P.U.S.H. ............ week 67

Tirana, Albania (?-she did not say for sure)

Hello  Hello!!! 

Wow. What a week! This week was such a good week and it was so much fun!! I hope that you all had an amazing week as well! :) I am so glad that Mom had such a wonderful birthday! Happy Birthday again mom! 

Our investigator passed her baptismal interview and she will be getting baptized on Saturday! I am so excited for her! 

So, the week started off really exciting on Tuesday during lunch. I was on an exchange with my awesome albanian sister, Motra Hysa. We went to a resteraunt for lunch and we were going to meet the elders for lunch. While we were waiting for them I had to go to the bathroom (like always), and so I went to the bathroom. The door, had a normal key in it that I had to twist to lock the bathroom door. But this key ended up mocking me and I locked myself in the bathroom for a few minutes! haha. it was hilarious, and awful, and embarassing at the same time. When I first tried to unlock the door, the key just wouldn't really fudge. I just giggled and though "not funny, move key..." but then it wouldn't. It was only us in the resteraunt and another man and the workers so i really couldn't yell for sister hysa, besides she couldn't do anything because I locked myself inside, and everyone would know it was the american girl that locked herself in.  I kept trying to just open the door thinking that it would magically unlock itself. ha, NOT. I heard someone talking, and so I stopped making noise to see if someone was talking to me. But then I just tried to keep opening up the door, because I was embarrassed because i realized that they were talking to me. after a couple minutes the door unlocked itself. I just swung open the door and grunted a little, and it was a waiter who was trying to tell me how to unlock the door. I must have had a weird expression on my face, because he just looked at me and giggled a little and then i just thanked him for his help and then went and sat down. haha, sister hysa and the elders got a kick out of it. I thinkt hat's the last time I am going to the bathroom at that resteraunt. haha! 

So, back home whenever I found a spider or a big bug, i would never kill it. Unless I was weeding, because then it was in my territory. I would always put a cup over it and then leave it for my dad to take care of or something because I didn't want to kill it. So, today I was in the bathroom and I saw something move... turns out it was a cockroach. But, that's okay. So I went and got a cup and put it over the cockroach and then walked away, because I had done my business. haha, sister white thought I was crazy when she saw the bug. haha. it works though! It died! 

While on the exchange me and sister hysa were just lying in our beds talking. We have a photo of David and Goliath in our room, and sister Hysa was looking at the photo when she said: Kush eshte ky? Skenderbeu? (Who is this? Skenderbeu?) haha, i laughed so hard I almost cried!!! Skenderbeu is the big Albanian hero who helped them in the wars. it was hilarious. 

We have been having such gorgeous weather here lately because we have been getting such good rain storms! They have been glorious and so nice!  Albanians absolutely hate the rain. It is like cats and water. We were walking outside to go to street contacting right as it started to rain. Me and Sister White just squeeled of excitement and rain in the rain. I don't think an Albanian has ever given me a weirder look before. hehe, it was hilarious. 

Sister White's eye swolled up super bad yesterday, and we called the mission nurse and she told her to wear an eye patch. But we didn't have one... so sister white made her own eye patch. it was adventurous! her eye is doing better today! 

Motra White

Motra Z, White and an elder

The hike 

This morning we woke up super early to go on a morning hike before it got super hot. It was so gorgeous!!! :) It was such a pretty view and it was so much fun! It was a way good work out as well. We had to fight our way through thorns and big bushy trees, aka we journeyed our way through the albanian forest. I kept on threatening everyone there though that if there were any spiders that we would all be dead. thankfully, there were none. There was a big fig tree though, and everyone got quite happy about it and started to pick them. personally, I think figs look like alien brains and i refuse to eat them. But everyone else had a fun time. and then a goat herder and his goats came by and Sister White fed one a fig and then all the herd came over and started to surround the tree. hehe, it was hilarious! One tried to get me to feed him, but I told it to go away. haha, no thanks. they were cute though, they had weird eyes. but it was so much fun! Nature is so stinkin' pretty! 

Cave, mine of some sort found on hike

Opening to cave/mine

We went to an awesome member's house this week for a lesson. The mom was so amazing and sweet and made us the best byrek that I have ever had since being here in Albania!! It was so amazingly good!! :) 

Motra Z and Motra Hysa

Byrek meal

Motra Z with Elder Guymon in Kosovo

Elder Rasband with Motra Z in Kosovo

Zone Conference up in Kosovo was so nice!!! I was so excited to go back up to Kosovo! I was able to see all the members that I absolutely loved! It was so glorious and so amazing! It was so cool to see all of my missionary friends as well. gosh, I just love being a missionary so much! The conference went really well! It was bittersweet, because all the missionaries that are going home next month they gave their final testimony. I was first. I am a Zollinger. I should be last, not first; haha, so it was weird going first, but it went really well.  It was an amazing conference! I especially liked Sister Weidmann's training. She shared a story with us, and it was so powerful and so applicable and I wanted to share it with all of you. 

P.U.S.H.

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained, that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.

This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun ·up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. 

Each night the man returned to his cabin sore, and worn out feeling that his whole day has been spent in vain. Since the man was showing signs of discouragement the adversary decide to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's weary mind: "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it." Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.

"Why kill yourself over this?” he thought. I will just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be enough." And that is what he planned to do, until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.

"Lord" he said, I've labored long and hard in Your service, putting all my strength to do that which You've asked. Yet, after all this time, I haven't even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What's wrong? Why am I failing?"

"MY friend, when I asked you to serve Me – you accepted. 

I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength - which you've done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me - with your strength spent, thinking that you've failed. But is that really so?"

"Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscular. Your back sinew is mighty. Your hands a callused from the constant pressure; and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you've grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you’ve done. I, my friend, will now move the rock.”

At times, when we hear from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants. What God ACTUALLY wants is just simple OBEDIENCE and FAITH IN HIM. By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know, that it’s still God who moves the mountains.

 No matter how our life is, we are asked to simply push. Push Until Something Happens. Sometimes it may seem that we are pushing for ages, but just like happened in this story; no effort goes wasted. Every effort is to make us stronger and better than before. Sometimes we are pushing for a long time, but sometimes that is all that God is asking from us. I know that there have been times throughout my mission that I have had a rock before me, and I had to push and push. Praying until something happens is the key to life; but it will be the key to life only if we do it with obedience, love, and a desire. So when the days are hard: push. When you are tired and feel like you can't go on anymore: push. When you are having a wonderful day: push. No matter the situation: push. 

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

Love,

Motra Zollinger

To See Through His Eyes.... week 66

Hello Hello!!! :) 

Motra Z and Motra White In Tirana, Albania

I sure do hope that everyone had a super great week! This past week was a super great week like always!! 

First off: I wanted to wish HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful MOM!!!! I hope that you have a wonderful birthday!!! I love you tons!! I will be celebrating it here with lots of yummy delicious ice cream or something super unhealthy like that. :) 

Secondly: happy birthday to the Twins!!! I hope that you get a pixie stick cake, haha, i don't even know if that's a thing.. :) but that'd be awesome! 

Let's see. Let's see. haha, i feel like this is the part that I always fail at. Remembering what happened this week. My journal has all the updates, but my mind isn't always in gear with my journal. As soon as I write it down, I forget it. blah. haha. 

Motra Z with her "tan line"  

Big Ben with Mora Z

Let's see. Vap. It is super hot, but i have gotten quite tan this week... or should I say burnt. This week we were street contacting for 2 hours. I put a little bit of sunscreen on my nose, and that's it. We were right in the direct sunlight. I could feel the heat in my feet and I was quite excited because I didn't have a good food tan line from my shoes. But boy did I get it, but only on the right food. I got super burnt up top, where my bag was and everything. People this week keep on asking me if I went to the beach, I would just laugh and say "yeah, the beach on the street" hehe. But yeah, it is a really great sun burn that I got. My companion was nice enough to let me use her aloe vera goo stuff. Which helped. Then today, I got another burn from being outside, and so now I have two weird tan lines on my neck. haha. what do you do! haha. 

 Tirana got 4G this past month. It is all over tirana. It has actually been super cool to see. haha, it is awesome! they had a cool display on the nena tereza square today. With parts of the world in the square. So we took a picture by the big clock tower, apparently it is called Big Ben. ha, who woulda thunk. 

Frozen Yogurt

We found the most delicious frozen yogurt place here! It is so stinkin' good. And unlike America, here you first pay for the size that you want and then you call load it all up with as much as it can hold. hehe, it is the best thing ever. we only went there twice this week. But it is so so so good!!! :) 

Yogurt after soccer aka Futbol

Our investigator came to church for all 3 hours for the first time yesterday!! :) And she has the most adorable little girls as well! :) 

A girl in the T4 ward got her mission call today, and she is going to the Salt Lake City Utah mission!!! :D I am so so so excited for her!!!! 

Yesterday we went street contacting, and a cute old couple let us into their house! That was the second time that that has happened in my entire mission, so when she asked if we could come in I almost denied it and said "no that's okay..." but then I was like "of course!" haha. it was so much fun! They didn't end up being interested in the religious aspect, but boy did we laugh a lot talking with each other. They were such a cute couple!! :) 

On top of Pyramid

Pday activity on top of "pyramid"

Today for p-day we climbed up the big Tirana pyramid. That was a lot of fun. It was super steep and fun climbing up but climbing down was a little different. haha, but we are all alive and well. It was a lot of fun though! We all went to the big garden in Tirana...but it was all dead. Just because of how it looked, I was expecting a dinosaur to jump out anywhere, just because of the layout and everything, but it was still a lot of fun. 

We are going up to Prishtina this week for our Zone Conference with the Kosovo zone!!! I AM SO EXCITED!!!! Yeah!!! :D 

Motra Z

Motra White

A couple days ago, I had a really neat experience, atleast it was to me. We were street contacting by 21shi. Something that we try to do as we street contact is to say hi to every single person that walks by. We do our best to try and talk to everyone. I saw a homeless man walking my way, he didn't have a shirt on, he looked super dirty with his hair ruffled and his hands all black from the dirt and his living conditions. But, I wanted to talk to him, because all I could think about was "this is someone's brother". So I said hi to him. This man looked taken back, and he just stared at me. I smiled and asked how he was doing, and he responded. He was toothless and had a weird accent so it was hard to understand him, but I tried my best to understand what he was saying. As I started to talk to him, I wondered when was the last time that the man had a nice friendly conversation with someone. Even though we didn't necessarily talk about religion, I just talked to him. I got to find out how many people were in his family, how many siblings he had and how he was doing that day. If anything, for a couple seconds I got to have a glimpse of who he was, and who he is in God's eyes. This man had the purest and the brightest tan eyes that I have ever seen. I was able to see such a pure spirit on the street, and I learned again that it doesn't matter what is on the outside appearance, because the eyes really are the windows to the soul. I was so grateful that I was able to talk to this man! I know that we can all be lifted up by others, whether they are homeless or not. We are all Children of God. we all have such a price and worth in the eyes of God, and when we are able to see others through His eyes are the times that we can experience some of the most humbling and spiritual situations, no matter where we are. I know that it is true, God loves each and everyone of us. Everyone of us. 

I hope that you all have an incredible and great week! Smile lots, serve lots,and treasure trials!! :) 

I love you all!! 

Love,

Motra Zollinger

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