I Am Going To Miss The People Of Durres

Hello Family!!

Well this week was pretty fantastic! This might not be super long because nothing super crazy has happened but it was still a very productive week full of happy feelings and cookies and sprinkles and stuff. 

So Ndue has been awesome this week. (He's the father of a member family.  There's a picture of Jed with the family last week.) We met with him twice and taught him the Plan of Salvation and last night we taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the Plan of Salvation lesson, he participated a ton and gave a lot of really good insights. He really knows his stuff when it comes to the example of Christ. He has a good heart and he's full of Christ like love. Last night, we taught just him while his wife sat in on the lesson while the children all made dinner. It was really peaceful and it really invited the Spirit into the lesson which is always necessary. He hasn't been reading what we've been assigning him to read but he has been reading other things. So we just emphasized why we give him these specific topics to read for later lessons and also for him to better learn and apply the lessons that we have taught previously. Once we had said the closing prayer of that lesson, they asked us if we would like to stay for dinner. Of course we said HECK YES!! We had a traditional dinner with loads of olives, bread, salad, meat, peppers, pasta, and soda. We all talked a lot and had a jolly time. That  family is the most awesome family I've ever met.

Julian and Arta are doing well. Julian has expressed his hopes and dreams of being married in the temple. He said it would definitely be worth the wait and that he was willing to wait if Arta was. Arta has been doing good with commitments and I have high hopes for her. Zef is still being a stud. He's making good progress with his drinking problems and I know that if he sticks to his guns he'll be able to get through it. 

Elder Clawson and 2 other Elder's getting visa's in the capital.

So interesting thing happened last night. Tomorrow marks halfway for this transfer and we got a call from President Ford. We'd had some speculation as to if we might be moved this week because there's been things going on here that require people to fill positions and move around throughout the area. But we had decided that no matter what happened, I would be staying in Durres and Elder Foster might go to a leadership position. So this phone call wasn't a total surprise until President Ford asked if he could talk with me. He said I am going to the 2nd Branch in Tirana with Elder Matson. (Tirana is the capital city of Albania.  It's about 20 miles to the East of the coast town of Durres where Jed has been serving the last 8 weeks.) Elder Foster is going to  be the new south Zone Leader. I cannot express the sorrow that we felt last night. We had just gotten back from the Pjetri's and we were on Cloud Nine. I am truly going to miss the people here. I'm going to miss the youth that helped us with lessons all the time and the great support that we constantly had from the Branch.So tomorrow morning I hope on a fergon and drive to Tirana to get into my new apartment. Me and Elder Foster have been super busy today with trying to get stuff ready for the other Elders and the Sisters. Our area of Durres is getting closed until the new transfer starts which is right at New Year's. 

An ostrich egg from last weeks adventure.  Jed's making it into breakfast!

The finished omelet.  Bon Appetit!

So next week I'll be writing from there! Elder Foster was born (Being born means it is the first area a person serves in.  For example, Jed was born in Durres.) in second branch and he says the food is awesome. Lots of rich people live there and so maybe I'll convert Alban Skenderaj. You should look this guy up. He's the best Albanian singer. Look up Mrekulli Tet and Mire Mengjes by him. Good songs. We hear them all the time out on the street and stuff. 

Lunch at an American restaurant.

This mornings haircut.  Handsome kid!

Well I saw the pic of Jane, butt naked on the floor. I'm glad to see that Gus is alive still. How's Lucy? Halloween is celebrated here but not as big. It's considered very evil here by the older people. I didn't get to eat at the zoo yesterday because the people were all in Korça but they said we could next week. Dang. Thanks for sending off that package!! I hope it gets here. I haven't gotten any of the mail that everyone says they're sending me so maybe you are all just a bunch of filthy liars or some Albanian dude is stealing my letters. Either way it's messed up. 

I miss you all and think about you all the time. LOVE YOU!!!!

Love, Jed

Dear Mother, 
The new missionaries enter the MTC this week which is crazy!! I'm not a total fringo anymore. Elder Linderman and I see each other pretty often cuz we're in the same zone but when I go to Tirana I won't see them very often. But he's doing really good down in Fier. Motra Hoover was actually companions with Motra Atkin (Who's in Andy and Kristy's ward) and they taught the Pjetri family. Everyone but the dad and got them baptized. I hope everything works with them. I love you and miss you. Thanks for the prayer

s. I definitely know that they are helping me.

Love, Jed
your eldest