WHAT IS UP MY PEOPLE! I hope you have all had a fantastic week full of lots of fun and miracles :) We had such an awesome week this week! There is so much to love about being a missionary! These people are SO STRONG. This week our dear friend Etleva was baptized!! It was sooo beautiful! I am so so proud of her. ALSO HAPPY THANKSGIVING. There is so much to be thankful for so eat lots, get fat, and workout later ;)
CULTURE SHOCKS:
1. Albanians feed us super interesting food when we eat at their houses in the fshats (villages). One thing we ate this week was something they call compost... and it tastes as good as it sounds. Some people make it so scrumptious but if you are in a fshat it is an EXPERIENCE to say the least. Compost is basically random ground fruit with a bunch of random sauces and often times tastes like dirt lol. Also they will give us bowls of honey to eat before our meals with the honeycombs still there!
2. I smell like smoke ALL the time. TONS of people here smoke plus in the winter they all have their chimney things that make us constantly smell like a campfire haha :) breathing good air people.
3. Korcë is different from most cities in Albania! For one, they have their own traditional foods (one is called lakror which is like byrek) and they use different words than the rest of the Shqiptars! Also everyone has been to Greece. They almost all know Greek too because it is so close to us!
FUNNY THINGS:
1. This week we went to go see one of our cute friends and she lives in a village about 10 minutes away! It was kinda spooky because she lives in the middle of nowhere, has a creepy path up to her door, and she doesn't have lights so it was super dark because we went at night! When we got there she didn't answer her door so we thought we would walk around back to find her. Hahaha this would be so so creepy if it wasn't Albania. We were walking around inspecting the house and then we just hear "oj" and out pops this little 12 year old from the bushes holding a chicken who then told us she wasn't home. It scared the crap out of me but we laughed so hard after. However, we are still confused about who he was and where he came from hahaha. The weirdest things happen to us here hehe.
2. We went to our branch president's house this week to visit him and his mom and they are so awesome! As we were sitting down I bent over to put my bag down and BOOM there was this stuffed deer next to me! It was actually pretty scary I actually jumped hehe. I told our Branch President I liked his deer and then he told me I could have it. Hahaha big mistake because then for about 20 minutes he tried to convince me to take this massive stuffed deer home with me. The only way I got out of that was telling him I had no room in my luggage hehe :)
3. Believe me when I tell you that Albanians LOVE to yell at each other. I was sitting in relief society and a cute sister made a comment and suddenly EVERY single woman in the room started talking and yelling over each other and it was so hilarious. They were arguing over the meaning of the SIMPLEST comment. A member was translating for Sister Coleman, the senior couple sister, and the member just stopped translating and says, "sorry I can't translate for you I have gotta get in on this" All of the sisters were just interrupting each louder and louder each time it was like I was in a zoo holy cow. Sister Coleman's eyes were bulging so wide at the sight of these women screaming at each other. Then all the sudden our teacher of the class made a comment and everyone just shushed and silently agreed with her and nodded and held hands with one another and boom there was peace.
SPIRITUAL WONDERFULNESS:
This week we had a baptism and it was so great! Her story is so sweet! So, Etleva was introduced to the church about 2 years ago but she had no interest in anything. However, a few weeks ago the sisters here before me found her and taught her but they did not think she would go very far. They taught her a lesson and it wasn't looking very promising. THEN, my first day in Korcë we had a lesson with her and it was amazing. The spirit was SO strong and she decided that day that she was going to commit fully by reading, praying, and going to church. It was amazing. We talked about the importance of the spirit and that if we were dedicated we would find answers. EVERY single day she has remembered her commitments and has progressed so much!! She has learned SOOO MUCH the past few weeks and she has just blossomed into one of the most amazing members. Her testimony is so strong!!!!! I look up to her for her dedication and determination. She now has been able to see the fruits of her efforts and she has understood so much more than ever before. If you are sad, confused, hurt, angry, lost, happy, or even all of the above, decide NOW to use the faith you have to dedicate yourself more to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He will bless you. I can promise that! Read that verse, say that prayer, help that person. As Elder Holland says, "The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue-it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know. " Be not afraid, only believe. (Mark 5:36).
I love you all so much! Be thankful! Be happy! Have a wonderful turkey week!!
Love, Motra Sëtën
Adriatic South Mission
P.O. Box 2984
Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta
Qendra ALPAS
Shkalla NR. 5 Apartamenti NR.14
Tirana, Albania
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