My dear extraordinary youth, you were sent to earth at this precise time, the most crucial time in the history of the world, to help gather Israel. There is nothing happening on this earth right now that is more important than that. There is nothing of greater consequence. Absolutely nothing.This gathering should mean everything to you. This is the mission for which you were sent to earth. So my question to you is “Are you willing to enlist in the youth battalion of the Lord to help gather Israel?” Please think about it. -President Russell M. Nelson

Monday, April 22, 2019

Gëzuar Pashkët!!!!!!!!






 Happy Easter everyone!!!!!!
It's been quite the splendid week out here in Kosovo!! We've been busy, busy, busy, and I have been happy, happy, happy. We had a huge party for Easter on Saturday and it was so fun. There was lots of singing (or attempts at singing), testimonies, games, dancing, and eggs. The weather is starting to warm up a bit and we had a BEAUTIFUL Easter Sunday singing songs in the streets and meeting people everywhere (they are always outside).

CULTURE SHOCKS FOR THE WEEK:
1. Alrighty so Easter traditions here don't really exist because well, they are almost all Muslim. However, they do color eggs but they do it WAYYY more symbolically. They dye all of their eggs plain colors and they dye most of their eggs dark red to symbolize the blood of Christ! But they don't even really believe in Christ so that's odd.... 
2. Kosovo and Albania are like one of the biggest coffee places in the world. There are coffee shops literally on every corner. Out of tradition though when they like you they just want to take you to "drink a coffee" so we often times meet at coffee shops hehe. 
3. They do not have American foods here HOWEVER we are in the only place that has REESES PEANUT BUTTER CUPS. What a blessing. 

For the laughs:
1. This week we went to visit this pregnant woman at the hospital who was in the emergency wing because she was having her baby. First of all, the hospital is very sketchy and I 10/10 do not recommend. So anyways, we arrived at the hospital and couldn't find this woman anywhere so we asked a nurse if she could help us. After about 20 minutes of searching she called someone to help her. After about 5 minutes on the phone she just looked up and said, "Um yeah. She ran away. " Oh man.... only in Kosovo *shakes head*
2. Okay so this week we were teaching English course and we were going over nature words such as tree, flower, dirt, etc,. I wrote up the word 'bush' and no one in the room could pronounce it correctly it was soo funny. Finally, after what seemed like 5 min of attempts I said, " Bush. Like President Bush. You guys have a statue of him?" Suddenly, everyone was like, "OOOOOHhhhhhh you mean bush!!!" and they totally said it correctly it was so stinking funny. Man, do they love America here. 
3. Our branch president here is simply one of the funniest people I have ever met. His name is President Teli and he is awesome. First of all, I can't friend him on Facebook because he has too many followers HAHAHA. He like totally buys his followers or something he has maxed out on the amount of friends he can have it's hilarious. Hahah but he said he likes me enough to unfriend someone and add me. What an honor. 

Spiritual:
1. The Elders had this investigator named Teuta who came to church but afterwards, said she didn't feel like reading or praying to find out the truth for herself. The Elders told us we could meet with her to see if we could reach her in a different way. We met up and had the most amazing lesson and afterwards she said that she would read!!! She also kept telling us how what we said was exactly what she needed it was so cute. So then this week she went to her family's house in Gjakova (another city) and she ACTUALLY WENT TO CHURCH ON HER OWN!! At church she met the senior couple serving there and since they both know German they were able to meet together and eat dinner together and she said she has never felt so loved by so many people in different places. It was so cool to see how many different people, in different places, played a role in helping Teuta develop her faith!! Ahh how cool.
2. At church this week pretty much everyone was out of town lol. There were like maybe 10 people at church but it was still so beautiful. There were 2 members from the military who came to church and it was so powerful. They were in their military clothes with their guns and stuff passing the sacrament and I just had so much respect for those officers making the effort to go to church. Wow. 
3. There is this member in our branch who is a rockstar. Her testimony is rock solid and she is just so cool. However, her home life is almost unbearable. Her parents one time caught her reading The Book of Mormon and they physically abused her. She can only make it to church every once in awhile so that her parents don't know. We have to be very careful not to get involved in anything because it can be very dangerous. However, this girl is the biggest example to me. She constantly is finding ways to read, pray, and worship on her own and she's even preparing to serve a mission once she can finally leave home. The dedication she has to her Savior is so miraculous. My testimony grows each and everyday because of these humble disciples of Christ who are serving throughout these nations. 

LOVE YOU ALL KEEP SMILING OKAY!!!!
Love, Motra Sëtën

Adriatic South Mission
P.O. Box 2984
Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta 
Qendra ALPAS
Shkalla NR. 5 Apartamenti NR.14
Tirana, Albania

Us and our friend Klaudia who is so awesome, Cutie Dalfina and me painting eggs, beautiful Kosovo, some members we're teaching, me and Elsa!!!!! (p.s. sorry they're probably all out of order lol)








Thursday, April 18, 2019

Sweet Message from Elsa and Elda

I recevied this beautiful message from one of Hannah's investigators.  Its Beautiful!!!

Hi Mrs.Lori ! ☺️
I'm Elsa!
First of all,I am so sorry to bother you! Hope you are doing fine!🙏🏻
( I am so sorry if my English is not that good but I am trying my best! )
Hannah knows us and maybe she told you about us! We are from Kosovo!! We are best friends with her and Eden ( Sister Adams )!!💕
I just wanted to say hi to you and to tell you that you have the greatest,brilliant,awesome,the most precious cutie angel girl Hannah!!😇✨❤️
I am very thankful,grateful and sooo happy that we met her and Eden! 😊😀
Since day one we knew we will build an beautiful friendship!! And that we will be Best Friends!!🙂
And we've built the most realest,awesome,cool precious friendship ever!!! And we are so thankful that they are in this life and now, we are Best Friends Forever!!!! But for me, they are my SISTERS FOREVER!!❤️❤️👭👭 ( And I really hope that we will NEVER lose this friendship! )
We never had real friends or even just friends so me and my twin sister Elda are so thankful that they are our realest and the most precious ones, friends and soooo thankful and grateful and the happiest more than we've ever been that they are here with us!!🙈🤗
Hannah is such an beautiful,cute,kind,honest,wonderful,amazing person ever!💖
She is so beautiful inside and out!!❤️
I don't even know how to express the love we have for her and Eden!!
We love them,support them no matter what!! FOREVER! They do too!!
We are so so soo grateful and thankful that these beautiful people exists!!🙏🏻
You are a very very beautiful,amazing mom and I am so happy that we know you now!🤗
Thank you for everything you do for your Hannah,angel!! Of course your family too!!
We love Hannah so so much to the moon and back!! 💫
We love Hannah so sooooo muchhh , until the end!!!❤️
We love you too and all of you!! 💖
I am so sorry once again that maybe I bothered but I wanted to talk to you!!
Me and my sister,about an hour ago,we were with them, and we had sooooo muchh fun,even so much laughter!!!😃
I am so so thankful and happy to be Best Friends and even SISTERS with someone like them!!!🤗🙈👭👭💕
Thank you for your time. Once again I am so sorry!!!
Lots of love from me Elsa and my sister Elda!!❤️









 
Hello!! I am Elda! Hannah's best friend! I don't know how to express my love for her and your family with words! 😘 my sister said so much & that is the same from me.She is an MIRACLE☺️💙❤️💜 I love her to death! She makes me laugh,smile and cry happy tears! I LOVE HER TO THE MOON AND THE BACK.I MISS HER TOO . BECAUSE we aren't in Prishtina for a few days! I love her in daily basis,I appreciate her,and I thank her for everything😇 she makes me ssoo HAPPY! THERE ARE INFINITY WORDS TO EXPRESS MY LOVE FOR HER.😙
I love you as my second MOM.I LOVE THAT YOU ARE A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR HER😄
I just want to say hi and I wish you an amazinggg perfectly day everyday!

Happy early EASTER for you! I wish you health and happiness in your life! I wish you amazing trip to anywhere you go,I wish you an amazing mission for your BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER! Accept my greetings and my congratulations! With lot of love,your LOVED ONE Elda! 😊😄