Scatter Sunshine: Adriatic South: Gëzuar Krishtlindja e Vogël!

MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! This is one of my FAVORITE holidays as it starts off the giving season off perfectly! Motra McGuire made me a bracelet and I got her a snow globe with our faces it it haha It's a Swedish Holiday that my family celebrates so I had to celebrate it over here in Albania!! Also, we relived Noah and the floods this week so....stay tuned :)

Culture Shocks of the Week:

1. So it's not too much of a Christmas season here HOWEVER people instead of getting Christmas trees, get New Years trees. Yeah I don't know how that works BUT we got a tree for our apartment! I LOVE CHRISTMAS :)

2. It rained ALL week this week and the streets were FLOODED! Everyone was out of school and basically floating down the streets haha it was awesome!

3. I wanted to share of a special drink here dear to my heart. It's called Salep and it is the greatest think on the planet! It's basically the thickness of pudding but it's cinnamon and it comes in a mug.

BONUS: This week was Albania's Independence Day so for Family Home Evening on Monday we celebrated by dancing valle (traditional Albanian Dance) together and people were so into it!

So honestly, this week felt so long I can't remember a thing haha but so much happened! We are planning this massive Light the World Concert that we are SO EXCITED for and miracles are happening in regards to that concert! We are getting some of our investigator's families and the members involved so it's going to be a special Christmas! We are also trying to do a Nativity Scene with the Primary for Christmas Day-their first! It's fun because most people do not even know about the Nativity or about the birth of Christ so this Christmas will be a first for them and will be SO SPECIAL!! I am so excited!

I also want to share how much I love my companion and how much of a hard worker she is! Miracles truly are going to be brought about here in Pogradec! I just see it :) Something I've really learned this week is the importance of faith IN Christ! I've definitely had many moments this week where I just called upon to Lord to know what to do or what to say! As I am training, it definitely has impacted me greatly and I realize how much more I have to rely on the Lord. While at this point, I'm the one understanding and in some lessons, crazy things have happened, I have just been calling on the Lord to help me to know what I need to do. I am so thankful because through faith in Him, I find that miracles occur. A heart softens or someone says something that just saves the day. I am just so thankful for my Savior and I know that I am not doing all of this alone! This is Motra McGuire's favorite scripture and I have just LOVED it-Phillipians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

I just want to testify of this. I honestly have so much more I need to change, I have so many weaknesses and sometimes, I have absolutely no idea what I need to do or how I can help someone in the moment in their situation, but I know someone that does-and that is Jesus Christ. I am going to try to turn unto Him this week even more so that I can come to know Him a little more in order to help those around me. I love this gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ, with ALL of my heart. I love my Savior and I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

LOVE YOU ALL!! Also-Today my companion and I went out for a LONG run to these beautiful fshats here!! It was awesome! Oh I miss running so much! LOVE YOU ALL!! LIGHT THE WORLD!! Check out Mormon.org for more details on how you can Light the World.