as another church in Rome.  It was over an hour drive in rush hour traffic.  Pres. Morris forgot about the new location and he showed up at the temple visitor's center wondering why no one was there.  Even though we were about 20 minutes late, he was even later than us.  The Zone Leaders carried on without him and he and his wife got there on time for their presentations.  

Other than all the drama, the conference was outstanding.  We didn't like the new location, but presentations were all uplifting and inspiring and we were happy we could be there in person.

This picture shows Sister Hoyt holding her phone with Sister Alvarado and Sister Jenson pictured by Zoom.

Since we were gone, Steve wasn't able to teach his Institute Class, so Naomi hosted a Family Home Evening Scripture study group.  We're grateful the YSA's carried on without us.

Naomi ended her semester here and she is heading back to Switzerland.  She has been an amazing YSA Leader and it has been a joy to work with her!  We will miss her so much!

We flew back from Rome on Tuesday night.  Sam's brother Shon was here on a business trip.  We took him out sightseeing and planned a surprise for his nephew, Elder McPhie who is serving in Malta.  

Our first stop was the Blue Grotto. Everyone needs a picture with the bird man!

Dark clouds formed over the sky, and it was starting to rain.  We rushed down to the dock, worried they would cancel the boat tours. 

We made it in the nick of time.  It started pouring just as we were heading back!

It was forcasted to rain the rest of the day, so we planned indoor activities. Our next stop was Rabat to see St Paul's Grotto, the World War II shelters and the Catacombs.  

It was nice and dry inside, but we didn't take into account how far away the parking lot was.  Steve couldn't get a parking place, so he was waiting there for us.  While we were inside the storm rolled in and it was quite a walk back to the car in the torrential rainstorm.  By the time we got there, we were soaked from head to toe!

Our next event was to surprise Elder McPhie!  He is Shon's nephew!  We told him we were going to take him out to lunch.  He had no clue why!  

When he climbed into the backseat of the car, there was his Uncle Shon!

We had lunch at Fortizza Restaurant.  They had a glassed in area where we could stay warm and dry and still enjoy the ocean view.  The Elders were excited about all the options on the menu.  Shon ordered Rabbit, Malta's favorite meat!

During lunch, this beautiful rainbow appeared over the ocean!

After lunch we went to the Malta at War Museum.  Sister Bennett and Hoyt joined us and the guide gave us a private tour of the World War II shelters.  It was sad to hear what all those people had to endure during the war.

  

It wasn't easy for Elder McPhie down in the shelters with such low ceilings.  He is so tall; he had to spend most of his time hunched over.  He finally found a little hole in the ceiling so he could stand up straight!

With the stormy weather, we weren't sure if anyone would show up to English Class.  We were pleasantly surprised when all these guys showed up!  Shon was thrilled for the opportunity to help us teach!

The storm cleared up and the weather was beautiful on Thursday.  We took Shon to Gozo.  We took the ferry over, which is always an adventure in itself.  We found the outline of a Viator tour online and decided to try taking the same tour with our car. 

Dwejra Bay

We visited this bay in the summer, and it was filled with fishing boats and swimmers. It was surprising to see it so empty in the wintertime.  We were disappointed we couldn't take the little boat tour we took back then.

Ta' Pinu National Shrine

The shrine gained fame in 1883 when Karmela Grima reported hearing the Virgin Mary's voice, leading to her miraculous recovery and increased pilgrimages.  It is now known as the "Church of Miracles".

The church is surrounded by beautiful mosaics and statues. 

The interior of the basilica is simple, but eloquently beautiful.

This beautiful large creche display is inside.

These are just a few of the many statues surrounding the chapel

The lush green countryside

Weid il-Mielah Window

The Wied il-Mielaħ Window, Maltese: it-Tieqa ta' Wied il-Miela) is a limestone natural arch situated on the north-western coast of the island of Gozo. 

This natural arch is less well known than the Azure Window, which collapsed in March 2017 after a heavy storm.

Xwejni Salt Pans, one of Gozo's ancient trades

Salt from Xwejni is harvested once a week, approximately between mid-May and early September, weather permitting. After each harvest, every salt pan is manually and individually filled with water using a motor pump from the large pools to the small pans, then left to dry for about seven days, allowing the salt to form. Because the water is already highly concentrated in the large pools, the salt process occurs much faster resulting in a collection every week.

Using brooms and brushes thick bristles, the salt from each pan swept and gathered into small heaps and placed in buckets. These are then transferred to a flat drying surface, where a large heap of salt is formed, covered with cloths, and left to dry for about 24 hours. Once dry, the salt is packed into 30-kilogram bags then stored. The salt is now ready to be packaged and be consumed and added to your delicious meals.

Ggantija Archaeological Park

With Megaliths a whopping 5m long and weighing over 500 tons, folks once believed the enormous Ġgantija Temples were built by giants. Dating back over 5,500 years and recognized by UNESCO as the world’s oldest free-standing structures, they are a veritable feat of architectural ingenuity.

Perched majestically upon a hilltop, just outside the village of Xagħra in Gozo, the complex consists of a North and South temple, both with apses, flanking a central corridor, made entirely of limestone.

Enclosed by a massive stone wall, whose curved shape suggests the form of the earth itself, the nature of religious activities that took place here remains unclear. However, the presence of stone hearths, animal remains, libation holes in floor strongly indicate the practice of animal sacrifice.

Ta' Kola Windmill

The Ta’ Kola Windmill in Xagħra is one of the few windmills in Malta that has retained its sails and internal milling mechanisms. The mill was originally constructed in 1725 in a different location but was rebuilt in its current location in 1787, and it was in use until 1960. Through the efforts of the family of Ġużeppi Grech, who was the windmill’s last miller, and later the museum authorities who took over the maintenance of the mill, the structure has been preserved remarkably well, and it now functions as a museum sharing the story of Malta’s windmills with all of its visitors.

The mechanism that runs the Windmill

Ramla Bay

A lovely red sand beach

Tal Mixta Cave

I've seen this cave featured prominently in all the tourist catalogs and was anxious to visit it.  While there, I took several pictures and couldn't decide which one I liked best, so I am posting all of them.

The Cittadella, the ancient, fortified city, stands out as Gozo's major landmark, visible from all over the island.  Occupied since prehistoric times it reflects the marks left by its inhabitants, shaping the majestic complex it is today.

Up the down staircase!  I took a picture of Sam on this same stairwell at the Citadel, so we wanted to recreate it with her brother Shon.

On Friday we took a walking tour of Valletta and then toured St John's Co-Cathedral for the third time. 

Clock at St John's Co-Cathedral

Enjoying Ftera (Maltese Bread) at Nenu - This has become our tradition.

Our traditional picture at St John's Co-Cathedral

I always look forward to the YSA Sunday School Class. John Paul has a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon. He is a convert who joined the church 11 months ago, and he is an outstanding teacher!

Temple Prep Class - Lesson #5 

How I love teaching these guys!

Ended the week with Sunday Dinner at the Beck's

We always love the view from their balcony!

Sister Beck always sets the table with her finest china. The elders sit at the small table. I love how she places the beautiful china and crystal at their table and then surrounds it with camp chairs.

The Becks always prepare a huge feast for the missionaries. They are exceedingly gracious and generous, and we all greatly appreciate it.

I'll end this post with this gorgeous picture of the Valletta Skyline. 

It's always so beautiful!