Hi Family!
Life is good in Tirana. I love it really. It is always exciting, especially sharing the Gospel. How could it now be!?
This week I just want to share a couple of quotes that I have found from my studies this last week.
1st- "While the Atonement is meant to help us all
become more like Christ, it is not meant to make us all the same."
-Uchdorf ("Four Titles', April conference 2013, Priesthood session). The
Priesthood session is always my favorite to read. It's so inspiring to
hear the strengthening the brethren give to the priesthood holders of
God. I love it! This is something I have really learned as a missionary.
We are all striving to become perfect like Christ! and sometimes it can
be rough when you don't realize that even though we are all striving to
be perfect like our Savior we are all still very different people. I
think that our perfections will all be different as well. Understanding
this is lifesaving really. Knowing that their isn't just one good idea
or way to do things. Their isn't just one way to act, or one thing to
love. We are all different and we should be. We will all have different
paths to perfection!! So we should accept the differences and simply
have greater love to help each other rise to our personal potentials.
Ya!
2nd- "Their labors will sustain you, their faith
encourage you, their prayers up-hold you. A mission is a family affair.
Though the expanse of continents or oceans may separate, hearts are as
one." - President Monson, Priesthood session too! I couldn't be more
thankful for my family that helps me be a better missionary always. I'm
very thankful for all your encouragement and prayers always. It is also
very cool to hear here and there that my own family is being greater
missionaries at home as well. It really is a family affair! and I'm so
blessed to have you doing it with me.
3rd- "Forever finding, to use the vocabulary of
Preach My Gospel. Finding with friendliness. Be a genuine friend to all
that you meet, regardless of whether they show an interest int he gospel
or not. We are not making friends to share the gospel, we are making
friends to be Christlike!" -My mission President, President Ford, in my
email today. Just as we are in this thing together I hope that you will
also take this advice in your everyday. Even just for this week, if that
is how it needs to start. Always be finding! Find by being friendly, by
being a genuine friend to everyone you meet. Make friends to be
Christlike! The more that I do this as a missionary the happier I am and
the more successful also I'd say. You can have the same success as you
strive to do this too!
Other than those things, we have a few investigators
that are planning to be baptized on the 31st of the month! wahoo! It's
been so fun... exciting! Our recent convert work is moving. They are
coming to church! and our Returning member work is progressing. The
branch is talking about the names of the people we are asking them to
help us find and bring back. The work is happening...and the even more
amazing thing is that it is happening all over the world! WOW right?!!
Also, Something kinda fun is that about a month and a
half ago Motra Ford the Presidents wife called us to do a voice
recording singing I am a child of God in Albanian. They are wanting to
do an EFY cd in Albanian, but all the Albanians that they have been
working with just aren't quite going to make it work. Let's be honest,
most Albanians just can't quite get the whole correct note thing.
Sacrament meetings are always the best. I've learned to definitely just
go with the flow. Anyway, she sent a few voices to Germany and they last
week requested me and 2 other elders to sing a few songs for the CD. I
guess we will record them again and send them, then if they like them
they will come here and record us singing them for reals. Crazy right! I
don't know what I got myself into. I can't sing! ha. Not only is it
sing this song, but it is re-arrange this whole song to fit these
Albanian words that really just won't work, but make it happen. It is
quite interesting, but I am loving the music time! I have learned a lot
about music as a missionary and have really learned to love and
appreciate it even more in my life! ya! We'll see how it goes! ha
We only have a couple more weeks left of this
transfer... ya, I know, it's crazy... but true. Then I will officially
be the oldest sister in the whole mission. Even more crazy. Because of
all the changes in the mission timing schedule this year, the transfers
have been a little off, but at the beginning of the coming year my
mission will go back to the normal transfer cycle we had before. So,
this next transfer will be for 4 months! The longest one yet. It is my
last. WHAT!!?? We'll see what happens....
This Sunday
was a really wonderful day for me and my Albanian Language. I sat in
our first Sacrament meeting for the day and simply just understood
everything that was said. I sat in my seat and thought, WOW! I listened
and my mind comprehended everything that was said in Albanian. I
realized I wasn't translating it in my mind from Albanian to English to
understand and I was understanding it all. It flowed and it was
beautiful. I felt that I would feel exactly the same, and learn the same
amount if I was siting in an English speaking ward. Listening and just
simply understanding. It was so AWESOME!! A day I have dreamed about and
always hoped for. I think often in myself I have felt that perhaps this
ability would never come to me and I had kinda accepted that in myself,
but have never stopped trying to learn more and be better. I also sat
in the YW sunday
school class and understood everything that was being taught and
discussed. YES! I remember sitting in church classes when I first got
here, hearing all the other missionaries participate and understand and
just wishing that that would be me someday. I would sit there and just
try so hard to pick out a few words here and there, translate them in my
mind to English and then also to try and think of something that I
would like to say and translate it back from English into Albanian...
obviously by this time the chance is pretty much past to even speak! ha.
However, I did it yesterday! I answered questions, I contributed, I
understood, and I spoke without even having to think first about it. It
just flowed and whatever I thought just came out of my mouth, not
perfect of course, but it happened. ha. I feel that now I am really
becoming Albanian, just like I have dreamed of becoming ever since the
MTC. I still have A LOT of work to do and a lot of room to improve, but
it is so fun to have little moments like this that really build up your
confidence and encouragement. I love it! It's happening.I'm becoming!
Love you all so much! Sorry for the long-ish letter. But it's good stuff! and really just for mom anyways, right?! ha.
Me shume dashuri,
Motra Kristi Ayana Huvër
pic: so basically we have to use computer locals to
write home and they are just a little sketch sometimes. Lots of viruses
get spread around.... and my poor little camera card got it bad I think.
I know my pictures are all still on the card because it says it has
them on there, but they are lost. I was relunctant to have it fixed
here, but I decided to try anyway. The virus is gone, but the files are
still lost. After being brave and trying to fix it, but not really
getting anywhere, or perhaps making it worse. I have decided to just
save it until I get home and pray that Brad or someone can fix it for
me. All my memories!!!! AHHH. quite tragic, but I still have a little
hope! Anyway, this picture is the only picture I had just on my camera
hard drive. Pretty sure Wade took it in the car on the way to the MTC.
ha. It was fun to find. Look at those bangs! ha.
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