Stop. Drop. and Pray..... week 39

Hello hello!!! :) 

Motra Z sporting her new "do"

I hope that everyone had a wonderful week this past week! Isn't is absolutely crazy that January is more than half way done now. Where does time go? This week was quite an eventful week. 

There is a drink up here called dhale. I hadn't had it before. I avoided it, because i have heard nasty stories. It is interesting too, it is like a sour and sometimes chunky kind of dairy that doesn't taste too good. Well I was talking to the elders and told them that I hadn't had it before. They dared me to drink some, and so I was like "pse jo." (why not). Yeah, so I had dhale for the first time in my entire existence. It wasn't even that bad. 

Picture from Motra Riley

So, some things are done completley differently here in Kosovo and Albania. For example, we needed a new phone... our poor phone had taken a couple falls and well, it broke. They don't have phone stores here. We just went on the street to some people selling phones on the side of the road and bought a phone from them. Yep...

Motra Riley, Elder Jorgenson, Motra Zollinger

So. Futbol. That was really really interesting this week. I hurt a grown man playing futbol! I felt so bad!!!!!!  I was trying to score. So, I kicked it really hard so that the goalie wouldn't stop it...but instead of going on the ground it was going in the air. And this member for some reason he jumped really high and the ball hit him right where it counts. like it was bad. He groaned and just fell to the ground. The worst part was that it was his birthday. He couldn't play the rest of the game, because it hurt too much. Yeah, i felt awful. And the members and Elders have not let me forget about it either. I think I have apologized to him 100 times, but i still feel awful. 

Dealing with the "real thing"

so... i am not going to go into detail or anything, but I am going to say: wash your socks. and don't wear the same socks for a long consecutive amount of days without washing them because of two words: athlete's foot. it's a real thing. haha. 

Motra Z says this looked like Indiana Jones ride from Disneyland

Today for p-day we went to a cave! It was really cool! It was my first time ever being in a cave, so I was enjoying it so much! Afterwards we went to lunch with the missionaries and I had THE BEST FASULE ever. Like it was so good!! :) I took a photo. :) 

the meal after the cave

This week I have had a lot of time to reflect on prayer. Yesterday we taught Relief Society and it was about prayer. I think that is one of my favorite things to teach people, and one of the most satisfying things: to hear someone give their first prayer. To help someone talk to their Father in Heaven for the first time. When I think of prayer, I think of Primary class. Singing about prayer. But, I also think of the influence that my parents have had on me. I remember as a little girl, my parents helping me get into bed. One of them would kneel by my bed with me and help me say my prayers at night. It went from me repeating to what they would say, to me saying only a couple phrases, to being able to pray on my own, and now I am teaching people how to pray like my parents taught me to pray. Prayer has been one of the biggest blessings in my entire life. It is a privilege to talk to God. Last week my dad said something in his email that has gone through my mind so much this week and that is: "Stop. Drop. and Pray." I feel like often times we want to try to do all we can on our own, and then we will pray for help. But, why is it not the first thing that we think of? Why do we often wait for life to knock us on our knees and then we pray? Just like if we caught on fire, we aren't going to run to a sink and try to sprinkle the water on us. We would immediately stop, drop, and roll. I feel like it is so applicable with prayer. When the fiery darts of the adversary are on us or shooting at us, we need to stop drop and pray. It is so much easier that way too. That is what I have found, especially this past week. We gain power from prayer. I know that God hears and answers our prayers. He loves us. He is our Father. We are His little girl (or boy) and He just wants to help us. Pray to Him, Talk to Him. The distance from us to God is and will always be a prayer away. 

Have an amazing week, smile lots and serve lots! :) 

Love,

Motra Zollinger