I FINALLY MADE IT TO ALBANIA! (1/2/15)

Well.. I FINALLY MADE IT TO ALBANIA!!!! So exciting!! I love it so much :)

So first I will talk about the traveling, it was crazy, and long.. it was crazy long. I couldn't really sleep for any of it so that sucked. Austria was pretty cool mom, although I just stayed in the airport... and spent like 8 dollars on a water bottle. But anyway, the plane ride from Austria to Albania was so sketchy! It was really shaky, then it like dropped like 15 feet and everyone screamed. I though we were going to die! But once I got here it was so great. I was so happy! I talked to this lady on the plane from Kosovo, she was super nice and I got her number so that was pretty cool! I gave it to some Elders serving in Kosovo.

 So when I first got to Albania I went to the mission office, well first let me tell you about getting to the mission office. Driving in Albania is NUTS. If there are 2 lanes, there are really 4 lanes haha and if you are trying to change lanes or go through an intersection it is pretty much a game of "chicken". It kind of scared me but made me laugh. My mission president is such a spiritual man and he is so nice! He is from Switzerland and just has such an amazing attitude I love him! 

So my first night I went street contacting which was interesting but really really great. I thought I was being warm.. It didn't feel too cold but after like an hour my hands and feet were frozen! Humidity. Then we had dinner at the mission presidents house and we slept in a hotel. Then we woke up and went on a hike to where Albania was dedicated for missionary work and it was so cool!! Then we read the dedicatory prayer given by Dallin H Oaks in 1993. It was awesome! Then I met my trainer, Elder Lesi (Leh-see) He is Albanian and is the nicest guy ever!  I love him so much. I can tell he is going to help me a ton with the language! My first area is called Elbasan which is super pretty!! But anyway, Elder Lesi is so nice, he was converted three years ago so he has tattoos and stuff but he is such a cool guy. So after I met him we went street contacting and I was thinking that Elder Lesi was going to do most of the talking, but no. He made me do all of it! If I would look at him he would translate for me but he would not respond to the people we talked to. It was cool! People here are so nice it is so awesome!

Then we drove to Elbasan and it is so pretty!! But we had to be inside by 4 PM because I guess it is a thing for people to shoot fireworks at each other for New years.. I was kind of bummed I couldn't be apart of that.. So we just chilled in our apartment, it is really nice! Then we fell asleep and woke up at midnight to see the fireworks. It was crazy!! Fireworks were everywhere. There were these fireworks getting lit off below us so they would blow up like 10 feet away from us so that was pretty scary but so cool! I have videos of it I will try to send them to you. They might be too big. But yeah it is just so crazy here! I love it so so much I am so excited to serve here :) I have pictures that I will send you on Monday because I didn't know I would be emailing right now.. I am currently at a senior missionaries house, Elder and Motra Orton! (Elder Orton graduated from Jordan High School in 1966) they are so nice. 

I am so happy here! This place is so rad.

Love you all!
Elder Farnworth