It will All be Worth it.... Week 65 (Wahoooooo!!!!!!!)

Hello hello!!! :) 

a beautiful Albanian sunset...

2 "9" floors, Motra Z was worried

I hope that everyone had such a wonderful week this past week and that they had safe celebrations for Pioneer day!! :) 

Wow. This week just FLEW by *vroom vroom* that is the noise that this week made. Honestly though, it went by super super fast. Not cool Robert Frost!! But hopefully that will be good though so that everyone came come back from pushim. 

Don't forget Harry Potter's birthday on Friday. Don't let the muggles get you down, use your wands to make fireworks. :) 

A sweet member Motra Z loves

This week, one of our investigators invited us to eat lunch with them. It was a simple tomatoe, cheese, and bread lunch. It was super super yummy!! Her sister and brother-n-law have been visiting her from Turkey (and they are learning from the missionaries in Turkey as well) and so we were asking her sister and her husband how they met. It was an arranged marriage, me and sister white thought it was super cool-so we just kept asking them questions! Sister White was asking a question right as our investigator took a sip of her tea, and i guess what she had said was funny because our investigator almost snorted the tea out of her nose and then we all just busted out laughing. I started to cry i was laughing so hard. It was good bonding time. Later that week, we brought over some cookies that we had made. They really liked the cookies but then towards the end she just looked at us and said "these would be better without chocolate, just the plain cookie dough. Can you teach me how to make it?" haha, cookies without chocolate? don't know if those would taste good, but we'll try. :) hehe. it was awesome! 

I went on an exchange this week with Sister Chesher! She is amazing and we had such a great exchange! They had a big bag of starbursts in their apartment. I don't know how it happened, but somehow a lot of the starbursts just unwrapped themselves and then they just kept on walking into my mouth and then my mouth started to chew them. I don't know how it happened. But it wasn't all of the starbursts...just a lot of the red and pink ones. Weirdest thing ever. She also had Macaroni and Cheese in her apartment! I felt like a little five year old. I just smiled super big and asked if we could make it. I was giggling so hard inside, i didn't even realize that I had missed that stuff. yum yum yum. hehe. It was such a great exchange though! I love the missionaries in this mission. It is a family mission. Sister Chesher is an amazing missionary and what a great family she has as well. Unfortunately, we didn't have a picture taken. But I will have to get one with her in the coming weeks. 

A sweet member who reminds Motra of her own Grandma

Motra Z was SO excited to take this picture!!

On Friday we did service. We went and cleaned up the main park, just sweeping the leaves on the side walk. It was a lot of fun!! haha, but a war started that day. I hadn't even done anything to Elder Greener, my halo was above my head like it always was... but i was going to tell him a funny knock knock joke as he was scooping up some leaves and other garbage he had gotten with it, and then he poured it on my head. NOT COOL ROBERT FROST. that punk. haha. ever since then I have been trying to think of ways to get back at him, but they have been epic fails. I tried tripping him with the broom on the way back from service but it didn't work. And the other day while we were at the church, I saw him and his companion walking towards the church. So I ran and got my water bottle and when they were walking under the window I threw some water, and tried getting him but I missed and accidentally got his companion. ....woops. I don't know if he knows what war he started... hehe. i think i might just go buy water balloons this week. :) hehe. 

Futbol was fun on saturday! It was super hot and we had a lot of investigators and members show up as well, which was super super cool and so much fun!! 

True Motra Z!  with a dear Motra Hysa!

We (all the fourth ward elders and President and Sister Weidmann) went and visited a member for her 20th anniversary of her baptism. It was a lot of fun!!! That member is absolutely amazing and such an incredible example for me. She has only missed church twice in the last 20 years! 20 years!! Holy cow. She is such a strong member and so incredible. It was so much fun to be at her house and to learn from her testimony! 

So today, I tried giving Elder Temple a haircut. He asked me if I knew how to, and so i said "no. but it doesn't look that hard." well...... i gave it my best. We went to the institute building where our district was playing games and we were going to do the haircut there. I started to cut at his hair, but then Sister Hysa was just teasing me throughout it and I was getting stressed and I was worried that I was just going to mess up his hair super bad! Sister Dunn, who has cut hair before, I stopped what I was doing and turned around and whispered in a panic "does this look okay?!" and she just started to laugh so hard. and then we just started to laugh, but Elder Temple got super stressed out because he thought that I had cut off a huge chunk of his hair, haha. So I just let Sister Dunn take over because she knew what she was doing. hehe. that was exciting... 

On Saturday we had an amazing activity. We watched 17 miracles!! I was so excited to watch that movie, and it was an absolutely amazing experience. If anyone has not watched that movie, I highly highly suggest it! It was so humbling to watch the movie and to learn of the experiences that some of these early saints went through to come to Zion, and all I could think of during the movie was how some of those people were my ancestors. How my family did that. A lot of them died coming to Zion, and all of them suffered. I can't imagine doing that, having suffered what they suffered to watch my kids or siblings or parents die and hopelessly suffer. I can't imagine ever doing that. I am so grateful for my ancestors and how they sacrificed so much, some of them their lives, so that they could come to Zion.  During the closing prayer I was thinking about everything that they had done and all the suffering and how hard they had it and the thought came into my mind "and you are complaining that it is too hot". That hit me in the gut when that thought came into my mind. Then immediately the saying came into my mind "It'll all be worth it." It is so true as well!  Every suffering, sacrifice, or hard thing that we go through in this life for God and for this church is a marvelous and a glorious time for us! Hard times make us stronger, and honestly we everything will be worth it! We don't need to worry about the details of it, about how it will be better or why or anything like that. It is in God's hands, our loving Heavenly Father and everything will all be worth it when we kneel before His feet and wipe His feet with our tears. Everything is worth it. 

I love you all! Have an amazing week! Smile lots serve lots and treasure trials!!! :) 

Love,

Motra Zollinger

We can never Glory to Much in the Lord .... week 64

hello hello!! :) 

So, I don't have as much time to write this email right now...

This was taken by an american tourist who is a member 

BUT first and foremost. A wishing of happiness is in order for my older sister Forehead also known as Mandi to normal people (forehead, is what I call her). but... HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER!!!! Another year older and more grey hairs, but those show your wisdom, so don't worry. ;) Honestly though sister, I hope that you have an amazing birthday! Eat lots of delicious yummy chocolate cake and smile lots. You are amazing!! 

So, I was so witty this past week. We were buying bread on Friday I think it was or maybe Thursday, it was the day of the muslim holiday Bajramin. So, the bread place that we go to, the lady always teases me because i keep my coins in a kinder egg. and so i ordered our bread and then she just looked at me and said "where's the money" and I showed her the egg and then she just started to laugh. Well I only had small value coins so I ended up giving her a lot of coins, and albanians get really upset really easily if it is in small amounts...and so i was trying to think of something to say that would sorta break the ice with this situation. I was about to give it to her and say merry christmas...but then I remembered it was bajramin and so i said "gezuar bajramin!" and she started to laugh so hard and she took the money laughing. I was laughing because of how witty that statement was. haha, it was hilarious. really, believe me. :) 

Almonds. Do they really grow on trees? First olives. Now almonds. What's next? Lemons? 

Motra White and Zollinger

There was a Lizard at church yesterday. I noticed it during sacrament meeting and I was distracted for a little bit, it was a cute little bugger. hehe. :) Oh, yesterday too, an American family came to church!! It was so weird. haha, I still spoke albanian to them because I didn't know what to do. but then I ended up speaking english with them. The mom came up to us and starting talking to me and my companion and we just stared at her... but the ice melted (because of the heat of course) and we were able to talk to them like normal people and everything. They were super super sweet, and they were such amazing missionaries as well as they brought a family with them to church! It was aweomse! 

We helped the Elders clean their apartment that they are moving out of... I warned all of the missionaries there that if there were any spiders that I would either 1) freak out and cry or 2) that i would be done. Well, I was doing fine until I went and cleaned one of the bathrooms. I squirted one spiders with the killing clorox like spray, but then there was a big one and so I just yelled "Elders! I'm done! I'm out!!!!" so I went and cleaned the dishes. but then I opened up the cabinets under the sink and saw lots of big things moving and then I was just like "okay! That's it. I'm done. I'm out of here for good. nope!" So I went and re-swept the rooms that had already been swept. stupid spiders. blah. i hate 'em. i hate 'em. 

It is really hot here. Like really hot. I have found out that it is possible to sweat in areas that I didn't even know I could sweat that much. it is gross. haha. 

This past week, this song has come to my mind a lot. It is such a powerful song. I know that it is true. That everything Christ did was because He loves us. I know that I talk a lot about Christ in my emails home, but Christ has become everything to me. I know now more than any other time and more powerfully than before that Jesus is the Christ. His Atonement is real. He did it for you, He did it for me. Because He loves us. His Atonement unlocks to lock to anything that binds us. I love my Savoir and my Redeemer and I will never cease to sing praises to His name. What Ammon says in Alma chapter 26 is perfect "...for who can glory too much in the Lord." We can never glory too much in the Lord.  Never. In fact, I don't know if we ever do it enough. 

Have a great week! Smile lots serve lots and treasure trials!! :) I love you all! 

Love,

Motra Zollinger

Gethsemane 

Jenny Phillips

Jesus climbed the hill

To the garden still

His steps were heavy and slow

Love and a prayer

Took Him there

To the place only He could go

Gethsemane

Jesus loves me

So He went willingly

To Gethsemane

He felt all that was sad, wicked or bad

All the pain we would ever know

While His friends were asleep

He fought to keep

His promise made long ago

Gethsemane

Jesus loves me

So He went willingly

To Gethsemane

The hardest thing That ever was done

The greatest pain that ever was known

The biggest battle that ever was won

This was done by Jesus.

The fight was won by Jesus.

Gethsemane

Jesus loves me

So he gave His gift to me

In Gethsemane

Gethsemane

Jesus loves me

So he gives His gift to me

From Gethsemane

Christ fell on His face, so that we can fall at His feet.‏.... Week 63

Hello Hello

Motra Zollinger and Motra Hysa (Mom insert I love this picture!)

Wow. This past week just wizzed by, like so much. It was such a great week though, I absolutely had such a blast this past week!! I am not short on email time either right now, so brace yourselves...because I may or may not have had some good camillisms this week. hehe. Don't I always. ;) 

First thing. Heat. I don't think that it is spelled h-e-a-t. More like A-L-B-A-N-I-A or like T-I-R-A-N-A. Holy cow. I think I am just a sissy about it though, but boy. Let's just say that I do not have any luck when it comes to heat because a) i sweat worse than a boy b)i sweat like a pig trying to pass peach pits (emphasis on the pits aka more than one pit). I have gotten use to the feeling of sweat dripping down my back...it is so pleasant. ha, not. BUT, because it is is so hot, I just eat ice cream every single day-and maybe a smoothie along with ice cream or i get doubles of it. So I guess it is a win win situation. 

 Motra  Zollinger loves her companion, Motra Hysa 

Tuesday morning a member needed us to help carry her suitcases to the fergon places to send it down to Fier. That is not a problem. We headed over to her house early to help her take them over. She had me and my companion co-carry a quite heavy bag and she took a suitcase. Well, this member is super sweet and didn't want us to tire... but you see, patience isn't always something that I have been gifted with when it comes to do hard things like carry heavy things. She was asking and insisted that we take a break every minute. As far as we needed to walk, that was going to take us close to an hour to get there. So by the time it was the 2nd or 3rd break, i couldn't handle it. So, I just swept down and picked up the bag and then just started walking. I am pretty sure I might have grunted as I tried to lift that mini elephant up. Well, this member I always thought she was stubborn, but I totally won the battle that day. Thankfully we took a bus part way there...but my arms were shaking the rest of that day. haha, i got sore in places that i didn't even know was possible to be sore. So, pretty much I got swoll in 5 minutes, but then all the muscles fell and i got them relief society arms. ;) 

Being Motra Z....

We had the weirdest day street contacting on Tuesday!! We were down in the center of Tirana, as we were contacting I noticed how there were a lot more cops out than usual. But I didn't necessarily think anything about it, until they started to shut off the streets and then more cops were showing up and I was starting to see some undercover cops (just because Elder Autsen pointed them out).  So, we all just got together on one side of the street, and then the craziest thing happened! I guess the German ambassador was there or something, because he drove by. Along with 50 cop mortocycles, and some secret service and the SWAT equivalent people and everything. I was just watching all the cops drive by just staring at them. It was crazy! There was even a helicopter that was following them up in the sky. It was so cool and intersting and so weird at the same time. Yeah, so that happened.

This week I was craving Mom's chocolate chip cookies so bad. So, I decided to make cookies and eat them instead of trying to control my cravings (which if it comes to a craving of chocolate, just eat the chocolate). So, we went to Neranxhi's (has american food and stuff) and we bought chocolate chips. Well, I forgot how much mom's recipe already makes, and I was wanting a lot of cookies and so I doubled the recipe. I also put in a kilo of mini chocolate chips. They were SO GOOD. and so chocolately! They tasted like Mom's cookies as well. I brought some to finding that day, the elders ate 19 cookies in less than 5 minutes. I made about 6-8 dozen cookies for Zone training the next day and they all got eaten as well. They were yummy. :) 

Earlier this week I woke up in the middle of me sleep walking in the apartment. It was the weirdest feeling ever. I woke up in the kitchen trying to put my teddy bear in the fridge and then I woke up and was super confused and then went back to bed. yeah, so that was weird. 

Is a watermelon a fruit or a vegetable?? Me and Sister Hysa had that conversation earlier this week and she thinks it is a vegetable, but obviously it is a fruit. haha. so we started calling other missionaries and asking them. So, yeah. haha. we had members look on the internet and one website said it was a fruit and the other a vegetable. So, it is a fruitable. 

Yesterday for district lunch we had tacos. Atleast they were sorta tacos. I tried to make home made refried beans again, which can be explained in two words: FAIL. haha. Elder White was helping me, and i didn't even really think about how long the beans would have to bake, and so instead of like the four hours like they are supposed to usually, it got two hours. but they were still soft and edible. So, it worked, they all got eaten. But, I am going to stick to canned refried beans from here on out. haha. 

"me and Motra Tengu, she came for a baptism! :) "

This is Meksikani (his real name is Aaron) and his friend Aemmon.

T1 had a baptism, and we went with our investigator who is 65 years old. As we were waiting for the sister to change from being baptized we sang hymns. I was leading the music. I heard the door open up, so i thought that the sister had gotten back and so I just went and sat right down after the first song. But then as soon as I sat down one of the sisters just looked at me and was like "she isn't here yet...we still need to sing." having a camille-brain that I do, it took a couple seconds to register what she said and then I was like 'oh, awkward!" and i jumped out of the chair and speedy gradma shuffled to the front of the room and was apologizing as  I was walking up there. haha, but everything still went well. Our investigator enjoyed the baptism as well. She has a bad neck, and after she got baptized she just said how beautiful it was but that "you can't do that to me. Because i can't bend like that and my neck is going to break and then you'll kill me". So, we got to work on that with her... 

The RS having an activity in the park, Motra Z loving it!

so, last night President Weidmann called. I am getting transfered. There is an emergency transfer or something like that (I plead the fifth. It wasn't me. haha, i don't know what is happening or why) and I am going to be going to the Tirana 4th ward with Sister White. It was totally unexpected and I didn't even know what to think at all last night after he told me-but I am excited and know that this is where God wants me to go now. I am super sad to be leaving Sister Hysa, she was amazing and has been so fun to serve with! But, let the new adventures begin! 

This past week we had zone training. It was such an amazing Zone Training! It was by the far the most spiritual zone training that I have had thus far on my mission! It was incredible. We still learned what our goals were going to be for the month, but we didn't focus on them. We focused instead of the reason for everything that we do here. We focused on Christ. We talked about our conversions with Christ. It was so incredible. I felt the spirit so strongly throughout it, especially as I reflected my testimony-with where I started and now where I am. It was super amazing as we talked so much about Christ and about His Atonement. Ever since I have thought a lot about the Atonement and I realized that life is supposed to be hard. We came here to learn, and if something appears to be harder than what we expected it to be, that's okay because we are in good company. We can't forget who is happened to first. Christ, He knew that what He was going to do in the Garden of Gethsemane wasn't going to be easy, but I don't know if He knew how hard it was really going to be; because in Mathew we read that "And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."  That is powerful. Christ, the Savoir and Redeemer of the World as He was suffering in the garden, it caused Him to fall to His face. So, it would only make sense that life would bring us to our face as well, because there isn't anything that happens in this life that hasn't happened to Christ before. I love a uote from Neal A. Maxwell, which says "How can you and I really expect to glide naively through life as if to say, 'Lord, give me experience, but not grief, not sorrow, not pain, not opposition, not betrayal, and certainly not to be forsaken. Keep from me, Lord, all those experiences which made Thee what Thou art! Then let me coem and dwell with Thee and fully share thy joy." Everything that happens in life is because God needs that to happen to us, because we come to know Him more through everything that we go through. But we are not alone. Never are we alone. Everything that we have gone through, are going through, and will go through, Christ has been there first. Christ fell on His face, so that we can fall at His feet.  

I love you all! :) Have a wonderful week! Smile lots serve lots and treasure trials!! 

Love,

Motra Zallenxher