May 26, 2014

Hey Everyone!

Sorry last week was pretty short! This week was pretty great! Oh and just to clarify, the 5 baptisms last week, were in our branch, but they were another companionship's investigators. But they are great!

We our having our second baptism of the transfer this week! She is so awesome! She cruised through the Book of Mormon and has a ton of faith, and though was hesitant about a baptismal date, she has finally accepted one and will be baptized this week! She is going to be such a wonderful addition to the work in Albania! She will do great things for the church! She is just awesome! We have some other awesome investigators!! They are progressing so well! Some of them are going through some tough stuff, and they are still talking steps towards Jesus Christ, our savior! It's so wonderful to see! I can't believe how lucky I am to be a part of their conversion, and their coming closer to their Savior! I feel my love grow for Him and for them every day!

We are really lucky here in Albania, and especially here in Fier to have awesome members! And awesome people who are ready for the church! We have been involving members a lot more in our lessons! A lot of them being potential future missionaries, who would do such a good job serving the Lord!

Albania is still awesome! Last P-Day we went and say the city of 1000 windows, Berat! It was absolutely beautiful! We spent most of our time there at the castle. Today we went to a monastery where Skenderbeu was married, he is an Albanian hero. We also when to the Safari Park Zoo in Fier. It was really small and not quite as good as the one in Israel, but it was still good.

I was a little sick this week, but I'm all better now except for a cough, and hopefully it will go away soon! I'll leave you with this http://easter.mormon.org/ an absolutely amazing video that I've seen many times.

Love you all and have a great week!

Elder Sajmëns

BERAT - City of 1000 Windows

View from apartment in the rain

Missionary challenge, pizza with souvlaki!

Here goes....!

New tie - thanks Mom and Dad!

May 19, 2014

Hey Everyone!

This last week seemed to take a long time, and there was one day when we had Trainee/trainer training...that sounds dumb, but what do you do? and had to do some stuff at the embassy, and unfortunately that ate up pretty much all of the day, we made it back in time for the Branch talent show! It was really good! I didn't do anything though haha :) the beauty of not having any talents ;) But the week was still good.

We have some awesome investigators right now! we really really do, and I love them, but a couple of them are going through a trial in there faith, or just a trial that takes up their time and keeps us from meeting with them, but we are doing our best to help them, because we want so much for them and we know that the Gospel, no matter how good your life is, will bless your life. and that is 100% true! The Gospel of Jesus Christ always makes things better, and it is a miraculous thing!! it is such a marvelous gift that often times we take for granted! I am so thankful to have grown up in a church that contains the fullness of the gospel! And has the true and restored priesthood and authority from God! I'm also so grateful for my family, because they were and are so strong in the gospel throughout my whole childhood. They really showed me how to love my Savior Jesus Christ, and my love for Him has grown so much on my mission! He is the reason for everything good that we have in this life! He is payed an unimaginable price for us, so that we could return to live with our Heavenly Father and Him. We owe an unpayable debt, but that doesn't mean we can't try! He has done more for us than we could ever do for another person, ever. But that doesn't mean that we should just sit back, but instead take His perfect example of love and strive with all of our souls to be like him! I know that I have more than enough room to improve, but thanks to my Savior, I have a direction to go in and I have resources like scriptures, prayer, modern day prophets, to really try to grow and be like our Big Brother!

In the MTC one of my fellow missionaries had the awesome idea to set a Christ like attribute each week to work towards, and alternate it so that we are growing in different ways to be more like Him. I have started trying to implement that into my weekly goals, but I need to be better at it, plus a week is never enough time, but neither is the life we have on earth, but we gotta do our best.

Sorry I didn't talk too much about the week, not much happened to me specifically. But in other awesome news for the Fier Branch, 5 people got baptized and confirmed this last week. They seem like great guys and are an awesome addition to our incredible branch here! I am so excited for the work here and all over the world!

Remember to get involved in/keep getting involved in missionary work in your branch/ward! Member are absolutely essential and it is the Lords work! We receive such great joy from serving the Lord, and it is a good start to chipping away at that unpayable debt that we owe!

Have an Awesome week!!!

Love,
Elder Sajmëns

May 12, 2014

Hey everyone!

So this week also seemed super long! Not bad in an sense of the word, but long! I think it's because we had another exchange. They seem to make the week feel a lot longer! It was a great week though! Elder Ostërgard and I had a great week! We have some awesome investigators right now!! Sometimes it's a struggle getting lessons with them, cause they'll be busy or not have time, and we are really trying to get people to come to church. Church is amazing! It's one of the most important things! But we are really trying to get people there!

The branch is doing awesome! It is so strong and it is getting stronger! We have a branch activity tomorrow! We are doing a talent show so I won't be participating, turns out you have to be talented to be in it... what are you gonna do?

I love my district! They are incredible!! They are all such good missionaries!! And my trainer is awesome! I am learning so much from him and I still have a ton to learn! The Botts (our senior couple) are going home this week! They have been so incredible and have done some amazing work here in Fier! We are so sad to see them go, but we are also happy for them that they get to go home and see their family! and we are excited for the new senior couple! We'll meet them tomorrow night! The sisters that we have in Fier are so cool! They are awesome missionaries and they a super cool and really good examples! and the other 2 Elders in our branch are so great! They get a lot of awesome work done! and they are both really cool!

We have some great work to do right now! The Lord is really hastening the work and guiding those who are ready for the gospel to us, and us to them! It is amazing to see! We are doing our best to serve the Lord because this is His work!

Heavenly Father wants us to return to him so badly! and there is so much confusion in the world about religion and about God, but just as Joseph Smith had questions and his questions were answered, you too can receive answers to questions! All you have to do is pray to our Heavenly Father and ask, because He wants to help every one of us. We just have to act, and prove our faith! I know that this is true, I have seen it in my life and in others' lives! It is an amazing blessing to have Christ's true church restored to the earth, and to have all that confusion in the world resolved. People here often say that the is one God, one God for everyone! and they're right! And just as there is one God there is one faith and one church that is his. And I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that it is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I know, not because I was raised a Mormon, but because I've read the Book of Mormon, and followed the direction found in the end of it, in Moroni 10:3-5, and I know that it is true! I also respect that everyone has the freedom to choose, and I respect all those that choose to worship or believe in other ways, or not to believe at all. However I know that this will bless your lives, I see it everyday in those that choose to act on this message!

I love you all! And I hope that you have an amazing week!

Much Love,

Elder Sajmëns

District P-day activity

May 5, 2014

Hey Everyone!

This week was amazing! the weekend especially!! Me and Elder Ostërgard had our first baptism of the transfer and my first baptism of my mission! His name is Saimir! He is incredible! I love him so much! He has been investigating the church for about 8 months, and finally decided to take a leap of faith and get baptized and join the church! I am so excited for him and the blessings he will get in his life! We also had an investigator who we brought to church. We have had a couple lessons with His Mom and her close friend and him, He and his mom are blind, but they have so much faith! And as we were walking him home, he said that no other church has really felt like this, and that he thinks this is the true church! What an incredible experience! It really shows how important going to church is, because it is the best and most important day of the week!

We have some awesome investigators right now that are taking some awesome steps forward and who are just plain awesome people! They will really strengthen the branch as well! I'm so excited for the work in Fier, and all over the world, but mainly Fier ;) haha.

I went on an exchange this week! Which kinda made the week feel WAY longer. but it was cool :) It was a really good experience! I was with Elder Morava for a day! He is awesome and an incredible missionary!! He is Albanian so he doesn't have to break that cultural barrier and the Albanians really respect him, I'm still working on earning my respect haha but it takes time!

I'm not sure what else to talk about, but Albania is awesome, and I love it and I find new things that I love every day! It really is a great place and I love the people here! And the food! It really is an amazing place to serve and I love being a part of this mission and this work!!

Well I hope you have an awesome week!

Love
Elder Sajmëns

April 28, 2014

Hey Everyone!

Another week in Fier! I love Fier, it is so great here! The people are awesome, the language is some of the clearest spoken Albanian, as far as dialect goes, in the country and the food is really good! There are a couple places that I really like! First there is Green Doors (not it's actual name don't think, but that's what we call it) and it has some really good souvalaki! Supposedly the best in the mission, but I haven't tried many other places (just 1 haha) and that's not everyone's opinion! but It's good so whatever haha. Another mission wide and apparently nation wide favorite is Pizza Roma, but I prefer one right across the street called Pizza Italia! it's good stuff! and then right by Pizza Italia, is a really good Burek stand! and I love it all! hahah.

On to more important things! The branch is doing awesome! we had 60 at church yesterday, including 15 investigators, I think! I love all the members, and I am so thankful with their patience as I try to learn this language! haha I wanna speak it so bad, but it's so hard!! oh man! but it's slowly coming I think! haha We have some awesome investigators right now, some new ones, and some that are close to baptism! We have one investigator, Saimir, and he has been investigating for a few months, 8 I think. And he has a baptismal date this Saturday! we are so excited for him and that he is taking this leap of faith! We have some other investigators who were just ready for the Gospel, and they are accepting it so fast. It is incredible to see and it is such an honor to be a tool in the Lord's hands during their conversions! I love them so much! We are really excited for the coming weeks and all the work that we will have the opportunity to do! Especially since this transfer started off pretty slow since we were white washing! but we have some work to do now and it feels so incredible! I love this work!

I have been noticing a lot of emphasis on family history the past few days! and I have felt a much stronger desire to get into family history! It can play a huge role in introducing the church to people and planting those seeds, or even harvesting and giving people the opportunity to learn from the missionaries about all that Christ and our Heavenly Father has done for them and wants for them! So I would encourage you all to start looking into your family history and start learning about your ancestors! myfamilysearch.org.

So I told you all that I started reading Our Heritage in the MTC, well I stopped for a while cause I had other things to study, and I didn't realize how much I could learn from it! It is amazing, I finished it last week and I feel the Spirit so strong when I read that book!! And I feel a much deeper appreciation for all the Latter-Day Saints before me! and all that they did for the Kingdom of God! The church has an incredible history in these latter days.

I am so happy to be here at this time serving the Lord! It is the place that I am supposed to be! and I feel so honored and wonderful to be serving, and to wear the name badge that I wear! This really is God's work and I love serving everyday!

A quote that I found in an awesome little quote book I got from my parents for Christmas, this week that I really like was by Galileo and it says "You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help them find it within himself" As missionaries we don't convert people to the gospel, and we teach about the gospel and the restoration and about God's plan for us, but the Spirit converts and they learn about the truthfulness of the things we teach, by the Spirit and for themselves. We as members don't know everything. This earthly life is to learn and grow, but we do have the truth, and we need to help others find it for and within themselves. That's our jobs as missionaries, and as President McKay said "every member a missionary!"

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

Elder Sajmëns

P-day Capture the Flag

April 21, 2014

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all had an awesome week, an awesome Easter and an awesome Pesach! I had a good Easter Sunday and had to give a talk... haha in Albanian...it went well, is what I would say if I wanted to lie! Oh and don't lie (2 Nephi 9:34 something I learned in the MTC haha).  No it wasn't a complete train wreck but it was pretty rough! hahah. But It's over now and there is only room to improve for next time! Fier is awesome! It is a beautiful place! And the people are still warm and friendly! The weather was supposed to be warming up, but the past few days, except today have been really cold! haha and by that I mean sweater weather, nothing like Rexburg or real cold places, më vjen shumë keq for those of you in cold places haha. But it has been good! Only downside to the cold is it makes street contacting less successful!

We have been doing a lot of finding people! We don't have many investigators right now, because we're whitewashing, but the investigators we do have are progressing! which is awesome! We have several on baptismal dates and hopefully they'll be ready in time! But we can always move the date if they're not! We have talked to, what I think are very potential investigators and I'm hoping that the work will start to pile on, a sentence I never thought I'd say before my mission! hahah But I've never quite done a work like this!

My district is awesome! I love them so much! Each missionary (there are 6 of us) is so cool and offers something different to the table for me to learn from! I feel so privileged to be working with them! It'd be pretty ridiculous if I came out of this transfer the way I came in because there are so many growing and learning opportunities! My trainer, Elder Ostërgard is so funny! and such a hard working missionary! He's definitely the trainer I needed and Heavenly Father knew that haha.

The language is so hard! haha But I haven't been getting discouraged though, which is good, and something I really learned how to do from my MTC teachers! Who are awesome!! But my comprehension really has gotten a lot better, and so has my speaking, but it's still harder for me to speak than it is to comprehend. Some people speak super fast though! and it's hard to understand hahah! But it's improving as I knew it would :)

I guess that's it for this week. I hope you all have an awesome week! And that you will be able to recognize the blessings in your life. Everything that is good in this life, comes from God, our Heavenly Father, remember that.

Much Love,

Elder Sajmëns

The view from our Apartment

Apartment

Week 2 in Fier (and a little rushed for time)

Hey!

I'm really rushed on time for today, especially with the emailing haha. However I'm doing good and I'm still loving it here! My district is awesome, and they are all such good missionaries, and I am learning from them all in different ways. They are such good examples to have! The branch is doing well! And I love them so much! Our investigators kept most of their commitments this week! YAY! some of them are really showing progression!!! and I'm so excited for them!! I do have to go though, but I'm doing well and hopefully I'm doing well for the people of Fier! The church is true!

Til Next week! sorry! I'll try to be more time sensitive next week, even though I said that last week!!

Elder Sajmëns