ELDER 2.0

Family seeing your beautiful faces was very much needed. I love the fact that we can only write once a week and skype twice a year because it keeps us focused on the work but seeing you guys was amazing. It gave me such a fire to keep working hard and make you guys proud when I will actually see you next. But TRANSFERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you're reading this please begin a drum roll until you read the next part............... Elder Szabo is..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Staying in Shkoder and Elder Ostergaard came here. I was a little worried just because it was my first transfer but my comp is an amazing missionary. I've actually been around him a lot because he was my old Zone leader and he came up here a couple times on exchanges. He's my year group so he's a pretty old missionary. Oh and we got sisters up here in Shkoder! Because Elder Romer was the district leader we had to find a house for them. Took up so much of our time. They don't have a yellow pages thing for Shkoder so we didn't really know what to do and were told not to tell anyone but we went to Pavlo our member and he found two but they weren't what we needed and we were getting worried because we only had 2 weeks to find it in the first place and we only had 5 days left and hadn't found a place but then our member has this realtor guy that was helping us and we found one that was perfect but it didn't have anything in it and they told us it could be done on the 10th if Januray but we needed it done on the 1st and they told us they couldn't then we talked to them again about it and they said they could. They did work on that place. They put lights in a fridge a table a washer two beds and cleaned the whole place and two air conditioners. and they did it all in a couple days. It was such a blessing. We were so worried about it and it all worked out. It's a perfect house for the sisters. It was quite an experience. Finding a house with very specific things and no internet and in Albania was very interesting but it was a very good experience. I have been having a lot of those lately. Just good life experiences. But the Sisters made it here safely and It's a dying sister Sister Maxwell and she's training Sister White. They seem great and we are all going to do work up here! Speaking of sisters I had three in the mtc and two are training and one is an STL. Crazy that that happened after our first transfer! Ok back to My transfer so Elder Ostergaard is here. He is a GREAT missionary! Him and Elder Rawlings the other zone leader are the two people in the mission I hope to be able to become like and It's great I get to serve with him. You have a picture of him. He's the red head that took a picture on my camera forever ago. He is from Michigan but went to BYU for a year before he came out. We get along really well. He's super energetic and jokes around a lot and sings a lot. But we joke around a lot and we already get along really well. He has a personality that you get along with or at least I do. I am going to learn a ton from him. We both don't feel like we're companions though because he did exchanges up here so much we just feel like we're on an exchange but it's going to be really good. We have big plans for Shkoder. Our building is in a bad location and far away from the center so people don't like coming there but in order to get a new building we need more people coming to church so we are going to do work this transfer. I think I'll be here for the next three months but you never know what happens at the 6 week mark. I hope I stay I want to see success come here. We just have to find those people. I'm excited. It's started to get cold recently and windy and it's terrible but what do you do. Bundle up! and our apartment is freezing cold and our heaters are terrible but we do what we can and we just found another heater so we're not doing terrible. Just cocoon up at night and it gets pretty warm with our little heater. 

    I sleep like garbage and being a missionary is tiring enough but when you sleep like garbage it means you're even more tired. It's hard sometimes but I'm here and here to work so no sleep isn't going to stop me. I"m leaving everything in this mission. It sucks being away from family and home and I'm only 18 years old. 18! But this mission thing is such an amazing opportunity. I was a young boy when I came out here but I'm slowly becoming the man I should be and the one who will be prepared for the rest of his life. They say you give up two years of your life but I'm gaining 60 years of knowledge in that time and I'm already grateful for the things I've learned out here and the time left I have to grow. Before I came out here the gospel was just a thing in my life that people told me was super important and I had a testimony of but since I've been out here it's become a reality in my life. It's the truth and you can't deny it once you've felt it. You can forget and move away from the path but you can always come back and try better. The cry for repentance is just an invitation to become a better person. No matter where you are on the path. If you think you're getting called as the next apostle (you should probably humble yourself) or you're struggling with your testimony this gospel is all about becoming a tiny bit better everyday. Becoming like your older brother who came here. He came here and suffered everything for you so that everyday you could use that sacrifice to become the person you should be. Everyday you should become a little better mentally, spiritually, and physically. Strive to become that great person that you know you can. Don't sit there and settle for mediocre when you've been given the opportunity and the invitation to become an amazing human being. Line upon line you can grow become and learn how to become that person. Never stop striving for it never give up on it and never forget to Look forward with a steadfastness in Christ who should be your rock and foundation and pray continually with faith that you can become that person. It's possible. It's up to you to start now. Set the goals and GO FORTH. Life is a staircase. You have to work to get to the top but once you're there the view is incredible. Push yourself to learn as much as you can, to become as spiritually fine tuned as possible, and in the best shape that you can be. Get motivated. Get happy. Get better. I love you all. Keep up the good work and keep me in your prayers. Your favorite Elder in Albania. (I'm in Albania is that still weird to anyone else???) Elder Szabo.