C'kemi Secili!!
I hope you all had a wonderful week! So this week we had a lot of things happening. Here at the MTC on Sunday nights and Tuesday nights we have devotionals (like giant assemblies where all of the missionaries gather together and hear from a speaker). Before we have a speaker, usually there's a musical number by a missionary or by the MTC choir (made up of 1,000 missionaries). So this week I auditioned for a musical number in an upcoming devotional and I was selected! I will know in about 2 weeks when I will perform but I am so excited to sing again! I am singing, "Abide With Me 'Tis Eventide" (hymn # 165). It is absolutely beautiful!
Every Friday, we have TRC (I have no idea what that stands for) but we have return missionaries or native speakers speaking Shqip come into the MTC and we teach them a lesson. This last TRC, it really hit me my progress in the language as I was able to converse and joke and understand in Shqip. One of the Sisters we taught was Motra Jackson-the missionary whose blog I read entirely. It was funny teaching her, I let her know that I read all about her 18 months in Albanian on her blog...it might've sounded a little creepy but that's fine. :)
We're finally really getting into the language and I am LOVING it! We have been having a ton of grammar lessons now and I feel like it's a puzzle...it will take a lot of practice but it has been a lot of fun! The language is very biblical meaning that the informal "you" form in English is "thou". So pretty much we go around telling each other "Are thou ready to go?"
On the Tuesday night devotional, we were blessed to have one of the 12 Apostles come and speak to us!! President Nelson came with his wife and shared his love for us and our service. He taught us about trusting in God for with God, nothing is impossible. He also shared with us that the Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, told President Nelson to tell the missionaries hello for him. It was so special having a prophet of God there with his sweet spirit! I got to sing in the MTC choir as we sang "Praise to the Man" about Joseph Smith and I felt such a powerful spirit as I sang, "Millions shall know brother Joseph again". I have the opportunity to go and share with the millions about the prophet Joseph Smith who restored this gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Finally, I wanted to share something that has really stood out to me recently. As Thanksgiving is approaching, we have been talking a lot about gratitude and living in thanksgiving daily. I have come to understand the need for gratitude at all times, especially throughout our trials in life. As we daily count our blessings, and find the good through our difficult times, we will experience the most joy! I have even thought about thanking God for my trials because it is through them that I have been strengthened and that I have grown closer to my Savior and felt the MOST joy!
"Waiting for a beautiful future causes us to lose the beautiful today". I have so many things to look forward to like going to Albania and serving the people there. But then at the same time, I have so much to be thankful for during my time here at the MTC, growing closer to my Savior and learning how to represent Him and to faithfully serve Him. As we look at the beautiful today, count our blessings daily, and are grateful in every trial, everyday can be beautiful!
I love being a missionary and I am SO THANKFUL for thou! ;) Have a wonderful week!
Shqip Words of the Week:
1. Jam (pronounced "yahm") means "I am"
2. Lumtur (loom-tour) means happy
3. Falënderoj (fall-en-der-oy) means "I am thankful"
On Halloween, we followed through with going Anti-Trick or Treating and dressed up as ghosts.
We decided to organize our massive amount of food into what we call "sustenance", "slightly sustenance" and "not at all sustenance". We are far from it.
We got our mission shirts!
Read the Libri I Mormonit (Book of Mormon). It's a good book and best part: IT'S TRUE! We read it everyday together in Shqip!
All the Sisters in our zone. Our Dutch are leaving us next week!
Elder Harris (Albanian Elder) and us Motrat had to say goodbye to Elder Harris's twin as he is heading out to Sweden today! We're going to miss calling out to our Swedish brother everyday!
My ZONE! I love them! They are my family, for real. :)
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