HEY THERE EVERYONE!!! So first off-I love you tons. Second off-POGRADEC HAS BEEN OPEN FOR A YEAR!! It opened when Korcë opened up so it has been the coolest thing to be here for it all (that means I'm almost hitting my year mark-YIKES!) We had a celebration for Pogradec's first year anniversary this week! I am so thankful I was able to be apart of that :)
Culture Shocks of the Week:
1. WE ATE THE KURAN FISH!!! There is a fish that is only found in the Macedonian lake here and somewhere in Russia (but only sold here). It's even illegal to eat it in Macedonia so we had a rare experience in this cute little village along the lake. It was good.
2. I've been realizing how much of a lack of American food I've had that I about cried when for Sister's Conference this week, we had homemade soup and apple crisp! Sorry-these aren't much of a shock for you :)
3. So our hose broke that was attached to our shower head so I've become skilled using a bucket :) There are just some things you don't get around to fixing.....haha we'll get to that
This last week, we met this incredible woman in the street. I honestly don't even remember beginning to talk to her. She just shared the stresses that she's been going through and we got her number to find a time to meet with her. I then remember feeling that we needed to contact her 2 days later. As we met up with her and shared with her the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, she just sat in awe sharing that we were sent to her by God and this is a sign for her. She doesn't actually know a lot about Christ being raised in a different religion and when she learned what Christ had done for her, I saw her light up and her struggles leave her mind. She has such a desire to know more about Christ and I have already seen an immediate impact in her life as she has been reading the Book of Mormon and listening to the words from the General Conference Woman's Session.
We also had the chance to have a baptism here in Pogradec of a couple. After their baptism, they just shared their desire and excitement to now prepare to go to the temple and be sealed as a couple. I just saw them beaming as they stepped out of the lake and stood there together wrapped in each other's embrace. I honestly love this gospel so much. I've had many people here-including tourists-telling me that what I'm doing is a waste of time and what I believe in is false hope and that I'm not living real life. Let me tell you something-THIS IS REAL LIFE! And if anything-I am HAPPY! And TRULY happy! Do you know why? Because I KNOW that Christ is MY Savior! I KNOW that this is HIS gospel and that it is RESTORED through the prophet Joseph Smith and we are led and directed by a living prophet of God today! Why would God change? Why would He stop giving us direction and stop showing His love for us THROUGH directing us through HIS prophets? He is our Father in Heaven and He loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, so that if we follow Him we WILL find JOY. When we follow the prophet, we follow Christ because all that the prophets testify of and speak of are the words of Christ. I testify of these things because I have found JOY! The source of joy is Jesus Christ and I testify of that because not only have I personally found it, but being here for this past year, I have found and seen COUNTLESS people through following Christ and His gospel in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints change from a person filled with sorrows, to a beaming person happy even if they can only afford a loaf of bread. They are happy because they know they have a Savior and a family and others surrounding them. This gospel is TRUE! And if you don't know for yourself, I have one request for you:
I'm really passionate about this because I want you to be happy. All I can say that if you haven't done it, or it's been some time, just do it. Ask God if the Book of Mormon is true. Ask God if His church is restored or even if He loves you! If you sincerely ask, He will sincerely answer you.
Moroni 10:4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
6 And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is.
7 And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.
I'm really passionate about this because I want you to be happy. All I can say that if you haven't done it, or if it's been some time since you've asked God, just do it. Ask God if the Book of Mormon is true. Ask God if His church is restored or even if He loves you! If you sincerely ask, He will sincerely answer you. Once you receive an answer, act on that and you will surprise yourself. Or more that God will surprise you :)
There have been many things that I have learned one my mission-some being that I can whip up a batch of no bake cookies in 20 minutes when we have a last second need for refreshments, or that you can make about 20 different Albanian desserts with flour, sugar, and oil, but something so REAL and so TRUE that I have learned is how REAL the love of God is. He loves YOU. And not just you as a people or as a group, but you individually. One by one, individually we teach, we serve, and just to bring one more soul unto Christ; one more soul to true joy. I testify of that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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