SHËNDET

Ç'KEMI, HALO, HELLO, TUNG, and PËRSHËNDETJE!!!!! This week was superrrrr. We had another transfer and the only thing that changed was the fact that now we are the Sister Training Leaders for our zone! We have been extremely busy with lessons and it has been really exciting. THE WORK IS HASTENING!! Also please keep Turkey in your prayers! They suffered from a major earthquake this week!!! 

Culture Shocks: 

1. The buildings here are painted all sorts of different colors!! They are painted bright random colors and there is lots of graffiti everywhere because during communism it wasn't allowed so when communism ended they went crazy with the paints!! 

2. There are lots of army bunkers here that we are able to explore from the war! They are super cool!! 

3. Albanians will ALWAYS say "shëndet" which literally means "health" and is equivalent to our "bless you". It is so cute though because they will all say "shëndet" after EVERYTHING even if you are speaking in sacrament meeting hehe. 

FUNNIES: 

1. We taught English course this week and I think I might have almost peed my pants it was so funny. So this week I decided to teach them about sarcasm. Albanians DO NOT use sarcasm so that was already a challenge to teach in itself. They were not understanding at all and thought it was weird that we use sarcasm in English! After I taught them about sarcasm I thought it would be fun to teach them about air quotes....hahaha. Now they air quote every single phrase they say HHAA and it is so awesome.There is a group of older men in our class that are all friends and now with every single phrase they say they use their air quotes even with the simplest phrases like, "how are you?". THEY ARE SO FUN. 

2. This week we went to this cool restaurant and we were required to wear cowboy hates. No hats, no service. I like that. Hahahah it was so fun!! 

3. We had a lesson this week with this sweet sweet woman who is an amazing artist! She has a bunch of paintings hung all around her house that she painted herself and they are wonderful! I asked if she could paint something for me and she was stoked! She told us that she hadn't sold any of her paintings in awhile because of the poor times. Then she told me that she would sell her painting to me for 3 million dollars. Hahah that was awesome. Sadly, I couldn't afford that haha. 

SPIRITUAL GOODIES: 

Lately, many people from Albania have had the opportunity to travel to the Rome Temple and attend different sessions. Many families have had the opportunity to be sealed for all time and eternity! What a miraculous gift!!! Although the Rome temple is a lot closer than the Switzerland temple it is still quite a far travel and it is hard for the Albanians to be able to save the money, travel the distance, and take time off from their lives. In addition to this, it has been extremely difficult for the Albanians to find their ancestors because most of their records were burned during the time of communism. However, these people are absolutely amazing and inspiring. They have been working so so so hard to find information about their families and save money to attend the temple. I was talking to my good friend this week who told me, "I have been doing the work to find information about my ancestors. As I have been digging and searching for information I can feel them around me. They are helping me find them and they are helping me find the means to be able to attend the temple. I will do whatever it takes to find them and take them to the temple." Our families on the other side need us just as badly as our families on this side of the veil need us! They are waiting, wishing, praying, and watching over you. Let us remember the promise and warning contained in D&C 128:15 "And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers—that they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect." Our family history work is so important!!! Please please please find them!!! And go to the temple:) Go often!!! I miss the temple so much and we are so lucky to be surrounded by so many temples in Utah. The work of the Lord is hastening and we need your help!!!! I love you and miss you all so much!!!! Have the most amazing week <3 

Love, Motra Sëtën

Adriatic South Mission

P.O. Box 2984

Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta 

Qendra ALPAS

Shkalla NR. 5 Apartamenti NR.14

Tirana, Albania

Pics: fun hiking group, restaurant where you are required to wear a cowboy hat or they won't feed you, cute friends!!, me and my bestie at futbol, Albanian roads, pretty lake by our house 

Quick sand: 1 --- 8 missionaries :0

WHAT IS UP MY PEOPLE. I miss you all so much!!! Albania is doing better than ever. We are working hard and working miracles out here in the great Adriatic South. This week was FULL of adventures (as is everyday in the GREAT COUNTRY OF ALBANIA!!!!). Count your many blessings because we are so lucky to be alive! 

CULTURE SHOCKS: 

1. You cannot compliment Albanians on anything because they will give it to you!!!! And they will insist that you take it too hahaha. 

2. There are ALWAYS people willing to drive you on a bus no matter where you are. They are so kind and can whip out transportation for ya out of nothing 

3. Older Albanians always have candies on them to give to you:) especially to give to girls!!! 

FUNNIES: 

1. I HAD THE FUNNIEST CONVERSATION THIS WEEK HAHAHAHAHA. We have this cute friend who sells us all of our fruit and we love talking with her! Well we were buying some fruit when she looked at my companion, Sister Long, and then asked if she was Chinese (the word is "kineze" in Albanian and also my companion is not even remotely close to looking Chinese). However, I was terribly mistaken and I could have sworn that she said "kastravec" which means cucumber hahaha. I chimed in the conversation and while laughing a bit I told her, "I love those!". She gave me a super weird look and then to make matters worse I went on to explain how I love eating those. Somehow it got even WORSE because I went into detail talking about how I like to pick just the right one and that they were better in Albania because they are bigger! I proceeded to tell her that I sometimes don't even cut them I just bite them and oh my heck was that lady mortified. Then she was like, "Are there lots in America?"  And I was like "Oh yeah we have lots to choose from!" Finally, we made the connection and realized where I had gone wrong. It was so freaking funny my explanation did not do it justice. Our fruit lady was very thankful we do not eat chinese people in America. 

2. So when riding the bus I love standing on those round spinny things that turn inside when the bus turns (hopefully that made sense). I love standing on those because A) it feels like I'm surfing B) I always have balance competitions with the cute little kids on the bus. It is so awesome!!! Well this week I was standing on one of those things and I accidentally dropped ALL of my english course flyers that we were going to handout! I tried to pick them up but the bus was so wobbly that I just hit the ground every time I tried to pick up my papers! The other people on the bus were physically trying hard not to laugh but they couldn't help it. Sister Long and I were laughing so hard because we literally could not pick up the flyers and every time we tried the bus would move and we would miss them. No one else dared to help us pick them up so we were just scrambling all over the place flying from end to end of the bus. It was such a fun game that the bus created for us. Hahahahahhah we are lucky too because we had a fan club that cheered for us when we finally gathered all of our flyers:). 

3. This story is CRAZINESS. So, for our pday (break day) 8 missionaries and I decided to go on an adventure. We chose a random bus and got on to see where he would take us! After sitting on the bus for awhile we realized we were not going anywhere so we decided to get off and walk towards the mountains. When we reached the mountains a random bus came and we hitched a ride to the top of one of the mountains. THE RIDE WAS CRAZY. We were sitting on wooden boards bouncing around more than you do at airborne. Hahaha it was so crazy!! Once there we explored around a dried up river bed and collected lots of rocks. On our google maps we saw that there was a lake close by and we decided to hike there! When we got close to the lake we realized that we had gotten ourselves into a pickle because there was a lot of mud that kept attempting to steal our shoes. After hours of walking we finally made it to the lake and it was BEAUTIFUL. However, on the way back the worst thing happened HAHA. I went to go wash off my shoes in the river and I stepped in some mud and boom I just sunk to the bottom. I WAS SOAKING WET AND IT WAS SINKING SAND. Every time I moved I sunk lower and the mud just solidified around my legs. I felt like I was in indiana jones it was so scary. After about 20 minutes of attempting to get out of the mud I MADE IT (with the help of the other missionaries). HAHAH but there was a slight problem. I came out with only one shoe!!!!! My other shoe had sunk down into the sinking sand. It was horrible!!!! Somehow a miracle happened and we were able to find my shoe but everything on my person was DRENCHED. Good thing one of the elders had my phone:) We ended our adventure with one sock, lots of mud, and 1 million memories!!! My advice: watch out for quick sand. 

SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE: 

One of the most amazing lessons I have learned on my mission is the fact that we can receive answers to prayers through the scriptures. I have found this to be absolutely miraculous. We had many instances this week in which we faced many dilemmas. However, we prayed and prayed and prayed and searched for answers to our prayers and then right in the very moment we needed our answers came. We all seek for answers daily but just like 2 Nephi 32:3 says, "feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do". We will know what to do!!! When we read the scriptures with intent and purpose and diligence we can truly take something from what we read. Our priorities define us and our sacrifices refine us so we must put God above everything! President Nelson said, "Time for scripture study requires a schedule that will be honored. Otherwise, blessings that matter most will be at the mercy of things that matter least." I am thankful for my knowledge of The Book of Mormon and for the opportunity I have each day to FEAST on Christ's words. HE TRULY LIVES AND LOVES US. I love you all so much!!!!!! Don't forget to read your scriptures and have a groovy week this week:) 

Love, Motra Sëtën

Adriatic South Mission

P.O. Box 2984

Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta 

Qendra ALPAS

Shkalla NR. 5 Apartamenti NR.14

Tirana, Albania

Pics: the lake, comp photo, the first time the mud took our shoes, cute fam I love, the best missionaries 

Fireworks, water WORKS, and the buses still don't work!!!

GËZUAR VITIN E RI!!!!! Happy New Year!!!!!! Everyone just walks throughout the streets saying gëzuar to everyone haha it is so funny. Happy new decade!!!!! This is so awesome!! This week has been a crazy and wonderful adventure for us and oh boy have we celebrated hard! Albanians truly know how to party;) For our New Year's shenanigans we actually had to be in our homes at 4:00 because of danger restrictions hahaha but we still got to watch fireworks so that was fun! We also got to eat a special lunch with our mission president and his wife! Whatta party! New Year's is definitely the biggest holiday here in Albania! THIS YEAR IS GOING TO BE AMAZING!!! 

CULTURE SHOCKS: 

1. Everything is shut down and closed New Year's Day and New Year's Eve! Absolutely no one was out on the streets or in the shops! It was just dead! 

2. A New Year's tradition is that they make lots of sweets and treats like Baklava and eat them together as a family! Cooking isn't so much talent as it is tradition. 

3. The fireworks we do on the 4th of July is like mediocre for the Albanians here! They go CRAZY with their fireworks! The whole sky was just full of smoke the next day and it sounded like a freaking war zone all night it was so awesome! 

FUNNY GOOFS: 

1. We went to this lesson with the Elders this week and the lady had this cute cat! Well, apparently Sister Long and one of the Elders are both deathly allergic to cats but they didn't say anything! Then about halfway through the prayer they started DYING and we literally couldn't get through it without them sneezing every other word! Hahaha it was so bad! We needed to get them home! So after the lesson we waited at the bus stop so we could go home and the bus never came!  For over 45 minutes we waited because people kept telling us the buses were coming but they never did. We just waited and waited. We ended up having to get a taxi and got home so late HAHA and it was SOO expensive. The buses don't run later in the night this week because of the holiday haha! Thankfully, my companion is alive and well:) 

2. So this week I was taking a shower and the shower head thing is broken so it is just held together with a rubber band!! Well suddenly it just snapped in the middle of my shower and the water was spraying everywhere!!! So the head thing actually broke off and the water wouldn't stop coming out and it went EVERYWHERE. I was stuck for quite some time trying to fix it and we ended up having to have our landlord help us out!  Hahahah that was an interesting thing to explain to Sister Long when all she had heard was super loud noise, lots of screaming and laughing, and then saw the bathroom DESTROYED with water lol. 

3. There was a MASSIVE windstorm this week and it was blowing everything everywhere. We were still on our missionary grind so we were out talking to people when a massive tree just blew over and fell into this building next to us! Then a tin roof came out of nowhere and it hit the building on our other side! Hahaha it was so scary but we enjoyed our time working our muscles and fighting the wind it was awesome. #windcantstopus

SPIRITUAL WONDERFULNESS: 

Communication is KEY to everything we do. In my email last week I talked about the importance of listening to the direction we receive from our Heavenly Father! This week I want to touch more on the subject of prayer! Prayer is our spiritual lifeline between us and our Heavenly Father. We NEED that communication with Him. However, we can only receive that help when we LOOK to Him and keep His commandments. Our priorities can be measured by the way we keep the Lord's commandments. The FIRST thing we ought to do in the morning is get on our knees and pray to our Heavenly Father! When we put Him first, everything else falls into place. President Nelson said, "Facing God first lets us decide firmly what we shall not do; then we are free to pursue what we ought to do." With his guidance and support we are happy! With his direction and love we are unstoppable! Remember this New Year as you make goals to align them with your Father in Heaven's plan and let him guide you! Don't forget to pray pray pray! I love you all and miss you so much!!!!! Have a wonderful new year!!!! I will see you soon <3 

Love, Motra Sëtën

Adriatic South Mission

P.O. Box 2984

Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta 

Qendra ALPAS

Shkalla NR. 5 Apartamenti NR.14

Tirana, Albania

Pics: my cute comp!!!! , fun pday hike, and pretty view of Kruje, albanian bus rides,