5 October 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for writing to me every week. I really appreciate hearing about everything going on at home. That's awesome that Daniel {Crook, Arizona Tempe} and Michael {Thomas, Dominican Republic} got their mission calls! That's super exciting! Tell them congratulations from me! I haven't gotten to see any of General Conference yet. Here in Gjakova we'll be holding it on the 17 and 18 of October. It's still a while away, but I'll download it in English so I can listen to it in our house. I heard about the new Apostles! That is super exciting! I remember when we met Elder Rasband during that one training. I don't remember it super clearly, but I remember standing up to shake his hand.

This was a good week here in Gjakova. So I got to meet my new companion. His name is Elder Frroku. He's from Mirëdita but is a student in Tirana where he met missionaries and was baptized. It's really cool because he was baptized this last January by Elder Simons who is also in our Gjakova district. Elder Frroku is really awesome. He was a very strong Catholic before he met with the missionaries, so his testimony of the Savior is huge! He is really excited to go on a mission of his own after he is a member for one year. Right now he'll only be here for a month for a mini experience. He is learning a ton and is really awesome. We get along really well together and we're seeing success in our missionary work here. This last Wednesday, we got a call from the APs telling us to come down to the trainer/trainee meeting. (The meeting where the brand new missionaries get paired up with their trainers.) I was kinda' surprised that we would be going down there. But we drove down to Tirana for the meeting. It was a really awesome meeting! We got to see the new missionaries and their excited, but kinda' nervous, faces. They are really awesome. I was talking with one of them and I told him that I was from Minnesota and he asked if I lived near Pine City. I was blown away that someone from Utah knew where Pine City was. He told me that he had a brother serve a mission there a while ago. Small world. It was really cool to see them come in and be paired with their trainers. Another instance of how small this world is. This week Elder Frroku and I were street contacting and he ran into someone he met on the bus a couple weeks ago. They start talking in Albaian and I noticed that the man didn't sound Albanian from the way he spoke. As it turns out he's an American working with a charity organization in Kukës, Albania. As it turns out, this guy is from... drum-roll... Minnesota. He's from Detroit Lakes. I was blown away! So we took a picture together. It was just a week full of crazy connections.

It is awesome to see how the Lord works with His children. I'm so grateful that He has given us prophets and leaders to guide us and to teach us His will. I haven't had the chance to see conference yet, but I'm super excited to hear it, because I know that the words that are spoken there will guide us and give us the direction that we're searching in our lives. In the past little while I've been studying from the Doctrine and Covenants, and I've been able to see more clearly how the Lord directs us through revelation. The Lord really does love us and really does want us to still have His word and to still walk in His path. I know that the men that the Lord has given us are inspired men to lead us and guide us in these latter days!

Thank you so much for all of the love and support that you give to me. Thank you for all of your many prayers on my behalf! Ju dua shumë. Kalofshi bukur! Javë të mbarë!

Me dashuri të madhe,

Elder Watson

Elder Frroku taking a selfie.

Minnesotans in Gjakova!