500 BALLOONS!!!!!!!

Heya everybody!!!! Another week another dollar amiright?? We had transfer calls this week and THANKFULLY, I get some more precious time here in Kosovo. We went to this national park thing here called Rugova and it is GORGEOUS. The Lord knew what he was doing when we called me to mountainous terrain... the people here are thriving and the Lord is definitely hastening his work.

Culture shockss: 

1. They eat the orange and lemon peels here... they just eat the whole fruit. What in the world. 

2. The elevators here are SOOO SKETCHY and SOO TINY. Also usually they do not have working lights in them which makes for very exciting elevator rides ;) 

3. They eat a lot of dates here and I have come to realize they are absolutely delicious. 

4. They do everything in the world to avoid paying for parking. They are pretty poor so even a 30 cent parking spot is absolutely ridiculous to them. 

Funnies!: 

1. This week was Elder Van Dyke's 6 month mark so we blew up over 500 balloons and the other Elders stashed them all in his apartment and it was crazy HAHA. There were so many balloons!!!! Everyone had blisters on their fingers from tying them HAHAH. We had cleaning checks the next day so poor Elder Van Dyke spent hours trying to pop them the night before HAHA. 

2. So like I said before, the elevators here are super sketchy. Anyways, so we went to this ladies apartment and got in her tiny tiny elevator. However, we couldn't go up to her floor unless she pressed the button with her key. So we were going to wait in the elevator for her to press the button when all the sudden the elevator doors closed and the lights turned off. We started pushing buttons and nothing would make the doors open HAHAH. To make everything better we didn't have service to call our friend so we just were stuck in the elevator for a good while hahaha good mems. 

3. We went to the library this week to check it out and it seriously looks like a prison. It was made in the 1990s and is terrifying. Seriously, all the windows are boarded up and it is really dark and silent. Also- they don't have books. They call it a "reverse library" where people can ask for a book from the basement and read it there but can't leave with the book. Super weird. 

Food for the spirit!!!!!!:

1. This week it hit me hard how important faith is in our lives. The people we are teaching right now are the coolest people ever. Their faith GLOWS FROM INSIDE OF THEM and that is the goal!!! That is the goal for all of us. 

Teuta's faith is such an example to me. As soon as she developed a testimony, she put that testimony into action. She lived it!! She has been spending so much time studying, praying, and she is the most selfless person I have ever met. This week this adorable girl came running up to us begging for money. She also thought that Teuta's hand-sewn bag was so beautiful. After some time getting to know the sweet little girl we found out that she was ditching school. Teuta made her promise that if she would return to school and promise to learn that she could have Teuta's bag. They pinky swore and Teuta gave her the special bag. It might not seem like big of an experience, but that was so moving to me. Teuta PRACTICES her faith. 

Elsa is also an example to me of true faith. She still can't get baptized, but that is not stopping her. This week she said that the only way she is going to see miracles is by having faith. She finished The Book of Mormon last week and hasn't stopped reading. She is doing personal progress everyday for young women's. She is praying everyday. She isn't fasting for ramazan like her whole family and she is preparing to go on a mission after she is baptized. She knows this is true, and she is living it. She is living her faith. How do we live our faith? 

2. This week a youth group from our mission were able to coordinate a temple trip to the Rome, Italy temple. These people put off school, work, and spent a pretty penny to go to the temple. Why? Because they live their faith. What a precious experience for these people to attend the temple. I miss the temple so much! There is no place in the world as peaceful, pure, and holy as the House of the Lord. For those near temples, take advantage of the temple experience. It will help you truly LIVE your faith.