Golden Finch --- Sept. 9th

Hi Family!

I am doing well Family! It has been a really long week and a few crazy things have happened, but I do live in Albania right!? I love my new companion Motra Rebekah Wendt!! She is from Hurricane, UT and yes, grew up actually with my roommates from college that are from Hurricane. It is fun to be with her. Ever since she came to the mission we have wanted to serve together so it will be so fun! 

Motra Wendt is on the far left with red hair. This is a pic with also Motra Morgan and Molifua who just left... I am officially the oldest sister here....

The city of Fier has a little bit of a bad reputation. A lot of gossip and bad feelings have been here for a long time. There have been a couple BIG falling aways of the members, but for a while now it has been re-building itself back up. Now is the time for it all to be even more in the past and move forward with even more faith! I know it is ready to rise to the next level. I have felt the spirit in this little town strong ever since I got here and I just know it is where I need to be. The branch here used to be so big for a good amount of time a while ago that the church even bought land here to build a church, then an "Apostasy" as the missionaries call it happened and now we have numbers at church around the 30ies each week. It is building and is ready to be even more! Motra Wendt or as Albanians say "Motra Uendi" and I have made some really great goals and I am excited to also work again with Elder Roberts that was in Kosovo with me the whole time I was there. It is a good district and we are going to make some miracles happen here I can just feel it! 

I was asked by the missionary branch President Elder Bott to be the Relief Society President and Motra Wendt is over the Young Women. I hope that I can just help the new presidency that I have grow right into running it by themselves within the next month, but we will see how it goes. I guess it's good I was already a RS pres before, right?? Except not in Albania... very different! 

Adorel with our first golden finch!

Also... today for P-day we woke up early and went with a new convert boy to catch Golden Finches. cool right?! We walked way out of town into the fields by a river and we set up his nets and we had fun catching them! They are very beautiful. ha. He catches them and then tries to sell them in town. Just great! He says he has a special golden Finch like the "golden Snitch" from Harry Potter. He keeps it in a cage and it sings in all the other birds. It was super fun! 

Me holding it too!

I love you all. Thanks for your love, prayers, and letters. I love being a missionary and serving the Lord here. I hope you have a great week! 

Beautiful sunrises and sunsets here! AHH!!

Before I left Tirana I took some pictures of food for you... here they are. 

crepes!!

Pastries. I have lots more, but I couldn't send you ALL of them... just wait till i get home. But in one there are white covered things. Those are Turkish delight! They are gross. ha. YOu know like in The Narnia movie, the witch gives him Turkish delight, or in Harry Potter, they like live for it, but it really isn't that good. ha.

 Lots of freshly baked bread daily! and Byrek! mmm.
 

Me dashuri, 

Motra Hoover