55th pday email from Albania!

Dear Precious Gems of God,

If I could capture the main message of this week in one statement it would be:

   The Gospel Brings Miracles and As We Receive Blessings of Experiences It Is Because The Lord Has Great Trust in Us To Do Great Things In Those Special Experiences.

This week was just AMAZING! I have never felt so tired and physically draining this week while receiving such great outpourings of the spirit in our lessons and personal and companionship studies and finding so many of his lost sheep. Not to mention the small to massive miracles this week in between fitting in all the cracks.

IT IS THE GOSPEL THAT MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO TRULY RECEIVE ALL THAT THE FATHER HAS IN STORE FOR US!

I know that this week we saw that so much while we have been working in a new area here in the Gypsy area. I LOVE THESE PEOPLE SO MUCH!!! And this week the Lord blessed us with such chosen people. We were walking back from a Lesson with our investigators in the Gypsy neighborhood and a group of three women and their children were walking by us and asked why we were here often in this neck of the woods. (We kind of stick out... a lot haha) We told them who we were visiting and we were teaching lessons about Jesus Christ. The next words that came out of their mouth were simply, "Why then don't you come over to our house tomorrow." They then explained where they lived and set a returning appointment.

I testify that the Lord truly is watching over his Children and I know that he sent them to us to bring them closer to Christ.

The Next day we taught them about Prayer and The Book of Mormon a little bit. These people have such a low education or no schooling sometimes, but want to come to know their Savior more. As we taught them, the spirit that was in this humble home was amazing. It was a constant peace.

As we were leaving the home Sister R told me later she heard the voice of the spirit tell her as we said goodbye to them, "Take Care of Them". As I write this now that I know that Lord spoke to my companion of his true love and appreciation for these people.

Something that we both commented on was that we never had to work to have the spirit in their home as we do their lessons. It is already there.

I remember it was two nights later we felt we needed to show the Restoration Dvd last minute change of plans in the lesson and it was a sight to be seen. As a little background to this family: it a gypsy family of all relations in one home. You name it - they have grandparents and in-laws and sons and daughters and their spouses and their kids and their kids kids in the home. So when we pulled out the dvd player and showed the Restoration, all the kids and lot of the family huddled together to see it. Tears were brought to my eyes at how tender these spirit were and are to know the truth from all different ages.

I know that these people are very chosen and elect ones. I know that there is something special about these people. Sister R and I talked about this. Yes, the spirit is in their home and the Love of God is so special there but there is something else there that is very special.

I know that the Lord has opened the door to a whole new culture. It finally hit me this week that I was sent here to teach these people and others as well and that this is just the beginning to bringing more souls to Christ.

Remember the worth of Souls is great in the sight of God.

Love, Motra Bezas

More pictures from her beloved Albania!

54th pday email from Albania!

Dear Loved Ones,

THE GOSPEL IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!

I know that God lives and he loves us. I learned that more this week. I gained a deeper witness how he has so much for us to learn and grow and give us through buckets and buckets of blessings that he is desiring to pour upon us in our lives.  

This week we had some amazing spiritual up and down experiences that I will keep with me the rest of my life. The only part that is sad is that I don't have all the time in the world to tell all of them to you.

This week I got to do an exchange with Sister D. It was great to serve back in my first area after all this time. Sister D is amazing. We had such spiritual discussions. I know that the Lord called her here to this mission for a specific purpose that no one can even do. She is an example of each of the missionaries that are serving here in the Adriatic South mission. We each are here with specific roles while bringing souls to Christ.

As we taught together I was taught over and over again that the Lord is preparing his Children. I knew that these were chosen precious souls that were ready to have the gospel into their lives.

It was amazing I also got see M and E while I was visiting there!!

We had the wonderful opportunity to have two General Authorities from the 70 come that night and the next day to teach the stake and as well as the missionaries.

THE SPIRIT THAT WAS THERE!! WOW! It was amazing!!!

We had a meeting just with the missionaries and the General Authorities, and we were seriously taken to a higher plane of spirituality.

They taught that we are in the beginning stages here and that we are making church history here. Something amazing Elder Nielsen said was that when we follow the leaders of the church, we are promised that we will be leaded to the presence of the Father.

Probably one of the biggest things I learned from this whole boost of the spirit was two things...

One, Don't restrict the Lord from blessing us. We only know certain amount of what the Lord can do when the Lord knows a million ways to bless us and to provide the way. Don't restrict the Lord's plan of Salvation and all that he has planned for us specifically. Let us have patience and let the Plan come forth in its due time and let it have success. - Elder Dikes.

Two, You are going to be a different person when you go home if you did your mission right by giving everything to the Lord. (Something also he said I loved) Are we going to have hard times on our missions and in life? YES! It is designed to happen this way. As we are here on our missions, we burn off our impurities and become the leaders and examples the Lord needs us to be for his people.

I know that the teachings that were taught were needed at that time. I knew they were words and teachings from our Lord and Savior for us that he loves us so much.

LOVE YOU ALL! REMEMBER HE IS ALWAYS THERE IN TIME OF NEED!!

Motra Bezas

More of her beloved Albania!

53rd pday email from Albania!

Dear Precious Gems,

I Know that God lives. He really is our kind gracious Heavenly Father. He loves us more than we can even imagine. I testify that the power of the Atonement is real. Everyday we can start again and rise from our sorrows. I know that He is pleading every single day for us to come unto him. I know that as soon as we do, we began to truly see all that he has in store for us. 

From this General Conference I learned so much. One of the biggest things from this conference I wanted to highlight was that as mortals we are not perfect and we can't see truly the big picture, but THROUGH the gift of the Holy Spirit we then begin to see the big picture. I know the spirit is a gift of revelation. It is a gift of tongues. I see it every single day as I teach here in Albania. I know that it is only by the spirit that The Lord's Work is able to go forth. I know that I am far from perfect and as a teacher I am striving more and more to be the teacher that my father in heaven needs me to become every day. But as I am striving every day to become the missionary he needs me to become, the spirit has been there and is with me and my companion as we teach. Together we become a powerful messenger for the truth.

This week, the Lord guided our path as a companionship and personally we have grown every day. An amazing thing from this week was with an experience we had teaching the Restoration. I know that it is through the knowledge of how Christ's church was restored again to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith, that we can gain a witness that we have a Father in Heaven and is constantly watching over us. He even sent his only begotten Son to come and suffer the pains and sins of the world, so that way he and his son could understand us PERFECTLY. 

I have come to find that as we teach this truth and the knowledge that Jesus is the Christ and that he lives, that Satan is most involved in having people NOT become aware of this nor gain that knowledge and that witness through the spirit that what we missionaries teach is true. That we are representing our Lord and Savior and Brother for these people. This week we had an experience of having great adversity with teaching the Restoration.

We are teaching this family of Gypsies. One day it was raining and really windy. I remember when we came into their home, there were a ton of neighbors who were there getting out of the rain. It was chaotic in someways. But throughout the whole thing Sister R and I kept a prayer in our hearts that we could be guided as to how the Lord needed us to teach this lesson.

As the lesson went on, there were moments where it felt as if the spirit was at war with Satan and kept coming and in out of the lesson through great adversity. But as hard as Satan tried, the spirit had triumph! Two experiences with this in the lesson was with Sister R telling the first vision, it was so loud in the house with the storm outside it was almost impossible to hear her say it, but over it all they could hear her voice over the storm just enough to hear the message that the Lord needed them to hear.

Another part was when I was reading the scripture in Moroni 10: 3 - 5:

3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

 4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

As I was reading them this, the wind began to pick up and it almost seemed my voice was swallowed up in it all. I could not really even hear my own voice and began to feel slightly overwhelmed, when I felt a prompting... "Just read it loud and proud. When do you get to say it with such energy and strength this set of verses?" This gave me the confidence to do so with great confidence and boldness.

Sister R and I discussed afterward that we know that there was no mistake the weather was the way it was. Which caused a lot of people around the neighborhood to be in our investigator's home to hear this message. We don't know who needed to hear that message but we knew that the Lord was looking over his children. It was another witness of it.

I know that this gospel is full of miracles and wonders. I know that through Him and of Him the worlds are and were created so that we could come to earth to become like Him. He loves us more than we can comprehend. He is there. On our right hand and our left and His Angels are around about us. ALWAYS (Doctrine and Covenants 84:88).

Our Father is so proud of us as we try every day. That is all that he is asking of us. To keeping trying and to never give up. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and that as we read it we can learn all that the Lord has for us to receive each day as we do so daily.

I know this Gospel is true. I am blessed to be part of this church. Everyday my eyes are open more and more that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the key to eternal happiness and every lasting hope.

Know that you all matter to him! He is always wanting to hear from us through sincere prayer. He is dying to talk with us! All we have to do is to get down on our knees and just talk with him. Anything and Everything! He will be our eternal friend that will never fail us.

All we have to do is just rely on him!

Me Dashurin,

   Motra Bezas

Various pictures from Motra Bezas's beloved Albania...

 

Game night in Albania...playing Serbia

The missionaries stayed inside during the game...but they showed support the best they could! :)

Trying to get a bike in the car...

With some terrific Albanians!

On a very rainy day

 Cozy socks knit by a sweet Albanian grandmother

A cute pomegranate they named Palmy

At a district lunch - a missionary has to eat! :)