Well... I guess this is it

Hey everyone, 

My companions have been asking me about what I think about going home in a week, and my response to them is "I don't." Haha, I've been really trying to not think about going home too much and I've tried even harder to just focus on what I am currently doing, which is the most important work that any of us can do! 

I think that our diligence has paid off because this week we had an incredible week!! Literally, we've been so busy and this next week is looking like its going to be the same way! We are just going from appointment to appointment to appointment pretty much all week. We have seen some incredible things this week.. and had some hilarious experiences, and some.. kind of scary ones. 

First off, it just happens to be gay pride week here and there is an area of town that is all about pride.. and we just happen to have to walk through it a lot more often than we'd like. We have seen some pretty OUTRAGEOUS things and I continue to become more shocked every time that I'm there. People are crazy. Downtown Toronto is nuts! 

We had a pretty sketchy experience, that I ended up being grateful for. We had a referral that requested a Book of Mormon, so we went to the address (and thankfully had our ward mission leader with us) and knocked on the door. I kid you not, as soon as the door opened I was like.. oh no.. The apartment was dark, all the windows were covered with dark red sheets and it smelled so strongly of smoke. The guy invited us in and I felt the Spirit leave immediately. We looked around and there were demonic things everywhere. Like, witch hats and super scary masks and all of these really satanic things. We talked to him a little bit about the Book of Mormon and invited him to church, but I wanted to get out of there so fast... I literally felt so dark and it was so scary. Actually, one of my companions broke down into tears after we left because it scared her so bad. 

The reason I was grateful for this experience is because I didn't realize how much the Spirit truly is with us until it wasn't anymore. I am so grateful to know and feel of the light of the Spirit and to be able to be worthy of having it be with my at all times. I know that there is an absolutely noticeable difference between having it and not and it really made me think about what I need to do continually in order to ensure that the Spirit can always be with me, and it made me appreciate the thought of 'standing in holy places.' 

This past week we have found some of the most solid investigators that I've met since being in the Canada Toronto Mission. One of them is Ausra. She is currently living at a YWCA and is in a wheelchair. She is in a wheelchair because she attempted to commit suicide by overdosing on drugs, but her attempt failed and she ended up being passed out for a long time.. so long that she damaged one of the nerves in her back and it prevents her from being able to walk. Anyway, this woman is so prepared to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we extended the baptismal commitment to her, she accepted without blinking an eye. It is so incredible. Meeting with her completely humbles me and reminds me how blessed I am, and how precious this knowledge is. 

As I look back on my mission as a whole, I have been completely blessed and I will never be able to articulate all of the things that I have learned and gained but what I can say is that I have become so completely converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ and will continue to deepen my conversion building on the things that I have learned in this past year and a half. I am so excited to work my hardest in this past week and be able to fulfill this sacred calling to the end. I look forward to seeing you all again and I am so grateful for all of the support that I've received throughout my mission. 

Well, see you soon then! 

With love from Toronto, 

Motra Vermunt 

Alma 26:12

Hello family, 

So.. I think that everything is just pretty.. surreal for me at this point. This morning at 8:30 am I had my exit interview with President Clayton because the transfer just ended and all of the missionaries going home are leaving tomorrow.. I just get to hang around for a couple more weeks. 

Seriously though, so weird. It's kind of weird because I've technically already had an exit interview when I left Albania. But, nevertheless I was just like.. I cannot believe that I am here right now. It was a super awesome interview though and President Clayton gave some killer advice.. Kind of intimidating advice.. but super great. Tomorrow is going to be a pretty awesome day as we have "departing meetings" all day and then get to attend the temple and then have dinner at the Clayton's home.... and then I'll return back to my area and I'll get to be a missionary for 2 more weeks. 

To be honest, I don't even know where this past week went! But it was great. Sister Leung and I saw huge growth in our area and we're SO excited about that. It felt really good. But, sad news.. Sister Leung was transferred last night, she's going to be a Cantonese missionary for the next little while, which is super awesome but we're sad to be leaving each other. She's lovely. I love her. I will be in a tri-panionship for the duration of my mission. I'll be with Sister Mencarelli who is from Italy and Sister Horton who is a spanish speaking missionary. I'm excited, they are 2 awesome sisters.. And it will be super convenient on transit because Hermana Horton can talk to all the Spanish people, Sister Mencarellis got the Italians... and... I'll just continue to hunt down my Albanians. 

Speaking of them!! This week was super cool. We got a text from our Bishop a few days ago telling us that they just bought a house and their neighbours are ALBANIAN and they would love for us to come and meet them. I'm excited for that :) 

As missionaries we offer a free English course as a service and our flyers are all over the city and we get calls ALL the time.. and yesterday someone called and Sister Leung was talking to her forever and everything and finally Sister Leung asked where she was from, and she was from Albania! So she threw the phone at me and I got to talk to the lady for a while :) I loved it.

But the best part of my week this week was Sunday. We were busy greeting people and I saw Motra Gallani walk in and I went over to say hello to her, and then I saw Leo.. and he came in with SHPRESA! :) I was so excited to see Shpresa at church, but even more excited to introduce her to Motra Gallani. They started talking in Albanian and as I was standing there seeing them all talk, I was just overwhelmed with a sense of peace, and I was full of gratitude because it was one of those moments where I felt that the Lord truly had a purpose for me here in Toronto and that He enabled me to do something to fulfill that purpose. 

As I talked with President Clayton today, he asked me what I've learned. I know that the things that I have learned from being a missionary could never be summed up into a several paragraph e-mail, let alone one sentence.. But one of the many things that I have learned is what it means to be a converted and steadfast disciple of Jesus Christ. I know that once you find that, you can never stray from that path. I am eternally grateful for the experiences that I've had throughout my mission. Each and every experience, whether it be good or bad, has contributed to my understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and what His teachings mean to me in my life and I know that there is no way that I could have become the person that I am today if I had not experienced all the things that I have. I am so grateful that I have another 2 weeks to be a full-time servant of the Lord and to proclaim the gospel with all of my heart, might, mind and strength and I know that once those 2 weeks are finished, my call will change but I know that it won't end, I know that for the rest of my life I will serve my Savior and I will do all that I am enabled to do in order to bring others closer to Him. 

With much love, 

Motra Vermunt 

And then there were 3

That was Dad's subject for his e-mail today.. and I thought I'd steal it. But yes.. I guess I only have 3 weeks left, which doesn't really seem to make sense to me in a lot of respects.. but it happens. 

This week was pretty insane. Lots of meetings! We had missionary leadership council on Wednesday, which is an all day affair, let me tell you.. And then in the 2 following days we had 2 other meetings since we are STLs of sisters that are in 2 different zones. We literally prepared the instruction we were asked to give on the subway as we were on our way to one of the meetings. Crazy. 

I had a really special experience yesterday during fast and testimony meeting. Sister Gallani called me the day before to make sure that I would be at church (I had to laugh because.. literally where else would we be other than church.. its like the pinnacle of our week) but, anyway.. on Sunday morning Sister Gallani asked that I would translate her testimony for her. I will not lie, I was SO incredibly nervous.. I was like, what if she talks to fast or I forget Albanian.. Seriously, I was dead nervous. But, good news everyone.. I didn't forget Albanian, and it was an incredible thing for me. Sister Gallani has never been able to bear her testimony in front of a congregation because she hasn't felt confident enough with her English. She talked about how grateful she was that a missionary was sent from her land that speaks her language so that she could testify about what she knew to be true. I was grateful to have the privilege to bear my own testimony after she was finished. I am so grateful for the amazing things that I've experienced with the few Albanians I've come into contact with here.

I wanted to share something really inspiring that I learned this week. In the latest general conference, Preisdent Packer said that "the end of all activity in the Church is to see that a man and a woman with their children are happy at home, sealed for eternity." As missionaries we are so passionate about finding, teaching and completing families because we know that the gospel is designed to bless and strengthen families. It is so important for us to attend church, (seriously.. Sabbath day observance is absolutely crucial to our spiritual health) but.. we can't just apply gospel principles one day out of the week. It has to be all the time, especially in our homes. That is where we will truly learn and understand the things that we must do to be the people we ought to become. 

In Isaiah 7:14-15 we read,  

"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good."

Obviously here it is talking about the Savior.. and President Clayton asked us where the Lord would have eaten butter and honey.. and there was a little bit of silence and then he told us that the Savior ate those things at home, and that is where he learned between right and wrong, just as we all do. It is so powerful to think of the fact that the greatest place to build the kingdom of God is in our own homes. 

I am so grateful for the knowledge of the gospel, I am so grateful that I was raised by parents that have always sought to do good because I know that I would not be here on my mission, I would not have experienced or learned the things that I have if it were not for my parents who taught me the Gospel of Jesus Christ at home, and led by example. I know that this is greatest work that we can do, at any time of our lives regardless of what situation we may be in. The Church is true! :) 

I love you all, have a good week! 

Love,

Motra Vermunt 

what… June

So.. I think every person that e-mailed me this week told me that it is now June and reminded me that it was the last month of my mission. It's a pretty insane concept for me.. But, the way I see it is I still have 4 more weeks of finding investigators, getting them to church and helping them progress in the gospel. But I really can't believe it. 

Today is Sister Leung's birthday so we're going out for all you can eat sushi.... I'm so stoked. 

This week went by really quickly. We had a lot of things to do.. We had 2 exchanges with other companionships and then one emergency exchange as well.. So, I felt like we didn't really have a normal week at all. 

But I'll just tell you about my favourite parts of the week. This week we went and saw Motra Gallani. I just love her so much. Every time I see her she talks about how she waits for our phone calls and things like that. I just absolutely love her. She was able to get a position at work that only requires her to work afternoons on Sundays so she can start coming to church! Leo Dautaj has also come to church every week for the last 3 weeks and I absolutely just love it. It makes me so happy. 

Anyway, we were sitting in sacrament meeting and I saw Leo and Motra Gallani sitting next to me and I was just overwhelmed by the Spirit and I just felt so much peace and joy. I love all of the people I work with, but I know its not a surprise to any of you when I say that I have a special love for these people. 

Me and all my Asians :)

One of the missionaries I served with in Albania sent me the dedicatory prayer given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks when Albania was opened to missionary work. I will quote a part of it. "I bless the people of the scattered tribes of Albania wherever they may be in this world... that their hearts may be inclined to their native land, that the missionaries will be lead to their doorsteps, that they may hear and understand the message of the gospel." Elder Penrod (the missionary who sent me the prayer) said that this section applied to me. And this Sunday as I was with Leo and Motra Gallani I just realized that this is all so much bigger than me. It has been so difficult to leave my mission, as I've said 100 times.. But the Lord is mindful of His children where ever they may be and I feel so privileged to be able to have been sent to in some small way help fulfill these blessings that Elder Oaks left upon this people.

"Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen." Alma 26:37

I love you all. Have a great week. 

Me dashuri, 

Motra Vermunt

Hello family! 

It's been a crazy week here in Toronto East.. I feel like I say that every week, and I probably do because.. well, crazy things happen all the time. Seriously. Yesterday, Sister Leung was like.. "what else could possibly happen this week?" But it's been great! 

We really saw some great things happen this week, we started working with a part member family and saw some great progression in our investigators. I think that a lot of the miracles we saw came from the fact that we've really started to work with the ward and ask them about who we should go visit or how we can help. It's been amazing! 

One of my favourite experiences from this week was when we went to teach a member referral from a Hungarian woman in our ward named Bettina. Her friend has only been here 2 weeks and quite literally only understands the word "good". Haha, so with Bettina's help in translating, we taught Anita and her family. What was so amazing to me was their facial expressions as we talked about the Restoration. Even before Bettina would translate what we said, I knew that Anita was feeling the spirit. It was such a testament to me that the language of the Spirit is one that is understood by all. It was really amazing, and we're looking forward to working with that sweet family. 

So, on Saturday night we went to drop by a less active member.. who wasn't home. Okay, and I'm not going to lie.. the less active member is Ann Gosling. As in, Ryan Gosling's mother. To be straight real I have this dream.. that we'll drop by and her son might be in town for a visit.. But anyway. We had an appointment shortly after and we knew that the bus didn't come very frequently in the neighbourhood so we started to walk to the main road where we figured there would be a bus route. We were mistaken. So, we ended up having to walk over an hour.. pretty much uphill the whole way. At one point I just said a prayer in my head and I was like, "Heavenly Father please help my attitude and make this day better." We finally get to the subway station and we see that the subway we need was closed for scheduled repairs. We were like.. COME ON. 

We ran to catch the bus before it started to leave, but we missed it. So, we waited and we finally get on the bus we need to get on, which was super packed and hot.. And it was still really difficult to enjoy this day.. But a lady sat in front of where I was standing and I remember thinking that I should say something to her. So, brilliantly I say.. "I hate transit sometimes." We start talking a little bit, and she had an accent just like everyone else I talk with in a day so I asked her where she was from, and she says.. "Albania." 

Okay, I know that you are reading this and probably thinking, "that's super cool, what a sweet coincidence." But, as soon as she said that she was from Albania.. I literally felt this peace come into my heart that I can't even begin to explain. I felt as though the Lord was reminding me that He knew where I was. I thought about all of the little things that had happened that day that set us back or seemed to be frustrations but they all allowed to me to be in this place at this time on a bus of like 100 people, to sit next to this woman and talk to her about everything that I love and miss about Albania. I loved her, and I loved what it meant to me to be able to talk with her. 

This leads me to something that I studied just this morning. I was reading in D&C 100 and I read verse 4 which reads, "Therefore, I, the Lord, have suffered you to come unto this place; for thus it was expedient in me for the salvation of souls." In this section, the Lord is talking to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon as they are away from their families preaching the gospel. Something that I really want to point out here is that Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon were preaching the gospel in Ontario, Canada. 

Many times I have allowed myself to feel that I was placed in this mission because of logical reasons or kind of through a "process of elimination". But, when I read this and really pondered what it meant for me, I realized that if the Lord had wanted me to be reassigned to any other mission, I would have left Albania earlier or I would have been originally assigned to somewhere else. But Heavenly Father suffered me to come unto this place, and I although sometimes I wish things could be different.. I am grateful that He did. I've learned incredible lessons that I don't think I could have learned in any other way. 

I love this gospel, I love the Lord and I love the opportunity that I've been given to share it with the wonderful people in this world. I love you all! I hope you have a great week. 

With love from Toronto, 

Motra Vermunt

Important Lessons

Hello Family, 

Happy long weekend.. Our p-day is today because all of the libraries were closed yesterday. It's been a long week, I'm grateful for this p-day! 

This week has been interesting. I think that I was under the impression that in the last 6 weeks of my mission I would feel like I've got this whole missionary thing down and just feel super confident in my abilities. To be honest, in the past week I've kind of felt the opposite. We had 2 exchanges with different sister companionships and I was just like, I'm your sister training leader but.. quite honestly, I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. 

I think some of these feelings of inadequacy stemmed from the fact that Sister Leung and I have been struggling to find new investigators. We literally talk with EVERYONE. But nobody responds very well to us and it was pretty discouraging. On Saturday I was on an exchange with a sister from Edmonton, her name is Sister Raymant. Sister Raymant and I were walking down the street and she said hi to a group of black guys, and they said hi back and I felt an impression to go and talk to them. So, we turned around and talked to them. Nothing really came from the conversation, other than clearing up misconceptions about our church. I felt kind of confused as to why I felt like we needed to talk with them. 

We continued on and went to tract in a neighbourhood. This neighbourhood is beautiful! I loved it.. But, here's a sad fact for you.. I always dread going into a neighbourhood because I know that if they are nice homes and the people have nice cars, more often than not they are not very nice to us. It's sad because it is so evident that often times those who are blessed enough to be comfortable materially often have no desire to strengthen their relationship with God, because they don't feel like they need Him. 

Later on in the day, we had a lesson that ended earlier than we had anticipated. I felt that we should go drop by one of our investigators. We went to her house, but no one was home. As we were leaving the building we heard someone call out to us and ask if we went to the church on Ossington Ave. We approached the man and Sister Raymant recognized him as one of the men that was in the group of black guys that we were talking to earlier in the afternoon. He introduced himself and said that he had been to our church before. As we talked with him we learned that he was being taught by missionaries in Brampton a few years ago and was preparing for baptism. He said that the missionaries he met with were transferred and then he moved to Toronto shortly after. Sister Raymant and I invited him to meet with us and prepare once again to be baptized, and he said yes! He also wanted us to meet with his wife, and he took us over to meet his friend, Francis who also became a new investigator. 

I learned two very important things from this experience. The first was, that I needed to repent and humble myself to remember that our desires, regardless of how righteous they might be, will be fulfilled in the Lord's time and in accordance to His will. I had been frustrated all week because I was placing more trust in myself than I was in the Lord. Everything that had happened in that day led us to be in the right place and at the right time so that we could find Michael. It is in moments like this where I am in awe of the goodness of our Heavenly Father and in His love. 

The second thing that I learned was that we need to act on the impressions we receive and to trust in them, even if the outcome we expect doesn't immediately manifest itself. When I walked up to that group of guys I think I half-expected to give some eloquent sermon and gain 5 new investigators right then and there, and then later when we went to drop by our investigator I think I expected her to be home and to have an awesome lesson with her to keep her progressing in her faith. Neither of those things happened, but I was diligent in following the guidance that the Spirit gave me and because of that, we were rewarded in a better way than I had expected. 

Mom reminded me today in her e-mail that I have 6 weeks until I am home. Truly, that seems insane to me. It seems far but so close at the same time. All I know is that I'm grateful for the time I have left to be able to be on the Lord's errand. There are truly miracles in every single day and I am so humbled to be able to experience them, and to learn from them. Missionary work is truly one of the happiest things we can do. :) 

Me dashuri te madhe, 

Motra Vermunt 

Lumturia e përjetshme!‏

Hey everyone! 

It's been a crazy week, Sister Leung and I literally felt like we didn't have time for anything!! Transfers are fun and it's good to have a change.. but its also pretty rough trying to figure out how everything works with your new companion and everything. 

Toronto is crazy, I seriously have so many stories that I wish I could share.. but I think the best one from this week is that Sister Leung and I almost got punched by this crazy lady. She had her fist in the air and everything.. Hahaha, it was intense.  But super funny after it happened. 

We had mission leadership council this past week and it was really good!! President Clayton has some really great goals for the mission and I'm really excited for these next few months. Miracles are going to happen!! President Clayton keeps on saying that "now is the time" and he's right! Sister Leung and I are so pumped and we're finding some awesome people. We found a SOLID investigator this week and he was so awesome and he called us on Friday to tell us that he got a job and would be moving to Edmonton... the next day. So, that was a bummer. But what do ya do. 

We were able to visit both the Gallanis and the Dautajs this week and I just love them SO much. Motra Gallani made me speca te mbushur (stuffed peppers) because I told her it was my favourite, it was so good!! Seriously.. I love being in their home. Before we ate Vellai Gallani said that he was so happy to have us in his home.. Not just because we are missionaries but because we are like his daughters. I love him so much! He is just the sweetest man, and I cannot wait for him to be able to return to church. It's going to be the happiest day of my entire life. 

Yesterday we went and saw the Dautajs (Shpresa and Leo) and they are SO close to coming back to church. I know it! Leo said that he would be there next Sunday and I can't wait. Shpresa made another one of my favourite Albanian dishes.. It was SO good. It was awesome to spend a little bit of Mothers day with her :) .. Another cool thing, Albanians.. LOVE chinese people.. Haha. Seriously, in both homes I had to translate these long stories about how China and Albania were partners in times of communism and stuff like that. Haha, Sister Leung was like.. I didn't even know what Albania was... haha. 

I love my mission. I can truly say that I have never been happier in my life. I know that probably sounds crazy, coming from a 20 year old girl that doesn't have access to instagram or facebook, or who can't watch movies or listen to the radio.. But I think it is such a testimony to the fact that true happiness comes from living the gospel. There are so many good things that we have in our lives, and they can definitely help us feel happy. But none of it compares to sharing the light of the gospel and to seeing others find their faith in the Savior Jesus Christ. It is such a privilege to leave behind and "sacrifice" the things that I have in order to be a missionary. For anything that I might have left behind to be here, I have been rewarded so much more. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week! :) 

With love from Toronto, 

Motra Vermunt 

All I can say is… WHAT?

Mirëdita!

 

Saying goodbye to Sister Monnie at the airport

It has been quite a week this week, that's for sure. Unfortunately, Sister Monnie had to return home. It was so unexpected and seemed to happen like overnight. Saying goodbye to her was sad. As she was packing up her things and we took her to the airport, I realized how not too long ago I was in that position, and its devastating.

 

Sister Monnie said that she knew she needed to be companions with me at this time for this reason. I talked to her so much about my experience and the feelings that I felt and now I understand why. She needed to know that it was hard and that the things that were to come would be difficult, but I know that she also needed to know that the Lord would be with her every step of the way and that it would cause her faith to become unshaken in Him.

 

As I was with her throughout all of this, I was amazed at how much I feel that I have grown as a result of my experiences. As I felt I was able to speak to Sister Monnie and maybe help her a little bit in what was happening, I felt myself really understand how much I have learned from all of the hardship that I have had, and I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have gained. I can 100% say that I am a different person because of my mission. My faith in the Lord has become steadfast. I am so grateful because through the difficulty of leaving Albania and the people that I loved and feeling that no one understood me showed me that I had no where to turn but to God, and it has meant everything to my relationship with Him.

 

I used to say that my mission scripture was D&C 31:3, because it is how I decided to come on a mission. But, it has changed to Alma 17:11 that says, " And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth... and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls."

 

This is Ana, she getting baptized in a few weeks

This seriously touches my heart so much. One of the things that I find the greatest joy in, is testifying about how the Lord is aware of each and every one of us. Whether we are in a time of comfort or despair, He knows us and He cares about the details of our lives. I know that when I testify of these things, the Spirit confirms my words because I have had experience that has solidified that principle to my soul. I feel humbled to have had the opportunity to experience hardship so that I can come to the aid of another who is in need.

 

Oh, the other crazy thing.. I got a transfer call. I'm staying in Toronto East and I'm getting a new companion. Her name is Sister Leung and she is from Hong Kong and she's hilarious and the cutest little Asian ever. I love her. I've been staying with her since Sister Monnie went home on Friday. And guess what, we've been called to be Sister Training Leaders. It's super unexpected! I didn't think I'd be called as STL seeing as I've only been in this mission for a few months, but I'm humbled to be serving in that position!

 

So, that's my week! I hope you all had a great one!

With love from Mississauga (temporarily),

Motra Vermunt

Dont worry about nothing, pray about everything

The title of my e-mail is the name of a song Sister Monnie and I have been jamming to this week in the mornings, and it just gets us so pumped up. We love it.

So, this week has been good! We had a lot of really good lessons and been really busy. We have 2 investigators with baptismal dates, and we're hoping to help them reach those. It's been kind of hard because they haven't been able to get out to church, so we have to keep moving them back. But, we're hopeful that things will continue to go well with them.

We've had a lot of lessons this week about prayer. The beautiful thing about prayer is that it is a two way communication with God. We are not just simply asking for things that we need or talking to a faceless being.. But rather we are offering up our desires and asking for the things that we need to help us in our daily lives and to remain close to our loving Heavenly Father.

Often when I talk to someone on the bus or on the street, I ask them about their belief in God and I ask if they believe they can have a relationship with him. I get varied answers,

We went the aquarium last week on our P-day.

but when I ask if they would want a relationship with God 99% of the time the answer is yes. We all want to have a relationship with God, but what we really have to ask ourselves is are we willing to do what it takes to obtain it. In Albanian, the word for relationship is "marrëdhënie". The word "marrë" is the past participle of 'to receive', 'to get' or 'to take'. "Dhënë" is the past participle of "to give". I love this!! Literally, if you were to translate the Albanian word into English it would be something along the lines of "give and take."

If we want to have a relationship with our Heavenly Father, or if we want to strengthen the one that we already have, we need to give more of ourselves to Him. That means, our hearts, minds, talents and even our time! I imagine that is one of the hardest things for our Heavenly Father. He has given us all that we have or ever will have, and so often we set the things that would bring us closer to Him at a lower priority or we don't make time for them. Things like prayer, scripture study and going to church each Sunday are the basic things that we have to do if we want to sustain our relationships with our Heavenly Father. Without those things, we become dulled to the Spirit and we drift away from Him and He can't bless us with all of the things that He has.

I know that in giving my time to serving the Lord and submitting myself to His will, I've been more blessed than in any other time of my life. I know that as I've given more of my devotion to Him, He has blessed me with His love and His support and I can't imagine having to go through life without His guidance and blessings. I know that the most important thing for any person on this Earth is to have a knowledge that we have a loving Heavenly Father who has provided a plan for us to return to Him. I love the knowledge that I have gained as I've had the opportunity to strengthen my relationship with Him and I know that knowledge is available to each and everyone of His children.

I miss you and love you all!

With love from Toronto,

Motra Vermunt

The Blessing of Scripture

Happy Monday everyone!

We had a really busy week this week which was so nice! We found 2 new investigators that are awesome and we're excited to start working with them! It's been starting to feel like spring here finally and it's been great!

This is the cute little Sabado family. Our investigator, Tricia will be baptized on May 17th.

Um.. worst thing of this week.. I got proposed to.. by a Turkish man. Like, no word of a lie.. End of the first lesson.. saying goodbye.. yep.. Super awkward. I literally fear ever running into him again. Haha

Excuse me while I get a little bit spiritual on ya, but it is insane to me that I only have a little over 2 months left in my mission. I don't even know how that happened.. But, I am so grateful for every single thing that I have learned. I've been going back a lot lately and writing down how I've felt and what I've experienced throughout my mission and I am so humbled that the Lord has loved me enough to allow me to experience something so.. difficult, yet so rewarding. I know that my testimony of Him and of His gospel has absolutely transformed and I can't think of anything more important for me in my life.

I want to try to express to you all how much I LOVE reading the scriptures. They seriously meet every single one of my needs. This week I was reading in the New Testament, in the book of Acts. These are some of the references that stuck out to me. Acts 20:19. ".. serving the Lord with all humility of mind.. with many tears and temptations." If we are truly on the Lord's errand we must serve Him with all humility of mind.. Meaning, that we purely desire to submit to His will in all things, whether those things are uplifting to us or feel like a burden in that current moment. I know that it has required so much of my humility to accept the trials and setbacks that have come to me while I have been serving the Lord. But, had I not been humble in accepting them, I would have missed the incredibly important lessons that the Lord needed to teach me. Being enlisted in the Lord's work is the most rewarding thing that we can do with our time, but it doesn't mean it is easy. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland once said, "how could we expect it to be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him?"

Acts 20:23-24. "In every city.. afflictions abide me, but none of these things move me.. that I might finish my course with joy." As I have said before, I would have never expected my mission experience to have been this way and there have been times where I have felt that the things that I face are too overwhelming, but no matter how hard it has appeared to be I have never had a day where I didn't go to bed at night knowing that the Lord loved me and was by my side. He is the rock upon which we need to build our foundation, and with Him we can find happiness, regardless of the circumstances that surround us.

I know that we are so lucky to have the scriptures. I bear testimony that as we liken them unto ourselves, we will realize that they are not merely stories or experiences from those in times of old but they are truly a guide for us today, they are the way that the Lord comforts us in our times of need. They will give you answers to any question, concern of fear that you might have. They are specific to each and everyone of us and I know that they are true.

I hope and pray that all of you are well and are happy..  I know that each one of us has things in our lives that trouble us. I truly can promise that every burden we bear will be made lighter through understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of His Atonement. Have patience with the struggles you face and have faith that your Heavenly Father knows you and the things you feel. I love this gospel so much and I am so grateful for all of the things that I have learned and for the ways that I have grown in closeness to my Savior.

With much love,

Motra Vermunt

Hello everyone!

This week went by quite quickly again! It's getting warmer here and actually starting to feel like spring, which brings me so much joy! Seriously.. the sun changes everything. Haha, it's nice to see it again.

I had some awesome experiences this week, which have deepened my faith and understanding that the Lord is aware of where we are and what we are doing and that He knows the desires of our hearts.

I just love the pink sleeves at Starbucks, so cute!

Early last week, we were in the library and the person next to me was listening to their music really loud.. and my first thought was about how inconsiderate he was being. Haha, but when I listened to the music that he was listening to, it reminded me of Albania, and when I looked at his screen I saw the singer's name was "Vjollka." So, I tapped him on the shoulder and asked what language he was listening to.. you guessed it, ALBANIAN. I pretty much died. So, we sat talking for a long time and he gave me his information so that he could tell me when Albanian events were happening so that I could "find people to bring to my church." Seriously, miracles.

We also went to visit a less active Albanian family that was on the ward list.. It was SO rainy and cold this day, my feet were soaking wet and I was just like.. pleading with the Lord that they would be home and welcoming to us. So, we knocked on the door and Shpresa answered and at first she was pretty cold toward us. Even when I started speaking to her in Albanian she didn't seem to enthused. But, when she figured out that we weren't Jehovah's Witnesses her countenance changed. So she invited us in and we met her son and she told us about the sister missionaries that had taught them. She talked about how much they loved her and her family and helped her in her life, she even had a picture of them on her wall. It became clear to me that missionaries hadn't been over in quite a long time. She still agrees with everything the church teaches, but she doesn't quite understand what the difference is between our church and others so she attends a Catholic church.

In FHE this week, we played a game where we had to find skittles in a pam of whipped cream… I didn't play… I was just taking a picture next to Elder Ellis with his face in the whipped cream, but he then threw the pan in my face. I cant remember the last time I laughed so hard. It was the best.

Anyway, her non-member husband came home and when I started speaking in Albanian, he freaked out! He was so excited and he is your typical proud Albanian and I LOVE HIM. He went into his bedroom and pulled out his Albanian money to show me and just talked about Albania FOREVER, I was dying. I loved it. We were just laughing and having such a good time, and then Shpresa looks at Murat (her husband) and she says, "they're back, the girls are back." The reason that I get so excited to teach Albanians and meet them is because when I'm in their homes or when I talk to them, I feel the Lord's love for them. I can't properly explain what that exactly means, or how it feels because there just aren't words to describe it. When we were leaving and she hugged me goodbye she said, "you are my rainbow on this rainy day." OH, I love her.

Other miracle, real quick.. When Sister Monnie and I ride public transit we don't sit together we go and talk to people and I was on the subway and I just see Sister Monnie running at me and I was like.. what.. And she was like. "I FOUND AN ALBANIAN!" It was great. :)

But.. missionary work is not all easy. During the week, 2 of our seemingly solid investigators texted us and told us they could no longer meet. That was pretty hard because they were the one's that we felt really confident about, and we couldn't really understand what happened. It's really heartbreaking because you see the changes that these people make, and the light that comes to them and you hate for them to turn away from it. But, we all have our agency and having this happen only helps me understand in some small way how our Heavenly Father must feel when we turn away from him.

I love you all! I hope you have a great week, talk to you soon!

Love,

Motra Vermunt

Calgary and Edmonton were right next to each other… I couldn't not do this!

Gezuar Pashket

Hey everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend and enjoyed conference as much as I did! 

Happy Easter!!!

This week has been great but really long. I think it was long because Sister Monnie and I were unfortunate enough to get food poisoning. It was rough and we literally stayed inside all day Thursday and wished for death haha. Seriously.. my stomach can just not catch a break. But, we survived and we're better now. 

Sister Monnie's version of a decorated egg.

Okay.. so before I talk about conference I wanted to share with you my FAVOURITE part of this week. So, on Saturday night we had planned to go over for dinner with Motra Gallani.. (the Albanian member in our ward) and I was just so excited obviously.. and she had told me that she wanted me to surprise her husband and that she wasn't going to tell him that I spoke Albanian. So, we get to their apartment and we're just talking in English and I told Brother Gallani my name and everything and then I started talking in Albanian and his eyes just got HUGE and I showed him my Albanian tag and he just.. was like BEAMING. They've been in Canada since 20087 but, it's been pretty difficult for Brother Gallani to learn English.. 

So, the whole night the Gallani's just spoke Albanian and I translated for Sister Monnie and they just loved it. But more than that.. I loved it. I seriously think I was the happiest person on the planet. It was incredible, they told us their conversion story and everything and the whole night Brother Gallani just talked about how happy he was that there was a missionary that could speak his language. Apparently when Sister Gallani told him to be home that night because the sisters were coming over he was like, "why do I have to be home? I don't really understand them that well anyway" and stuff like that. AH! He was so happy and I love them SO much. 

THE GALLANI'S

Unfortunately, Brother Gallani hasn't been able to come to church for several months.. and I wasn't really sure if he was super strong in the church or anything like that.. So, I was trying to ask questions to see where his faith was at and stuff. But we were talking about Tirana 4th ward and I asked him who was branch president when they lived there. And seriously, he so humbly looked at me and responded "I was." He then continued to tell me how important it was to have that calling and how he was called only 1 year after being a member. He talked about how he thinks he can maybe get work off on Sunday's soon and he wants to come and partake of the sacrament even if he can't understand that well. 

ALSO, it was my first time having a legit Albanian meal in too long. IT WAS THE BEST. Everything was exactly like it is in Albania.. from the soup to the bowl of oranges at the end of the meal. Seriously. I was in heaven. Anyway.. our message for them was about the prophet and how this weekend was general conference.. and as we were talking about it the clearest thought came to me, and it was that I might be able to get them the sessions of conference translated into Albanian. Seriously, I wish I could have taken a picture of their faces when I said that because it has been 8 years since they've been able to listen to general conference in their own tongue that they could fully and clearly understand. 

Albanian food!!

I love the Albanian people more than I can even begin to express. They are so humble, loving and so generous. I know that being able to hear general conference and to be able to have a missionary speak in their own tongue is an answer to this faithful couple's prayers. I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve here and to help the people that I love. Another blessing is that Brother Gallani said, "oh yeah, our apartment building is full of Albanians. The owner is even Albanian." So.. guess who's going tracting? :) 

Conference was great! All the Elders were like.. "sweet, only another year until any of those talks apply to me..." Haha, there was definitely a theme of marriage and family. But it was great! I too, loved Elder Holland's talk and was SO grateful because I had an investigator at that session with us and I was stoked that he was able to hear and feel the powerful testimony of Elder Holland. 

I think one of the talks that most impacted me was Elder Bednar's address an the difference between fear, and godly fear. In our world today we have many things that surround us that can cause us to fear and worry but if we look to the Savior and build our foundation upon we have no reason to be afraid of the future or anything that will come. I'm so grateful for our apostles and prophet that lead us in these latter days. We are so blessed! 

Also, April 1st 2014 was the day that I arrived in Albania. As I look back at this year, I can honestly say that I wouldn't have expected any of what has happened. It has been a trying experience, but absolutely the most rewarding. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that guides our paths and uses us as instruments in His hands. He knows us and He is with us in every aspect of our mortal journeys. I know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ. If there is one thing that I have gained in this past year it is the knowledge of the reality and divinity of the Savior and in His love for all mankind. 

I love you all! Have a great week! 

Me dashuri, 

Motra Vermunt 

This member stopped us in the street and demanded that he buy us something for us. So he bought me chocolate oreos… haha I wanted a package of 2, he wouldn't allow it.

He Lives - Celebrate Easter Because Jesus Christ Lives

TORONTO

Hey everyone!

Oh my goodness, everyone all over the world just had so much news for me today. But the BEST is about my new baby niece! How exciting! :) Congrats Caitlin and Jordan!

So, I feel like I have a lot to say today so I'm excited to share it with y'all. So, I LOVE BEING IN TORONTO. Seriously, not gonna lie.. Eastern Canada, not my fave. But, Toronto is awesome. We take the subways, buses and streetcars everywhere and I literally feel like I'm lost... all the time. But that's okay. The city has so much character and I'm just like absolutely in love with all the cool things we see.. and the diversity of culture here, (more on that later.)

Let me just tell you... my second day in the area, we go to Albion's for lunch. Albion.. is ALBANIAN. So, we walk in and I see his wife and I spoke to her in English at first and then I started speaking in Albanian and she was just like.. what?! She's from Korca. Anyway, so then I talked to Albion and stuff and he's like.. Where are you from in Albania?! And I was like, oh no.. I' m Canadian but I lived in Albania for like 10 months and he was like, "how have you learned Albanian so well?!?" So, that was nice because he thought I was actually Albanian. Seriously everyone.. I wanted to like.. cry as I was speaking to them. I LOVE THEM. I can't even express my joy to you.

The house President Monson lived in when he was mission president here :)

There is also a woman in our ward who is Albanian, her name is Motra Gallani. So I called her and spoke to her in Albanian and she was just like "Whaaaaaat". She's a less active because she works on Sunday's but on Sunday morning we were in ward council and she called us and asked if I would be at the church. When she came I was just basically in heaven. So, we started talking in Albanian and she just over and over kept saying that she couldn't believe it. She was like, I can't believe they sent me a missionary that speaks my language and it was just the cutest thing ever. She was like, "you were sent here to baptize more of us!" She cried! Guys.. she cried. I wanted to cry too, it was just the best. She was like, you're coming over and I'll make you Albanian food, and she was like.. I want you to surprise my husband by speaking Albanian. And she was baptized in 4th ward, where I served so she knows all the people I know and I just.. I'm like freaking out as I type this to you because I'm just so dang happy. 

Other best thing.. on my first day, we were riding on the streetcar and something caught my eye and I look up and I see a restaurant called "The Eagle Twins" and it has 2 shqiponja's (eagles on the Albanian flag) on the sign. I JUST ABOUT DIED. It's literally like 5 minutes away from our apartment. So, I went in there and she was like.. wait, how are you Canadian but know how to speak Albanian?? She was like, come in here and I'll make you food from our country! AH! She's great, her name is Mirella.. She's not religious.. yet ;) Haha, and also the Elders were tracting and found another house with the shqiponja, so we're going to go there and I've also kind of stalked the phonebook and found Albanian names.. I'm pretty much in heaven over here.

Stuart! He's from China and he just got the Aaronic Priesthood on Sunday

But, seriously.. I thought that I needed the gift of tongues in Albania.. But, nope.. I need it HERE. I don't think there is a Canadian in our ward. Haha, just kidding there are. But EVERYONE is from someone else. Like, one of the guys that was just baptized is from Egypt. Last night, some members had us over and we had German food.. and like 50% of our members are Filipino. I LOVE IT. It's so cool, I'm just learning so much about these different cultures and I honestly kind of forget that I'm even in Canada.

My cute little gingerbread church :) I love it

I'm pretty sure I mention this a lot.. But, a lot of my mission has been difficult in one way or another, and I'm SO grateful that it has. Neal A Maxwell once said,  “The greater our sorrow is, the greater our capacity is to feel joy" I know this to be true. Leaving Albania, and those people was so heartbreaking to me.. But as I'm here and as I've met with some Albanians and I feel my love for not only them, but for all the people that I meet here I am so grateful that the Lord allowed me to experience that difficulty so that I could understand the depth of this joy. I know that this church is true, and that this is the work of the Lord. He lives!

I love you all.. Enjoy Alberta while I continue to freeze in this eastern arctic land.

Me dashuri te plote,

Motra Vermunt

One of the investigators I left in Barrie last week.

Transfer Calls

Hey y'all, 

It sounds like it's been a pretty interesting week. Especially in Albania, all of the missionaries there have had tons of insane stories to tell me about the mission. I pray for President Weidmann as it seems that he's got a lot on his plate right now. 

The cool peeps in my district

As far as my week.. well, I've been transferred to Toronto! I leave tomorrow morning and that's where I'll be serving. I guess now is my time to hunt down those Albanians. I've been transferred to the Toronto East area.. I'm not exactly sure what that means.. but, my companion is pretty sure it's just the east side of downtown. So, that's exciting! Sister Rasmussen is staying here in Barrie and will get a new companion. 

As far as everything else goes, it's been a pretty good week in Barrie. But, it's freezing. It's been snowing the past few days and I'm getting pretty sick of it but I guess that's Canada for you. Haha. On Saturday we had a mission temple trip! So everyone within an hour and a half of the temple was able to go. It was really good! I'm so excited to have the opportunity to attend the temple. I missed it so much while I was away in Albania, I wish we could go weekly! 

In preparation to go to the temple, Sister Rasmussen and I had been working on some family history. Okay.. I'm not even going to lie, I've always been bored by family history.. It just didn't interest me that much. But now I understand why people are addicted to it!!! It is so cool! I was able to find some ancestors from Dad's side of the family, and I've printed their names to be baptized and everything like that. It's so exciting to do! 

Sister Todd and Dorthy... Dorthy is seriously the sweetest lady ever.
She has the mental capacity of an eight year old… we love her

So, as we were going throughout the week we found a new investigator and he looked at both of our name tags and he asked where our last names were from.. As it turns out, he is what I would call a family history enthusiast.. Nailed it! He's so awesome. He's Scottish.. So, that's pretty awesome. I'm sure Sister Rasmussen will have a lot of fun meeting with him.

Sister Lofters… this Jamaican lady is the best!

I've only been in Barrie for 5 weeks, but I've met some awesome people and I'm sad to be leaving some of my investigators. But, I'm grateful for the opportunity to see another area in the mission and to have even more experiences with the people here.

Today, I was writing about all of the things I've learned in the past 3 months. It's been incredibly hard, leaving Albania and coming out to Toronto, and there have been times where I didn't know how to deal with all of it. But, as I look back at it all I'm able to see some of the specific lessons that I needed to learn and am still continuing to learn. We are so lucky to have this life in order to grow and learn from adversity. As we turn to the Lord for strength and we have an attitude of perseverance, we can overcome anything that lies before us. I'm so happy to be a missionary, and I hope that this e-mail finds all of you happy and healthy :) 

With love from Barrie, 

Motra Vermunt  

Our investigator, Mikayla