There and Back Again - An Albanian Tale: 23rd pday email from Albania

Dear Everyone,

This week, wow. My mind has been lifted to a new place of knowledge. This week with Zone Conference, Sister C and I learned so much. The spirit was there and it was intense! I felt SO inspired. The goals we receive each training from our Zone Leaders are called of God and as they show the goals for that month, you feel of God's approval for these goals and as they commit us to them with our verbal YES, they then promise the blessings that will come as we bind ourselves to the commitments we have said YES we will follow.

Something I loved that Sister F said at the Training with Sister S: "God doesn't care much about your comfort - He cares about your growth." They are amazing really. They are just inspirational sisters called of God to touch all of those around them by and through their examples. This simple statement Sister F talked about really stayed with me. It gave me the reminder that I am here as a REPRESENTATIVE of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am NOT here for myself. So I needed to lose myself more in the work and think more outward. I love this Gospel, with all its service and love it brings to every person.

Well, Sister C and I put this to more use of Goals. More than ever before. We desire for all those that are willing to listen to us, that we are here as representatives of Jesus Christ, called of God, to bring others unto him, to fear no man, and look to God for His guidance and Live a life Joy that is hard to find anywhere else.

As we have had these new commitments and goals in our minds as a drive for us, we have seen great success. Especially the hour and half finding everyday. That is just miracles right there waiting to happen. So this last week we decided to walk the streets and talk with anyone who was willing to hear us. There were people put in our path. Some that had been to church before or something else that is connected to our church but have never been back. We got their numbers and told them we would be in touch.

One story was really neat for us and I just wanted to share it with you. We were doing the first part of our 1 hour and a half of finding in the morning and stopped this lady for English Course but then we had found that she had heard the whole story of the Restoration and told us she knew the song, "Joseph Smith's First Prayer", but didn't know the words and then went into singing the whole song through "la la la's". It was such a cool moment to think " Wow, if we hadn't stopped this woman....?" The answers to this question are endless. It is the same with each person we stop.

Something that I noticed when we had Stake Conference is that as I looked out at the congregation, every single one was a recent convert that has been brought into the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the missionaries. I then thought of my question again, "What if missionaries hadn't stopped this person... or this person... or this person?" That is why it is important to follow the promptings of the spirit to say something and reach out to them, you don't know what impacts you will make generations hence.

A cool story that happened this week. We went to visit a lady, and she was REALLY angry and let it out on us. We asked if we could share a scripture with her.

She refused.

We asked if we could at least say a prayer with her.

She refused.

We testified to her of the knowledge of how God is aware of her and that he loves her.

She tore down our testimonies and said something that made it very apparent that she was deeply offended by something and wasn't thinking very clearly. We told her we loved her and would pray for her but she told us to not bother.

We finally hugged her and said we would come by again another time. She said that she is now going to be VERY unavailable and to not bother coming by.

Believe me, as we walked away from that situation with her, it really brought us low. We had another appointment after that and as soon as we got to the door, we said a prayer to bring the spirit back in. Because of the faith we put in, the spirit was there in the next lesson.

For this woman, we prayed for her in our personal and companionship prayers. Well, on Friday we saw her and she was herself again at a choir function for the stake. It was a witness for us that prayers can be answered and that they work wonders and miracles.

The other thing I learned from this situation is that to forgive others always. It is good for your heart and you are more happier. It hurt a little bit of what she told us, but I learned through this experience that we are mortal. We are not perfect and that as missionaries we are here as representatives of Christ and so we need not just to stand there or walk down the streets as he did but BE like was and IS. Meaning love first and forgive.

Something I wanted to finish with something President Weidmann told us at our Zone Conference: the Lord is with you as you go out that door every day. You will feel Him as you walk the streets talking to people.

I have felt that since then and having that with me as a image, as given me a deeper understanding my purpose as a missionary and why I am here.

I love this gospel with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. Jesus Christ is my strength and he is my Salvation now and forever. That is what is so miraculous about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. What we do in this life, we take into the eternities. I think of this life we have here as a preparation class for the eternities to live with our Heavenly Father again. We had Pre-Earth Life to prepare for now and now we are taking the second preparation class of the eternities. I know our Lord and Savior is doing all He can to bring us successfully and safely home.

Know you are loved and are needed. Everyone plays a piece and there are melodies in each one of us. OH IT IS GLORIOUS!

Love, Motra Bezas

Motra Bezas's companion with the Bishop's cat :)