My Mission and Before

November 26, 2013

Hello Family and Friends,

So first couldn't write yesterday because it was maddness! Transfers are this week and we wanted to do one huge thing as a last district p-day thing. So we had Thanksgiving and when I mean we had Thanksgiving we literally had Thanksgiving I even made homemade rolls. Haha. It was a lot of fun but super time consuming and so we are allowed today to write. Thankgoodness.

I have been looking forward to writing just because I want to share all the amazing miracles that have happened this week!

 

Well I told you last week that we would be having a lesson with Alina and Andreea was there. It was such a beautiful lesson. I was a little nervous at first but it was such an amazing lesson. FILLED with the spirit. We explained the first part of the plan of salvation and right now she is progressing which is amazing! :) ADORE HER. We were a little nervous at first just because there was a lot of talking and I really like to have moments of silence where they can really ponder and take in everything that we are teaching. But as Andreea talked more and more she basically just explained how she was once in her spot and how it had taken her 11 months to get baptized and she wished she would have done it sooner but how she just knows how true this plan is. How she just knows. This girl is going to be a powerful missionary one day :) 

 

Sora Newell and I have been working hard this week. We really wanted to up our contacting hours so on Tuesday we literally planned the whole day on contacting... well besides English. So we decided to go to the park. Not the best season for the park, but it actually was such a BEAUTIFUL day. Really wasn't cold, overcast, the swans and all these birds were out. So beautiful. And we saw on the map that there was this whole other section of the park on the other side of the lake. We literally explored the whole park. So we were just walking... and then running... creepy guy... and then we ran into this couple. I get super nervous to approach people so I just go up and ask random questions about Constanta. They love their city :) Let me tell you. So I just go up and ask if there was a piata nearby. Well they are this super ADORABLE old couple. Darling just darling and we just talk for a while. About Christmas and their traditions because they are orthodox. So of course they ask where we are from, why we are here, and then he asks if we know German. Haha Sora Newell knows German and so she starts speaking a bit. It was too funny because everytime she tried to speak in German, Romanian just coming out. It was too funny. But we were able to place a Book of Mormon which they graciously accepted and we told them that if they had any questions they could call us. We taught, testified, invited, and promised. So I'm just going to leave this off here.....

 

The next day we went and had a beautiful lesson with Andreea. Literally this girl. I adore her. She is one of the best people I have met in my life. And because she is a new convert we ask her like evertime what she has questions on or what does she want to know more about? So she told us Repentance and application. This GIRL! Gosh she is just amazing! So we had this beautiful lesson BEAUTIFUL lesson on Christ's atonement and the sacrament. :) It was so beautiful.

Then later on we did service and spent time with these cute kids playing games in English. These kids were adorable. There was a point were one of the little boys looks up at Sora Newell and says something about one of the cards he was holding and then looks at us and says," She doesn't have any idea what I am saying." And then just laughs. I was dying because I knew that she understood. Hahaha it was SO FUNNY. And then the other little boy, because we are supposed to speak in English to help them, says at one point in Romanian " I have no idea what's going on or what they are saying." Gosh what a good day.

 

Well Ecaterina... I am not sure if I told you what happened with her but she basically dropped us. We went in to meet with her and she just told us that she can't progress and investigate our church if she doesn't know anything about hers first. I literally pleaded with the Lord during this lesson to help us keep her. Help us say things that she needs to hear. We talked with her and her husband about faith and that she just needs to plant the seed and it'll take time. She wasn't really having it though especially when she just started saying that she can't live the way we live. But then that week she started talking to Andreea and so we ended up going out all together. It was strange... because we did not feel like this was the best thing for us. But we talked to President Hill and he thought that if she wanted to take us out and show us around Constanta it would be a good bonding thing with her. So we did.... well it was not what we expected at all. And we kinda felt like she was testing us... She is still talking to Andreea which is good but she is just not ready at this moment at time. I do believe that her husband is and I pray that he will stay and listen to the Elders. I know that they are going to talk to him this week so I am awaiting that :) He's one of our (Sora Newell and mine) favorite english students. 

 

So now it came to the weekend and at the Church we have been doing a fireside for Family History work and how to take people to the temple... people not names. (I'll get to that later) So Sora Newell and I are at the church and we get this random call from this guy. And I can tell he is an older guy and thank goodness I can understand. But he starts out and says. " Hey who am I talking to?" Explained who I was and says," Okay good. So I was walking in the park the other day with my wife and we met with you two cute girls. You gave me a Book. The Book of Mormon." By now he has my full attention and I am literally and I mean LITERALLY running from room to room. Can't sit still. So he continues," I have been reading this book every day since I have met you two. It is so beautiful, poetic, and I feel something when I read it. I want to come to your church and know more. When do you hold service and where is it?" I am in absolute shock and not grammatically correct tell him what time church is and where it is at. 

I have heard of these things happening. I have. I know it happens and that people can feel the spirit come from the Book of Mormon. I feel it everytime I read and I have prayed to know it's true. I know it's true. But in the course of my mission I have never had this happen. I have never handed out a Book and they have read it telling me how beautiful it is and how much they want to know more. After this phone call I basically just started crying... tearing up now... because I needed this moment. I needed to know there were people here that are prepared. I have felt so much loss of hope at times for these people... because they don't want to meet, or they aren't keeping commitments, or whatever it is. There are people here that are prepared. I never EVER would have thought by handing out a Book of Mormon this week to this cute old couple that this man would read it... feel something... call us... and then come to church this Sunday. But that is exactly what happened. Him and his cute wife came to church. Partook of the sacrament and even took a photo with the whole branch. I can't tell you how much of a miracle this is. I can not even explain how much God really does love his children and that he just prepares them in ways that we may not understand at this time. There are people here. I don't know what is going to happen but at least I know that this is a step it is a huge step in a beautiful direction. 

 

As I said they came to church this Sunday along with Alina, an English student named Diona who wants to meet with us. We had four people at church this week. It was a rough sacramant... primary program with 4 kids... it was DARLING... but rough. Talking about family history through the veil and temple work. But they enjoyed it and thought it was beautiful. They are all willing to still meet. Alina thought Sacrament was beautiful and she is even coming to the Relief Society on Wednesday. Things are growing. Miracles are being shown everyday. I can't tell you how much I have learned this week already... especially since this letter is so long!

 

We have learned a lot about Family History though this week and it makes me SO HAPPY and I mean SO HAPPY Dad to hear about your adventures now into Family History. I know that this is something that I definitely want to get into when I come back home. I think that that would be amazing! 

 

I love you all so much and I wish I could share even more. Just know that miracles happen. God is still a God of Miracles. He loves His children and sends us angels when we need it the most.

 

Love,

Sora Stewart