Scatter Sunshine: Adriatic South: August 2017

Monday, August 28, 2017

I'M OPENING A CITY!!!

Hello everyone!! I just received transfer calls this last weekend and found out that I am OPENING THE CITY OF POGRADEC FOR SISTERS!!! I have never been so excited in my life! Let me explain why: Pogradec was opened when Korcë was opened but has only had Elders all this time. It's right by Korcë and when I served in Korcë we worked with Pogradec all the time so I know a lot of the members and the city. Now I get to be one of the first sisters ever in the city and I cannot wait to see all the people again and work with everyone again! I get to see my Korcë family too!! Korcë now has 4 sisters! The work's really picking up in those areas and I am just so excited to do all I can to find and serve all the people there!! I will be headed down there this week.

Culture Shocks of the Week:

1. Byrek with fassule. Enough said. Motra Hysa with her Albanian cooking skills made it for us and it is incredible. It's basically bean pie but honestly, find me sometime when I get home and I'll make it for you.

Other Kosovo treats: FLI! It's honestly straight up a byrek with nothing in it. For those of you who don't know what byrek is, it's basically flour, water, oil, and butter. I would say really thin stuffed pie crust. Fli is basically just the thin pie crust with like 15 layers.

2. According to little Maria in the branch here, I am a lopë (a cow) hahaha She was matching us up with what animals we are.

3. We have a church by our house and then about 10 mosques around the city so I wake up to church bells and get woken up by mosque calls in the middle of the night. I love it.

4. BONUS! We were talking to this old man and he then turned around, ran to his car, and brought us a piece of gum as a welcoming us here to Kosovo. I love the people here.

I will say I am going to miss my Gjakova family here and this city. While I was only here for 6 weeks, I loved it. My last week here in Kosovo was filled with so many miracles. First off, the work up in Kosovo is a lot different than in Albania. Not as many people are as open or interested in learning about Christ. It's actually heartbreaking to even say His name and they turn and run away. However this week, we met a family who has a strong believe in Christ (a rare find) and when we arrived at their home, they were literally watching a movie about the life of Christ. We were just in awe. We then share with them our message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they were so impacted and the whole family accepted the invitation to follow Jesus Christ and be baptized. I was FILLED with such joy and may have teared up right there...this gospel TRULY blesses families! Honestly I see that! It brings families together! They then came to church yesterday and loved it and are continued and excited to live this gospel: The gospel of Jesus Christ. This truly was a miracle here in Gjakova!

This week we started to do creative finding activities to get people's attention about Christ and families! We put up a whiteboard with questions about God and about the family! We asked the question, "Do you think you will be with your family in heaven?" People do not think a lot about what will happen after this life here and proposing that was powerful! We were able to testify that we can be with our families through faith in Jesus Christ. It is because of Christ that we can be cleansed, strengthened, and blessed with an eternal family. We also did another activity where we walked out with clipboards with a page of the Book of Mormon on it. We handed people a highlighter and asked them to highlight every time it says "God" or Lord" on that page. As people did it, we were able to show them that the Book of Mormon testifies of God! On EVERY page it teaches us about God and how He is in our lives! We then had people interested in learning more! Through that we found that miraculous family!

Finally this week was just filled with special moments. We got to hike up to see the top of Gjakova with our Gjakova branch. I also had a sweet opportunity to visit one of the families in the branch and help them to start reading the scriptures and praying together as a family. I have a strong testimony that through studying the scriptures and praying together as a family, the family truly is blessed and brought closer together! There are less fights, less heartaches, and greater love and greater happiness. I have seen that in my life and I love seeing that begin in the lives of the people here. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and it has power! It brings our family together as we learn about Christ and pray together.

3 Nephi 18:21 Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.

I testify that the Book of Mormon is true! It is another testimony of Jesus Christ and it unites our family as we read it and apply it in our lives. I say that because I SEE that here in Kosovo, in Albania. I know that this church IS the Church of Jesus Christ and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else other than serving and loving these people here in the Adriatic South Mission. I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I love you all so much! I'm going to miss my companions and all of the people here but I am so excited to continue and serve the people in Pogradec!!

I had my first KINDER EGG!! So good! You can only find them in Europe because they are illegally too good in America ;)

Visiting Nera in her home :)

Hiking up to the top of Gjakova!!!

Our family finding activity :)

Saying goodbye to my girls!

This is Sister Copeland: I love her so much! She is a senior couple here in Gjakova.

I made a Book of Mormon reading chart for the Gjakova branch.

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, August 21, 2017

PAGEZIMET!

Hello everyone!! I love you all so much!! This last week we were blessed to have Nera's BAPTISM!! She is a younger girl here in Gjakova and it was such a blessing! After she was baptized, she just had the biggest smile saying, "I feel different!" I could just see a change in her as she was happier and more at peace! And in other news, I forgot to mention but 2 weeks ago Lili that I taught in Tirana was BAPTIZED!! I'm telling you, this brings me such joy to see these people FILLED with joy as they continue to work to follow the example of Jesus Christ. WOOHOO!!! :)

Culture Shocks of the Week:

1. So in the culture, whenever I greet a female or say a goodbye, we always hug twice hugging from one shoulder to the other. However, in Kosovo they like to switch things up and hug 3 times. That definitely throws you off! I'm like, "oh here's another one" haha you can't hug enough :)

2. So here in Gjakova there are clothing shops everywhere along the streets meaning that you turn a corner and while you think you're approaching a person BAM it's a hunk-a-ton of mannequins. It is quite frightening actually especially because most of them are greatly maimed but it surprises you throughout the day.

3. For P-Day we went to visit this beautiful city of Prizren that is GREATLY Muslim. I have never seen so many mosques in my life but it was a gorgeous city!

So this week we had a zone conference (conference with all the missionaries in Kosovo and Macedonia) up in Prishtina and it was absolutely wonderful to hear from our President: President Anderson and we have a lot happening and starting up here in the Adriatic South Mission. We are excited and we are making a plan to do a creative finding activity every day this week! I'll update you how it goes next week!

This past week was basically lots of contacting, inviting, and tracting door to door and meeting so many wonderful people! We also prepared to have such a special church meeting as our President came up to visit here in Gjakova. It was such a wonderful meeting and all I can say is that I have not have church meetings like we have here in Gjakova. All I can say is there are SO MANY KIDS! It is a very active meeting haha but it is special!

Finally I wanted to share a quote that really stood out to me this week from President Eyring, "If we find that we don't choose to move toward Christ, we will find that we are moving away." This impacted me as I thought back to before my mission and even sometimes on my mission. I definitely have gone through the motions at some points of time in my life where I go to church, pray, read a page in the Book of Mormon but I felt it didn't impact me that much. I definitely question now, did I choose to pray because I wanted to pray or just because I thought I should? It is through CHOOSING Christ that we grow closer to Him. It is through choosing obedience that we grow to be happier. It requires effort on our part but we grow to be happier and we grow closer to our Father in Heaven as WE choose to. We choose happiness and that is choosing Christ. I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

LOVE YOU SO SO MUCH! Have a fantastic week and GOOD LUCK on your first days of school! Let me know how it goes! :)

A sweet lady from Tirana sent me one of her dresses! I had to model it for her :)

Nera was BAPTIZED!!!

I love my companions!

Lasagna for breakfast!

Welcome to Prizren!

We went to visit the castle of Prizren that has been there since 1100 B.C.!

The Gjakova District!

Me and Motra Hysa :)

Me and the Mennequins.....

The city of Gjakova.

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, August 14, 2017

Beary Happy

Hello everyone!! This week has been a crazy one, but a fun one!! Motra Suko and I have been having a BLAST training Motra Hysa! She is from Vlorë, Albania and has incredible language skills ;) She is so excited to serve her people and I am honestly so blessed to work with her! She has been a convert of just 3 years as 3 years ago, her brother came home with a Book of Mormon and she LOVES to read so she was like, "Look! A new book!" She starts reading and goes to church. While she didn't understand a LOT of things, one thing kept bringing her back and that was the peace that she felt. She eventually came to know that this church was true and was baptized and has been preparing for a mission ever since! She is incredible! It's definitely been a lot of fun in this trio :)

Culture Shocks of the Week:

1. BEAR WORLD! Some animals you can find here in Kosovo are bears so we went out to Prishtina to Bear World to see all these bears that have been rescued.

2. Prishtina is a huge city here in Kosovo that LOVES America haha there's like a statue of liberty there in the center of the city. It was fun to see :)

3. VALLE DANCING! So the perks of having an Albanian companion is that after a long, tiring day, we break out into dance back in our apartment. Motra Hysa taught us Albanian Populore (Traditional) dance called Valle. It's a line dance where everybody joins hands and there are these off-beat steps and hops and all kinds of things. It is so fun!

So this week Motra Suko and I went out to Tirana to pick up Motra Hysa and ever since then, we have been out finding, working, and doing all we can to serve the Lord. It has been so fun! We have met with so many people going door to door and talking to everyone and have had some incredible lessons! Something I have loved is how much Motra Hysa truly can connect to these people here! That has been something super special to see! We are also teaching this girl who is preparing to get baptized this week so we are so excited!

This past week I have been reading in Jesus the Christ and as I read about Christ's suffering, I was impacted at how much He truly suffered for US! For you! For me! After an evening with His apostles at the last supper, He went and suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane. Right after that, He was betrayed after being sold for the price of a slave from one of His apostles, Judas Iscariot. After that, He went through completely illegal, inhumane trials all night and was sentenced to death because of the cry of the people! He suffered on the cross because He LOVES us! This is so real! While His death was such a sacrifice for us, He is risen! He was resurrected after 3 days and is risen. He lives! If you're wondering why we don't bear the cross, it is because it is the fact that He lives that we focus on! It is the hope for the future, the hope for tomorrow, and the hope that through Christ we can do all things that we focus on. The way we live; the way we act; the way we serve is how we display our faith in Christ. He lives and He truly is there for us! As we shared this video (https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/he-is-risen?lang=eng) with the girl that we are teaching this last week, I could see how she was impacted. Her family is Muslim but she is excited to follow His example and be baptized this week. I know that He is Hope. He is everything that is good. It is through Him that I can do all things. I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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

Getting ready to pick up our trainee Motra Hysa :)

My CUTE companions: Motra Suko and Motra Hysa.

My mission president and his wife with us in Tirana.

We went up to see the statue where Elder Oaks dedicated the nation of Albania to the declaring of the gospel of Jesus Christ that I saw on my first day! It was so special! We read the dedicatory prayers of all 3 countries.