Jam Një Bijë e Perëndisë (I am a Child of God)

C'kemi!! Më duket se verat juaja duken shumë të mira! So after giving a 15 minute talk in church yesterday, I am just reminded how much I do not know Albanian haha hopefully the people got the picture! Oh this language...it's a beautiful one but a hard one! I love it!

Culture Shocks of the Week: 

1. The one includes a story: As we were doing street contacting, I approached a lady talking to her in Albanian and she looked so confused (most people do when they see 2 Americans speaking their language) but she she then called out "English!" I then found out that she was visiting from Ukraine. Then after my companion finished laughing at me, she approached someone right after talking to her in Albanian and she was so confused. We then find out she is from England. In conclusion: It is foreigner season. The Albanians however are stuck with me for a year and a half ;) haha

2. Uji me gaz-sparkling water is a thing everywhere (basically soda water) and I've become a fan. Also-it's watermelon season!

3. Summer has officially arrived and that means that it is blazing hot between the hours of 1pm and 6pm. I have never seen the streets so bear in Tirana! We carry around 2 L jugs of water to fuel ourselves :) I've also been called a tomato a couple of times-including from my bishop haha 

So in the summertime we have a lot of people out of town or at the beach so there are a lot less lessons and meeting up with people. That just means that we have the opportunity to meet and talk to so many more people it's such a blessing!! We usually contact people later at night when it's dark because the heat is endurable then. It has been such a blessing talking with a lot of families and just leaving with them a message of hope when they are not interested. I love seeing so many families out and about here!

We are teaching the sweetest, humblest lady right now! She hasn't ever had schooling in her life so we are going to try to help her learn how to read and I just know that with the help of the Lord, she will be blessed and receive strength to accomplish this desire of hers! I also had a special experience answering the question how the gospel of Jesus Christ has changed my life. One thing I have come to realize that growing up, I have had the blessing of seeing how blessed I am! As I've grown up, I've know that I am a child of God and I have counted my blessings! I have realized that when I really count, when I really open my eyes, I see how much I am blessed! Whether that people through people placed in my path, scriptures that I have read and needed in the right moment, or a prayer that has caused a wave of peace to come over me. It is the little things that I realize how much this gospel truly does bless lives!

Finally, I wanted to share a message that I learned from a Nëna (older lady). We were talking about seeing the Lord's hand in our lives through people around us. She shared that if the Lord created all of us, then what would happen if we came to know everyone? Would we come to know God? I then think of Mosiah 2:17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. How do we come to know others and come to love others? We serve them! It truly is a beautiful thing! A major way to draw closer to our Savior and our Heavenly Father is to serve them through getting to know others and to serve them! It truly is such a blessing. Service is kindness, a smile, a simple act, and a compliment. It is through the little things that we come to know of our Heavenly Father and His Son, and we come to know pure joy and pure love. I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I hope you have just a fantastic week. Let me know of any fun vacations you are doing!
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No we are not in Idaho ;)

Zack-I thought of you!

DAD!!! :)

There are cafes everywhere and they are usually outdoors. This one has sprinklers because of the heat.

Washing rugs.

Dad you're everywhere.... :)
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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

25 Vjetor!!!!!

Gëzuar 25 Vjetor!!!!! This past weekend was a crazy weekend as we celebrated 25 years of missionaries being in Albania! The members in the stake put on this event and it was HUGE! People from all over came to this event Saturday night, including one of the first missionaries that opened up the country 25 years ago! He shared how he was serving in Germany, and then he received the call and within 5 days was into Albania trying to learn the language and bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people in Albania! It is such a blessing to see how much it has grown since then! Some of the people that were included that came to see the big event was KORCA!!!! I got to see my family again!! I honestly cried. I love them so much! We as missionaries sang at the event along with having other musical numbers, a talk from the first missionary, talks from the Stake president and our mission president, and a photo montage. It was a fun event and so special to see all these people gathered here! I am just so thankful to be here in Albania and to be apart of this!!

Culture Shocks of the Week:

1. One of my favorite things to see are that everybody has little personal fans everywhere due to the heat. They are the Asian fans that open up that have beautiful designs. Also, every woman has a pair of in the house slippers, and out of the house slippers. There are slippers sold everywhere!

2, Religion here is like ethnicity. You're borne into it and people are pretty proud of their ethnic religion. I meet people who say, "I'm half Muslim, half Christian because my mom is Catholic and my dad is Muslim". 

3. We went over to a lady's home this week who recently had her husband pass away. It was interesting experiencing the culture as we approached the home and the door was wide open. Usually if the family loses a close member, they stay in their home for about a month to 40 days with their door open and welcome any and all guests. The guests are then served a treat or drink and before we take a drink or bite, we say something to the family member. 

Funny Moment: As we were walking through a park here, the benches are just filled with old men resting there and one had this portable music player jamming out to traditional Albanian music. He saw us and then just starting dancing and rocking out to his little music player in the middle of the park. It was the best!

So this past week was just a crazy one helping to prepare for this event, and doing singing contacting to invite people to come! We had a big turnout! We also were able to go and do a service project out in Durres with a bunch of missionaries helping to clean up and set up a park for a hospital. There were missionaries there, members, missionaries that has served here in the past including MOTRA KOKUL! My MTC teacher! It was crazy seeing her again, and now in Albania!

Some special moments from this past week was that as we were meeting with the one lady who recently lost her husband, she told us how she would read the Book of Mormon with him every night. She said she was sad that he never got the chance to be baptized. We then were able to testify to her about the temple and she was just beaming and saying, "I didn't know!". Another moment was we are helping a lady learn English as she is a midwife and wants to help her English speaking patients more. As we were teaching her about the gospel, she had all these questions. One being, "What do you do when people are sick?" I had a special moment of immediately thinking of 3 Nephi 17:7 in the Book of Mormon.

"7 Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy."

As we testified that as Christ invited all to come unto Him to be healed, it was such a blessing to share with her the love that Christ has for her! Everything we strive to do is to follow Christ, to become more like Him. Christ is perfect. He is perfect in example, in joy, and in love. When we come unto to Him, and become more like Him, we obtain more joy and more love because we are progressing more and more to obtain the fullness of this joy that is Christ.

As I have been on my mission, I have been growing closer and closer to my Savior. When I entered into the mission field, I was so ready to go out and tell everyone about this joy that is Christ! I thought I knew enough to go out and have the strength to talk to everyone and share this message. I then was humbled to realize how real my weaknesses are. How real my fears are. As I have turned more and more to my Savior, I have found a strength I have never felt before. When I remember Him and think of Him in all things, I am strengthened and I come to know Him a little more. I realize that it's not the mission that's changing me, it's Christ. I know that to be true that Christ truly loves us with a love we cannot even comprehend. We have the ability to taste of that sweet, perfect love when we come unto Him. I testify of that and say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!!!

Serving out in Durres!

Motra Kokul from the MTC!

Motra Haggard and I ready to sing in the choir haha I love the beads and flowers they had us put on.

MY KORCA FAMILY!!

My Korca Girls!!!

I love this girl!

Aleksia! Oh how I have missed this girl!

My companion and I with one of the choir directors.

Motra Haggard and I :)

I got to go out with some of my Tirana girls (members from Tirana) to go bowling for P Day!

​Cory and Brooke-get ready. I've been practicing ;)

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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

Mirë se Vini Vera!!

Wow this week has been a crazy one! And a hot one! Vera is here! (Summer) Crazy as in one of the most stressful but it has been so rewarding! I have a new companion: Motra Haggard! I love her!! She is from California ​and she played lacrosse at BYU! I realized how big Tirana was when I lost my previous companion and realized that I was the only one that knows all the people, the stories, the roads, the bus routes, the schedule, everything! It was a crazy week but I have found so much strength turning to the Lord through prayer!

Culture Shocks of the Week:

1. As summer is here, all the ladies wear dresses here! I love it! We fit right in with our skirts and dresses! 

2. Something I love about Albanian here is how polite and courteous they are in everything!  Whenever we are on the bus, people give up their seats for those that are older getting onto the bus. I love it!

3. As we were trying to plan to meet with people this weekend, everyone goes to the beach! It has been crazy! We now actually have a build in nap-time during the day so that we can sleep while everyone else is sleeping and then be out at night lighter while people are out. 

So many blessings happened this past week! First news, my Albanian mom from Korca got baptized this last weekend and I am BEYOND happy for her and hearing about her experience! I love her so much and am so happy to hear their family now preparing to go to the temple!! I wanted to share about something that became real to me this past week. Families are eternal! I have been sharing that message time and time again on my mission but as I was sharing that and seeing so many families preparing to go to the temple to be sealed, I realized how real eternal families are! Then as I thought about my family, I was just filled with joy and tears as I am so thankful that I can be with my family for eternity! I love my family with all my heart and knowing that, I have more of a desire to bring that to families here in Albania! Families are eternal and as we follow Christ, we truly will receive that blessing!

Some other blessings: I found a new way of street contacting: STICKERS! There are the BEST! Thanks to stickers, we have had so many opportunities to talk to families as we give them out to the kids. So hey-if you have the opportunity to send any stickers over this way, I'm up for that! :) Also something fun we do is every Sunday for after church, we have lunch. I try to make an Albanian dish every Sunday so all the workers along the road to the church know us really well and ask what we made that week! This past week I said, "2 American girls cooking like Albanians!" Then I received the greatest compliment-"You are Albanians!" I love our friends that we have from all the people in the shops along the road! I truly love these people!!

I just want to share how much I know that this gospel is true! I wanted to share of an experience I had this week. It was late one evening and we were headed home. It was already late and as I had my mind set on getting home. I saw a family walking in front of us and felt that I should talk to them. I then felt that it was late and didn't act on that. I realized later that I missed an opportunity to share the gospel and realized that I needed to listen more carefully to the Spirit. The next day, I looked for every opportunity to talk to every family we could with the faith to find one to teach. Through prayers and diligent search, we met a family right before we had to head home. Something I learned from that experience is while I made a mistake and missed an opportunity, it's what I do with that mistake that changes me. I definitely have missed many opportunities and have made many mistakes, but one thing I do know that as I continue to look to improve, to show my Savior that I want to serve Him and desire to change, He truly is there to always strengthen us! It's in these moments where we learn how much we need our Savior and His atoning sacrifice. It is through Him that we are strengthened and through Him that we are changed for good. I know that to be true and that the gospel blesses families! I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week!!

​Random pitchers placed around the city. I love it.​

​Monday night with Bishop and his family.​

​I love this puppy!!​

​We had an activity this last week at the American Embassy community here with the lady from one of the wards. You have no idea how much I missed lasagna and crystal light and salad dressing! Things you cannot find in Albania haha We had a nice meal and it was fun to get to know each other!​

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BONUS PICS from Mission Conference!​

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​My mission!!​

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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

Gëzuar Ditë e Femijëve

Gëzuar Ditë e Femijëve! There you have it-another holiday! I love it! In America you've got Mother's Day and Father's Day but here in Albania, why not celebrate "Children's Day" too? It's on June 1st and you just see a bunch of little kids wearing their new dresses and nice clothes as they're headed to school with their paper crowns celebrating their day! It's actually super cute as parents make that day a very special day for them and there are fire works and festivals it's pretty fun! Also-Transfer calls happened this weekend I am STAYING in Tirana for another 3 months! (Our transfers are 3 month transfers) therefore I will be in Tirana for a 1/3 of my mission!-CRAZY! I am getting a new companion: Motra Haggard and I am still a Sister Training Leader so that will be so fun! 

Culture Shocks of the Week:

1. Futbol (or "soccer" ;)) is huge here in Albania. When there are soccer games going on, all of the cafes and shops have large screens set up and people are just piled in watching the game! 

In addition to Futbol games on the TV, the only other things that people really watch are the Turkish Soap operas and I'm not even kidding. I was stopping by to grab a byrek one day and the guy in his little bakery on his little screen was enjoying his Turkish soap opera! The captions are in Albanian. Funny story: I was at a lesson and the mother of the lady was sitting there watching her show and said, "I'd die for these shows".  They are really into it.

3. A lot of people say here, "Le të pimë një kafe" which basically means lets go to a lokal (cafe) for a drink. There are cafes and coffee shops EVERYWHERE and that is what people do. They go out for a walk, or go out with a friend to "pimë një kafe".

This past week we had our final mission conference with President Weidmann because we are getting a new mission president in July. I am just so thankful for President Weidnmann and his service!! He has taught me so much about the desire that we need to want to follow Christ, to choose to be obedient to show our love for the Lord, and the joy that we feel as we truly serve the Lord with all of our heart, might, mind and strength. He's from Switzerland so he brought us a little treat, just 4 MASSIVE bars of Switzerland chocolate-Toblerone! Just like the lady with her Turkish Soap Operas, I'd die for that chocolate ;)

I wanted to share of a special experience I had while I was at the conference. One of the sisters that is ending her mission soon is serving in Korcë right now and she shared an experience she had where an entire family got baptized that previous weekend and are now preparing to be sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. I immediately knew the family she was talking about-one of the sweet younger girls I taught when I was in Korcë that was baptized a week after I left now has her whole family baptized with her little brother excited for when he turns 8! I was bawling when she shared the story of this family and how the girl was bawling on the day of her family's baptism just feeling the joy that comes from Christ. That is why I am here. This gospel brings joy! Christ is joy! I am just so grateful for my Savior and Him giving me this opportunity to be apart of the small and simple means that bring about great works and great blessings! It was such a tender experience I will never forget! 

This past week I have been seeing so many miracles as I truly rely on the Lord in all things. It is through the littlest things like seeing a lady sitting on a bench and going over to talk to her and then having her desire come to church and share her feelings of peace she hasn't felt before. It has been the little impressions on the bus to talk to someone and end up having a family approach us desiring to learn more! I realized that as I turn to the Lord in all things through prayer and trusting in Him, it is then that He guides me. It is then that He directs me! I am here to serve Him and He desire for all of His children to come unto Him and partake of His peace, His joy! I have loved the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 6:36 "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." I have experienced a lot of fear and feelings of inadequacy on my mission. It is when I turn to the Lord in prayer, that I am strengthened. When I remember HIM and look unto HIM in every thought, I find a strength to keep pushing forward! When I don't have anyone to turn to, I can ALWAYS turn to Him. I know that our Savior loves us individually and we can ALWAYS turn to Him and need not fear. I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I hope you have a wonderful week and Happy Children's Day!

Over at a family in one of the wards! We had Family Home Evening!

This is the greatest welcome I've ever received: "Welcome at us".

Me and my sisters! Motra Cajupi is our "mom" as she has trained us three! This is our little family!

I love this girl!

Motra Weidmann (President Weidmann's wife) and I at the conference!

Motra Jones from the MTC! I LOVE this girl!!

Our MTC group reunited!

My companion and I with President and Motra Weidmann.

Our daily treat ;) You think I'm kidding. 

Me and my salon ladies!!!

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I literally had a lesson right here on those steps.

There is this cute old couple that dress up in the Albanian traditional outfits and play through the city.

The old men playing their cards and dominos in the park again :)

​A little festival for Children's Day!

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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