Blessings!

çkemi?!

This has been such an awesome week! Everything is really starting to fly by though and someone wrote on the board that said 13 days till we are in Albania and that was kinda freaky but I'm sure it will be awesome! So starting at last P Day, TRC continues to be one of my favorite times here in the MTC we were supposed to give a 40 min lesson but we could have gone for like ever! We basically just led a discussion about faith with 3 RM's so it was really cool to hear their perspective and all that stuff! 

Then Friday was Friday the 13th and honestly a crazy Friday the 13th thing happened that we were all just laughing about it... So there is this grate that covers like a 20 ft drop down to some gravel rocks around some stairs next to the mail room and one of the elders in my zone tried to throw his apple core into the trash can and his ring came off with it, bounced off the trashcan and into the grate! Everyone was like freaking out and pretty much our entire zone was there! So we are all looking down at it and one Elder leans down too far and his comb drops out of his shirt pocket and lands balanced and the grate and he was like *whew* and reached down and grabbed it but then his ID card which you swipe to get into anywhere fell out of his pocket and went through the grate! LIKE WHAT!!!! At this point everyone is essentially in tears at how hard we are laughing because its just like how is this possible! So then this kid pulls out his keys and is like alright everyone throw something in we all need to be invested at this point! And so I grab my ID card which is attached to my keyring with my key and consecrated oil and pull it out and am like "YA!" but I forgot the hole in my ID card is broken so the keyring slid out flew into the air and then landed in the grate! It was insane! I honestly don't think I have laughed that hard at any point in my life! It was just so crazy how it all happened! Later we just got a security guard to go down with a ladder and grab them for us, we were thinking about using fishing line and duct tape though for a little! 

Also I saw Celeste here at the MTC so that was funny, I guess she just started working here! Then Saturday was PI day actually the ultimate PI day since it was 3.14 15, that's right everyone be excited! 

Then Sunday was awesome...I finished the BoM and prayed and just asked for a strengthened testimony in the BoM that I can truly testify to people of it and as soon as a said that it was like WHOOSH just hit me, holy cow, talk about ask and you will receive! I know that the BoM is true and that is the most correct book here on earth! If you haven't read and prayed about it, I challenge you to because if you do you will not be able to deny the feelings you have! Sunday was also kinda a sad day though because McBride Nover (Sister McBride) had to go home because of her shoulder so ya she's back in Meridian now, I hope that everything works out for her, she was really stressed here. On my temple walk I saw Kenedee which was pretty cool we got to talk for a bit and it was nice to see a friend! Sunday night was awesome though, so I don't know if I have told you yet but we have a bunch of Brazilians on our floor and they are so fun! They honestly do crazy things all the time. Sunday was their last night here so I stayed up with them for a bit and it was just a great night talking to them! I also got some awesome stuff passed down from them, like 2 ties! 

Then Monday I finally figured that stinking puzzle out! Holy cow there are only 3 steps to get it but that took me a while!  :) 

Then Tuesday was really an awesome day! In the morning we built a fort out of all the furniture in our sitting area and we had like a mini nerf war and it was so fun! Then that night was like the most awesome devotional ever. It was Don R. Clark of the Seventy and he basically gave 10 key things for our mission, and just life! His 1st point was love and he said happiness comes when you learn to care more about others than yourself. Another point was Faith in Jesus Christ which leads to action and he stressed that diligence is much more important than intelligence which is exactly the opposite of my high school experience so that will be a change for me! Then he talked about knowing who you really are and he told a story about a missionary who didn't have a big testimony in the priesthood and then he was called on to give a blessing to a girl who was really sick and he was prompted to heal her twice and so he did and she just got straight up! Like wow! His final point was to enjoy the journey, that no one could make you unhappy it was a choice. He also said always happy but never content. Like we should always be striving to get better! Another one of his points that I'd like to challenge you to was to always have a BoM with you. I don't think that it needs to be ALWAYS but like in your car glovebox or at work or something just have it there and I know that if you are prepared to share it with someone the Lord will give you the opportunity to! Do you think he is just going to let it sit around and gather dust? No way! He also said that we are a missionary now and he challenged us that we need to have placed a BoM before we get into the field so you better believe I'll be looking to do that! Another thing that he challenged us to do that I really appreciated was to keep a revelation journal on you always and to write down spiritual experiences! 

Yesterday I really found out how well I'm doing compared to the rest of the class because we did a group activity where it was like a branch council meeting where we talk about our investigators in Albanian! We haven't really done a set group language thing like that until then but to be honest I'm doing awesome! Like I felt a little bad for some people because I didn't know but I'm just so grateful that I was given the gift of tongues because I know I'm not all that good but I am doing very well for where I am at! Then last night we got into the pillow room! (Pictures inc.) It was so awesome! It is basically what every missionary hopes to do while they are here! 

Sorry this was a long letter! Just a really good week! Also I get flight plans tomorrow!!! YAAAAAAAAAA. Also my nickname is Elder Thuggie which is awesome! I love you all! Don't be losers and not follow through on some easy challenges I threw down! 

Jap koken time per ju!!

Adam's Zone is comprised of Albanian, Hungarian, Baltic Mission Estonian speaking and Finland.

Fort they made in their sitting area for nerf wars. :)

Apparently he accomplished what every missionary aspires to do in the MTC...break into the pillow room! :)
(those big bags in the back are full of pillows)

St. Patty's Day!  That tie is called stain-glass floral. :)

Pra...

March 12, 2015

Pretty awesome week! So Ariza made it through her surgery and is doing awesome! She is back in class and everything, it is such a blessing! Also the Finns have been settling into the schedule and they are becoming more comfortable here and fun to talk to so that's awesome! It definitely makes it easier to be here when you are thinking about other people which makes me even more excited for the field because that's what I will be doing!

 On Thursday we taught TRC and it went really well and I felt the spirit in Albanian! It was way cool like I understood what the guy we were teaching was talking about well enough to get a central message out of it and the spirit was definitely there. Then Friday we were talking about our investigator that has a baptismal date and we were thinking about moving it forward and our teacher heard us and came and started asking us with questions and ended up talking to just our companionship for like an hour and a half in English and I honestly walked out of that lesson feeling like my mission was changed because of what she said. Basically she starting looking at our investigator record and asked if he truly had a testimony of those things and we were kinda just like umm idk and she talked to us about how even for English speaking missionaries this happens where they get too focused on getting through the lessons just to check them off and not focusing on what that investigator needs to experience lasting conversion. Apparently when she was there the activity rate in Albania was 40% because of this. She said that our testimonies are like a forest of trees sharing the same roots, some of our trees are redwoods and some of them are saplings (meaning specific gospel doctrines we have a stronger testimony in some than others). But that our investigators need to have at least a sapling for every doctrine or lesson that we teach. She talked about how one of the big problems is asking the wrong questions, we can't ask things like "do you understand?" or "do you have any questions?" because if they are completely not getting it they don't know if they don't understand or if they have questions and she gave us the example of how in class she will be talking in Albanian and she asks if we understand and we say yes even though sometimes we really don't. Honestly I know I'm butchering the message but I hope I'm getting some of what I learned across and I know it mostly applies just to missionary work but for real if that had been a devotional it was the best one I heard since I have been here like the message just really hit deep for me. The next day we went into the lesson with our investigator and it went amazing and I think a lot of what helped was that message! This last Sunday was the first where I had to start writing my talk in Albanian and it actually was much easier than I thought it would be especially because it only has to be 3 min! On Monday we got to go to the Police Station as a district because they just changed some things for the visas to Albania or something so they had to do background checks for us and it was kinda fun but kinda sad because we drove past B9 and all these different places I love. I did get sick this week with a head cold and still kinda have it which kinda stinks but its alright! Honestly I am so incredibly blessed to be with the Elders that I am with! They are all so cool and we are all friends and it just makes for an awesome time! On Tuesday we got to hear from Elder Cook of the 12! It was awesome, like you could just feel his spirit! I don't think that his whole talk was really meant for me but there were a couple things where I was like wohhhh just really felt the spirit. When he closed he was starting his testimony and I got hit with one of those listen ups the spirit has been giving me here and during his testimony he said, "because of experiences too sacred to share I know that Christ leads this church, I know his voice and I know that he lives." WOH it was like dang the church is true! Honestly he just slipped in that he knew the Saviors voice and the spirit totally testified of it to me! It was awesome! On Wednesday I hosted this elder and his older brother gets out of the car and has long hair and hipster classes and just looks like a pretty awesome guy and he asked where I was serving so I said Albania and he was like no way! I went to Hungary! All my best friends in the MTC were Albanians I still talk to those guys! And I was like hey me too! So that was kinda cool that he still stayed in contact with his friends from his zone in the MTC! Also I saw Sister Daly this week so that was pretty funny! Kyra sent me a letter this week and it was wayyy awesome like seriously made my week! She included a bunch of really powerful quotes in it and honestly it was just awesome! I also got some really awesome packages from Grandma and Grandpa Moss and the Fragas which was really nice!! In Grandma and Grandpas package they had some really awesome quotes in theirs that I loved too!  I got emails from Kyra, Grant, Cameron, Trevor, Austin, Brittany Hallam, Emma, Taryn, and Mallory!

 Also, I am sorry for my awesome friends who are turning into popsicles in all their missions while we are having record warm temperatures here in Utah -  but honestly they are the biggest comfort for me out here, whenever I'm missing home or feeling down I just think about Cameron, Trevor, and Austin and how they are all out doing the same thing and they are just huge boosts for me!  I am so lucky to have them! 

I love you all and am so grateful for all the mail you send me it is such a moral boost I appreciate you all taking the time to do it! 

New Finns

March 5, 2015

 So we hit our half way point last Friday (here at the MTC)! It's really starting to feel like time is flying here.. and I am not sure I know enough Albanian to do this but I know the Lord will provide. Then Sunday was really awesome because it was testimony meeting and all the Finns were leaving on Monday and so a lot of them got up and bore their testimony to us, it was really sad but a really powerful meeting! Seeing them off was really sad the next morning but we're excited we will be getting new Finns and we can be examples and a help to them like the old Finns were for us! I got your package on Monday and honestly it made my week! That calendar is so stinking awesome thank you so much! Also one of the Brazilians next to us knew what a thuggie was! He had one too and he was like man now I want my parents to send me mine! That puzzle you sent me may actually take my whole mission to figure out! I also got a letter from Grandma and Grandpa Guymon that was really awesome! Then on Tuesday I got the package of donuts you sent me which was awesome but even more awesome was the note attached! Thank you so much for sharing that it means a lot to me that Grace still thinks about me! Tuesday was kinda a crazy day though because Motra Ariza was getting surgery on Wednesday and she was on hydrocodone all day and she was out of her mind! Last night before we went to bed she had me give her a blessing and oh boy, words can not describe what it's like to give a blessing like that. The last blessing I gave her I really felt the spirit but this time WOW. I think a lot of what changed is I knew that whatever I blessed her with in my blessing Heavenly Father would honor. I opened the prayer and suddenly I had all these promptings in my head of exactly what I needed to say. I could feel the spirit down to my toes! I honestly got out of the room and was like man what would it be like to have that with you all the time! I really want to strive to have that kind of spiritual power.  Let me tell you that the words that I spoke were not my own and that when she went in to her surgery I wasn't even worried because Heavenly Father told me she would be alright. It sounds like everything went well from the surgery and she will be getting back today so I am really hoping to see her! Another awesome thing that happened Tuesday was we had a great devotional by the same guy who spoke to Trevor! Elder Evans! The part where the spirit really told me that this was for me was actually his wife though! She told a story about how she only knew how to say good morning in Japanese (they were mission presidents) but every week the elders would ask her if she had found anyone they could teach that week but she always said she didn't even speak the language. One day she realized she just needed to get out there so she began to go on morning walks and just say good morning to everyone see she saw and she ended up talking to someone who spoke English, hooked them up with the missionaries, and they ended up getting baptized! What I really got out of that is that I really am not going to speak the language well, and I am not that great at meeting new people but I need to work on just saying hi to everyone and not being nervous to talk to people about the gospel. I have already started working on it here in the MTC! Wednesday was a pretty awesome day! We went to go skype and were set up to teach an Albanian member and we called her and she said hi and then waved over these two guys she said were her friends and she said one of them was investigating the church right now! Oh man our teacher was watching us at that moment and his eyes got huge and he was like oh man that's your first investigator so naturally we were freaking out! It was really frustrating because we can actually understand the language pretty well now but the sound was so bad on the call we basically had no idea what they were saying the whole time. We got a message across and then at the end they started laughing and pulled out their name tags and it turns out they are missionaries oh man that was a dirty trick!!! Our teacher couldn't even understand them either so it was good to know it wasn't just us! Then we got to go host new kids which is when we go out to the curb and do what Jake Hart did for me! It was actually really fun there are so many different families out there it's funny to see how they all deal with their goodbyes. Luckily I didn't have to host any sisters because they pretty much all just start bawling and I'm going to be honest I would have no idea what to do. Then that night we got to go and meet the new Finns! There are 2, count them 2, Australians! What are the odds,  this means that every Sister in the radius of their voice swoons! :) There is also a guy I recognize from BYU but I don't really remember how exactly. I am really excited to help them get comfortable here and become friends with them! Anyway I love you all so much and I love the mail I get from you! The church is true and no one will ever be able to convince me otherwise! This week I got 2 packages from my parents, a letter from Grandma and Grandpa Guymon, and email from Kyra, Kristina, Grandpa Guymon, Berdo, Emma, Grayland, Taryn, Cameron, Trevor, and Austin! 

Adam ran into Riley Billings at the temple.