Hello, how are you my friend?! (The greeting from just about every Albanian who thinks they know English -- kinda like a red-headed American kid trying to speak Albanian...)
Well, it has been another week already, crazy crazy stuff! If I were back in the states, we would have already had a transfer cycle. Here in the Adriatic South Mission transfers only happen every 3 months, but this one is a month longer than regular because the new missionaries come in on January 3rd I believe. This week has been a lot better for us numbers-wise. With us white-washing at the beginning and then the hospital stuff, we haven't been able to do as solid with our numbers. This week though, we have really been able to dig into the work a bit more than we have been able to to this point and it has been good. Pat on the back and everything...but still there is so much more we can be doing! We were able to get a lot of new investigators and we will still work to keep that teaching pool up while we help all of these people walk that path towards baptism and covenants afterwards.
One thing that is kind of tough about the work out here is getting members to come to lessons with us. I never really thought about that too much in the states. But really, most of the people who are willing to come to lessons here are girls, and whenever we have a lesson with a girl we need another man there. I guess this problem is all over the globe probably, that whoever is just an awesome member missionary or someone that would be good for a lesson, is also really busy. All those good people just seem to have things to do all the time! But hey, it's cool, I guess we are just going to have to reactivate a ton of Melchizedek Priesthood holders and baptize some cuns (boys) so that we can take 'em to lessons with us.
Our zone had interviews with President Ford this last week and that was really awesome. He is a pretty incredible man and I am so glad and blessed that he is my mission president (well, for the first year). The thing that really stuck out to me from his interview with me was that he was happy with the work we have been doing as a companionship. I tend to be pretty hard on myself when it comes to expectations, and at nights most of what I can think about is what I could have done differently. So when he seemed pleased with our efforts, it caused me to take a step back. We aren't perfect. And not only are we not perfect, we won't be perfect ever in this life. When it seems that sometimes I can only do my best or that I can't even do that, I, as well as every other missionary in the world, was called to my mission not as a perfect being, but as a flawed creature who is totally reliant upon the Savior to do anything of great worth. Those people who I just can't seem to get the right words out fast enough with, I didn't just kill their one chance of receiving the Gospel. Everyone will receive the Gospel in the time, place, and way that they need to. If we are doing our part as missionaries to do our best and rely on the Spirit, sometimes it might even be with us (those are my favorite times).
Well, that is just about it for this week! Go be a member missionary even more than you already are. If there is something that I regret from before the mission, that is it. Be a great example, and don't be afraid to be more than that too! This is the greatest message in the world and we are so blessed to have it -- but there are a whole lot of people that we love that don't.
May you pass well.
Love,
Elder Ostergaard
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