13 DAYS!

I could potentially be referring to the Cuban missile crisis, but I am not. There are only 13 days left here in the MTC!!! WOOHOO!!! I will only have 1 more P-day here! How super amazing! On Friday we should get our flight plans!! I will, of course, let everyone know next Wednesday what the plans will be. Its hard to believe that it is coming up so close! I am so extremely excited, even though I am still terrible at the Language!

I don't have many notes for the email this time, so pretty soon I am going to just start rambling. However, Mum wanted to know what the real name for Albania is. It is Shqiperia, and Albanian is called Shqip. The way that is pronounced is SHCHEEPUREEAH and the language is pronounced SHCHEEP. You may notice that the Q in Albanian is a CH sound, but it sounds different than any ch the American mind would normally produce. I cannot, however, explain that in the email.

Well, that's it for notes... what should I talk about?... Mail is working funny this week, so expect letters to arrive later than usual. That's OK though, at about Monday of next week no one should plan on sending me anymore stuff, its just going to be too close to our leave date, we are actually supposed to start packing on Monday, so no fear Dad, I will get several opportunities to do practice packs and find the most effective way.

On Monday our Hungarians leave.... This is a truly sad day. I have not talked much about the Hungarians, but they have been our closest friends here at the MTC, we have done most everything together. I must admit that they do spend their class time more effective than we do. It has been said that we are behind most other groups that have come through here in our ability to speak the language, but I am not worried. The Lord will provide a way, though sometimes I am afraid I am not doing my best.

At the TRC on Thursday we had an awesome lesson. Sure, these are volunteers, but the Spirit will always testify of truth. In the TRC Elder Hagen is my companion, not Elder Fisher, and we decided that we would center our whole lesson around scriptures, since they contain the true doctrine and can speak Albanian better than we can. We were preparing to teach the Plan of Salvation as a retention lesson, because the week before our investigator (Arron) had committed to be baptised, so we planned accordingly. Must to our surprise, Micheal, another volunteer, walked in as a non-member, out the window went the lesson plan. But elder Hagen and I appealed to the scriptures very often, shared a personal experience and testified often. The Spirit was very strong. Also, Michael, towards the end of the lesson, started speaking Albanian much faster, so it was hard to understand, he apologized and said it was because we had been understanding him so well he forgot that he had to slow down for us. At the end of the lesson, Michael told us that this was the best pseudo lesson her had ever been in, on and after his mission. It was incredible the Spirit that the scriptures brought in. On that same note, we heard from Elder Kenneth Johnson on Tues, who told us that what Elder Hagen and I had been doing needs to be what we do all the time, in English, and in Albanian, even once we are good with the language. I had never realized that teaching everything from the scriptures and simply testifying could be so powerful. It was a great lesson to learn.

I have talked to Jeremy English (the elder Jenni's family knew who is going to Carlsbad Cal. mission) a number of times. He seems to be well. Elder Jordon Smith should have arrived today, but I have not run into him and I may not, it just depends on our schedules.
The Lord is blessing me so much, this is his work! I love you all, God be with you.

Love
Elder Scadden