Called to Serve: Adriatic South Mission: Week 67: Life's a Gjiro

Ç'kemi!

Something Albanian: If you ask an Albanian, "What have you done today?" 99% chance they'll respond, "Hiç. Një gjiro." meaning, "Nothing, went on a walk." Summer is in full swing and Motra Godfrey is not happy. She's from Arizona and she's never experienced humidity in her life. She says she's suffocating. I'm embracing it, I love the summa.

Something funny: It's a tradition that guests should not leave the house empty-handed. So this week on our way out the door our friends have given us a pair of shoes, shampoo, and a giant tomato the size of my head.

Something marvelous: Eight of the friends we've been teaching came to church yesterday and thirty-seven total came to church! The sacrament meeting room was completely full. We had more people in church than we'd had in months!

Something spiritual: Very often in our lessons our friends spill out their hearts to us; they tell us everything that's wrong in their lives. My heart is often heavy for them. This week in a lesson our friend was telling us about a major hardship in her life and she said, "Where's God in all of this? How could He let this happen to me?" I was at a loss of words because I could not feel for her; I hadn't had to go through the same horrible thing she has. I pondered her circumstance and her questions a lot over the weekend. I wanted to know what I could say or do to help her. I fasted for her. I read a scripture that gave me a lot of peace and one that I shared with her yesterday: "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." - Revelation 21:4. I know that the trials we face in this life are only temporary. God loves us so much and He doesn't want us to suffer. He simply wants us to turn to Him and "doubt not, fear not."

Have another great week! Ju dua shumë!

Motra Follëp