Wait… WHAT?

Howdy family, 

Well... I've had quite a week, let me tell you. But I'll start off with the biggest piece of information. Last night, Sister Wilding and I were just getting into bed and the phone rings.. and it's President Weidmann. So, obviously my heart like dropped to my stomach, I was like.. flip. President is calling at 10:30 at night, someone's dead. Haha, but it's all good because no one was dead.. I'm actually being transferred up to Tirana. I leave Vlore tomorrow morning at 7:30. Super unexpected. But, I'm excited for a little change. I love President Weidmann so much, he gets on the phone with me and he says.. "Sister Vermunt, the Lord has answered your prayers.. I'm moving you up North a little bit to a place that isn't so hot." Which.. I'm pretty sure Tirana is hotter because it's like a big city and stuff like that, but hey whatever. I laughed. So yeah y'all.. I'm Tirana bound. Haha

Alright, so now with the rest of my week.. Such a gong show.. Really. Haha, So, to begin.. My companion and I got a little mixed up this week and might of drank some vodka... Haha, flip. Even worse, it was given to us by our member. Guess who will be getting a Word of Wisdom lesson next time the missionaries come over. Haha, so here's the story. Every Albanian home that you go to, they give you something. Sometimes a little candy or sometimes they give you stuff they made.. But this time we just got a drink and some cookies. Usually it's juice.. but ya know. So, we drink a little and we're like.. Um what is this. So we asked her and she told us that she made it herself from the peaches in her garden.. And she was like of course there is no alcohol in it. So we believed her and we drank it.. and it burned so bad.. Haha, I was like.. yeah right Natasha ya little liar.. Haha. I looked at the bottle on the counter that she poured it from and the label was like "Pjeshke" which is peach in Albanian so she was honest about that at least.. but then right underneath in black bold letters it reads.. VODKA. It was nasty. 

So, remember that week that we walked out to our members house in the village? Well a few days after that my left foot really started to hurt but I just ignored it and kept on going and a few times I would look down at my foot and be like.. Is it swollen? But I just figured I was being a baby and imagining it, so I carried on. So, about a day and a half ago it was bugging me really bad and I look down and I was like.. dang, that's swollen. So I asked Sister Wilding if she thought it was and she was like "oh my gosh!! what did you do?!" So.. the next day I called one of the senior missionaries who is kinda like the mission nurse I guess, and she asked me all these questions about how it feels and stuff and I guess all the tendons in my foot are like inflamed and stuff and Sister Andrews got mad at me because I've been walking around on it for 2 weeks and made it worse. Flip! Haha, whatever what can ya do right. So, walking around Vlore right now.. Not the funnest thing ever, but it's my own fault. Haha. 

I was walking down the street and saw this. The window was broken,
so they put a picture of a cow. I laughed so hard.
Man Albanian's.. gotta love 'em

But probably my favourite part of this week would have to be the fact that our apartment has NO water and it hasn't for like 3 days, so I've been filling up several jars of water from these jugs we have to rinse out my hair and try and get clean. I feel more like a monkey than a human being. But hey, it builds my character. And I read Auntie Care's e-mail.. So, I have nothing to complain about. But honestly, some of the things she describes I can kind of relate too. It's crazy being in other parts of the world. 

But this week passed really well and we saw a lot of success in different aspects of our work. Probably the most exciting to me was the fact that one of our less actives came to church!! This is literally a miracle because in the past two lessons we've had with her, her heart has been so hardened and she would not even consider the idea of church. But, low and behold on Sunday morning she came walking up to the church with her granddaughter. I literally like almost threw up because I was so excited. For real. It meant a ton to me. Also, Viktor Mucaj passed his baptismal interview! I'm kinda bummed though because his baptism is on Friday and I won't be here :( I'm really going to miss the people here in Vlore, they're so amazing. Sad day, I didn't expect to leave so quickly.

 

I love these Albanian xhaxhi's. We walked this street like 5 times and
they were there ALL day. Just living the life. haha

But, at the same time.. this whole transfer thing has a really cool story behind it. So, our transfers are typically 3 months long and this transfer is 14 weeks. At the halfway point of the transfer there are sometimes "mini-transfers" but, seeing as we're only 5 weeks in, this was super unexpected as I said. Anyway, so when I compare this transfer to last transfer I realize that things are quite easy for me. I'm comfortable with the language (not where I want to be quite yet, but I'm improving), the work down here is going nicely, Sister Wilding and I get along.. and maybe one of the greatest things.. I don't have lice! Haha, but one night I was thinking about how my confidence has changed and how much more I enjoy my mission. I had been talking to some other sisters in the mission earlier that day and I had heard that some other sisters were struggling and stuff with different things. So that night while I prayed, I thanked Heavenly Father for the ways that He had helped me to overcome the things that had troubled me last transfer, and then I told Him that if there was another sister in the mission that needed help or an area that needed help that I wanted Him to send me next transfer. I don't know why I felt that exactly but.. It was what I had in my heart. So, when President called me last night I got a very real feeling that the Lord had taken me up on my offer. 

I am so funny that SisterWilding had to sit down cause
she was laughing so hard and thought she would
wet her pants. Man, Im so funny!

You guys, I love this place. I mean.. To be completely honest sometimes when the alarm goes off at 6:30 in the morning I'm like, yeah right.. Not today. But the minute I get out of bed and kneel to pray, I know that the day is going to go okay and that I'm in the place that I'm supposed to be. I seriously am so grateful for my life and the opportunity that I have to be a missionary at this time in my life. It's crazy frustrating some days.. But I know that I'm so blessed to be out here. 

I cannot believe that this upcoming week is the beginning of August, what even is that?! I feel like 2 weeks ago I was complaining that May wouldn't end. What is this sick trickery. I hope that you're all having a nice summer over there. If not I would GLADLY send you some of this stupid heat. 

I love you all, you're in my prayers!

With love from Vlorë (sad..), 

Motra Vermunt