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