My Mission and Before

October 28, 2013

Buna,

Well whenever p-days come I just can't believe another week has gone by. It is so ridiculous literally so crazy!

I will try to start at the beginning.

Monday:

We all agreed to start a new finding tool and start a bible study class... well yeah that didn't really work. The first day (last Monday) only 1 investigator came... and it wasn't ours. Of course Andreea came. Gosh Andreea. She is amazing. I think I may just take this moment and tell you how amazing this member is. She was just baptized maybe a month ago she had investigated the church for about a yeah and her sister was baptized last year. Anyways this 18 year old is the most amazing person EVER! She has such a willing heart and desire to do good. She just wants to do anything to help us. She literally has told each and everyone of us that if we ever want her in lessons to just call her. LOVE HER! Anyways. So she was there and she just helps us so much.

Well the Bible class went great except it was extremely difficult to get people there. So that was a bust. But hey we are out here thinking.

Tuesday:

Well it was zone training and Sora Newell and I had to talk about effective personal and companion study. I had to chuckle at myself a bit because honestly before my mission I don't think I really knew how to study or what studying meant... but now I gotta say I think I am getting it. :) We took a three hour maxi taxi though from Constanta up to Bucharest (Mihai Bravu) area and it was great. Our mission has changed a little bit in the last transfer because before we had zone goals and then district goals and made companionship goals off of them. But now it is now changed where companions make their goals and then we move forward with district and then zone. I think it is so great. So we talked a lot about setting our own goals. Luckily Sora Newell and I had already set our goals. Also one of our zone leaders talked about Love. And then we really just need to love these people. Sorry you all must be completely sick and tired of me talking about love but honestly THIS IS WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS!

Wednesday:

We had set up a lesson with this couple in the park and so there we went. We went a little bit early because we wanted to start contacting for English. We walked around the whole park and we could not find them anywhere. So we just kept contacting. We were really aiming for young families and just people that really would be interested in English. Sora Newell and I this transfer are actually going to start a class for children so we are hoping that we can receive more investigators. I was beyond frustrated. I had never been so denied before... well I mean I have but that was Gospel contacting. We were offering FREE ENGLISH! I even went up to this Older couple that were with their grandson offering our class and the Grandma just looks at me laughs and says," He doesn't need this watch." And then had her grandson speak to me in his cute little English. He apparently went to a international school. Super cute kid. And then they turn and walk away. Not the nicest people I have met. But I was just so frustrated. Later on though as we were going along the outside of the park... this park is huge just so you know, it has a lake in it.... and we come up to this lady who is staring at us. We go over and introduce ourselves and she tells us I know who you are I was baptized in your church. Apparently she was baptized but was never confirmed and then we just sat and talked to her... well mostly she vented and I tried to give her words of comfort. Later on we left and went to Bible class.

Thursday:

District Meeting. Contacting. Gave out a Book of Mormon to our new investigator (well get into that later) Then we went to visit a family. Familia Constantin. Super cute young family with 3 young kids. So adorable. I have heard that they like to scare missionaries a bit by having them eat fish and well we aren't really allowed to eat fish from the Black Sea... plus I am allergic. I may have forgotten this last part though. Hehe. So we sit down and we are just talking and they bring out these fish that are literally cooked on the bone (thank goodness they chopped off the head) and marmaliga. Now Sora Newell doesn't like fish and we are sitting on the couch and she says should I tell them or you... haha I had no idea what to do and so we sit down at the table and we just start eating. It was really good fish for the record and it was not from the Black Sea no worries not going to have weird chemicals or anything in me. But it was when I took like the 5th bite that I realized... oh gosh I am allergic. So I just started praying. I just said Heavenly Father please don't let me have a breathing attack. Well everything was just fine no worries. :) We had a lesson with them after and talked to them about being member missionaries and asked them to invite some of their friends to our English courses. Love this family he is so ready to help us. I really really love this branch if you can't tell.

Friday:

Interviews. Sports Night (ultimate Frisbee). And preparing for our Bible Class, I may have been freaking a little bit about this class...

We had a lesson with Andreea and we also wanted to address the importance of missionary work. Right now we are going over her New Member lessons. We gave her a blank Book of Mormon and challenged her to pray, write her testimony, and mark versus that she felt prompted, and pray to know who to give it to. She was so excited. Like I said  she is AMAZING!

Saturday:

We did our Bible Class and we really tried to talk about the atonement and resurrection and what the Savior did for us. Sora Newell and I really really really prepared and she bore a powerful testimony on our Savior. She is an AMAZING missionary.

We contacted quite a bit that day and I felt so very discouraged. I will admit I had some hard times this week. I swear I say I am trying to be optimistic and then things happen. One of our potentials that was willing to meet with us had asked us for money and that's a really big flag sometimes. And I got so upset... not with her but just that she wouldn't want us to come over and teach her and help her with the things that would really bring her happiness. I was being such a negative person and I knew we were supposed to have a lesson with her on Sunday.

so...

Sunday:
Beautiful Sunday. What an amazing Sunday it was. It was sunny and beautiful. Sacrament and all the lessons were really good.

And we called Gabriela (our new investigator, our old potential) to ask if we could still come over and she was kinda shocked that I was even asking. Said yes of course and so after church we headed right over there. She is so adorable. What an amazing mother she is. She has three beautiful children and she knows that God saved her two little boys who I guess were dead for a few minutes when they were born. She said it was through her faith and prayers that they were saved. She loves her children. She loves God. She loves scriptures. She is so welcoming and open. We told her of our purpose and listened to her about her life she showed us pictures of her marriage. So beautiful. And her kids they were naked her little daughter was so embarrassed. So cute. We read what the Book of Mormon is and asked her to read and pray. She agreed and we asked if we could come again. She told us any day. I love her. What's so sad is I was so negative and I was so worried that she would just shut us down immediately. I just came out of that lesson full of hope and I can't wait to see what the Lord has prepared for us this week.

We start English this week and we texted a lot of our old English students. We are also starting a children's English class. I am so excited for this. We get to be around families and show others how we act and love. I can not wait. We also have lots of time planned for contacting... not my favorite thing but my goal this transfer is to use all of my time the way the Lord wants me to. Use my time better. So there we go out contacting. :)

We also will be meeting with Gabriela this week. I am so excited. :) Love her. Seriously love her. Such a wonderful family.

I can't wait to see things and little miracles that will come this week. Something that I am really trying to work on right now... actually this is just something that I read this morning but hey it applies to us all. :) It's about repentance. I have been really studying lately the atonement and repentance. And today I was reading in Mosiah and how King Benjamin talks to his people and they literally saw themselves in their own Carnal State. That they fell to the floor and cried out with pure heart and real intentions with faith that Christ will HEAL them. Of their sins. I don't think that they were bad people. But they knew they could be doing better it's those little things that we let slide that they fell to the ground and poured out their hearts and they were filled with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit filled their souls with peace, joy, and comfort. Literally after I read this I kneeled down and offered up my own heart to the Lord. Because lets all be honest now I am no where near perfect. I am definitely not mom, who is perfect. Sometimes I think I forget that I make mistakes everyday and I need to continually repent to Heavenly Father. Something that stuck out to me though is having Faith that Christ will HEAL you. How interesting it is that he is the healer and yet we don't use his healing power day to day. I am trying to use this. To use his healing power and really understand what it means to be made whole.

Little thoughts on what I am working on.

I love you all. I hope you have a great week. Remember to look for those that are in need of your light!

Cu Drag,

Sora Stewart