#15 October 21, 2013 (pictures too!)

Well, it is the start/end of a another week here in the field! We were able to have a more number-wise successful week than we have yet which was great. I mean, numbers don't matter and everything...but if we could have 1 investigator in church or 2 investigators in church, well 2 is a lot better. Even though we were able to do better though, I feel like there is still so much more that we could be doing! Aaaah, it seems like there is always work falling through the cracks of our inabilities! We are pretty good at finding new people to teach, but then actually meeting with them regularly...well that is something that definitely needs improvement. So does working with the members. I guess I just feel kind of kot going and visiting those that already have the Gospel blessing their lives...though they do also need it too especially here in Albania. Everyone can use spiritual boosts, but in trying to fill the bucket with the big stones first (the best things to do in missionary work), it is pretty easy to forget that once those have been put in, there are also the littler good stones that can fit in the cracks afterwards. I guess we are just going to have to get better at it!

Exciting story of the week, we had our phone stolen! This guy called us and was like, "Hey, me and my buddies are interested to learn about your church." They met us at this park, and we sat down on a bench to teach them a bit. One of them said that their friend was a waiter in the restaurant at the edge of the park and he was going to go get him because he was also interested. He was gone quite a while, so the other guy asked to borrow our phone to call and see where they were and walked over to the restaurant while doing it...and when he was out of sight we realized that we were not going to be seeing that phone again. The sadder but wiser missionary for me I guess! We are no longer supposed to let anyone else use our phones -- but that wasn't going to happen again anyway.

So, we do spend a fair bit of time with the Winders. They are the senior couple called to the Tirana 4th Branch as BYU-Idaho Pathway missionaries (the online study program for BYU-I). Elder Winder is also the 2nd counselor in the Branch Presidency, and since President Beleshi can't speak any English and Elder Winder can say just about Pershendetje (hello), faleminderit (thank you), and si jeni (how are you), missionaries are needed for translating in meetings and when he speaks in Sacrament Meeting. In their assignment as missionaries though, they are mostly working with Albanian young adults who can speak at least a good bit of English, so they are able to do that without too much of a hitch. They are great and we love the Winders a lot!

We found this 19-year-old cun (boy) on Rruga Durresit (Durres Road) about a week ago and we brought him into the youth center to have a lesson with him right then and he wasway cool. His name is Besjan and we had another lesson with him a couple days later with Elder Winder there with us. We committed him to a baptismal date and then got him to come to church which was great. He came to 2 hours with us and then left (I think that he thought it was kind of boring), but I really hope that we can help him to get a testimony of the Book of Mormon and then work down a road of conversion. We need more active, tithe-paying Priesthood holders here! There is a Halloween party here in Durres this week for the YSAs, so we really want to get him to that. We have also been meeting with some other really cool people and need to get them to act on the good feelings that they are having and meet with us more and then get baptized, etc.! I might have said this before, but I am so grateful for agency and everything, but sometimes I just really want to make others understand that when they fik us (turn off the phone when we call), there is something great that they could be having and experiencing!

Happy Monoversary Mom and Dad, you are great and I love you so much! I hope you get feeling so much better here and soon Mother dearest and that you can be able to do all the things that you want to be doing. Oh, and I would love to know what all of the songs were that Brigham played for Showcase (or rather waved his arms around in the air for)! I am sure that it was ballin'! I saw that they did Coldhearted again ( thanks Dad!) and that is a way good song. Sounds like Grant is doing just great and that is way cool that Tyler and Colleen were able to come out and stay with you the last couple days!

Keep it real and keep the faith! Kisha eshte e vertete dhe ne duhet t'ua tregojme ate atyre!

Love,
Elder Ostergaard

This is a look at Shqiperia (Albania)from Krui. Tirana is off to the left, but you can't see it from here.

Apparently Kimball proving he is a wise man who has built upon a rock. :)

The Tirana 2nd and 4th Branch Mission District.

These are suflaqes, yep, I will probably be talking about these at home.