Elder Parker Stewart in the Adriatic South: Durres Week 2!

This week has been really great week. I love it here in Durrës. We have been getting it all figured out. It is amazing to be on the coast. It is quite the feeling for me as I am used to being completely landlocked. Missionary work here in Durrës has been a blast.

This week we started English Course. It is a great way of finding people. We have found a few investigators so far. The two who show the most potential are two university girls named Benisa and Denisa. I think it is funny how they have almost the same name. It is super hard to keep them straight. Hopefully Durrës will prove to be a great place for finding. Tomorrow the plan is to show the restoration to our class at the end. Many converts have said that is very powerful so hopefully some people will feel something. I really like teaching English Course, but it is more fun teaching the Gospel! The agreement for English is 45 min English 15 min spiritual. It works well, and there are a decent amount of converts who have been found through it.

I had my second Albanian house meal this week. We met with a member couple. Their two daughters are both married. One lives in Germany and the other in the States. They are a very cool couple. I have really enjoyed getting to know the members here in Durrës. It was like a spaghetti type thing. I hate eating their food because no one here has much, but it is very nice of them. Another member family we met with this week is a father two sons 13 and 11, and a 9 year old daughter. It sounds like the Dad has done pretty much everything on his own after the Mom left them. The active members here are solid. This family is absolutely fantastic. The dad is the Ward Clerk, and these kids know the gospel like nothing.

Elder Gray and I had a really fun time teaching youth Sunday School this week. After sacrament the Sunday school president came up to us and said that the teacher didn't come to church and asked if we would do it. He gave us the chapters in exodus, and we taught. It is really fun working with the youth and YSA here. We taught the story of Moses from his birth to their escape from Pharoah. The class seemed to like it. It was fun. Definitely a highlight.

We found a really cool guy this week. He is 18, and he is totally prepared. We found him in a street contqact last week, and left with his number. We gave him a visit card. Nothing came out of it, and to be honest we kind of forgot about him. We get a decent amount of numbers, but most of them end up being nothing, and his seemed to be the same. This week he gave us two calls one day. We were in a lesson and called him as soon as we got out but he didn't answer. And then a few minutes later he found us on the street again and asked us if we had time. (What the?.. that never happens) So of course we had time. We were close to the institute center so we decided to sit there and have a lesson. We started with a prayer and he said tell me everything you know. So we started with a restoration lesson. God loves us. He had a ton of solid questions. God gave us families. He had way more questions. God calls prophets. More questions. He has been looking literally everywhere for answers. Other churches, cults, and things. He has done a lot of stuff. He has been involved in some pretty crazy stuff. We explained Joseph Smith, and priesthood power. We explained Gods power. We explained Gods love. We explained the role of Satan. He told us he would read the Book of Mormon. Honestly I won't be surprised if he finishes in a few weeks. He didn't have a ton of time but we covered a lot. It was like a conversation. it was perfect. We got a return appt.

In his returmn appt the first question he asked was, "How do I become a part of this church?" Wow! We covered the Plan of Salvation. Baptism is right in the middle of it. He had a lot of knowledge about the pre-earth life and the creation. (Most of it was even true haha) He is on a baptismal date for May 3. I really think it will happen. I really think he is gaining a very strong testimony. He has found the light, and he has quite the past to contrast it with. He will be at church on Sunday. We will be meeting with him this week. Wow! I have heard about these prepared investigators, but wow we found a real one. God is super powerful. When one of his children is truely looking he will help them find it. This guy is a prime example.

We have continued to spend long hours knocking doors. Sometimes it can be kinda sad. We have had a lot of doors slammed in our face. We have had some good experiences and lessons though. Often times we will go a number of hours without getting in. It is tough but it makes us really grateful when we do get in. I really like tracting though. It is an adventure. Every door is a mystery. You never know what you are going to get. Girl, boy, young, old, clothed man, not clothed man (Yep that happened). I really appreciate the people of other faiths that treat us nicely. This week we met these two muslim University students. While their friends were slamming their doors they acknowledged us for who we were and gave us props. Although nothing really cam of it I did realize how much I like nice people.

The ward here is great. We had a really good time at church. They really aren't that much bigger than Elbasan. With time Elbasan will be a ward. President Kashari got released this week though. That guy is amazing, and he has done a ton of stuff for Elbasan. In other mission news the Tooleys are now in Kosovo. Wow. He is the group leader in Gjakova. Wow!

Have a great week! Love you all! Take Buddy on walks!