6 October 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you for your email this week, I really appreciate it! I've heard that conference was really good, however I haven't seen any of it yet. There was an issue with the broadcast in Albanian, so this last Sunday we had fast Sunday instead. I just downloaded some of the talks and I'm looking forward to hearing them. We'll have the opportunity to hear them next week in Albanian, but some things get lost in translation, so I'm looking forward to hearing them in English. So we came down from Kosovo early in the morning on Tuesday. I didn't pick up my companion until Thursday, so in the mean time I was put with Elder Opper. Elder Opper is training in Tirana, so we were put together for a couple days until the new missionaries arrived in the country. But now I'm with my boy, Elder Keck. He's from Layton, UT and he's super awesome! He's super excited to be here in Durrës! His Albanianized nametag reads "Elder Kek". "Kek" is Albanian for "cake" so the members remember his name very easily. That'll be good that the members will remember his name so well! He's kinda' shy, can you imagine me saying that?? I was pretty shy, but my mission has broken me out of my shell quite a bit. Everyone kinda' goes through an awkward stage once they come into the mission, so I'll get to know Elder Keck better as he breaks out of that stage. He's really awesome and I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to serve with him. So I'm not in the same area I was in when I was here last time. It's a little strange, because other people are working in my old area and I'm here again. I'm actually living in the lower level of one of my former investigator's houses. It's really awesome to be back there. They're really awesome people! However, Durrës has changed quite a bit. It's interesting being back and seeing how things have changed. Today was really rainy. So here in Albania, it's a lot warmer than in Kosovo. Because I left from Kosovo Tuesday morning, I was wearing a long sleeve shirt and a jacket, but when I arrived in Albania, I was dying from the heat. I'm not looking forward to having to wear long sleeves and suit jackets here during the winter. Hopefully it'll get colder so it won't be so bad! 

That's sad that Brother Klein passed away. However, it was getting tough for him. When I would go out with the missionaries, we would visit him often. It's sad that he's passed on, but he's in a better place now. We really are so blessed that we have knowledge of the Plan of Salvation! It brings a lot of peace and happiness so that we don't have to worry about this being the end. I'm very grateful for the Plan of Salvation, I'm filled with gratitude to my Heavenly Father when I have the opportunity to teach people about this Plan of Happiness. I can imagine that without this knowledge, death would be a scary thing, but I know it's only another step in the great plan that our Heavenly Father has for us!

This week has been an interesting week. Last time I was here in Durrës, I couldn't speak very well and also we didn't work very much with the members. We focused on working with investigators. So when I came back this time, not many of the members remembered me. A lot of the younger kids remembered me though! It was kinda' sad, but I guess it gives me an opportunity to work with them and to show them who Elder Watson really is. President Weidmann gave me a special task to do while I am here in Durrës. He gave me the assignment of maintaining the good, strong relationship with the Bishop. Apparently there hasn't been a good relationship in the past, but one has just been formed. The way that it was formed was by talking with him on the phone every night and praying with him. I'll be honest, the Bishop here in Durrës intimidates me quite a bit, so I was more than nervous when President Weidmann gave me this assignment. So I started off this week by calling the Bishop. We talked and prayed together. I didn't really seem like anything special; however, President Weidmann gave me this assignment, so I kept up with it. I continued talking to him and praying with him. Some nights it felt like I was bothering the Bishop; however, I stuck with it. On Sunday, the Bishop bore his testimony in Church about how special it was to talk with the missionaries and pray with them every night. That really calmed my worries about calling him. And then that night, when I prayed with him he prayed for me and Elder Keck by name. It was such an amazing experience! I know that as we continue to follow the counsel of our leaders, that we will be able to have success in whatever assignment they give us. I know that this assignment was given to me by the Lord through President Weidmann. I know that he is a man, inspired by God to direct the missionary work here in this part of the world. I'm grateful that the Lord gives us inspired leaders that follow the counsels of God.

Thank you for your love and your support! Ju dua shumë! Javë të mbarë. Zoti ju qoftë.

Love, Elder Watson

Elder Watson with "newborn" Elder Keck.