First Week of the Mission 8/1/2016

First miracle of the mission was before I even got into the MTC (mission training center). We lost my CTR/ZTD (choose the right/zgjedhin te drejtin) ring in a grass field...searching for it was like a live game of find the CTR ring that they do in those Friend magazines. Holy cow we looked for it for like an hour, but then for some reason even though we had already looked in that spot plenty of times before, Kori found it. It's like all it takes is to have a new perspective (and here's the missionary turning everything into a lesson haha). We can look over scriptures and hymns all throughout our life and still get more out of it, which I did this week. 

So the first day I got there and I was surprisingly calm and not stressed. My companion never actually showed up...so we think she got married haha. So I'm in a tripanionship with Motra Dunn and Motra Suckow. If you want to look up a sister that got a call but then got married feel free and then tell me if she ended up getting a better companion haha. Probably the saddest thing is that Motra Bland who is in our room and district is gluten intolerant!!! Like wow how are you going to live in Albania with all that bread? Broke my heart...

We get to exercise every day so I'm thinking I'll run a mile and then play volleyball because a lot of people in our zone are good at vball! but the handbook said we aren't allowed to be competitive...well I'll work on it.

Our zone consists of the Dutch, the Hungarians, and the Albanians (the newbies), so we all sing and give talks and prayers in our own languages so I can't actually understand half of what is said at sacrament meeting. But all the languages are so cool.

On Sunday we went to choir, and it was so cool and so much more than a regular choir. We sang Lead, Kindly Light. Have you ever actually looked at the meaning of that song? Wow, so powerful! We are asking Christ to lead us everyday. We don't ask to see all of what's ahead of us, only a couple steps. We have put our trust in God as we chose to serve missions for him, and I know that He is leading us.

Another scripture that I have read and known the story all my life is the story of the brother of Jared (Ether 3:4) when he asks God to touch the stones to light them so that they will have light on their journey across the water. We were listening to an amazing talk by Elder Bednar called the Character of Christ and as he talked about this story it totally hit me that we are the stones. We are being touched by God to be a light for others so that they might see out of the darkness.

Të dua! Unë e di që Perendia ka plan për ne.

Motra Haggard

[lyrics for Lead, Kindly Light]

1. 1. Lead, kindly Light, amid th'encircling gloom;
   Lead thou me on!
   The night is dark, and I am far from home;
   Lead thou me on!
   Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
   The distant scene--one step enough for me.
2. 2. I was not ever thus, nor pray'd that thou
   Shouldst lead me on.
   I loved to choose and see my path; but now,
   Lead thou me on!
   I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
   Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years.
3. 3. So long thy pow'r hath blest me, sure it still
   Will lead me on
   O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
   The night is gone.
   And with the morn those angel faces smile,
   Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!
4. Text: John Henry Newman, 1801-1890
   Music: John B. Dykes, 1823-1876