the one about people

Alright, here's the sit-rep: Work here is amazing! We've been hunting though the member records and seeing who still has a valid phone number and hasn't moved to Greece/Italy. We've also been asking members whom they think should be visited, and it's been a great success!

We visited at least 4 less-active people and had great lessons with them all. We also have met with a few active members doing turbo visits. The sad thing is, even though these people are active, some of them haven't had missionaries in their homes in months. It would be a shame if missionaries just thought "Oh, that person comes to church, therefore we don't have to worry about them" We're glad to sit with them and drink a cola while finding out more about their lives. Why, just last night, we met with some members who have two sons who are both in school in Bucharest, Romania. It's interesting to talk to everyone because they all have a different story.

Also yesterday, we got a surprise call from President Ford. "Ah, hello, President! Oh, you're in Fier, and you'll be in Lushnjë in 15 minutes? Well, sure you can swing by! We'd be glad to see you!" Enter panic mode cleaning the bathroom and straightening up clutter. Not really; I wasn't worried at all. They came by with a special guest: Elder Fingerly of the Area Seventy! They just came by to see the church/house combination. It was kind of cool to have a Seventy in the house, and I got to try out my rusty German with him! He said it sounded good, but I think he was just being nice.

That's about all. I hope you all have a great, safe week!

Elder Weaver

the one about potential

So here I am in Lushnjë, one of the smallest "cities" in Albania. I'm the branch president, which is fun, and I have a new, full-of-energy companion. Not that he's hyperactive or anything, but that he knows how to work hard. I'm pretty happy in this situation! Lushnjë has a lot of potential; there are 50 people on the record, but only about 4 come each week. We're gonna do a lot of reactivation work.

We met with a few new people we found on the street. One guy sat with us and talked with us for a good hour and a half. He's pretty strong Catholic, and apparently has family high up in the church. That's cool! But he also thinks the Book of Mormon is another publication of the Bible, no matter how many times we try to explain otherwise. But no worries; he says he'll have it read in a week. After he left, elder Ireland was like, "Man, he was drunk". I just thought he was a bit slow. I need to get better at that; I can't tell when people are slow or just drunk. Knowing the difference could help a lot.

We tracted into another guy with no shirt on, but you know what? That's totally fine. I wish I could've had my shirt off, too, because it is SO... umm... darn... HOT!!!!!! I carry a handkerchief around in my back pocket to sop up the gallons of swear per minute that I spill, and let me tell you, that handkerchief isn't white anymore. I can only hope the weather changes soon. If I remember correctly, this was the hottest transfer of the year. I just need to endure a little bit longer, maybe a week or two.

Well, I hope people at home are enjoying their nice air-conditioned air and frozen treats of deliciousness.

Elder Weaver

the one about zoos

Hey everyone! I'm reporting here from Fier, although I'm tempted to call it Fire. Man, it is extremely hot. I don't think the temperature is that much higher than in Utah, but the humidity is what kills you. The instant you step outside you can feel the air around you like an unwanted hug from a fur coat. Then you start sweating. Ugh. 

But, not all is miserable! Yesterday was my first Sunday as branch president, and it went better than expected! We had a good sacrament meeting and good lessons after that. I think I'll be able to handle it all. I'm really hoping to baptize a few more people in the next few months, and maybe reactivate some families.

Also, we went to the zoo. It was... interesting.

We saw such creatures as:

The Carnivorous Canine!

The deceptively ferocious sheep!



The dead snake!

But seriously, they had legit animals there, too. Like the monkey and the lion.



Man. That lion must have committed armed robbery or something to be in that small of a cell.  Wait a minute... Lions can't commit armed robbery! This isn't a prison?!?


I hope everyone is doing better than these animals. Enjoy your freedom and your families! Drive safe!

Elder Weaver

the one about beaches

Whew, that was fun. Saturday morning we piled into a van with most of the branch and our investigators and headed out to the beach! About half an hour away is a small town called Divjak (deev-yawk), and they had a nice little beach:

There were surprisingly nice chairs to lounge on, and I collected a few shells! The temperature was perfect. But, the sun was still strong:


Is it bad when my legs are as white as my socks?

And yesterday, I had the great opportunity to give confirm Klidi (clee-dee) as a member of the church and give him the gift of the Holy Ghost. It's cool to think that now, if he's worthy, he can have constant help and guidance throughout his life. I hope he endures well.

After church, we got a pleasant surprise from Rajmond (rye-moaned). A kilogram of skinned, gutted FROGS! :D

It isn't easy being green, is it Kermit?

We covered them with flour, salt, and a bit of pepper then fried them. It was the first time I'd had them, and I have to be honest, they were great! There wasn't a lot of meat on the bones, but it had a good taste. Kind of like chewy pork.

That's all to report. I hope everyone's doing well and all that.

Elder Weaver