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