A walk in Faith : My adventures in the Adriatic South Mission: GREETINGS FROM ALBANIA:)

Hello Family and Friends,

I just want to thank you all for your support and your prayers. They mean a lot to me:) I love you all and I pray for your safety and happiness every day!

With that being said, I'll tell you about my week... It was AWESOME:)

We had our first exchange of this transfer with our Sister Training Leaders. Sister Zollinger who is now in Fourth Ward, came to stay with me for a day in First ward and we had a blast! She is such an amazing person inside and out. I remember my first night in Albania. I was fresh off the plane, a little shell shocked and nervous and excited all at once and she was the one who took me to my first lesson and I could tell right then what an amazing person she was. She was so calm and patient with me and she has continued to be there for me throughout my mission. We had an awesome day together and the Spirit was present all throughout the day. I'm thankful that Heavenly Father has allowed me to meet such amazing people on my mission. I've learned something from every single person I have served with and around. My gratitude for my Heavenly Father grows as I realize how lucky I really am.

Our investigator Mar is doing awesome! We actually had written down and scheduled that she would be baptized on the 8th of August but she told us this week that she wants to get baptized this week so we got her in for a Baptismal interview. She is now ready to be baptized this next week and she is SO excited! I've seen a huge change in her since the day we first started teaching her. She seems so much happier and she knows that she has found the road that her Heavenly Father wants her to be on! Shes already setting a good example for those around her.. even members and I am so so happy for her to become EVEN closer to her Heavenly Father next week:) If you could keep her in your prayers that everything will go well that will be awesome!:)

I also had a humbling experience yesterday... I was a little stressed out during church because there was so much I had to do and I had to get a lot done for Mar's baptism and I'll be honest, I was pretty stressed. I told my companion I had to go to another room. I took a few deep breathes and when I came out there was a member from the Third ward sitting on the benches outside. When I came out and saw her she said "How are you?" I was honest and I said "I'm stressed" I went on to talk about my problems and how much I had to do and how I felt like I just kept getting more responsibilities every second. When I finally took a breathe from talking I realized that she didn't look like her usually happy/excited self that she usually is. I stopped mid sentence and asked her if everything was okay and holding back tears she said "I'm fine". (being a girl myself I know that when a girl says she is "fine" she is not "fine") I asked again what was wrong and she went on to explain her stresses. I asked her if there was anything I could do for her and she said "You've already done enough just by listening" I realized how selfish I had been for just talking about myself when someone who needed way more help than me was sitting right next to me struggling. I remembered a quote that I have in my planner that talks about stress and how God knows our capacity and he will not push us further than we can bear. I knew she needed to read it so I handed it to her. She read quietly to herself and then looked up to me with tears in her eyes and said "Thank you, I needed that so much" I didn't do much but it gave her at least a big enough boost to get her on her feet again.

I learned a lot in that situation and I realized that trying to help her lift her burdens was actually making mine seem lighter. After helping her I had forgot why I was even stressed in the first place. There is a song that I've heard a lot on my mission called "Look up". It talks about when we are so focused on looking down or focused on other things, we often miss the opportunities around us. I'm thankful for that humbling situation I had the other day to make me realize how little my problems are compared to those around me. I also feel like I had been put in those stressful situations so that I am able to help and relate to those around me.

It was an awesome week with lots or learning involved. I'm thankful for my blessings and experiences I have everyday. I'm thankful for this work and I know President Monson's words to be true. "NO Cause NO Force in the entire World can stop the work of God". I love you all and I hope you have an amazing week. "JUST KEEP SWIMMING" Me dashuri- Your Motra

"Me and Sister Bennett trapped in a room at the Institute building because the Single Adults
were watching a movie we couldn't see"

"Poor lizard got stuck on our sticky counter yesterday...we tried to save him but then his
tail popped off and he started moving and then he was on his own" HAHAHA