Christmas Day email (12th pday email from Albania!)

(In Motra Bezas's mission, they did not have a p-day [prep-day] on the usual day during Christmas week - some missions do, some don't. For hers, instead, they had it on Christmas day, plus being able to Skype with family. It was SO good to see Motra Bezas and hear her voice! But this below contains portions from her email she also sent that day.)

This week was an amazing experience of Christmas spirit. This time of the year is always so good for many different reasons. One is it is a time of family and happy memories. Another is of loving and giving and thinking outward. Another is the Christ. The last one is the whole purpose of why we have this precious time to celebrate together. He is Christmas. He is the first gift. He is the most precious gift we can cherish every time we come around this time of the year and along with the rest of the year. 

Something I learned so much about this time of the year is that there is something that comes with the season. A sweet spirit that softens hearts. I see it as we talk to those during this Christmas season. I honestly love sharing the wonderful message of our Savior. Especially through the Christmas video, "He is the Gift". I LOVE THE SPIRIT THAT COMES WITH THE VIDEO. Every single time without fail. And seeing that as we share this video with others, their lives are being changed forever.

I love this gospel and am so grateful for being saved for this time to serve in this mission. I know that God is our Heavenly Father and that He knows us and what our true potential is. And He wants us to reach that potential. That is why we go through the experiences that we do because he knows that it will get us to where we need to be. I know that Because of Him, I am who I am and where I will go in the future.

So something that also was good was the Stake Christmas Concert. It was such a great opportunity to have people come and feel the spirit and how strong of a testimony about Christ.

The seamstress that made our Christmas dresses came to the concert since we were wearing them for that. It was so amazing to have her there since she is not a member. She loved the concert. She is such an amazing person.

So this last week we also received a new family. A mother and two daughters. They are so sweet and adorable. They are open to our message we have. As we shared the He is the Gift video for them, they loved it! 

Transfers are around the corner and I am so excited to see where I will go. If I will stay or go, I know that is where I am supposed to be. I know that He knows best and knows where and who I need to be. I have been so blessed to be in the 4th ward of Tirana. The members are amazing. I love them so much!

I love this gospel with all my heart! Thank you all for your support!

Motra Bezas

11th pday email from Albania!

How crazy it is to think about how Christmas is next week. That my wonderful, inspiring, lovely, precious, and even-so-much-more Trainer is going home on the 30th of this month. I love Sister L with all my heart. This is just an amazing example how that because I made the choice to serve a mission here in the Adriatic South Mission, I am being so blessed with people and experiences that will be with me throughout my whole life. AHHHH! I just love my mission! I love the people I come in contact with!

This week was amazing! I learned so much. First, President gave us a goal to have 20 lessons for this week. This was an awesome challenge that Sister L and I took to heart and accepted to do our best efforts to achieve that goal everyday as we planned. As we put forth the effort, we noticed how the hand of the Lord was working in our lives. It was just another witness how if we put forth that effort in the Lord, He is ALWAYS going to help us. More than we think we even need.

I saw this also when I went on my exchange this week with the Sister Training Leaders. They are such gifts to the sisters of this mission. I am eternally grateful for their wisdom, insights, and example they give us everyday. I love them with all my heart. I see how much they want to do God's will. I strive to inherit that trait in my life, along with the others that they have. As I was with Sister B, I learned honestly so much. Especially in the training. We talked about how choice and accountability go hand in hand and how when we gain responsibility, we need to do our part and not make excuses for the things that we don't end up doing what was asked of us.

Something else that happen was that this last week we were able to meet with this girl that is from France... WAIT WHAT? I know! crazy to think that all the way in Albania a person could teach someone from France. Anyway, so we gave her a French Book of Mormon and she told us right off she was not interested in joining but was just curious about our church (She is a strong Catholic). As we taught her about prayer, the spirit was so strong. I could feel God's love for her and how He wants to hear from her. It is like that with all of His children. We ALL matter to HIM!

So this last Sunday I gave my first talk ever. It was about Christmas (Krishtlindje). Well, half way through, the mic went out and it was really funny actually! I love the people of our ward. I love this gospel. The spirit that it brings is one of the best feelings and joys that I have felt in my life. I am so grateful for my Savior and that because of the Atonement, others can start fresh again.

Thank you for all your love and support. :)

Motra Bezas

 This is a copy of a talk she recently gave.

10th pday email from Albania!

Dear Everyone,

This week was amazing! I just love this new movement for the video, "He Is The Gift." It literally is something that without fail brings the spirit in and witnesses that Jesus is the Son of God. That He IS the gift. That while we go through this Christmas season, we should remember the Savior and what he gave and did for us. 

This last Saturday was just amazing. Having all the missionaries in Tirana come together for group street contacting was amazing! A girl that we contacted on the street, we brought her to see "He Is The Gift" video, and she LOVED it! As soon as the video was over, she asked when she could become a member. She is in her first year of college and is moving here to Tirana. She also asked for all the activities that they are doing at the institute. We also were blessed to have a young single adult member that was able to already circle her in. She says she wants a fresh start and make friends. She was awesome! Once we finished the video and began to walk out, she asked if she could get a tour of all the paintings they had at the institute. The spirit was so strong as we were with her the whole time.

I just love this gospel. I saw it more this week as we were at Zone Conference. Something that the Zone Leaders said that I loved - when it came to our goals - is that, "we get to be excited to go out and do something with them." We then discussed as a Zone how we all can work together and to have us all "Lift Where You Stand".

We also discussed how we can reach our goal we have as a Zone for baptisms is to work even harder to be EXACTLY obedient. So one of the challenges that the Sister Training Leaders gave us was that we should start at the beginning of The White Missionary Handbook and go through how we can improve with each rule and what ones can we become better at. We have started that for Motra L and me, and we have already seen blessings from that. Something that the Sister Training Leaders said that I loved was, "We can't live a Telestial Law and receive Celestial Glory."

So, Something awesome that happened this week was that we saw the hand of the Lord a TON! First, the family we are working with are now back on their baptismal date for December 24! I LOVE THEM WITH ALL MY HEART! I pray everyday everything will be smooth sailing for them for their baptismal date. Something else amazing that happened with them is that we met some of their relatives at times when we visit. It is such neat experience every time. They are all fire crackers of energy. I just love them all! But the last time was unique experience.

We went over to visit and an aunt was visiting with her daughter that lives in Italy. She had a daughter that was 9 years old. She was so cute. Well, the mother for the family we are teaching had to talk with her sister and couldn't be in the lesson and so we taught the kids. Well, the 9 year old from Italy didn't know a ton of Albanian. This was the first time I was just at a stand still. I couldn't talk to her in English or Albanian. I felt like my hands were tied behind my back. It was the weirdest experience I have had. Not like I know Albanian that well, but I couldn't even communicate with her that way either.

I just had a small prayer in my heart that she could feel and recognize the spirit or whatever the Lord needed her to see. I knew one thing for sure by the end of that lesson. Two things actually. She was listening, even though she couldn't fully understand. And two, a seed was planted. I just thought of my friend serving in Italy and I just thought, "I hope someone, like her, can find her and whoever else in her family that is ready to hear the gospel."

Another experience has to do with the hand of the Lord as well. We had a lesson with a girl set up to meet with us at 4pm the next day. But when the day came, she called saying she was not going to make it. Well a few hours later we get a call from one of our recent converts that I talked about before asked if she could have a lesson at 4pm. Talk about the Lord taking care of us. :)

I love this gospel. I just love this gospel with all my heart. I will never get tired of saying it because It has changed my life. I see it more and more when I speak with others about it. I stand as a witness that this is the true and living gospel of Jesus Christ. That through Him we can begin again. That there is a hope and a light we can follow as we go throughout each and everyday!

Thank you for all that you all do. It makes such an amazing impact in my life! 

Motra Bezas :)

Une ju dua ju shume (I love you all very much)

A quote Motra Bezas worked on translating

 Making Christmas cards as a service to others

 How wonderful that one of Motra Bezas's MTC companions in the states

is serving in the same area right now, in the same district!

9th pday email from Albania!

This last week was a great week of gratitude. The Thanksgiving Conference we had this last week as a whole mission was amazing. The spirit was SO STRONG! I have been spiritually uplifted and have been moved to a new plain of perspective of my life and my purpose as a missionary and as a child of God. One thing out of the many wonderful things the mission president's wife said was, "We should forget what we want as we are here serving the Lord." This is HIS work and HIS time. And as missionaries we need to really forget ourselves and go to work. The spaces we cannot fill or do, God does. He knows we can't do this on our own. There is no way we could. That is where the expression of "Seeing the Hand of Lord" comes in. It is just up to us to pray that we can see His love and His goodness at work as we work as His servants in His vineyard. I know that God lives and that God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son (John 3:16). Because He did this, we can return to Him. WOW! Talk about a love He has for each and everyone of His children.

Okay so there is a video that the church has come out with that is called "He Is the Gift". (http://www.mormon.org/christmas) 

IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THIS WELL DONE FILM, GO WATCH IT NOW!!!!! The He Is The Gift video was such a testimony builder for me that Jesus is the Christ. That He IS Christmas! That because of Him, we can celebrate the true meaning of joy during the wonderful holiday season. I felt the urgent seriousness as missionaries to share of this marvelous video to all those we come in contact with.

So this week a few things happen that were such cool experiences. "God knows you. We all need to gain the knowledge that God knows about us and what we can do!" That was something that was said at Mission Conference by Sister Jill E. Dyches. When she said this, I found it to be very profound but also so true as I have gone through my day. This week especially. For example, a recent convert we are teaching is just beyond amazing. She is one of those we call the "Elect" or part of the "Chosen Generation". Anyway, we had a lesson with her and in the lesson she had a question not relating to the topic but was really inspired about Patriarchal Blessings. We said we would love to teach her about them. So when it came time for the next lesson, we made sure the lesson answered to her needs and questions. WOW! Can I say that spirit was so strong as we taught. Such a great calm of peace. She is so interested in getting one now! Something that she said near the end of the lesson was so inspired. "I know we were supposed to meet right now." AHHH! It is SO awesome to be a missionary. Something she said also after the lesson was that she looks forward to our lessons all week!

That honestly just made our day! Another example, we went to visit a less active. Well, when we got there just the grandmother was there and she normally is the hardest to get to. She hasn't come to church since I have at least been here. But this time, her heart was completely open. She told us her sister had cancer. The scripture we felt impressed to share was honestly inspired because as we read it, tears began to flow to her eyes.

These two experiences really struck with the quote above for me because God knew Motra L and me, and that through studying the scriptures and seeing our purpose as missionaries here in this ward, He then gave us the revelation to teach the things for these people and have them grow closer to Him.

I honestly love this gospel. WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING. If it were not for it, I would not be the person that I am. I am grateful that we have a living prophet for today and if it weren't for the Prophet Joseph Smith, we wouldn't have had the Book of Mormon. This Book is the word of God. I see it everyday as I open and read it. No can be fully converted to this gospel, unless they have taken the time to read and to know and gain a knowledge that it is true. That it is the word of God.

Thank you again for all your love and comfort. You are all amazing!

Motra Bezas 

Motra Bezas found a substitute for her beloved Nutella! :)

 Having a meal with the other sisters in her district.

 So fun to find The Grinch Who Stole Christmas in Albanian!

 With her amazing mission companion, Sister L.

 With Motra W, another amazing missionary.

 Two more sister missionaries - one about ready to go home...

 Missionaries eating together for Thanksgiving Day.