NEW TRANSFER

HELLO EVERYONE!!! I HOPE YOU HAVE HAD AN AMAZING WEEK!!! I am just over here in Kosovo and couldn't be happier to be staying here in the best place. I am with a new companion now. Her name is Sister Bringhurst and she is from Highland, Utah! She is really cool! We are workin some fire over here in Prishtina! We also spent a good day in Macedonia for zone conference and we learned so much it was awesome! 

Culture shocks: 

1. So we have a different dialect that we speak in Kosovo called gheg. It is different than tosk which is spoken in Albania. I never realized how different the dialects were until we got 2 new missionaries here that served in Albania  that can't understand anything!

2. If you turn on your hazards nothing is illegal lol. 

3. When the Kosovars speak they make this "click" noise to say no. Hahaha I am now picking up that habit!!! 

Goofs & giggles: 

1. So in Albania they shake their heads "no" when they mean yes and they shake their heads "yes" when they mean no. However, in Kosovo they do not do this. My new comp has served in Albania her whole mission so she has picked up the habit and has been shaking her head no at everyone. Everyone has thought that she is so mean and doesn't like them or doesn't agree with them HAHAH. 

2. After the huge earthquakes last week there was a big storm that flooded the streets! It was pretty crazy! It was like we were swimming!! #weareobedient 

3. We went to this beautiful waterfall this week and then I got stinging nettle. Awesome sauce. #deathhands 

Spiritual GOODNESS: 

President Nelson gave a beautiful talk called, "Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into our Lives". It is beautiful you should read it!! He said, "When you reach up for the Lord’s power in your life with the same intensity that a drowning person has when grasping and gasping for air, power from Jesus Christ will be yours." 

This is so powerful! This is one thing I have been working on as I have been serving my mission. That relationship with our Heavenly Father is so important. When we pray to our Heavenly Father with that same intensity you can truly feel the power of our Savior's Atonement. We can truly feel his love. We can truly FEEL his answers to our prayers. 

I have seen this in my life and in the lives of those we are teaching. We are teaching this man named Iljaz and his prayers are so amazing. He truly talks to God and you can feel his desire to receive an answer when he pours out his soul in prayer. I love this gospel! I love my Savior! Reach up to your Savior. The power from Jesus Christ will be yours. 

I LOVE YOU ALL :)) 

Love, Motra Sëtën

Adriatic South Mission

P.O. Box 2984

Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta 

Qendra ALPAS

Shkalla NR. 5 Apartamenti NR.14

Tirana, Albania

Pics: me and my cute comp in macedonia, river/road, waterfall!!!!!, cute bff Dafina 

Air quacks & TRANSFERS

HEY IT IS MOTRA SËTËN HERE!! I am just smiling and happy to be here because we had transfer calls this week and boom-chick-a-boom I am staying in KOSOVO. Honestly, I could stay here my whole mission and I wouldn't be mad. This is the best place!! I am so so so so sad to leave my comp though :( We are best friends. She is going to Albania in a mountainy place called Pogradec. This will be a hard split :( But we are happy!!! We had a crazy week with transfer calls, sisters conference, and a huge earthquake so that was fun!!!! Our cute German senior couple calls them "air quacks" or "erf fraks"

CULTURE SHOCKS: 

1. Albanians/Kosovars don't have the best emergency program for natural disasters... there was a 5.8 earthquake in Albania this past week and it was nuts. Almost all the buildings have huge cracks (because EVERYTHING is made out of concrete). We totally felt the earthquake in Prishtina too!!!!! That is like the first one I have consciously felt which is weird considering I live on a fault line... 

2. My mission includes 5 countries, 5 main languages, and tons of different currency options. In Albania they use Leke and in Kosovo they use Euro which did in fact leave us stranded in Albania for a hot sec when we couldn't pay for parking with leke hahaha. 

3. Singing and dancing are very foreign to the people here. We did some awesome music contacting this week and it was so successful because it is SO DIFFERENT THAN THEIR CULTURE. They absolutely loved it. 

FUNNIES: 

1. So on Sunday Prishtina decided to have "anti-car" day for some environmental clean up thing. That meant that there were no buses and the roads were all closed so it was a struggle to get to church. We had a small sacrament meeting to say the least... We have this wonderful member, Veziko, who is the oldest member in the branch (age wise) and she is dang hilarious. She was actually able to make it to church which was awesome! Anyways, she can't hear very well and she loves to talk so you can just imagine how awesome our conversations are with her.

2. Since Sister Mann will be leaving on Tuesday to Albania we decided that we needed to buy her last oreo shake from Burger King!!! (Basically the only chain restaurant we have) So we decided to go through the drive-thru and I was speaking to the guy through the speaker and he told me they didn't have oreo shakes so I was like " WHAT, WHY" he started to explain that they had them they just weren't called shakes but at the same time he was trying to explain some kids came over begging for money sticking their hands inside the windows and everyone was yelling between the people in the car, the kids, and the worker guy it was a mess. I started driving with the kids halfway in our car because we had to move the car and wow that was something else. We begged them for crowns and gave them out so we all ended up happy!!! Lesson learned: the drive-thru is a no-go. 

3. We had an awesome lesson this week with our friend Korab who is getting baptized in 2 weeks!!! We are so excited for him!! He is so stinkin funny. During our lesson we were talking about happiness and how the gospel makes us so happy and he mentioned how he could totally see the light inside of me and the elders!! Then he looks at sister Mann (who was quiet and listening) and says, " If the gospel makes them (pointing at us) so happy what the heck is wrong with you?" I was dying laughing oh my goodness. She is so happy she is just quiet HAHA. Albanians are so honest wow. 

SPIRITUAL GOODNESS: 

There is a talk I really like given by Elder Uchtdorf in which he said, "Perhaps it’s disappointing to hear that God won’t necessarily give you a detailed itinerary for your life’s journey. But do you really want direction in every detail of your life? Do you really want someone giving you the cheat codes to life before you have a chance to figure things out for yourself? What kind of adventure would that be?" 

Life is quite the adventure and making decisions is such an awesome part!!!! Sometimes things happen and often times we don't know why. However, the people you meet,  the places you go, and the experiences you have all are part of your adventure. They all happen for a reason. We have a friend here that cannot be baptized at this time because of her family. And that is okay!! When we do the small things perfectly, everything fits into place. When we do the small things perfectly we are able to see the eternal perspective. We can see why!! I have a testimony of my Savior that he lives and loves us very much. He wants us to live our adventures with smiles written in our hearts. Remember that our Heavenly Father is very aware of you and your questions. Seek him!!! 

Pics: QUEENS, pretty sunset, flowersss, me and my bestie madweb at sisters conf, pretty cathedral. 

KOSOVO CHAPTER 4593

HELLO WASSUP EVERYBODY!!!! Another Monday is here and I couldn't be more thankful to be on a mission in the greatest country. Like the Kosovars say, this is America's 51st state. ;))) 

CULTURE SHOCKS: 

1. Albanians/Kosovars walk in a very closed off kind of way. They walk slowly, very straight, and they don't flail their arms at all. They can pick out all of the foreigners in Prishtina immediately because of the way they walk!! Apparently I walk very Americany ;))

2. There is a traditional food called fasule which is like a bean soup. To add some good flavor they just throw in a slab of meat with bloody veins hahaha interesting... 

3. They are so loving and wonderful here that their entire families will walk you home or to the bus stop whenever you leave their houses! It is extremely rude and unheard of NOT to say goodbye to everyone before leaving a place. 

GOOFY GOOBERS: 

1. This week was full of losses... HOWEVER, they most definitely turned into wins. I will start with our most recent scare on Saturday. So we planned this fun futbol activity about 30 min outside the city because our friend told us there was a free open field next to her house there. So we got everyone who wanted to play together and got on the bus and headed to play some futbol! After about 45 min we realized we were on the wrong bus and that our friend ACTUALLY lived like another 1 hr away in the mountains.... she definitely had some open space that is for sure. So all 15 of us got off the bus in the middle of nowhere. No one had money and we had no idea where we were or when the next bus could pick us up. HAHAHAH it was a mess!! Not to mention that our group looked pretty dang hilarious too. We had 4 children, a set of twins, 3 Bangladesh men, a massive Kosovar man and his son, 1 Albanian missionary, and 3 lost Americans all sitting on the side of the road in the middle of no where. We ended up getting a bus and getting home about 3 hrs later hahaha. The good news was that it turned into quite a spiritual experience and we had some amazing laughs. A dear friend of mine said, " Who cares if it didn't work out. You got up and cared enough for them to give them a good experience when no one else would have." I love these people so much oh my goodness. 

2. A few weeks ago we ate at the best restaurant in the city of Gjakova and we ended up having to stay the night there in the old sisters apartment. Well, long story short, I left my leftovers in the fridge and then totally forgot about them for the past 2 transfers hahahahah. So that was a fun treat to go clean up. Moldy fridges yummm. 

3. At church so many people came up to sister Mann and whispered to her asking if she was a Muslim and went to the xhami (mosque). We kinda laughed about it after the first person asked but then everyone kept asking her and we were so confused what led them to believe that she was Muslim. Turns out she was wearing this moon necklace that is totally the sign of the xhami !!! I didn't even notice!!! Hahaha that was hard to explain to our Muslim investigators I will tell ya that. 

Spiritual goodness: 

We are teaching this wonderful family right now. The dad is baptized but we are teaching his wife and his cute son who is 6 (he is my best friend). This family has been through so much and it is so humbling to hear their stories. Uran (the dad) has been shot at, caught by the Serbs, injured in all ways, flew out of the windshield of a car, and escaped death in over 20 instances. Instead of losing his faith, his faith has only increased. He believes that he was saved so many times for a purpose! As are we!! Elder Rasband said, " Think of those times, some daily, when the Lord has acted in your life—and then acted again. Treasure them as moments the Lord has shown confidence in you and in your choices. But allow Him to make more of you than you can make of yourself on your own. Treasure His involvement. Sometimes we consider changes in our plans as missteps on our journey. Think of them more as first steps to being “on the Lord’s errand.” God is very aware of each and every one of us. He is in the details! Look unto him in all things and I testify you will find the answers to the questions you've been asking. 

I LOVE YOU ALL FOREVER!!!! THANKS FOR LOVING ME & PUTTING UP WITH MY NOVEL EMAILS :)) 

Love, Motra Sëtën

Adriatic South Mission

P.O. Box 2984

Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta 

Qendra ALPAS

Shkalla NR. 5 Apartamenti NR.14

Tirana, Albania

Pics: me and mann & ice cream, cool mural, our fav senior couple, beautiful Prizren <3 with over 45 mosques in sight   

Do you have any adderall?

Wowzers another week in the mission life is done and gone!!! Oof time goes too fast. I hope you are all nothin but smiles out there. Work is good here. We are teaching the most amazing people and families! Things move slowly here sometimes because we are ALL ABOUT THE BASICS. Which is awesome!!!!!! Miracles are surrounding us. Although the evils and corruptness of Kosovo sometimes makes work hard, GOOD IS EXPLODING.

CULTUREEEE: 

1. All these people have these graveyards outside of their houses filled with tons of graves. They are the graves of all their ancestors. Kinda cool but also kinda creepy hahahah. I can't imagine having auntie sue burried in my front yard next to my garden gnomes.

2. Another culture thing is that family is very important here. So important that they often live with their brothers, sisters, moms, dads, grandmas and everyone forever basically. They never really move out. 

3. Weddings are MASSIVE here. Everyone gets dolled up for the festivities and they party literally ALL NIGHT LONG. When they leave one party venue to go to another they pile 30 people into their tiny cars and then they hangout the windows waving handkerchiefs and they don't stop honking their horns it is so funny. 

KNEE SLAPPERS: 

1. Okay so I got this weird bump on my hand that hurts and it won't go away haha so I asked some of our friends (idk why) and all the sudden all the Albanians turned into my very own personal doctors!!!!! They are very concerned about me ;). I have heard the range if diagnostics from a scratch, bug bite, infection, broken wrist, cyst, and my favorite, a broken vein that needs to be taken out HAHA. 

2. The futbol season started for Kosovo's team here. Game days are SOOO AWESOME. EVERYONE dresses in their jerseys and heads to the nearest coffee shop and they cheer and scream and go wilddddd it is sooo fun!!!! 

3. Hahahahaa okay so the elders brought a super nice friend of theirs to church and afterwards we started having this awesome conversation about the gospel when he looks at me and says, " Can I ask you a question that may seem a little unorthodox??" So I said, "Uhhh.. sure" and then he's like, " Do you any adderall?" Lololol. I can't tell you how many times I have been asked that during church.  #onlyinkosovo

A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT:

Lately, I have been thinking a lot of about the word perfection. We know that we won't be perfect in this life and that we will always make mistakes. Sometimes it is discouraging to think that no matter what we do, we will not be perfect. I am not a perfect missionary, I am not a perfect companion, and I am not a perfect sister or daughter. However, the Lord's hope and encouragement is for us to have enough faith to know that he would no require development beyond our capacity. Take the words from our prophet Russell M. Nelson, " Conquering of weakness brings great joy. You can attain a certain degree of perfection in some things in this life. And you can become perfect in keeping various commandments. But the Lord was not necessarily asking for your error less and perfect behavior in all things. He was pleading for more than that. His hopes are for your full potential to be realized: to become as He is! " As we try to be perfect in the simple things we can become like our Savior!! You are not perfect, but you will be. Keep going! 

I LOVE YOU ALL SO STINKIN MUCH. THANKS FOR ALL THE LOVES AND SUPPORT <3 

Love, Motra Sëtën

LIZARD HAIR

Oooo heyya folks!! It has just been a splendid week here in Kosovo! I am so blessed to serve in this beautiful country with the best companion, best missionaries, and best PEOPLE EVER. Everything is too good. I cut my hair. It is like 12 feet shorter. We also saw some waterfalls (AWESOME) and the workers let us in on their secret places to go that were most beautiful, I got a BONDSTEEL tshirt (RAD), and we had the most beautiful fast and testimony meeting!!!

GOOD CULTURE SHOCKS: 

1. One thing Albanians will do is that when they see their friend from afar they will place their right hand over their hearts and nod to them to show respect! It is so precious. 

2. Another funny thing they do is they ALWAYS use the word respect. All their messages, formal letters, notes, and everything ends with the word respect. 

3. Albanian's don't have a huge sweets tolerance. They HATE American candies and sweets! They are keepin me healthy out here :)) 

For the GIGGLES: 

1. Alrighty hhaaha so I love to exercise in the mornings. It is the best start to my day right? Well we have this great balcony that is super long and awesome and I will go running and exercise out there. Well funny thing is that exercise is like a foreign subject to these people so all the people in the apartment buildings just WATCH ME WORKOUT. Like no joke they just come to their windows and watch me lol. Hhahaha we met up with an investigator and she asked if that was me running every morning and I said yes and then she started laughing and told me she watches me every morning while she eats breakfast HAHAHA. Love it. This story gets better though, we started getting hate mail notes posted all over our floor about my exercising... I think it might have been my awesome jams I have playing in the morning...  I mean you can't tell me Praise to the Man doesn't get you hyped in the morning. Hahaha bëj shaka. 

2. We went to the MILITARY BASE CALLED BONDSTEEL in Kosovo and it is the coolest thing ever. Everyone had their major guns and stuff and we got an awesome tour of the whole base it was so awesome. They also have a store where you can buy AMERICAN FOODS. You already know I bought 15 jars of peanut butter #Iamasurvivor 

3. I am the worst trainer ever. Hahaha good thing my comp is my best friend ;)  I just tease her so much and make her eat all the nasty foods and stuff. That is what a companion is for right? I AM SO BLESSED TO HAVE HER IN MY LIFE. Hahaha but this week our friend gave us a bunch of chocolates and I thought they were so good I just kept eating them because our friend kept insisting that I eat them and Motra Mann just kept laughing so hard but I had no idea why. Anyways, they were COFFEE CHOCOLATES AHH hahaha I am the worst missionary lol. That was a funny situation to explain to them later lol. 

4. We caught a lizard when we went hiking and he was so cute. Then he started crawling up my arm but he was going too fast I couldn't catch him!!! Sister Mann couldn't get him either and then suddenly he started crawling up into my hair!!!!! I felt him in my clothes so we shook them out and shook out my hair and couldn't find him anywhere!! Hahaha one of our elders came over to see why we were going crazy and he was like, "Well, where is he now?? (The lizard)" hahaha and then out of nowhere the lizard just crawled up on top of my head and he's like "AHA I FOUND HIM" It was soooo hilarious. 

GOOD SPIRIT FOOD: 

My spiritual thought today comes from 1 Cor 12: 26 from Come Follow Me this week which says, "And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it." 

Together we are one. We ALL make up one body of the church!!! Each and everyone of us individually play a huge role in our branches and wards. Likewise, we need everyone's talents and abilities because without them, we are missing something. It is like the song from Brother Bear. "I will be there for you, and I know you'd be there for me too! Welcome to our family time!!! Welcome to our happy to be time!!!" We are family!!!! When of us suffer we GATHER TOGETHER and SUFFER TOGETHER. When one of us is honored we GATHER TOGETHER and REJOICE TOGETHER. If you are thinking that your ward or branch has no need for you, you could not be more mistaken. If you are thinking you have no importance you are terribly wrong. YOU are needed. GOD NEEDS YOU. YOU are important. You are strong, you are smart, and you can do hard things! I love you all!!! 

Love, Motra Sëtën