Scatter Sunshine: Adriatic South: April 2017

Monday, April 24, 2017

Back in the 50s

Mirëdita!! Wow, this past week has been such an awesome week just FILLED with blessings and tender mercies from the Lord! From doing a training at zone conference to having one of my previous companions Motra Willey GO HOME, to hearing so many conversion stories, it has been such an awesome week!

Culture Shocks of the Week:

1. There's something here we like to call "watering the sidewalks". It's a thing. Every cafe or restaurant or store comes out and waters the sidewalks, like you water flowers, in front of their store. There's no scrubbing going on or soap, just water. It's our favorite thing to see haha

2. We were helping someone wash her windows at her home and she kept telling us, "Don't kill yourself, don't die" I guess it was their way of saying be careful with the rags and water we had haha

3. I had my first burger that was the closest to an American burger! Wow I didn't realize how much I missed an American burger!!

So this past week and lately we've been really focusing on growing closer to the ward members in both of our wards. We've been able to meet with a ton of our members and hear their conversion stories. It was so awesome hearing about how their lives have changed once they have found this gospel. One said that she watched the missionaries go to church for 5 years and one time, they invited her. She came, and she has been going ever since. Another shared, "You know, I read the book (Book of Mormon), and was baptized."

We had so many blessings this week and I have just seen more and more how much the Lord truly does care about us individually. We are teaching that sweet lady Lili who retaught us basically everything we've shared with her. She is crazy with work so we didn't have the opportunity to really see her this last week but I saw how much the Lord cares for her because we ended up running into her 2 other random times throughout the week. One because we missed 2 of our bus stops and was coming back and ran into her (I know it wasn't a coincidence). It was such a blessing to just keep reminding her how much we love her and having her share with us what she's read in those little moments. There truly were tender mercies (blessings from the Lord) and we are excited to have the chance to actually meet with her this week!

Another blessing was that we had someone we've been teaching contact us letting us know she needs peace in her life so we got to meet up with her and sing and read from the scriptures with her. These little moments mean the world to me! I love the peace and joy that this gospel brings!

Finally, I made my way back in time to the 50s as we are teaching these sweet ladies who own their own Salon! We gather around in the salon and honestly they are dressed like they are from the 50s and the salon I feel like I should be wearing a poodle skirt with a pink leather jacket from Grease. It is the funnest thing and the lady, Val, has had such an interest in this gospel. She said she is muslim from origin (like most people here) but has felt such a peace and likes the idea of going to church and learning about Christ. It has been so special to share that with her and the hope that is our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Lastly, something I have really learned this week is the importance of hope. I didn't realize how crucial it was until I realized if we don't have faith, faith always starts with hope. A hope to believe, a hope that things will work out. A hope that someone won't reject you right on the spot. A hope that while I may not know how to help others with their challenges, the Lord will. A hope that through every discouragement and loss of a beloved friend, everything will turn out okay. Hope is what keeps us looking to the future, and hope is what helps us strengthen our faith. Hope is truly what brings us joy.

Ether 12:4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

I love being a missionary! Honestly I wouldn't trade it for the world! I love this people, I love this work, and I love my Savior! Have a wonderful week!

We were out in a little fshat one day!

The sweetest ladies! We helped them wash their windows :)

Just having a nice meal riding home on the public bus. I guess you don't see 2 American girls stuffing their face on the public bus of Albania very often....we had a lot of stares haha

A crazy huge mall here in Tirana!

The Relief Society in one of the wards.

These are my girls!! I love them so much!

Mirupafshim! Të dua!

Motra Olsen

Letters:

Adriatic South Mission
Sister Natalie Olsen
POB 2984
Bulevardi "Gjergj Fishta"
Qendra "Alpas", Shkalla #5, Apt #14
Tirana
Albania

(If you can't send it with the POB box number, you can just send it without it. I'll still get it)

Email: natalie.olsen@myldsmail.net

mormon.org

Monday, April 17, 2017

Gëzuar Pashket!!

Gëzuar Pashket!! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! This past week was very eventful and only really pictures can explain haha

Culture Shocks of the Week:

1. Easter is not as big of a holiday here however when people do celebrate, tons of people give out hard boiled eggs died red.

2. It is possible to walk into America in Albania. We went into an American Embassy neighborhood as one of our members invited us over for Easter dinner. Literally we walked in and saw lawns, trampolines, garages-it was crazy how much it felt like being back home! Then to top it off, we had mash potatoes, ham, and a lot of food you can't really find in the streets of Albania :)

3. The older men here in Albania are called xhaxhis (jaw-jee) and we have parks we like to call xhaxhi parks here in Tirana. Literally you passed by a park, and it is filled with old men and they spend their days sitting on cardboard boxes playing dominoes or cards. It is my favorite things. Sometimes I think parks are built just for them.

So this week was filled with a ton of activities! One of my wards had an activity where we had an Easter egg hunt. The difference is we aren't searching for plastic eggs filled with candy and the sadly nonexistent Reese's, but for hard-boiled eggs died red. At church everyone was handing out these eggs died red. It's a thing. :) We also had a beautiful evening this past week for Easter as we shared the #PRINCEofPEACE (#PRINCiPAQES) video along with having musical numbers like a missionary choir and some people playing violin or playing the piano. It was absolutely beautiful and so peaceful to focus on this beautiful holiday centered around Christ! He truly is the Prince of Peace.

This past week I went on another exchange with another set of sisters in Tirana! I got to spend a day with Motra Suko-literally the sweetest thing! She is from Utah but has lived in Austria for some time as her dad is German. I love getting to know so many sisters and learning from them as I go on exchanges! Also it was her birthday this weekend so we all went out to get Mexican Food in Albania! And not going to lie...it was really good :)

So a few stories about the people we are teaching: we were having a lesson on the joy and the gospel that we need to follow to return back to our Father in Heaven and to find eternal happiness through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End. (2 Nephi 31) It truly is so special to share that this is Christ's gospel that we follow to obtain eternal happiness. As we were sharing that with someone we were teaching and we were extending the invitation to baptism, she interrupted us mid-sentence saying, "Yes I would love to!" We are so excited for her desire and to continue helping her along this path!

Another lady we've been teaching, we teach her and then leave her with the Book of Mormon and pamphlets with more information on what we've shared with her that day. The next visits we have we ask what she has read and understood from the last lesson and she then proceeds to literally reteach what we've shared with her last time! We are in awe as she just shares all of these details, some I've never realized before. She is an example to me of truly feasting on the words of Christ. She's always searching to learn it is incredible! As she came with us to church, she was just soaking everything in and asking to take all the books home so she can read and understand the things taught at church more! She is incredible and I am truly seeing her find more hope and more happiness in her life as she instead shares with us the blessings she's seen in her life than the hardships she's faced. One day we passed her in the street and she shared, "I was reading and I was realizing that I am not worthy to enter into God's presence! I need to be clean! Of course I need to get baptized!" What? We are SO excited for her! It is through baptism that we are truly cleansed and we take that first big step following Christ!

I just think of the verse in 2 Nephi 32:3 "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."

As we feast upon the words of Christ: The Bible, the Book of Mormon, words from our living prophets, we will know all things that we should do! Another verse stood out to me in 2 Nephi 33:10 "And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good."

Whatever testifies of Christ, is true! If we truly believe in Christ, then whatever testifies of Christ is true! Living prophets testify of Christ; the Book of Mormon testifies; and the Bible testifies! Then through the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God, we can feel of that truth and that peace that we have a Savior. Through the words of Christ and through the Holy Ghost, we truly have guidance in our life. I have seen that with this friend that we are teaching. As she feasted on the words of Christ, she has come to know the truth of this message and she has that desire to follow Christ through baptism! This is true happiness and true joy: to follow our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the light and the Way. I testify of that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Have a wonderful week! I love you all so so much!

Motra Suko and I on exchanges :)

We had some members from our ward join us for Mexican food: I LOVE THEM!

An Albanian chimichanga. I'm impressed.

We had a picnic at our Easter activity with our ward.

I had someone make me a flower crown :)

Yes we are still in Albania.....this is a mini America! It was crazy!

We went to go see a castle here near Tirana and it is BEAUTIFUL!

The inside of an old mosque!

Skënderbeu! He's HUGE here in Albania :)

This is one way to go to the bathroom.....

If it looks like I just took a shower, it's because I pretty much did. It was POURING today!

Honoring a war hero. A dear friend from NH's grandfather whose memorial is here in Tirana.

Mirupafshim! Të dua!

Motra Olsen

Letters:

Adriatic South Mission
Sister Natalie Olsen
POB 2984
Bulevardi "Gjergj Fishta"
Qendra "Alpas", Shkalla #5, Apt #14
Tirana
Albania

(If you can't send it with the POB box number, you can just send it without it. I'll still get it)

Email: natalie.olsen@myldsmail.net

mormon.org

Monday, April 10, 2017

Libri i Mormonit

Hey how've you been? Because I extended the invitation last week of sharing a funny story, now it's my turn. :) So this last week we were over at this lady's home for lunch. Her mom was there and she was just talking and conversing with us for like 20 minutes. Then after the 20 minutes, she asks, "Do you know Shqip? (Albanian) Then the daughter spoke to her mom "If they are responding to you in Shqip, it means that they know Shqip". It was the funniest thing.

Culture Shocks of the Week:

1. The cities here always have workers here with brooms made out of sticks and twigs sweeping up the streets! We actually have some friends now we pass by every day, and multiple times throughout our day at that as they are with their brooms calling out "Where are you headed to now?"

2. I've grown an appreciation for vacuums. Here, everyone has rugs- carpet doesn't exist. Nor vacuums, therefore with a lot of water and soap, and flooding the floor of peoples' walkways, we cleaned a lady's rugs this past week.

3. Here there's a 3 wheeled vehicle called a "dum dum" (doom doom) and they're everywhere! I always feel like they're on the edge of tipping over.

Oh my goodness. We saw so many miracles and blessings this past week to the point of where we had people running to US to know more about the gospel of Jesus Christ! An awesome story of one friend of ours, we'll name her A, we were leaving English course and this girl ran up to us calling out, "Are you the girls with the Book of Mormons?" at that point we had an opportunity to teach our message and she shared with us her question of "There are so many churches! How can I know which of them are right?" If any of you have that question, ask the missionaries and they'll let you know :) It was so awesome and we are so excited to continue teaching her!

We had a precious moment this last week with a lady who has been going through a lot of difficult challenges in her life. She shared with us how she fell away from Christ and it was through a pray that she felt such a powerful love of Christ and then met us in the streets. She knew she wanted to turn back to Christ so she met with us. It was such a special moment testifying of the love of our Savior and testifying about how it is not what we did in the past that matters, but what we decide now to change. That is repentance. No matter what stage of life we are in, we will ALWAYS be forgiven as we turn to Christ and follow Him!

We met with another girl this week named G who has read a little bit of the Book of Mormon before. It was so special because she shared, "I love reading and I feel something different when I read this book. There's a peace and a happiness I feel when I read this." I can testify that that feeling is the Holy Ghost: The Spirit of God testifying of this truth of this book! Another lady that called out to us in the streets said, "Come to my house and bring me a Book of Mormon. I miss him." Something that stood out to me was that she said, "I miss him" in broken up English. While it could've been just a grammatical error translating from Shqip to English, I thought about that phrase "I miss him". I then thought about replacing "him" with Christ. The Book of Mormon truly are the words of Christ! It truly is another testament of Jesus Christ in addition to the Bible! I truly feel a longing when I do not read the Book of Mormon. I can testify of the truth of the Book of Mormon. It contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It truly brings peace into our lives because it is through it, that Christ speaks to us. In this recent General Conference, our beloved Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson testified, "We live in a time of great trouble and wickedness. What will protect us from the sin and evil so prevalent in the world today? I maintain that a strong testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His gospel will help see us through to safety. If you are not reading the Book of Mormon each day, please do so. If you will read it prayerfully and with a sincere desire to know the truth, the Holy Ghost will manifest its truth to you." (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2017/04/the-power-of-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng)

I can testify of that! It is Christ and His peace, His protection, and His love that we miss when we do not feast upon His words in the Book of Mormon daily. I have found the greatest peace and the greatest joy when I read His words. I invite you to read the Book of Mormon every day and be filled with His love! I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Wow I love you all a ton! Really! Have a wonderful week and a wonderful Easter!

All my previous companions in the mission :) I love them all!

Woooo suflaqe! (pita bread with salad, fries, chicken, tomatoes, and a bunch of other random stuff)

Dum dum! I want me one of these :)

We found one of our gospel books on the streets in a book sale hahaha we didn't expect that!

We found American Chinese food in Albania!

We had Sisters conference this week where all of the sisters from Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania gathered together. My companion and I got to give a training as Sister Training Leaders so that was fun!