58th pday email from Albania!

Dear Precious Souls,

I can't fully express it of how rewarding it is when working for the Lord when you give it all to him. I literally saw so many miracles this week from the new people we found to the lessons we taught. THE SPIRIT WAS SO PRESENT IN OUR LESSONS! I know this was with out a doubt a week planned out by the Lord. These are such precious souls. I see how the Lord has put such great trust in his missionaries here in Tirane as I have come back here from a year ago.

The work is going forth and I feel that the presence of the Lord with us as we walk the streets here. I know that the Lord is fully aware of what is going on in each of his children's lives. We saw it time and time again as we met with these great investigators that are TRULY exercising their faith every day in their Savior, as well as fabulous members of the church.

I know that the Lord has blessed me in so many ways. One of the biggest blessings that I have received as I had arrived in this new area and throughout the week is my new companion, Sister D. She is someone that has taught me so much about how I can gain a deeper relationship with my Father in Heaven and how this is completely the Lord's work and not ours and we do all we can to sacrifice for the Lord's work as well as by giving it all to him. 

Something that has been such a great lesson from her this week was that to really teach people we have to really think outside the box and you don't take rejection the first time as your finally answer. You keep pushing until you reach the point where the Lord knows they can be stretched. I know and can testify that it is the same for us. We are being stretched every  single day of our lives. 

There are times where we seriously think we cannot even go any further, but we then are able to see afterward how much we have accomplished. That is when we begin to see the Lord knows us and knows exactly what he is doing and what is best for us. I know that looking throughout my mission I have seen so much stretching and growing and it testified that he loves me so much and he loves all of his children and knows them individually by name.

One woman this week was an example of someone that the Lord sent our way. She is a less active that was baptized about 5 years ago and then stop coming. We got a text from a YSA member in another ward that she talked with her and said that she wanted to meet with missionaries again and wanted to come back to church. We took the initiative right away and called her.

We met with her the next day. Oh my goodness! The Lord truly has taught me while we met with her not just that day but every single day we met with her this week. I never seen such anguish and tears and sorrow that has come from a person and feeling like they are at the end of their rope, until this girl. I know that Sister D and I were meant to teach her and bring her unto Christ. And as we met with her, her countenance changed every day and the light of Christ has filled her soul. Not saying she is back to normal, but having daily contact with her, the change is happening and she is becoming stronger (physically and spiritually). Her light flame is being rekindled.

With her, there is so much to her story, but what I can say in a brief testimony is that, she is of such great importance to her Father in Heaven and has roles to play in building up his church and the kingdom of God. I know this due to the hardships and trials that Satan throws into her path every day. 

Even when meeting with us, she is still being bombarded by Satan and his darkness trying to envelope her. But I know that as she continues to read and pray and go to church like she did this past week, She WILL be protected. And she WILL soar above the clouds of her sorrows that she has been facing. And one day she will look back and truly see how far she has stretched and overcame and how the Lord was with her the whole way.

I know that this gospel is one of strength. With Christ, we literally can do anything and everything. It when we rely on Christ, his light remains with us and his spirit throughout everyday. So when the trails come, we can keep moving forward and accomplish all that our father in heaven has in store for us to do.

I know that He lives!!

Motra Bezas