18 Months in the Adriatic: Week 16

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Week 16 - Kosovo

Dita e Dashurise?

comp luv

be mine? ;) haha whether she likes it or not...

Moter made tons of chocolate-covered strawberries, I was in charge of decorations

Allo Familjen time, qysh jeni, a jeni mire? Qysh po kaloni? A jeni merzite, a jeni lodhe? Gjithcka mire? (Haha Albanian greetings=tonsa Q's and no time to answer)

1st, happy Valentine's day! Moter and I organized a ysa party (most of our branch and investigators are ysa-age/college kids) because we figured it would be a great way to get our potentials and investigators and English students in the church and making friends with the members, and also for members to bring friends to a casual and less-intimidating and more fun church activity, so my comp. and I put a lot of work into making it happen and making it great. You can imagine our disappointment when hardly anyone showed up. I was feelin' a little bummed, but we ended up having a handful of nonmembers come and a couple returning members who had been impossible to reach stopped by at the end, so I'd say it was still a success! (Plus it's always so important to strengthen the members, esp. in such a young branch)

A highlight of my week was going down to Tirana on Tuesday for halfway training, I love that crazy city and so fun to see my mtc group again! So worth getting up at 2am for a 5-hr bus ride :)

Also, I don't wanna say too much and make you think there are problems when there really aren't, but a few days this week we were told to stay inside the church and wear normal clothes and no tags.... felt soo weird and as you can imagine, I am SO glad that everything is back to normal and we can go outside again, and go finding!

We still had a lesson every day this week besides Tues. when we were gone, def. a blessing and def. see the hand of the Lord in my life/ mission right now. If you need a solid, feel-good scripture, read in Alma 5:60 and 62, so often when I'm reading the Book of Mormon in the mornings, I wonder why some of these verses aren't quoted more often because they're all so. good. (And Ether 12:4 is one of my faves)

We went to the Bodells house yesterday (Branch Pres, works for U.S. embassy), and they are such a cute and perfect family with the most beautiful and well-behaved little kids, so fun! :) And President Mema from Albania came up and spoke to us last night. He is awesome and seemed like he said something that every person in the room specifically needed to hear.1st Albanian apostle..?

I love the members and branch here, and once again, I am feeling so lucky to be serving in Prishtine right now. It is beautiful and cool and exciting over here, and yes sometimes it is hard but if it were easy it wouldn't be worth it, right?!

I love ya all, brace yourselves for some picss I'm aboutta send! Write mee :))

<3 Motra Rajlli xoxoxo shpresoj se Dita e shejn Valentines ishte nje dite plot me Dashuni per juu <3