Update from Elder Johnson - December 2016 - Shkodër - Tirana
5 December 2016
Hey, everyone. I hope you are all doing alright. I love Albania so much! This week has been pretty great. I am so happy that it is December. I love the Christmas season and it is so beautiful here and there are Christmas lights all around Shkodër... especially next to the Big Catholic Church (Kisha e madhe), which is right next to our little church. It is so great. They don't really have any Christmas Markets, sadly. But it is still great. I love my advent calendar and appreciate the little tidbits of wisdom in each day's box, and the Yorks too. Thanks for that!
This last week, we had our Mid-way Training and it was very good. There is nothing better than a video clip of Elder Holland to get you pumped for missionary work. Good to see my MTC group prap (again). This week, I made my favorite Christmas dessert, Squamish Bars and they turned out pretty great. My district really enjoyed them.
More news is that is that Gjergj will not be getting baptized on Saturday, but sometime later. This week he sent us a text saying he couldn't get baptized because his parents pressured him, and then our calls to him wouldn't go through. That happened on Thursday and by Sunday, we were resigned to that fate. But, he showed up to church and said he was still going to get baptized, that his phone broke, and that his parents were not completely on board with the baptism, but he was still going to do it. Once someone has a baptismal date, something happens. Storm it, Satan! Another random thing it that Sister Collins (The Senior Couple sister working with us) doesn't like it when we say Dang it! so I have transitioned to saying Storm it, which Elder Samuel thinks is weird, but I love it! ('Storm it' is a curse in the series Dad and I both read -- the Stormlight Archives)
One of our new investigators this week is named Gasper. He is an old xhaxhi and he is pretty funny. He says that I am his really great friend and always stops people to tell them that I talked to him in the street and I asked him about his faith and since then, we have been calling on the phone and we are great friends. He says Elder Samuel is his friend too, but I am his better friend, because I met him first. It is so funny. He was also probably drunk. Fun stuff. The way we find investigators is walk around until someone stops us and invites us into a bar to have a drink with them. You think I'm joking. I'm not. Well, we do other stuff too, but people always stop us and we teach them and the rest of the localë (basically bar) about the gospel. It is pretty great. Missionary work! (and we get a free Fanta Exotic out of it. The Lord always blesses His missionaries.)
The really crazy funny thing from this week was testimony meeting in Shkodër yesterday. First, we heard some great testimonies from Memosa and Vellai Zefi, and then Gentian stood up... And gave a 20-minute lecture walking all around the podium and waving his hands around. He brought calculations to show how much time we have in a week and how much of it we could be using to read the scriptures. He testified of the Church's Self-Reliance Program. And, he also taught that Adam and Eve were disobedient just to be disobedient. He also used his scarf as a blindfold for himself at some point. He just used his hands like crazy as he talked. Another man, not a member, testified of an experience he had praying for money and then finding a $50 bill (50 mijë lek) on the ground... so, yeah, that was a pretty interesting Sunday. Church in Lezhë was amazing, as usual. We learned about listening to the voice of the Spirit instead of the voice of Satan, and it was a great lesson.
Today for P-Day we played pool, ate at the Italian restaurant, and bought some gifts for our District White Elephant Christmas Day, because next Monday is the last P-Day before TRANSFERS. We get our transfer calls on Saturday, so then I will find out who my new companion will be and where I will be, but everyone thinks I will just stay in Shkodër and Elder Samuel will get moved. We will see. I am excited and also nervous. It stinks that I won't be with Elder Samuel for Christmas. Our baptism will actually not be on Saturday, maybe the next week. We are having a Missionary Open House on Saturday
I hope you found this email uplifting and also humorous. I know that God is watching over each one of us. We can become more like our Savior by following His example and doing what He did. I love the LIGHTtheWORLD initiative because we can be a light like Christ. Watch the video if you haven't! He lives and loves us. We can come closer to him by studying the scriptures. I will close my email today with wise words that I found in my advent calendar the other day, "Don't be a cotton-headed ninny-muggins!" — Love Elder Johnson
12 December 2016
So bad news and good news.
Bad News: I am leaving Shkodër. I loved being in Shkodër and honestly hope that I will be able to come back someday. It is an amazing place and I have loved serving here. There are so many diligent and amazing members, and some amazing investigators and friends that I know and love. The best thing about a mission is all the amazing relationships you make. The worst thing about a mission is that I have to leave all of them behind. But, it is great. Builds character, as my old Elder Samuel would say. I am also going to miss him. He is the best! We have had some great and hard and busy and fun times. I loved these last 12 weeks! I would say that the results of these last 12 weeks, are those amazing relationships that we have build with members (Memosa the best member ever, Vëllai Zefi the second best, Gjergj the good çun, the Çromelli's with the cutest 4-year-old, Kelvin who conducted every meeting, the Beqiri kids our only Lezhë members) investigators (Gjergj the one who illegally went to Greece once and is getting baptized on January 7th, Denis friend of the member Gjergj, who taught me how Albanians play MASH, The Beqiri's parents who WILL get baptized eventually, Elton who has "already been baptized" but still comes to church every Sunday, Gaspër who is drunk, and many people who dropped us dramatically) Kurs Anglisht students (Ester and Emanuela, who were my favorites in English Course and are now coming to church and being taught by the sisters, Alketa, who was taught by the sisters and got baptized and confirmed a few weeks back, Aurora and Aurela, the smart Lezhë twins, and a bunch of annoying çuns who we had to kick out.) and my district. (Elder and Sister Collins, Sister Willie and Sister Miles, and, of course, Elder Samuel) I love Shkodër! and Lezhë! and Laç! but especially Shkodër. It is a classic Albanian and beautiful though small city. It is known as the cultural capital of Albania and is practically perfect in every way!
Good News: I am going to serve in Tirana, the actual capital of Albania. Tirana already has four wards. I will be serving in the Tirana 1st Ward with Elder Larsen! It is going to be a blast. I am so excited and know that I am going to love it and make even more great relationships with people. I leave tomorrow. Tonight, all I need to do is and visit some investigators one last time and then finish packing, and then Tirana, here I come!
More Good News: THE CHURCH IS TRUE! It always will be. It will always be led by a prophet of God. God is at the head, and so we can trust in His chosen representatives. We are children of God, He loves us, and He will provide. His hand in missionary work is so incredible and it is amazing to be a tool that He can work through. You are all His tools to light the world! Have confidence and faith and patience! Read the scriptures every day and pray for further light and knowledge! I love you all!
Love, Elder Johnson
19 December 2019
I’m in Tirana.
26 December 2016
Hi everyone!
These past weeks have been great, with lots of street contacting, looking for less actives, and getting excited for Christmas.
We had a Ward Christmas party, and everyone got a bag of food and a drink from the Bishop. But the drink was an Ice Tea. Classic Albania. Many of the ward members had the sense not to drink it and we told the Bishop that Ice Tea was not ok. He felt bad. It was funny.
Christmas day was so fun. We left cookies out for Santa and he came and gave us a Book of Mormon IN ALBANIAN!!! How did he know? Wow. We opened our presents in the morning, studied, went to church, did some street contacting, ate lunch with a senior couple and then went over to the Bishop's house to skype my family -- which was so great. These past 5 months have flown by. Wow! But, I love being here in Albania. It is just the best!
The day after Christmas was an all-day P-day, so we hiked a mountain called Dajti. It took about 4 hours, and was so sweet! That night we went to take pictures of the Christmas lights in Tirana.
I love this season, because we can not only focus on the Savior during Christmas, but we can also make new goals to come closer to Him during New Years. I challenge you all to make a goal to gain or improve a Christlike attribute this coming year. — Elder Johnson
