14 September 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you for writing to me each week. I really appreciate hearing about what's going on back in Minnesota. I'm glad to hear that everything is going good.

Haha, yeah Rachel, it's hard getting up in the morning. If there's one thing that I've learned on my mission it's that if you want to get up early, you have to go to bed early. It's not as fun, but it works. Rachel, I hope you have a happy birthday on Sunday! I'm excited to hear about it next P-day. Woah, you're getting old! You're already at Young Women's age? I remember when you just started going to Activity Days, woah, time goes by fast.  You'll have to tell me what it feels like to be old.

That's cool that the missionaries stopped by for a visit this last week. It's always awesome when we can stop by a member's house and they let us in. That's kinda' funny {that they were interested in my mission}, because I'm really curious to find out what it's like to be a missionary in Minnesota. That's one of the first things I want to do when I get back, talk with the missionaries and learn about the Minneapolis Minnesota Mission.

So here in Albania, they have something called "tullumba" essentially it is a churro, saturated in sugar water and then sold in a plastic container filled with...even more sugar water. The first time you eat one you're like, "this is pretty good." But by the time you finish it you are thinking, "I seriously regret that decision." I used to like tullumba at the beginning of my mission, but I can't stand them now.

This week was a good one for Elder Cani and I. We were blessed with being able to teach a bunch of lessons this week. We've been blessed abundantly in the past couple weeks with being able to find and teach some really awesome people. There is this one investigator, named Dardan, that is really searching for the truth. He has struggled with anxiety and depression in the past, and he's hoping to overcome these problems through the Gospel. We've only met with him twice up until now, but we've already seen a change in his appearance. He looks happier and he has more life to him. As part of one of our lessons, we watched the Mormon Message, The Hope of God's Light, one of my favorites by the way! That video touched him and it gave him so much hope. It is awesome to see that because the Gospel really can help us through whatever problems we may have in life! It was a really awesome week to be a missionary in Gjakova!

This week the Kosovo District was invited to take part in Stake Conference in Tirana, Albania. So on Sunday we got up at about 3:30 a.m. and began our journey at 5:00 a.m. for Tirana. It was an awesome conference! All of the talks were inspiring and uplifting! Elder Baum of the Area Seventy came and gave a wonderful talk. I really enjoyed being able to go to Stake Conference. It blew my mind when they announced how many missionaries were serving from the Albania Tirana Stake. There are 26 currently on missions! That's so awesome! Also at conference, I was able to say hi to and meet a lot of the members that I have worked with before in Durrës and Lushnjë. It was funny because nearly all of the Durrës members thought that I had finished my mission, so when they saw me they were surprised. I was really happy to see all of them there at conference and still being strong in their faith. It made me think a lot about when Alma and the sons of Mosiah we reunited during one of their missionary travels (See Alma 17:2). That's kinda' how I felt when I saw everyone and heard that people had accepted callings, or had received the priesthood, or other things like that. It is always so awesome to reunite with loved ones and see that they are still doing well!

Thank you for all of the love and support and prayers that you say on my behalf. Ju dua shumë! Kalofshi bukur! Javë të mbarë. Ju bëftë mirë tullumba!

Me dashuri,

Elder Watson