tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57447121598664149732024-03-05T08:44:57.977-07:00elder mitch weaverElder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-364210780436328242011-10-22T20:12:00.001-06:002011-10-22T20:14:43.500-06:00the one about home<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Elder Mitchell Weaver returned home from his mission on Friday, October 21 with a Medical Release. We are glad to have him home and hope to have him diagnosed and on the road to recovery soon.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnEldBoJZ0LnEB8YHF_Y3wPQlVOBTmyLRch0wbqFMzWa_Qrq6D5sKQnLfTgx_YghRxfspc1H9csKNMzkFrsUOgkSDk5_RG-IEEgbfd3rl_O3AWPBmyEHSfF4DDBHfRytF6z8U0VvMKQgt4/s1600/IMG00073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnEldBoJZ0LnEB8YHF_Y3wPQlVOBTmyLRch0wbqFMzWa_Qrq6D5sKQnLfTgx_YghRxfspc1H9csKNMzkFrsUOgkSDk5_RG-IEEgbfd3rl_O3AWPBmyEHSfF4DDBHfRytF6z8U0VvMKQgt4/s320/IMG00073.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-28137026582954767912011-10-17T05:36:00.000-06:002011-10-17T05:36:49.175-06:00the one about a little<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things are going great here in Lushnjë. When I really sit back and look at the big picture, it's a beautiful picture. Seminary is going well, the kids are learning, church meetings are good, we're doing lots of retention work, and we had one of our investigators in church.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll tell about our investigator: His name is Xhani (Johnny), and he's about 65 years old. That's getting up there by Albanian standards. He's a really nice guy, and very sharp. He works as a French teacher, and he's really interested in learning English, so we teach him English and the Gospel. The thing that's great about him, is that he reads the Book of Mormon by himself! Most people we have to pester and poke and prod to get them to read, but Xhani does it gladly. I'm really happy for him, and I hope he will get a testimony soon. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cool, that's it. I love you all, in a family way!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-81228010086738067042011-10-10T06:01:00.000-06:002011-10-10T06:01:14.554-06:00the one about hope<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, I got a new companion! His name is Elder Kay, from Calgary, Alberta. He's only got three months under his belt but already speaks like he's been here for nine months. We're having a great time here in the branch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last Monday, seminary started. It looked kind of sad having just us, the teacher, and two students. But slowly, more and more people came during the week and on Thursday we had nine kids there! It's great to see them learning from the scriptures, and especially learning that the scriptures have a lot of real-life application if you just pay attention.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And finally, yesterday we walked Rajmond (rye-moaned) all the way to his house after church. I have an even greater respect for this faithful man. The walk from the church to his house takes two hours. He does this twice every Sunday. We met him at his small plot of land with his cows and had a little lesson on hope. He says the only thing that keeps him going is a firm hope for a better future, which he gets from reading the scriptures at night by the light of his cell phone. This man is an inspiration to me, and if he doesn't get into the celestial kingdom, I sure as heck won't.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I sincerely hope the best for all of you!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-18561176963300391822011-10-03T20:30:00.000-06:002011-10-03T20:30:15.223-06:00the one about continued success<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Woot woot, we got another baptism!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UvcwmVWd1aPcW4ymzY9Yv0loUqEBkgAVSlfMeK7mbmcv3iVqqsDlTpNOfF7hxWZt908t8lZELXABjtrQbnpaR-fGaAAxMScM-lX_q3YHzjW-tZg_u2u80lKKAfRJocy5fVObUYm-I65U/s1600/CIMG7050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UvcwmVWd1aPcW4ymzY9Yv0loUqEBkgAVSlfMeK7mbmcv3iVqqsDlTpNOfF7hxWZt908t8lZELXABjtrQbnpaR-fGaAAxMScM-lX_q3YHzjW-tZg_u2u80lKKAfRJocy5fVObUYm-I65U/s320/CIMG7050.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right: Elder Weaver, Florida (flow-REED-uh),<br />
Nedi (neddy), Elder Ireland</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">She's from a member family that sadly went less-active when she turned eight, so now she's 14 and just getting baptized. We're slowly reactivating her family, and it's great!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Also, we got a picture of the branch yesterday!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRlIQzAxN0XXf_9TY8y7liZ3WXtEkzGT9xLqxqJk2DFI6dmJ7OTZlIdfRY0s9dhJuxVNnQeQof5Vnzxl3Dx6Rhch8xr_Th52Dwyc6KjrmPuhVPeSbwHbsBQ1UhePlH6JyVEXkGWjsWjNW/s1600/CIMG7053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRlIQzAxN0XXf_9TY8y7liZ3WXtEkzGT9xLqxqJk2DFI6dmJ7OTZlIdfRY0s9dhJuxVNnQeQof5Vnzxl3Dx6Rhch8xr_Th52Dwyc6KjrmPuhVPeSbwHbsBQ1UhePlH6JyVEXkGWjsWjNW/s320/CIMG7053.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I really like Lushnjë!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Allës gut!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-81217771714765249682011-09-27T08:58:00.000-06:002011-09-27T08:58:35.668-06:00the one about victory<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And another two investigators make it to the finish line! Well, the finish line as far as us missionaries are concerned. Now we just need to make sure they don't stray off the strait and narrow path. The baptism happened on Saturday in Durrës, and for a moment there, we were worried that we wouldn't make it on time, but we did! And only one person threw up during the ride! (most Albanians aren't used to riding in a car). Here's some pictures! Of the ride, not the vomit ;)</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqqrCDdvZqovdMNn6NNxKal_MuKj0H-OIj_FxrmPU5ntkspple1rOiKJhaTYLphsjWjVySEi23MVHwWO8bT3bqAsOHRX1E8Pt3n4GWEM57MOORfe7W_LyZWl-N194aYwcUkE8P5rcIh9t/s1600/CIMG7028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240px" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqqrCDdvZqovdMNn6NNxKal_MuKj0H-OIj_FxrmPU5ntkspple1rOiKJhaTYLphsjWjVySEi23MVHwWO8bT3bqAsOHRX1E8Pt3n4GWEM57MOORfe7W_LyZWl-N194aYwcUkE8P5rcIh9t/s320/CIMG7028.JPG" width="320px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's my companion on the right and the district leader's companion on the left.<br />
Elder Anderson and I sat up front. It was packed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And here are pictures taken at the chapel:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAdGulpmn_5zZSPq1yIZe6_yGrvlmsEhnsYV14D8y7_Srzv0nf59TBZnW90yhdWMC5gV32ia4rMH3HPEee8KgknDjTjHYRelKkGFwHO3H_Qu5bDR8XolFuIbze3N4Xgzsn8DAeH_Fjl1y/s1600/CIMG7031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240px" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAdGulpmn_5zZSPq1yIZe6_yGrvlmsEhnsYV14D8y7_Srzv0nf59TBZnW90yhdWMC5gV32ia4rMH3HPEee8KgknDjTjHYRelKkGFwHO3H_Qu5bDR8XolFuIbze3N4Xgzsn8DAeH_Fjl1y/s320/CIMG7031.JPG" width="320px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right: Me, Ambra (om-bra), Xhina (jee-nuh), and Elder Ireland (el-durr ay-ur-land)</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReh3BSMzkAsZtUjmeJTiKBbFnO3JFpDYqsnrEB4DjLpPgkfDcjgVC7dgWUhXcqf6mhrShQZSm6CFkh6gGjP_Cfwk6vuz6UQFwYe3joWmsJR-lIX05UV0PiZRIwEeyQfhkxnfYGZihsfzI/s1600/CIMG7032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240px" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReh3BSMzkAsZtUjmeJTiKBbFnO3JFpDYqsnrEB4DjLpPgkfDcjgVC7dgWUhXcqf6mhrShQZSm6CFkh6gGjP_Cfwk6vuz6UQFwYe3joWmsJR-lIX05UV0PiZRIwEeyQfhkxnfYGZihsfzI/s320/CIMG7032.JPG" width="320px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The guy on the left is Joni (yo-knee) and the guy on the right is Nedi (neddy)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That was definitely the highlight of the week. Another fun thing that happened was that we lured a wild cat into the house and then shut the door. It tried to get out, and we let it out eventually, but not after posing for some pictures:</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRu3VC3JUGfHhaO-bOg9tuK9cwTuPK2pVqZuzB7huGNpG-J9-7VwbpRhvcRqEpSLefilgNuI_t3G1u_aA5azprP0LMxGjWpIwYLumOTiTnAGW1Xg6svfg0kt_hmMqco4pGPLyfTYaVJ2xS/s1600/CIMG7002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240px" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRu3VC3JUGfHhaO-bOg9tuK9cwTuPK2pVqZuzB7huGNpG-J9-7VwbpRhvcRqEpSLefilgNuI_t3G1u_aA5azprP0LMxGjWpIwYLumOTiTnAGW1Xg6svfg0kt_hmMqco4pGPLyfTYaVJ2xS/s320/CIMG7002.JPG" width="320px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aww, he's trying to escape!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He scratched me and I've been feeling kind of weird lately. I have an intense craving for meat and I've been foaming at the mouth a bit. Just kidding.</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Qofshit mirë!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-33703206866781180692011-09-19T19:46:00.000-06:002011-09-19T19:46:39.687-06:00another one about baptismal dates<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week has been great! Our two baptismal candidates will get baptized on Saturday, and I'm really excited about it. It'll be "my" second and third baptisms in the mission, and I hope there's at least a couple more in store before I leave.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last night we tracted into a lady who was evangelical. She said she'd heard about us before, and she just had a few questions that involved additional scripture. My companion tried to explain how her argument was invalid, but she just dodged the answer. Then I said, "Hey, we don't like to debate, we just invite people to find out for themselves. If we give you this book, will you read it?" and she said yes, so that was a net positive experience. I hope she reads it and gives it a fair chance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We also had an activity on Saturday about holding to the iron rod. We set up a string throughout the yard and into the house and posted quotes from 1 Nephi chapter 8, and had some "temptations" to try and get them to let go of the rod. I was in the club here, ready to mark the hands of any club-goers:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbJYi5SYfhttuZyh_7oxmre0TOVlhObTKtv9Z1vEUKgH6kNmqqrF0rCo_MWJcIEJziLVyU0ECAObPWWExMnxCvqBGMvEKKwlQeZpkEPT9ZlEJBYtVXPQhxDG5MSU0UM_QjCCYxdLsZxXV/s1600/Creepy+club.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbJYi5SYfhttuZyh_7oxmre0TOVlhObTKtv9Z1vEUKgH6kNmqqrF0rCo_MWJcIEJziLVyU0ECAObPWWExMnxCvqBGMvEKKwlQeZpkEPT9ZlEJBYtVXPQhxDG5MSU0UM_QjCCYxdLsZxXV/s320/Creepy+club.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aaand, to top it all off, just this morning we went to Apollonia, just outside of Fier. I heard it's also called "Gylaceia". Apollonia is a site with a few Greek ruins. And that's about all I can say about it. There wasn't too much there, just a few column tops (forgot what they were called) supported by some good old Communist Cement.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3hPD9PjeDVG_jQL8LvnflW77_e1tRVv1Aqi_dBo7ZP6Bzx4ckZvM37jjNvAZuvgo_pud5s63NeFWX9UMMze05GGZuuzOnxpKmymhYiI9nJln00hBa6kDneATzp1JXquQ8P42IrY6xajc3/s1600/Temple+to+the+false+gods.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3hPD9PjeDVG_jQL8LvnflW77_e1tRVv1Aqi_dBo7ZP6Bzx4ckZvM37jjNvAZuvgo_pud5s63NeFWX9UMMze05GGZuuzOnxpKmymhYiI9nJln00hBa6kDneATzp1JXquQ8P42IrY6xajc3/s320/Temple+to+the+false+gods.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Hey, at least they tried to make it look like it was still standing</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were also a few other interesting things around there, but I highly doubt the authenticity of some of the column pieces (I tapped some of them with a rock and they sounded metal and hollow).</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1bLP4OlkFFzvZUJCrilW4Zb3x3qyVWbg7CS9yoYXwUq-d0aNsSmbdgw66rPxwqRF8HKSanAMTh_vMgwflAppEX5PuE7tzoQx4Nk59PEXNxoz79EUtW0j_wE-xsTw48YJkexVz2AjKn4o/s1600/Bathroom%252C+perhaps.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1bLP4OlkFFzvZUJCrilW4Zb3x3qyVWbg7CS9yoYXwUq-d0aNsSmbdgw66rPxwqRF8HKSanAMTh_vMgwflAppEX5PuE7tzoQx4Nk59PEXNxoz79EUtW0j_wE-xsTw48YJkexVz2AjKn4o/s320/Bathroom%252C+perhaps.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynLESsmoW_eOwjVnKpb_1Q6USmr2zCEwQWhZwgM9E7rHCM8qu3fETLCIZ3RFhHpPKulGQUISj-JE3_TeM22ZIeqMsc0G2fFzMsNvBocAvrcj9jBs8F4SI4e_TwZ13xYg7UkyIW0YQupip/s1600/Big+%2527ol+thing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynLESsmoW_eOwjVnKpb_1Q6USmr2zCEwQWhZwgM9E7rHCM8qu3fETLCIZ3RFhHpPKulGQUISj-JE3_TeM22ZIeqMsc0G2fFzMsNvBocAvrcj9jBs8F4SI4e_TwZ13xYg7UkyIW0YQupip/s320/Big+%2527ol+thing.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But then, we explored the area around more, and found some cool vistas. Albania's had some wildfires lately, and that explains the burnedness of some stuff.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmHJK6BkKjSs9j7KlSf58KoPBpiz0QI_orSJixgryB4HuREHBbxCl2ONonR-0c-8gTlfJRnsEPidA4_aaxfFrI7Y4SNDnh35nkK-e_XCkWXpcq8gdmxjf1YRFUE35lnRiVxA2YbPa8dsA/s1600/Panoramic+ash.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="85" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmHJK6BkKjSs9j7KlSf58KoPBpiz0QI_orSJixgryB4HuREHBbxCl2ONonR-0c-8gTlfJRnsEPidA4_aaxfFrI7Y4SNDnh35nkK-e_XCkWXpcq8gdmxjf1YRFUE35lnRiVxA2YbPa8dsA/s320/Panoramic+ash.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I kept hoping for a flaming bird to burst out of the ground.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, we ran into some... interesting constructions...</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSWdG-GnG5qFojKXdIA4ND1a4C_R-TNnBGyhU1Nh76Pzl6Hi2Z4lT7bTvbjArZXiPvMTjdIsTwX0r2tgsA2Qz1_X9oOWi3cCC0obYUqbdTCrZYlL9j3fLazeF5zdTtYZlzjM2t56E-oVD/s1600/Creepy+tunnel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSWdG-GnG5qFojKXdIA4ND1a4C_R-TNnBGyhU1Nh76Pzl6Hi2Z4lT7bTvbjArZXiPvMTjdIsTwX0r2tgsA2Qz1_X9oOWi3cCC0obYUqbdTCrZYlL9j3fLazeF5zdTtYZlzjM2t56E-oVD/s320/Creepy+tunnel.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">There be bats here. One flew at my face. I screamed. I mean, yelled very manly in order to warn my fellows of a possible rabies risk.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ77TmM6g_UWQ3QycHqHL8rTz24FDekYANR_XVqzoYf_W6lmutjrFrv3Ypc79MJ8wfaKwxxPf9S40cThSw9_SYSGCC4TVavhAr-BrZceDircQzyokbG99T6eiRlP_WGGo5ga_kb12sX414/s1600/Creepy+bunker.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ77TmM6g_UWQ3QycHqHL8rTz24FDekYANR_XVqzoYf_W6lmutjrFrv3Ypc79MJ8wfaKwxxPf9S40cThSw9_SYSGCC4TVavhAr-BrZceDircQzyokbG99T6eiRlP_WGGo5ga_kb12sX414/s320/Creepy+bunker.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And finally, I found a place to make a cool jumping picture. I then made a cool jumping picture.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCN_wY4-nNCEJQKYFz5Tm7iiCZKm6hVZrN3vERQQh6aII_4z1ef-2boHsqJ4ulGY8SiCtfqn2KYJI2jU5TpfsD_VBgMyUfj6XqzlxPIp5Gl-FtKcs2kfsEYFfqILeGkdhNN3DNeBwVuFgf/s1600/Leap+over+danger.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCN_wY4-nNCEJQKYFz5Tm7iiCZKm6hVZrN3vERQQh6aII_4z1ef-2boHsqJ4ulGY8SiCtfqn2KYJI2jU5TpfsD_VBgMyUfj6XqzlxPIp5Gl-FtKcs2kfsEYFfqILeGkdhNN3DNeBwVuFgf/s320/Leap+over+danger.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Hah, take that, bats! I'll just jump away from you!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's all. I honestly and sincerely hope and pray every one of you back home is doing well with your health, family and work. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-66193090789624120982011-09-12T14:01:00.000-06:002011-09-12T14:01:57.021-06:00the one about baptismal dates<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Whew, today has been tiring. Sorry if this e-mail is not up to the caliber or powder charge as previous loads. We spent pretty much all day going to, in and coming back from Tirana for some business up there. Problem is, today is the first day of school, and after walking 30 minutes out to the roundabout at the freeway to grab a van to Tirana, there were about 12 other people there too, needing to get to the various universities there. So we waited, and finally decided to take a slow, bumpy, unnecessarily time-consuming bus.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We still have three baptismal dates, and it looks good for them! They've so far shown a pretty strong desire to get baptized, and I'm looking forward to it. It's good to see them developing habits early in life that will help them now and forever.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In miscellaneous news, I made a fruit smoothie out of milk, sugar, a banana, and a kiwi. Except that the kiwi was kind of not ripe. It added a sensation to the concoction. Mostly, a painful, burning sensation on the lips. Interesting. Also, I decided to buy an ear of corn from a person off the street, but I bought a raw one because I wanted to boil it instead of get it grilled from them. I broke the cob in half then put it in water and turned on the burner. A few minutes later I come back to find this little guy:</span><br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJP-SFaQqBa8DC8sImP8Aq60yZN-tl6HacdJiSKo-PCcxxg6ZUBYbjaxs_cJwwHLqrZZxPK5epoozid9CXtUxPltXIpSHoTWuGDcd3vH9jQHUzzLr1fuVYJRbkvwbrdgJsTU68mxQWxiAO/s1600/DSCF2277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240px" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJP-SFaQqBa8DC8sImP8Aq60yZN-tl6HacdJiSKo-PCcxxg6ZUBYbjaxs_cJwwHLqrZZxPK5epoozid9CXtUxPltXIpSHoTWuGDcd3vH9jQHUzzLr1fuVYJRbkvwbrdgJsTU68mxQWxiAO/s320/DSCF2277.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Your cozy little home just became a death-filled cave, didn't it?</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Also, yesterday, I found something amazing at the store:</span></span></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4-7TklLvF7gHNOKorANztwcsfxm3mhGgxX2nJ6HJJhOasvfId0pf7CYwrnnGUi027HdjVaPkImePvaB27FTfQlEGW_cFI2NnDyZE4pmhVemeJtGIVrhk4ChZcs7BP283rt4xsNRzvzKd/s1600/DSCF2281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240px" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4-7TklLvF7gHNOKorANztwcsfxm3mhGgxX2nJ6HJJhOasvfId0pf7CYwrnnGUi027HdjVaPkImePvaB27FTfQlEGW_cFI2NnDyZE4pmhVemeJtGIVrhk4ChZcs7BP283rt4xsNRzvzKd/s320/DSCF2281.JPG" width="320px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Yes, those are bacon-wrapped Vienna sausages. Yes, that is ketchup. Yes, it was perfect.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I hope everyone is doing not just well, but amazingly! And hold on to your amazing moments, they're rare!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-34391157802243259862011-09-05T06:54:00.000-06:002011-09-05T06:54:43.479-06:00the one about gauntlets<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now, the title of the blog post doesn't have anything to do with the silver and gold gauntlets that allow Link to throw boulders many times his weight and toss aside the giant columns in Ganondorf's castle, but rather it refers to a very testing challenge, or a very challenging test. As in, we positively threw down the gauntlet this past week with two of our investigators.</span> <br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Their names are Ambra (OM-bra) and Xhina (GEE-nuh). They are two close friends who both went to EFY. When they returned they expressed a desire to get baptized ASAP, and so we made sure that they knew what baptism entailed and all they would have to do. Then we set a date of September 24th for both of them to get baptized. This requires us to meet with them 3 times a week, not including church. So far, they've come to all the meetings. I really hope they make it through; they would be great members.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday, another prospective member brought her father to church. He was the reason she couldn't get baptized, and hopefully after his experience yesterday he'll see that we're a perfectly normal church. It was a good fast and testimony meeting, to boot!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Also, last Monday the Fier elders came for exchanges. We had a little bit of fun on the bumper cars:</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaNyP9ZwwaruWscg3mHPTvQwo6Ib_fbn6hAChJFT5PkADlEBl_odgz-WTV7NtNKarBVko-XNe_rghDecf7Hc88H2wjzxc9S5eBu0DHLRN5uSbQ2hwJg0hz93t9wRZ33ytOlgVJTdIc_1U/s1600/CIMG6905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaNyP9ZwwaruWscg3mHPTvQwo6Ib_fbn6hAChJFT5PkADlEBl_odgz-WTV7NtNKarBVko-XNe_rghDecf7Hc88H2wjzxc9S5eBu0DHLRN5uSbQ2hwJg0hz93t9wRZ33ytOlgVJTdIc_1U/s320/CIMG6905.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's me with Chief Anderson (actually District Leader Anderson, but Chief has a nicer ring to it).</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hope everyone is doing well and remembering the Lord in all they do.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Elder Weaver</span></div>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-28420142001809428392011-08-29T18:33:00.001-06:002011-08-30T08:20:20.548-06:00the one about EFY<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Alrighty then, what events will I pull out of last week's hat? Well (I think I overuse the word 'well' as a sentence starter), we met with the nice young couple who gave us the salty yogurt drink. They gave it to us again! Rejoice! But this time I was prepared with some Pepto-Bismol® tablets in my pocket. They helped the battle in my stomach after we left. Something about that drink just doesn't sit well with the body. But the lesson itself was good; I really hope they progress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We also had the kids return from EFY. I was kind of worried that they wouldn't be able to control that many teenagers, especially because it was the first time for EFY here in Albania. But my worries died without being fulfilled! Everyone loved it! One girl said that she and her friends cried the first night because they weren't expecting it to be so churchy. I asked if they cried the last day, and she said they did because they didn't want to go home. In sacrament meeting yesterday I asked the kids who went to bear their testimony about how EFY helped them. One girl jumped up quickly and described how she'd never felt that kind of happiness before, and how she really wants to dedicate herself to God. We'll hopefully get a baptismal date with her soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So I guess that doesn't look like a very long post, but trust me, this week was very good. I hope everyone back home is doing well, and since I've been studying the Old Testament lately, I hope everyone is following the basics to having a good life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-3056927962644404962011-08-22T09:37:00.000-06:002011-08-22T09:37:04.488-06:00the one about new tastes<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Holy COW. I thought the latter half of August would be a bit cooler, not Hot-Pocket-hot like it has been. Seriously, I think my body chemistry has changed over these last 2 summers to adapt to the heat/moisture combination. I smell weird now. It's not necessarily bad, just different. Hopefully the clouds of deodorant I use will keep things settled down. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This morning, we sent 9 kids off to Especially for Youth, which is cool because this is the first year they are trying it in Albania. Only one of the kids was a member, the rest were not, so hopefully they have good experiences and want to learn more. I'm super-relieved that my part is over, because as branch president I had to register the kids online, collect payment from them, and generally herd them. But, they're good kids, and I think they'll have the time of their lives. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yesterday we tracted into a family who let us in, and we had a good first lesson. The thing that was not cool about it was they served us a drink called dhallë (th- [as in "the"]-all). You can experience it, too! To make this drink, take some plain yogurt. Now dump salt in it. Now water it down until it has the consistency of lumpy milk. Enjoy! I had to go home afterwards and be near a bathroom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Also, in church we had one of our investigators come. He's a really cool guy named Jetmir (yet-meer). He's a really humble and funny guy, and I have high hopes for him. It was his first time in church yesterday, but he sang just like everyone else! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I wish the best for everyone back home, and all that stuff. I say that every week, but I really do mean it. If I could, I'd accompany my words with a song, but that would take too long.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-81927331971894778302011-08-16T12:34:00.001-06:002011-08-16T17:57:39.836-06:00the one about pain<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week, and especially the last few days have been kind of trying. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At some time during the week, I forget which day, I just couldn't sleep. Not at all. I tried everything I could think of and even went out on the balcony to take pictures of the moon (they didn't turn out well, by the way). Finally, at 4:30 AM, I fell asleep, only to wake up a few hours later to go to a branch president's training in Tirana.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then we went again on Monday (yesterday) to the greek hospital in Tirana. Let's just say I'll have to give my future children a good time-out, because they've been causing me lots of pain recently. But I woke up Monday morning at 4:30 and couldn't get back to sleep (of course), and had a miserable time in the bathroom. I don't know why, but I felt like I had just eaten a bucket of coagulated lard and it wanted to come back up. I fought the urge to throw up the whole day, which is hard when you're riding on a hot, slow bus on a bumpy road. But I made it there without making a mess! It also helps that my companion gave me a blessing that I'd be able to make it there in one piece.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">At the hospital, they did some tests and exams and couldn't find anything wrong, so that's good. I guess I'll just tough it out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As far as people other than myself (sorry for talking so much about me), we haven't had much time to meet with them :( It just seemed like people were so busy they could only meet in a very narrow window of time, and that window happened to open up to a brick wall of something we had already planned. But at least we can still contact them! Also, we still might have a baptism in September, so that's something to rejoice about!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, we went to Berat (bay-ROT) for our district trip. I've been there before, but the rest of the district hadn't, so we went. Here are some pictures. They've all been taken inside the castle walls, where people still live.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtO8SC-skedwrW8-k4wwh1ZAW1vyKyoGfjN5MRxv3IS681ulnBZtKsV6JIleUqXyi1WYl4HBczKLJWPZ1tYvkpqSl4tV9GNS6YR3Q6O9kFW-JXUxcozbhMM6FvkL2yuehEvEeGavDLjlJj/s1600/DSCF2162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtO8SC-skedwrW8-k4wwh1ZAW1vyKyoGfjN5MRxv3IS681ulnBZtKsV6JIleUqXyi1WYl4HBczKLJWPZ1tYvkpqSl4tV9GNS6YR3Q6O9kFW-JXUxcozbhMM6FvkL2yuehEvEeGavDLjlJj/s320/DSCF2162.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguA-lJXWB6MRpuYCrsLd8rQUsz_U54SagbXlm_na497BzX2LCAFA-Sxnhf9doE8b8t2Q5dTCLxTsBp_Om7tr4zpD2H-bWOTmAwwDDy-CmyHAyoYlsF3IxMhzlbhn6rwt_Uuz44qSVEh-MF/s1600/DSCF2170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguA-lJXWB6MRpuYCrsLd8rQUsz_U54SagbXlm_na497BzX2LCAFA-Sxnhf9doE8b8t2Q5dTCLxTsBp_Om7tr4zpD2H-bWOTmAwwDDy-CmyHAyoYlsF3IxMhzlbhn6rwt_Uuz44qSVEh-MF/s320/DSCF2170.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS80SAaapaM3sLsKxaKRfm4pHVXACNaGfikVh04Jb9MShfTUMjBVy3Wv-blINLKkitsncX5Q31uApg0KXoHnnrE6HtgeEO5z9QmHXds4QYXxCzcuNzA-8bzpPmwU0g3dSouxu5pKjWkK4j/s1600/DSCF2182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS80SAaapaM3sLsKxaKRfm4pHVXACNaGfikVh04Jb9MShfTUMjBVy3Wv-blINLKkitsncX5Q31uApg0KXoHnnrE6HtgeEO5z9QmHXds4QYXxCzcuNzA-8bzpPmwU0g3dSouxu5pKjWkK4j/s320/DSCF2182.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7L6fm9qpwklZ75IQnRdCdLTqWPyyQN5_1Y0fGEjRyvJC4HhrOtF-UOneBfHrXWgFYrqoDT66R3bYHx_haNU3CUG3QVTPzHa3P9nrdrSeLXimRRsZ9PiJPsBkdjoVlGiyrfQT-G6LvNhg/s1600/DSCF2183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7L6fm9qpwklZ75IQnRdCdLTqWPyyQN5_1Y0fGEjRyvJC4HhrOtF-UOneBfHrXWgFYrqoDT66R3bYHx_haNU3CUG3QVTPzHa3P9nrdrSeLXimRRsZ9PiJPsBkdjoVlGiyrfQT-G6LvNhg/s320/DSCF2183.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wish all the best for everyone and everything!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-55640476675363818102011-08-08T05:49:00.000-06:002011-08-08T05:49:57.205-06:00the one about motives<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's see, what has happened in the last 168 hours or so? Well, we met a few cool people while tracting. One guy was totally chill and let us sit down on stools right at his door and teach him a first lesson. We gave him a Book of Mormon to read, but sadly, they didn't answer the door when we went for a follow-up visit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another guy was just sitting outside at a table when he said he wanted to talk to us. Again, I thought it wouldn't go anywhere, but it turns out he lived in England for a few years and wanted to practice his English. He seemed OK, kind of not interested in the Gospel, but we'll give him one last shot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also, we tracted into a woman whose sister happened to live in America many years ago. We did our usual speil when a neighbor lady opened her door and asked if we could get her to America. We said absolutely not, we have no ties whatsoever to the embassy, we're only here to talk to people about God, and that we cannot help her get to America. Of course, neighbor lady persisted and kind of ruined the discussion we were having with the first lady, but we'll go back sometime and see if she actually still wants to learn about God.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Other than that, it was a great 168 hours! Yesterday we had 12 people in church for fast and testimony meeting. I hope the best for all you good people back home!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-59490628705392100182011-08-01T06:00:00.000-06:002011-08-01T06:00:26.229-06:00the one about prepared people<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, first off, here's a picture of my new (actually 3-week-old) companion, Elder Ireland from Mesa, Arizona.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWneUIz3dedTRAoJCCDXXvkr6g3rneKPlfh3HYYf7QRoD3Vap1USEAphdWDYC7lOT_-dg_r8kW2nH_YEZOHXR5zV4Wmw6UMjKlXRsK2XmfLcQOVK13xHbXMYgerps27ihV0CYX2f2uUMT/s1600/DSCF2097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWneUIz3dedTRAoJCCDXXvkr6g3rneKPlfh3HYYf7QRoD3Vap1USEAphdWDYC7lOT_-dg_r8kW2nH_YEZOHXR5zV4Wmw6UMjKlXRsK2XmfLcQOVK13xHbXMYgerps27ihV0CYX2f2uUMT/s320/DSCF2097.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And now, down to business: This week was tiring! It started out early on with us helping our landlord with a bit of home improvement. He's going to lay cement and floor tiles on the roof (the roof is flat, so it's not as weird as you might think). He had a truck come with bags of cement and a big pile of sand. We unloaded the cement bags then the guy dumped the sand in the yard. Then, we had a big job to do. We carried these bags of cement up about 3 flights of stairs. By the way, they weighed 110 lbs. The only way to carry them was to give them the Heimlich maneuver. Then, later that day, we got 3-gallon buckets and filled them with the sand and carried them one at a time up to the roof. We made about 12 trips each until we tired out, then he said we'd work on it more another day. We probably only got a fifth of it done, and that's just hauling the sand up to the roof. There'll be a lot more work when we get it all up there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were walking next to a building one day and a lady turned the tables by stopping and talking to us. Usually, that's a sign they're crazy, but this lady was cool! She actually met with missionaries a few years before but lost contact. She works in a little insurance office and says that she and her friend read the Book of Mormon when they have free time, and she reads it to her daughter. That's crazy! I've never encountered that before. It's awesome how the Lord prepares people to receive the gospel. We have high hopes for her!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Friday we went to Tirana to do some business up there and get me a 6-month dental checkup (no problems, woot!). But on the way to the Tirana vans in Lushnjë, we were stopped by a reporter/radio person on the street. They wanted a little shout-out to Lushnjë, and after some persuading, I agreed to say a few things into the microphone. They just asked how I thought the weather was, what we were doing and such. A fun little distraction to an otherwise boring day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yesterday we made Hawaiian pizzas! Man, I think that's going to be one of my favorite Sunday lunches from now on. But we overestimated the amount of toppings we'd need, so later that night, I had myself a little ham-pineapple salad!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DMquZ7UoYaHaFu4HWK6pqoW1h-PanTNirfjRF4g7rRUAXsadvgUHXEFSaG0-nj9hk9RfAvhMTpxKRqvblxDGQS0IVUqFErykvfLihQ2uAxUwZ1_N0svqeb1Ad7_NszjOAhGj1A862q28/s1600/DSCF2101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DMquZ7UoYaHaFu4HWK6pqoW1h-PanTNirfjRF4g7rRUAXsadvgUHXEFSaG0-nj9hk9RfAvhMTpxKRqvblxDGQS0IVUqFErykvfLihQ2uAxUwZ1_N0svqeb1Ad7_NszjOAhGj1A862q28/s320/DSCF2101.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I want to congratulate whoever thought up of the pineapple/ham combination.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's all. I wish everyone all the best.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-82843774722153418602011-07-25T06:46:00.000-06:002011-07-25T06:46:11.144-06:00the one about people<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's about all. I hope you all have a great, safe week!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-20355324990183551792011-07-18T10:14:00.000-06:002011-07-18T10:14:36.397-06:00the one about potential<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">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. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Well, I hope people at home are enjoying their nice air-conditioned air and frozen treats of deliciousness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-87462731678656619452011-07-12T14:19:00.000-06:002011-07-12T14:19:20.075-06:00the one about zoos<div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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. </span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also, we went to the zoo. It was... interesting.</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We saw such creatures as:</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKubO-y4h7RYX0Xm1olhYfQSL2wsCanVAhXMFXgo7y1TNRrbHet1pDcTKFRjWe2rC-MKhuA7XCVyflbcddZNkFSgZJHkDIoA4jnD8iFCzSp_LWqlIJMLAs1DdfwXjhgjhellwwutwEZhMX/s1600/DSCF2027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKubO-y4h7RYX0Xm1olhYfQSL2wsCanVAhXMFXgo7y1TNRrbHet1pDcTKFRjWe2rC-MKhuA7XCVyflbcddZNkFSgZJHkDIoA4jnD8iFCzSp_LWqlIJMLAs1DdfwXjhgjhellwwutwEZhMX/s320/DSCF2027.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Carnivorous Canine!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLSHhHZQ463AZI1xFm5ilG8axtLN4XjIkxXTleBDR6QVPbfKIrLPDSddX9z4N7CMV4HC6isNwMUqW1XR2z9l0YWsQpBwMX4QuI5c9U_0q6W2c5aByVhCzmtmysMzssD8JHKO7XkVT8w2U/s1600/DSCF2024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLSHhHZQ463AZI1xFm5ilG8axtLN4XjIkxXTleBDR6QVPbfKIrLPDSddX9z4N7CMV4HC6isNwMUqW1XR2z9l0YWsQpBwMX4QuI5c9U_0q6W2c5aByVhCzmtmysMzssD8JHKO7XkVT8w2U/s320/DSCF2024.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The deceptively ferocious sheep!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8zzPVLZDvtXH_dQ2V1YFqQrfrcBLXbOn_jP1nIMaSJxzQnHXsu-1s08d59KD9fDTTWS6JnwddFl5omO9Tv7VERvVRv4LB-xHjUYplO4ma9stFvKZJ8zSyreBlm4T8W_t7YzHZOC1AYKD/s1600/DSCF2020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8zzPVLZDvtXH_dQ2V1YFqQrfrcBLXbOn_jP1nIMaSJxzQnHXsu-1s08d59KD9fDTTWS6JnwddFl5omO9Tv7VERvVRv4LB-xHjUYplO4ma9stFvKZJ8zSyreBlm4T8W_t7YzHZOC1AYKD/s320/DSCF2020.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dead snake!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">But seriously, they had legit animals there, too. Like the monkey and the lion.</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-collapse: collapse; clear: both; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgez26RASkniW6i5Vs8n1-Y8JyxqRGHVnFpDQmorUGIPrllnqZgHMOMyCgnycNhTSpVsfltxiYDKkvxW-_xLfuAp-kmpZUgM9GkELfEldpYG4jz_p71LjSshDobMv0UqkNHpLCOk2IIcSep/s1600/DSCF2019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgez26RASkniW6i5Vs8n1-Y8JyxqRGHVnFpDQmorUGIPrllnqZgHMOMyCgnycNhTSpVsfltxiYDKkvxW-_xLfuAp-kmpZUgM9GkELfEldpYG4jz_p71LjSshDobMv0UqkNHpLCOk2IIcSep/s320/DSCF2019.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwT-CP0ZK_Qhz9W85-pLBFdHQQYzeYE4HNi5T23awWH3QfCbV-SfrE4MGql51S2mv_nH665AkvFLg0W3Bohl_GFOAkl18NttqzAvuat9ZBeUonPKE2Jtp6biot4XDmAlDGSBIxpM0rM6M3/s1600/DSCF2023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwT-CP0ZK_Qhz9W85-pLBFdHQQYzeYE4HNi5T23awWH3QfCbV-SfrE4MGql51S2mv_nH665AkvFLg0W3Bohl_GFOAkl18NttqzAvuat9ZBeUonPKE2Jtp6biot4XDmAlDGSBIxpM0rM6M3/s320/DSCF2023.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Man. That lion must have committed armed robbery or something to be in that small of a cell. Wait a minute... <i>Lions can't commit armed robbery! This isn't a prison?!?</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope everyone is doing better than these animals. Enjoy your freedom and your families! Drive safe!</span><br />
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</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elder Weaver</span></div>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-82054935300761627442011-07-04T06:55:00.002-06:002011-07-04T09:51:01.681-06:00the one about beaches<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whew, that was fun. Saturday morning we piled into a van with most of the branch and our investigators and headed out to the beach! About half an hour away is a small town called Divjak (deev-yawk), and they had a nice little beach:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmJwVr-yao0DzUAfo5sen8m9GezST6xMvGmQPQI44PKCZrO4rsqYSGi4YU4fbmq8FqrDYnmAGPsMrINIGcxfbULGjVKS_EgsIck7Hc__jnVQM1vcyr2j77U92HwDucqgWkfDofFcuJ8Rg/s1600/DSCF1957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmJwVr-yao0DzUAfo5sen8m9GezST6xMvGmQPQI44PKCZrO4rsqYSGi4YU4fbmq8FqrDYnmAGPsMrINIGcxfbULGjVKS_EgsIck7Hc__jnVQM1vcyr2j77U92HwDucqgWkfDofFcuJ8Rg/s320/DSCF1957.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were surprisingly nice chairs to lounge on, and I collected a few shells! The temperature was perfect. But, the sun was still strong:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXIHaHofMCCHAWjol2hOXy83ev1bf-eVk2VGLWsrbJERjyzw-n7aFaK9idhHyIl3BG6xukz_lyMlWQ7fejihtIyHp09Me82A6rd6rGTizVwvwTfSEZHSok1V7t7iCuDjeWDwVo5bg1EL0T/s1600/DSCF1970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXIHaHofMCCHAWjol2hOXy83ev1bf-eVk2VGLWsrbJERjyzw-n7aFaK9idhHyIl3BG6xukz_lyMlWQ7fejihtIyHp09Me82A6rd6rGTizVwvwTfSEZHSok1V7t7iCuDjeWDwVo5bg1EL0T/s320/DSCF1970.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is it bad when my legs are as white as my socks?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And yesterday, I had the great opportunity to give confirm Klidi (clee-dee) as a member of the church and give him the gift of the Holy Ghost. It's cool to think that now, if he's worthy, he can have constant help and guidance throughout his life. I hope he endures well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After church, we got a pleasant surprise from Rajmond (rye-moaned). A kilogram of skinned, gutted FROGS! :D</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH99sc-7NT9VXRDGC7yGTkFy-Ty_IBFU2Zp69ceemvejMeUS8IHaOf-88e3iOaaS7uzr8ZL9YgE72qE-9o6QsVdSojNbMgxC6K1rEaHx-jNEgXqiLTwRFL3t5vC9EIXOFJC_motf0uILIM/s1600/DSCF1978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH99sc-7NT9VXRDGC7yGTkFy-Ty_IBFU2Zp69ceemvejMeUS8IHaOf-88e3iOaaS7uzr8ZL9YgE72qE-9o6QsVdSojNbMgxC6K1rEaHx-jNEgXqiLTwRFL3t5vC9EIXOFJC_motf0uILIM/s320/DSCF1978.JPG" width="190" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It isn't easy being green, is it Kermit?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's all to report. I hope everyone's doing well and all that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-62908834971264189862011-06-27T06:00:00.000-06:002011-06-27T06:00:12.601-06:00another one about baptism<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hey all. This was kind of a slow week, what with my companion's group's trip at the beginning of the week and an outside zone training that was cancelled due to sickness. There wasn't much going on throughout the week, but yesterday was awesome!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Klidi (clee-dee) was baptized! After church, we all piled into a van and went to the Durrës (durr-us) chapel. I conducted the meeting, which was fun. It was the shortest baptism I've ever been to, about 35 minutes. It had to be short because Klidi had a test in Tirana the same day. After the meeting, he went and found a van to Tirana and the rest of us went back to Lushnjë (loosh-knee-uh).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's a picture of lots of people we meet with. I don't know why I'm not in there.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHJLRso3uuVYi2vVcDei4FSOXeN5P-DmtQSZCgwgz9oJyviVfAUn0kN_7OZamLKaW4rTXOYNNlvPshn-9ln4jobPI-0GtggXR9JB6fX1d4y5OEdTkWkwWc8YmSXh26ph3MZ0EPsaZtCGP/s1600/DSCF1933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHJLRso3uuVYi2vVcDei4FSOXeN5P-DmtQSZCgwgz9oJyviVfAUn0kN_7OZamLKaW4rTXOYNNlvPshn-9ln4jobPI-0GtggXR9JB6fX1d4y5OEdTkWkwWc8YmSXh26ph3MZ0EPsaZtCGP/s320/DSCF1933.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clockwise from guy in red tie: Rajmond (rye-moaned), Elder Eckel (el-durr eck-el), Klea (clay-uh), Migena (me-gain-uh), Irida (ee-ree-duh), Florida (flow-reed-uh), Franko (fronk-oh), Klidi (clee-dee), and Lazar (la-zarr) <br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's all for this week. Here's hoping there'll be more good news next week! And, same wishes of health and happiness and everything.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-37325659917186763422011-06-21T13:33:00.000-06:002011-06-21T13:33:32.001-06:00the one about trials<div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, this week has been kind of tiring. On Thursday, we went out to Rajmond's (rye-moaned's) little village and talked to a friend of his while Rajmond went to get some gas for his car. He was totally out, so he took a big jug to put the gas in. About 45 minutes later, he came back with pretty bad news. The gas was bad, and he was driving when the engine caught fire. Man, this guy has very little to begin with, and the car he was planning on selling goes up in smoke and he has to leave it on the side of the road. He said he might try to sell it for scrap metal, if thieves haven't stolen it before then. I'm totally amazed by this guy's faith. He's already been shunned by his family because of converting to Christianity, so he has no help from them, and yet he continues on. Even after his car is kaput, he still comes to church. That's about an hour and a half walk, one way. My theory is that either things will start improving, or he'll die soon and just go straight to heaven. His example really shows me that I have no room to complain about my life.</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Klidi (clee-dee) is getting baptized this Sunday, so that's great! I'm really happy for him, and I think he'll be a great new addition to the branch.</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I just recently got back from an unexpected district trip to Krujë (crewy), and even though I've been there before, I had a mildly good time. We went into the museum and saw tons of stuff about Albania's national hero, George Kastrioti Skanderbeg (that's the angli-... anglisize-... English-fied version of his name. I don't feel like doing pronunciation tips for his real name). It's a pretty cool story, look him up on wikipedia if you have a minute. I snapped this picture in the museum:</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rZEksL82KmLToVVS_kFr95_BVvtT4JoEUOjOxn3v29JTwXX72qZ454g1VSYhhu7qi2pfhHSg6l9A2dCO-AkD1WC1Al3EKW1GWCufMtPtJgVnijEn72xH5KNNnok14TC3Nl6qMuX7dNXW/s1600/DSCF1915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rZEksL82KmLToVVS_kFr95_BVvtT4JoEUOjOxn3v29JTwXX72qZ454g1VSYhhu7qi2pfhHSg6l9A2dCO-AkD1WC1Al3EKW1GWCufMtPtJgVnijEn72xH5KNNnok14TC3Nl6qMuX7dNXW/s320/DSCF1915.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yeah, that's a goat's head on his helmet. Maybe it nibbled on his favorite boots or something.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I hope everyone is doing well and appreciating what they have, whether it be family, good friends, food, or just the fact they're alive.</span></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Elder Weaver</span></div>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-91121685623368841062011-06-13T06:09:00.002-06:002011-06-13T10:44:27.664-06:00the one about a baptism<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So yesterday, we were a small congregation again. There were only 8 of us, but it was still a good meeting. After the meeting, Klidi (clee-dee) requested a blessing because he was taking big tests in college today. So, we had the only active priesthood holding member give him the blesing. It was short, sweet, and cool. Afterward, Klidi said he felt a warmness in his chest, but it didn't hurt, and that it was nice. Now that's cool, because as far as I know, he hasn't ever heard before that that's how the spirit is sometimes felt. Therefore, he wasn't faking it. I didn't think he was that kind of guy in the first place, but sometimes you get people who try to say dramatic things to make us missionaries happy, and it's not good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also yesterday, Sidorela (see-do-rell-uh) got baptized! She's that girl in Fier who's almost always angry. Her being baptized is a miracle in itself, and the icing on the cake is that she was happy the whole time I saw her; not even a frown was on her face. So, I know that you don't go on a mission to rack up your score on baptisms, but just FYI, she's kind of my first baptism. It's been a year and 2 months coming, but it was worth it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here's me and my companion, elder Mugleston from Tacoma, Washington.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMd2fouT91DXRmEiz8QmXV9nAW8ZOmYZojl17u2CzH9td27Nx_rh0XuuWeJ1lT4B42LDU_jhw4LxbEGBsbU6aqPj2eEFr9g_xExIhIyt4A8fwQEivPMOuxc7dpZTGHoebq0hT7QZH9I4AQ/s1600/DSCF1899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMd2fouT91DXRmEiz8QmXV9nAW8ZOmYZojl17u2CzH9td27Nx_rh0XuuWeJ1lT4B42LDU_jhw4LxbEGBsbU6aqPj2eEFr9g_xExIhIyt4A8fwQEivPMOuxc7dpZTGHoebq0hT7QZH9I4AQ/s320/DSCF1899.JPG" t8="true" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I also made a video tour of the house. Hope you like it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="260" src="http://www.4shared.com/embed/641387542/2258bbc1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320"></embed></span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-92211862420584292372011-06-06T06:02:00.000-06:002011-06-06T06:02:51.104-06:00the one about small groups<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So yesterday was an interesting experience. We usually have the church room packed with people; we had 18 last week. But yesterday, we had us two missionaries, two members and two investigators. It was kinda weird. But, it was fast and testimony meeting, and even though it lasted about 10 minutes, the spirit was still there as the members expressed simple statements of their belief.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have three baptismal dates! One is with Klidi (clee-dee), the young man with an honest heart, and the other two are girls who are best friends and want to get baptized together. If these people get baptized, it'll be my first! Yay!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Friday we went with a man to a little village and helped him teach his english class. We met in a tiny, run-down schoolhouse in the middle of nowhere, but it was still a good experience. Then we visited his uncle nearby. They had one of the nicest houses I've seen in Albania, which corresponds roughly to an upper-middle class American house. We asked what he did for a living and he said he was a truck driver. Oh yeah, and the whole time he was asking us if we wanted a shot of his liquor. We said we don't drink alcohol about three times, then he offered wine. Again, we don't drink alcohol. "At all!?!" "At all". Then he went on and said how he drinks a whole bottle of liquor by himself. Every day. "Uhh... Even while driving?" "Yep!". I felt a little scared for my safety after that. I do not want to be on the same road he is. I hope for everyone's sake he has a hollow leg.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are safe and healthy, and I can only hope the same for everyone back home. Take luck!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-88069496094350851842011-05-30T07:49:00.000-06:002011-05-30T07:49:27.328-06:00the one about young blood<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So I'm here in Lushnjë (loosh-knee-uh) now. It's the smallest city that missionaries live in. You can walk across the whole city in 10 minutes, but there's seemingly more work here than in bigger cities. My new companion is named elder Mugleston, and he's from Tacoma, Washington. He can also cook amazingly. We've already had spaghetti, cookies, and teriyaki chicken with rice. I think I'm going to like this transfer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The branch only has about a dozen active members, and it seems like they never all come at the same time. But that's OK, because we have plenty of investigators! Why, just yesterday in church, we had 18 people stuffed in the big room in our house. Church was only about an hour and 15 minutes, but it was all quality time. Most of our investigators are kids who are in our English course, and it makes me happy that they want to come to church of their own accord; they honestly like it! Now those are some smart kids.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One of the promising people we're meeting with is named Klidi (clee-dee). He only met the missionaries last week but he already loves us. He comes every time to English course and every week to church. His appetite for learning the Gospel is huge, and he learns quickly. I'm looking forward to getting him baptized.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One of the awesome members we have is named Rajmond (rye-moaned). He takes us out to his little village in his car every week or so and introduces us to his family and friends and we have lessons with them. His zeal for missionary work is awe-inspiring, and it makes me want to be a better missionary.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Also last week, we went with one of the senior couples and delivered a wheelchair to a man who has multiple sclerosis. The chair will help him get around much better, and I can't even imagine how much it will relieve his pain after having to use crutches to move around. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">That's about all there is to report. Pictures next week of our house! I hope and pray everyone is well back home!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-61282972307181318612011-05-23T17:37:00.000-06:002011-05-23T17:37:30.087-06:00the one about emergency food<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here's the lowdown on staying down-low:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because the election results in the capitol have been so... questionable... some groups of people had the bright idea to stack old tires on different parts of the highway around the country, light them on fire and throw rocks at the firefighters when they tried to put out the tires, because apparently, that's how you fix a problem.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because of this violence, we were asked to stay inside our houses on multiple occasions this week, and as a result, the week was slower than usual. But that gave me time to experiment with the food I found in the house! :D </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3Z0ay-i-LouCm827Q0SqoytFZmF2XuTCYASDOCbvQbPp0iExFnfMhGCi0m0FjQL6bDnlfC09PWglEf0Z7WwkEM4LMyp0qB2Ha_7OKgfOjI7O1wo2aP0oKHW1FE-liXZa8sLvXGGQnDfU/s1600/DSCF1861+May+2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3Z0ay-i-LouCm827Q0SqoytFZmF2XuTCYASDOCbvQbPp0iExFnfMhGCi0m0FjQL6bDnlfC09PWglEf0Z7WwkEM4LMyp0qB2Ha_7OKgfOjI7O1wo2aP0oKHW1FE-liXZa8sLvXGGQnDfU/s320/DSCF1861+May+2011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pasta with tuna, hot-dog-like-tubular-meat (you can never be sure here), and TWO types of gourmet sauce! On the left, BBQ sauce, on the right, ketchup! It was one of the best lunches I've ever had. <br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because of all this, there is not much else to report. I hope everyone is happy, healthy, and grateful. Grateful for the things they have and not being ungrateful for the things they don't.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elder Weaver</span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-56118167553021099732011-05-19T10:50:00.000-06:002011-05-19T10:50:53.181-06:00the one about protests<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>ANOTHER NOTE FROM MITCH'S MOM:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We received the following email from Mitch's mission president this morning. It's nice he keeps us updated because if I had seen on the news about the protests and road blocks, I might have been more than a little worried.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Dear Parents of Albania Tirana Missionaries,</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Below you’ll find the latest information about protests in Albania over recent elections in the country (if this is the first you’ve heard of the recent unrest, I’m sorry to alarm you). As a precaution, I’ve asked all our missionaries to stay in their apartments until further notice. Please don’t worry. Everyone is fine, and no one is in danger. I feel that everything will resolve itself over the next few days. I’ll keep you updated as things unfold. Thank you for sending us such extraordinary young men and young women to serve here!! We love them as our own …Much love,</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>President & Sister Neil</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Link to the Albanian US Embassy: <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://tirana.usembassy.gov/warden_information.html"><span style="color: purple;">http://tirana.usembassy.gov/warden_information.html</span></a> </span></em></span>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744712159866414973.post-10564883324003942462011-05-16T20:55:00.001-06:002011-05-16T21:17:15.565-06:00the one about sweet rolls<div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">NOTE FROM MITCH'S MOM:<br />
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We visited with Mitch on Skype Saturday (for Mother's Day) and he was doing great and he looked great! He loves what he's doing. This is a screenshot from our visit.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxsiplH9Dc8zcb2VvlWTkmcr5xRx2Rq8-XTvlmCe6FoTCgG5S7GFHjTBN9JxVuzDj4YPc5bG5UX5W1vqrHLZ66J6lxn0ABbmqxBESfE2BsVPZbDkwgg4T10PQ46C-9y2AgKLJ41XoDSaUJ/s1600/Video+call+snapshot+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxsiplH9Dc8zcb2VvlWTkmcr5xRx2Rq8-XTvlmCe6FoTCgG5S7GFHjTBN9JxVuzDj4YPc5bG5UX5W1vqrHLZ66J6lxn0ABbmqxBESfE2BsVPZbDkwgg4T10PQ46C-9y2AgKLJ41XoDSaUJ/s320/Video+call+snapshot+2.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Below is his weekly email:<br />
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It's raining outside right now, and that lifts my spirits like nothing else! I'd been getting tired of the hot, muggy weather we've been having lately. It looks like one of our long-time investigators is finally going to get baptized. It's been really interesting seeing how preparing for baptism has changed her. You see, her default mood is "angry" with a side of "annoyed". Many times, the lesson would end with her making sarcastic remarks then storming out of the room. For the past month, though, she's been much, much <b>less</b> angry! She even apologized for her occasional outbursts! I know that it's because she's making a real effort to change her life by obeying the commandments that God has given us, which are the blueprints to a truly happy life. </div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Also, I have discovered something amazing: There's a store about 10 minutes from our house that carries these slabs of heaven:</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOvbEi4SmflQwLpv6VTCLV1xJrlLwbb8qfwE2ii1XNd34tXk5mCnIFyOf7i296H0WKJUED1_I8ulLbeXBVJdABrxGSGIyzTZFIKzmFv8qdU6rfKH-oKi3S1cfQdklzqWb83su1JvNNkfs/s1600/DSCF1856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOvbEi4SmflQwLpv6VTCLV1xJrlLwbb8qfwE2ii1XNd34tXk5mCnIFyOf7i296H0WKJUED1_I8ulLbeXBVJdABrxGSGIyzTZFIKzmFv8qdU6rfKH-oKi3S1cfQdklzqWb83su1JvNNkfs/s320/DSCF1856.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">What lies inside?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">They come in like, seven flavors, but strawberry is my favorite.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAWli4LovWd0xmAiTeocoEnwwScYYHbHdTvePod9G6zVTxQZw_vy8Z9emrPLkqhmWH5y8Bf5RP6HiCCm5Koa5REI7FppULtM-v_NhTbP-TMQifx4G3MnhpeM_IPOxuTlAarsgk97UYktL/s1600/DSCF1854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAWli4LovWd0xmAiTeocoEnwwScYYHbHdTvePod9G6zVTxQZw_vy8Z9emrPLkqhmWH5y8Bf5RP6HiCCm5Koa5REI7FppULtM-v_NhTbP-TMQifx4G3MnhpeM_IPOxuTlAarsgk97UYktL/s320/DSCF1854.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">It's a dense, sugary taste-bud-party! Also, kind of squished under it's own weight. Like a star experiencing core collapse.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">And they're only 80 cents!</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I hope things are going good, and people with problems are enduring them well.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Elder Weaver</div>Elder Weaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644145499580418523noreply@blogger.com1