Week 30: BUBUSHFABA

Pershendetja!

First I'll explain my subject line. "Bubushfaba" is cockroach in Albanian Gheg. This is my new favorite word. There are quite a few cockroaches in our apartment right now so lately we've been running around our apartment yelling BUBUSHFABA and smacking them with our flip flops. Random I know but there's your Albanian word for the week!

Funny story: So we were cleaning the church on Saturday, like we do every week. I decided to clean the balcony outside to wipe down the windows. Our senior couple, the Larson's, had a special key and they unlocked the door for me so I could get out onto the balcony. After the Larson's unlocked the door they got in there car and drove away. So I was outside minding my business wiping down the windows and some elders came up to the balcony doors from the inside of the church. They started messing with the lock and joking around until... yup they locked me out! Luckily I was only stuck on the balcony for 20 min, they got the Larson's to drive back to the church to free me :).

Something Marvelous: We taught our friend D this week. She wants to be baptized but she really struggles with coming to church because she has work every Sunday. So we read some scriptures out of the Book of Mormon to try to help her with her problem. After reading the scriptures she felt a lot better about it and committed to pray about this roadblock that she's facing. It was amazing to see her faith in the scriptures. She truly took them to heart. As a mission we've really been focusing on the Book of Mormon and it's importance in our teaching efforts. I know that the Book of Mormon along with the spirit is the most powerful converting tool that we have. Along with Elder Holland I know that "No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it.... unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so." I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and therefore I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, this gospel is true, and we have a living-day prophet directing the church today! 

Love you guys and have a great week!

Motra Fulop 

P.S HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my little bro Scott. 13?!?! Can't believe he'll be a teenager!

 

Matching sweaters with fave

Had a fun lunch with a cute family. Not sure if you can really see them put they're waving to us on one of the balconies

My daughter is rad

I swear we aren't always matching

Late tribute to ​Motra Henderson aka my mission mama who flew back to America!!

 

Week 29: Prishtina Babyyyy

Pershendetja!

How is everyone?? This week has been a lot of adjustments and change, once again! I made the "big leap" from Vlore, the southernmost city in the mission, to Prishtina, the northernmost city! I switched companions in Tirana and now I'm with another Albanian companion, Motra Gjika! She's soooo cute and funny we get along so well. We're already best friends. But yeahhhh I got permission to drive from Tirana to Prishtina on Wednesday and I was freaking out a little driving through the border control and having to speak Albanian to them. But it all worked out and I drove through the crazy cities! Nailed it.

Something Kosovar: Now we're back in Prishtina and it's crazy how different the work is here from Vlore. I've heard the statistic is that 97% of the people here are Muslim. So I'm back to hearing the call to prayer three times a day which is fun. We got up here and we're starting with a clean slate because the investigators were not progressing. That means.... tracting, tracting, tracting! We were knocking on doors for a good 5 hours on Saturday. But Motra Gjika and I make little games out of it and try to make it fun. So now we're just working on getting a new pool of investigators. 

Something funny: Whenever we're street contacting people come up to me and start speaking German! It happened three times this weekend. People on the streets automatically assume that I'm German because I'm paler than everyone else haha. White girl problems. I try to pull out the little German I remember from highschool but it only lasts like 30 seconds before I blow my cover.

Something marvelous: We had a training with President Weidmann on Wednesday and he committed us to study the Atonement everyday and focus on the strength we can receive from the knowledge we have of the Atonement. I've been thinking a lot about this a lot the past couple days because I've been thinking.... 5 years ago I would've never, in a million years, imagined myself on the streets of Kosovo talking to random people and testifying everyday. I still can't believe I'm doing this. But I'm doing it because the Atonement of Jesus Christ has changed my life. I have received so much direction and peace in my life because of this knowledge. So I'm taking advantage of this opportunity! I challenge you all to think about how the Atonement has changed your lives personally and how you've been strengthened because of it!

Big love! Have a great week!

Motra Fulop

P.S. Attaching photos from Vlore and Saranda because I didn't get the chance last week

 

We made it to SARANDA - close to Greece

Porto Palermo - super cool castle we visited at sunrise!

Blue Eye - hiked here and it was super clear water

District goalz

L! She'll get baptized this weekend <3

A and I!!!! Love this girl sososo much

Amazing breakfast

Kitty kitty so cute

 

Week 28: SARANDA and a Surprise

Pershendetja all!!

I only have a minute because my companion is super sick. :( Gotta go back to the house. But we went on a crazy adventure today to Saranda, close to Greece! I will send pictures next week. It was crazy pretty.But also surprise I'm going back to Prishtina! So I'll be back to speaking Gheg in Kosovo :). Pretty exciting. It's bittersweet because we have been having a lot of success here in Vlore the past two weeks, one of our friends L is actually getting baptized in 2 weeks! She was a gift from heaven, she just called us one day super interested and she loves everything. I'm so glad for the time I've had here in Vlore! But untill next week.... stay cool I heard it's been crazy hot in Philly!

Love you all!

Motra Fulop

Week 27: Built Upon a Sure Foundation

Mirë Dita!

Things are on the up-and-up here in Vlore! 

We had a lot of opportunities to teach this week with some new investigators we've found. We've also been doing a lot of work with less-active members. There are over 200 members here but only about 50 have been coming every week lately. I've been praying and praying about what I can say to help them come to church... what lessons I can prepare that will touch their hearts and reignite their desires to come to church. One of my favorite scriptures, Helaman 5:12 comes to mind, one  that I frequently share: "...remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which you are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." We all have problems, hardships, etc. etc. that are always going to distract us from accomplishing God's will. But as it says in this scripture, if we have a sure foundation in Jesus Christ we can overcome all challenges. I know that we will live happier lives if we keep our eyes "single to the glory of God" always. I've personally found this to be true.

Love you all! Have a great week!

Motra Fulop

 

HAPPY SWEET 16 LIZZY

This is a joke I don't like this stuff but it's a traditional drink all of the Albanians drink. Yogurt + water + salt = gross

Purty

Bridge ended so got onto a boat

Sketchy old bridge to an island

A cool Roman Catholic monastery

 

 

 

Week 26: Afer Deti, Afer Mbreti (Close to the Sea, Close to the Kingdom)

Ç'kemi!

So this week I switched companions and now I'm with another Albanian mini missionary named Motra Qefalia. It's been very interesting because she doesn't know English so we're communicating 24/7 with a mixture of Albanian and sign language. It's tough but fun fact she's only been a member of the church for five months so her testimony and her prayers are the most sincere, ever!

This week we've been meeting with a lot of less actives and recent converts. When we've been in the lessons I've been praying for the Holy Ghost to be with me to help me to know what to say because I really want to know and love these people but it's hard with the language barrier. So I've been focusing hard on what God wants me to say. It's been really good. We had one lesson at the R family's and we planned to talk to them about keeping the Sabbath Day holy but once we got there, I really felt impressed that we needed to remind them that they were children of God. So we had a lesson and read the lyrics to "I Am A Child of God". The spirit was there so strongly. They came to church on Sunday! :)

Love you all, have a great week!

Motra Fulop 

"Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given to you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man. " D&C 84:85

Motra Qefalia and I!