This week was Conference after conference.

We had a two giant conferences.  The first was Stake conference in Dures.  The one below is mission conference .  We traveled 6-7 hours for Stake Conference  and turned around the next day and traveled 3 hours to Elbason for our Mission Conference. There are only two ward buildings in all of Albania and we were at both of them in the last two days. Our bus (furgon) load held 20 people in it for Stake Conference.   With our almost branch and our investigators it was full so Lorin and I hopped in the back seat of a rented 6 passenger Makine of our Korce  because there were too many in their  furgon also.  Unbelievable ! We had over fifty people just from our two areas!   One of the newly baptized members driving in our Makine just about jumped out of his skin for joy when he saw how many people in Albania were Mormons and there would be a general authority there!  His name is Erald, a Gymnast who can twirl and jump but gets EXTREMELY car sick--we had to pull over for him three times as our driver whirled around through the curvy rocky bumpy road going about the speed of the Star Wars ride in the dark at DisneyLand.    One time we swerved so hard our tires squealed!  In the back with NO SEATBELTS I read all of Mosiah to keep me from watching the driving with my legs up on Lorin to make room for his legs.  

 We were promised in a blessing that we would be protected from harm or accident....

.."counting on that blessing!"

We road with our German Elder D  He made us all a Cake for a treat with his new hand mixer that Lorin bought him.... A prized possession!  

Elder Maxfield-office, Elder Holden in Korce                 Elder Anderson

  

Motra Willey dhe Motra Olsen   Korce                               Elder Davis Elder Dibble --Macedonia Bishoft

Ok, conference with our area 70  from Portugal a former mission president in Brazil, who guess what his hobby is:  He is a part-time clown--He takes three hours to put on his makeup by his wife and he makes kids laugh.  That was surprising to hear!  

The following is what he spoke abou:t

Oh my goodness, on our way home I kept thinking of one thing after another - I just loved his account about receiving personal revelation concerning "God" and our "Heavenly Father" - also how he invited us to sing hymns to our friends before teaching - and his invitation for us to study our patriarchal blessings by dividing it into parts.: asked us to separate our blessing by

Counsel

promises

Directions

Blessings

I also liked how he spoke about how we can ask for what we desire and to also understand the purpose of the experiences we have (i.e. patience, longsuffering, etc.) He said that what changes we make in our life as a missionary and the closer we are to Christ --Our investigators will also make changes and draw closer to Christ. Basically, that our investigators who follow the spirit reflex the Missionaries. The two go together for both the missionary and the investigator. I also liked him sharing with us how the Seventy and Apostles now have the same charge - to be special witnesses of the Name of Jesus Christ. Not a witness of Christ, but of his NAME-- thought that was interesting —I alway thought it was a literal witness of him. It was great!

  the Copelands

The Weidmans -humanitarian and the Weidmanns-President