Happy Monday (Gezuar e hene) from Tirona 4th Branch!
It sounds like things are just going awesome back home, except for the sickness and stuff, but you are definitely keeping busy with good things, and that is awesome!
This week we went in and did some work to get our leje qendrimi (allowance to stay) at the American Embassy. Albania has a law where basically anyone with a passport can come in and be here for 90 days without problem. After that though you have to go pay like 50000 leke ($50) and fill out a form to stay longer. That went by without a hitch, so it looks like I am going to be here for a bit longer!
Well, this week we had a mini-transfer ( they happen in the middle of every 3-month transfer) and usually not a whole lot happens, but this time there was quite a big change around. I am still in the same place with the same companion, so not a whole lot of anything is changing in my day-to-day routine here until January. I think that I found that I really tend not to worry about changes as much as other people do. Maybe I should...but I guess I kinda just figure that whatever happens happens and the work has to be done no matter where we are or who we are with.
One thing that I have really been noticing over the last two months, we teach the Restoration lesson a lot. Like, a lot. I mean it is fantastic doctrine and everything and is what really sets the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints apart from every other religion in the world, however, it would be so awesome if those people who received that lesson would understand the importance of continuing on! I totally feel like Alma felt as he proclaimed his desires to be an angel and share the message of Christ with the entire world so that they could not miss it. I think however, what is something that I should be striving for more however, is to strive to be like Nephi ( the one at the time of Christ) where it is written that he spoke with the Spirit so much that people could not not believe his words. I might have mentioned that in a letter before, but that is just something that I really strive for.
Last night we were teaching Pirro, a 72-year-old xhaxhi (old man) and trying to get him to commit to baptism. He loves church and in the lesson he told us that he knows the Book of Mormon is true, that we have a living prophet named Thomas S. Monson, and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. But even after that he will not commit to be baptized! He's orthodox and he has always been orthodox, and his parents were orthodox...TRADITION! (dadadaada dadadaada dadadaada dadadadadaaaa) We have tried to explain it in every way with the scriptures and such, and last night in our struggles ( it was a 2-hour lesson...don't do this at home children) we even had President Kashari of the Mission Presidency help us out and that was awesome, but right now he just has to get that answer and use his agency. We had him commit to ask the simple question, "should I get baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?" in a prayer last night, so we are going to call and see how that went. Oh Pirro, you need to see this need! This is eternity we are looking at here!
We do have some other investigators that are doing really well though. Besjan (19) and Ina (20). We are just plugging away at the lessons with them and really trying to help them repent and come unto Christ through Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. Sker and Pamela are also great. We are going to be teaching them the Law of Chastity here pretty soon, and they are an engaged couple, so that could be rough. I would really appreciate some prayers on their behalf, and so would they, they just don't know it yet.
Well, I love you and pray for you back home! Keep busy doing the best of things!
Love,
Elder Ostergaard
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