Hey Everybody,
I hope that this last week has been fantastic! One thing that I noticed yesterday was actually as we called in to give the report on our week to our district leader. He referred to several of the things that we mentioned as miracles, and it was a good reminder to me that truly our lives are filled with miracles and life is so much more beautiful when we recognize those.
This week we had a couple of cool things happen. One was that we received permission to use the Sisters' car to go and visit Tonini and his family (he lives a bit outside of Shkoder) and so we were able to do that near the end of the week. It was great to be able to meet them and talk to them about the Gospel. His 15-year-old daughter had read the Joseph Smith Pamphlet and part of the Book of Mormon and had a lot of questions for us (they have strong Catholic roots so they were questions like: why do your priests marry? why don't you do confession? why don't you think that the Catholic church has authority? etc.). We were able to answer them and it was great to see Tonini back up some of the things that we were saying. He still isn't sure which church is true, but we're getting there bit by bit.
About a week and a half ago we talked to a man and his daughter on the way home at the end of the night and were able to go and meet those two as well as the mom this week. Jaku (the dad), Vera (the mom), and Dajana (the 10-year-old daughter) are from the north and have a Catholic background. They mentioned that other people from churches had been to their house before, but we weren't expecting when on the second visit Sunday night, Dajana pulled out a Book of Mormon and Restoration pamphlet that had been given to them a year ago. Pretty cool! We are excited to work with them and hope to help them become closer to their Heavenly Father through the message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
On Saturday we held a traditional dance at the church (Albanians love to do that) and had a good amount of people come. Activities are a really good way to do missionary work. I have thought about during high school when I invited a couple of my friends to come to stake dances with me and it was great and they had a great time. I wish that I had done more to try and invite my buddies to learn a bit about what we were and why. I think one of the reasons that I didn't is that I didn't really know how to, and that made me scared. It is actually a really unthreatening thing to tell someone, "hey, I am going to be going to church on Sunday, wanna come?" How cool would it be if we just invited people in warm, normal ways to "come and see"?
One cool thing that we got to do this week was go over to the house of a less-active lady and whack cement off of her walls with a pickax! She deserved it though, she hasn't come to church in years. Just kidding, she asked us to do it, so it's kosher (in the most Mormon of senses).
Well, I love you everybody! Hope that you have a good week and don't do anything too crazy.
Love,
Elder Ostergaard
Monday, April 20, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
#91
Hey Family,
This past week has been a bit of a different experience in comparison with the rest of my mission. For those that do not know the schedule of missionaries on the training schedule in a foreign language mission, we wake up at 6:30, have personal study from 8-9, companion study from 9-11, and then later on in the day we have an hour of language study. That is a lot of study time and for most of my mission, we have been very lenient in our hacking away at that to go do the "more important" things. Well, for quite a while I have been called to repentance and especially with this opportunity to train have really re-thought about things and realized that it is important to get that study in. I guess I used to think of studying as the Lord giving us a break from our labors, but instead it is truly a period for us to be prepared. It is not a break but a preparation period. It is truly an act of faith to take time to prepare our spirits before going outside, but it allows the Lord to work so much more through us. 5 minutes with the Lord's help is much more effective than hours without it. So, as we have worked to be diligent and obedient in our studies, I have found the need for a different kind of endurance and it is definitely building us up as missionaries.
Conference was wonderful! We were counseled to have all of the sessions at the church building and to attend all of them, something that has not happened before here. When there were people there we watched it in Albanian, and when it was just missionaries we watched it is English. I remember watching conference after 1 month in the country, and I proudly announce that it was significantly better this time! Thank goodness.
I really loved the talks of Elder Anderson, Elder Bednar, and everyone else. It was cool to hear the stories about the Ivory Coast and Haiti. It was inspiring to hear about those areas that in 30 years had grown enough for the Lord to see fit that a temple be built there. It helped me find a new desire to help this people work towards obtaining that blessing. I had written down a few questions to look at while I watched conference, one of them being to know how much to expect of all those with whom we work. I was grateful to receive the answer that though we do need to expect everything of them, we need to love them. A lot. I am so grateful that the Lord didn't "drop" me the 5 billion times that I made a mistake, but that He has continually worked with me. He is so patient with us and works with us even when we don't want Him to. There is so much to learn from His redeeming and enabling love.
We are currently working with a man named Tonini, and he is really cool. He has Catholic roots and he is really just trying to figure out which church is right. He really liked conference and we will have an opportunity to go out and meet his family this week, so it would be wonderful if you could throw out a prayer that he can receive and understand the answers to his prayers about which church is the Lord's church.
One wonderful thing that was in General Conference was President Uchtdorf's testimony of why he does what he does in the Church. It wasn't for anyone else or even out of a feeling of duty. Rather, it was because he loved the Lord and wanted to do what He asked. In a similar line, Elder Nelson talked about when he thinks of the activities he participates in on the Sabbath, he thinks about the message that those send to God and the love they transmit through his dedication. He said that when he bases everything he does on his love for God that everything is crystal clear. I am glad to be walking down a road in that direction that is based upon love rather than anything else.
Have a wonderful week everybody!
Love,
Elder Ostergaard
This past week has been a bit of a different experience in comparison with the rest of my mission. For those that do not know the schedule of missionaries on the training schedule in a foreign language mission, we wake up at 6:30, have personal study from 8-9, companion study from 9-11, and then later on in the day we have an hour of language study. That is a lot of study time and for most of my mission, we have been very lenient in our hacking away at that to go do the "more important" things. Well, for quite a while I have been called to repentance and especially with this opportunity to train have really re-thought about things and realized that it is important to get that study in. I guess I used to think of studying as the Lord giving us a break from our labors, but instead it is truly a period for us to be prepared. It is not a break but a preparation period. It is truly an act of faith to take time to prepare our spirits before going outside, but it allows the Lord to work so much more through us. 5 minutes with the Lord's help is much more effective than hours without it. So, as we have worked to be diligent and obedient in our studies, I have found the need for a different kind of endurance and it is definitely building us up as missionaries.
Conference was wonderful! We were counseled to have all of the sessions at the church building and to attend all of them, something that has not happened before here. When there were people there we watched it in Albanian, and when it was just missionaries we watched it is English. I remember watching conference after 1 month in the country, and I proudly announce that it was significantly better this time! Thank goodness.
I really loved the talks of Elder Anderson, Elder Bednar, and everyone else. It was cool to hear the stories about the Ivory Coast and Haiti. It was inspiring to hear about those areas that in 30 years had grown enough for the Lord to see fit that a temple be built there. It helped me find a new desire to help this people work towards obtaining that blessing. I had written down a few questions to look at while I watched conference, one of them being to know how much to expect of all those with whom we work. I was grateful to receive the answer that though we do need to expect everything of them, we need to love them. A lot. I am so grateful that the Lord didn't "drop" me the 5 billion times that I made a mistake, but that He has continually worked with me. He is so patient with us and works with us even when we don't want Him to. There is so much to learn from His redeeming and enabling love.
We are currently working with a man named Tonini, and he is really cool. He has Catholic roots and he is really just trying to figure out which church is right. He really liked conference and we will have an opportunity to go out and meet his family this week, so it would be wonderful if you could throw out a prayer that he can receive and understand the answers to his prayers about which church is the Lord's church.
One wonderful thing that was in General Conference was President Uchtdorf's testimony of why he does what he does in the Church. It wasn't for anyone else or even out of a feeling of duty. Rather, it was because he loved the Lord and wanted to do what He asked. In a similar line, Elder Nelson talked about when he thinks of the activities he participates in on the Sabbath, he thinks about the message that those send to God and the love they transmit through his dedication. He said that when he bases everything he does on his love for God that everything is crystal clear. I am glad to be walking down a road in that direction that is based upon love rather than anything else.
Have a wonderful week everybody!
Love,
Elder Ostergaard
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
#90
Dear Family,
Happy Monday and I sure hope that you are all having a wonderful week so far! This past week was not quite spent as planned with many days spent in Tirana waiting for Elder Crandall (my new companion) to get into the country and then for the trainers and trainees to all to be assigned together. He is great. He is the third of five children, played in band, loves to sing, did drama, about 6 feet tall, and has strawberry blonde hair. Kinda crazy huh? Elder Crandall is from Colorado and he actually just got back recently from a year-long exchange in Germany. He
It is really hard to think of what I was like when I first came into the country, what was weird and what was normal. I have been trying to think of how I felt those first moments, days, and weeks...and I am coming up blank. Well, I guess he is just going to have to figure it out himself. Just kidding-- kind of.
This week I have been doing a lot of thinking about the Savior. Isn't it great? I hope that every week of the year will find me thinking about the Savior a lot rather than needing to wait for Easter or Christmas. One of the things that really struck me was just the extreme loneliness that must have been experienced by the Savior during this the last week of His mortal existence. One thing that really caused me to notice that was in the Joseph Smith Translation of Mark 14:36 which states:
36 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane,which was a garden; and the disciples began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy, and to complain in their hearts, wondering if this be the Messiah.
Even here, on the brink of the Atonement, the most important and eternal event ever, even those closest to the Savior did not recognize fully, or perhaps very much at all, the purpose and calling that the Christ had. I wonder if we understand any better than these men do the role of the Messiah in our lives. And if we do, I wonder if we apply that.
One thing that was reinforced to me this week was the knowledge that I love to bear my testimony. It is always just such a wonderful reassurance that I actually know what I know and love it. I am so grateful that the Spirit, as promised by Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, is a necessary part of dictating that Jesus is the Lord. When we proclaim these truths, the Spirit enters in and everything just sort of fits into perspective and works. I like it a lot.
We had a bit of a rough day at Church yesterday (we will be watching conference this upcoming weekend) with a good amount of rain holding many back from coming. I sure hope that we can help others to recognize the need for the continuous Atonement in our lives. I also hope that I am learning that lesson in my own life in a very eternal way. It is easy to see how a mission is sort of a crash course in eternal learning, future Church service, as well as simply living as a disciple of Christ.
I hope that this week is wonderful and that you can continue to keep that Easter spirit with you!
Love,
Elder Ostergaard
P.S. Yes Mom, fringo is the Albanian word for gringo. I have no idea where it came from, perhaps somebody simply mis-typed and 'f' instead of a 'g' while creating the Albanian slang dicitionary.
As for Mother's Day, that is way too soon, Christmas was yesterday. Ask me about it next week. Thanks!
Happy Monday and I sure hope that you are all having a wonderful week so far! This past week was not quite spent as planned with many days spent in Tirana waiting for Elder Crandall (my new companion) to get into the country and then for the trainers and trainees to all to be assigned together. He is great. He is the third of five children, played in band, loves to sing, did drama, about 6 feet tall, and has strawberry blonde hair. Kinda crazy huh? Elder Crandall is from Colorado and he actually just got back recently from a year-long exchange in Germany. He
It is really hard to think of what I was like when I first came into the country, what was weird and what was normal. I have been trying to think of how I felt those first moments, days, and weeks...and I am coming up blank. Well, I guess he is just going to have to figure it out himself. Just kidding-- kind of.
This week I have been doing a lot of thinking about the Savior. Isn't it great? I hope that every week of the year will find me thinking about the Savior a lot rather than needing to wait for Easter or Christmas. One of the things that really struck me was just the extreme loneliness that must have been experienced by the Savior during this the last week of His mortal existence. One thing that really caused me to notice that was in the Joseph Smith Translation of Mark 14:36 which states:
36 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane,which was a garden; and the disciples began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy, and to complain in their hearts, wondering if this be the Messiah.
Even here, on the brink of the Atonement, the most important and eternal event ever, even those closest to the Savior did not recognize fully, or perhaps very much at all, the purpose and calling that the Christ had. I wonder if we understand any better than these men do the role of the Messiah in our lives. And if we do, I wonder if we apply that.
One thing that was reinforced to me this week was the knowledge that I love to bear my testimony. It is always just such a wonderful reassurance that I actually know what I know and love it. I am so grateful that the Spirit, as promised by Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, is a necessary part of dictating that Jesus is the Lord. When we proclaim these truths, the Spirit enters in and everything just sort of fits into perspective and works. I like it a lot.
We had a bit of a rough day at Church yesterday (we will be watching conference this upcoming weekend) with a good amount of rain holding many back from coming. I sure hope that we can help others to recognize the need for the continuous Atonement in our lives. I also hope that I am learning that lesson in my own life in a very eternal way. It is easy to see how a mission is sort of a crash course in eternal learning, future Church service, as well as simply living as a disciple of Christ.
I hope that this week is wonderful and that you can continue to keep that Easter spirit with you!
Love,
Elder Ostergaard
P.S. Yes Mom, fringo is the Albanian word for gringo. I have no idea where it came from, perhaps somebody simply mis-typed and 'f' instead of a 'g' while creating the Albanian slang dicitionary.
As for Mother's Day, that is way too soon, Christmas was yesterday. Ask me about it next week. Thanks!
Monday, April 6, 2015
#89 Places everybody, it's transfer time!
Hello Family,
We got a call on Saturday night from President telling us about transfers. I will be staying here in Shkoder and have the opportunity to train once again ( I tried to let President know that I had messed it up the first time and it wasn't a good idea...but whaddya do?). I will be paired with my companion on the Thursday after spending 2 days in Tirana 2nd while waiting...it'll be fun going back there a little bit. Elder Szabo is headed down to Tirana 1st (the only one of the Tirana wards I haven't had the opportunity to serve in). I am excited to stay here because Shkodra eshte nje qytet mrekullirash (Shoder is a miracle city). I am ready for the excitement that comes with fringo fire and just having new eyes on a situation. I hope that I can make myself pliable to be able to change and improve.
This past week we have been working to be a little bit better at continually looking for new people to teach. We have been able to meet many new people, and though we know that many of them will not have a continuing interest in the Gospel, I sure hope that we can, through our efforts and the Spirit's direction be led to those that are prepared. It is an interesting concept that we are truly looking for the elect, those that at this moment in time are ready and waiting. I think that it is a principle that requires a good sense of our eternal-ness and that all will have an opportunity at some point to accept this message. I hope that we will have the faith to find those that are ready now (I also hope that that is a lot of people, haha, but that isn't really my decision).
Other than that, this week hasn't been too crazy. One cool thing that has happened though is this family that we met last Sunday. We tracted into them and have since met with them several times. The father came to church on Sunday in a suit (he looked good). They have 2 sons that recently moved to Montreal and asked if we could get missionaries in contact with them, so I sent a note to Elder Dallin Jones. Hope that that works out!
Well, nothing much more to share. It is warming up pretty well here (I hope President switches over to short sleeve season soon). Conference here won't happen yet this week, but I would still love to hear your thoughts.
Love,
Elder Ostergaard
P.S. I am sure that you all know this already, but Albania beat Armenia in futboll 2-1 this week. Pretty big deal here. Haha, I wonder what percentage of the US recognizes those two places as distinct nations?
We got a call on Saturday night from President telling us about transfers. I will be staying here in Shkoder and have the opportunity to train once again ( I tried to let President know that I had messed it up the first time and it wasn't a good idea...but whaddya do?). I will be paired with my companion on the Thursday after spending 2 days in Tirana 2nd while waiting...it'll be fun going back there a little bit. Elder Szabo is headed down to Tirana 1st (the only one of the Tirana wards I haven't had the opportunity to serve in). I am excited to stay here because Shkodra eshte nje qytet mrekullirash (Shoder is a miracle city). I am ready for the excitement that comes with fringo fire and just having new eyes on a situation. I hope that I can make myself pliable to be able to change and improve.
This past week we have been working to be a little bit better at continually looking for new people to teach. We have been able to meet many new people, and though we know that many of them will not have a continuing interest in the Gospel, I sure hope that we can, through our efforts and the Spirit's direction be led to those that are prepared. It is an interesting concept that we are truly looking for the elect, those that at this moment in time are ready and waiting. I think that it is a principle that requires a good sense of our eternal-ness and that all will have an opportunity at some point to accept this message. I hope that we will have the faith to find those that are ready now (I also hope that that is a lot of people, haha, but that isn't really my decision).
Other than that, this week hasn't been too crazy. One cool thing that has happened though is this family that we met last Sunday. We tracted into them and have since met with them several times. The father came to church on Sunday in a suit (he looked good). They have 2 sons that recently moved to Montreal and asked if we could get missionaries in contact with them, so I sent a note to Elder Dallin Jones. Hope that that works out!
Well, nothing much more to share. It is warming up pretty well here (I hope President switches over to short sleeve season soon). Conference here won't happen yet this week, but I would still love to hear your thoughts.
Love,
Elder Ostergaard
P.S. I am sure that you all know this already, but Albania beat Armenia in futboll 2-1 this week. Pretty big deal here. Haha, I wonder what percentage of the US recognizes those two places as distinct nations?
Monday, March 23, 2015
#88
Dear Family,
I hope that you have had a wonderful week! This week I found myself without a planner for a couple of days (I accidentally left it in a byrek stand, I don't know if you know what byrek is, but it is basically flaky, butteriness with stuff in it-usually a kind of cheese called gjize, tomatoes and onions, ground beef, sausage, spinach, or a yogurt thing called kos.) and looking back I realized that I was totally reliant on Elder Szabo for anything time-related seeing as I haven't worn a watch in 4 months. Thank goodness for companions!
This week we got a little bit of bad news hearing that Adriatik had some familial problems meaning that he will have to be out of Shkoder this week and not be able to be baptized on Saturday. Our other investigator Leo that we were working with to be baptized by the end of the month is also not looking like that will be possible. We feel a bit like we are letting our mission and the Lord down as we are working to achieve goals that were set between President Weidmann and the Lord. However as we prayed about it last night, Elder Szabo expressed that he felt that what we are doing what we should be doing in helping people be baptized when they are really ready rather than simply trying to fill a goal. Isn't it great that the work of the Lord is a one-by-one work that differs, though it is the same at the same time, with every one of His children. We all need something different and in order to do this it requires love from the teachers to really look for what is needed. I sure pray that we will be in-tune enough with the Spirit so that we will know what the Lord wants these, His children, to know, feel, and do.
On Saturday we had a wonderful opportunity to get out on the street for about 4 hours and, using a table, street contact. We heard in a talk this week that it is impossible for someone to love the Gospel and to love people and not to love sharing the Gospel with people. I can say that I love the people and I also love the Gospel, and it is true that I truly do love sharing the Gospel with people. I am not that good at it, but I think that really a big part of it is just loving people and then, if we have put in some thought to studying the Gospel, they will pretty magically find their way together.
A few weeks ago I was reading in the book of Acts (I love the book of Acts, it is perfect for missionaries) and I was very struck by the words it says about Peter and his companions. They were imprisoned, freed by an angel, and then retaken and set before the Jewish council. After many words spoken they eventually beat them and let them go. Here is the part that stuck out to me: "And they departed from the presence of the council,rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name." (Acts 5:41) Are we willing to suffer shame for His name? I have thought about that many times as people will sometimes yell or taunt and it is a bit shameful. What a blessing to be able to wear a tag that shows everyone that I am with Him, like it or not. I wish to be always willing and able to suffer shame for the name of the Savior.
We once again shared the film Ephraim's Rescue with a small group of people (we were supposed to show Joseph Smith:Prophet of the Restoration, but had problems with the subtitles) and I was struck by one line in particular. A woman tells Ephraim that he is a holy man and he replies that he has so many mistakes and flaws that he can't even count them. She replies by asking, "then how is it that you do so much good?" He answers, "I try." That is all we have to do. Just try. I testify that the Lord can work miracles with our meager and imperfect attempts. He has been working perfect deeds through imperfect means since the beginning of time and He can do it with us.
I hope that you all have a wonderful day and week. This world is beautiful and so are the lives that we live in it. I hope that you can take a bit of time to see that today!
Love,
Elder Ostergaard
I hope that you have had a wonderful week! This week I found myself without a planner for a couple of days (I accidentally left it in a byrek stand, I don't know if you know what byrek is, but it is basically flaky, butteriness with stuff in it-usually a kind of cheese called gjize, tomatoes and onions, ground beef, sausage, spinach, or a yogurt thing called kos.) and looking back I realized that I was totally reliant on Elder Szabo for anything time-related seeing as I haven't worn a watch in 4 months. Thank goodness for companions!
This week we got a little bit of bad news hearing that Adriatik had some familial problems meaning that he will have to be out of Shkoder this week and not be able to be baptized on Saturday. Our other investigator Leo that we were working with to be baptized by the end of the month is also not looking like that will be possible. We feel a bit like we are letting our mission and the Lord down as we are working to achieve goals that were set between President Weidmann and the Lord. However as we prayed about it last night, Elder Szabo expressed that he felt that what we are doing what we should be doing in helping people be baptized when they are really ready rather than simply trying to fill a goal. Isn't it great that the work of the Lord is a one-by-one work that differs, though it is the same at the same time, with every one of His children. We all need something different and in order to do this it requires love from the teachers to really look for what is needed. I sure pray that we will be in-tune enough with the Spirit so that we will know what the Lord wants these, His children, to know, feel, and do.
On Saturday we had a wonderful opportunity to get out on the street for about 4 hours and, using a table, street contact. We heard in a talk this week that it is impossible for someone to love the Gospel and to love people and not to love sharing the Gospel with people. I can say that I love the people and I also love the Gospel, and it is true that I truly do love sharing the Gospel with people. I am not that good at it, but I think that really a big part of it is just loving people and then, if we have put in some thought to studying the Gospel, they will pretty magically find their way together.
A few weeks ago I was reading in the book of Acts (I love the book of Acts, it is perfect for missionaries) and I was very struck by the words it says about Peter and his companions. They were imprisoned, freed by an angel, and then retaken and set before the Jewish council. After many words spoken they eventually beat them and let them go. Here is the part that stuck out to me: "And they departed from the presence of the council,rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name." (Acts 5:41) Are we willing to suffer shame for His name? I have thought about that many times as people will sometimes yell or taunt and it is a bit shameful. What a blessing to be able to wear a tag that shows everyone that I am with Him, like it or not. I wish to be always willing and able to suffer shame for the name of the Savior.
We once again shared the film Ephraim's Rescue with a small group of people (we were supposed to show Joseph Smith:Prophet of the Restoration, but had problems with the subtitles) and I was struck by one line in particular. A woman tells Ephraim that he is a holy man and he replies that he has so many mistakes and flaws that he can't even count them. She replies by asking, "then how is it that you do so much good?" He answers, "I try." That is all we have to do. Just try. I testify that the Lord can work miracles with our meager and imperfect attempts. He has been working perfect deeds through imperfect means since the beginning of time and He can do it with us.
I hope that you all have a wonderful day and week. This world is beautiful and so are the lives that we live in it. I hope that you can take a bit of time to see that today!
Love,
Elder Ostergaard
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
#87
Adriatic South Mission
P.O. Box 2984
Bulevardi "Gjergj Fishta"
Qendra "ALPAS", Shkalla NR. 5,
Apartamenti NR.14
Tirana 00355, Albania
Hey Mom,
Really quick before I forget, this is the new mission home address.
Happy Monday and late Pi Day! Sad to say, it does not get celebrated here in Albania at all...and I totally forgot about it until I read some emails. I am guessing one of the big reasons for that is that dates are written day-month-year in this corner of the universe (as well as just about everyone else in the world I think).
Well, this past week we had an opportunity to see two brethren baptized and confirmed! Mariglen and Franc are now the newest members of the Shkoder Branch, a much anticipated occasion. It was wonderful being able to talk with these two the day before their baptisms about their feelings on all of this. They practiced bearing their testimonies to us (there is an opportunity for them to bear their testimonies after the ordinance and there were some nerves on Franc's side) and it was great to hear them talk about Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and the changes that they have made and seen in their lives since first meeting with us.
We were able to share the story of Abish with Mariglen. It is a pretty important story for me in recognizing the role of the member in missionary work. After Ammon and the King's house dropped like flies because of the influence of the Spirit, Abish (a previous believer aka a member) runs around and tells everyone about this wonderful and incredible miracle. They all come running and...much to Abish's dismay begin to argue with one of them actually attempting to kill Ammon. In the midst of her distress however, she takes the Queen's hand and she rises and preaches followed by the others. In the end, a huge amount of people were converted and baptized. Ammon did great work and was able to service his way into the King's house and help in his conversion...but unless Abish had gone out and told all of her friends (and everyone else too), only the King's house would have been converted that day. Thank goodness for members that see in them the ability to help others. Elder Bednar made the statement that full-time missionaries are full-time teachers and that members are full-time finders. Crazy, huh? I actually did the math, and starting with 1 member, supposing that Shkoder is 200,000 people big, if each month each member would bring 1 friend into the the fold of the Gospel, this entire city would be baptized in a little over 17 months. That's crazy. We just need to open our mouths.
One thing that I have had the privilege of seeing this weakness is a clearer view of some of my weaknesses. It is a really difficult pill to swallow that we have points that truly must be changed. However, as I considered some of the things that I learned about myself, I was so grateful that these particular challenges are brought into my view right now. What better place to learn to be better than on a mission? I recognized a little bit about how a father must feel when he makes a mistake and fears for the consequences that could come from it and just hopes to not make that mistake with the next child. The Lord truly knows our weaknesses and allows us to walk through that refiner's fire. I pray that we will always have the courage to accept those weaknesses when we see them and lay them at the Savior's feet. The Atonement of Jesus Christ does not only provide redemptive power that changes bad men to good, but also an enabling power which helps good men become better. It is truly a blessing that these short-comings that we find within ourselves do not need to be overcome by ourselves, but that we can call upon heavenly powers to both "[put] off the natural man" as well as to "[become] a saint" (Mosiah 3:19). Elder Bednar gave some thoughts on this subject...somewhere, but I can't remember when.
Thank you so much everybody for loving the Savior and desiring to serve Him! I am so grateful that I have these 2 years to wear His name upon my chest and that, as Philip of the New Testament,"[open my] mouth... and [preach] unto [Albania] Jesus." (Acts 8:35)
Love you everybody!
Elder Ostergaard
#1 This is from us mopping ;out the flooded church a couple weeks ago.
#2 This is from when we made taffy two weeks ago for FHE. As you can tell from the smoke, it boiled over onto the stove. Franc that just got baptized is the one in the middle with his thumb up.
P.O. Box 2984
Bulevardi "Gjergj Fishta"
Qendra "ALPAS", Shkalla NR. 5,
Apartamenti NR.14
Tirana 00355, Albania
Hey Mom,
Really quick before I forget, this is the new mission home address.
Happy Monday and late Pi Day! Sad to say, it does not get celebrated here in Albania at all...and I totally forgot about it until I read some emails. I am guessing one of the big reasons for that is that dates are written day-month-year in this corner of the universe (as well as just about everyone else in the world I think).
Well, this past week we had an opportunity to see two brethren baptized and confirmed! Mariglen and Franc are now the newest members of the Shkoder Branch, a much anticipated occasion. It was wonderful being able to talk with these two the day before their baptisms about their feelings on all of this. They practiced bearing their testimonies to us (there is an opportunity for them to bear their testimonies after the ordinance and there were some nerves on Franc's side) and it was great to hear them talk about Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and the changes that they have made and seen in their lives since first meeting with us.
We were able to share the story of Abish with Mariglen. It is a pretty important story for me in recognizing the role of the member in missionary work. After Ammon and the King's house dropped like flies because of the influence of the Spirit, Abish (a previous believer aka a member) runs around and tells everyone about this wonderful and incredible miracle. They all come running and...much to Abish's dismay begin to argue with one of them actually attempting to kill Ammon. In the midst of her distress however, she takes the Queen's hand and she rises and preaches followed by the others. In the end, a huge amount of people were converted and baptized. Ammon did great work and was able to service his way into the King's house and help in his conversion...but unless Abish had gone out and told all of her friends (and everyone else too), only the King's house would have been converted that day. Thank goodness for members that see in them the ability to help others. Elder Bednar made the statement that full-time missionaries are full-time teachers and that members are full-time finders. Crazy, huh? I actually did the math, and starting with 1 member, supposing that Shkoder is 200,000 people big, if each month each member would bring 1 friend into the the fold of the Gospel, this entire city would be baptized in a little over 17 months. That's crazy. We just need to open our mouths.
One thing that I have had the privilege of seeing this weakness is a clearer view of some of my weaknesses. It is a really difficult pill to swallow that we have points that truly must be changed. However, as I considered some of the things that I learned about myself, I was so grateful that these particular challenges are brought into my view right now. What better place to learn to be better than on a mission? I recognized a little bit about how a father must feel when he makes a mistake and fears for the consequences that could come from it and just hopes to not make that mistake with the next child. The Lord truly knows our weaknesses and allows us to walk through that refiner's fire. I pray that we will always have the courage to accept those weaknesses when we see them and lay them at the Savior's feet. The Atonement of Jesus Christ does not only provide redemptive power that changes bad men to good, but also an enabling power which helps good men become better. It is truly a blessing that these short-comings that we find within ourselves do not need to be overcome by ourselves, but that we can call upon heavenly powers to both "[put] off the natural man" as well as to "[become] a saint" (Mosiah 3:19). Elder Bednar gave some thoughts on this subject...somewhere, but I can't remember when.
Thank you so much everybody for loving the Savior and desiring to serve Him! I am so grateful that I have these 2 years to wear His name upon my chest and that, as Philip of the New Testament,"[open my] mouth... and [preach] unto [Albania] Jesus." (Acts 8:35)
Love you everybody!
Elder Ostergaard
#1 This is from us mopping ;out the flooded church a couple weeks ago.
#2 This is from when we made taffy two weeks ago for FHE. As you can tell from the smoke, it boiled over onto the stove. Franc that just got baptized is the one in the middle with his thumb up.
Monday, March 9, 2015
#86
Hello everybody!
This past week has, as always been dominated by the blessings that were very much so present. It reminds me of the part in Pollyanna where she is sitting with the pastor under that large tree in the field and she reads her locket "'If you look for the bad'... oh, it always makes me cross-eyed" then the pastor reads the quote "If you look for the bad in people you surely will find it." It is that way in both people as well as situations. We can see good or we can see bad. It is up to us.
Yesterday we got together and all headed down to Stake Conference in Durres. Stake Conference was a little funky this time around because they actually did it in two parts, one for half of the stake in Elbasan in the morning and one for the other half in Durres in the afternoon. We were able to load 18 people up (6 missionaries, 4 members, and 8 investigators) to go down there. We made a big push for all of the men to be wearing their Priesthood uniform and, well in a few words, we looked good! It was so wonderful to see all of these current and potential Priesthood holders wearing white shirts and ties. It truly makes a difference. The conference was wonderful and really packed a punch for those who had ears to hear. I had the opportunity to sit next to Mariglen (a 20 year-old who will be baptized on Saturday) both in the conference as well as in the van on the way home. President Mema (the Stake President) gave a talk focused on those preparing to serve missions. I turned to him near the beginning and told him that this was for him, he looked back and said "ajo eshte arsyja pse une po degjoj me vemendje" ("that is why I am listening intently"). On the way back we sat and talked for those 2 hours about how his life is changed by this message that he started to hear 2 months ago and what that means for him. Cool stuff.
We started up our English Course on Thursday, our main fear was that the morning Zone Conference in Tirana would make us late. However, that wasn't a problem, with the main problem turning out to be the buckets of rain falling from the heavens all day. Few people showed up. However, we have solid hope that on Tuesday we will have a much better turn out. In fact, the first day not working out might have actually done a good job of weeding those out that weren't really interested anyway.
Haha, one exciting thing that happened this week was on Wednesday night, we were out tracting and the other Elders called us and let us know that the toilet had a problem and the church had flooded. We jumped over there (it's a good calf workout) and the four of us and the sisters used mops, a squeegee, brooms, and a dustpan to clear the water out. We had to try and do it pretty quickly because it was getting late. We got most of it out (just by pushing the water out the door) and then left the air conditioners on overnight to dry the place up before the English Course the next day.
Hey, I love you guys and pray that you are doing alright! RenFair looked fantastic from what dad sent to me. I hope that you are having a wonderful time getting all runner-y for the marathon and such.
Love,
Elder Ostergaard
This is the Franc Posse. From left: Martiglen (working to be baptized on the 28th), Franc (will be baptized on the 14th), Leo (working for the 28th), Franc (the member that brought them all).
This is our Shkoder squad in front of the Durres chapel (it is actually built by the Church and is beautiful). From the back left: Leo (I), Franc (I), Martiglen (I), Me, Erion (I), President Kraja, Elder Szabo, Mariglen (I), Elder Wilcox, Kujtim (I) Middle from left: Sister White, Sister Vjerdha (I), Sister Maxwell, other lady (I) Bottom from left: Arsen, Franc, Noj, Elder Walley.
(I) after their name means investigator.
We be a-lookin' good.
This past week has, as always been dominated by the blessings that were very much so present. It reminds me of the part in Pollyanna where she is sitting with the pastor under that large tree in the field and she reads her locket "'If you look for the bad'... oh, it always makes me cross-eyed" then the pastor reads the quote "If you look for the bad in people you surely will find it." It is that way in both people as well as situations. We can see good or we can see bad. It is up to us.
Yesterday we got together and all headed down to Stake Conference in Durres. Stake Conference was a little funky this time around because they actually did it in two parts, one for half of the stake in Elbasan in the morning and one for the other half in Durres in the afternoon. We were able to load 18 people up (6 missionaries, 4 members, and 8 investigators) to go down there. We made a big push for all of the men to be wearing their Priesthood uniform and, well in a few words, we looked good! It was so wonderful to see all of these current and potential Priesthood holders wearing white shirts and ties. It truly makes a difference. The conference was wonderful and really packed a punch for those who had ears to hear. I had the opportunity to sit next to Mariglen (a 20 year-old who will be baptized on Saturday) both in the conference as well as in the van on the way home. President Mema (the Stake President) gave a talk focused on those preparing to serve missions. I turned to him near the beginning and told him that this was for him, he looked back and said "ajo eshte arsyja pse une po degjoj me vemendje" ("that is why I am listening intently"). On the way back we sat and talked for those 2 hours about how his life is changed by this message that he started to hear 2 months ago and what that means for him. Cool stuff.
We started up our English Course on Thursday, our main fear was that the morning Zone Conference in Tirana would make us late. However, that wasn't a problem, with the main problem turning out to be the buckets of rain falling from the heavens all day. Few people showed up. However, we have solid hope that on Tuesday we will have a much better turn out. In fact, the first day not working out might have actually done a good job of weeding those out that weren't really interested anyway.
Haha, one exciting thing that happened this week was on Wednesday night, we were out tracting and the other Elders called us and let us know that the toilet had a problem and the church had flooded. We jumped over there (it's a good calf workout) and the four of us and the sisters used mops, a squeegee, brooms, and a dustpan to clear the water out. We had to try and do it pretty quickly because it was getting late. We got most of it out (just by pushing the water out the door) and then left the air conditioners on overnight to dry the place up before the English Course the next day.
Hey, I love you guys and pray that you are doing alright! RenFair looked fantastic from what dad sent to me. I hope that you are having a wonderful time getting all runner-y for the marathon and such.
Love,
Elder Ostergaard
This is the Franc Posse. From left: Martiglen (working to be baptized on the 28th), Franc (will be baptized on the 14th), Leo (working for the 28th), Franc (the member that brought them all).
This is our Shkoder squad in front of the Durres chapel (it is actually built by the Church and is beautiful). From the back left: Leo (I), Franc (I), Martiglen (I), Me, Erion (I), President Kraja, Elder Szabo, Mariglen (I), Elder Wilcox, Kujtim (I) Middle from left: Sister White, Sister Vjerdha (I), Sister Maxwell, other lady (I) Bottom from left: Arsen, Franc, Noj, Elder Walley.
(I) after their name means investigator.
We be a-lookin' good.
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