7-26-2010

" So my computer erased my email not one time but two times now =(. Kind of frustrating but owell what can i do. So i don't have much time but i just wanted to at least let you know im doing good. This week has flown by and we have had some good success in finding new people to teach. Agron will be getting baptized this sunday and im really excited for him. We also found this awesome kid named Gazmend and his girlfriend who is actually from Italy but is here in Albania for awhile. She doesn't speak Albanian but Gazmend translated from Albanian to Italian for us so it's cool. She is way nice though and speaks very little english. English class is also going really well. We have about a little less than 30 people now depending on the day but they are all really good. They all have a desire to learn and i have got to know a lot of them really well. A group of them actually invited me and my companion to go out to a club one night, lol. They also invited us to go to the beach with them today. We agreed on going to a cafe and sitting down and talking with them and getting a lemonade instead so that will happen tonight. I don't think they understand completely that we can't go swimming or go to a club. We have explained it before but they don't believe us,lol.

My ribs continue to get better week after week and we play soccer 3 or 4 times a week. Usually every other morning around 5:30. My companion and i are also going to start running on the days we don't play so that will be nice. today we are going to play at a really big field at 11 so im excited for that. I can't say my record and my average goals or else i might jinx myself =). the weather here has been pretty hot but like i have said before the humidity is the rediculous part. I heard July is the hottest month so it should start cooling down again. i can't believe that it's almost August. Where does the time go?"

7-19-2010

"Things here are good. Still having a blast with my companion. We have pretty funny moments while doing missionary work together. He is a pretty big kid about 6'2'' 195 lbs and so a lot of the kids here are too afraid to make any smart comments to us so it's funny when we go up to them and just start talking about sports with them because before we start talking you can just see in their eyes that they are like oh crap what did we do wrong, why are they coming over here? lol. It's been fun. The weather is rediculous hot over here!! It was about 100 or 105 the other day but the humidity is what kills me. We did a table in the shade and i was swetting like crazy just from standing there. Even now typing this email i'm sweating because it's so hot in here."

7-5-2010

"So i got transfer calls on Saturday night and it turns out I'm staying in the area and I'm going to be training a new elder again. They get in on Thursday so until then i will be with someone else. I'm not very excited but o-well what can i do? I'm scared because it puts me in a position to go assistant in October and i don't have a desire at all to go to the assistant of the president. I hope in October i will have the chance to get out of Tirana and go to the out side zone somewhere. Like i said though i don't really want to complain to much because where ever i am i still need to work hard and enjoy it. I hope i get a companion that likes sports and would want to go hiking up in the mountains on P-Days (Mondays). For now I'm still district leader and on Sundays i translate now for a senior couple that just arrived a month ago into Albania. The are here for a relief society type of mission. Almost like a service mission where they don't preach the gospel but just help in other ways. So i will act as a translator for them now which will be stressful but also very good for improving my language. I have no stresses on talking and getting around Albania now. I run into some people and i can't understand a thing because their accent but for the most part the language is not a struggle. I just continue to try to learn new words and talk it as much as possible. Like i said I'm not the most excited that im staying and to make the matters a little worst the coolest elder in my district has finished his 2 years and goes back to Australia. I have been in the same district as him for my entire 9 months in Albania. Pretty lame that he's gone but i'm glad that he will be back home with his family again... Tonight we are going to the Vogli families house. They are one of the coolest families i know. I cant remember if i told you the story about how he learned to speak english from the Book of Mormon."