This past week has been an opposition week FOR SURE. First let me tell you about my horrible life.. Haha, just kidding.. But really, not cool.
So, we're walking home after a lesson and Sister Smith looks over at me and she's like you have a bug in your hair and I was just like.. Whatev, take it out. And then she looks closer and she's says.. No, really.. you have bugs in your hair. So.. yes.. I got LICE this week. But honestly with the way my life has been going recently I was literally just like.. Of course there are. Ugh. So we went down to the pharmacy and got some special shampoo and all this stuff.. I'm pretty sure my scalp is like raw from the acid in the shampoo, but pretty sure they're all gone now. Haha, I was grateful that I was able to approach the situation with some humor.. I'm pretty sure Sister Smith laughed SO hard that day, because I was just furious haha I was like this is RIDICULOUS. But, yeah.. Not a fan. Why did I have to get parasites in my hair? Why couldn't I get them in my stomach and at least drop a few pounds? Just kidding. Kind of.
But let me just give you a little taste of what it's like living in Albania.. So, we're on our way home to get this shampoo in my hair cause I just wanna kill these little suckers, so I get in the house and I'm just so excited.. and the water doesn't work. Nothing comes out at all.. I was seriously like.. Am I being punked right now.. But thankfully we have the senior couple here in Vlore and we just went over there and had a good chat with her while we scrubbed my head and stuff. And then just last night, we're trying to weekly plan and ALL of the lights just turn off. So, yes.. We studied by candle light. These have been days where I've repeated in my mind a few times.. "I love being a missionary.. I love being a missionary.." to remind myself ;)
But also this week we had an exchange with our Sister Training Leaders and Sister Kokol came down to Vlore to stay with me and it was SO fun!! Sister Kokol and I seriously the same person in so many ways. I died laughing. I seriously prayed that I would be able to be her companion.. That won't happen because next transfer is her dying transfer. But seriously though.. It was so good, we quoted Kristen Wiig and everything.. I mean really, that girl is just glorious.
I'll be honest with y'all, this was definitely a rough week on me emotionally. Even our work was pretty rough. A lot of people cancelled or just didn't answer their phones and by the end of the week with my whole lice ordeal all I could think was, haven't I had enough?! I was so frustrated. It's so hard to have patience and long-suffering when you're in the midst of things. I'm not exactly sure what things that the Lord needs me to learn right now, but what I do know is that no matter what happens in a day, no matter how overwhelmed I might feel.. I always find comfort in the scriptures. Everyday I convince myself to simply make it to personal study. I'm convinced that if each and every one of us take the time to read our scriptures for even 5 minutes every single morning we will find the strength to overcome every obstacle that awaits us in that coming day. It doesn't mean that the scriptures are going to necessarily give perfectly fitting solutions to our problems.. I mean, I'm positive that Alma's afflictions far exceeded an investigator that won't answer her phone, or having a bunch of little bugs in your hair.. But I know for an absolute fact that the words of comfort that our Heavenly Father provided to Alma and any other prophet are for us too. The Lord has said, "What I say to one, I say to all." I have found that to be so true, and I know that there is such a great power when we place ourselves into the scriptures and realize that the Lord is speaking to us.
I realized something that I LOVE about missionary work this week, and that is when I contact someone on the street or when I'm in their home teaching them a lesson.. I'm not trying to convince them or trying to persuade them to believe. I'm giving them the knowledge and the promises that are theirs if they would simply try it. In one of my lessons this week, I just felt the Spirit so strong and I was holding the Book of Mormon and I just felt so strongly, "read this book and tell me that you don't feel anything when you read the words on these sacred pages. Tell me that a peace doesn't come to your heart. Because honestly, I know if you sincerely seek it out.. You will not be able to say that you didn't feel anything." I know that if someone reads the Book of Mormon with true intent and with an open heart the Spirit will touch their hearts. They will feel something. That's the thing about preaching this gospel, it's that we invite people to pray for themselves, we invite them to read from the Book of Mormon because we KNOW that they will feel that it is true. We're not here to persuade because we don't need to. If people have open minds and open hearts they're going to know for themselves and that's all we want is for people to understand for themselves and we know that they will. The Spirit has so much power, and it's incredible to feel and see it working on people. I think Moroni says it a little more eloquently than I can in his promise in Moroni 10:3-5. Sorry.. I'm rambling.. But, the gospel is just so.. COOL. I love it!
Well, again thanks to everyone for being interested in my endeavors! I hope y'all have a little bit more luck than I do. Give me strength.. Haha! Have a great week!
With love from Albania!
Motra Vermunt
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