Ç'bëni!!!! Si keni qenë? Me punë? Me shkoll? A jeni të lodhura?
Anyways, this week was awesome!! I'm gonna talk first about some of the stuff I've left out lately! I can't remember if I said this already, but there is this place here called "The Pelican", and it is like this gourmet ice cream and sweets place. Holy cow, it is heavenly. It's super crazy here! We live about a ten minute walk from this Pelican place, and right outside our apartment is this farmer's market where people are selling olives, all kinds of fruits and vegetables, and everything, and then we walk down to the Pelican, and they're playing American music, and they have like the best ice cream I've ever tasted, and these super crazy delicious delectable yummy cakes and baked goods that look like they came right out of Food Network. I'll try to remember to take some pictures next time. You wouldn't believe it. It's so good! And, it's not even that expensive!
In fact, nothing in Shqipëri is expensive. Today, we went to a bakery, bought a loaf of white bread, 6 hot dog buns that were freshly made that day, and are good size, and a croissant with chocolate inside, and it was less than $1.40!!! It's stinkin' cheap here!!!! If anybody starts struggling financially, make your way over to Albania, and you'll be a king.
However, there are a lot of poor people, and practically everybody either doesn't have work, or they do, and work a lot! It's crazy. These people here are stinkin' hard workers. There's some recent converts that we teach here, named Sindi and Çeleste (I've told you about them, they're incredible), and their Dad works all the time. Whenever we go over there, even if it's like 8 p.m., he is still working on something. It really is inspiring, and yet it makes my heart ache. Sindi and Çeleste live there, and their mom, and I believe they have two step sisters that live in their same house, and then their step sisters have at least one child also. The mom The only people that have beds are Sindi and Celeste. This week, their power was out for two days for some reason, and might still be now. I think it had something to do with the electric company owner. I know they need like $350 dollars to get the power back on, which is a lot here. The mom was saying that the dad works all the time, yet they have no money. She also told me she sleeps on the floor with her grandson. Oh my goodness, they are such amazing people. It is so much fun going over there! They kind of live in a village type set up, because all these boys from all around play together, and it is so cute to see all of them! They had these little tiny guns each with a single plastic bullet that they were playing with, and they were having so much fun with them! It's so fun to go over there, because they family knows us really well, and all the boys like to come up and talk to us! Yesterday, as we were leaving, I shook the hand of this little boy and we were just joking around, and I just shook his hand really hard, and he laughed super loud, and thought it was so funny! Ah man, they're so cool! On a sidenote, they have some pens here that are "Schneider" brand! Ha!
By the way, did I mention before that we're getting a ton of member dinners? It rocks! I need to take more pictures of those too! The members are so cool here. People here love talking. It's kind of a shame, because sometimes we'll be at a dinner appointment for like an hour and a half or more. Whenever we have a dinner appointment, we always teach a lesson, and try to center it around asking for referrals, because a referral from a member is like Christmas! It's the best way to do missionary work. We figure that we should have about as many member referrals as... as... as there are stray dogs in the streets or as many people that smoke in Albania! No kidding, there are so many stray dogs here. They're so sweet though! I don't do it often, but sometimes, I'll pet one, and give it a little hug. This one time, one almost bit my hand. You should have seen it. It was all foamy and cross-eyed, and I was like, "Hey Elder Jaunay! I think this dog wants a pass-a-long card," so I tried to give him a pass-a-long card, but he tried to bite me, so we left. Just kidding about all of that. I hope I scared Jessie and Mom with that. There actually are a TON of stray dogs though! Where was I... Oh yeah! Referrals! If everyone thing went right, and we all had the same understanding, we should be getting more referrals. However, it seems like a lot of the members here have fears about talking to their friends about what they believe. Do you have any advice for that? Or what you do to share the gospel in your life, and what you did on your mission when members were afraid to share the gospel? By the way, Motra Xheka, the female Bruce Wayne is awesome! She's shared the gospel with several friends, who have gotten baptized, and she gave us a referral this week that we plan to meet up with! She's incredible. Other than the fact that she is an incredible member missionary, and has shared the gospel with so many of her friends, she's in her 30's, owns her own construction company, has incredibly strong testimony, and fights crime in Goth-- Durr-- ... Durrthem at night! She's so cool.
Something that's surprised me since being here is that we spend a lot of time studying and in our appartment. Each day, we're supposed to have 1 hour personal, 2 hours companion study, because there is a program new missionaries do called The First 12 Weeks, and we also have 1 hour language study, and then sometimes we take 2 hours for lunch, since ordinarily we don't take a lot of time for dinner. I was expecting more that we would be working like all day every day, but it's a lot of time indoors. We're being obedient though! We still do work hard, also! Also, guess what, I haven't gone door-to-door tracting once yet! Apparently, it doesn't have a lot of success ordinarily, but I still want to try it! The language is also coming really well! This week we started speaking only in Shqip, and I plan on doing that for the rest of the transfer, and then by then, I hope to have a pretty good grasp that I can just go the rest of the mission! I can tell ya right now that speaking English when I get back is going to be rough. I've decided to do this because I want to be consecrated. I want to learn this language and immerse myself in it so I can start being myself here with this people! When you can't speak the language to these people as well as you'd like, it can be difficult to express yourself in the way you want, but I want to be able to talk, teach, and interact with these people like I would with you all, which is why I'm speaking only in Shqip!
Anyways, to close, I want to tell you about a man named Anesti that we met this week! We were out contacting people, and Elder Jaunay and I had just finished talking to someone, and we walked by Anesti, and I looked at him, and got the feeling like, "He's different." And I later found out that Elder Jaunay got a feeling that he was ready for the gospel. Well, it turns out those feelings were both real. We stopped and talked to Anesti, and while I couldn't understand a whole lot, we had a lesson, set up a time to meet with him, and left! We met with him on Friday, and taught the first lesson, and invited him to be baptized! And he accepted for November 12th! Then the next day, we taught Plan of Salvation, and invited him to church! And he came! AND we had a lesson later that day and taught him the end part of the Plan of Salvation, and Gospel of Jesus Christ. This guy is incredible. He has a little bit difficulty reading, not just reading the Book of Mormon, but reading in general. I don't think he's been to very much school, but I believe that the feeling I had when we contacted him was real. I cannot deny that. Everything is happening miraculously. It's incredible.
I want to take a moment now, to testify for how my testimony of the Savior has grown this week. As I said earlier, I've been speaking only in Shqip this week. As a result of that, the language has come to me much better. I know that it is because of the Enabling Power of the Atonement and the Gift of Tongues. I had an experience this week that touched me. It was very brief, and in fact only a feeling, but it was profound. We were talking to this man that was sitting outside his barbershop, and we shared a scripture, maybe, or were about to ask if he knew anybody that would be interested in our message, and I was testifying of the Savior, and he kind of interrupted me, and said something about... in fact, Idk what he said, but he pointed to his heart, and his head, and then to his lips, and I understood that to mean that he was saying something about how sometimes it's only our lips that say things, and I tried to tell him that my testimony of the Savior is from my heart, but we started talking about something else. As I told him that my testimony of the Savior is from my heart, I felt a love for my Savior and a confirmation that I know he is real in my heart. I am so thankful for his enabling power in my life. One other quick experience. As I reflected on this experience later this week, I had just looked at some photos of Conrad and Dan, and I was thinking about them, and about how awesome it will be when we get to be back together again! Then later that day, I was thinking about the Savior, and it was incredible, because I had the same feeling in my heart as I did when I was thinking about the Savior as when I was thinking about Conrad and Dan. The feeling being that I can't wait until we are reunited, and about how much joy I will feel. That was a testimony for me that the Savior truly is my brother. I love my Savior, and I know He lives, and has an un-ending, brotherly, perfect love for us.
I hope you all have an awesome week! I have some requests! How do you make Salsa? I would like a recipe for that, and other easy, simple recipes for dinners we could make here! Also, a recipe for cookies. Also, if you all could take pictures of whatever is going on in your life, and send them to me, that would rock! I love seeing them! Oh, and momma, for my birthday package, my main desires would be sour patch kids, goldfish, On the Border chips and salsa if possible, letters from the family and friends and whoever else is in town, and... Jelly Belly Jelly Beans! And anything else that would either make me laugh, or that you think I would like! OH! And twizzlers! Honestly, if you sent me like stinkin' a bunch of that stuff, that would rock. I would have a lot of fun with that :)
I hope you liked the email! I'm so sorry, I'm out of time, but I'll try to email individually next week! Love you all!
-Elder Shnajdër
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Friday, October 14, 2016
October 10, 2016
Yo what's up family, and Gehrig, Casey, Lauren, Ammon, and Claire?
This week was better than last week! I'm getting a little bit better at talking to people and a little bit better with the small talk and stuff! Last week I was scared out of my pants, kind of, to talk to people and contact. For a few reasons. Obviously, I'm still learning Shqip, so I don't know completely if something I say makes sense, because not everything translates exactly, and still I understand maybe like 15%-20% of what some people say. Sometimes it's less, sometimes it's more! Haha but I'm getting a little better at talking to people, and street contacting and finding people. One morning, I talked to this lady by myself that was selling tortillas, and it was sweet! Because Elder Jaunay is great at talking to people, and usually if I want to talk, I kind of just have to jump in, which isn't a problem, because that's how Shqiptar are. They like to talk a lot, which sometimes is ok! And then on Tuesday, I got this guys number all by myself! Haha, it kind of feels like I'm a kid again, because I get so excited when I do things "all by myself!" (Brian Regan) Also on Tuesday, we got like 4 referrals from people on the street, which rocked. Also, I'm getting a little better at understanding people on the phone! I had a full phone call all by myself this week also! Woot! Way fun. Haha, Dad, I konw you in particular will like this. I was talking to this one guy on the sidewalk, and I was trying real hard to understand him, and it wasn't going so well, but he said something and that started laughing, and so I just started laughing too, and I remember kind of making this Fletch-face that he makes when he's impersonating someone. My eyes just got all big, and I just laughed and smiled kinda cheesily, but I had, and still have no idea what he said! Haha, but ya know what? S'ka problem! I find that when I laugh off my mistakes, and smile more, the work is way more fun, and I don't get down on myself.
So remember Familja Dalipaj from last week? Well Renato, the 20-year old son came to conference on Sunday! It was way cool to see him on Sunday! We are hoping to start teaching just him and his brother, because their parents really like talking about politics and about how hard life is. I don't mean to sound insensitive at all, but they probably would literally talk for an entire hour if we let them, and we are there to teach about Christ. We have tried to tell them that the gospel can bless us temporally and eternally, but they don't seem to understand that. My point is that we are going to start teaching their two sons who are reading the book of mormon and making some progress! I'm excited for them. Also, we have an English course here that we teach! That's pretty cool! It's a super great way of finding people too!
So this week, it rained pretty hard a couple days! It was awesome. I love it when it rains! It's so nice. We had one lesson with Sindi and Çeleste and one of their friends name Xhesi (pronounced Jessie) and I told her that my sister is named Jessie! But yeah, we were teaching, and they are pretty poor. They have a house that they sleep in and live in most of the time (I'm actually not sure how nice it is), but we teach them in this little room with a tin roof, and it started raining, and we were like candle-lit, and it was like dripping water, and we were teaching the Restoration, and I was saying the First Vision, and AUGH! It was just so cool. This sounds like a classic missionary story, and that's exactly what it is! And it was so much fun! Xhesi was actually invited by Sindi and Çeleste, and Elder Jaunay and I invited her to be baptized in the first lesson. Right now she's pretty quiet, and it's a little bit difficult to tell if she has a sincere desire to follow these things, but we are definitely hoping for that. Anyways, though, it was way fun! Also, we had like 5 dinners at members houses this week! It was stinkin' awesome!! Haha so in Albania, or at least in Durres, they have like 2-3 course dinners, but they aren't exactly like a 3-course meal you'd think of from a fancy restaurant. First they'll have the entree, and I usually ate that up pretty quick, because I was hungry, but then if you finish, they offer you more, and you may or may not want some, and you may or may not tell them that, but for me, I would usually get more. But this is where they trick you, because you think, oh yeah, I got room in my stomach! Bring it on, and so you have seconds, but then round 2 comes on! Fruit! I think like every family this week after we had entree brought out various fruits that we would eat after we had the entree! It was sweet! But often, you just don't have room. That's why you gotta eat strategically. Haha and occasionally they'll have some kind of dessert also! I'm getting fed like a king here :) And also, it's super stinkin cheap for groceries and everything. You can buy an entire loaf of good bread that is similar to GH bread for like less than a dollar. Groceries are super cheep too. And there is this sweets place here called the Pelican, and they have like gourmet ice cream and little cakes and stuff, and it's cheap, and delicious. But anyways, back to the members, I had an idea earlier this week. I'm in Albania, and right now there are around 600 active members in the entire country. Therefore, if the members and missionaries were both on the same page and had the same vision to work together, we should be getting member referrals like nothing. We've kind of made it a goal to turn that around here, because member referral lessons with the members are the best way to teach investigators. That's also the reason we've been doing a little bit more contacting and that kind of thing this week. We actually don't go door-to-door tracting. I've heard it's because that's what Jehovah's Witness do and the people don't have a great relationship with them, but I'm not sure if that's the only reason. But that is ok! I am in fact enjoying contacting a lot more than last week! This week was awesome with me for that, and I was actually excited this week to go contacting!
I made a goal this week to be more friendly with people. I don't want to be exactly like Elder Jaunay, but I love his example of how friendly he is with so many people, and I want to develop that in the way i interact with people. I had a really cool personal revelation come to me this week. We were listening to a talk Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave in the General Women's session, and he said this, "Faith is not to change God's will, but to empower us to act on God's will." I loved that, because occasionally I'll just pray straight up that I can be happy and have success, but I don't always consider that it is through and because of my trials that I am able to really find eternal happiness. Everything in this work is with God's timing. Including the amount of success we have in a day. Maybe it is not God's will for us to get a thousand referrals, but maybe that is because in this trial, we are able to learn something that will prepare us later in our missions, or lives to be able to serve Him more effectively. Maybe if I pray for happiness and strength, and I don't feel happy or strong that day, Heavenly Father may be withholding blessings for a time, because it is preparation for me to receive eternal blessings, or eternal happiness, and eternal strength. It was incredible. I've changed the way I pray now. Instead of asking straight up for me to be happy and to have strength, I pray for those things if it be His will. Incredibly powerful for me this week.
Fam, I'm gonna each email you individually because you all sent very helpful emails, and I want to address you directly. Well... Almost everyone... (*cough, cough* Daniel) But s'ka gjë! I know Dan is busy gettin' swoll, and building chicken coops, so I understand! :) But seriously, I love you Dan :)
I love you all! I'll probably send a package home, so let me know if you want anything from here! Love you!
-Elder Shnajder
This week was better than last week! I'm getting a little bit better at talking to people and a little bit better with the small talk and stuff! Last week I was scared out of my pants, kind of, to talk to people and contact. For a few reasons. Obviously, I'm still learning Shqip, so I don't know completely if something I say makes sense, because not everything translates exactly, and still I understand maybe like 15%-20% of what some people say. Sometimes it's less, sometimes it's more! Haha but I'm getting a little better at talking to people, and street contacting and finding people. One morning, I talked to this lady by myself that was selling tortillas, and it was sweet! Because Elder Jaunay is great at talking to people, and usually if I want to talk, I kind of just have to jump in, which isn't a problem, because that's how Shqiptar are. They like to talk a lot, which sometimes is ok! And then on Tuesday, I got this guys number all by myself! Haha, it kind of feels like I'm a kid again, because I get so excited when I do things "all by myself!" (Brian Regan) Also on Tuesday, we got like 4 referrals from people on the street, which rocked. Also, I'm getting a little better at understanding people on the phone! I had a full phone call all by myself this week also! Woot! Way fun. Haha, Dad, I konw you in particular will like this. I was talking to this one guy on the sidewalk, and I was trying real hard to understand him, and it wasn't going so well, but he said something and that started laughing, and so I just started laughing too, and I remember kind of making this Fletch-face that he makes when he's impersonating someone. My eyes just got all big, and I just laughed and smiled kinda cheesily, but I had, and still have no idea what he said! Haha, but ya know what? S'ka problem! I find that when I laugh off my mistakes, and smile more, the work is way more fun, and I don't get down on myself.
So remember Familja Dalipaj from last week? Well Renato, the 20-year old son came to conference on Sunday! It was way cool to see him on Sunday! We are hoping to start teaching just him and his brother, because their parents really like talking about politics and about how hard life is. I don't mean to sound insensitive at all, but they probably would literally talk for an entire hour if we let them, and we are there to teach about Christ. We have tried to tell them that the gospel can bless us temporally and eternally, but they don't seem to understand that. My point is that we are going to start teaching their two sons who are reading the book of mormon and making some progress! I'm excited for them. Also, we have an English course here that we teach! That's pretty cool! It's a super great way of finding people too!
So this week, it rained pretty hard a couple days! It was awesome. I love it when it rains! It's so nice. We had one lesson with Sindi and Çeleste and one of their friends name Xhesi (pronounced Jessie) and I told her that my sister is named Jessie! But yeah, we were teaching, and they are pretty poor. They have a house that they sleep in and live in most of the time (I'm actually not sure how nice it is), but we teach them in this little room with a tin roof, and it started raining, and we were like candle-lit, and it was like dripping water, and we were teaching the Restoration, and I was saying the First Vision, and AUGH! It was just so cool. This sounds like a classic missionary story, and that's exactly what it is! And it was so much fun! Xhesi was actually invited by Sindi and Çeleste, and Elder Jaunay and I invited her to be baptized in the first lesson. Right now she's pretty quiet, and it's a little bit difficult to tell if she has a sincere desire to follow these things, but we are definitely hoping for that. Anyways, though, it was way fun! Also, we had like 5 dinners at members houses this week! It was stinkin' awesome!! Haha so in Albania, or at least in Durres, they have like 2-3 course dinners, but they aren't exactly like a 3-course meal you'd think of from a fancy restaurant. First they'll have the entree, and I usually ate that up pretty quick, because I was hungry, but then if you finish, they offer you more, and you may or may not want some, and you may or may not tell them that, but for me, I would usually get more. But this is where they trick you, because you think, oh yeah, I got room in my stomach! Bring it on, and so you have seconds, but then round 2 comes on! Fruit! I think like every family this week after we had entree brought out various fruits that we would eat after we had the entree! It was sweet! But often, you just don't have room. That's why you gotta eat strategically. Haha and occasionally they'll have some kind of dessert also! I'm getting fed like a king here :) And also, it's super stinkin cheap for groceries and everything. You can buy an entire loaf of good bread that is similar to GH bread for like less than a dollar. Groceries are super cheep too. And there is this sweets place here called the Pelican, and they have like gourmet ice cream and little cakes and stuff, and it's cheap, and delicious. But anyways, back to the members, I had an idea earlier this week. I'm in Albania, and right now there are around 600 active members in the entire country. Therefore, if the members and missionaries were both on the same page and had the same vision to work together, we should be getting member referrals like nothing. We've kind of made it a goal to turn that around here, because member referral lessons with the members are the best way to teach investigators. That's also the reason we've been doing a little bit more contacting and that kind of thing this week. We actually don't go door-to-door tracting. I've heard it's because that's what Jehovah's Witness do and the people don't have a great relationship with them, but I'm not sure if that's the only reason. But that is ok! I am in fact enjoying contacting a lot more than last week! This week was awesome with me for that, and I was actually excited this week to go contacting!
I made a goal this week to be more friendly with people. I don't want to be exactly like Elder Jaunay, but I love his example of how friendly he is with so many people, and I want to develop that in the way i interact with people. I had a really cool personal revelation come to me this week. We were listening to a talk Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave in the General Women's session, and he said this, "Faith is not to change God's will, but to empower us to act on God's will." I loved that, because occasionally I'll just pray straight up that I can be happy and have success, but I don't always consider that it is through and because of my trials that I am able to really find eternal happiness. Everything in this work is with God's timing. Including the amount of success we have in a day. Maybe it is not God's will for us to get a thousand referrals, but maybe that is because in this trial, we are able to learn something that will prepare us later in our missions, or lives to be able to serve Him more effectively. Maybe if I pray for happiness and strength, and I don't feel happy or strong that day, Heavenly Father may be withholding blessings for a time, because it is preparation for me to receive eternal blessings, or eternal happiness, and eternal strength. It was incredible. I've changed the way I pray now. Instead of asking straight up for me to be happy and to have strength, I pray for those things if it be His will. Incredibly powerful for me this week.
Fam, I'm gonna each email you individually because you all sent very helpful emails, and I want to address you directly. Well... Almost everyone... (*cough, cough* Daniel) But s'ka gjë! I know Dan is busy gettin' swoll, and building chicken coops, so I understand! :) But seriously, I love you Dan :)
I love you all! I'll probably send a package home, so let me know if you want anything from here! Love you!
-Elder Shnajder
Monday, October 3, 2016
October 3, 2016
Also, in that last email with the picture of Elder Harris and I, that was us in this little hotel room next to the mission home, because since we had so many missionaries in our group, President rented a little hotel that actually was a bar on the ground floor, and we stayed in the various rooms, and Elder Harris and I got to stay in this room that had these random shower sandals, and these sharp pipes sticking out of the ground, and some of the light switches didn't work, and the shower was really small, and the toilet pipes leaked..... It was so much fun!
October 3, 2016
So this guy on the plane, I first started talking to him because this toddler next to him was really cute, and I was like, what's his name? (This is in Shqip, by the way.) It turns out it wasn't his child, it was actually the lady's next to him! Well we started talking about his family and whatnot, and we connected really well! Elder Wood and I ended up talking about the Book of Mormon, and we gave him a Book of Mormon with our testimonies! It rocked! It was a big confidence booster for me before we got there. Hopefully something comes of that. He was on his way to visit some friends in Kosovo, because he actually lives in France currently. I left my email though, so we'll see!
October 3, 2016
Wow. Remember how before I left it felt like it wasn't real? Well it feels like that again, and I'm even IN Albania!!! Doesn't make sense, but really!
Yep! I am now in Albania! It is wild. This is like nothing I've ever, ever experienced. We live in Durres, which is about 10-15 minutes from the coast! It's beautiful here in a special kind of way. In the way of like nature-beauty, it's a little sparce. But I think it is beautiful, because I've never seen these people before, and we live literally right outside this farmer's market type thing. They have fresh fruit, veggies, olives (there's a lot of olives), fish (we don't eat them), and other stuff. So yeah! I've had a bunch of the traditional food so far! Elder Jaunay was really good at helping me try all the cool Albanian food! I've had suflaqe which is like the albanian equivalent of a hamburger. It's in a little pita tortilla, and it's got chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, sour cream (I think), some red sauce, and then french fries IN the suflaqe! It was stinkin' delicious, and they eat it with a little plastic pitch fork-looking thing. Haha it was awesome! I also had Byrek (pronounced Burek, kind of), and that was sweet! You can have either like spinach, meat and onion, or cheese, and it's in this crumbly little bun thing, and it rocked! Their ice cream here is so good, and so cheep! Everything here is incredibly cheap. Like, we are going to be well fed for the next two years. It's so cheap to live here. There's only poverty because there are a ton of people that don't work. I had fasule today! (Foss-oo-lay) that was good. It was like a bean soup thing. OH! I had Dhalle. Yuck. So gross. Dhalle is a drink made up of water, yogurt and salt, basically. I don't know exactly how it is prepared to be ready to sold, but yeah. It tastes about as good as it sounds. Pronounced "thall, (in Albanian, Dh makes a "th" sound like in "they" as opposed to in "thaw"). We had some weird fruit yesterday that probably could have been in the garden of eden. It actually wasn't that good, but it looked super cool!
It's wild. In the middle of the day, people are just stinkin' everywhere on the street selling whatever they can get their hands on. I've seen people selling what looked like just chargers for stuff, a bunch of knick knacks, "the kind of stuff you'd throw away!" -Weird Al, shoes (people are selling sandals and high heels all over). It's actually kind of sad though, because in the part of the city where we live, it's pretty poor. We have this one family we teach, and their name is "Dalipaj" (pronounced "dolly-pie"), and they are probably the poorest i've seen here yet. We've taught them at there house twice since i've been here. On the first time, Elder Jaunay invited them all to be baptized, and I think like 5 of them said yes! There are two parents, three boys, and one girl. The oldest boy had an accident when he was younger, and is now blind in one eye, and doesn't really have any fingers on his right hand. A firework blew up while he was holding it, and a piece went in his eye. It's super sad. But so we went over there on Saturday, and we watched the restoration video, because we taught it in the lesson before, and we were going to teach about the Plan of Salvation this lesson. So we watch the video on that little tiny portable DVD player you'll see in my video, and one of the sons seemed to really like it, but after the video, the father started talking about politics and money or something, and basically, we tried to tell him that the gospel blesses us eternally, and that when we first seek to follow the commandments, that God will provide. That didn't work so much. While all this was going on, I was just listening, because this guy has like 0 teeth I'm pretty sure! So I just sat there and listened to my companion try to teach this guy. It was rough, and definitely could have gone like a thousand times better. I found some cool stuff in PMG, and hopefully things will go better next time.
I've adjusted really well to the time change! I was actually like fine. I didn't really notice any problem, at all really. We met President and Sister Weidmann on Wednesday, and they are awesome! We didn't spend a lot of time with them, but they seem super loving! I'm really looking forward to spending more time with him :) We got to Durres about like 3 or 4 o'clock on Thursday, but it feels like I've been here for months. It's unbelievable. Time is the weirdest thing here. Also, Elder Jaunay is awesome! He is from New Zealand, and this is only his second transfer! He was in the MTC group right before me! He trained in Durres, and now he's training me, and he is awesome. He knows the language really well, and helps me so much. He's like super chill, and probably one of the most friendly, loving, warm people I've ever met. He's really able to connect with everyone we teach, and it's so great! He is an amazing teacher as well, very engaging. He's super cool awesome because he's like a bro! He the oldest of 6, 5 boys and 1 baby sister, and he loves his brothers more than almost everything, so it's super cool, because we both love our brothers so much. He's incredible. He's so generous and gives of his time, and his food, and everything for me. He's pretty much the coolest!
Also, people here are so kind! Pretty much whoever we talk to is willing to help me with my Albanian. They are so kind here. It's still pretty scary going street contacting though. Whew. I understand that's important to try to set up a bond with them, because when you just go like, "Hi we have a message about Jesus!" It's not very effective. So that's something I wanna get better at for sure! The small talk here is something I want to get better at! When it comes to lessons and testifying, I do pretty well there, but when it comes to talking just about normal stuff, it's pretty rough! I'm learning though! It's also stinkin' hard because people here talk fast, and don't pronounce their words as clearly as they do in the MTC, and it also doesn't help, because a lot of people here are missing teeth! So there's that! Elder Jaunay says that understanding will come with time though. Overall, I'm doing well! Another cool thing, we've been teaching these two girls named Sindi and Çeleste (Ç = Ch). Elder Jaunay and his trainer baptized them last transfer, and they are incredible! Çeleste bore her testimony yesterday, and it was awesome. We are helping to prepare them to go to the temple, which is in Switzerland! They are 15 and 16, so they'll do baptisms, but they're so excited! It's amazing to see the miracles that can happen through the Atonement.
Oh yeah! We've had dinners at some members houses already, which rocked! We also had dinner at the Stake President's house! That was sweet! His wife is American, so they're children are half Albanian, half American, and they are so cute! They know English and Shqip, so it's super cute to hear their toddler say "Uji!" Which is "water" in Shqip. But yeah, we've got a ton of member dinners lined up this week. Elder Jaunay was saying that our mission does not get very many referrals, and this is my thought. There's like 2,400 members in Albania, total, right? Not even all of those are active, therefore pretty much everyone these members know are non-members, so there should be no real excuse that we're not getting wheelbarrows full of referrals! I've made it a goal of mine to turn that around here, because teaching an investigator with a member who is already there friend is like the best scenario. We're gonna work hard!
Dad and Mom,
Thank you for your counsel from your emails! It was so nice to talk to you two last week! Momma, I'm so sorry that we couldn't talk for as long as we wanted! I felt real bad afterwards, and I'm really sorry for that! Thanks again for your emails though! This week and last both had things that I really could learn from. Thank you, and I love you so much!
Conrad,
Dude, I'm sorry about Heather. Ugh. That stinks, man. I think it's super cool how you continue to learn right now though, and thanks for sharing it with me, too, dude! Thank you for your counsel, as well. Everyone's counsel came at a great time!
Daniel, You're stinking 5' 10"!? No way! You're taller than me, already!? Wow. I'm ready to take you on! I don't sweat you! But I am sweating right now. It's really hot in this internet cafe. It's all dark, and there's a bunch of Albanians playing League of Legends or something and they're screaming Albanian at each other, and it's pretty cool!
Aight, Fam. I've got two requests.
1. Can someone tell me some of our family history on our german side? Because sometimes when we meet people, they see my name, and they're like, "Shnajder! Gjermanisht!" And Elder Jaunay is like, "Yeah! He's from Germany!" And then I'm like, "Haha no, but my family is!" And then I don't know what to say after that, because I don't know as much about that side, but can you let me know some of that so I can tell some people something?
2. When have you had to do something you didn't want to do, but you did it anyway? Because right now, in order to obtain a lot of the growth I'm seeking for, I know i'm going to have to be out of my comfort zone, but I don't want to, ya know! It's freaky! I'd love some counsel for that.
By the way, on this computer, I can't go back and edit really, so if I want to add something, I just put it in in the end! I forgot to tell you this cool story about Elder Jaunay! We were looking for the sisters in our area, and there was this guy smoking, and we started talking to him! Elder Jaunay talked to him for a while, and after a bit, we got onto the topic of smoking, and Elder Jaunay asked him for this cigarette that was behind his ear, and he didn't give it to him, so Elder Jaunay grabbed it, and asked him if he could destroy it, and after a while, he consented, and he destroyed his cigarette! It was just awesome, because I was able to see an example of how bold Elder Jaunay is! It was stinkin awesome. And we still had a good relationship with the man by the time we left, it seemed like! So cool.
Anywho, I reckon that's about it! I know that this is the work of Salvation, and that I am called to invite these people to Christ. I know that this is the best possible thing that could ever happen to these people. Think. What else could I offer to these people that would bring them more security, love, happiness, and joy than this gospel? I know of no such thing. Know that I am doing well, and that I love you all. I am doing great over here. No homesickness :) I love you all so much!
-Elder Schneider
Yep! I am now in Albania! It is wild. This is like nothing I've ever, ever experienced. We live in Durres, which is about 10-15 minutes from the coast! It's beautiful here in a special kind of way. In the way of like nature-beauty, it's a little sparce. But I think it is beautiful, because I've never seen these people before, and we live literally right outside this farmer's market type thing. They have fresh fruit, veggies, olives (there's a lot of olives), fish (we don't eat them), and other stuff. So yeah! I've had a bunch of the traditional food so far! Elder Jaunay was really good at helping me try all the cool Albanian food! I've had suflaqe which is like the albanian equivalent of a hamburger. It's in a little pita tortilla, and it's got chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, sour cream (I think), some red sauce, and then french fries IN the suflaqe! It was stinkin' delicious, and they eat it with a little plastic pitch fork-looking thing. Haha it was awesome! I also had Byrek (pronounced Burek, kind of), and that was sweet! You can have either like spinach, meat and onion, or cheese, and it's in this crumbly little bun thing, and it rocked! Their ice cream here is so good, and so cheep! Everything here is incredibly cheap. Like, we are going to be well fed for the next two years. It's so cheap to live here. There's only poverty because there are a ton of people that don't work. I had fasule today! (Foss-oo-lay) that was good. It was like a bean soup thing. OH! I had Dhalle. Yuck. So gross. Dhalle is a drink made up of water, yogurt and salt, basically. I don't know exactly how it is prepared to be ready to sold, but yeah. It tastes about as good as it sounds. Pronounced "thall, (in Albanian, Dh makes a "th" sound like in "they" as opposed to in "thaw"). We had some weird fruit yesterday that probably could have been in the garden of eden. It actually wasn't that good, but it looked super cool!
It's wild. In the middle of the day, people are just stinkin' everywhere on the street selling whatever they can get their hands on. I've seen people selling what looked like just chargers for stuff, a bunch of knick knacks, "the kind of stuff you'd throw away!" -Weird Al, shoes (people are selling sandals and high heels all over). It's actually kind of sad though, because in the part of the city where we live, it's pretty poor. We have this one family we teach, and their name is "Dalipaj" (pronounced "dolly-pie"), and they are probably the poorest i've seen here yet. We've taught them at there house twice since i've been here. On the first time, Elder Jaunay invited them all to be baptized, and I think like 5 of them said yes! There are two parents, three boys, and one girl. The oldest boy had an accident when he was younger, and is now blind in one eye, and doesn't really have any fingers on his right hand. A firework blew up while he was holding it, and a piece went in his eye. It's super sad. But so we went over there on Saturday, and we watched the restoration video, because we taught it in the lesson before, and we were going to teach about the Plan of Salvation this lesson. So we watch the video on that little tiny portable DVD player you'll see in my video, and one of the sons seemed to really like it, but after the video, the father started talking about politics and money or something, and basically, we tried to tell him that the gospel blesses us eternally, and that when we first seek to follow the commandments, that God will provide. That didn't work so much. While all this was going on, I was just listening, because this guy has like 0 teeth I'm pretty sure! So I just sat there and listened to my companion try to teach this guy. It was rough, and definitely could have gone like a thousand times better. I found some cool stuff in PMG, and hopefully things will go better next time.
I've adjusted really well to the time change! I was actually like fine. I didn't really notice any problem, at all really. We met President and Sister Weidmann on Wednesday, and they are awesome! We didn't spend a lot of time with them, but they seem super loving! I'm really looking forward to spending more time with him :) We got to Durres about like 3 or 4 o'clock on Thursday, but it feels like I've been here for months. It's unbelievable. Time is the weirdest thing here. Also, Elder Jaunay is awesome! He is from New Zealand, and this is only his second transfer! He was in the MTC group right before me! He trained in Durres, and now he's training me, and he is awesome. He knows the language really well, and helps me so much. He's like super chill, and probably one of the most friendly, loving, warm people I've ever met. He's really able to connect with everyone we teach, and it's so great! He is an amazing teacher as well, very engaging. He's super cool awesome because he's like a bro! He the oldest of 6, 5 boys and 1 baby sister, and he loves his brothers more than almost everything, so it's super cool, because we both love our brothers so much. He's incredible. He's so generous and gives of his time, and his food, and everything for me. He's pretty much the coolest!
Also, people here are so kind! Pretty much whoever we talk to is willing to help me with my Albanian. They are so kind here. It's still pretty scary going street contacting though. Whew. I understand that's important to try to set up a bond with them, because when you just go like, "Hi we have a message about Jesus!" It's not very effective. So that's something I wanna get better at for sure! The small talk here is something I want to get better at! When it comes to lessons and testifying, I do pretty well there, but when it comes to talking just about normal stuff, it's pretty rough! I'm learning though! It's also stinkin' hard because people here talk fast, and don't pronounce their words as clearly as they do in the MTC, and it also doesn't help, because a lot of people here are missing teeth! So there's that! Elder Jaunay says that understanding will come with time though. Overall, I'm doing well! Another cool thing, we've been teaching these two girls named Sindi and Çeleste (Ç = Ch). Elder Jaunay and his trainer baptized them last transfer, and they are incredible! Çeleste bore her testimony yesterday, and it was awesome. We are helping to prepare them to go to the temple, which is in Switzerland! They are 15 and 16, so they'll do baptisms, but they're so excited! It's amazing to see the miracles that can happen through the Atonement.
Oh yeah! We've had dinners at some members houses already, which rocked! We also had dinner at the Stake President's house! That was sweet! His wife is American, so they're children are half Albanian, half American, and they are so cute! They know English and Shqip, so it's super cute to hear their toddler say "Uji!" Which is "water" in Shqip. But yeah, we've got a ton of member dinners lined up this week. Elder Jaunay was saying that our mission does not get very many referrals, and this is my thought. There's like 2,400 members in Albania, total, right? Not even all of those are active, therefore pretty much everyone these members know are non-members, so there should be no real excuse that we're not getting wheelbarrows full of referrals! I've made it a goal of mine to turn that around here, because teaching an investigator with a member who is already there friend is like the best scenario. We're gonna work hard!
Dad and Mom,
Thank you for your counsel from your emails! It was so nice to talk to you two last week! Momma, I'm so sorry that we couldn't talk for as long as we wanted! I felt real bad afterwards, and I'm really sorry for that! Thanks again for your emails though! This week and last both had things that I really could learn from. Thank you, and I love you so much!
Conrad,
Dude, I'm sorry about Heather. Ugh. That stinks, man. I think it's super cool how you continue to learn right now though, and thanks for sharing it with me, too, dude! Thank you for your counsel, as well. Everyone's counsel came at a great time!
Daniel, You're stinking 5' 10"!? No way! You're taller than me, already!? Wow. I'm ready to take you on! I don't sweat you! But I am sweating right now. It's really hot in this internet cafe. It's all dark, and there's a bunch of Albanians playing League of Legends or something and they're screaming Albanian at each other, and it's pretty cool!
Aight, Fam. I've got two requests.
1. Can someone tell me some of our family history on our german side? Because sometimes when we meet people, they see my name, and they're like, "Shnajder! Gjermanisht!" And Elder Jaunay is like, "Yeah! He's from Germany!" And then I'm like, "Haha no, but my family is!" And then I don't know what to say after that, because I don't know as much about that side, but can you let me know some of that so I can tell some people something?
2. When have you had to do something you didn't want to do, but you did it anyway? Because right now, in order to obtain a lot of the growth I'm seeking for, I know i'm going to have to be out of my comfort zone, but I don't want to, ya know! It's freaky! I'd love some counsel for that.
By the way, on this computer, I can't go back and edit really, so if I want to add something, I just put it in in the end! I forgot to tell you this cool story about Elder Jaunay! We were looking for the sisters in our area, and there was this guy smoking, and we started talking to him! Elder Jaunay talked to him for a while, and after a bit, we got onto the topic of smoking, and Elder Jaunay asked him for this cigarette that was behind his ear, and he didn't give it to him, so Elder Jaunay grabbed it, and asked him if he could destroy it, and after a while, he consented, and he destroyed his cigarette! It was just awesome, because I was able to see an example of how bold Elder Jaunay is! It was stinkin awesome. And we still had a good relationship with the man by the time we left, it seemed like! So cool.
Anywho, I reckon that's about it! I know that this is the work of Salvation, and that I am called to invite these people to Christ. I know that this is the best possible thing that could ever happen to these people. Think. What else could I offer to these people that would bring them more security, love, happiness, and joy than this gospel? I know of no such thing. Know that I am doing well, and that I love you all. I am doing great over here. No homesickness :) I love you all so much!
-Elder Schneider
ARRIVED IN ALBANIA!!!! Address and package instructions.
Dear Sister and Brother Schneider,
We warmly welcome Elder Schneider to the Adriatic South Mission. He was picked up at the Tirana Airport by President and Sister Weidmann and the Assistants to the President. After a short night, he had an interview with President Weidmann. Thursday, included a visit to the site where Albania was dedicated by Elder Dallin H. Oaks for missionary work. Then an afternoon of training, meeting a companion and receiving an assigned area.
Elder Schneider will be serving with Elder Jaunay in Durrës. Attached please find a few pictures of your son.
You have a very special son who is strong and he will do a great work here. Thank you for sharing him with us. President Weidmann takes very good care of his missionaries. He loves them and they have no doubt that does. He sends them an uplifting text every morning and always signs it ‘Love President Weidmann’. They know they can call him anytime even if it is just to talk. Sister Weidmann is there making sure they have everything they need and that they are happy.
In sending mail to the mission please address your letters and packages as follows:
Adriatic South Mission
Individual or Recipient’s name
PO Box 2984
Bulevardi “Gjergj Fishta”
Qendra “Alpas,” Shkalla #5,
Apartmenti #14
Tirana,
Albania
If you want to be sure your letter or package arrives, purchase a tracking number for it. SLC also sends a pouch to Albania, which would get a single page letter here for a first class US stamp. The pouch takes about 1- 2 weeks, regular mail can take 3-4 weeks, packages can take 1-3 months, and sometimes they don’t arrive.
The postal system sorts the mail by the first letter on the top line, so addressing Adriatic puts all of the mail for the mission in the A pile. If something is marked at $50 in value or more, it goes to customs, and a hefty fee is paid to get it out. We recommend you un-package the item and try on any clothing, also take the tags off and refold it, maybe wash it. Then consider a value for “used items.” If something is very important, we recommend using Fed-Ex or DHL.
There is an Adriatic South Mission Facebook page that you can “get on” by request. It has a lot of mission news and pictures.
Best Regards,
Sister DaBell
Mission Secretary
Regards,
Sister DaBell
Adriatic South
Mission Secretary
We warmly welcome Elder Schneider to the Adriatic South Mission. He was picked up at the Tirana Airport by President and Sister Weidmann and the Assistants to the President. After a short night, he had an interview with President Weidmann. Thursday, included a visit to the site where Albania was dedicated by Elder Dallin H. Oaks for missionary work. Then an afternoon of training, meeting a companion and receiving an assigned area.
Elder Schneider will be serving with Elder Jaunay in Durrës. Attached please find a few pictures of your son.
You have a very special son who is strong and he will do a great work here. Thank you for sharing him with us. President Weidmann takes very good care of his missionaries. He loves them and they have no doubt that does. He sends them an uplifting text every morning and always signs it ‘Love President Weidmann’. They know they can call him anytime even if it is just to talk. Sister Weidmann is there making sure they have everything they need and that they are happy.
In sending mail to the mission please address your letters and packages as follows:
Adriatic South Mission
Individual or Recipient’s name
PO Box 2984
Bulevardi “Gjergj Fishta”
Qendra “Alpas,” Shkalla #5,
Apartmenti #14
Tirana,
Albania
If you want to be sure your letter or package arrives, purchase a tracking number for it. SLC also sends a pouch to Albania, which would get a single page letter here for a first class US stamp. The pouch takes about 1- 2 weeks, regular mail can take 3-4 weeks, packages can take 1-3 months, and sometimes they don’t arrive.
The postal system sorts the mail by the first letter on the top line, so addressing Adriatic puts all of the mail for the mission in the A pile. If something is marked at $50 in value or more, it goes to customs, and a hefty fee is paid to get it out. We recommend you un-package the item and try on any clothing, also take the tags off and refold it, maybe wash it. Then consider a value for “used items.” If something is very important, we recommend using Fed-Ex or DHL.
There is an Adriatic South Mission Facebook page that you can “get on” by request. It has a lot of mission news and pictures.
Best Regards,
Sister DaBell
Mission Secretary
Regards,
Sister DaBell
Adriatic South
Mission Secretary
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