Once upon a time from Albania (August 10th, 2009)

Greetings from Albania!

Hello everyone! I hope y'all are doing well. I am alive, my toe has not rotted off. Actually I am doing much better, tomorrow will be my full normal day of work, I believe. I had to stay inside for 3 straight days! RIDICULOUS! It was really quite painful, not being able to go out and work. Then Saturday and Sunday I worked only some of the hours, but after working yesterday evening I believe I am in good shape. Thank goodness! And I didn’t have to get surgery, or take any life-threatening antibiotics (for those who don’t know, I have an irrational fear of antibiotics, and the likelihood that they could totally crush my immune system).

So in terms of overall time working this week, its been a pretty slow week, though we had 2 fantastic lessons with Toni, he is really coming quiet a ways! Now we really just need to get him to come to church! It sounds like I will be leaving Shkoder next week (next Monday is transfers, emails will still happen on that normal day, but might be late). Admittedly, I’m really quite sad about that. I’ve gotten close to some of the members (the active ones, essentially), and I am extremely excited about Toni. I think it still might take some time before he progresses to baptism, but I feel very strongly that he will arrive there. It will be sad to not teach him anymore. I do not know where I will be going, though everyone is betting on Lushnja for me, for this reason:

Next week is Boys Camp. The theme of boys camp is Stripling Warriors, therefore, I have been assigned to work with Elder Esplin at boys camp because we are the only 2 US Army people in the mission. He took the reserves path and still participated in ROTC for a semester. He's been to basic training and AIT for driving Bradlys, he is a Cav. Scout.). So we have been trying to plan something good for them, since we have 2 hours assigned to us. We also found out that we are supposed to be the highlight of the camp. Oh boy. Anyway, it's a lot of fun to talk to someone who more fully understands army things. The reason people think I’m headed to Lushnja is because that is where Elder Esplin is senior companion right now and if we weren’t together that would mean there would be some difficulties working out what would happen with our brand new companions. However, anything can happen at transfers, even though president said I probably would not be staying in Shkoder, there is still a chance. Guess you all will know next week!

Oh, I would like to Shout Out to Andrew Everett, and congratulate him on his mission call to a service mission in Wake Co. NC!! That is very awesome that he gets to focus all his time and efforts on service, what an excellent way to spread the gospel! I wish we got to do more service here. We’ve done a total of 3 service projects, none of which took much time. Its funny, but a lot of people here will straight up ask you for money but when you offer to help them in ANY other way, they refuse. So strange.

And I’d also like to wish Jenni Good Luck on her CNA test that I believe she will be taking today! I’m certain she will do outstanding, good luck!

Mum asked how the members get to know each other since we don’t have home teaching or visiting teaching. We have FHE every Friday and usually a good number of members come to that. Also, our members just visit each other, not out of assignment, nor, probably out of an intent to strengthen another spiritually, but they are just becoming friends.

So I’ve been listening to the wonderful classical music that got sent to me. One of the CD sets I got was a series of pieces from some of Mozart’s most well know works. When I first said I was putting Mozart on, my companion was not very excited, only to find out that song after song were classical pieces that he had heard before and loved and never realized that they were written by Mozart. I think he likes those CDs more than myself now!

So I thought that I’d just mention that one of the things I’m learning on my mission is more fully my relationship with my family members. I miss my family! When I left, I did not think I would miss all my sisters, brothers in law, nephews, nieces, and my parents this much. Sure I’d figured I’d miss them some, but now I am realizing just how much I enjoyed interacting with my family members, spending time with them, and doing things with them. It is funny how when you are used to having people around its easy to take them for granted, and I don’t mean to say that I didn’t realize how much I loved my family, but just not how much they were a part of me. Anyway, I thought I’d let everyone in my family know that I love you all very much! And I miss you all! But don’t worry about me, its not trunky missing, I am here and focused on the work. BTW for those of you who don’t know, trunky is a state of mind of a missionary who just wants to be home and is heavily impaired by homesickness and his lack of desire to be a missionary. Most missionaries have trunky moments, they can last from a minute to a day, and that’s not a terrible thing. Its when missionaries have that attitude and mind set day in and day out.

I’d also like to thank everyone that writes me letters or emails or dearelders. I also did not realize how awesome getting mail would be on my mission, in fact I thought I wouldn’t care at all. On the contrary, getting mail is such a wonderful thing. I do apologize that it often takes me a long time to respond to letters or dearelders, but I do try. I also would like to throw a light rebuke out to a couple of my friends *cough cough andyandjed cough* who have received return letters from me, but haven’t written me back! Fear not, you are still my friends, as are those who have not written me at all.

I would just like to testify of the power of prayer. How merciful is God that he not only allows us to openly communicate with him, but has great desires that we call upon his name often! Prayer has helped me on my mission more than anything else. Whenever something is difficult, or contrary to what is prime, or when something is sorely desired, I do not hesitate to lift my voice up to my Father in Heaven and I cannot recount to you all the many hundreds, literally hundreds of times that my prays have been answered almost as soon as they were uttered. I would like to point out, though, that we must be full of gratitude and thanksgiving to God. Some conferences ago Elder Bednar encouraged members to occasionally say only a prayer of thanks. To add to that, when Elder Christofferson was here, he told us that when he is having trouble feeling the spirit while praying, he pours out only thanks until he can fully feel the spirit. Taking both of those counsels, I have felt the powerful spirit that comes when we give thanks to our God and it is so very refreshing! There are also times when were are out, when for seemingly no great reason I feel prompted to pray. But usually at these times I can only say it to myself, in my mind, or under my breath, but I always try to harken to these promptings for “the devil teacheth a man not to pray” and I never want to give him the satisfaction of dissuading me from prayer, regardless of what is going on! (Hope that doesn’t sound holier than thou…. Not what I’m going for here!). I know with assurance that God does answer our prayers, and I would encourage all of you to pray more often, or, if you have never prayed, to try. A prayer is not a memorized, repeated thing, it comes from the heart, it is a conversation with God and He desires to have you speak openly with Him. You will find a great light in your life.

Anyway, that’s all for today. Thank you all for your love and support! Thank you for your prayers! I feel the effects of them. The Lord is blessing me every day here, His hand is ever present. I am grateful to be here, this is indeed the Lords work. Until next week, may God be with you!

With Love
Elder Scadden