18 Months in the Adriatic: Week 48

fresh grapes on the Canis roof, Durres is so cool

this mini- missionary is from Durres!

Klaudia/ Motra Tengu :).... she is soo awesomee <3

MTC group sisters

Sisters Conference

[mission] family pic

and the two dying sisters..nene Z & sis. Coleman

last day in Durres!

this is (was) our little District, Elders Wright and Outsen, and sis. Davis of course:)

these cectpa's (sister Hassel and sister Barch, in Maqedoni) are so awesomee and they actually brought me an early Christmas aka some treats (including natural PB!!) from the health-food store down their street in Skopje

all these veggies for the equivalent of $5

Lushnje neser
Mireditaa <3

AH happy last day of your mission to Zuster Riley!! Urime, bravo, jete te mbare, kalofsh bukur fare e te uroj sukses e shendet e gezim gjate jetes sate si misionare e kthyer. :) <3 pac fat ha!

Oh, btw I am getting transferred, I'll be serving in Lushnje with sister Eliason!! So our recent exchange was a little sneak-peek of these next three months? Oh and I guess we'll be STL's down there which I'm excited about because that means I get to keep working with the sisters in Elbasan, Vlore, and DURRES.<3 And sister Ariza will be coming here to Durres! Haha my trainee will kill (*mission lingo mos u shqetso) my most- recent comp. Following in my footsteps. ;)

I'm excited to do work in Lushnje but man, Durres is incredible. I am so grateful for the wonderful (& long/ hot!) transfer I've had here. This ward is amazing and strong and soo warm and loving, but especially our investigators! The work has just been skyrocketing lately and missionary work is so enjoyable when investigators eagerly keep commitments and prioritize the gospel. We have multiple baptisms coming up, two scheduled for this weekend actually!

Lately I've realized how much I love the verses in Alma 37:6-7 ("Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls").... truly, in all aspects of the gospel; in all aspects of our lives, it is through the small and simple means that great things come to pass. So easy to acknowledge without implementing... so easy to overlook the tiny "flecks of gold" that, when accumulated, become the sought-after "nugget" (or testimony, or a goal reached). I know that this is Christ's true and restored church on the earth today. The book of Mormon is the word of God, preached through the mouths of Ancient prophets, crying repentance aka teaching us the Gospel of Jesus Christ; an essential road-map to navigate this mortal life.

Also, shoutout to my family, especially parents, for raising me in such a gospel-centered home and instilling in me such wholesome values and reminding me of the truth when I thought I knew better. Truly, this gospel is a gospel of Happiness, because by keeping the commandments and our sacred covenants, not only do we eliminate so much heartache and confusion, but we find/ reap true joy; the comfort and confirmation that comes from knowledge (sincere scripture study and faithful prayer) and the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.

I am so grateful for Heavenly Father and his love for us to send us here to this earth to learn and grow in ways only possible through mortality, and for our Savior Jesus Christ and his perfect example and selfless sacrifice.

i them keto gjera ne emer te Jezu Krishtit, Amen. ;)

<3 Motra Rajlli

made these for our short training at sister's conference, haha we said, "we made you a little treat but you'll have to wait until after to eat them.. you'll have to be patient" ha then talked about the Christlike attribute of patience.

our awesome (tiny) English class... they all have come to church btw!

these soon-to-be deacons both have older bros in this mission

also, lots of investigators in church yesterday... best way to end an awesome transfer. man, this place is thriving

Xh, gettin baptized this Saturday!!!

I love this ward <3 (the lady on the left went to BYU-I!)

get ready to meet the Durres ward (the women, at least) through my pics ;) SUCH AN AMAZING, STRONG WARD, so many incredible people in this awesome place <3 <3

this lady is so sweet and SMART; mathematics and physics professor, speaks fluent Greek which she learned from sitting in on elementary school classes when she moved there years ago as a young adult because there was no kurs