A walk in Faith : My adventures in the Adriatic South Mission: IM IN ALBANIA:)

I just get so happy and excited when I remember how awesome it is that I get to be a missionary!

I really love it so much.

This week we saw some awesome miracles.

A couple for example, were with the same family. I've talked a little about the Keqja family and how much I love them . Recently Skender (their dad) got a job so when we have been going over to their house it has just been the Mom and the kids which has been really nice for them because we have gotten to focus on them more and we've had a couple really good lessons with them. Their twelve year old daughter hadn't showed a whole lot of interest in our lessons and had absolutely no interest in being baptized but in one of our lessons, she said an awesome sincere prayer asking Heavenly Father if she needed to be baptized. It may just seem like a little thing that she prayed about it, but it was a miracle for us and for sure an answer to our prayers. A different day with the same family we read with the kids and the mom again out of Alma 7. They all loved it and showed more interest in the lesson than usual and when their dad came home they couldn't wait to share it with him. As soon as he walked in the kids said "Dad, you have to read these verses, they are so beautiful" When he walked in he didn't seem like he was in a friendly mood unlike usual, but he wanted to read. He read verses 10-13 which talk about the Savior. Afterwards, he usually has a big argument and we get into a discussion that doesn't really go anywhere, but this time was different. He was silent, and he took his glasses off and looked at us and told us that his friend that he grew up with passed away the other day... He said "when I think about resurrection and how you believe that we will all live again, it takes the pain away" It was a very special moment for us and for him especially because the resurrection has always been a hard thing for him to accept. He always said it was an "exaggeration" but after he was able to humble himself a little, he was able to see how beautiful Heavenly Fathers plan really is. I now have a stronger testimony of Ether 12:27 how Heavenly Father shows us our weaknesses so that we can become humble and as we humble ourselves he will make the weak things become strong.

Humility has always been a hard Christ like attribute for me to develop. Sometimes I think that I can do things by myself and I try and I fail, because I'm not relying on my Heavenly Father. Other times, I get so frustrated with myself because I have weaknesses and they are hard for me to accept and rely on someone else to help me. I'm developing a stronger testimony though for how important it is to be humble. Like it says in Ether 12, Heavenly Father is totally willing to show us our weaknesses if he knows it will help us grow and help us to rely more on him. We really are so helpless without Him, without his love, and without his Help. He is willing to bring us down, but he's even more willing to lift us up and help us grow.

I have a quote book that my mom sent me in a package and my favorite quote is one that says "All you've got is all you can give, and that will always be enough" To me it doesn't necessarily mean that we can do it on our own, but it means that when we put forth all that we have and do as much as we can, he will help us with the rest and THAT will be enough. We can't do it without him and we can't expect him to do it all for us.

I'm thankful for my weaknesses and I'm thankful for my mistakes because I've learned so much from them and I've grown in the experiences.

I know that Heavenly Father answers prayers. For example I pray every single night for each member in my family. I pray specifically for what I think they need at that moment and I've seen/ heard of so many blessings flow into their lives. Some blessings just as specific as my prayers for them were.

Heavenly Father loves us all. He wants to help us SO bad. He knows we are not perfect and I'm glad were not so that we have room to grow.

My love for my Heavenly Father grows every week. I love this Gospel.

I also want to add this story that my Mission President's wife shared with us this week at Zone Conference. I love it a lot and I hope it gives you some motivation for the week:)
"P.U.S.H."
A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained, that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.
This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun ·up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might.
Each night the man returned to his cabin sore, and worn out feeling that his whole day has been spent in vain. Since the man was showing signs of discouragement the adversary decide to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's weary mind: "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it." Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.
"Why kill yourself over this?” he thought. I will just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be enough." And that is what he planned to do, until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.
"Lord" he said, I've labored long and hard in Your service, putting all my strength to do that which You've asked. Yet, after all this time, I haven't even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What's wrong? Why am I failing?"
"MY friend, when I asked you to serve Me – you accepted.
I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength - which you've done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me - with your strength spent, thinking that you've failed. But is that really so?"
"Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscular. Your back sinew is mighty. Your hands a callused from the constant pressure; and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you've grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you’ve done. I, my friend, will now move the rock.”
At times, when we hear from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants. What God ACTUALLY wants is just simple OBEDIENCE and FAITH IN HIM. By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know, that it’s still God who moves the mountains.

P.U.S.H. = Pray Until Something Happens!

When everything seems to go wrong, just P.U.S.H. - When the job gets you down, P.U.S.H. - When people don’t react the way you think they should, P.U.S.H. - When the people just don’t understand you, just - P.U.S.H."

"P-DAY today! It was Elder Chingas' birthday so we went to Cinnabon. Ignore
my face in the first picture. They were trying to feed me because I'm trying to stay away from the sweets haha"

"The beautiful ride to Kosovo :) ♥♥"

"More. Awesome sunset, a pipe broke so there was a flood if you can see it. It was on the highway haha
And a picture of our mission van "Big Blue"! You can't really see it but
Sister White is making an awesome face in the window :)"