#76 A Change of Scene

Hey Everybody,

Happy New Year! I don't think that I had gotten used to writing 2014 yet, change really throws me off. Well, that is not the only thing that is changing, we got our calls from President Weidmann on Sunday night and I am now chillin' (pretty literally as well as figuratively) in the streets of Shkoder. I am stoked, more than just about any other place in the mission Shkoder needs some serious help. It needs some awesome missionary work, so please pray for us so that we can rip this place to shreds as we plan to!

Shkoder is the most northern city in Albania opened to missionaries. It is probably very similar in size to Fier (I think a bit bigger) and it is a pretty city. There is snow on the mountains, but we haven't seen anything yet by means of frozen precipitation here. It's possible though.

I am now serving with Elder Szabo. He just finished being trained up here in Shkoder and is a good kid. He is actually still 18-years-old, crazy. He is from American Fork and was a lacrosse player there. It is going to be a good transfer. I have definitely been blessed ever since the beginning with incredible companions.

Our house here is in a 3 story villa that is owned by some of the few members here in Shkoder (there are 4 active members: The branch president President Kraja who has been a member for about 14 months, Arsen, a 24-year-old baptized 13 months ago who will be leaving on a mission in a month and a half, and Mimoza and Pal Pali, a middle-aged couple (50's) who were baptized 4-6 months ago). So the Pali's are our landlords which should be fun because they are awesome. As you can probably tell from the member list, there is a lot of good work that can happen in this area. It is so exciting!

I don't really have a whole lot else, oh, yeah, my camera got jacked on a bus my last day in Tirana which is really too bad, whaddya do? I am going to see if I can get that old one to work out. Oh, and here in Shkoder, in order to catch as much sunlight as possible, we have switched the schedule forward an hour so that we wake up at 5:30 and go to bed at 9:30. That also means that our P-days end at 5, so just so that you are aware.

Love,
Elder Ostergaard

P.S. Hey Mom, you asked about the interview being archived. Here is the link to it, but we actually got a dvd of it as well that I will keep.
http://webtv.albanianscreen.tv/pages/videot/target_25_dhjetor_2014/ALB

I have not quite yet gotten the package, Dad, but I am not worried about it yet. Elder Rawlings was sent up to Kosovo anyway, so he won't be getting that bolo for a while anyway.