So yesterday we received some surprising news from our mission president. He came to our ward  Sunday, and after church Sister White and I went over to say hello to him (of course) and he was being weird as in the fact that we knew that something was going on.  The first thing he says to us is "we're splitting you up" he said it SO nonchalantly and Sister White and I didn't quite catch on and we both said "WHAT?" he chuckled a little and said "Sister White you are going to First Ward to serve with Sister Peters (her MTC comp) and Sister Cheshire you are staying in Fourth ward and getting an Albanian Mini Missionary" So ya, thats my new adventure this month:) Im sad that Sister White is going to be leaving me, but im excited to meet this knew Mini Missionary and I'm excited to be staying in Tirana 4th ward for the rest of this transfer. Ive been here for 5 months now and I guess its just not my time to leave yet, which I am totally okay with because I love the people and everything about it here.

      Some success this week: This week Sister White and I decided to go visit this family that me and Sister Bezas had "put on the shelf" (we dont like to say dropped) anyways, we decided to go pay them a visit. When Sister Bezas and I had told them we werent going to be able to meet with them again they hadnt been progressing at all, they didnt read, they didnt come to church, and they didnt even participate in the lessons.   This week when we went to go see them they were different. They volunteered to pray, everyone in the family participated, answered questions and they said that they would start reading again. Sister White and I were super excited and the change in them was crazy! I believe they just needed a little time to recognize how much better they felt when we were visiting them and they were feeling the spirit. This family is amazing and really needs the blessings of the Gospel so if you could please pray for the Vatnikaj family that would be so awesome because they really need it.

      Also we saw another blessing in church this Sunday. There is a girl named Silvana that we have been trying so hard to meet with.  The Elders said that in English class she came up to them and asked for a Book of Mormon but she has just been super busy with school and work but we just keep inviting her to things.  So we texted her Saturday night and invited her to church on Sunday and she never texted back, but to our surprise she walked right in on Sunday and sat by us. It was a real blessing especially because all of our other investigators couldnt make it. I believe it was a blessing from God showing us that he has seen our efforts. 

      Then for the last surprise, there was another investigator that hasnt been able to meet with us lately for basically the same reasons and on Sunday we were in choir practice and the Elder told me to look back and there she was. She had got done with school and wanted to come see us she said:) Poor girl had to listen to Albanians and Americans try to sing together, but we were so happy that she was able to come. 

       Well that is basically my week in a nutshell. There are just a couple quotes that I would like to share with you because quotes are my favorite things ever! They are by Sheri Dew (who is one of my favorite speakers ever) I was reading a talk that she had given at BYU and she had said "There is only one thing that the Power of God and the Power of Satan have in common: Neither can influence us unless we allow them too" I know this to be true and I've seen it most while being out here on my mission. As I learn to rely on the Lord more fully and often I have seen His strength and power in my life as I do His work. I also know that Satan only has the power that we give to Him so we have to try our best to not give him that strength and power over us. "Though we must each walk through life on our own, we dont have to do it ALONE." I testify to you all that He is here as long as we have faith and humble ourselves to ask Him for His help. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is when Christ is walking on water and he calls to His diciples and Peter asks if he can come out on the water with Him.   Having faith that he can do anything with the help of the Lord,  he goes out on the water full of energy and faith.  But the second he gets distracted, into the water he goes. It only takes a second and down we go. The next part of the story is my favorite though when Peter calls for Chirsts help and Christ came the very SECOND Peter asked for help.  He reached out His hand and He saved him. I know that this is true and I can testify to you all that the second we ask Heavenly Father for His help, He is there. He will save you, because he has saved/ is saving me. I love you all and I hope you had a fantastic week. I pray for you and hope you are happy. When you feel like there is nobody else to rely on, rely on Him and he will be there. I promise. Me dashuri- Your Motra

"We went to Kruje today and Sister Fuller got this awesome Albanian hat!"

"I LOVE MY LIFE!"



"Living it up here in Albania.  In love with this view. #neverleaving""

"this awesome Xhami that we got to go in :)" Xhami = Mosque



I spy... Elder Keck!  He is now in her area YAY Layton

"IN HEAVEN!"

"Still in Heaven..."

"View from the prayer room"

"There is light at the end of the tunnel....literally"

"Sister White and I taking some selfies before she leaves me."

"My cute planner that I decorated :)"

 

This week I learned a lot. I can honestly say that every week I learn something new about myself and life and God and how wonderful His plan is.

At the beginning of this week I was having a little bit of trouble. I was unsettled and I needed answers and comfort. The same thing that I tell all of my investigators popped into my head "You can find all the answers and receive comfort from the scriptures"

So this week that was one of my main focuses. The Scriptures. 

I had a testimony before about how powerful the Word of God is, but this week it definitely grew. As I was reading I was led to the exact verses, the stories, the comforting words that I was looking for. The "Word of God, which heals the wounded soul" (Jacob 2:8) Healed mine. I felt an automatic feeling of comfort as I read this week and I believe I received a lot of answers to my questions. Maybe they weren't exact answers like "Do this and say this and this will happen" but they were answers of comfort more like "no matter what happens I'm here for you" and I know that he is.

I don't want you all to think I had a bad week because I didn't:) I actually had a really good week In which a LOT of awesome things happened:) For one, Sister White and I have been trying harder to talk to EVERYONE as we walk, as we go to stores, and as we do regular things throughout the week because Its not just the people on the streets that just happen to be walking by when we are street contacting that need to hear about the Restored Gospel. I still cant say I am perfect at it, but we have been getting better at it and we have seen blessings come from it. By just deciding to say Hello to people we see, be have had a lot of awesome conversations and a lot of people who have been really interested. One lady that Sister White said Hello to on the way to a lesson, is now a new investigator and another lady that I had talked to invited us over for another day and wants us to teach her Granddaughter and Daughter also. I have seen blessings come from putting myself out of my comfort zone. I read In a talk the other day that "The Savior cares more about our growth than he cares about our comfort." To be quite honest, my whole mission has been out of my comfort zone. Always doing things that make me uncomfortable or nervous, but I know that there are a lot of more important things than being comfortable. This life isn't called "A Break" its called "A Test" Tests are supposed to be hard and they are supposed to push you. Like  our dear Thomas S. Monson said "As we survey the challenges of life, we see that that which is easy is rarely right" 

I have danced for years and years growing up. I don't remember the dances I learned or all the moves or what place I got when competing. I remember the hard days though. The days I stayed up late practicing and practicing for a dance I just COULDN'T get down. I remember wanting to give up lots of times and I remember having a dance teacher that pushed me SO HARD and when I wanted to give up and when I was passed my breaking point, she pushed me harder. I remember crying to my mom and begging to be done and she told me "She only pushes you so hard because she knows your potential. She knows how good you can be, but you cant get better if you give up" I know that's similar to how Heavenly Father works. He knows the potential we have and how good we can be. He doesn't take away our struggles, but he "gives us strength, understanding, and patience to bear the burdens placed up on us." WE CANT GIVE UP:) 

I know this to be true. I know that my Savior loves me. I know that my Heavenly Fathers wants me to grow and I'm thankful that he knows the potential we all have. I know that he will not leave us comfortless and I'm trying to be more grateful for the hard times that I have because they make me stronger. Like 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says "And He said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distress for Christs sake, for when I am weak, then am I strong." 

I'm thankful for my Heavenly Father's love and for this work. I love my mission and I love this Gospel. Until next time, Me shume dashuri - Your Motra<3 

 

"PDAY FUN :) Work Hard, Play Hard"



"We went to see this famous church in Lac today.  Super beautiful and super cool:)"

"Selfies with Motra Bardhe...She thinks I'm weird, I know it haha"

"Had an exchange this week with Sister Dunn.  She is a stellar missionary
and super fun:)  Lunch with the Tirana 2nd ward sisters:)"

"It loves to rain at the most unexpected times here.  Props to this sister for
being a good sport as we got attacked with hail and rain after getting
locked out of our house (another story;) )"

 

I have learned a lot while being on my mission. I know that Ive only been gone for about 7 months but one thing I've realized is that time isn't really what it seems. When you think you have a lot of time left, it seems to go by fast and a lot can happen in a small amount of time.

 

People would tell me before I came on my mission, "You know you don't HAVE to go on a mission" "It's fine if you want to stay and go to school" "Are you sure?  Maybe you'll change your mind when it gets closer, you have time" and I would tell them that it was Heavenly Father's decision and it wasn't going to change.  While being here on my mission, I've realized that it was me who made the decision to serve.  Yes I received a strong feeling from my Heavenly Father that I was supposed to serve and I couldn't deny that impression, but it was me who made the decision.  Before this life actually. I'm sure I had a conversation with Heavenly Father about serving. I'm sure he told me how hard it would be and how amazing it would be and I know he let me make that decision myself.  I'm sure I was excited because I knew all the amazing things I would experience and He told me he would remind me again when I was on Earth that this was the path that I had chosen to take. 

I know that I am supposed to be here. I know that the people I have met recently are supposed to be in my life for a reason. I know that I was called here to Albania for a reason and I can't deny it. 

I want to talk a little bit about decisions and the effect that they have on us. 

 

There is a wonderful member in our ward. She comes to church every Sunday, is always willing to help us with lessons, and she is an amazing teacher. She is an example to the church and the ward and I believe she somewhat holds it together. You wouldn't guess it, but she has been through more than I could ever imagine going through. Sister White and I went to her house this week for a lesson and she shared a story with us that changed me forever. When she was younger she had what I would say is a great life. She had two kids, a 9 year old boy and a 7 year old daughter. Her relationship with her husband was good and they were happy. Then one day it all changed. Her 9 year old son got hit by a car and was killed. It broke her obviously. If that wasn't enough, her husband got sick around the same time and passed away soon after. There she was. A struggling widow and mother with only her daughter to live for and at that point she didn't want to live. She questioned how she would ever get through this trying time alive. Then she found the Gospel. She decided to act on the knowledge she had and be baptized. She found her strength in Heavenly Father. She could have given up. She could have stopped trying and been miserable the rest of her life. She could have decided to do nothing and wallow in pity, but she didn't. She kept going. Heavenly Father didn't bring her son or her husband back to life, but he strengthened her so that she could live without them. (at least for this life) She kept pushing because Heavenly Father gave her strength in her hard times. She relied completely on Him because there was nobody else she could rely on and in doing so she found her strength. 

 

I have realized most on my mission that I can do hard things, but only with His help. I've been pushed and tried these past 7 months more than I have my entire life and I know for a fact that I wouldn't be able to get through any of this on my own.  I can choose to give up, or I can choose to rely more on my Heavenly Father. I find strength knowing that I have a Savior who has been through what I have. That he knows exactly how I feel and how we all feel. Which reminds me of one of my favorite hymns I Stand All Amazed'. 

"I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me, confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me. I tremble to know that for me he was crucified, that for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died. OH it is wonderful that he should care for me enough to die for me! OH it is wonderful, wonderful to me!" 

"And Jesus looking upon them saith, with men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible."-Mark 10:27

I love you all and I hope you have a fantastic week. Remember that you're not alone no matter what it is that you're going through. Me shume dashuri- your motra

 

"Futbol this morning with my favorite people! 
Killed it on the soccer field!!!"

"Thumbs up for tan lines ♥" HAHAHA!

"Made some cookies with the amazing L family for Motra White's birthday!"

"We get into our cookie making.  This is some serious business ;)"

"We had to get creative with some of the ingredients because we didn't have them all haha
Substitute for oats...pretzels.  Substitute for chocolate chips...candy bar and chopped walnuts.
Getting creative over here in Albania :)"

 

"Selfie for my lovies back home!"



"My new boyfriend" THIS IS JUST CREEPY...

 

 

 

 

"Perhaps the teacher you and I remember best is the one who influenced us most. She may not have used a chalkboard nor possessed a college degree, but her lessons were everlasting and her concern genuine. Yes, I speak of Mother" -Thomas S. Monson.

I just wanted to start off by expressing my gratitude for my Momma. I know that I would not be where I am today if it were not for her. I've never doubted her love for me and she has taught me some of the most meaningful lessons in life. She really is my best friend and one of
the most caring people I've ever met. She has never left my side before and I know she never
will. She gives me strength and the faith to do hard things.
"Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall... we do not doubt our mothers knew it" (credit to President Weidmann for the two quotes)   

This week I felt my Heavenly Father's love VERY strongly. I also know that we can't try to do his work without His help. For example, Sister White and I were street contacting one day and really
not having success at all. Nobody wanted to stop and hear the sweet message we had to share and the people who did stop, didn't want to listen at all. We stopped and talked about why we weren't havingsuccess and we realized that we hadn't said a prayer before we started. I felt embarrassed that we had forgotten but grateful that we found a solution to the problem. We prayed and asked God where HE wanted us to go and asked for HIS help in finding those who are ready to hear about the Restored Gospel. We moved locations and as soon as we did, we had a LOT of success. There was a family that even stopped and talked to me for awhile and seemed really interested in meeting again. I know that God wanted us to learn a lesson that day and we did. You can't doHeavenly Father's work without His help.
       
This week we also had an awesome zone conference where we were all spiritually uplifted to say the least. President Weidmann and his wife are such amazing teachers and their words pierce your heart,
ALWAYS.  I know that they were called of God to serve here in Albania and I'm so thankful for all that they do and for their examples to us here in the Adriatic South Mission. I can't write all that they said but the lessons they taught, were meant to be heard.
       
Another cool thing, there was one day when Sister White and I did A LOT of street contacting and we got a lot of numbers and gave a bunch to the Elders. They called us that night and said that they hadset a goal to get 8 numbers every day of the week and they hadn't had a lot of time to do "finding" and guess how many numbers we had given them that day? 8! That was pretty cool to be apart of helping them reach their goal. God always provides a way.     

That was my week in a nutshell. I'm thankful as always to serve here in Tirana especially the Tirana 4th ward. The people here havechanged my life already. I'm thankful for my family and for the opportunity I had to talk to them yesterday. They are THE GREATEST and I am the luckiest girl in the world to have them in my life. I thank Heavenly Father for all the blessings that i have and all of the amazing people in my life. I AM SO BLESSED. I love you all and hope you all had an amazing Mothers day! Ju Duam SHUME. Until next week-
your motra

 

 

"this is Motra Tengu.  An Albanian missionary serving in Albania.  She is such a sweetheart and it has been
a pleasure serving around her this short amount of time.  She goes home tomorrow, but I'll always remember
her awesome example and sweet heart ♥"

" Guess who I got to see this week?? SISTER HOOVER!! My teacher
from the MTC came to Tirana ♥"

"Playing some Jenga during lunch.  I have the BEST district :)"

"Sister White and I got a watermelon, took it home, split it in half and ate almost the whole
thing in one sitting!! GET ER DONE!"

 

BEST WEEK OF MY MISSION!


OK the caption is true in some ways, but I really do love every day of my mission for some reason or another. That doesn't mean its perfect, that doesn't mean I have success everyday, and that doesn't mean that I'm always in a perfectly positive mood. I've just come to learn and know that every day I learn something new that can help me become a better person and that is what I count as a  good day.

Ok... now I know you are all wondering "What was so awesome about this week?"
(or maybe not, I dont know haha) but either way....................................................................

FABIOLA WAS BAPTIZED AND CONFIRMED A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF

JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS!!  Like I talked about last week... this girl has got a special place in my heart and always will. Her baptism was the most beautiful service

I've ever seen. She showed up early and happier than I had ever seen her in the four months I've taught her. She was SO ready. As soon as Igot up to speak at her baptism I looked at her and I

almost lost it. I don't know how to describe what I felt that day and even if I could I don't think it would do it justice. It was beautiful. After someones baptismal service they usually have the convert get up and bear their testimony if they want to and Fabiola has stage fright so she told us she wasn't going to.  So we took it off of the program, but after she was baptized the Bishop asked her if she wanted to say something and I thought she was going to say No because she was so sure that she didn't want to before, but she stood up, walked up to the front and bore the most beautiful

testimony of Repentance and Baptism that I had ever heard. She cried, but they were definitely

happy tears of relief and joy and the spirit was SO STRONG in that room. People and other missionaries came up to her afterward to tell her thank you for bearing her testimony because it

really truly touched their hearts. One missionary even told us that his investigator had been struggling with feeling the spirit, but he felt it and recognized it for the first time that night. I'm not saying

this to make it sound like I'm bragging or had the best baptism.. because it wasn't me. I did nothing.

I just want you to all know that the Spirit and the power of the atonement CAN and DOES change people. I know that I didn't do anything to get Fabiola to this point of conversion. It was all Heavenly Father. I'm just grateful that I was able to witness it. I can already see the change in her just in the

couple days she has been baptized. There truly is a light and a spirit with you after baptism and the Holy Ghost truly is the most wonderful gift. I'm thankful for the atonement and for the opportunity we have as imperfect people to become clean from sin. I'm thankful that my brother Jesus Christ sacrificed and suffered for me and for all of us. As I have been reading more about this sacrifice and studying how much he really truly suffered for us, I am humbled beyond belief. I can't even

fully grasp the pain he went through, but I know that because of Him we can begin again and try harder each day to become the people we are meant to become. I'm thankful for missionary work and for the opportunity I have to teach the people of Albania this beautiful plan. 

I love you all and I am so thankful for your support and love. S/O to my cute little brother who has his birthday coming up this week and also to the best dad in the world. Give them hugs for me if you see them. Also to all the moms out there... HAPPY MOMMAS DAY this week,  especially to my mom who does so much for me and supports me everyday.  I LOVE YOU!!  Have a good week.

Me dashuri- your Motra



"SO MUCH LOVE!! ♥♥♥"

"This is what the moon looks like from Albania.. just in case you were wondering :)"

 

I love serving here in Tirana... I love my mission and I love the people I get to meet. I love the miracles I see daily and the experiences I get to have here while serving.  I wouldn't trade my
time here for anything else.

This week, like all the others was full of miracles, but I'm going to talk about one in particular which haschanged my life.

It starts with an investigator that I am really close to.  She was one of my very first investigators and teaching her has changed me.  From the first day I met her, I felt like I was supposed to teach her. I felt that she was very very special and she needed my..or more importantly, Heavenly Fathers help. I have been teaching her since my first weeks here in Albania and teaching her has been a wildride. We've cried together, laughed together, and felt the spirit together. She found us missionaries when she was pretty lost and wanted to gain a relationship with God like she once had. Luckily,
we had all the answers of how she could do that and she has been learning ever since. She had a baptismal date that had to get pushed back. There has been struggles while teaching and times I thought she might not even want to keep meeting. With lots of prayers for this girl and lots of faith she was touched by the spirit and we were able to set another date of baptism for May 2nd (next week).  Everyone tells you that once someone has a baptismal date Satan is going to try VERYhard to make sure that they are not ready by that time or maybe even ever. That is so true. We had a very important lesson coming up this week on Wednesday so Sister White and I decided to do a fast before her lesson, during, and until the next day. We were sure the lesson was going to go perfectly... and it didn't. Or so we thought it didn't... We talked about the qualifications for baptism and she was still having trouble with a couple different things that she said she wasn't going to be able to change. We testified throughout that whole lesson about the blessings she would receive, the help she would get, and the importance of baptism and she was still stuck on them. We invited her to pray and ponder what she really wanted in life and then she left...At that moment I felt as though there was no reason to keep fasting because she wasn't going to change her mind. There was no way I thought. The next day an hour before we broke our fast, we received a call from her... I answered and she said
"Hi Sister Cheshire... so I have been thinking about what you were talking about yesterday and
what I really want, and I prayed just like you said to do and I know that this is what I need to do. I will change the things I need to so that I can be baptized next week"  I was actually speechless.. I sat
there for a couple seconds in silence and finally found the words to respond. We rescheduled her baptismal interview for that next day and SHE PASSED and is getting baptized next week on May 2nd. (funny side note: we had to teach priesthood again because she asked if I could baptize her haha  Although I felt very privileged, I'm just giving a talk at the baptism instead)   The person I met that first week here in Albania is not the same person I know and love today. Although, shes the same little fire cracker shes always been, shes now closer to Heavenly Father. It really truly was a miracle and Ill never deny that. I have a testimony that Heavenly Father is mindful of all of His children. He is Almighty and powerful above everything else and He CAN perform miracles. He knows best. We don't always understand why things happen, but that's just because we don't see the whole picture like he does.


I love you all and I hope you have a fantastic week. Thank you for your support and your kind words. Me SHUME Dashuri, - Motra Cesher

"My new favorite shirt :) The two places that own my heart♥"

"Albanian fried chicken...hahaha"

"hahaha we found this crazy man with an ax who told us he would take us to some cool
places so we hiked up a mountain and when we got to the top, he chopped down the tree and
told us to take a picture with it.  It was hilarious!!  I guess you had to be there but...
ONLY IN ALBANIA♥"

"The beautiful Tirana ♥"

"Exploring some tunnels today :) call me Dora the Explorer!"

"Found some turtles on our adventure :)"

"More of the beautiful Tirana♥"