Week 60: Cows and Goats and Chickens and PUPPIES

Ç'kemi!

Today is my 100 days left mark on the mission what whatttt. Where has the time gone?!?

This week flew by. The best day was Tuesday when we celebrated a big holiday - Summer's Day! We went hiking as a branch and had a picnic on top of a mountain. Motra Godfrey and I packed our own lunches but there was no need because everyone kept on churning out good home-made, traditional food for us! They could have just rolled me back down the mountain after that. On Summer's day everyone wears red and white bracelets and if you see a certain bird, (don't know which kind... they said it in Albanian) you have to take off your bracelet and string it on a tree branch.

I think I've been pretty lucky serving in Albania because we don't have to eat many crazy foods here. I'd never been put into an awkward food situation until the other day when we were at a friend's house and upon arrival she gave us two big, fat cups of fresh milk, straight from the utter. It had a yellow-y layer on top and chunks. Maybe I just sound like a baby sorry but I don't normally drink plain milk to begin with! I just chugged it down really quick at the end of the lesson. Motra Godfrey watched me with big eyes. Then she did the same. After we left Motra Godfrey explained to me a complicated game plan she had thought of so we wouldn't have had to drink it but I ruined it by drinking it at the last minute. Woops.

My testimony of prayer has really grown this week. There is power behind every prayer. For the past two weeks Motra Godfrey and I have been praying specifically for our friend B because she's been on a baptismal date for awhile but not progressing. Then the other day.. B made a complete 360! She had a vivid dream about the Book of Mormon and said she finally received the answer she's been searching for... she now knows without a doubt that the Book of Mormon is true, and therefore that this church is true! Ever since B has been keeping her commitments and came to church. She is preparing to be baptized this week :). I know that when we pray for specific things, we receive specific answers and are blessed beyond measure when we put our full trust in God.

Sorry this is a longer one this week, but... ju dua shumë dhe kaloni mirë!

Motra Follëp

We were at B's house and her mom chopped off a chicken's head with a steak knife and put it up in the garden.

Our cute friend A made flower crowns

Summer's Day

Chillin with a goat herd!

Gotta love seeing these pups every week.

We made these guys for district lunch

Week 59: Është Një Fillim Mbarë

Përshëndetja!

Transfer calls were on Saturday... and Motra Godfrey and I didn't get one! So we'll keep working here in Berat and we're super excited about it. We are a pretty dysfunctional companionship... or should I just say Motra Godfrey is dysfunctional. She fell going up and down the stairs in a matter of 24 hours. She's totally fine I just like to mess with her about it.

Not too much has changed the past four days! We've set some goals for a fresh, new start to the work. One thing that we've really been focusing on is having more faith in our work by praying specifically for each of our friends - and we're seeing results! Our friend E came to church yesterday and another friend B finally answered our phone call after not answering for a week - not only that, but she invited us to come to her home right then for a lesson! Music to our ears! I'd like to brag about B for a second. She's such a role model to me. She lives in a tiny flat where they cook on the floor and everything in life seems to be going against her yet she's so happy because of her faith. I love that lady!

Everything else from this week is explained pretty well by the pictures. Have a great week and stay warm!

Motra Follëp

Moroni 10:32 - Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

Mission Conference

The elders had a baptism this weekend! I was the designated photographer per usual.

Footloose??

A cleaning lady unlocked a secret library for us so we felt cool.

We explored the University of Berat today.

Week 58: Castle Conversion

Ç'kemi!

So much happened this week... yet per usual as soon as I sit down in front of the computer it's all gone! Let's see...

We had a lesson in the castle, that was pretty neat. We had a great lesson and return appointment plus talked with a couple other interested people there. We will keep taking the trek up there every week to teach a few of our friends!

We had stake conference and mission conference on Sunday and Monday. They were so so amazing. At stake conference I saw a lot of my friends from the past areas I've served -Prishtina, Tirana, and Vlore. It was a little sad knowing that it was the last time I'll see many of them, but still, so nice! Mission conference was amazing, a member of the Area Seventy, Elder Mereiro from Portugal, came to train us. It was dead silent as we listened to him and the spirit was so strong. It was a really cool experience and a day in my mission I'll never forget.

As for the missionary work, we've been meeting with our friend X a lot; she's a nene in her late 60's. She is reading and praying and it is neat to witness the change in her lesson-to-lesson. At the beginning she was a very sad woman because of the death that she experienced in her family, but as she's been learning and finding truth in the scriptures her heart has been softening and her hope growing.

It was funny, yesterday we brought one of the members, Mama Xhindi, with us to X's home for a lesson. Mama Xhindi is the branch president's mom. She's in her 60's. When we got to X's gate, Mama Xhindi swung it open and called out "OH X??" She is a sprite little nene. Sometimes I think she has more energy than me.

The transfer is coming to a close this week so I've been reflecting on what I've learned these past three months in Berat. One of the main lessons I've learned is that God is in the details. Before I didn't notice the hand of the Lord as much as I should have in this work. But obviously, His hand will be in the work because this IS His work - not mine. As I pray in the evening I try to humble myself and really focus on all of the things the Lord brought to pass throughout the day. I feel so blessed and privileged to be apart of His great work - "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."- Moses 1:39

Thanks for all your encouragement and emails as always. Të dua!

Motra Follëp

We cleaned a section of the river and played soccer for the branch activity this weekend.

"Kujdes Nga" - "Have Caution". Dead. The dog was so nice.​

Stake conference with the Tirana ladies!​

Us in Durres!

We found a cute new restaurant to try today.

Jerry ate lunch with us.