Tirana Week 4 (December 15, 2014)

Hi guys!

So this last week was pretty good! It started off really well, we were busy and meeting with people and sharing the gospel to people, we found some new investigators, including two from Syria! So we were super excited, but about half way through the week, the tables turned and for some reason everyone started cancelling on us or saying that they were too busy to meet. We still have hope and faith that this week will be better, especially since we have high goals for this month and for the end of the year!

Other than that it was just a really tiring week, and 4 days last week we had to go to the mission home, which isn't too far, probably a total of 20-30 minutes by walking and taking buses. but doing it 4 times during our lunch time, is a pain in the butt and it was super tiring haha so we were pretty tired last week! But I had a couple of awesome personal study sessions about Obedience and Diligence, and have a few new favourite scriptures! The only one I'll share today is Ecclesiastes 12:13 which essentially says that it is our duty as men/women and children of God to fear Him and be obedient. He wants us to be obedient so that He can bless us! And I know that when Obedience and Diligence is increased that the blessings from the Lord also increase a ton!

Other than that nothing really exciting happened. I wish I had awesome stories for you that are funny and interesting, but not this week! It was a humbling week though. We learned pretty well, that we can only make a difference in this world with the Lord's help and He truly does want to help us. His hand is always stretched out and ready to help us.

Did you guys watch that Christmas video?! If you didn't than you have to! haha Christmas.mormon.org IT'S SO GOOD!!

And sorry, for the now pictures.....again! hahah I promise soon I will send some!! Well I love you all and wish that you have a wonderful week!

Loves,

Elder Sajmëns

Tirana Week 3 (December 9 2014)

So I procrastinated and now I only have a couple minutes to send this email.. :) sorry haha.

This week was good and slow! We didn't quite have the success that we were hoping for, but I am trying to go forward in faith so that the Lord can bless us! I'd also like to just say that with Obedience comes blessings. My trainer elder Ostergaard once told me, "how can we possibly expect blessings, when we aren't obedient?" I feel like so often we live our lives however we want, at least this is how I feel haha and we expect Heavenly Father to help us with whatever we ask for. In 1 Nephi 4:18 it says that "If ye are obedient to the commandments, ye shall be saved". That is the ultimate goal isn't it? to be saved and return to Heavenly Father! I have noticed a dramatic difference in myself as I strive to be obedient to the commandments and to the mission rules! I have a strong testimony that the blessings we receive and the help we receive from our Heavenly Father reflects directly on how obedient we are! So I hope that this quick post is sufficient for your viewing haha, and that you have an awesome week!! and I hope that you feel the love of the Savior this week! Because He does love you and His hand is always stretched forth to help pick you up, I know cause He has picked me up plenty of times!

Loves!

Elder Sajmëns

Tirana Week 2

So first thing's first! Have you all seen www.mormon.org/Christmas ?!?! If not then you have to go watch it right now because it is awesome and perfect to start the Christmas season!!

Second thing! I found the best mint/candy things every!! And it isn't all in the name! they are also super good, but the picture attached will show you why they're the best ;)

So this week was good! We had a lot of things going on so it felt super, super long!! Holy cow! But it was good nonetheless! We had an exchange on Wednesday, with the Zone Leaders. I was with Elder Rawlings, who I love haha he is awesome. It was super weird walking around though because the guy is 6"7' ahah so he's like almost a foot taller than me. But it was a good exchange.

Then on Thursday for Thanksgiving we had a mission conference. The wonderful senior couples of our mission prepared an awesome dinner, or lunch i guess! and it was glorious! Not as good as my mom's but it wouldn't be a mission if we didn't have to struggle! ;) haha. But it was good. We also had a talent show type thing with the missionaries! We did it by district so that was fairly life saving haha, there were some really funny acts though, we apparently have some really funny missionaries in my mission!! Ours was OK, haha but nothing special!

Haha I'm kind of mind blanking on what else happened during the week. Tirana is awesome, and I am loving it here. Elder Asler and I are getting along pretty well! And I'm excited for the Christmas season, even though it won't quite be the same as with my wonderful family, but the overall message of the wonderful gift of Jesus Christ is still something we can focus on! He really has given us more than we can every payback. He has provided us with a way to return to live with our Heavenly Father and that is something that we should be aspiring to in this life!

So watch the video that I mentioned before, and seeing as we just celebrated what we are thankful for, now spend this season celebrating the greatest gift we've ever been given, Jesus Christ!

Loves!

Elder Sajmënz

Christmas package arrived!

Tirana Week 1

Hey!

So I'm in Tirana now :) Tirana is an awesome and a beautiful city! I'm in the 4th Ward and it is an awesome ward! I don't know everyone yet, but so far I love everyone! hahah and my first day it stormed pretty hard! WE didn't actually get rained on, but we had to walk through basically rivers hahah that were streets before, at a certain point it was knee deep, hahahha and it was COLD water! haha. It was a good welcome to Tirana, from the city! I wouldn't have had it any other way, except maybe a little drier....haha.

My new companion is Elder Asler. He is from Croatia and he is awesome! We are getting along well, and fortunately for the both of us we both like to joke around a little bit haha, so we get along just fine! He is from my MTC group so we are co-senioring. I love my district as well, I have my "dad" (trainer) Elder Ostergard as one of our zone leaders, and they are in my district!

So for Thanksgiving this week we have sort of a Mission conference, where we have a thanksgiving dinner prepared by our awesome senior couples! We also have a talent show, which luckily for me, is by district because I do not have performable talents hahah So I'm super excited for that! It should be good!

I don't have much else to say, other than I love it here and I can feel that I'm here because the Lord wants me to be. I don't exactly know why yet, but I am doing my best to serve Him as one of His missionaries and hopefully by the end of my time here in Tirana I will have done what He sent me to this area to do!

Well, I love all of you and I hope that you have a fantastic week. OH, and try to do something nice for someone this week :) it'll be a win win, I promise!

Loves,

Elder Sajmënz

Transferring to Tirana

"Hey Everybody!"

That was me quoting Dr. Nick from The Simpson's haha, Gotta keep the blog posts interesting, right? So this week was pretty interesting! We spent a lot of time out of Peja haha. On Tuesday we spent the afternoon going to Camp Bondsteel where I was able to eat some American food and buy some American goodies and even got a whopper from Burger King! Now I'm not a huge Burger King fan, but you take what you can get haha. Then on Wednesday we drove down to Albania and spent Thursday there for a Mission Conference type deal, we heard from Elder Dyches, who is a General Authority! It was awesome!

In sad news the family that we are teaching moved to Germany haha. Without telling us, we ended up finding out from one of their friends that we ran into in the street. Haha so that was a surprise and was really sad! More sad news, I'm leaving Peja. I've been transferred to Tirana and I'll go there tomorrow! I'm excited though. It should be good! I've heard a lot of really good things about the area and the ward! It's pretty much in the middle of the city so that's cool! 

 
I don't really have much else. I just know that the Lord is directing this work and that I trust in Him and I will go wherever He assigns me. I hope that I can do what the Lord would have me do in Tirana! And I know that He will help me!

Loves!
Elder Sajmënz

November 10, 2014

Ku je? (a common greeting..it means where are you? haha)

So this week was pretty dang slow, and surprisingly tiring! As far as investigators go, they are pretty good. We are teaching two people that are preparing to be baptized at the end of the month, and they will be ready if they keep going and keeping commitments and praying and reading! It's pretty amazing being a missionary for the true and restored church! And we are still teaching that family that I think I told you guys about a while ago, we mostly teach the oldest 3 kids and we really want them to get baptized because they have testimonies and the know their stuff!! But there is something holding them back and I cannot for the life of me figure out what it is.. It is driving me a little crazy! But they are such an amazing family!! Another investigator has sorta stopped progressing and I don't know why. It is pretty tough in Peja right now. But we are staying optimistic and are working hard!!

I hope you have an awesome week!

Loves!
Elder Sajmënz!

Nov 3, 2014

So I procrastinated this haha, so I don't have a ton of time to write it. Just a few minutes in fact haha. This last week was good, it went by pretty quick, probably because of the false start haha but that's ok!

So the highlight of the week was probably Halloween. It turns out they DO celebrate it here in Kosovo, at least here in Peja, although I think it is something that has come over from America, because they Love us :) but common? whats not to love :) haha our district is very patriotic, but I also don't forget the English half!! Anyways so Halloween! For Halloween EVERYONE walks on the Boulevard for a few hours haha just back and forth and there was supposedly a party or something! But all of the young boys to teenage boys throw fire crackers! and we were just waiting for them to start throwing them at us, but funny enough the thing that started it was Elder Braden telling a kid to throw one behind me. Unfortunately for the kid I turned around and saw him drop it hahah so I kicked it right back at him...he ran really fast!! haha. but then that went on for a little while and then it stopped. But a LOT of firecrackers!

And now for the more meaningful part ;) We had a pretty good Sabbath day, I studied fasting earlier in the week and it just felt a little more meaningful, but I did have to drink a little to swallow my cold medicine, so I kinda feel like I cheated haha. So Fast Sunday was a really good spiritual experience and it felt more meaningful than just being hungry. When you truly fast, you don't notice that you are hungry! It truly is a special blessing that we get to fast! I know that we are truly blessed when we fast with a true purpose and a sincere heart, just like when we pray!

Well have an awesome week! and help someone else :)

Loves!

Elder Sajmënz

October 28, 2014

So First thing's first! Yesterday was spent trying to get visas/residency permits for Kosovo and so we didn't really get P-Day so my mission president let us take some time back today to email and stuff!

Second thing, is that we got a baptism this last weekend! He has been an investigator for a couple months but he was Super busy during the Summer so it was hard to meet. But now he is baptized and he is so happy to be a member of the church, and to have been baptized and confirmed! My companion Elder Morava baptized him and I confirmed him. Both were such amazing experiences and I could really feel the Holy Spirit testify of the truthfulness of the things we are here to teach people. He is going to be an awesome member and will really help the church here in Peja.

Other than that not much to report this weekend. We have had several creepy little centipedes in our house, and my nightstand/dresser was covered in a bunch of really really tiny bugs, but that's kind of taken care of...haha. Hopefully it doesn't get TOO infested with bugs.

Oh and another thing. So last Monday and Tuesday the weather was mild. It was fairly warm, suit weather haha, and then on Wednesday it was cloudy in the morning. By the afternoon is was pretty cold and rainy. By the end of the day it was "bloody freezing" in the wise words of my Father :) sorry to the English relatives haha ;) And now it's super super cold and there is snow on the mountain! haha So that's my life now. I have to actually wear my coat. And my shoe laces broke so I have one shoe with half a shoe lace. I don't know where to buy new ones...and I've tried! haha.

Well I guess that's it for the week! Have a great week and Happy Halloween!

Love,

Elder Simons

October 20, 2014

Tungjatjeta,

This week was good, but it felt like it took forever! haha. We did a lot of unsuccessful street contacting and other finding and it gets exhausting. We have also sort of hit a few road blocks with some of our investigators and we are trying to get past those but it'll take some time for them. We also played soccer with some investigators and to try and find, but all that did was tire us out and make me feel bad about my soccer skills haha.

It won't be very long this week, but I will share one cool experience. So I get pretty easily upset, for those of you who don't know me hahah ;) and when people are rude when we are finding, and there are occasionally rude people, it gets to me haha. So I am not a huge fan of street contacting or tracting because that's where you run into most of the "rude" people. And we do a lot of that, although we've been mostly street contacting, we are gonna start tracting pretty soon! So one day this last week, I don't even remember which day, oh wait...it was Saturday, we had a really frustrating lesson and afterwards, hours to find! So we went to street contacting and in the mean time I was not looking forward to it, oh also it feels like we never get ANYbody to stop, but after a couple minutes we stopped someone and sat down with them for a few minutes. We talked about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Will that go anywhere? I don't know we'll see, but right after that someone approached us! Which like never happens haha. And he is now a new investigator! He is a 16 year old kid from France and is here for some organization/church for Jesus Christ. He has a lot of faith and we are excited to teach him! That was a really good testimony builder that God really does care for us and when we need it he picks us up and helps us out! He is always there ready to help us. His hand is always reached out, we just have to reach out and grab it!

Well I hope you all have an awesome week and that you will be able to see the Lord's hand in your life, because I know its there! I promise!

Elder Sajmëns

October 13, 2014

Hey!

So mostly this week was just super tiring haha. We walked a lot and we played soccer/futboll on Saturday with some investigators, which was great! but also tiring cause I haven't run in sooo long! haha. But all in all it was a good week!

We had some awesome lessons with some of our investigators and they are really starting to progress! They are so awesome, we have 5 people on a date to be baptized. We might have to move some of them, but I think that they can be ready by then! They really like the things that we have come here to teach and are trying to find out for themselves if they are true. Which really is one of the beautiful things about our doctrine, you don't need to take anyones word for it on anything. The Book of Mormon says it a lot better than I can Moroni 10:5 "Dhe nepërmjet fuqisë së frymës së shenjtë, ju mund të dini të vërtetën e të gjitha gjërave/Through the power of the Holy Ghost, you can know the truth of all things" It's also promised to us in 3 Nephi 18:20, whatever we ask the Father in the name of His Son Jesus Christ in faith, as long as it be righteous, we will receive.

I was also reading in Jacob for Personal study and it was the words of a prophet of old who Jacob was quoting. These Latter Days are the last days that the Lord will work in His vineyard, and He has called servants like Prophets and missionaries to help him gather the fruits. What an awesome thing to have read as a missionary, and when I read it I thought of my wonderful two older siblings who are such awesome examples for me and have been for my whole life! Even though we've fought a lot haha.

One hilarious thing that happened this week hahah So for sacrament we were supposed to watch conference, Elder Baker had it downloaded on a hard drive, but the TV wouldn't read it. So we had to run home and get the stuff for Sacrament and do a "regular" meeting haha. We also didn't have the speakers to play the hymns, so it was pretty much just the missionaries singing acapella. So super awkward sacrament meeting. But the funny part was the closing hymn haha. So we were singing Shpirti i Perendise, Spirit if of God. And we were only in the second verse, but singing the chorus, which ends 'Amen and Amen' but our wonderful member, Ajdin, very loudy after singing the second amen, just said it. So it was all of us singing 'Amen dhe Amen' and then Ajdin "AMEN" just really loudly. hahaha we couldn't help but burst out laughing, everyone there haha. All 14 of us haha.

I guess that's it for the week! I hope you all have an awesome week and that you are able to serve your fellow man ;) even though sometimes it's hard!

Elder Sajmëns

October 6, 2014

What's up?

So this week definitely had its ups and downs. My new companion is awesome. He is a super nice guy, his name is Elder Morava. He is awesome and a pretty great missionary! I can tell that I am gonna learn a lot from him! And he makes a lot of food for lunch and dinner. it's awesome! haha.

We had some good lessons with most of our investigators! They still have quite a ways to go before the are ready for baptism, but hopefully in the coming weeks we can help them come closer to their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! That is after all why we are out here! I love our investigators though! They are all such great and incredible people!

The downside from the last week is just that it was difficult to find people to teach. It was a Muslim holiday so most people were busy, or at home or spending time with family, I'm not 100% sure but I do know that there were hardly any people out haha so it was hard to talk to people! We didn't know where they were. Hopefully though it'll get back to normal soon and we can try to find people again! haha.

I don't have a whole lot to report because it was the first week of transfers, and it is always a little slow and uneventful. But my new companion is awesome and our investigators are doing well! I know that the Lord is directing this work and He really does look out for us and know what's best for us! We just need to trust in Him and do our best to be diligent and learn the things He wants us to learn!

Love you all!

Elder Simons

September 29, 2014

Hey!

So this last week has been good, kind of slow because we had Zone Conference which takes up about a day and we had some problems with where we have church. So since we only have 3 members we meet in the conference room of a hotel, and there was a mix up with reservations and contracts and we are still sorting it out. We ended up having to go to Gjakova for church yesterday. However 3 of our investigators came. 3 kids in a family that we are teaching, and this family is so awesome!

They have 6 kids ranging from 8 months to 17 years old and they are awesome. We teach them about the Church and about Jesus Christ and also a little English at the end. They are so awesome at reading the Book of Mormon, and they retain so much. They can tell us like everything that happened during the reading that they did! It's pretty incredible. They also believe the things that we teach them to be true, which is awesome cause they are haha. It's a wonderful experience every time we go to there house to teach.

One sad thing though is that we got transfer calls yesterday and Elder Myers is leaving Peja :(. He is going down to a city in Albania called Lushnia. He has been an awesome companion and I'm really glad I got to serve with him! My new companion that will be coming up tomorrow is Elder Morava. He was in my first district actually! So I've been on exchange with him and stuff. He is Albanian and he is an awesome guy! I'm excited about this upcoming transfer, but I am nervous about the language barrier. I guess it's safe to say that I'm gonna get pretty good at Albanian haha. I'm excited.

I'm also really excited about continuing to work here in Peja, I can feel some great things are gonna happen, and that we are really doing an awesome work here. We are after all doing the Lord's work!

Well I hope you all have an awesome week!

Love
Elder Sajmëns

PS. Today marks 8 months on my mission!!

September 22, 2014

Mirë Dita

This last week was pretty awesome. We had some pretty good lessons and we met with some new people. For some reason it was also difficult to meet with a lot of our investigators, but we eventually did and they are all doing great! They are all still progressing at their own pace and we are really excited because they are making some awesome progress. We also had a lot of stuff get in the way this last week. We had a lot of rain, which as silly as it sounds makes it impossible to find, because Albanians don't go out in the rain. So either no ones out side to talk to, or no one can come meet for a lesson. And because a lot of our investigators were busy we had to stay home and do area book work and stuff like that. Which don't get me wrong, it's important stuff, it's just super boring haha. We also had 5 investigators in church! Which I don't know about other missions but in this one is a lot more than usual. And a lot of our investigators it is hard to get to work.

Oh one cool thing that happened this week with our investigator Saiti. He hasn't been able to come to church forever! and it is one of the big things holding him back from being baptized! But this week he told us that he got a different job and that he wanted to start coming to church! Which is so awesome! And in a few weeks we think he'll be baptized, he wants to.

Other than that there isn't any big news about the work here in Peja, for us. We do have transfers next Tuesday though which is pretty intense! I'm almost at 8 months into my mission! which is crazy because that is a 1/3 of my mission! It is going by so fast! It's crazy! I think I'm staying here in Peja, I definitely hope that I am! but we'll find out on Sunday night so I'll let you guys know next week! I took a couple pictures this week, but they're pretty lame so I'll try and be better at that!

I love you all and hope that you have an awesome week!

Elder Sajmëns

A jeni lodh?

Translation is, Are you tired? and that may sound weird, but that's the most common greeting here in Peja, haha. You'd think that it would be Hey or Hello, how are you? but no haha they lead of with Are you tired? It's awesome.

This last week was pretty good. Pretty uneventful though. We had some really good lessons, but it was also a slow week. Some of our investigators couldn't meet as often and we weren't as busy with lessons as we would have liked to have been. So it was a lot of finding, which is fine, it's a huge part of missionary work! but it can get super tiring, not that I don't love it haha. But our investigators are still progressing.

One of our investigators had a problem making it to church because of his job, but he just told us yesterday that he got a new job so he will be able to start coming to church! We were so psyched about it! He is an awesome guy and he really understands the things that we have taught him, and he really has a testimony of the Restoration.

I don't know what else to report really because that's all I can think of that you guys would be interested in. I guess I'll try to be more attentive this week and think of more things that I can right about haha.

So the Book of Mormon though. I know that its true, and I encourage all of you to study from it, and if you haven't read it yet to give it a try, you won't regret it, I promise ;)

Have an awesome week!

Love,
Elder Simons

Finally....some pictures :)

SORRY Don't have a lot of time to write this week, it was a long P Day, good but long.

So this last week was pretty good, pretty usual and nothing too big happened. Our investigators are still doing awesome, and progressing and we had a pretty awesome lesson with Genti and his sister Enkeleda. We are planning to meet with them a lot more. They have a testimony of the Book of Mormon and of Joseph Smith but they are very hesitant to be baptized. We are trying to help them learn why it would be such an important step for them and what a blessing it is that we have the restored Gospel and authority to baptize! We are so blessed to have a way to be completely cleansed from our sins and to make a covenant with our Father in Heaven to keep His commandments and follow His son Jesus Christ. We receive blessings from following His commandments.

So there was a ton of rain this last week! Which has been amazing! I absolutely love the rain! IT has made me super homesick for England though haha. One of my favorite places in the world. But I love it here and I'm starting to really get to know the people, the language is still kicking my butt haha but it's certainly a lot better than a couple months ago! I do love this language and the people, I was truly sent to an amazing mission! And I am so thankful for the experiences that I have had here and am having and will have.

 
I guess that's all I have for this week, ahahh sorry guys, I wish i had more intense stories for you, maybe next week. I do have a couple pictures this week though haha, cause my camera works, and my SD no longer has a virus :) so that's good, I guess you'll be getting a lot more pictures.

Kallofshi Mirë edhe ju dua shumë!

Elder Sajmëns

This is where we hope to have a baptism

This is where we meet for church