15 September 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for your email this week! It's always awesome when I get to hear from you and see what's going on back at home. It sounds like you had a great week! No, I didn't do much for my 6 month mark. It's a little different here because you don't know if you're supposed to celebrate your 6 month mark from the MTC or your 6 month mark in the country. But for my 6 month mark in the country we went to Pizza Hutt as a district. Yes, I spelled that right. There was two "T"s. There's a lot of copyright infringement here in Kosovo, and a lot in Albania. Here's a picture of a sign I saw today. It's for a place called Fresh Burger. It totally ripped off the logo of Burger King. It's funny seeing a bunch of stuff like that. And no, the food there isn't anything like real All-American Burger King. Their motto is "You'll get it this way."

As long as I'm on the topic of food, we've been eating a lot at a traditional Albanian place here in Prishtina. It's called Tip-Top. They have tons of Albanian traditional dishes. A favorite dish is fasule and oriz (beans and rice) or musakë (ground meat, potatoes, and eggs). The food there is very good, it's very cheap, and it's very fast. Elder Roberts and I have been able to save a lot of money by eating there. As far as cooking for myself... I've mastered the art of cooking eggs! As long as you want them scrambled. Yeah, my cooking skills are pretty basic, but they're enough. I've been trying to make those rice krispie bars with chocolate on top, but I keep messing up.The bars never seem to hold together, so I think the oil might be too thick. Oh well, Edison learned by trail and error, and I'll do the same.

That's awesome that you were able to go serve with the rest of the stake! {Stake Service Day was Saturday, September 13th.} That's so crazy that Mikey {Gross from the Princeton Ward} will be leaving so soon for his mission! I know that he'll be a great missionary! Tell him not to be nervous, the Lord will help him along the way. That's so awesome that Clara {Kroska from the St. Cloud Ward} is going on a mission! If you get a chance to talk to her before she goes, tell her that people here love Messi! It's crazy that Sierra (Jensen from the St. Cloud Ward, coming home in less than three weeks} will be getting home that soon! Elder Roberts is in the same boat. He keeps telling me that it's crazy how fast the time flies by. Dad, I'm glad that you were able to go out with the missionaries. We love it when members are willing to help us out with lessons! I'm glad you get to experience that. It's amazing when members help us out in our work. I know that every time a member helps out a missionary, both the member and the missionary learns from the experience! I'm glad you were able to help them out. Rachel, I'm super glad that you are having a great time in school! Say "Përshëndetje" to Mrs. Nelles from me. I'm glad to hear that you've done so well on your test so far. That's amazing! Keep up the good work. Just do your best on the application for the student council. No one can ask any more of you. I'm glad that you love band! I know that you will have TONS of opportunities later on in life with music if you keep up with it. I've actually had to play piano here in Prishtina for church more often. I have to play pretty much every Sunday in Priesthood meeting. It's always funny because the Elders Quorum President always picks really interesting songs to sing. A couple weeks ago we sang Silent Night. Before I started I asked him if I had the page number right and he said yes, so we sang Silent Night. Haha. So Rachel, be sure to practice piano. You'll never know when you'll need it!

Mom, wow. That's a lot of peppers! Ju bëft mirë! {We had a frost predicted, so we picked all of our garden vegetables. Yes, it did freeze. This is way more                                                                 than a peck, and they did eventually end up pickled!}

I hope that you'll have a good time teaching Doctrine and Covenants 4 to the seminary class. I really like how it talks about having "an eye single to the glory of God" in verse 5. In Moses 1:39, we learn that "this is my work and my glory- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Immortality and eternal life is made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. So another way we could read Doctrine and Covenants 4:5 is that we need to have "an eye single to the Atonement of Jesus Christ." It's a really cool connection that I found a couple weeks ago.

This last week was a little rough for Elder Roberts and I. Our previous week had been an amazing week, so the contrast was huge for us! Our investigator pool seemed to dry up after last week, so this week we spent a lot of time finding. Sometimes standing out on the road talking to people can seem like it's not doing anything. Sometimes it gets frustrating when people don't talk to you. Now there's two ways that you can take it from here. The first way is to get frustrated and to only focus on the lack. After that you get discouraged and it's harder to feel the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and you only make your situation less productive. On the other hand, you can choose to remain hopeful and continue to work. It's more difficult to do the second, but when you do the situation improves and the Lord blesses you immensely!

One blessing that we received because of our continued work was a man named Osman. When Elder Roberts was in Prishtina before (this is his third time serving in Prishtina!) he saw this shop that was called "Turkish Tailored Suits." He was intrigued and he went into the store. At this shop they make custom tailored suits. He put the order in and he had to go in a couple days later to get it fitted for final adjustments. When he came back the second time he met the owner of the shop, Osman. Elder Roberts only had time to get fitted and he needed to leave quickly; however, Osman asked him for five minutes. He said okay and sat down with him. Osman told him that he wanted to become a Christian. He wanted to learn more about Jesus Christ and get baptized. This stunned Elder Roberts, and Osman began meeting with the missionaries. Osman turned out to be very prepared by the Lord. He progressed very quickly. However, Osman is very busy with work, and he has to travel between Kosovo and Turkey very often. So every once in a while he would go to Turkey for several months and then he'd be back in Prishtina. So there's always a question of where he is. One day, Elder Roberts and I decided to stop by his shop to see if he was there. We found him there, but he was very depressed. He told us about all the problems he was having with work and with his family. It was really sad to see him like that. We told him that we loved him and gave him his space for a little bit. We went back last week on P-day, and talked with Osman. He told us that he wasn't doing much better with work or his family. However, last P-day the missionaries from Pejë and Gjakovë came up to Prishtina. We all went to Osman's shop and when he saw the other missionaries he lit up! He was super excited and he was really happy! Osman really loves the missionaries! We told him we love him and we invited him to church. So on Sunday we were sitting in sacrament meeting, and in walks Osman! Osman is loved by the members of the branch. They were so excited to see him again! I was talking with him and he told me "something was just pulling me here today". He is very in-tune with the Spirit! He's a very wonderful man, and we feel like he'll get baptized soon. Hopefully before Elder Roberts returns home. We were so very blessed to have Osman in church with us on Sunday. He's proof that the Lord works with people and he helps prepare them even before they meet missionaries. Osman coming back to church was by far the highlight of this week!

Thank you for your love and support that you give to me! Ju dua shumë (I love you a lot). Javë të mbarë (have a good week). Zoti ju bekoftë me shëndet dhe lumturi (May the Lord bless you with health and happiness)!

Love,

Elder Uacën

This is my team from the soccer activity we held this week.

Jacob "phot bombing" Sister White and Valmira,
a member from Prishtina.

                                         
                       This week there was also a traditional dance festival from all across the Balkans in Prishtina.

8 September 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for your emails! I always look forward to reading them on P-days! I'm glad to hear that you had a chance to get a lot of progress done with the patio! I just have one thing to say about it, "Oooooh. Aaaaaaah." Yeah, it looks really good! It turned out really nice! U gëzofshi!

Mom and Dad just finished
installing this patio.

Rachel, I hope that you had a great first week of school! That's cool to hear that you changed to percussion. I know that percussion is a very important point of the band, maybe not quite as important as the trombones, but I know that you'll be good at it if you stick with it and do your best! You'll be able to do a lot if you keep up with it through high school! Don't feel pressured because you have the same teachers I had. I know that you are really smart and you can do a lot when you focus and put your mind to it. I'm sure that Mrs. Nelles and Mrs. Karesh will be very pleased with how you work! Don't worry about it, just do your best. No one can ask any more of you. Wow! I forgot that this week was Labor Day. Things like that kinda' just gloss over as you're a missionary. It's crazy how fast time flies by! It's already September! Wow! Yeah, it's crazy how fast people are growing up. {His friend's brother started college this year!} I can't believe that Mikey will be going on his mission soon! {About 40 days!} Everyone is growing up so fast!

This is Gjon (equivalent of John) and it only LOOKS like he's doing one-handed push-ups. He was just doing that for the camera. Sorry.




Oh yeah! Bertha Jorkins! {Rachel is reading the Harry Potter series and asked about a character from the books.} I've met her. She's a member in Lushnjë. I didn't have much time to get to know her, because I was only there for a couple weeks. I'm just kidding. I've never me her. As the Harry Potter books say she was never heard of again, so no I haven't heard from her.

Once every transfer cycle, the Mission President will interview each one of the missionaries. This Saturday we had the opportunity to have our interviews with President Weidmann. It was such an awesome experience being able just to sit down and talk with him about the Gospel for a while. He's such a spiritually led man. He has a powerful testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I loved my interview with him. I learned a lot, and I got a lot of direction on how I can improve myself and then encourage the district to improve as well. With President Weidmann, the mission has gone to 6 week transfer cycles now, like every other mission in the world. Also, President Weidmann is encouraging us to meet the mission's goal for baptisms before the end of the calendar year. Our goal is 300 convert baptisms for the year of 2014. Right now we're at about 160. So broken down, it's about 1 baptism per month per companionship. We've been praying a lot that we can find those people who are prepared to accept the Gospel. We've met some really amazing people! This past week we met an amazing man named Ismet.

We met Ismet on the road while we were contacting one day. He was extremely interested in the Book of Mormon when we talked in the road. He gave us his contact information, and we felt like we should give him a Book of Mormon. Normally we don't just give out copies of the Book of Mormon to people, because everyone here would take one just to take one. But we decided to give it to him. When we met with him again after about four days we asked if he had the opportunity to read a little from the Book of Mormon. He said, "Yes, I read it. I read all of it." I was blown away! He is very interested in learning about the Gospel. He loves Jesus Christ (which is something really rare here). We invited him to come to Church that Sunday. He said he'd come, and he did. He came to church and he loved it. He's super friendly and he was able to make some good friendships with a lot of members. He's an amazing person! His only concern is about baptism. He doesn't want to commit to anything yet, which is understandable. He said that once he makes the commitment he'll keep it. In one of our lessons, a member told Ismet, "You'd be a great strength to the church here. You're more prepared now than I was when I was baptized". After he left one of the members told us that they really liked him and they thought that Ismet would totally get baptized one day soon. Ismet is such a great man! He can talk a lot, so that's a little difficult to keep under control during lessons. I'm super excited for him, and I feel like he could get baptized soon as well!

I'm super grateful for the opportunity that I have now to be a missionary here in Prishtina. I know that the Lord is working with people here already. We just need to go out and find them. We need to rely on the Spirit to direct us, and miracles will happen. Every time that I speak with people about the Restoration of the Gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith, I feel the Spirit very strong and I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. We love watching the Restoration film with investigators. I have it nearly memorized in Albanian, but it always brings the Spirit with it. I know that if any of us have questions about Joseph Smith being a prophet is through the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon has a promise recorded in Moroni 10:4-5 that we can receive an answer from God about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. I know that this promise is true and it works, because I've done it several times. I've received the answer that the Book of Mormon is true. If the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God, because it was translated by him. If Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, then the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of God on the earth today. If the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of God on the earth, then we have living prophets on the earth today which speak with God and direct His Church on earth today. So if we ever have questions, or doubts, about the Gospel of Jesus Christ we can find the answer through the Book of Mormon in some way. I know that if we will humble ourselves and ask, God will tell us if we are willing to listen. When you finish reading the Book of Mormon as a family, I would encourage you to pray about the truthfulness of its message as a family as well. I know that you will receive an answer!

Thank you for all of your love and support! Thank you for sending emails! I love hearing from home! Javë të mbarë. Ju dua shumë. U shpërblefshit me shëndet dhe lumturi!

Love, Elder Uacën

When we go tracting, normally apartments have horrible conditions in the hallways.
They may not have been cleaned in a number of years or they may not have any lighting.
This is what it is like tracting inside of an apartment building.

The branch had scheduled a talent show activity this week.
Only two members came, so it was rescheduled.
Elder Clawson and Elder Price practice their act.

1 September 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you for your email! It's always really awesome to hear from you on P-day! It sounds like you've had a great week! It sounds like you had a good party with the whole family. Brats sound so good! They don't quite have anything like that here in Kosovo. I've come across some stuff like brats in Albania, but it's not super common. If you have any left, eat one for me. The patio is looking good! I hope the weather holds out for you so that you can finish it up soon!

Rachel, I hope that you have a great first day and week back at school! It's kinda' crazy to think that kids are going back to school already. The other day, we had a back to school ad for a local store on our doorstep when we got back to the apartment. Just work your hardest and do your best and you'll succeed!

So this week was really awesome for Elder Roberts and I. The past couple weeks we've been in a little bit of a slump, but President Weidmann promised us that as we continue to work hard, that we'll see the work that we've been accomplishing. We saw that promise fulfilled this week! We were able to meet with tons of people and we actually got an investigator to come to Church on Sunday. That was really awesome because we met him for the first time this week and he sacrificed greatly to catch an early bus from his village into Prishtina, and he brought two of his kids. It was really awesome! We could definitely see that the Lord had blessed us greatly this week!

This week we also had an interesting experience street contacting. A man came up to Elder Roberts and I and asked if he could get a book, referring to the Book of Mormon. This is a pretty common experience. A lot of people see us and just assume that we want to give them away willy-nilly. So I started explaining what the Book of Mormon is and how we got it. He asked if he could see it. I let him hold it and I continue explaining. I explain that if he wants to learn more that we can meet one day and we can talk more about it and then we'll give him a copy for free. He started telling me that he just wants to get the book and read it himself. We explain that that's not how we work. Elder Roberts starts talking to him and the man grabs his Book of Mormon as well. So now this guy has both of our books. He starts telling us how Jesus Christ isn't the Son of God and how Muhammed is God's prophet. I keep talking to him and I end up able to get my Book of Mormon back from him. He cuts me off and starts denying Jesus as the Son of God. Elder Roberts grabs his Book of Mormon back from the guy and starts testifying that Jesus is the Son of God. So now both of us have our Book of Mormons back and still the guy stands there and says he wants a book. We explain again that if he wants a book he can meet with us another time and we'll gladly give him a book. As we're standing there talking he starts reaching for our copies like he's going to steal them right out of our hands. We pull back and Elder Roberts grabs his hand and pushes it away. We figured that he'd walk away after that, but he still stood there asking for a book. I told him that if I get his name and phone number we'll set up a time to meet. He says okay. I ask him his name and he tells me. I write it down in my planner. I ask for his phone number and he tells me he doesn't have a phone... while holding it in his hand... since the beginning of our conversation... Elder Roberts just slowly points at it and asks, "What's that?" The guy makes up a really lame excuse. So I just put my planner away figuring that he'd just walk away after lying that blatantly. He stands there and asks for a book again. I told him that he can get a book when we meet again. He gets mad and tells me to write down his phone number. Elder Roberts messed with him and said, "Oh, so you have a phone now". The guy said yeah, and gave me his phone number. He asked if he could get a book now. I explained to him yet again that he'll get a book when we meet again. He got super mad and he finally walked away. He came back up to us and he tells me never to call him and to cross out his name. So I take out my planner again and I overly cross out his name showing him that we'd never talk again and then he walked away for good. I turned to Elder Roberts and said something along the lines of "I just blotted his name out of the Book of Life". We ended up going to the Church right after this experience and just laughing about the whole situation. It was a very unique street contacting experience! Having one like that every once in a while makes street contacting interesting every once in a while!

This week I had the opportunity to give a blessing to one of the Sisters' investigators. She's been having a problem with living the Word of Wisdom, and she really wants to get baptized. So I was able to give her a blessing before Church yesterday. It's always really amazing being involved in blessings. Whatever fears you have soon go away and you can totally feel that the Spirit is directing you and that you are giving exactly what that person needs to hear at that point in their life. It was an amazing experience. Also, this Sunday, I was able to translate for a member who was visiting Kosovo with work from the US. It was difficult to keep up with everything that was going on! But I feel like I got the message across for the most part. It was a pretty great experience! All around this week was great!

I'm loving it here in Prishtina! I love being a missionary! I know that the Gospel brings happiness and peace into the lives of those that accept it! I've seen the Gospel of Jesus Christ bless the lives of those that accept His Gospel! I know that the Book of Mormon is true and I know that it contains the word of God! I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that through Him, we all have the ability to find forgiveness for all of our sins.

Thank you for the love and support that you give me! Ju dua shumë! Javë të mbarë. Rachel, paç fat me këtë vit e shkollës!

Love, Elder Uacën

Masarati from Prizren, Kosovo

University of Prishtina's library in the center with the many-domed roof

The Prishtina Elders

Looking over Prishtina from the top of the Mother Teresa Cathedral

                           Views from inside the Mother Teresa Cathedral

Elder Roberts and Elder Watson

The Prishtina Sisters:  Motra White and Motra Curtis

The Prishtina Missionaries
Elders Watson, Clawson, Price, and Roberts
Sisters White and Curtis

25 August 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you for your email and your support! It's always great getting emails from you!

Yeah, it sounds like you've had a really busy week! That's awesome that Jameson and Kayla are staying over. {Jacob's nephew and niece who are staying with the family for a week.} I hope that you'll have a great time while they're there. I'm glad that Grandma is doing better! I hope that you've been having a good time playing piano in church. {Mom has had to fill in for Sacrament Meeting.} I've had to play piano every once in a while since I've been here. It's been rough a couple times, but I've made it through.

This past week was a little interesting. It's interesting because Elder Roberts and I are working super hard, but it seems like the work is stalling here. We've been having low numbers of lesson and investigators in the past couple weeks. I wrote to President Weidmann about it and he told me that he doesn't believe that the work is stalling. He said that we just can't see the great work that we're doing right now. He promised us that we will begin to see improved numbers of investigators and lessons, so I'm really excited to see that happen! We've been doing a lot of finding this week. We had a really funny experience with finding just yesterday.

We were standing in the city center talking to people in the road. One guy stopped and talked to the sister missionaries. They were talking for a bit and then they motioned for us to come over to them. They introduced us and they told the guy that we could teach him some more. We suggested that we go to our Church which isn't very far from the city center. He was VERY hesitant, but at length he said, "Ok, shkojmë." So we started walking towards the Church. He seemed kinda' startled that the sisters weren't walking with us. We could tell that he wasn't interested in religion at all, but we decided to give him a chance. This man did not want to go inside a church. Here, some people believe that it's against Islam to go to inside a church, which isn't true. He was suggesting that we go to a cafe and sit and talk. We told him that the Church is more peaceful and has less distractions. He kept trying to persuade us to go to a cafe, but we continued walking toward the Church. He kept walking with us and we were asking him questions to get to know him. He was so focused on getting out of the situation that we wasn't answering our questions. It was pretty awkward. We get to a point where we have to cross a large road to get to the church. Elder Roberts and I start crossing, and when we get to the median, we notice that he didn't cross with us. We just stood and waited there, kinda' laughing about the situation. The guy pulls out his phone and tells us that someone is calling him. He says he needs to take the call, but just around the corner. So we decide that enough's enough and we'd let him just walk away. So he starts walking away, and we cross back over the road to go back to the center. We decide not to go the way we came because the guy was walking back that way. As we walk past the road that he walked down, we look and we see him SPRINTING away. It was hilarious! The whole situation was really awkward and in the end Elder Roberts and I got a huge laugh out of it.

Everything is going great here in Prishtina. I'm very grateful for the opportunity that I have to be a missionary. It's honestly the best choice of my life. I can't imagine doing anything else with my life at this time. I know that some people look at it and they only see it as an inconvenience. But really, everything else in life can wait. Money will still exist when I get back. The way you get it will still be the same, so work will still be there. Universities and degrees will still be there. Material possessions will be there, so really it's not that large of a sacrifice. The Lord has given me everything that I have, so I can give all that I have for two years. It's really not that large of a sacrifice. Plus, you have a blast doing it! I've developed so many strong friendships with people, and I've even gotten some more clarification about what I want to do for the rest of my life. A mission is just a great idea, I can't even express it fully! I just wish that so many more people chose to serve missions. It may seem like a huge sacrifice in the beginning, but after a couple months, it's not a burden at all! It's such a growing experience! It's such a wonderful time! It's such a blessing! Choosing to serve a mission is one of the best decisions of my life! I hope that everyone can have an experience like this!

Thank you so much for the love and support that you give me to be a missionary. Thank you so much for everything that you do!

U bekofshit dhe shëndet paçi! Zoti ju qoftë!

Love, Elder Uacën

18 August 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for your email! It's always super nice to hear from you and to hear how things are going back home. It sounds like you had quite the week!

That's awesome that you had the missionaries over this week! I actually met some of the missionaries going to Minnesota when I was in the MTC. I can't remember their names, but if they were in the MTC in about February I might have met them. I met three of them at that time, so I don't know how many total were in their group. That's awesome that the picture made it into the paper! {Mom and Rachel got their picture in the local paper.} It's always awesome when stuff like that happens! Do you know what's crazy? There's a sister in my district that is from Minnesota and she has actually met Loren before at EFY. {Loren Olinger, Jacob's friend from MO who is currently preparing for his own mission.} Small world huh? Wait, so Matt's {Matt Walker from the Buffalo, MN, Ward.} on his mission too?? Where did he go? There's tons of people from our stake that will be heading out soon. It's crazy to think of all the youth in my age group that will be going out! That's amazing! Do you have any contact info for him? That would be awesome to get in contact with him.

 In our mission we have between 60 and 70 missionaries. In Kosovo, we have about 14 missionaries and 2 senior missionaries. In Prishtina we have 6 missionaries. Prishtina is a district by itself, so I'm responsible just for the missionaries in Prishtina. The missionaries here are really awesome and we all get along really well. They all work really hard and I'm grateful for the opportunity that I have to be their district leader. 

This week I actually conducted an exchange with Elder Clawson. It was really awesome to be companions with him again for a day. We had an awesome time working together again. We had a lot of lessons scheduled for that day, but a ton of people chose to cancel their appointments with us, which wasn't very fun. It was kinda weird because I was the one leading on the exchange, so it's almost like our roles last transfer were switched. I'm super glad that I got trained by Elder Clawson and that I have the chance to be in the same district as him. It's really awesome getting to serve with him again!

This week we tried some new finding ideas. Normally we will street contact or tract, but we came up with some new ideas to find people to teach. Back in Durrës, Elder Clawson and I were thinking of ways to get more people to talk with us. We came up with the idea to just sit down in some chairs in the city square and have a sign that says, "Ask us what we do." We said it kinda jokingly, but this week we actually tried it out. We sat down in a row of chairs in the city center and we had a sign that said, "Ask us what we do." A TON of people came up to us and asked us what we do. It surprised us a ton how well it worked! We actually had a lot more success with that than with the other methods we use in contacting. We have some other awesome finding ideas that we are going to use, but we haven't used them yet. I'll let you know how they go when we try some more out. This week we'll actually be starting our English course, so we've spent a TON of time handing out English course flyers. I hope that it turns out really well. It was really interesting, because we'd be giving out flyers, but when people saw that it said, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" they freaked out and threw them away, ripped them up, or burned them. But people here usually freak out when you use say "Jesus" and even when you say "Church" people freak out. It's a very different world here. But the work is still progressing here. I'm really glad for the opportunity that I have to serve here in Prishtina! I really enjoy it here! I know that God is working with the people here and He's preparing them to hear our message. I'm very grateful for the opportunity that I have to be a missionary and to talk with people about the Gospel everyday! It's a really awesome experience! I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!!

Send my regards to Grandma and Grandpa, the Princeton Ward, and the St. Cloud Stake. I know that covers a lot of people, but you have permission to say "hi" to them from me anytime. Thank you so much for your love and support!!

Javë të mbarë! Ju dua shumë!

Love, Elder Watson

Our "ask us what we do" activity.

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

At the military base:  Brother Jensen, Elder Gray, Elder Harvey,
Elder Watson, Elder Roberts, Brother Bunjes, Sister Tooley

Hazir's baptism day!  Elder Watson, Hazir, Elder Roberts

Baptism day for five!  Elder Watson,
Hazir, Gjon, Mexhide, Lendita, Besim,
Saud, Betim

4 August 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for your email! And thank you so much for your package! It was nice to finally get it! Thank you so much for everything that was inside! I celebrated it's opening by making peanut butter bars. They don't have graham crackers here, but we substituted with what we had available. They didn't turn out exactly like them, but they were pretty close in taste. It was like a piece of home. Thank you so much for sending that package again. It's also very nice to see an American flag as well. So thank you for sending that package, again!

That's great that Mirtha and Genesis are moved into their new home. I bet it was really nice to have them stay at the house for a while and get to know them, but I know that they will be better off together as a family. If they live in Crystal, will they be going to Church at the Minneapolis Stake Center? The one at the top of the hill? How's Phil doing? I haven't heard a whole lot about him recently. How's work going for him? What job specifically is he doing at the plant?

I can't remember if I had weekend homework in middle school. I know that I didn't have nearly as much homework as Rachel did when I was in school. Wow, I can believe that Rachel had someone like that at the orthodontist! {Rachel had a rude assistant who made fun of her when her mouth hurt.} That's horrible! I hope it doesn't happen again! That's a sweet lego set! {Mom found Dad a Mini Cooper Lego set as he used to drive a Cooper.} The other day, I saw an original Mini Cooper here in Prishtina this last week! It sounds awesome that everything is getting closer with "The Project". {A small cabin/shed that we started working on about 8 years ago! It was supposed to be a learning experience for Jacob, but he lost interest in it. Now, Rachel will have to take over.} It'll be interesting to see how the place has changed over time.

So today for P-day we stuck around Prishtina. I have had a cough for a couple days, and a couple other missionaries started getting sick about the same time as me. We're not completely recovered yet, so today we had a movie day. We went to the Church and we got to watch Ephraim's Rescue. We ordered a pizza and just kinda' chilled out today. It was a nice relaxed day.

Yeah, I know Elder Gunther. {He is a friend of Elder Crook's who is serving in the Princeton, MN, Ward right now.} He was actually trained here in Prishtina! I haven't talked to him a whole lot, so I don't know him very well. Elder Clawson knows him a lot better. Yeah, Elder Clawson is back in my district! It's super nice to see him again! It's really nice to catch up on his experiences. Elder Roberts is an amazing missionary! Elder Roberts has been in Prishtina for most of his mission. He was born here and now this is his third time serving here. He only has two months left, so when he leaves, he will have been in Prishtina for nine months of his mission! Right before coming to Prishtina, he was serving in Tirana as one of the Assistants to the President. So Elder Roberts is a very obedient and hard working missionary. He also knows how to have a ton of fun with the work. He has a great understanding of how a mission works. He is super motivated to set Prishtina on fire in his last transfer. I have a lot that I can learn from him, and I'm super excited for that opportunity! We've already seen the work start to pick up here already!

For example, in Prishtina this next Saturday we have a baptismal service set up. Nope, it's not for one new convert or even two. It's for five! We have five people getting baptized on Saturday, August 9! Everyone here is super excited! There is a family of three (Xhevat, Mexhide, and Lindite) and another young man (Suad) being taught by Elder Clawson and Elder Price, and Elder Roberts and I have one investigator (Hazir) will be baptized as well. Hazir actually asked me to baptize him! So on Saturday, I'll actually be baptizing my first person on my mission. It will be awesome to baptize someone in Albanian as well! As the district leader in Prishtina, I also had the opportunity to perform the baptismal interviews for those being baptized. It was a very humbling experience to hear their testimonies and see that they had a change of heart. They have really been changed by the Gospel and they really have a strong desire to be baptized. It was such a spiritual experience for me to be in those interviews. I felt the Spirit so strong! And it was a testimony to me of the truthfulness of this work. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and the message that it contains is for us in our day. I know that we can learn so many important things from the Book of Mormon daily, and if we apply those things, we can improve and become better people. We will truly be happier in our lives if we follow the teachings of the Book of Mormon. When we come to know the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, we want to follow Jesus Christ and follow his example of baptism. It's so wonderful that Prishtina will be having so many baptisms next week. I know that the Gospel has truly helped them, and it will truly help anyone else that has a sincere desire to learn.

Thank you so very much for your email and the love that you send to me every week! Thank you again for everything!

Zoti ju qoftë. Zoti ju bekoftë. Javë të mbarë!

Love,

Elder Uacën

An Albanian soccer scarf.  Super popular!

 

Views from the Boulevard in Prishtina.

Pizza Hutt (?) in Prishtina, Kosovo.

Cinnabon from Tirana, Albania.

Peanut Butter Bars from items in the package received from home!

P-day pizza.  Massive!