Lets Get Down to the Nitty-Grittys! October 28, 2013

Hey Family,

This past week was fantastic again like the previous- filled with many miracles. There were some ups and downs but luckily there were more ups. I am truly enjoying my time here and the opportunity I have to train Motra Smith. Even though I have already been here before, this place seems a completely new area especially since we have started working with the members. I have loved hearing their conversion stories and getting to know them, gaining their trust and then utilizing their help in the work. We are now receiving referrals from members without even asking for them, getting members to almost all of our investigator lessons and will start working with the Relief Society to find the lost members. Gratefully there is always something more to do. The greatest lesson I learned this week is that there will always be people who need to be taught, we just have to be patient enough to find them or wait for them to come to us.  

Danjela (the one who came to church last week) is on track to be baptized this Saturday if she passes her interview. We also met with the mother of one the branch's newest missionaries who just left for his mini-mission in Tirana. This last Sunday we asked if she was interested in becoming a member, Tuesday we went for a visit, committed her to a baptismal date, and now she will be baptized the weekend before her son leaves for his mission. The blessings of missionary work is always two-fold! On Tuesday we had three of our investigators who disappeared for a couple weeks come and tell us that they can be baptized so they are preparing for the end of November! Suela (the student) in our lesson bore her testimony to us about the Gospel. She told us how her whole life she has felt like a truth hunter (awesome I know!!) and how at first she was just interested in English but now loves to read and learn. We make her list of scriptures to read and study, as in a whole page, and she'll come back two days later having read and studied it all!! She is also preparing to enter the waters of baptism at the end of the month. As for the rest of our investigators, things are going well and there is always something that needs done. We are working with the RS now to find lost members and all of our branch is so excited to help with missionary work. We went on splits for the first time this week and it was wonderful! We also are helping a girl fill out her mission paperwork- we should finish them up and send them out tomorrow. She has been a great help and is an example to all of the Young Women!  

In all and all I can hardly wait to see what miracles this week will hold. Thank you for all of your prayers. Qoftshi nje dite shume e bukur. Ju puthe shume forte!! 

Love you all! 

Motra Hawkins

P.S. Here are some fotos of me with a giant lemon and with Klaudia (our missionary who will be set apart tonight and head for the MTC)