March 31, 2014

March 31, 2014

 

So, today for P day we hiked up to the cross that's on top of this mountain in Skopje (the one I said is lit up at night just like the Y). We went with Ana and it took about an hour. We ran into an American couple hiking at the same time as us and took a picture from the top. There was also a playground and ice cream for sale up there, so since we're a bunch of five year olds we played together on the seesaw and swing sets.

Yesterday at Church the Fords and a bunch of other important people came down for the creation of the branch here!!! The branch in Skopje. Awesome. They made Brother Swineford (an American living here with his family) the President, Elmaz is the first counselor, and the elders' recent convert Ratko is the Mission Leader. We're starting to get all organized and whatnot.

It was a good meeting and Kate got up to bear her testimony for part of it. She did it in Macedonian and English. I love her.

After church we met up with Ana, Gordana and her little niece Eva to walk around the park and give them a lesson. I really like Eva because she's a good talker. It doesn't matter that I can only ask very simple questions, she just goes off and energetically answers. As we walked through the park, I asked her the words for stuff like "cotton candy" (Шикерна Вола) and "leash" (Поводник). Probably not the most useful of words, but I'm going to have to learn it all eventually. 

Sister Schofield's crusher/investigator Benjamin is really great for me to talk to, too since he doesn't speak English. We gave our first lesson by ourselves to him. Normally Sister Schofield does most of the talking in lessons so this time I did it almost all of it, for a nice change. I'm still frustrated as usual that my Macedonian speaking opportunities are so few and far between. I've all but given up on language study since we showed a grammar exercise to Kate, copied from our textbook, and she laughed and told us it was wrong. I've noticed that the English-Macedonian dictionaries some of the other missionaries have are unreliable as well. It will kill me if I have to waste more time learning more of the wrong language, or learning how to speak the language incorrectly. We wrote President Ford a few weeks ago begging to let us take classes, and he said he's waiting on approval. 

We went to visit Ratko with the elders and he told us he said to one of his friends, "A few weeks ago I was baptized into this church, and now I'm already a priest! Let me baptize you!" At least he's upfront about his purpose. Maybe that's why he was made mission leader.

My friend Haley from back home wrote me something a while back about it being ironic that Sister Riddle was in Albania. I feel like it's quote-worthy: "Did you find lord voldemort yet? Don't let a strange man use the back of your head." 

Whenever the beggars come up to us and ask us for money and we tell them no, it is the most ironic thing in the world when they say, "God is watching." It's a rule in the missionary handbook that we can't give money to beggars. 

And how's this for irony: a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses knocked on our door. Two women. Just picture our doorway at that moment. I thought it was hilarious. Now I know why people always mistake us for them. We work in pairs and dress alike. They left us a pamphlet about resurrection, and Sister Schofield was like, "Wait, what? I thought tracting was illegal here." Turns out they just don't care about the law.

One day we bought candied apples from someone selling them on the street for just forty cents a piece. They were pretty good. 

 

Well, we were kind of crunched for time today, but I hope I've written a satisfactory-enough email.

Love,

Sister Riddle

Alma 17:11-16, "And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good be examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.
And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Mosiah, and also those who were with them, took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites to declare unto them the word of God.
And it came to pass when they had arrived in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken.
And assuredly it was great, for they had undertaken to preach the word of God to a wild and a hardened and a ferocious people; a people who delighted in murdering the Nephites, and robbing and plundering them; and their hearts were set upon riches, or upon gold and silver, and precious stones; yet they sought to obtain these things by murdering and plundering, that they might not labor for them with their own hands.
Thus they were a very indolent people, many of whom did worship idols, and the curse of God had fallen upon them because of the traditions of their fathers; notwithstanding the promises of the Lord were extended unto them on the conditions of repentance.
Therefore, this was the cause for which the sons of Mosiah had undertaken the work, that perhaps they might bring them unto repentance; that perhaps they might bring them to know of the plan of redemption."