Undecided

Dear Family,

I really couldn't decide on a title for today's letter: "April Showers bring May Flowers. What do May Flowers Bring? A  June Baptism!" or "O, they say when you're baptized in June, you're a member all your eternal life!" I'd like to recap the story of Ismet.

 May 9th-Elder Linderman and I had our best companionship study of the transfer, strenghtening both our testimonies and increasing our ablitlity and faith in our street contacting

May 10th-While doing Word of Wisdom contacting, we find two men in a row who don't smoke and have interest in our message. One of which, Ismet, has a Book of Mormon in his house that missionaries had given him a year earlier.

May 11th-Our first lesson with Ismet. We taught the restoration and he accepted a return appointment. Participated well and very open.

May 12-24th-We keep calling him. However, he is sick and can't meet. At this point, I was a little worried, thinking that he was just another person that didn't want to meet with us. However, he made the point on the phone that he wanted to continue the lessons. Sometimes it can get easy to "lose" an investigator amidst the throngs of people that we talk with. Thankfully, Heavenly Father didn't let that happen

May 25th-June 14th-We teach Ismet all the lessons. Each lesson he accepts the principle. With little hurdles with the Word of Wisdom and Tithing he qualifies himself for baptism. He also comes to church and hasn't stopped. 

June 13th-We go over to his house and meet his two sons. This was really a highlight this week. I was expecting some rebellious teenagers, but these two were humble kids 17 and 15, the younger one reminded me of Steven! This really has given us a lot of hope for his family.

June 14-15th-Ismet is baptised and confirmed a member of the church. It was really a simple, sweet, and spiritual service. I am so grateful that we could have this baptism in my first transfer on my mission. Elder Linderman keeps saying, "I don't know if you'll find as good of a investigator as him." Elder Linderman and I gave him a tie as a present, and then he showed up to church in a white shirt. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be a fly on the wall of the building of the foundation of Ismet's testimony (is that metaphor stretched?) Really, the most amazing part wasn't the baptism, but the change that happened before. Baptism, was naturally the next step in his life. 

  Also this week we restarted English Class and hope to get some more investigators including Ismet's sons. My testimony in teaching has grown a lot this week. In the "Training Program", this week I was heading all planning and teaching situations. At times it was hard and I couldn't understand, but "avash avash" I was able to communicate and we found some potentially good investigators. Transfer calls are next sunday, it looks like I'll most likely be staying in Prishtina, but we'll see next week, because it is in the Lords hands.

  Another cool thing happend this week. I was on an exchange with Elder Harlow from Leeds England. We got on the topic of family history and I pulled out the stories that you gave me about our anscestors. It turns out, they were born and lived within a half hour of his house! He was so excited! It was really cool to see that we really have roots somewhere else in the world. Now I know whom I will visit when ever I go to England

  I know this is like tacking an extra thing on but today we went on a P-day trip to a member, Nazim's, house. We thought it as going to be 20 km...it turned out to be 120! Sometimes the members don't tell us all the information for a reason, but we were excited and happy! We went into his humble hut, had bread and cheese, and then out around his property. I was shocked as I saw a field of beans and potatoes that he planted all by himself, on top of being a school teacher. I thought of the phrase "I am the Gardner Here". The Gardner knows his plants. Nazim and his, and Heavenly father and us. He helps us grow little by little. We may not like the hoeing around us or the scorching heat, but when the next day arises, we see that we are a little bit taller and stronger. It was all worth it even though the strawberries were the size of blueberries (but they were SOO good...I thought of Jake "I'll I see is Red*! *words changed). I love you all and I love all the updates I've gotten. I'm so glad for the west and their conquring of the east and king james (I like the Bible better anyway). Good Job to Kawai, but he is still kawai-in because he lost to jimmer. 

  Happy Fathers day Dad! I thought of you, like I do every day! Also happy birthday Uncle Steven and Joe Apple! (Not to be confused with Uncle Steve and Joe Garlick) Congrats Kalan and Mikey!

Love, Elder Bangerter

English flyers

Time Flying Fast(ing)

Dear Family,

      This week has gone by fast! Tick-tock goes the clock. This is both a bad and good thing. Bad because you never want time to end. Good because Ismet's potential baptism is on Saturday! I say potential because we have the interview tomorrow for him. He came to church on Sunday and gave me a map to get to his house (now we can teach his wife and 2 sons...that is, if I can follow the map!) I really notice a difference in the peoplewho have open hearts and those with closed hearts. Whenever I read in the scriptures about closed hearts or false traditions, I think of the people here. Some won't even "give place for a portion of my words". But with Ismet, he just accepts it and wants to be on God's path. I feel I've gotten good at determining open vs closed hearts on the street...recognizing in a n instant if the person is ready for the gospel or not. What is the key phrase, "We believe Christ was the son of God..." If they hesitate at that, we know that we found someone that probably is going to "bash" us. I'm grateful for opposition, it gives me opportunity to bear strong testimony and makes me grateful for everything in my life.

 To start, yesterday we had to be in by5 o'clock because they were having elections. At about 8:30 the streets were filled in fireworks and loud noises. I was glad I could watch from my balcony! However, due to the early curfew it gave us a lot of time to study. But, seeing that it was Grandpa Bangerter's Birthday I knew exactly what I was going to study! (By the way, also happy birthday Matthew--and John Stockton Day--and happy anniversary Lauren and Todd!)

Grandpa Bangerter's Book is really amazing. I studied it by topic yesterday and got so much out of it! I learned that grandpa works so hard in his life. He has an amazing posterity that has also taken serious his example of hard work. I loved hearing about how he worked on the farm and talked about teaching his sons. I was even more touched and shocked as each thing I read and learned reminded me of Dad, my dad. Thanks dad for teaching us the things that you learned from your father, I know you tried a lot, and it has helped a great deal. 

  The most miraculous moment this week was when we fasted. 

   After a long day of contacting and a lesson concerning tithing with Ismet was on schedule for the next day, we decided to fast. I then proceeded to study fasting and the power it can have in our lives. Fasting shows the Lord that you are serious about the thing your praying for and that you'll do anything you can in order to have your prayer come to pass. It is not just giving up food, it is filling your soul with as much "goodness" and "godliness" as you can. Every time you have a pang, you remember to put off the natural man and remember God and his promise. I'd like to borrow a blessing from tithing that happened to us from fasting: The windows of heaven opened that there "was not room enough to receive it". Not only did our lesson happen, but our member showed up. Then the member, after the lesson asked, "Do you have another investigator to teach?" I pulled out the phone and called one...and they said they'd be there in 15 minutes! This, coming from an investigator that is usually an hour out of Prishtina! So we had a lesson with this investigator, Hazir. And then we had a lesson with the member. Really, it wasn't even in my radar to think that we'd have three lessons in a row! So that's what Brazil feels like! (just kidding!) We were so grateful that we immediately went into the church's kitchen, broke our fast, and thanked our Heavenly Father for the bounteous blessings that he had just given us. 

   Days are long, weeks are short. Each day I am grateful for the record that I'm keeping. Without it, I would have no way to separate my experiences that I've had here. Thank you for your prayers and for the updates. I hope you all have a great time back east! That will be SO fun. Congrats Kalan! And Claire, how about you? how do you...feel. I LOVED hearing that Eliza's prayers are being answered. You cannot argue with a prayer of a child, especially from Eliza! I pray for each one of you each night! Prayer can change the night to day!

With much love and until next week!

Love, Elder Bangerter

P.S. Me and Ismet

Wilford Woodruff and Rain Drops

Dear Family,

  Thank you for all the emails this week. I love hearing every update! I hope all is going well in all the states that you are in! Thank you for all the advice and the encouragement! Mom, I don't recognize that language of the violin, but Kosovo has been under many different reigns and I think it may be a serbian language or an old latin. I still can't believe that she said "Kosovo". That's not a word that is in anyone's vocabulary! Seth, I need to thank you or anyone that helped you put together your harddrive! This week we've been listening to all the discourses by Truman G. Madsen about the prophets of the church. I never thought it, but the lives of those prophets are so applicable to a missionary in Kosovo. Each time we listen to an excerpt, we get "psyched up" and build our faith in our missionary work. And this week we needed it.

   A lot of work this week was contacting! I think we did at least 4 hours of street contacting/tracting every day and some days we did 6 hours. And so with those long days of finding it gets pretty long. But it was also fun, every time we felt a little beat down, rejected, tired, wasted, or just tuckered out, we'd say to eachother, "What would Wilford Woodruff do?" (I like this one WWWWD) Our first thought is to stand on the bench and yell, "Pendohuni, pendohuni!" (repent) but we figured that the time for that type of contacting passed away with Wilford Woodruff, and I don't think the Muslims would take that too kindly! Our second thought is to testify, being full of faith, and thinking outside of our box (but still inside the Lords). At one point, I found myself preaching about baptism on the street, or other topics that were dear to my heart. You see, that is the common thread with all the prophets of the church: their heart. They all REALLY believe and ACT on that belief. And so, when I teach things that are close to me ( i.e. family, the book of mormon, ordinances, purity, eternal perspective) the teaching goes better and "both are edified". At one point, when it was raining while we were contacting, we resorted to just befriending the few, the proud, those who dared be out on the street during a rainstorm. We simply explained "We are missionaries who talk to people, and that there aren't a lot of people to talk to, can we talk to you?" They usually accepted and we'd have a great discussion.

   Please pray for the people here in Kosovo. This week I ran into so many people who just couldn't believe in Christ in every sense of the meaning. Their hearts are just a little "hard" at times. Some of them are even "past feeling". While others try to convert us to the Koran! 

   Ismet is progressing so well. He is really really amazing. He has kept every commitment we've given to him. He came to church yesterday and said, "I want to continue in gods path and I want my kids to continue in gods path." Well, gods path is this path! He is still set for the 14th. However we may need to move it because he may not be able to come to church next sunday. (he works for the government and they are having elections, and our mission presidents standard for church attendance before baptims is twice) It is hard to believe that we just met him on the street doing Word of Wisdom Contacting, and now he is almost a baptized member of Gods church. 

  Elder Linderman and I are growing close. One example: While we were rain contacting, and during my conversation with a man, Elder Linderman took hold of the umbrella to make it easier for me to explain the Book of Mormon that I was holding. After giving the man a pass along card, I was writing in my planner when suddenly E. Linderman took of running...with the umbrella! Leaving me in the pouring rain! It must have looked hilarious seeing me chasing my companion in the rain...then again there weren't a lot of people around! But that is what we needed at that point; it had been a long day and we needed a couple laughs. He said, "I never knew how much power a companion can have when he is holding the umbrella!" It will be different having a new companion in a few weeks.

   Hey my brothers, I'm curious, what was your eating schedule like? How often did you eat in or out and what did you eat? It would be different to have 2 meal breaks during your day! Also, could I get the email address for the Haymonds? T

   I love you all and pray for you all every night, even Babylina Owen. The language is coming, sometimes in my personal prayers, I have to do it in Albanian because it just feels better! Pray for the work here, it is progressing!

Love, Elder Bangerter

We have the Fullness

Dear Family,

   This week has been so great! Our goal this week was to focus on Baptismal Dates and we have 2! Both of them are on the 14th of June. One is Ismet, a 55 year old with 2 teenage boys. We had a Plan of Salvation lesson with him this week that was the best one this transfer! He is so fun and loving. I love him because he finishes my sentences for me. Sometimes i don't know how to decline a noun (that means say it right), and I'll say the first half and he'll finish it for me, making my sentences perfect! Our second investigator with a baptismal date is named Hazir, a white haired husband and father with a job AND a car! When he came to church last week he immediately said hello to our member Milaim. Apparently they've been friends for 30 years! I don't know if you remember, that that is the second time that's happened in the past 3 weeks! Both of them are very genuine happy men which is very refreshing! Sometimes it seems like the only people we find are a little crazy, asking for money, or some way to america! 

    Sunday was actually a monumental day in the history of Kosovo. To my knowledge, the first Ward Mission Leader and first Primary President were called in the country's history! Right after church we had the first correlation with him--Betim, a 23 year old that was baptized last week! He really wants to get the work rolling! 

   As you know, I love miracles! This week has been full of them. I take great strength in reading Joe and Jake's emails about miracles and Muslims. I know that Heavenly Father, and his servant Elaine Garlick, is helping his missionaries! I'll mention a few of these instances.

   We were walking to tract some apartments when we hear someone yell, "Hey Mormons!" We go over to a man, 50s, who was sitting at a locale having a kafe with an Albanian lady. He introduced himself: from Colorado, has the highest respect for mormons (he had a lot of friends), works here in Kosovo and has been doing so for the past 15 years off-and-on. He introduced us to this Albanian and said, "I've been helping this lady and I think that she'd be a good...candidate for whatever you do. But I'm sorry she doesn't speak english." "Well, we actually speak Albanian." He was pleasantly shocked. He then asked us to tell her that he had the highest respect for the church and would highly recommend us to meet with her. It was the best non-member referral we've ever received! We will hand her off to the sisters this week! It is so amazing to meet people that really are prepared! 

   I am grateful for the time that have here in Kosovo to learn and grow. Each day I learn so many little things. For me, I love the study time, time to really grow my testimony and then to go out and test/exercise it on the street. This week I've grown in my testimony of prayer, faith, Joseph Smith, gratitude, and priesthood authority. I could right a whole letter on each of those things! So, I realize that the all encompassing theme that I've found is exactly that. The gospel is all encompassing, it is full. We have the FULLNESS of the gospel. Others try so hard, but really we have it all! Wow, don't forget to be grateful for what you have!

 I love you and think about each one of you every night! I love picturing Adam, Dad, Michael, Todd, Andrew, Seth, and Lauren on their missions!

  It is true mom, the world seems smaller and smaller every day. I can't believe Dad saw Joe, that is so awesome! Keep me updated on any mission calls that come in and people that leave! 

Love, Elder Bangerter

P.S. Mom, I thought of you this week as we worked outside at the Bodells house. I mowed the lawn with a mower that had a long orange power cord! It really is a lot harder than normal mowing. But, then I thought of dad as I realized that it was just like vacuuming...except on the grass!

P.P.S. Andrew, we ran into some çuns (boys) on the street and he said that his uncle was a member of the church in germany. I asked where, and he said I think hamburg! So I don't know if you would remember an albanian named Gjengj Gjokaj? Have fun down at NCST!

P.P.S. Lauren, Seth and Steven, I'd love to hear from y'all (i look forward to your accent seth)

P.P.P.S. Dad, Adam, and Claire you're not off the hook either! But thank you for your letters!

P.P.P.P.S. Mom is just so so...consistent, right Adam!?