Yeah we are a little thug in our gross probably never washed jumpsuits. 

 

And that's a little what the course was like. :)

pretty sure this is Elder Ormsby who later ran out there with just a mask and started screaming "I'm a bunny!" hahaha it was pretty funny. Because us sisters had no idea what he was doing as he just started running around the course everywhere. But quite a few elders followed him out there and started shooting. :) Great game. haha.

This is Sora Gerhartz poor bruise. She had one on her upper thigh that looked the same too. :( looks a lot worse in person.

This is my companion Sora Letinu! She had no idea that I was taking a picture of her :) 

We look up a lot of words in the dictionary. haha.



This is just a usual day of Sora Gerhartz. Haha she is the comedian in the group if you couldn't tell.

Sora Stapley loves Metro surfing. Where we just stand there and try not to fall over. :) This was today before we played basketball.

Off to church. In front of our block :)

They have called Sora Gerhartz the dictator of our district. Haha only because she has been in this area for 6 transfers. This picture explains it all though. 

AUGUST 19, 2013

Hello again!

I honestly feel like P-days come to fast. And P-days are the busiest days ever! Today we are going over to the Mihai Bravo chapel to go play Volleyball and go to Subway. Oh by the way mom and dad I eat a rosii everyday! I hope your happy. I still hate them.... I like them cooked. Still hate them raw. I am trying to make myself like them though. :) You should be proud.

Oricum. I think P-days are so hard here because Buch is so large. So going anywhere or doing anything takes like an hour to get there. That's my only complaint and I only don't like it on P-days. The rest of the time I love it.

I really love Bucharest. I love trying to figure out all of the bus lines and tram vis... I don't know how to spell that. and the metros. Gosh it's so much fun. I love figuring out how the city connects. Especially since Buch is super super super compacted. I mean imagine those track houses back home but then they are all stacked on top of each other... it's crazy. But it's so much fun :)

Well Sora Letinu and I since we are a new companionship in Panduri... I don't know if they have ever had 4 sisters in Panduri before... so we are basically starting from scratch. Okay yeah we are starting from scratch it's like we opened a new section of Panduri it's crazy! Oricum because we are starting from scratch we have no investigators. So this week we have contacted... a bunch. And good news is that I don't hate it as much as I ususally do! :) Cause usually... I hate it a lot... and when I say a lot I mean A LOT!  Oricum. We have just really been trying to build our area and try to obtain investigators. It's also kinda hard at this point and time because right now everybody is out of town... mostly in constanta. But we can't meet with anybody because they are all gone. But Sora Letinu have just continued to press onward and contact and contact until the blisters on her feet just couldn't take it anymore. (She really does have blisters, they make me sad)

OH MY GOSH!!! I FORGOT TO TELL YA'LL! SHE GOT HER MISSION CALL! She is going to the BARCELONA SPAIN MISSION! It's exactly where she wanted to go! Dad I know your super jealous. You can go visit her if you want though. She thinks it's super cool that you went to Mexico and she has a mexican accent it's funny. She is super excited about it though. It was cute her brother called her and opened it for her and she just said the word Barcelona spain... or spania cause that's how you say it in Romanian. But she was just jumping around and screaming it was super cute. And she leaves in the middle of November. So when she gets home she will have about 2 months! I'll tell you what by the end of these next two weeks she will be such a prepared missionary... and a PRO contacter I'll tell you that! :)

Sorry back to us contacting. We have had some success and then I had a really bad experience where basically this lady offended every fiber of my being. And she told me that Las Vegas is Sodom and Gomorah. It was sad :( I didn't like that. She also called me a gypsy... which is really bad... but then she though Sora Letinu was from Alaska... and she looked like she lived in an Igloo. It was so dumb.... and funny. It's okay though she was a little bit crazy... she said she believed that Christ didn't exist and that Satan created the world... but God created Satan so we were all just evil... It was interesting... and really funny and really really really offensive. It's a good thing I'm a Stewart and those things really just roll off my back. :)

After so much contacting though and I am not kidding when I say that all we did was contacting for a week. We went to church Sunday. And I was a little discouraged... because the lessons we did try to set up all bunged us... and it was really disheartening. So I had prayed that week as we had worked hard and as we had come home everyday just absolutely exhausted that Heavenly Father would give us a person to teach. Just one person. So Sunday came and Sora Gerhartz later mouths to me that a lady just walked into church that wasn't a member and hadn't been here before. And of course I about just book it over there to talk to her. Her name is Stefania and she has gone to church before but I believe it was in the states. But as we were talking she just goes do you just want my number and we can just sit down and talk about these things! GOSH I WAS SO EXCITED! It was just such a surprise and a miracle to me of what Heavenly Father puts in my path. We are going to meet up with her this week and I am so so so so so so excited! And even though we didn't contact her and we haven't gotten a lesson out of those we contacted it just shows me that Heavenly Father listens to my prayers and he answers them... just not in ways that I may expect. :) I love being a missionary and just witnessing how Heavenly Father works with His children and how He loves us so :)

Sora Letinu this week are also going to be working a lot on less active work in the North Buch area. They are opening another section of group because it's harder for people in North Buch to travel down south which is where both chapels are here. So they are opening up a group and its going to be in a members home. So Sora Letinu and I are going to go visit the sisters and a few families to invite them and let them know what is going on. Bucharest is really really close to having a stake! ISN'T THAT EXCITING! So Fratele Doru... could be spelling his name wrong... really really wants to reactivate the members in North Buch since there are a ton that are inactive. We hope this works :) We know the work can progress here so much better and faster. I'm really just excited to be a part of that work! SUPER SUPER SUPER GRATEFUL :)

SPENCER! CONGRATS!

I have been looking forward to that email so much and I'll admit that my tears watered up a little bit and my heart just leaped as I heard where you were going. I had a dream last night that you went to China.... it was weird. And then I had a dream that you came here to Romania/Moldova but you were Russian speaking so you were only in Moldova. It was also weird. But super exciting. HAHA. I am super super super super super excited for you though! (yes I know I use super a lot thanks!) I am so excited for all the cool experiences that you will have and to learn a new language... Weird... Matt-spanish. Eu-Romanian Spencer- whatever the heck your speaking in the philipeans... Emily! YOUR NEXT :) haha just kidding you have a while!

I am just tickled pink though that I am hearing about the ward fasting for missionary work. The branch did that in Cluj and then my investigator Sabina was baptized that transfer. Fasting does bring miracles! I love hearing how our ward is just getting so involved with missionary work. What's something super interesting... is I don't really remember what I was doing... I was in my personal study and The Book of Mormon answers the questions of the soul ya know and I was looking up how are you happy in this life. And every answer that I found had to do with Service. Serving your fellow men serving your family, just service. And what greater way of service is there then bringing souls to know about our Savior Jesus Christ and about their Loving Father in Heaven. If you don't believe me just read Alma 26!

I think that's all for the week. :) I love you all so much and I love recieving your emails! Your all just so great! :)

Here's to another great week!

Love,

Sora Stewart

AUGUST 12, 2013

Hello my wonderful family and friends,

It never ceases to amaze me how fast time flies by. I literally feel like I wrote you all yesterday. I don't know how this happens I really don't. We have had a busy week though and quite a stressful one at that. We just had so many things to do. Here is a list.

1. Our washing machine broke so we had to go over to the Bensons to fix it. And call the guy to come over and fix it as well.

2. District meeting and Puppet show. The senior couple here the Bensons wanted to put on a show for younger kids about smoking and being healthy (showering, washing food, other things) And so we had to practice it. We do a puppet show and the kids have loved it so far. It's really becoming successful.

Just so you know I have seen kids smoke here at the age of like 10. So it's really good that they are trying this.

3. Lessons with our investigators (bine inteles) we were actually going to have a drop lesson this week but that changed. Will have to tell you why in a later paragraph about that beautiful lesson. We also got bunged a lot this week and I mean A LOT. 

4. A member from Alexandria... don't know if I am spelling that right... anyways came into town for a job interview and she needed help getting there so we helped her around town. Turns out she wants to go on a mission and really wants this job so she can live in Bucharest. Because we are there SISTERS and she wants to do splits with us and learn more about missionary work. SUPER COOL! We really like her and we pray she gets the job ;)

5. I PICKED UP MY NEW COMPANION! Sora Irina Letinu! She is adorable and I already just love her to pieces seriously! 

6. We have started a new area of trying to obtain new investigators and people to just come to the church. SPORTS NIGHT. We have tried to introduce American Football here and we played volleyball, battmittion... how do you spell that? basketball... and other cardgames for those that just want to hang out. It was really successful and fun and we are hoping this Wednesday will be the same :)

7. Well and then Sora Letinu and I are basically starting from scratch. It's like we opened a new area for Bucharest. And we aren't starting off with any investigators because the ones we are teaching before are the other sisters. Gosh super crazy. So now we contact... tot timpul. And ya'll know how much I just love contacting :)

 

So yeah it was a busy week for us. Not to mention that Sora Stapley and Sora Gerhartz were in Arad for exchanges so it was just me and Sora Letinu dealing with the big things in Bucharest. :)

 

First I think I will talk about our wonderful lesson we had and then a lesson that wasn't well my favorite...

So Adina. I believe I have talked about her before and her husband Stuart. We went in preparing for a drop lesson because she hasn't kept any of her commitments and these lessons were now becoming more for her husband who was a less active. And so we went in and if she hasn't kept this last commitment we were going to move on and just kinda teach Stuart. So we go in and I had just been praying that she would hav read the chapter that's really what I wanted. Because she is so wonderful she just wasn't progressing. And well she hasn't read but her husband read. I was so MAD. I am not kidding. I don't think I have ever felt just so dissapointed and mad in a lesson before. But I was just so angry. And I didn't know what to say and what I probably would have said if it wasn't for my companions is that I am not here for myself. I am here for her to help her and she doesn't even see how much she could have and what she would have if she would just keep her dang commitments. AND JUST TRY! But I didn't. And we started talking about Alma 32 again. About a seed being planted. And I wasn't saying much because I didn't want to offend her and I didn't want her to be out of the church for ever ya know especially since her husband is trying to come back to church. So I thought about everything and really just tried to follow the spirit. I had an impression to ask a question, a very bold question that would let us know exactly what she wanted to do. To continue or not or about what she is thinking really. And as some of you know I'm not very subtle about things. And my question was,"Do you have a desire to learn more about this gospel of Jesus Christ." Now I know my companions were worried about this because... well they already know I am super loud and I say things that come to my head... But it was absolutely perfect. And I am just glad that this question was purely given to me by the spirit. Because she paused and thought about it for a while. Her response was this (of course I am paraphrasing) "I want my children to grow up with good standards and morals and I see this in the church. I don't know if I want this in my life right now. But I want it for my future family and for my kids. I want to raise my children in this church. Because I see that it's good and I see the kids in the church and how they are. I want that for my future kids..." Now how interesting was this that she would say this and that opened up a whole new discussion because we were finally able to see and understand that even though she doesn't understand fully the importance of what we are teaching and why she needs it in her life. She sees that it is good... and it will help her kids... and her future family. And we knew that she will someday see how important and see how it can personally help her. We are going to meet with her once more with her husband before he goes off to America and we are hoping we will meet with her again after that. We are also going to meet with her parents tomorrow so HOORAY! We believe that they are curious about what we teach and what we do so it'll be a great thing tomorrow!

Now about my wonderful Companion! I have said very little about her and really because I didn't know much about her! But she is so great. Not even exaggerating she has such a desire to learn and to grow. At first I wasn't really sure what I was doing to be honest. I was told because she already knew the language I really wouldn't be training... but oh gosh was I wrong. So completely completely wrong. I am training and more. She does know the language which is great :) but she didn't know what a missionary was really. And all the things we put into it. How we study and prepare... how we teach... how we plan and what we reallly do. And so I have had to teach her all of this... also it's kinda hard because I have to explain it all in Romanian. But hey my Romanian is getting a WHOLE LOT BETTER. I have been asking Heavenly Father to bless me with the gift of tongues and now He is. My understanding has sky rocketed and I am able to express myself better. Anyways back to my companion. I have really been praying that I would be able to help her in any way that she needs because she really wants to go on a mission. She speaks Spanish like a boss too fyi. And so we have focused so much on the lessons and things in PMG (preach my gospel) and she just gets excited everyday for companionship study and other studies. It's so cute. And she told me she's really grateful because she is learning a lot. I feel like I really am so blessed because I am learning A TON! I have to take lead on everything and I feel like Heavenly Father is training me again :) It's great I love it. She isn't a huge fan of contacting and I am not either but because... we are kinda opening a section of Buch.. not really but we don't have any investigators because we are starting brand new we have to contact. So we do role plays a lot to get her to feel more comfortable. And well I am getting into the contacting thing. It's getting easier and easier. Which I am also really grateful for.
My companion though is fantastic she is so loving and a very determined person. She is a little shy and quiet but when it's just me and her we laugh all the time. And she will tell me  jokes in romanian that I don't really understand yet. She has told me all about her family and the church and her conversion story. She is such a powerful member. She has wanted to go on a mission for a while but because of weight issues she hasn't. But she will be getting her call really soon and then she just has to loose 5 more kilos and then President can set her apart.
She bears testimony like a boss and is so open with the gospel. The spirit just radiats off of her. She will do great things wherever she goes. I am so excited for her. And I really have just been praying that I will be able to help her to become a good missionary. :) She will have so much success.

 

A few other things that have gone on this week. We went paintballing... I didn't get hit hooray! I was sweating like a pig it was super hot. Sora Gerhartz was the star of that day as we were playing President. (President has no gun and has 3 guards who have guns and they basically just protect the president and he has to cross to the other side of the arena...) Anyways Sora Gerhartz like a boss basically crosses over and kills two guards who by the way are WAY BIGGER THEN HER! She is like 5"1' if that and they are way over 6 feet. Anyways she crosses over and sacrificed herself to take out the guards. It was great. She got some bad bruises from it though that made it hard for her to walk around the next day.

We gave the lesson in Relief Society about missionary work. For some reason this branch really is just kinda a stick in the mud when it comes to missionary work. And that makes it so much harder for us. Our investigators really aren't involved with the members and the one time we had a member they fought... ughhh it's extremely frustrating. Especially since I don't know these members well enough. A sweet sister approached me this week though and told me that she has a son living in Henderson. That's not the first time someone has told me they have a romanian relative living in vegas. How interesting is that???

 

We went Chalk Contacting on Sunday! It was so much fun and exhausting. There is this HUGE park and Sora Stapley and I drew a book of mormon and a bible and wrote down some questions and verses. It was so fascinating as people approached us and asked us why we did this. We were told later that we didn't have voie to draw with chalk... I guess they have been changing rules there. 

 

I am super excited for the new movie in the temple! HOW COOL IS THAT! I really miss the temple. So be grateful you get to go :) Remember what a blessing it is! I am also really excited to hear about all of the changes and exciting efforts of missionary work that is going on at home. I had been thinking about this a lot actually. Because I wasn't really a good example at all when it came to missionary work back home. And I felt really bad about it to see what I could have done to have been better and have helped out the missionaries even more. And our ward is small. And we are all kind of the same people I havent really seen a lot of changes that have happened unless a new person or family moves into the ward. But when I hear about how it's starting to happen more at home with missionary work. I really just want to cry because it's so important. So important that as members we do our jobs and help out missionaries as much as possible. Even though life gets in the way and we have jobs and work and families. Just the happiness that we have if we share the gospel and you see someone have that light and life in them. A whole new meaning a whole new lifestyle. It brings so much happiness into my life. And I think our ward would be a whole lot happier if we really focused on missionary work and really really really concentrated our efforts to bring souls unto christ. That's all of our duties as members.

Sorry I'll get off my soap box now. :) Sorry it's such a long letter. I just have so much to say and tell and gosh I just love everything that's happening here. All the new experiences and things that I Get to learn. I AM SO LUCKY! SO SO SO LUCKY AND SO BLESSED!

Love you all!
Sora Jenna Stewart