Paskam ftohte! Keshtjella e Pogradecit - we are vibing so hard

HALLO MY FRENS!

Things are so so so so so so so good. 

I flew into Albania on Tuesday and lowkey it was the roughest weather and turbulence and landing I've ever had on a flight in my life but we are alive so it's all good. Albania is wet and cold, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world right now. I might cry when I go home.

I'm serving in the mountain lake city of Pogradec and its frickin cold. Its been 40 degrees with piercing wind and that is a big change from temperate Cyprus. It's been fun to wear sweaters and flannels though so that's fresh. All we need now is the snow and things are perfect. I'm also here in an apartment with 3 other elders and it's so dope. We've been vibing so hard. Theres also a really cool senior couple here - The Hansens - and it's honestly the dream area. To help you guys get the idea, I'll describe the experience I had in arriving at our apartment wednesday morning. Keep in mind, I've been in this house before on exchanges when I was in Elbasan, so I wasn't really expecting to see much because I was already familiar with the place. Holy crap was I wrong. I walked into the house and turned the corner, and discovered that the homies were the homies maximum. In front of my eyes, stood a large, glorious, unfathomably magnificent structure made of blankets and flags. It fills the entire living room guys. It's a big living room! And I can stand in it! I know that's not saying a lot BUT ITS STILL COOL! All 4 of our matresses are inside as our cozy surface and we may or may not have slept in it all week. We also have a little tv with a chromecast Elder Wheeler bought so that we can watch book of mormon videos at night while we pound fanta exotic and vibe flippin hard. We're all so motivated to work our butts off because we know we have amazing things waiting for us back at the house at the end of the day. It's so awesome. 

I'm also serving in the same house as the one and only Elder Rich. He is amazing. He came in the group before me so his albanian is baller. We've been talking probably 80% shqip and it's been waaay good for my language because I haven't spoken it for so long. That and the massive fort were definitely the weekly highlights. I'm in heaven you guys.

Yknow how I said weve been pounding fanta exotic? Well let's just say we bought an additional 120 cans of it tonight and we've already got a pile of 180. They will be used for a certain unmentioned project that I will reveal next week. Stay tuned but enjoy the pictures of the grumbullim fanta ekzotikesh.

You also know how I said I've been having a really good time? Well it was short lived. I literally got another transfer call yesterday. I'll be transferred up to the capital of Tirana next week :(( big sad. Thankfully I still have this full week and a little bit of next. Big bummer because I've always wanted to serve in Pogradec, but hey, the Lord knows where I'm needed and I'm at least happy for this little buffer I've gotten with these legends here. It's been really, and I mean REALLY good for my emotional health hahaha I'm having the time of my life. 

But yeah that's pretty much all I've got to say. Enjoy the pictures and videos. There's lots of fort and fanta related ones hahaha. 

I LOVE YOU GUYS! SEND ME EMAILS (or messages on Facebook that works too) I MISS YALL

Photos

OUR BELOVED POTATO PLANT TATE

PO!

MIRESEVINI NE TE ARDHMEN!!! PO NE TE VERTETE JAM UNE ELDER MILLI DHE SAPO U KTHEVA NGA E ARDHMJA! TANI MUND TJU TREGOJ JUVE TE GJITHA SEKRETET! 

Po mire tani le te vazhdojme.

HELLO MY FAMILY 

Its a pleasure to be back. I know I haven't written consistently at all, but at least I'm writing something. In my 3 months in Cyprus I think I've written like 4 times so honestly I say thats a pretty good ratio. We've got some deep shiz to talk about though so lets all hold hands and jump in.

POTATOES 

A few weeks back Elder Nilsson and I made some bomb mashed potatoes for our district halloween party. Well, being the genius that I am and knowing that we had a dead potted plant on the balcony, I performed an emergency heart transplant and shoved the last potato in there. Close to a month later, we have a beautiful plant child growing strong in our cooler. Pictures included of course. After a little while, we had to get some more dirt and a bigger container, so we stole some from the flower bed at the bottom of our apartment complex. Please take the time to enjoy the progress and growth of Tate. 

Pday was moved to Tuesday this week because we had the APs and Sister Leads come out to Cyprus. They landed Monday so we all moved pday to Tuesday to enjoy some time together in north Cyprus. Good stuff there. 

Anyways, they came out to Cyprus with President and Sister Burdon because we had zone conference on Thursday. Great zone conference. Cyprus just has the 10 of us and the seniors, so it was a nice small group setting. Definitely way different from the combined zone conferences I'm used to having in the north countries. Very very good stuff. Because the Burdons came out to Cyprus, we had interviews with President in person. I haven't had that since the beginning of the mission which was really dope. 

I guess another cool thing that happened this week was that on Wednesday everyone got their flight plans to go to Athens for the mission tour we're having in a couple weeks! Cool stuff, except I didn't get one. Instead, I have a flight to Albania tomorrow! Ahah. President clarified where I'm being transferred to in my interview the next day. 

P.O.G.R.A.D.E.C! I'll be moving to the lake city of Pogradec with my guy Elder Wheeler. Pogradec is somewhere I've always wanted to serve so I'm super stoked. I've been to pogi on exchanges before and it's always a blast because it's pretty much the only area in the mission with 4 elders in the same house. Good things on the horizon! 

It is a little sad to be leaving Cyprus though. I've had a really good time here and met some really amazing people. Chances are, I'll never see most of them again which is pretty dang depressing. People just don't stay in Cyprus more than a few years typically. Most of our friends are asylum seekers or refugees from Africa, and none of them really know when they're going. Still though, it's been great to meet and teach them. They are amazing people. The members here as well are incredible. I've had more member meals than I can even count in the past 3 months (which is a big deal!!!!) and that's not even the best part. They have become dear friends in a short time and their testimonies have been so strengthening for me. I've learned so much from all of them. The past 3 months have been dope as frick. 

Anyways, like I said I'm stoked. I'm hoping for a nice cold winter in Pogradec with ice and snow. It's one of the colder areas in the mission. Ima boutta be getting everywhere by sliding. I leave tomorrow morning to fly on over and that will pretty much start me off on my last 6 months. Crazy I know. The sisters from my MTC group are already headed home. May they rest in peace. 

HOT TOPIC 

In the last several months I've come across a cool hebrew word: "hesed". Look it up! It's got some really cool meanings attached to it. President Nelson did an article in the October Liahona and he talks about it. It's dope! If you want some good study, definitely give it a look.

BON VOYAGE TO MYSELF! Next time you hear from me I'll be back in the Fatherland. Albania has a really special place in my heart so I really can't wait. 

Paqe.

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Limassol/Paphos Week 11