Christmas Day

On the 24th in the morning our man M* GOT BAPTIZED! In the afternoon we went to Durres, we sang at a church open house! A lot of people come! It was sweet! I really felt the Spirit from singing about Christ!

For Christmas I got 2 ties and a watch! (I bought them all :) ) yeaaaaa! I made waffles and then went to church! I gave M* the Holy Ghost! so it was a great "White" Christmas (baptismal clothes are white.)

After we ate with some other missionaries, then we Skype'd the family! They are doing great and my dog Millie is doing great also!

Today for all day P-day we hike Mount-Dajti! It took us about 3 hours! It was sweet! I will send some pictures from that! :D

Spiritual Thought:
In this choir that we sang in, there was a time when I felt this really strong Spirit. We were singing about Christ and I felt the love of Christ so strong! It really helped me understand what people feel when we testify of The Savior! I am so grateful for The Savior and the love that he has for us! Merry Christmas!


I love you all!
Elder Weston

My house

The baptism

Me and Larsen and Johnson

The hiking squad

"Yes you are the Mormons!!"

I switch from being in a new area (Pogradec), to a place that has 4 wards (Tirane.) The biggest change is when I asked someone "If he had heard of the Book Of Mormon before?" and he said "Yes you are the Mormons!!" I was so surprised!!! Anyways, I didn't see that coming!

I am now serving with Elder Nelson, we have been having a lot of fun here in the big city!

HighLight: I got a text message from our Zone leaders with the approved movies for New Years (we go in at 4pm- and can stay up until 12:30 I am super excited!!!) "Star wars 7, Remember The Titans, the Blindside, Lord of the Rings, napoleon Dynamite, a couple of other lame movies!
I am so excited!!!!!

This kid named Ma* is getting baptized next week!

Spiritual Thought:
3 Nephi 13:33-34,"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof."
I know that if we have any problems and we are doing our best to follow Christ, he will make sure that we are taken care of!

I love you all!! Have a great Christmas!

Elder Michael Ueston

These are some pictures from last week from Pogradec and here are some pictures with some missionaries with our Christmas hats on!

Back to the big city

Saturday was transfer calls! President said that I will be spending Christmas in...... TIRANE 4TH WARD! I will be serving with Elder Nelsen! I am so sad I am going to be leaving Pogradec! I had a lot of fun here, giving talks every week! But I will have a blast in Tirane!

This week we went to Elbasan for Zone Training! It was great to be able to see everyone again!

Nothing to cool happened this week.... trakting.... street contacting... just trying to find some new investigators! It is awesome! :)

Spiritual thought:
Everything happens for a reason, sometimes we don't understand what God's plan is, but we know that he has a plan. This week during zone conference I was talking to a sister about one of their investigators that got baptized! Turns out I found her when I was in Tirane. I know that God always has a plan for us! He knows our potential!


I love you all!
Elder Michael Ueston

DISTRICT MEETING IN MACEDONIA!

We are in the same district as the Macedonian Elders, so we decided we were going to have DISTRICT MEETING IN MACEDONIA! District meeting in a different country! That same country that Paul taught in! #Goals.  Then 2 days later we went on an EXCHANGE IN MACEDONIA! Me and Elder Lords, not knowing any Macedonian, went there!

We learned really fast that is it kinda hard to street contact, if you don't know their language.. but that just made the adventure ever better! Trying to find the elect, or those that know Albanian, or English!

Then we had a couple of lessons. I learned how to say "yes" and "good" in Macedonian. During these lessons I would say "good" and "yes" to make sure they knew I was listening. I didn't understand one word that came out of their mouths, but they knew I was listening! I am sure Paul would be proud!

Also, in Macedonia, I found a cool custom leather book shop that I was told about from the couple missionaries. They are awesome! I will send you a picture, next week!

In Pogradec, we had a couple of cool lessons, this cool guy named Ar*, he is awesome, he wants to give us all of his friends to teach! can't wait! ;)

Spiritual Thought: "Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God... He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son." -The Living Christ
I am so grateful for the love My Savior has for me! I hope all of you can feel Christ's love during this Christmas Season!


Love you all!!
Elder Michael Ueston

Beautiful

Coming back to Albania

They didn't know the picture was coming!

turkey & gravy

For Thanksgiving we went to Tirane and ate food with all the other missionaries, then after all the districts prepared a skit. That was awesome! Super funny!

We went to Korçe this week for another baptism there! It was awesome! I talked to one person at the baptism, last week. Then he wanted me to give a talk this week. 2 baptisms 2 talks. Then to top it off I gave another talk in Church on Sunday! Every week in church I have given a talk, and at every baptism I have given a talk. It has been awesome! I never want to hear someone complain about a talk again!

We found some pretty solid Investigators, we met this guy named Ermes. We gave his daughter a blessing!

Our recent converts feed us! It was awesome!!! They are the best!!

Spiritual though:
This week I would just like to let all of you know that I will be forever grateful for My Savior!  "Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me, Enough to die for me! Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!"  It truly is wonderful!


I love you all!!
Elder Michael Ueston

Adriatic South Mission ~ Thanksgiving Day Dinner and Skits

These pictures of Elder Weston came from the Adriatic South Mission Facebook page

the lake

O Molali ku je? (Homie, where you at?)

This week was a lot of fun! Our friend R*, was baptized, and to make it 2000 times cooler, he was baptized in the lake! Some other Elders from Korçe came down and baptized someone as well. It was sweet and I got to give a talk at the Baptism, then the next day, at Church, I got to give another talk, and R* received the Holy Ghost! We had 16 people at Church this week.

Today we got a haircut for less than $2 and played pool.

We have been teaching this kid named O*, we hope he will get baptized in 2 weeks. We have been meeting with a guy named P*. He has a hard life and hope to help him a lot! and We have been meeting with our recent converts here a lot to strengthen them!

This week we are going to Tirane for Thanksgiving, and then we are having mission conference! It should be a lot of fun!

Spiritual thought:
This week after giving two talks about baptism, and seeing 2 people make that covenant with God, My testimony and love for that sacred ordinance grew. I am so grateful that The Savior restored his church and gave us the power to baptize and bring his children unto him fold! I am so grateful for my Savior and his church. I know that baptism is the only way that we can inherit the kingdom of God!

I love you all! have a great Thanksgiving!

Love,
Elder Michael Ueston

R*, his family, and our recent converts. 

Lake baptism #classic! 

1st week in Pogradec

Pogradec, this place has been opened for 6 weeks now, we have 3 members. It is awesome. We had sacrament meeting with 13 people!!
38% missionaries
23% members
30% investigators
7% under the age of accountability
Elder Lords is basically the branch President, but it is to small to be a branch. And it looks like we get to give talks almost every week, in church!

It was Elder Lesi's birthday on Tuesday, we ate at the member's house. I got to go back to Elbasan for zone conference on Friday! It was goals! I ate a crepe! It took 2 hours to drive there!

Oh yeah, they took the car from Elbasan (my old area) and gave it to Pogradec (my new area.) I have only been 6 weeks without a car! haha
I guess God just wants me to have a car! ;)
It has been raining for the past 5 days, so we had been doing a lot of trakting!

We live super close to the lake, It is super pretty! And the other day there was a rainbow right above it!

Today for my birthday we played some card games, we hung out with our recent converts, and we ate some food, after I am going to watch 17 miracles for family home evening.

Spiritual Thought:
One year ago from today I went through the Temple, and 2 weeks before that I received my mission call. I would never have thought how much my life was about to change, and how much love I would have felt for all The Albanian People. "[I] had loved them, according to the love of God which was in me, with all my heart; and my soul had been poured out in prayer unto my God all the day long for them." Mormon 3:12. I now know how Mormon felt when he said this. I am extremely grateful for God's never ending love, grace, and mercy.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.


Love you all!

Elder Michael Ueston

Our kitchen

Our apartment

Our room

The view from our apartment

The Church

Transferred to Pogradec (look it up)

Pogradec

Albanians always look at me and my companion's name tag with a confused look on their faces, then ask "ju të dy keni Elder" (both your names are elder?) No matter how many times we explain it they don't understand! cute people.

We got transfer called from president this week. I thought I would be staying here in Tirane. But president has no rules! Me and Elder Lords are both going to Pogradec (look it up) with Elder Lessi. This area is super new 6 weeks! and it has a beautiful lake, and the other side of the lake is Macedonia! We will be in the same district as Macedonians!!!! I am super excited! I will miss Tirane.

We met this guy named Eg*, he has met missionaries about 10 years ago and he said that the missionaries really effected his life for the better. He is on a baptismal date, but we are leaving, but he is super cool! life!

This week was really cool! we had a lesson with a recent convert and after he said that was exactly what he needed! That is the best feeling in the world!!

Spiritual thought: This week I turned on some conference and the second I turned it on I could not stop listening to it, I felt the strongest spirit! It was the most amazing feeling ever!! I know that we have a prophet on the earth today, his name is Thomas S Monson, and that he is sent from God!


I love you all!! shout out Happy birthday Sarah!!

Elder Michael Ueston

We played Frisbee for P day!

sweater weather

This week was pretty boring but I will try to make it sound cool! BTW Happy Halloween!

I went on an exchange with a little greenie Elder Harris, cute kid.
I planned a couple of lessons and then later they said "Do të marr Vetë" So yeah they are going to call us... Great..... I can't wait for all those people to call us! SO EXCITED!! ONE DAY!!!

We went to the sisters house while their male landlord was there (AP's approved.) we then got home at 10:00 pm!! it was the first Time I have been out later then 10:00 for like 9 months!!! (home.)

Church was great, I love the Bishop, the zone leaders baptized a guy, English course, we made a great Sunday dinner!! (I'll send a pic)

It is also sweater weather (I'll send a pic)

Spiritual Thought:
Our friend Ar* loves The Book of Mormon, every lesson he probs talks about how it is like a guide for life for 10 mins. I am so grateful for The Book of Mormon and the power that it has to change our lives and I hope all of you will read and ask God if The Book of Mormon is true!!!


LOVE YOU ALL!!
Elder Michael Ueston

my companion is from Idaho so obviously he made the fries!

wheelchairs

This week was an awesome week!

First of all we started our english course and there were so many people that we didn't have enough chairs!! Turns out passing out 6000 flyers works.

My companion had a district leader meeting so I went with Elder Sadiku, who is from Elbasan, for a little bit. We have been running every morning #FitnessGameStrong! Meet with Arjan some more with a member and the member really helped him a lot.

WE GOT TO DO SERVICE!! This week we went to a warehouse and started unpacking wheelchairs! We moved 600 of them! We moved them upstairs, down the hall and all over! It was a lot of fun!!! I'll probs send you some pictures!

I taught this American guy! He knows a lot about the Bible and was interested, it was awesome to teach someone with some Bible knowledge!

For P-day we went to mount Dajti mountain. It is super pretty up there! #goals

Spiritual thought:
The power of the Spirit is real. In Heleman 5:30 it says " And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul." 

I am so grateful for the Spirit to guide and direct our lives. And I am grateful for the love of the Savior


Elder Michael Ueston

We did some service and moved 600 wheelchairs!

I rode a gondola! it was like snowboarding again!!
some of the sqad!
Look at that view! ;)

"It's like I am drinking America!"

This week I went on an exchange with the zone leaders! I went with Elder Divkovic aka my dad! It was a lot of fun to be back with him! He is German! I made him try KoolAid for the first time, he said "it's almost like I am drinking America"

We went and visited the Nebbies (a couple that has been members for a while.) He was telling us how he went to the SLC Temple, in the 90's with some members from Albania, and they did a voice test to see who would be best for the voices in the temple. He was chosen as Jesus and his friend was a little upset because he was choose as Satan.

This guy named Brother T* is the coolest! He has been a member for about 22 years and he has the strongest testimony I have even seen. What an amazing example!

Spiritual Thought:
We have an investigator named Ar* (another one) he watched a movie called finding Faith in Christ with him, he felt the Spirit so strong. It just proved to me that when we testify of Christ and his mission, people will feel the Spirit! This is the Church of Christ, when we testify of his Atonement we will have the Spirit!

I know that Christ is our Redeemer and loves us, and died for us so that we can live with our Heavenly Father again in happiness!


Love,
Elder Michael Ueston

Some Qofte (sausage), Fries, and Bread! 

Random fruit we found! It didn't taste like anything, at least it looked cool!

Me and my dad! he is trying to look too cool for school!

Elevator selfie! That is always a must!

Gen Conf

The main things that happened this week was we watched our 10 hours of conference all in Albanian! I am so grateful I had the opportunity to be able to hear the words of our living prophet!

I gave a couple of blessing, had Zone Conference, met a couple new investigators, bought a sweet jacket, ate at a Chinese food place, watched the restoration film, contacted, pretty normal stuff.


Spiritual thought:
I am so grateful that God gave us the Book of Mormon so that we can know that this church is true and that God really restored his church on the earth! I am grateful for the spirit and the peace that The Book of Mormon brings to my life!

They went bowling

Their apartment.  Karen and I think it looks pretty nice