There and Back Again: A Missionary's Tale

11 August 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for your email this week! It's always awesome to hear how things are going back home. I'm glad to hear that you had a good week at home!

It sounds like you had a pretty great Sacrament meeting! I'm glad to hear that. It's always awesome to slip movie quotes into lessons or talks in church. The best time for a Lord of the Rings quote is always. And Lord of the Rings is full of great quotes! Lord of the Rings is a very symbolic book and there's quite a lot of religious symbolism in it. I'm really happy that Daniel {Crook} was able to use those quotes. Has Daniel started his missionary paperwork yet?

Mitchell {friend from high school} and I have been emailing a bit back and forth. It's really nice that I can still stay in contact with friends and family from so far away!

That's a really awesome lego set! {Dad's Lego set--since he used to drive a Mini--that Rachel, after much pestering, put together.} This week I was walking down the street and I actually saw an original Mini-Cooper, and not too far away, I saw a new 4-door Mini. I didn't get a picture of them. In retrospect I should have gotten a picture of them, but oh well. There is this one hotel here in Prishtina that we walk by often and the parking lot is always FULL of super nice cars! This last week I saw a Bentley for the first time in my life! It was awesome!

Yeah, I'm feeling a little bit better now. It's nothing too bad. I've just had a cough for the past week or so. It's getting better, though. This week, Elder Roberts and I had the opportunity to go to the military base nearby. We went and taught an institute lesson about 3 Nephi 8-11, focusing mainly on repentance. I'm really grateful for the opportunity that we have to repent and become better people through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. It was wonderful to talk with the soldiers about that. It was really nice to talk with Americans again, and to be on US soil for a little bit. While we were there we also got to visit the PX and buy some American things. Everything that they had there was pretty expensive because it was imported, but we were happy to buy some things that we don't have here in Prishtina. We got some Oreos, Pop-Tarts, spray cheese, pop, and some other things. After our lesson we went with the soldiers to the mess hall. The food there was amazing! They just had tons of stuff that you can't normally get in Prishtina. And it was all you can eat for $4! Yeah, it was dollars, not Euro. So we had to get some money exchanged before we went there. The military base is actually quite far from Prishtina, so Elder Roberts and I took a bus from Prishtina to Ferizaj, and then we got picked up by a senior missionary couple and we drove to the base. On our return trip from the base to Ferizaj, we arrived at the bus station as the last bus of the night was leaving. The buses there left earlier than the schedule said. So Elder Clawson and Elder Price came to get us. It actually turned out to be a blessing! Elder Roberts and I walked around the city just exploring, and we actually found a really nice watch place. We became really good friends with the owner and we bought a couple watches from him. When we were leaving he gave us a gift of some Arabian cologne. It smells really nice!! Ferizaj isn't open to the missionaries yet, so we were the first missionaries he has ever seen from our Church. It was an opportunity to explain why we were here and what we were doing. Needless to say, when that man sees Mormon missionaries in that city when it opens up, he'll already have some good thoughts about it. Missing the bus turned out to be a really great thing!

We also had a really awesome weekend as well! We had 5 baptisms on Saturday morning! It was a wonderful experience for everyone there. One of the people getting baptized was super excited and happy. He kept telling me how awesome it was! Everyone there had a great experience! One investigator that I had been teaching, named Hazir, asked me to baptize him. It was a humbling experience to baptize him. I was a little nervous because I'd be baptizing in Albanian, but everything went well. The Spirit was very strong there and all the nerves and worries that I had quickly left. Hazir also asked me to confirm him and give him the Gift of the Holy Ghost. It was my first time confirming a person and giving the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Much like the baptism, I was nervous about messing up on the Albanian aspect of it, but the Spirit totally helped me through. It's really humbling to feel the Spirit guiding you what to say even when you have no idea what to say. It was a definite testimony builder for me about the power of the priesthood. I know that God has restored His priesthood to earth again. I know that through the power of the priesthood, people are blessed and their lives change forever. I got to see 5 people have their lives changed forever through baptism and confirmation this week. It is such a miraculous thing! I know that God has love for all of His children, regardless of where they live. I've seen God's love for these people here in Prishtina, and I know that God feels the same for all of His children throughout the world! It was such a wonderful, and humbling experience to witness so many people change forever through the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I'm so grateful for this Gospel and all of the many blessings that it brings! I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings eternal happiness and peace to people! I know because I've seen it and experienced it, and I have no doubt!

Thank you so much for all of the love and support that you give to me each week through your prayers and letters! Thanks a ton! Ju dua shumë!

Javë të mbarë. Zoti ju bekoftë. Paçi lumturi dhe paqe!

Love, Elder Uacën