I STAND ALL AMAZED! July 10, 2017

(Qëndroj Plot Habi) I STAND ALL AMAZED! This is my favorite himn and this week it brought some miracles. Ok so we had a training where President Anderson told us to try and use music in our teaching. Also we talked about talking about baptism more throughout the lesson. So, we made some quick goals as we went to a lesson after the training to sing and to talk a lot about baptism. This was a first lesson with a lady, Mariona, we had met two days earlier. We started with this song Qëndroj Plot Habi. Then we said a prayer and it seriously was one of the coolest lessons I have ever had. We were not afraid to tell her who we were, why we were there, and throughout we just always said-and this is why we follow Christ, we do that by being baptized. The book of Mormon testifies of Christ and we try to become like Him, we do this through baptism. Then after we had taught about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we asked her if she wanted to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ. She said-well of course I want to, I will do anything for this happiness for me and my daughters. Of course I will read the Book of Mormon.  Two days later in the second lesson (we were on an exchange so unfortunately I wasn't there but) she said 1. I read 42 pages of the Book of Mormon and 2. now I know who you are. I read about what I am going through in my life. When they said that we are called by God, she said, I know. 

Another lesson with the same song. With Alma, with whom we have taught about english and the gospel. We wanted to talk a lot about baptism to help her understand why we are here. We seriously just talked about Christ and His love and why we follow Him. I felt the Spirit so strong I cried. woah. But this time, she didn't want to be baptized. But we still felt good because we know that we did what we were supposed to do-show who we are, why we are here, and to invite her to have that too. And now she knows that AND felt the Spirit.

Numero Bekimet (Count your blessings) is the most overplayed oversung song in all of Albania. The Albanians LOVE this song. So it has become one of my...not first picks...but we went to Alma Sulevari's house who is less active and has been for a long time. At the end of the lesson we asked her if she had a favorite himn, numero bekimet...oh...BUT it was cool like we were singing it I just felt super happy and like everyone there was just enjoying the song, enjoying this himn. So it was cool to feel a new way that the Spirit can touch you through music-just plain I'm happy. :)

Music is a powerful tool. Actually it's the reason I chose to go to school at BYU. I went to a musical devotional and felt the spirit so strong I started crying and so did my mom. I decided that I should go to school there because it would be there that I could feel that spirit, that I could get ready to go on a mission. So not only now on my mission has it been an effect in my life but throughout. If you feel that Spirit, go to the places where you feel it. That's where the blessings come. We want to feel good and happy. We want to feel the Spirit. What a great blessing that we have that Heavenly Friend. And we can have it forever with us, when we are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, by someone who actually has His authority. And then we receive that gift of the Spirit. And the Spirit gives "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith" Galatians 5:22

Have a good week! Don't forget to Sing!

Motra Hegërd

Bat Caves July 10, 2017

We went to bat caves! u Rrëshqita! i slipped...classic

Good thing someone else is in charge of this work July 3, 2017

Albanian expression of the week:

Ha. Merr. Ik.   Amerik.  (eat. take. leave. america) get it?

Summer:

I have seen way too many xhaxhi's (old men) without shirts on. just chilling. cool. alright.

Speaking of xhaxhi's, one totally recited poetry to us, memorized and in english. he was actually pretty good. impressive. and then he told us we were stars of the earth. then he kissed our hands. aww

I tried a fig for the first time. weird monster looking fruit but hey not that bad.

This week, especially Sunday was full of miracles. Of course every day we can see miracles doing this work, but it's an extra special blessing when you don't have to think very hard because they are too many miracles to remember! So basically yesterday every meeting we had with people cancelled...and because of that we met people "randomly" in the street. 

1. we were supposed to meet a girl from Shkodër who came to Tirana and didn't know where the church was. She didnt come. So we ran into a member on the way to church. And we ran into a lady, Merita, that we had called the night before and had set up a meeting for later that day. We asked her if she wanted to come to church with us-She came! (what?!)

2. When we were in church, another lady, Katrina, walked in that we had invited to church. (let me just add-when people come to church- yes, it is a miracle)

3. Then we still were going to meet Merita, that came to church with us but she ended up being at work so didn't show up. So instead, this other lady, Rumie, that had met Sister Ollsen before but they had never been able to set up a lesson with her, came and was like hey come to my house...oh ok yes ok. what?!

4. Then after that lesson we were able to go to the house of Merita and her family. Perfect timing because family members just kept coming in. 

What an awful day right? haha wow so cool. It's great to be able to see days that just kind of "fall into place". 

Hey even when we may think that everything is ruined, just wait for everything to just fall into place. maybe not the place we thought they would be but end up being so much better. Good thing someone else is in charge of this work and not me :)

Have a great week!

Motra Hegërd

that humidity...

also encaptured is a classic nena watering her patio.

the two presidents and us tirana missionaries singing at the airport 

GEZUAR Dita e Baballarëve!! June 19, 2017

GEZUAR Dita e Baballarëve!!

Perhaps the most essential of a father's work is to turn the hearts of his children to their Heavenly Father - D Todd Christofferson

CELEBRATING 25 years of missionaries in Albania!!!

So we had a concert event and definitely the best part was seeing the collage of missionaries throughout these 25 years. It was really cool to see that these people love their missionaries. In 1992 four missionaries came into the country of Albania. Elder Worthlin was among those first four and he came back to speak. He received a reassignment while he had been serving in Germany for a year. When those first missionaries came, only some of the pamphlets and books were in the albanian language. In 1999 the Book of Mormon was translated into Albanian. And now we have missionaries in Shkodër, Durrës, Tirana, Berat, Pogradec, Korça, Elbasan, Vlora, Fier, and Kosovo. It's crazy to be in a mission that is relatively new. Fillim i mbarë :)

I met a cute old couple and the man said that he saw something about our church on tv (huge surprise because people here don't know who we are) so I didn't really believe him until he said that the guy on tv said that you will know them by their white shirt and ties. ah yep that's us haha. It's good that people are beginning to see who we are, and we are trying to show them. 

Summer things:

When you run across Tirana because you are late for a family home evening with a member family and you get there and there is sweat dripping down your face...and good old Albania, kisses on the cheek. well that's embarrassing...ah tirana. Sa i madh je ti. (it's a himn) [How Great Thou Art]

We had a lesson in Relief Society about eternal marriage. Because it is a blessing so big (haha such a big blessing) to have an eternal family, meaning that families are not together "until death" but forever even after death, it is hard to find. So the teacher asked us, the sister missionaries, to share what it is like to grow up in a family that is sealed in the temple for eternity. Well I will tell you what it's like. It's totally normal for me.

But about a year ago, my family and I had the opportunity to go to the temple and be sealed as a family for people who had passed away without that opportunity. As I sat there with my family, knowing that even after death, we will still be a family, wow. 

I know that there is life after death on earth. And that that life is with my family. We ran into a lady who's son passed away last year, and she is bitter and sad because she doesn't believe in a life after death. How sad is life without this crucial piece of hope. That death doesn't win. Family wins :) aww I love my family :)

Will ye also go away? June 12, 2017

A new missionary scripture:

John 6:66-68

66 ¶ From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

First of all-this hurts me. How sad is this? and like as a missionary we get to feel a little tiny bit of how it feels when people walk away. People walked away from Jesus. I imagine hurt honestly in Jesus's eyes as He asks this to His closest friends/followers-Are you going to leave me too? (listen to the Mortal Christ by Elder Holland because he describes this moment perfectly). And then Peter answers-to whom shall we go? 

Think about the double meaning. 1. we aren't going anywhere because no one else can save us. but of course the double 2. ok so I'm trying to work as hard as I can as a missionary here and I really am trying but Lord, to whom shall we go?

So I think I'm going to write this on the back of my nametag so it's always the question/response. I'm here, I'm never going to leave, please guide me.

LOVE my FAM so much. love you love you. have a good week :)

Tirana June 12, 2017

TIRANA. I'm in love with this city already. It's so big.PEOPLE. There are people all over, every time of the day (just a little thin at nani nani time). The later schedule is so good because there are seriously so many people out at 9-10 at night, it's crazy! EVERYWHERE. Ok so I dont know how big Tirana actually is but it's split up into 4 ward areas. We are in charge of two. Two areas! That means "we could take a bus and go for like an hour and still be in our area"-motra ollsen. AH. So different than Gjakova haha. HOT. Ok so definitely sunshine in my soul ;) We carry around 2L water bottles. It's hot. On foot, on bus. And it's even better on the bus because we're all hot and sweaty BUT we are all hot and sweaty TOGETHER! literally, stuck together! Another pair of shoes down...bummer.

Tender little mercies.

So I was studying the book of mormon, and I was reading in 3 Nefi about people who had seen all the signs come true about the coming of Jesus (like the star appearing) but then afterwards they began to forget the signs. It reminded me of that one scripture that said something like "how quick are people to forget the Lord" and I wanted to read it but I couldn't find it. I looked in the Bible dictionary and in True to the Faith to see if I could find it but didn't, so then I was just kinda flipping through the book and pop I opened to Helamani 12:2-3

2 Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people...sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies...doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.
3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.

How sad is this?? A goal for me: to always Remember Him. I mean the word always is pretty often...but for a start-recognizing more "hand of the Lord" things in my life. One-that I just "randomly" flipped to that scripture that I wanted to find. hmm. If you read randomly backwards it actually spells remember Him. nope. hey but you get what I'm trying to say. Remember Him in your life so that you will never come to a point in life that you find that you have forgotten Him. 

Because He will never forget us.

"wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love."--Forget Me Not, Dieter F Uchtdorf

Also I'd add... and if you ever feel alone...come to albania and get on a bus. You don't even have to hold on to anything because the people on all sides of you, they got you. Hajde.

Motra Hegërd

When you forget that it's a holiday in America...oops. June 5, 2017

Ok leaving the çunë world behind in Gjakova whew. These last few days with all the çunë's I was just like ok couple more days of these and I'm free.

There's one that calls me sunshine...so Do të ik. Sunshine u fik. has a nice tingull to it.

oh so we are going to be sister training leaders in tirana. ah ma now I have to learn to be fluffy for real. haha jk but like i figured I could go throughout the mission without having to be an STL...it's ok. and this means that maybe I'm going to be close to the new Mission president. well that's cool. it seems like all the missionaries in tirana are connected with everything, unlike Gjakova that is missing out on everything haha. 

oh Elder Copeland was telling pres weidmann that we are good missionaries and what not and Pres Weidmann said : we are spreading them like yeast.

haha ok I don't quite understand what that means...but I'm going to be in the Tirana zone, Motra Xhons in the North zone, and Motra Saldanja in the South. They split us up and we will never see each other again DX 

ç'me bë