Week 30 - Kosovo

long (scenic!) bus rides te Shqipnii

looove them :) <3 <3 

 Gj & V!! <3 <3 / "Gezuar!" (went and pijed some uje minerale/ caj mali... "pije a kafe" means drink coffee aka go to a kafe together but we call it "pijing an uje" lol )

Parku <3  

strawberries for dayssss (dredhez!) / "une pashe nje shtylle drite..."

prite sipas veshjes dhe percjelle sipas mendjes

hejjj a jeni mire, a po lodhni? ("are you good, are you weary?" sorry - Google Translate isn't too helpful with Albanian!)

Last P-day, as you saw, hit up Peja via train, and while there made the best purchase of my life aka a popullore-looking wooden/painted fyll (recorder) and Hermana Ariza and I loove jamming out aka trying to play hymns by ear (think of when Rachel first brought her piccolo home or when Eliza was just learning violin... I don't think our neighbors are as fond of our new hobby). Haha SO FUN and I want to do a musical # in Sac. mtg. but idk if the spirit would be there but we wanna get traditional banjo/guitar Kosovar instruments and just jam out so maybe we'll play at mish conf. or something? ;) or maybe we can join our roma friends on the streets. I'll let ya know how it goes. ;)

Got to see President a lot this past week (District conference?) and the Weidmanns came on a lesson with us to Gj and V and Motra Ariza completely led it and did great with Shqip, thas my trainee.The Weidmanns are amazing! So sincere and spiritual and knowledgeable and graceful, and of course so cool das sie aus die Schweiz kommen. :)

A definite highlight of my week was an INCREDIBLE and mind-blowing fireside by the Givens couple... they are amazing and educated and brought up so many intriguing points and def. have done their research... I loved when they talked about how Eve is looked down on in many Christian opinions, as the weak, sneaky temptress, but in Mormon culture we see her as the heroine of the human race. And pretty much any question or topic I'd been wanting to study (Pre-mortal life; fore-ordination/ Christ as the only begotten; the virgin Mary; Heavenly Mother) was addressed..it was way more in-depth than our recent converts were expecting or needed, but I was totally kenaqen. :)

My attempt at getting a member lesson yesterday was a complete disaster.. arranged for our recent convert, S, to stay after church for 5 min. to share feelings about her baptism with those who are getting baptized in a couple weeks, but she went off, in detail, about investigators who have been coming to church hoping to get money and help with projects and then ... ugh, basically moral of the story-a valuable life lesson for everyone, in every culture- is that gossiping is ALWAYS a bad idea and stirs up so much contention (3 Nefi 11:29) and that experience yesterday brought to mind 1 Timothy 5:13; "tattlers and busybodies, speaking of things which they ought not"... of course we need to keep Luke 5: 29-32 in mind...they that are whole need not a physician but they who are sick etc (people causing the problems need to be in church, of all ppl).. but it's frustrating when problems are being stirred up from within the branch.. members need to build each-other up, so the church can be a haven from all the negativity and persecution they already have to deal with from those outside.

In closing, wanna share Alma 5: 14-15, 19. Makes ya think, right?

The Book of Mormon really is the word of God, written for us in our day. Every question and concern can be answered if you just read/study those verses! Libri i Mormonit ka teper vlere, e vertete.

Ju Dua! Ju uroj nje jave e mrekullueshme!

<3 Motra Rajlli :)

ps~ hbd J-dawg! EDHE NJE QIND :) 

hej mom<3 just so ya know I sent a note to y'all this morning so now you can know how long it takes for mail!

From Elder Guymon's blog: new pass-along cards and an Arabic Book of Mormon